Category Archives: Important Announcements

Posts that need to appear on the front page of the website go in this category.

CatholicTV to Broadcast First Mass and Installation of Pope Francis

Posted on March 14, 2013 | Comments Off on CatholicTV to Broadcast First Mass and Installation of Pope Francis

Pope Francis First MassToday’s first Mass with Pope Francis and the College of Cardinals at the Sistine Chapel will be rebroadcast tonight at 8PM on the CatholicTV Network.  Commentary by President of the CatholicTV Network, Father Robert Reed, and Monsignor James Moroney will be provided.  Pope Francis will be installed officially on Tuesday, March 19, 2013. The CatholicTV Network will broadcast this event live at 4:30AM ET with rebroadcast during the day.

The CatholicTV Network is available on Comcast Channel 268 throughout the Archdiocese of Boston and New England (in Plymouth and Amesbury, MA on Ch. 183), on Verizon FiOS Ch. 296, Charter Communications Ch. 101, RCN Ch. 85, on various other providers and on Roku and Google TV. Online coverage and a live stream may also be viewed at any time from any computer or device at www.CatholicTV.com.

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Posted in Important Announcements, Pope Francis

Parish Lenten Gift – Special Collection March 16-17

Posted on March 14, 2013 | Comments Off on Parish Lenten Gift – Special Collection March 16-17

Rebuilding in Faith – Supporting St. Margaret Mary’s Parish After Hurricane Sandy’s Destruction

Last Week_Graphic1Last Week_Graphic2 On the weekend of March 16-17, St. John’s community will collectively make an impact on the Midland Beach, Staten Island community, five months after Storm Sandy, they are still in the process of rebuilding their homes and normalizing their lives. This year, in solidarity with the staff and people of St. Margaret Mary Parish, we will collect funds to help rebuild homes of this community.  The parishioners suffered the full brunt of the storm as their homes were severely damaged by the storm surge and resulting flood due to their location on the island’s east coast. City officials estimate that 300 homes are still without power or heat, and another 200 homes are classified as uninhabitable because they were destroyed or rendered structurally unsound.

Our gift can allow a few families to stop living “on-hold” and make their houses into homes again.  A typical rebuilding effort to get a family back in their home with just the basics includes:

  • $3,500-$4,000 – Building Materials
  • $4,000 – Systems/Appliances
  • $2,000 – Furniture

Lent’s clarion call – to love extravagantly! As part of our Parish’s 2013 Lenten call Rebuild in Faith, let’s bring the warmth and love of our parish and homes to those attempting to Rebuild in Faith.  We ask that you be as generous as you can as we designate our second collection to this purpose.  (Checks may be made payable to “St. John Parish”; St. John’s will total all funds and send one check to St. Margaret Mary Parish.) You can also donate online via ParishPay – choose 2013 Lenten Gift under One-Time Donations. (Please Note: you do not need to have an account with ParishPay to donate online – anyone can make a secure, one-time donation with a credit card.)

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Posted in 2013 Lenten Gift, Important Announcements, Lent, Service Commission

Habemus Papam! Pope Francis

Posted on March 13, 2013 | Comments Off on Habemus Papam! Pope Francis

Francis IFrom Catholic News Service:
Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76 was elected the 266th pope and took the name Francis.  The Latin American pope, a Jesuit, was chosen by at least two-thirds of the 115 cardinals from 48 countries, who cast their ballots in secret in the Sistine Chapel.  His election was announced in Latin from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, to a massive crowd in the square below and millions watching around the world. White smoke poured from the Sistine Chapel chimney at 7:05 p.m. signaling that the cardinals had chosen a successor to retired Pope Benedict XVI. At 7:07 p.m., the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica began pealing continuously to confirm the election. At 8:12 p.m., French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the senior cardinal in the order of deacons, appeared at the basilica balcony and read out in Latin: “I announce to you a great joy: We have a pope! The most eminent and most reverend lord, Lord Jorge, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, Bergoglio, who has taken for himself the name Francis.”  (Full Story on Catholic News Service)

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Posted in Important Announcements, Pope Francis

Habemus Papem!

Posted on March 13, 2013 | Comments Off on Habemus Papem!

Habemus_Papam_dark

White smoke!

Watch live with Catholic Canadian media outlet Salt and Light TV

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Posted in Important Announcements, Pope Francis

Papal Conclave Enters Second Day

Posted on March 13, 2013 | Comments Off on Papal Conclave Enters Second Day

conclave_darkNo decision yet from the conclave, as this morning’s ballots resulted in black smoke from the Vatican chimney around  7:00am ET.  The next ballots will take place between 12:00pm and  2:30pm ET.

