ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC PARISH
Costa Mesa, California
served by the Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael's Abbey
THE HERALD
|
|
Dear Friends in Christ,
Greetings and Happy New Year from the Norbertine Fathers and Sisters, and the staff, of St. John the Baptist Catholic Parish.
This issue of THE HERALD includes a Thank You from our pastor Fr. Augustine, highlights our joyful Advent preparations for Christmas, contains information about upcoming events, and looks back with gratitude on God's blessings for our parish in 2021.
The month of January is dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. Below is an article about the devotion.
|
|
THANK YOU . . . from our priests and sisters for your prayers, cards, gifts, and support during the Advent and Christmas seasons and, indeed, throughout 2021!
|
|
GAUDETE! REJOICE!
A BUSY, BEAUTIFUL, ADVENT SEASON!
St. John the Baptist parish, in preparation for the coming of our Lord Jesus at Christmas, hosted a number of joyful events surrounding the 3rd (Gaudete) Sunday of Advent.
December 8th saw the celebration of beautiful parish Masses and an all-school Mass for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Bookending the solemnity was the delightful Christmas pageant of our SJB school, which featured songs by our younger grades and our SJB Children’s Choir as well as a re-enactment of the Nativity story by our 7th and 8th grade drama students.
Just a couple of days later we rejoiced on the 3rd Sunday of Advent (Gaudete!) which also included commemorations (and festivities!) of Our Lady of Guadalupe. And then, the very next day, the parish proudly hosted the visit of a beautiful pilgrimage statue of Our Lady of Fatima, which was present in our church for veneration from 7:30 am until 9:00 pm.
On December 15th our school children reveled in their annual “snow day” – a new SJB tradition that marks the approach of the Christmas vacation break. And that same evening, our Norbertine sisters and some singers from our school joined forces to provide some lovely carols at the blessing and lighting of our parish Christmas tree.
SJB was truly ready for our Lord's arrival on Dec 25th!
|
|
My deep and heartfelt thanks to our SJB parishioners, friends, and benefactors for your prayers, service, and financial support of our parish in 2021.
With regard to the Diocese of Orange Pastoral Services Appeal, I'm pleased to report that your generosity has enabled us to achieve and EXCEED our assessment of $100,000.
Our wonderful community raised a total of $167,228 from 224 donors in the appeal, which means that after the assessment has been paid, $67,228 will be returned to St. John the Baptist and used to supplement our operating budget to further develop and sustain our parish ministries, augment our building fund for future capital projects, and enhance our lighting and audio systems in the church.
Please continue to keep me, all of our Norbertine Fathers and Sisters, and our parish, in your prayers in the New Year 2022.
God bless you and thank you again for your ongoing generous support.
Fr. Augustine Puchner, O.Praem.
|
|
|
EVERY FRIDAY
6:30 PM
Middle school and high school age youth are invited to attend the parish's weekly Youth Group, which meets from 6:30-9:00pm on Fridays. We typically begin with a fun (icebreaker) activity or game; followed by a dynamic talk by a Norbertine confrere, and then spend time in Adoration with confession available. Special events occur periodically, which include trips to St. Michael's Abbey and small groups with the Norbertine sisters.
If you have middle school or high school age youth who would benefit from such an experience, please be sure to follow SJB on Facebook and Instagram. and sign-up for Youth Ministry emails through the parish website: CLICK HERE.
|
|
|
|
EVERY SATURDAY
11:20 AM
(Pacific Time)
|
Pray the Rosary with our Norbertine Sisters
The holy Rosary is a powerful weapon.
Use it with confidence and you'll be amazed at the results.
-St. Josemaria Escriva
Register for Zoom Link:
|
|
FRIDAYS,
JAN 14, FEB 11, MAR 11
6:30 to 8:30 pm
Bible Sharing
with our
Norbertine Sisters
St. John the Baptist Convent
2960 Mendoza Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Our Norbertine Sisters invite young women to a
Monthly Bible Sharing every 2nd Friday of the month.
|
|
Date Day
SATURDAY, JAN 15
1 to 4 pm
Spending time with your spouse and taking time for yourself are extremely helpful when striving to live a healthy, balanced, and virtuous life.
