Please join us at 7:30pm in the Church for this year’s Lenten Lectures with Fr. Bryan Hehir:
Monday, March 4: The State of the Church
Monday, March 25: Church and State: Here and Abroad (note change of date)
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Posted in Adult Faith Formation, Important Announcements, Lent, Special Events
Tuesday, February 26: The Christ–Centered Theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar with Father Robert Imbelli
7:00 p.m. (time change), St. John Social Hall
Hans Urs von Balthasar was one of the giants of 20th century Catholic Theology. His massive production of books and articles fills a whole bookcase, and the architectural mass of his work resembles a great cathedral. But its basic lines are clear and straightforward. Fr. Imbelli’s presentation will seek to illuminate the basic patterns and perspectives of von Balthasar’s thought, mindful that for von Balthasar, theology is at the service of Christian living. He speaks of his theology as a “praying theology:” one that derives from prayer and leads to prayer. Fr. Robert Imbelli, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, teaches theology at Boston College. He recently edited B.C.’s Church in the 21st Century’s Issue on “The Catholic Intellectual Tradition.”
Wednesday, February 27: Book Launch – New Voices in Catholic Theology
Boston College, Corcoran Commons, Heights Room, 5:00pm Presenters: Anna Bonata Moreland, Professor, Department of Humanities, Villanova University and Joseph Curran, Professor of Religious Studies,
Misericordia College
Saturday, March 2: Film Evening and Potluck Dinner
Of God and Men
St. John Social Hall, after 5:00 p.m. Mass
(See announcement for more details.)
Tuesday, March 5 * * * CANCELLATION * * * Evening for Women Unfortunately it is again necessary to cancel our next program scheduled for March 5. Sr. Evelyn has developed some unexpected medical issues but is hoping to return to the parish before too long. As always she deeply appreciates your prayers.
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Posted in Adult Faith Formation, Important Announcements, Lent
This week our Lenten Gift story continues as we introduce the devastating Hurricane Sandy and its impact on residents of Staten Island, particularly those in the St. Margaret Mary Parish located in the Midland Beach area.
Superstorm Sandy – A Hurricane Turned Cyclone Causing Major Devastation
The storm originated in the Caribbean and for ten days gradually made its way through Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas before turning northward up the eastern U.S. seaboard. The storm grew to about 1,000 miles in diameter (twice the size of Hurricane Katrina) and earned the nickname of “Frankenstorm.”
On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy hit Staten Island, located at the mouth of New York harbor, with a combination of strength (winds of 80 mph), astrological high tides and an angle of approach that produced a record storm surge of 16 feet.
The storm surge wiped out homes on the water and flooded neighborhoods up to one mile inland with 8 feet of water. Trees and power lines were down and people were stranded in their homes until emergency personnel could rescue them in boats.
The storm resulted in over 100 deaths, $60 billion in damage, and over 100,000 people being displaced from their homes. New York City officials estimate that nearly 6,000 buildings sustained damage on Staten Island causing occupants to seek temporary lodging elsewhere. People are still recovering from the loss of property and home as they struggle to take care of their most basic needs and attempt to re-build for a future.
St. Margaret Mary Parish
The Parish is located in the Midland Beach section on the east coast of Staten Island, originally a beach community with many one-story bungalow style homes. 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, the storm’s thirteen inches of rain and the housing stock’s small size and low rise design. Hundreds of families are still struggling to put their lives back together with city officials estimating 300 homes are still without power or heat and another 200 homes classified as uninhabitable because they were destroyed or rendered structurally unsound. While all of this occurred over three months ago, hundreds of families continue to struggle to rebuild their shattered lives. They live in temporary housing, their children are bused to schools far away, and they have lost many of their prized possessions. The parish has established a relief fund which has been very successful but the proceeds go out as fast as they are raised due to the community’s great need. Our St. John’s 2013 Lenten Gift will go to this fund.
