St John the Evangelist Parish
May 20, 2020
Please join us for the final session of our bible study: 
The Life and Early Letters of St. Paul
on Thursday, May 21 at 7:00 pm.  Ron Ryan has been leading us on a fascinating journey through Paul's early letters and will wrap up with Philippians and Philemon.  To see the gorgeous hand-outs, click here.   
There are recorded versions of the first three sessions on our website.
We hope to see you on Zoom on Thursday!  
Everyone is welcome. 
There is no registration or fee.
Photo by Anna Redmond
Virtual All-School Mass!
This Friday, May 22nd, at 3pm on our Facebook page, we will live-stream mass with a special message to students and parents from Father Crispin. See our web page for the worship aid. 

There will be no school Mass on Friday, June 5th.  

The 8th grade Baccalaureate Mass/Graduation ceremony will be
live-streamed Sunday, June 7, at 10:30am.  This will be the only Mass that weekend.
Mass for the Weekend of May 23 & 24.
Mass will be live streamed on our Facebook page
at 5pm Saturday, the 23rd.
See our web page for the worship aid.
(You do not need a Facebook account to stream the Mass
just click on the link above and it will take you to our page.)
 A recorded version will be available on Sunday, 
or you can watch the Facebook version, it just won't be truly live.  :)
Weekday Masses
Father will be celebrating daily Mass twice a week until we can gather again as a community.
Masses will be celebrated:
Wednesdays at 3pm with Adoration to follow.
Fridays at 3pm with a special message for the kids and families of our school community.
All Masses will be live-streamed on our Facebook page. 

Father will be offering Reconciliation by appointment on Fridays from 4:15pm to 5pm.  Please email Sheila Marty at [email protected] or call her at 206-782-2810 ext 358 to arrange an appointment.
Father will be hearing confessions in the Reconciliation Chapel in the vestibule.  Please enter through the side doors, wear a mask, use the hand sanitizer or wipes that are provided, and practice social distancing.  Please sit in the back pews of the church until Father is ready for you.  Thank you!
Technology Triumphs!
This pandemic has forced us all to adapt, learn new skills and take advantage of technology like never before.  We attend Mass online and give online, meet with various groups via Zoom, work remotely from home and get our news updates through our email.  
It looks like we are adapting pretty well!
Over 1000 people viewed Easter Mass via Facebook.  The average Wednesday Mass attendance on Facebook is around 150, we get about 300 views for a weekend Mass, the first all school Mass saw 773 views and has averaged 300 views over the two following weeks.  Those who aren't comfortable with Facebook have YouTube as an option to watch Mass at a time that works for them.
15 people have been attending Ron Ryan's Bible Study on the letters of Paul via Zoom for the last three weeks.  
The Saturday evening Zoom Rosary averages about 6 families.
This Newsletter is viewed by an average of 650 people each week.
Online donations are up as well, with more people than ever signing up for electronic giving.  Our community has continued to give even though we are not meeting in person.  Our average weekly contributions dropped a little immediately following our Stay Home order, but have rallied in the past weeks to very close to pre-pandemic totals!  Our weekly average for 2020 so far is $15,176.62!
Thank you all for your strength and resilience during this trying time!
St John Parishioners Making a Difference
St John Parishioners have been doing what they can to help us all through this crisis.  Individuals and companies, locally and from afar, these folks make us proud to be their Parish!  Click here to read more.
If you know of someone in our parish who is making a difference,
email Sheila at [email protected].
Annual Catholic Appeal, 2020
UPDATE: We have received $10,910.00 so far-
that's already 10% of our goal!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
 
In speaking about the Annual Catholic Appeal at Mass this past weekend, Fr. Crispin said "When you support the Church, you support the ministry of our Lord, Jesus Christ".
 
By now, you have received Fr. Crispin's letter by mail or email inviting us all to generously support the essential ministries and shared services of the Archdiocese through the Annual Catholic Appeal. Although we are in unprecedented times right now, the needs of the wider community continue. We ask that if you are able to contribute, know that each dollar will make a difference.
 
St. John's goal this year is $98,710. If we exceed this goal, all excess payments received will come back to the parish and 100% of these funds will into our operating budget to help offset the significant loss of giving due to COVID-19.

This year, 10% of the funds collected from the Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA), excluding parish rebates, will be placed into a special Parish Solidarity Fund. Through this special tithe, your donations to the ACA will help our parishes continue our core mission of Word, Sacrament, and Charity.