That is why St John the Baptist Family Ministry will offer childcare for married couples and single parents who would like to go out without their kids.
Children 7 and under will be supervised by our professional childcare staff. Children need to be dressed for fall/winter weather and must have eaten lunch. You can drop off ALL of your kids - walking and potty-trained all the way up to high school age.
We are requiring that the Childcare Agreement form be filled out for all children being dropped off. CLICK HERE to download the form. Contact Brandon Tait if you have any questions at [email protected].
|
|
2nd and 4th Thursdays of the Month
All College Students and Young Professionals are invited to attend our Young Adult Ministry events.
On the 2nd Thursday of the month there is candlelight Adoration and Mass with confession and spiritual direction available throughout. Afterwards we go out to eat and enjoy fellowship at a local restaurant. Adoration begins at 7:00pm and transitions into Mass at 8:00pm.
On the 4th week of the month the ministry hosts a service project and community outreach opportunity. Usually they carpool to LA to serve the homeless, with a Norbertine confrere and a group of Franciscans, on Skid Row. However, in January we will be doing something a little closer to home since the Franciscans are currently out of town.
If these events interest you please be sure to follow SJB on Facebook and Instagram and sign up for more information by registering for future Young Adult Ministry emails through the parish website: CLICK HERE
|
|
SUNDAY, JAN 30
1 pm
St. John the Baptist Catholic School
OPEN HOUSE
Visiting families will have the opportunity to meet our school's rich, faith-filled community. There will be guided tours of the campus and information on our many spiritual, academic, and extracurricular programs. Meet our dynamic and dedicated Norbertine Priests, Sisters, administration and faculty!
INFORMATION NIGHTS:
Wednesdays - February 9 and March 23
at 7:00 PM
Anyone who would like to learn more about our outstanding school is encouraged to register using the link below to attend one of these events:
or call (714) 557-5060
|
|
SJB SCHOOL FALL PLAY . . . A HIT! |
|
In December our SJB school students staged a fun, creative, play in our SJB courtyard.
The play - titled "WICKED IS AS WICKED DOES" - was a fairy-tale adventure that proves there’s a little good in everyone. The four fairy-tale "Wickeds;" Snow White’s Wicked Queen, Cinderella’s Wicked Stepmother, Sleeping Beauty’s Wicked Fairy and the Frog Prince’s Wicked Witch, team up to stop Snow White from marrying the worst villain of all, Prince Intolerable.
|
|
This hilarious, fractured fairy tale featured forty of SJB's 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. They performed 4 daytime shows for their school mates, and 2 evening shows for parents and family members.
|
|
Indeed, wonderful things continue to happen at
SJB School!
|
|
Interested parents should contact the school.
or call (714) 557-5060
|
|
REFLECTING,
REJOICING,
THANKING . . .
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH . . .
A look back at 2021
|
|
We thank God for His many blessings bestowed in 2021 on our beloved parish and school. We also thank the many parishioners, benefactors, friends, parents, faculty, and staff members who gave of their time, talent, and treasure to sustain and build-up our community.
Among our 2021 highlights were the happy welcoming of many new families to our parish and school, the dedication of St. Michael’s Abbey church, the visit and consecration of California to St. Joseph by Fr. Donald Calloway, the celebration of our beautiful Holy Week liturgies, First Holy Communions, Baptisms, and Confirmations.
We are grateful for the glory of our school’s May Crowning, the return of all-school Masses, our 2021 8th grade graduation activities and ceremonies, the Saints Day Parade, and an incredible Fall Gala!
In summer our intrepid Knights of Columbus Council 14581 sponsored an intense (but fun) basketball game between our 8th grade girls team and our Norbertine Sisters, and then put on a delightful “welcome back” BBQ in late August attended by hundreds!
2021 saw us welcome Fr. Ryan Gray, and delight in the launch of our new Family and Young Adult Ministries. We celebrated several Pro-Life Masses and participated in the 40 Days for Life campaigns, and also held our annual pro-life rosary procession and Mass on the Feast of the Holy Innocents.
