What's Happening
at St. John's
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Flu Season
Now that the normal flu season is here, be sure that if you have a sore throat, fever, cough, sneezing, muscle aches, and pains you do not come to Church. We are working to keep the Parish as healthy as possible. Please stay home when not feeling well. When you are not feeling well, it is not a sin to miss Mass.
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24-Hour Perpetual Adoration
St. John’s is fortunate to have 24-hour Perpetual Adoration. Please take advantage of this beautiful opportunity to stay close to God in these difficult times. Hand sanitizer is available in the Adoration entrance (south side of Church), and we ask that you practice social distancing and stay at least six feet from others while in Church.
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Monday, December 21 - Wednesday, December 23
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Thursday, December 24 - 8:00 a.m. to Noon
Friday, December 25 - CLOSED
Monday, December 28 - Wednesday, December 29
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Thursday, December 31- 8:00 a.m. to Noon
Friday, January 1- CLOSED
Normal Office hours resume on Monday, January 4, 2020
Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!
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CHRISTMAS 2020 at ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST
— CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE —
(Prelude music begins 15 minutes before each Mass)
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CHRISTMAS EVE MASSES
Thursday, December 24, 2020
2:00 p.m. Church
4:00 p.m. Church
4:15 p.m. Gym
10:00 p.m. Church
CHRISTMAS DAY MASSES
Friday, December 25, 2020
8:00 a.m. Church
9:30 a.m. Church
11:00 a.m. Church
11:15 a.m. Gym
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Seating will be on a first-come, first-seated basis in the church proper. Once the church reaches its safe, socially-distanced capacity, guests will be directed to the overflow seating area in the church hall where Mass will be live-streamed and eucharistic ministers will distribute Holy Communion.
Be sure to wear a mask to Mass!
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Bipolar Ionization System
In this time of Covid-19, there are a number of things we have been doing to stay safe: mask, sanitizer, social distance. Another thing we would like to do is install a high-tech air purification system in our heating and A/C units. Many hospitals are using them to clean air by killing bacteria and viruses along with many other air impurities. The way it works is that millions of positive and negative-charged oxygen ions are sent into the air which attach to pathogens and kill them.
We would like to order this new system and have it installed by Easter. Even though Covid-19 won’t be with us forever, germs and other viruses will be. This is something that can be used for years to come to keep us as healthy as we can be.
Total cost of the project is $10,000.
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THE 2020 PARISH FINANCIAL BOOKS WILL CLOSE ON DECEMBER 31
If you wish to have any contributions credited to your account for 2020, it must be received by end of the day, December 31. Any contributions received after the end of day on December 31 will be credited to 2021. PLEASE BE AWARE: Even if your check is dated 2020, it must be POSTMARKED in 2020, or it will be credited to 2021.
QUESTIONS??
Please call the parish office to avoid any complications with your 2020 tax deductions.
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Thanks to All Who Participated in the Parish Giving Tree
In November, the Parish Giving Trees in the Church and the Hall were filled with 400 envelopes, each representing a request for a gift or a gift card. By the next week, due to such high participation rates, an additional 200 envelopes were added to the tree. Once the donations were tallied, the Parish donated over 700 Christmas gifts to families and individuals in need.
Those organizations receiving gifts this year include the House of Peace, Hope House, Sojourner Family Peace Center, Stork’s Nest, and the St. John’s Chapter of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Thank you for your generosity!
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Your donations are needed and will help us
continue to operate during these unsettling times.
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Fourth Sunday in Advent
December 19/20, 2020
There are just five days left until the celebration of Christmas begins. Let’s live these last days of Advent well.
In today’s Gospel passage from Luke, we read the wonderful words of the Blessed Mother’s “fiat,” her “yes” to God’s plan. “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” These are among the most beloved words in the Gospel. But the next sentence is also vital for the Christian steward.
After Mary’s fiat, we read, “Then the angel departed from her.” Our Blessed Mother was left with a lot of unexplained details about God’s plan for her! Yet, she followed God’s will perfectly. Mary gave herself and her life fully to God as a gift. She was the first disciple. We are called to follow her example today.