Next Week: We introduce one of the impacted St. Margaret Mary parish families and their struggle to Rebuild in Faith.
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Posted in 2013 Lenten Gift, Christmas & Lent, Important Announcements, Lent, Service Commission
Words, Words, Words. Words have power. In the midst of the relentless bombardment of meaningless sound bites some really hit home. They hit us in our deepest core. They resonate with a deeper interior truth. Allowing the words of sacred Scripture to touch us this way at the center of our being is an ancient prayer method called Lectio Divina, literally “holy or sacred reading.” It’s simple and flexible for anybody with an over-stimulated mind seeking to stir the embers of faith and love of a relationship with God. It begins with a short passage—a verse or two of Scripture (lectio) until a word or phrase jumps out at you. Next, ask – What does this mean to me? What is God trying to tell me? (meditatio). This leads into a time of prayer—a conversation with God (oratio). Finally, you take a moment to silently rest in the presence of God (contemplatio). Sound interesting? Want to learn more? Lent is the perfect season to try it out. Sr. Evelyn Ronan and Deacon Tom Shuler invite you to re-ignite the embers of faith” this Lent with a four-session program, “Holy Reading.” Join them each Sunday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. in the Parish Center Chapel beginning February 24th. You’re welcome to come to one or all sessions, and there’s no need to register for anything.
Sundays, beginning February 24, from 3:30-4:30pm in the Parish Center Chapel Room.
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Posted in Adult Faith Formation, Important Announcements, Lent, Special Events
“…but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” (1 Kings 19:13)How do we hear that still small voice? We offer three opportunities to be still and listen – with an hour of very gentle yoga stretching along with quiet meditation on Scripture passages and prayer. Three sessions (attend all or one) facilitated by Anne Wachtmeister and Svea Fraser. Wednesdays, February 27 and March 6 from 7:30-8:30pm and Sunday, March 10 from 2:00-3:00pm. In the Parish Center Chapel Room. NO experience necessary: only comfortable clothing and an openness to finding ways to quiet our souls. (No floor mats required and no floor exercises will be done.)
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Posted in Adult Faith Formation, Lent, Parish Liturgical Commission, Special Events
Tuesday, February 19
Professor Jeff Bloechl on the Catholic Philosopher Charles Taylor
St. John the Evangelist Parish, Social Hall, 7:00pm
The Adult Faith Formation Commission is delighted to announce that Jeff Bloechl, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Boston College specializing in contemporary philosophy, philosophy of religion, and Christian philosophy, will speak on the Catholic philosopher Charles Taylor. As Father Michael Gallagher comments in his work Faith Maps: In 1960 when Charles Taylor was a graduate student at Oxford, he published an article entitled “Clericalism”, critical of the marginal role given to lay people in the Catholic Church. This showed, he argued, a defensive Church isolated from modern culture… His critique is now directed against a different form of academic clericalism, whereby philosophers, sociologists, and historians find it normal to ignore the spiritual dimensions of life. Such intellectuals, he holds, have not only forgotten the answers to the great questions of life, they have forgotten the questions. Connecting to the legacy of the Church’s great intervening event, Vatican II, Professor Bloechl, who recently returned from a seminar with Professor Taylor, has described him as “… a true Vatican II thinker, in the best sense.” Please join us for what promises to be a thoughtful and exciting evening. (Rescheduled from January 30 – please note 7pm start time.)
