Rebuilding in Faith – Supporting St. Margaret Mary’s Parish After Hurricane Sandy’s Destruction
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.)
From Catholic News Service:
This Week: Sunday, March 17
No 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.
For more information on how results will be communicated and the expected timetable for the day, please see this 
Attention young singers – children in grades 1-8 are invited to participate in St. John’s Easter Youth Choir! High School Assistants are welcome. There is one rehearsal remaining: 3/24 from 10:50-11:50 in the Chapel. The children will sing at the 9:00AM Family Mass on Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013. For more information email 
Monday, March 18 Lecture: The Challenge of Catholic Teaching on War and Peace in the Present Moment, Episcopal Visitor Lecture: Most Reverend Robert W. McElroy Is war ever justified? What are its limits in an age of weapons of mass destruction? When is a nation obliged to end a war? In an America which is embroiled in the longest war in its history, Bishop McElroy proposes that the Catholic tradition provides rich wisdom and challenges those who seek to forge a pathway of justice in an age of terror. FREE of charge – Please register by emailing 