Our Vietnamese community reveled in their Marian Days and mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, our Spanish Community joyfully celebrated the Feasts of San Martin Caballero and Our Lady of Guadalupe, and our Filipino-American community saw the return of the Simbang Gabi Advent Mass.
And the entire parish and school community came together for the fantastic return of The Baker Street Bash!
Indeed, much for which we are grateful.
We humbly ask God for his continued blessings on our parish and school, and our SJB community, in 2022.
|
|
Dedication of St. Michael's Abbey Church. An historic milestone for the Norbertine Order in their 900th Anniversary Year! |
|
Our Perpetual Adoration Chapel Is Open
A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION!
Please prayerfully consider signing up for a weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly recurring adoration hour.
We are using an electronic sign-up system, called WE ADORE HIM. Signing up, checking in, and finding substitutes is simple and easy.
Sign up by going to our SJB website: www.sjboc.org Click the Adoration Chapel Link. If you have questions, call Tony at (714) 540-2214 or email him at [email protected]
|
|
SIGN UP TO HAVE OUR
VOCATION CRUCIFIX
IN YOUR HOME FOR ONE WEEK!
Be a vocation prayer warrior!
Help our parish pray for more vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
Sign up to take home a beautiful Crucifix from the Holy Land for one week. This commits your family to use it in a daily prayer for vocations.
The Crucifix is received by the family at one of the Vigil or Sunday Masses, and is returned to the parish rectory office by 2PM the following Friday.
|
|
LIKE & FOLLOW ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC CHURCH & SCHOOL
ON FACEBOOK
Keep up with the latest news, and help us spread the word about our magnificent Catholic Faith and important events.
Click the Facebook logo on the right and then LIKE and FOLLOW us!
Our goal is to reach 2,500 Page "Likes"!
|
|
FOLLOW SJB ON INSTAGRAM AS WELL!
Click on the logo on the right.
Our goal is to get to 500 followers
this month.
|
|
|
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YouTube CHANNEL
let's get to 1,200 subscribers in January!
|
|
January is the month of
the Holy Name of Jesus
|
|
The month of January has traditionally been dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus.
God Himself chose Jesus’ name. The Angel Gabriel announced to Mary, “And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus” ( Lk 1:31 ).
And Joseph had a dream in which the angel told him, “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:21). The Gospel of Luke further relates that “ After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb” ( Lk 2:21 ).
The New Testament is filled with incidents where the name of Jesus is invoked to drive out devils, cure illnesses, and perform miracles. The Holy Name is exalted by St Paul: “at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth, and under the earth…” (Philippians 2:10). Jesus reinforces the power of His name in St. John’s Gospel: “If you ask the Father anything in my name he will give it you” ( Jn 16:23 ).
The Holy Name was promoted in a special manner by St. Bernard, St. John Capistrano, and St Bernardine of Siena, who first used the monogram “IHS,” derived from the Greek letters forming the word “Jesus.” A later tradition holds that IHS represents the Latin Iesus Hominum Salvator , meaning “Jesus Savior of Mankind."
In their preaching missions throughout Italy, St. Bernardine and St. John carried the monogram of the Holy Name surrounded by rays. They blessed the faithful with this monogram, invoking the name of Jesus, and many miracles were reported. They also encouraged people to have the monogram placed over the city gates and the doorways of their homes. Dispelling the objections of some who considered this veneration superstitious, Pope Martin V in 1427 approved the proper veneration to the Holy Name and asked that the cross be included in the monogram IHS.
In 1597, Pope Sixtus V granted an indulgence to anyone reverently saying, “Praised be Jesus Christ!” Pope Innocent XIII extended the Feast to the whole Church in 1727.
St. Alphonsus Liguori said:
The name of Jesus is a name of gladness, a name of hope and a name of love. A name of gladness, because if the remembrance of past transgressions afflicts us, this name comforts us, reminding us that the Son of God became man for this purpose, to make himself our Savior. A name of hope, because he that prays to the Eternal Father in the name of Jesus may hope for every grace he asks for: If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it you. A name of love. For the name of Jesus brings to our remembrance all the sufferings which Jesus has endured for us in his life and at his death.
|
|
Please "Follow" and "Like"
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church & School on Facebook & Instagram
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