Wednesday, February 20
A Panel Discussion:
Future of Catholic Periodicals: Finances, Faith and the Digital Age
Editors Panel: Matt Malone, S.J. (America); Paul Baumann (Commonweal) and Meinrad Sherer-Edmunds (U.S. Catholic)
Boston College, Gasson Hall, Room 100, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, February 26
Father Robert Imbelli on the Christ–Centered Theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar
St. John the Evangelist Parish, Social Hall, 7:30pm
Hans Urs von Balthasar was one of the giants of 20th century Catholic Theology. His massive production of books and articles fills a whole bookcase, and the architectural mass of his work resembles a great cathedral. But its basic lines are clear and straightforward. Fr. Imbelli’s presentation will seek to illuminate the basic patterns and perspectives of von Balthasar’s thought, mindful that for von Balthasar, theology is at the service of Christian living. He speaks of his theology as a “praying theology:” one that derives from prayer and leads to prayer. Fr. Imbelli, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, teaches theology at Boston College. He recently edited the Boston College Church in the 21st Century publication The Catholic Intellectual Tradition.
For more information, please contact the Adult Faith Formation Commission
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Posted in Adult Faith Formation, Lent
Hans Urs von Balthasar was one of the giants of 20th century Catholic Theology. His massive production of books and articles fills a whole bookcase, and the architectural mass of his work resembles a great cathedral. But its basic lines are clear and straightforward. Fr. Imbelli’s presentation will seek to illuminate the basic patterns and perspectives of von Balthasar’s thought, mindful that for von Balthasar, theology is at the service of Christian living. He speaks of his theology as a “praying theology:” one that derives from prayer and leads to prayer. Fr. Imbelli, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, teaches theology at Boston College. He recently edited the Boston College Church in the 21st Century publication The Catholic Intellectual Tradition. St. John the Evangelist Parish, Social Hall, 7:00pm
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Posted in Adult Faith Formation, Important Announcements, Lent, Special Events
St John’s Parish will again show its solidarity with those in need by collecting funds for a Lenten Gift. This year’s gift will be: Rebuilding in Faith – Supporting St. Margaret Mary’s Parish, Staten Island, NY after Hurricane Sandy’s Devastation. Throughout Lent, the plight of this coastal parish community serving the Midland Beach area and its “grass roots” effort to rebuild peoples’ homes and lives will be shared with you in our weekly parish bulletins and on the parish website.
For many years, in preparing for Lent, St. John’s Parish has made the decision to reach out to one particular suffering amid so many in the world. We establish this connection during Lent: a season of prayer and giving, when our parish has a rich history of sacrificial giving. Recent examples include: refugee and famine support in East Africa, text books and teacher stipends for an impoverished school in Haiti, a computer lab for an inner-city school in Lowell, medical supplies for a hospital during the earthquake rescue in Haiti, support for a solar energy project in the Congo for the missions of the Sisters of Notre Dame. Our Lenten gift strengthens each of us individually and the parish as a community of faith, as we give witness to Christ’s call to “Love One Another. As I have loved you” (John 13:34).
This year, in solidarity with the staff and people of St. Margaret Mary’s Parish and the surrounding community, which was devastated by Hurricane Sandy, we will collect funds to help rebuild homes and the lives of those who have lost them. Lent’s clarion call to love extravagantly is what Lent is all about. How blessed we are to be able to bring the warmth and love of our parish and homes to those attempting to Rebuild in Faith.
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Posted in 2013 Lenten Gift, Christmas & Lent, Lent, Service Commission
We invite all parishioners to a showing of the movie “Of Gods and Men,” a deeply moving and profoundly beautiful film about a group of monks working in the mountains of Algeria who are faced with the most difficult decision of their lives when the country erupts in civil war. Loosely based on actual events that took place between 1993 and 1996. Please join us for a special evening together. SPECIAL REQUEST: Please bring your casserole or salad to Social Hall before Mass. Dessert and beverages provided.
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Posted in Adult Faith Formation, Important Announcements, Lent, Special Events
Compassionate God, You bless us with the abundance of Your love and grace us with the gift of Your eternal presence. In this Lenten time give us the wisdom to recognize our poverty and the compassion to share it’s treasure with our brothers and sisters. We ask this through Your Son Jesus Christ, who gave our life for us.
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February 13, 2013
Masses: 7:00am, 12pm, and 5:30pm
Posted in Important Announcements, Lent, Special Mass Schedule
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