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Almsgiving is one of the essential pious activities of Lent. Almsgiving means giving to the poor and to other good causes. Here at Saint John’s we are in the midst of a capital campaign to assure the survival of Saint John Church. If our electrical system fails before we replace it, Saint John’s could not stay open. Supporting Saint John’s is a good deed. Supporting Saint John’s is worthy almsgiving.

It is customary in the US Catholic Church to observe Lent by supporting Operation Rice Bowl. Our second collection on Palm Sunday will be for this cause. Operation Rice Bowl funds Catholic Relief Services, an amazing international Catholic agency to help the poor. This is our US Catholic agency and I am proud of it.

Catholic Relief Services is funded 20% by private donations and 80% from USAID government grants. If you are reading the news, you know that USAID funding has been abruptly stopped, ending many programs at once. Agencies like Catholic Relief Services are in disarray.

Of course, USAID is in need of reform; every human institution needs improvement. But the abruptness of the funding termination puts Catholic Relief Services in jeopardy. If USAID funding is to be permanently stopped, Catholic Relief Services will need a massive reorganization where it will do much less but all with private donations from US Catholics. Private donations to Catholic Relief Services are substantial, more than $284 million last year. Catholics do support our international aid agency. But government support last year was more than $1 billion.

Catholic Relief Services does remarkable things with our donations and USAID funding—quick and efficient responses to disasters (earthquakes, floods, hurricanes), saving lives which would otherwise be lost to tuberculosis and AIDS, funding schools for poor children and much more.

My point is that this year, donating to Catholic Relief Services is more important than ever. When the Operation Rice Bowl collection comes, be extra generous.

Capital Campaign

Our capital campaign is ongoing. We ask everyone to make a sacrificial donation to do essential repairs to our electrical system, upper church air conditioning and deteriorating patio which houses our mechanical systems. Saint John’s can’t function without these systems. Please see our website for more information: Capital Campaign.

So far we have received $145,345 in donations and an additional $31,000 in pledges. We have nearly $175,000 total. More than one third of our donations come from Holy Redeemer Chinese Catholic Church parishioners. Holy Redeemer parishioners are being extraordinarily generous to their mother church.

As we said in our campaign brochure, we need $400,000 because we expect about $600,000 from other sources. Of that $600,000 we now have $425,00 collected and on hand. The rest of the anticipated early pledges are coming.

Our capital campaign is doing well, but we still need everyone to participate with a sacrificial offering.

Earth Day Second Collection

Our second collection this weekend (March 22-23) will support the Saint John Laudato Si Circle. I am proud that Saint John Church sponsors a Laudate Si Circle to promote Catholic social teaching on safeguarding the environment. This will be the third year that the Laudato Si Circle has raised consciousness about Earth Day, April 22, and Catholic teaching on protecting the environment. The Laudato Si Circle will give free potted flowers to passersby along 13th street and promote an environmental education project at Holy Redeemer School.

Stations of the Cross

We will have Stations of the Cross every Friday during Lent after the 12:05 and 5:15 Masses.

Saint Agnes High School Choir to perform at Saint John’s

Please note that the date given for the concert was an error in last week’s bulletin. Saint Agnes high school students from Houston, Texas will visit Philadelphia and will offer a concert at several venues including Saint John Church. The performance will be on Thursday, March 27 at 1:30 PM. The choir consists of 70 students who will sing sacred and secular music with a specialty in classic Renaissance songs. If you are free on March 27, come to welcome our guests and to support these Catholic high school students.

This week ...

From the Pastor' Desk