St. John Weekly Newsletter
" I hope I can be the Autumn leaf, who looked at the sky and lived.
 And when it was time to leave, gracefully it knew life was a gift."- Dodinsky
October 6, 2021
St John Mass Schedule
Weekday Mass:
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 9am
Adoration: Thursdays from 9:30-11
Weekend Masses:
Saturday Vigil, 5pm
Sunday, 8:30am and 10:30am
Reconciliation: Saturdays at 4:30pm or by appointment

The Saturday, Vigil Mass will be live-streamed on our Facebook page.
October is the Month of the Rosary
We will be saying a Decade of the Rosary before each weekend Mass this month. We would love to have members of our community be our rosary leaders. If you would like to lead a decade before Mass please sign up here. (We will provide a script.)

The Family Rosary Group will be hosting a Zoom Rosary Saturday, October 16th at 7pm.
Meeting ID: 783 2032 3994 Passcode: 2WgKFE

Archbishop Etienne invites you to pray the rosary this month.

Click here for the Rosary Prayers.
Homeless College Students Need Your Help! 

In Fall 2021 Catholic Housing Services and Catholic Community Services of Western Washington will be opening the Martina Apartments on Greenwood Ave in North Seattle to provide housing and services for local college students experiencing homelessness. This new building is within walking distance of St. John.

The St. John community can help support these students as they move in to their new homes by providing items for welcome home baskets. Our most needed items are new bedding, kitchen utensils, and cleaning supplies. You can find a sample wish list of all needed items online at http://tgt.gifts/greenwoodwelcomehome, but similar items are welcome!

All donations can be delivered to the St John Parish office or labeled and dropped off in the vestibule of the church at Mass.

Read more here.
Still Time to Help!
Our parish St. Vincent de Paul food drive ends this Sunday, October 10 at noon. Thank you to everyone who has already responded. Your generosity is always heartwarming!

There is always a barrel in the vestibule for nonperishable food donations, but during this drive there is also a container outside on the porch between the church and Quigley House. Donations may also be taken to the parish office during office hours.
 
Our pantry is low on food right now. We’re especially looking for peanut butter, cereal, pasta sauce, soup, tuna, and beans.

We use your kind donations to fill bags that we take to neighbors who need our help. Thank you for helping us help others.
Season of Creation 
This year’s Season of Creation, centered on acting together to protect our common home, was a wonderful and meaningful experience. Praying the Rosary and the Stations of the Cross in the Church, Blessing the Pets in the courtyard and having the seventh grade students create prayers and reflections displayed on the outside of the Church building were some ways the St. John community honored this important season.

Thank you to: Paul & Susanna Litwin, Olga Sala-Torra, Jim Russell, Jennifer Sullivan, Julia Rudden and Kim Burkhardt for helping to make all these events happen.
Blessing of the Pets

This past Sunday, October 4, many of our school and parish families brought their pets to be blessed by Fr. Crispin on the Feast Day of Saint Francis. Father began with a reading and general blessing followed by individual blessings for each of the pets.  A special Saint Francis medal was given to the pet owners to commemorate the blessing. Thank you to all who brought donations of pet food that will go into our St. Vincent de Paul pantry. 
 It’s Stewardship Season!

Mark your calendars: We are kicking off our 2022 Stewardship Renewal Drive the weekend of October 23/24, including the State of the Parish Presentation. (The 5pm Mass on Saturday will be live-streamed).
We ask that all of our St. John Parish members prayerfully reflect on their giving plans for the coming year.

We will have an abbreviated State of the Parish presentation at all of the Masses on October 23/24. After the 5pm Mass on Saturday, October 23, a video will be available on the Parish website that shows our current financial picture, highlighting the great things you have helped St. John accomplish and asking you to prayerfully consider your stewardship commitment for 2022.

School Families:
In order to be eligible, and to remain eligible for Fair Share tuition, each family must meet the following criteria:
• Be registered in the Parish—you may do this at the parish office or online at www.stjohnsea.org
• Be active in the life of the parish including:
− “Attend” the State of the Parish presentation by accessing it on the Parish website beginning
Saturday, October 23, after the 5pm Mass.
− Be supportive of or involved in one of the many ministries of the Parish.
− File a stewardship pledge card if you are a new family or you have changed your pledge amount,
otherwise your pledge will automatically rollover from 2021.
− Make a consistent effort to meet that pledge.

School families will receive their packets in the mail, which will include a pledge card and Stewardship Agreement.
St John Book Club
October 24th at 4pm
Location TBD
We are reading A Canticle for Leibowitz
by Walter M. Miller, Jr..
For more information, contact Diana Grusczynski at diana.grusczynski@outlook.com.
Staying Safe
Please read the following message from the Archdiocese:
This month we are continuing to see exposures on our parish campuses. In many of these cases the individual came to Mass when they weren't feeling well. Sometimes people may believe a symptom is from a cold or allergy. We would like to remind people to stay home when they are not feeling well. To help you distinguish the differences, click here for chart from the Washington State Department of Health.
Safe Environment Coordinator Needed
The chancery is looking for a Safe Environment Coordinator to lead SEP efforts across the whole archdiocese. Click here to learn more and apply for the Safe Environment Coordinator position. Click here to see all archdiocesan job openings.
Archbishop Etienne is calling all of us to deeper encounter with Jesus, as part of “Knowing Jesus Christ, Embracing His Mission.”
Follow Kimonti Carter's journey following his 700-year prison sentence for his involvement in a crime. After viewing the film, join a multifaith community for a virtual dialogue that will inspire action steps toward a more just and humane criminal justice system in alignment with the Gospel. 
Click here for the link.
Laudato Si
in Action
Season of Creation 2021 Wrap Up 
With the celebration of the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi on October 4, the Season of Creation has come to a close. I think I can safely say that this years’ Season of Creation was our biggest and best so far.

Our school theme this year is:
“Together We Can: Walk with Justice, Love with Mercy, and Walk Humbly with God”. This year we will focus on how we can walk humbly with God by following the steps of saints, and learning how to be the best version of ourselves for God.
October
This month we will focus on Emotions and Empathy. The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. We see this through the Catholic Social Justice Teaching; The Life and Dignity of the Human Person. Our saint of the month is St. Pope John Paul II. He showed empathy for those most vulnerable in our society. We can do this through Respect Life (October). This month students will focus on emotion management skills which can lead to improved attention, motivation, and academic performance. St. John Paul II, pray for us!
Saint of the Month
Saint John Paul II
Feast day: October 22