Since we cannot celebrate Mass in person at this time, the easiest way to contribute is to make your payment online. Click here to donate. You may also pay securely by phone at 1-800-809-4921.
St. John Summer Praypals
St. John parishioners, let's pray for each other this summer!  In the past, we have drawn names from a hat while in mass; this time it'll be on line.  Here's how it will work:

If you would like to participate in this activity, send an email to [email protected] with your name, your intention(s), and (optional) your mailing address.  Then, sometime in early June, you will receive an email with the name of the person or family you should pray for this summer, knowing that someone will be praying for you as well.  

It would be lovely if you sent an email or a card via snail mail sometime this summer to let your person know your'e praying for them.  We all need prayer.... and we all need to pray.  It's win win!  If you have questions, please email [email protected].  

If you don't use email, you could call the parish office at 206-782-2810 and leave a voice message with your name and intention.  We'll get back to you by phone with your Praypal.  
Virtual Book Club
The Scarlet and the Black: The True Story of Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, Hero of the Vatican Underground   by J.P. Gallagher
It has all the hallmarks of a best-selling fictional thriller: espionage, conspiracy, a struggle against evil powers, undercover work by dark of night... but it's all true. The Scarlet and the Black tells the astonishing and heroic true story of Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty.  As a top man in the Vatican Holy Office, Msgr. O'Flaherty sprang into action, organizing a sophisticated team that included men and women of many nationalities, religions, and political views to save Jews and POWs from the Nazi machine. Despite Kappler's numerous attempts to assassinate him, O'Flaherty persisted, and his efforts saved thousands of Jews and POWs.
The book is available on Amazon, but delivery times are long so order it quickly. You can also watch the movie on Amazon Prime.

We will meet via Zoom at the end of May (date TBD).
Please contact [email protected] if you would like to join.

Seattle University and Town Hall Seattle present:
Sister Helen Prejean (livestream)
For those of you read our last Book Club book, River of Fire by Sister Helen Prejean, she will be talking at a virtual Town Hall meeting this Friday, May 22nd at 7:30pm.  Click here for the link.
Homemade Masks Needed!
As we get closer to being able to go back to our offices and gather in small groups, we will want to make sure we do so safely. It will be very important for everyone to have access to a mask. If you have the materials and skill to sew homemade masks, we would welcome donations so that we can offer them to visitors to our campus without one. 
Contact Sheila Marty at [email protected] for more information.

CCS is also still in need of about 5000 masks to make their goal of 10,000 masks for the safety of CCS/CHS front line staff who are working around the clock to provide essential services to our vulnerable neighbors in need. Click here for more info.
St John Rosary for those affected by Covid-19
Join the St John community in praying the rosary every week for all those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.  We will pray together as a community (from our individual homes) at  8pm on Saturday, May 23rd . 
Or you can pray at a time that works better for your family. 
Click here for the link to this week's rosary. 
Click here to download a Rosary guide.
Priestly Ordination Livestream
Saturday, June 6 at 10am
"A generous person will prosper;
whoever refreshes others will be refreshed." -Proverbs 11:25

 

Thank you for your support of the great St. John community.  Your generosity has always been outstanding, but now that we are experiencing the world in a pandemic, your continued giving is truly inspiring.   We are humbled and grateful.
 

As you know, 90% of our revenue comes from continued gifts by our faith community. This generosity supports the basic operations (payroll, utilities, maintenance, etc.) and ministries of our church.  Each dollar received helps to maintain the financial stability of your Parish.
 

We look forward to the day when we can come together to pray and share the Eucharist again in the Church.  Until then, continue to pray for each other in our community and beyond.


Your continued support of St. John will ensure the financial viability to get us through this crisis!  Click here to donate now.

Asante Sana to those who are already continuing to mail in checks and donate online. Your support means so much!
Laudato Si in Action

Laudato Si Week
As I mentioned last week, this week commemorates the fifth anniversary of Laudato Si, Pope Francis' encyclical on climate change and environmental justice.

Suzanna and I participated in an online meeting hosted by the Care for Creation Committee at St James Cathedral where we followed a program created by the Catholic Climate Movement. Twenty-one of us prayed, listened to readings, and shared our experiences and feelings on climate change.

We also watched a video where youth spoke about how climate change was affecting their communities. A young woman from Kenya spoke about how the seasons and rainfall, which followed a known pattern in her youth, were now unpredictable and how this caused water and food insecurity. Another woman from Australia spoke of the devastating bushfires in her country.

We broke into small groups to discuss and commit to actions. The list included:   Read more...
Saint of the Month
Saint Monica
Feast Day: May 4