Watch live coverage of the events surrounding the conclave from Catholic Canadian media outlet Salt and Light TV, which includes this afternoon’s “smoke watch” beginning at 12:00pm ET.  CBS News is also providing a continuous live feed with their Vatican Smoke Cam.

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Posted in Important Announcements, Pope Francis

Conclave Begins Tuesday, March 12

Posted on March 11, 2013 | Comments Off on Conclave Begins Tuesday, March 12

ConclaveFor more information on how results will be communicated and the expected timetable for the day, please see this article from Catholic News Service.

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Posted in Important Announcements, Pope Francis

March 10: Coming Up in Religious Education

Posted on March 8, 2013 | Comments Off on March 10: Coming Up in Religious Education

Religious-Education-ContemporaryThis Week: Sunday, March 10
Grade 2 Mass 9:00 AM
Grades 1 – 6 Class 10:00 – 10:45 AM
Next Week: Sunday, March 17
Grades 1 – 6 Class 10:00 – 10:45 AM

Wednesday, March 20
Grades 1 – 6 Class 3:30 – 4:45 PM

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Posted in Important Announcements, Religious Education Program

A Midland Beach Christmas Concert of Hope and Inspiration

Posted on March 8, 2013 | Comments Off on A Midland Beach Christmas Concert of Hope and Inspiration

SlideshowA message and video from our friends at St. Margaret Mary Parish: On Saturday, December 8th, 2012 the parish of St. Margaret Mary and the neighborhood churches of Midland Beach sang together as one at a Christmas concert of hope and inspiration. The concert brought light and joy to the overflow crowd and Christmas spirits were brightened for our Sandy-ravaged community.  One highlight of the event was a slideshow presentation during the singing of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” highlighting the experiences, pain, suffering, volunteerism and resolute spirit of the people of Midland Beach. Click the play button below to view.

 

 

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Posted in 2013 Lenten Gift, Christmas & Lent, Important Announcements, Lent, Service Commission, Special Collections

Our 2013 Lenten Gift: Rebuilding in Faith – Supporting St. Margaret Mary Parish, Staten Island

Posted on March 8, 2013 | Comments Off on Our 2013 Lenten Gift: Rebuilding in Faith – Supporting St. Margaret Mary Parish, Staten Island

Rebuilding in Faith_Logo_LargeWeek 4: The Need  St. Margaret Mary Parish relief efforts are focused on helping families, like the Rodriguez family who were introduced in last week’s bulletin, to secure supplies to help rebuild “houses” and make them “homes.” Volunteers from both inside and the outside the parish community are volunteering their labor but the basic cost of materials and equipment still need to be covered. A typical rebuilding effort to get a family back in their home with just the basics includes:

$3,500-$4,000 for Materials
$4,000 for Systems/Appliances
$2,500 Furniture
Expenses are already tight for many Midland Beach residents like the Rodriguez family without factoring in a natural disaster. A few thousand dollars of assistance can close the gap between the cost to rebuild and any insurance and FEMA benefits. Our gift can allow this family of four to stop living “on-hold”, and make their house into a home. A home because with the basic appliances the family can now eat and sleep, laugh and cry, and pray and live together.

Our Outreach

During Lent we follow Catholic tradition by turning toward God through prayer, fasting and charity with the knowledge that God has chosen to enter the world today through us and others. In fact, God only asks us for only one thing and that is Love.  Let’s show our Love for Christ and compassion for the residents of Midland Beach and St. Margaret Mary Parish on Staten Island in both spiritual and concrete ways. First, these families need our prayers as they engage in the struggle to rebuild not just their homes but also their lives. Second, let’s donate to St. Margaret Mary Parish’s rebuilding fund which augments recipients’ available funds to reframe houses and rooms and help buy appliances such as stoves, ovens and refrigerators. In essence, our gift will enable these families to “help themselves” rebuild their homes and lives. Please consider a prayerful and generous donation to our 2013 Lenten Gift collection, next week Saturday, March 16th and Sunday, March 17th.

We are reminded in St. Theresa of Avila’s beautiful prayer which we also sing here at St. John’s, that we are Christ’s body:

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on Earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world.

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Posted in 2013 Lenten Gift, Important Announcements, Lent, Service Commission, Special Collections

Stations of the Cross Cancelled Today, Friday, March 8

Posted on March 8, 2013 | Comments Off on Stations of the Cross Cancelled Today, Friday, March 8

CancelledTonight’s Stations of the Cross has been cancelled due to the weather.

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Posted in Important Announcements, Special Liturgies