The Catholic Community of St John the Baptist April 5, 2020 Palm Sunday WELCOME Whether you’re a registered parishioner or first-time visitor, we hope you feel welcome. There are many ways to get involved. If you have any questions, please let one of our staff members know or call the parish office 253-630-0701 Mission StateMENT The Catholic Community of St. John the Baptist: Where stewardship is a way of life and the diversity of our gifts is used to answer Christ’s call to proclaim and live the Gospel. Gather in God’s Name, Grow in God’s Time, Go in God’s Spirit PARISH STAFF Rev. Jim Coyne, Pastor ext. [email protected] Pastoral Asst. for Liturgy & Pastoral Care Laurie Moloney, ext [email protected] Pastoral Asst. for Administration Kathy Wickward, ext 103 [email protected] Pastoral Asst. for Stewardship & Evangelization Anne Frederick, ext. [email protected] Pastoral Asst. for Faith Formation, RCIA & Sacramental Prep Joan Williamson, ext. [email protected] Pastoral Asst. for PreSchool/Elementary Faith Formation Amy Bonte, ext [email protected] Pastoral Asst. for Youth Ministry 5-12 Chelsea Wilde ext [email protected] Pastoral Asst. for Social Outreach and Advocacy Andrea Mendoza, ext 115- [email protected] Music Ministry Coordinator Luis Diaz de Leon, ext. [email protected] Administrative Asst. (Bulletin) Connie Tietz, ext. [email protected] Bookkeeper Nancy Moore, ext. [email protected] SCHEDULE OF LITURGIES Facility Steward David Aldous, ext. [email protected] ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC CHURCH AND PARISH OFFICE IS CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE CONTACT INFORMATION IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE PLEASE Church/Office: 25810 156th Ave SE, Covington, WA 98042 CALL THE PARISH OFFICE-253-630- Phone: 253-630-0701 0701 AND SOMEONE WILL CONTACT E-Mail: [email protected] Website: www.sjtbcc.org Regular Office Hours: YOU. Monday-Friday 9 am - 4:30pm Saturday, 10 am - 3 pm ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC CHURCH FROM YOUR PASTOR GUATAMALA CORNER Welcome to Holy Week! I think it’s safe to say that this is An Immigration Story: the strangest Triduum we’ve ever encountered. We will My mission experience to Union de Aldeas Corpus Cristi be recording the rites of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil but in an abridged format. On How does the immigrant story of the Holy Families journey to Egypt relate the Guatemalans journey to America today and Thursday we will not record the washing of the feet but why do we struggle to connect the two stories as Americans you may do it for each other at home. On Friday you and Catholics? may wish to venerate your crucifix. At the Easter Vigil we will forego the Liturgy of Baptism until a future day Every one of my (6) trips have been different from the first trip. (perhaps the Vigil of Pentecost). Regardless, I pray that This one took on a new focus with respect to our Catholic Social each of us enter this time with an openness to relive the Teaching on accepting the stranger, the foreigner in our midst passion and death of our Savior so that we may rise to and the immigrant and how we welcome them like family into new life with him. our cities, towns and homes. The reality of the Holy Family is very relevant today with Guatemalans in the Region of San Marcos and in our Sister Villages and Parishes. As I mentioned at the end of last week’s mass, Archbishop Etienne has asked me and the other priests The Holy Family had to flee persecution to a foreign land of transitioning to other parishes or retirement this year to Egypt to escape the potential death of the infant Jesus because stay another year at their respective parishes in light of of the edict of King Herod to kill the oldest son in each family to the coronavirus. I concur with his decision and am happy destroy the threat of a Newborn King. Today many of our to be able to be with you another year. May the Lord brothers and sisters in Central America live the same reality of bless us all. the Holy Family. There are no jobs, a poor education system, no sustaining economy and in the bigger cities a propensity to Fr. Jim have to choose from gang membership or death. The new and old testaments reflect this reality via Jesus teachings. Jesus reiterates the Old Testament command to love2020 and care for the stranger, a criterion by which we shall be judged: "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me" (Mt 25:35). So how do we live out the Justice of the Church to welcome the stranger in our communities? We become people of action. No one in our sister communities wants to leave their homelands. So how can we help. Education is the one virtue which can change the reality of our brothers and sisters in Guatemala. Currently most children do not make it past middle school. Especially young girls and women of the family. We as a community can embrace the notion of creating education opportunities for children and teens which could change this daily reality. A high school education is not free in Guatemala. Holy Week Schedule With the cost of transportation, books and tuition most of our We will be posting videos of the Holy Week Masses and villages live knowing there is not much opportunity for them beyond 7th grade. I believe our parish and broader community Services on the St. John’s web page and on our can change this reality by raising funds for education and letting Facebook page at the following times: our brothers and sisters in our communities be the stewards of these resources to help solve some of the access problems to Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion education. Saturday, April 4, 5:30 pm Thursday of the Lord’s Supper I believe at the core of my faith the notion if you give a young Thursday, April 9, at 7 pm person the resources to be educated, they begin to dream Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion about the potential of tomorrow and begin to change the daily Friday, April 10, at 7 pm reality of their current circumstances. Easter Mass I look forward to the future dialog around education and Saturday, April 11, at 8 pm enterprise as we help our companions in Guatemala reach their true potential of living out the gifts of the spirit, they were all We invite you to celebrate rituals that we are unable to blessed with in being images of the creator. Come join us and celebrate at church this year, such as foot washing on change this reality. Holy Thursday and venerating the cross on Good Friday. Liturgical Press has created a wonderful resource, Holy By: Jim Tanasse Week at Home, to help you celebrate with your family. Reconciliation with God during the Coronavirus and the Season of Lent The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the sins of the paralytic and restored him to bodily health, has willed that his Church continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, Forgiveness his work of healing and salvation even among her own members. This is the purpose of the two sacraments of healing: the sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. (ccc1421) As my love of the Lord grows, I seek out many spiritual aids. For example, I went to the spiritual retreat in The Sacrament of Reconciliation (Penance) is about January 2020 here at St. John’s. In our small faith share conversion, change, turning back to God, desiring and group I expressed the need to forgive. I was told about a acting in a way that restores my relationship with the very One who created me! When I turn back to God, I turn back book called Everybody Needs to Forgive Somebody. As to the One who knows me best, knows my design best, the usual I went right out and purchased it. I'm not a big One who will lead me to become the best version of myself reader. I tend to fall asleep or reread the same paragraph for both me and all of humanity! This conversion includes over and over again. One evening—I think with a little reflection, contrition, confession, absolution, and to practice nudge from the Lord—I started reading the book. I was doing it differently. We take time to ask the questions, up until 2 am and able to retain what I read. “What is in the way of my relationship with God? Where am I intentionally falling short of living out the Good News of When we think about forgiveness, we tend to think about Jesus Christ within the world around me, and at large? How reconciliation. I’ve always questioned whether or not we have I intentionally harmed my neighbor?” We name our need to go to traditional reconciliation. Of course, if you brokenness (sin), we pray for a heart that is sorrowful about have major sin, it's required of us. I've been to confession these choices. We confess our sins to God via the Priest with Fr. Jim a couple of times, and it was a great who then gives us some ways to practice doing it differently. experience. But I wonder if it’s okay to ask for forgiveness We are then blessed with God’s love and absolution.