This Christmas, let us resolve to make our whole life a gift to the One Who has given us everything. He will provide us with all the help and strength we need.
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Blessings...
In just a few short days, we will officially be on our Christmas break. When we leave for the Christmas holiday, we will have completed 76 successful days of in-person instruction - quite an accomplishment during a pandemic. About 30% of our students have been in quarantine at some point this year, but our teachers have faced their challenges with positive attitudes and an incredible amount of stamina. Some days, we are definitely in better moods than others, but we are working together to stay this difficult course.
Still, there are daily blessings. Our students are the ever-present reminder of the importance of our work. We are able to celebrate Mass and our Monday morning prayer services together weekly, and our students find joy in the normalcy of outdoor play. We even found a way to put together a virtual Christmas program to share with our families. You can soon find it on the parish YouTube channel.
As we all celebrate this unusual Christmas, all of the parishioners at St. John the Evangelist are in my prayers. Thank you for all you do for our school family. We are so blessed to have parishioners who are so devoted to providing a Catholic education for our students. And our SJE Home and School Association is so grateful to all who supported our annual cookie walk, whether by baking or purchasing cookies. We sold a phenomenal total of approximately 175 pounds of cookies.
Christmas blessings. We wish you the best of everything in 2021.
...Together in God’s Name
Mary Laidlaw-Otto, Principal
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2021 Calendar Raffles
are now Available!
Calendar raffles are available for sale in the Parish Office and in the Narthex after select weekend Masses.
Give the gift that could keep on giving!
Cost is $20 each
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Live-streaming: Mass and Adoration
We are live-streaming daily and Sunday Masses as well as Adoration for those who are unable to attend:
Daily Masses are:
Monday thru Saturday 8:00 a.m.
Weekend Masses are:
Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
Sunday at 8:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Our YouTube channel is SJE-Greenfield.
If you miss the livestream, you can watch the upload of each Mass on our YouTube channel.
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CDs from Augustine Institute
Did you know we have CDs (and other items) located in the narthex? Each week we will highlight one of the available CDs.
Cost is $4 each.
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Our Lady of Good Success appeared on several occasions in the early 17th century to Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres in Quito, Ecuador. Fully approved by the Church, this Marian apparition contains an immensely important and hopeful message for our troubled times. Listen as Matthew Arnold explains the great power and hope that can be found through a devotion to Our Lady of Good Success. |
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Start earning the easy way with the new mobile app: RaiseRight by ShopWithScrip
RaiseRight is simply the right way to fundraise for our organization. Shop gift cards from more than 750 top brands to earn on your daily purchases—right from your phone.
Turn your shopping list into fundraising
- Discover new earning opportunities every day
- Narrow your search with categories that fit your everyday shopping needs
- Easily browse brands offering bonus earnings
- Add brands you love to your Favorites for faster shopping
- Manage your gift cards in one place: your Wallet
Pick up right where you left off. Sign in with your same ShopWithScrip username and password. Access your gift cards right away. And check out with payment information already saved to your account.
SCRIP will now be sold before and after all weekend Masses. As always, SCRIP is available at the parish office during regular business hours. We have materials available below if you would like to set up an online account.
You can also click here to view a how-to video from Scrip on how to open an account.
To protect the program from fraud, please contact the Parish or School offices for the enrollment code. Once you have an online account you can pay by direct debit from your checking account (Presto Pay), by credit card, or by check here in the parish office. If we do not have the item in stock, we will order on Monday and have the cards by Thursday. Once you have the physical card you can enroll it in your "wallet" and reload it as needed.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the parish office at 414-321-1965.
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This program allows .5% of your shopping on Amazon to be donated to St. John the Evangelist.
If you purchase Scrip, St. John's receives an additional 2.25%. That's 2.75% of your purchases to St. John's if you are already shopping Amazon.
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The newsletter is published on Wednesdays. Articles for each week's publication are due on Mondays at noon.
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"Remember God's Will in Yours!"
Please keep the needs of St. John the Evangelist in mind as you do your estate planning. For information on how to include the parish as a beneficiary, contact the Parish Office at 414-321-1965.
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