Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 5, 2023

By adminFrom The Pastor's Desk

At our January parish council meeting, we reviewed our year to date (July 1-December 31) financial report. Here are some highlights of the six month comparison between the current fiscal year (2022-23) and last fiscal year (2021-22):

  • Ordinary income (collections, candles, weddings, etc) is up (more than $30,000). However, expenses are also up, mostly for maintenance of the church and friary (more than $30,000).
  • We had not made large poor fund distributions for the past few years, and we made significant distributions from our poor box (about $30,000). These distributions were mentioned in my bulletin column over the past few months.
  • YTD 2021-22, we received more than $60,000 major gifts and no such major gifts in the current fiscal year, resulting in a $10,000 overall deficit in YTD fiscal 2022-23 (not counting Poor Box distributions)

First, I thank all parishioners and friends who support Saint John Church. Our ministry is important. Our church is open and staffed all day and people find a quiet place for
Mass, prayer, confessions and rest. We have a vibrant Sunday Mass congregation, a thriving young adult ministry and many weddings. Saint John’s friars hold a Jefferson Hospital pager and are in the hospital daily to visit Catholic patients and to respond to end of life emergencies. All this is supported by your generosity. Please continue to be generous to Saint John Church!

During the past six months we have had one repair after another: plumbing issues, roof leaks, falling plaster, electrical malfunctions. Our church is in good condition, well maintained, but still there are many issues. I am concerned about the church air conditioning. It is old and it can’t last many more years. But I pray that it will last a few more years since we can’t afford now to replace it. Also in the relatively near future we will have to address the condition of our friary. But for now, we are repairing when a problem arises.

We still have an $800,000 debt. The debt is from repairs to the church towers made several years ago and from our non-payment of insurance bills also several years go. We need to pay off this debt and then make plans for the future. When the debt is gone, we can to deal with the need for either a new or renovated friary building. For now, please be as generous as you can and pray for the success of our ministry.

New Signs
I hope that you have noticed the new signs in front of the church, informing passersby of our schedule and that our church is open for private prayer. Not everyone knows that Saint John’s is open all day, but now people can’t miss our invitation to pray.

Big sign on the left entrance to the lower church

Two signs to the upper church

Jack’s Yacs
Our next event is a Mardi Gras party and dinner on February 18 after the 5:15 PM Saturday vigil Mass.

Firefighters’ Mass
Firefighters’ Mass Plan mark your calendars for Saturday, February 18 at 10 AM for the thirteenth annual Firefighters’ Memorial Mass at St. John’s. Volunteers are needed to help in the preparation of chili, cornbread muffins and cookies. Volunteers are also needed to assist with set up and cleanup activities for the after Mass lunch reception. Set up will be on Friday, February 17 between 2 and 4 PM in the Parish Center. Contact Carolyn at (267) 881-8794 or email

For details please visit this post.

Holy Redeemer Chinese Catholic School Open Houses
If you know families with school age children, encourage them to consider Holy Redeemer School. Holy Redeemer is private Catholic school that teaches Chinese language and honors Chinese culture. The school is open to children of all races and religions. Holy Redeemer is a safe school and its students have superior academic achievement. Open houses will be held on February 20 and March 16. Check out the school web site at holyredeemerschool.org or contact Father Tom.

Holy Land Pilgrimage, September 26-October 5, 2023
The parishioners of Holy Redeemer have asked me to organize a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the land of Jesus and of the Bible. I have made arrangements for the trip from September 26-October 5. The pilgrimage will be bilingual with messaging in English and Chinese.

I warmly welcome Saint John's parishioners and friends to the pilgrimage. However, we need at least 20 people to sign up by giving a $100 refundable deposit and committing to the pilgrimage before February 13. If you want to go, please let me know as soon as possible. For more information, see the Saint John’s website.

Need for Housing for Chinese Immigrant Family
A family of six people, including one young child, arrived from China through the southern border. They now have temporary housing through a local non profit, but they will need longer term housing soon. It is likely that they will need free housing for a month or two until they can get jobs. If you have any resources to help this family, please contact Father Tom for more information.

Laudato Si Circle
There will be meeting in the Parish Center following the 10.30 Mass. The Laudato Si Circle is a response to Pope Francis’ call to conserve and protect the earth and our environment.

Historical Preservation Endowment Fund

$553,450.00

Father Tom