ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC PARISH
Costa Mesa, California
served by the Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael's Abbey
THE HERALD
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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. Pascal, 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 2024.
The month of January is dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. Below is an article about the devotion.
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THANK YOU . . . from our priests and sisters for your prayers, cards, gifts, and support during the Advent and Christmas seasons and, indeed, throughout 2024! | |
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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.
On December 10th and 11th our school children presented their Christmas Concert and Pageant, which included a re-telling of the Nativity story by the students in the drama class.
One day later, we rejoiced with Holy Masses (and festivities!) on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12th.
December 16th saw us light our parish Christmas Tree, which included musical performances from our school Clover Choir, our Norbertine Sisters, and a group of fraters from St. Michael's Abbey.
And December 17th marked the date of our school's annual “snow day” – a new SJB tradition that marks the approach of the Christmas vacation break.
SJB was truly ready for our Lord's arrival on Dec 25th!
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My deep and heartfelt thanks to our SJB parishioners, friends, and benefactors for your prayers, service, and financial support of our parish in 2024.
Please continue to keep me, all of our Norbertine Fathers and Sisters, and our beloved parish, in your prayers in the New Year 2025.
God bless you and thank you again for your ongoing generous support.
Fr. Pascal Nguyen, O.Praem.
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EVERY SATURDAY
11:20 AM
(Pacific Time)
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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:
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SUNDAY, JANUARY 5
The Epiphany of the Lord
Blessed chalk available in church vestibule for house blessings
It has been a tradition in the Catholic Church to bless chalk for Epiphany, and to then use the blessed chalk as part of blessing one’s home in the New Year. The home blessing can be done as follows:
Using the blessed chalk, mark the current year and the initials of the Maji above the outside doorways of your home. Place a cross between each of the letters. It should look something like this:
20+C+M+B+XX
(XX =last two digits of current year)
After completing the above markings, pray the following prayer:
May all who come to our home this year rejoice to find Christ living among us; and may we seek and serve, in everyone we meet, that same Jesus who is Lord of all people, forever and ever. Amen.
The legendary names of the three Maji are: Casper, Melchior, and Balthasar. The initials C+M+B also stand for the Latin words, “Christus Mansionem Benedicat” which means: “May Christ bless this dwelling.”
The markings over the doors should be left all year round as a sign that yours is a Christian home.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE BLESSING IN PDF FORMAT
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SUNDAY, JANUARY 5
6:30 PM
HOLY MASS IN ITALIAN
Refreshments after Mass in the parish hall.
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FRIDAYS,
JAN 10, FEB 14, MAR 14
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.
Please RSVP TO norbertinesrscm@gmail.com
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Young Adult Ministry
Bible Study
THURSDAY, JAN 9
We will kick off 2025 as a ministry by hosting our monthly Bible Study with Fr Alcuin. It will be from 7 to 8:30pm. Newcomers are encouraged to arrive 10-15 minutes early.
We combine traditional Lectio Divina and the Socratic Method to meditate on the readings, then have an open discussion about what stood out to us and why. This runs like a small group so come ready to share and discuss scripture.
Through these bible studies we aim to prepare ourselves for Holy Mass on Sunday. We want to familiarize ourselves with the written word so as to more reverently receive the living word in the Eucharist.
We will be meeting in the Frassati room which is to the right of the stage in the parish hall. Entrance to the room can be found on the other side of the building in the school yard black top area. Just follow the signs!
These gatherings are a great way to meet new people and to introduce new young adults to our community. Be sure to invite a friend!
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Youth Group
St. Michael's Abbey
JANUARY 10
Below are the dates for Youth Group, starting in January until Ash Wednesday. Please be sure to save the dates and join us!
Youth Group Dates:
January 10th (Abbey)
January 17th
January 31st
February 7th (Abbey)
February 14th
February 21st
Special Event Dates:
1) Safe Environment (October 22nd) PAST DUE please fill out an OptOut Form: CLICK HERE
Email your signed copy to Brandon Tait at brandon@sjboc.org.
2) Middle School Youth Day @ Knotts Berry Farm (Saturday, February 8th)
To register: CLICK HERE
3) Family Night (most 4th Fridays each month)
4) Ash Wednesday (March 5th) Youth Ministry Shift
For these dates and more, be sure to check the Youth Ministry calendar on the parish website each week on sjboc.org.
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Family Ministry
Date Day
SATURDAY, JAN 11
1 to 4 pm
We are providing FREE CHILDCARE on SATURDAY, January 11th. This event is for all parents and/or married couples. The school yard and playgrounds will be used with adult supervision while you visit Jesus in the chapel, take a break, run errands, or go on a date with your spouse in 2025.
We will continue using the new Daycare building which is the first portable building next to the gate and church parking lot.
For childcare you will be able to drop off and sign in your kids from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. We will watch your potty-trained toddlers all the way up to your high-school-aged children. All children that are dropped off need to have eaten a full meal before arrival and must be dressed appropriately for the warm weather. Over the summer a water bottle and snacks will also be required.
To ensure we have enough volunteers next month for the amount of children being dropped off for childcare, please register in advance: CLICK HERE
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BEAUTIFUL PILGRIMAGE OPPORTUNITY
WITH FR. PASCAL IN 2025
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10-DAY Pilgrimage to Lithuania, Poland, and Prague
with Fr. Pascal Nguyen
July 6 - 15, 2025
For more information CLICK HERE
or email: info@anastasistoursusa.com
or call Anastasis Tours at (661) 484-3938
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ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC SCHOOL
OPEN HOUSE!
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2 at 1 PM
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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 and Sisters, administration, and faculty!
Anyone who would like to learn more about our outstanding school is encouraged to register using the link below:
https://www.sjbschool.net/admissions/visit-events
or email admissions@sjbschool.net
or call (714) 557-5060
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Indeed, wonderful things will happen at
SJB School in 2025!
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REFLECTING,
REJOICING,
THANKING . . .
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH . . .
A look back at 2024
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We thank God for His many blessings bestowed in 2024 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 2024 highlights were the happy welcoming of many new families to our parish and school, the celebration of our beautiful Holy Week liturgies, First Holy Communions, Baptisms, and Confirmations.
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We are grateful for the glory of our school’s May Crowning, all-school Masses, our 2024 8th grade graduation activities and ceremonies, the Saints Day Parade, and an incredible Fall Gala!
During Lent our intrepid Knights of Columbus Council 14581 sponsored delightful Friday Fish Fry dinners attended by hundreds of parishioners and school families.
July found us re-welcoming our new parochial vicar. Fr. Matthias Gray, O.Praem.
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2024 saw much growth in our Family, Young Adult and Youth Ministries, and similar expansion and growth in our English, Spanish and Vietnamese religious education programs.
Our English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Latin music ministries are also thriving.
The SJB community in 2024 celebrated several Pro-Life Masses and participated in the 40 Days for Life campaigns and, just last week, we held our annual pro-life rosary procession and Mass.
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 came together for the traditional Simbang Gabi Advent Mass.
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 2025.
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PLEASE CONSIDER SUPPORTING OUR SOLAR PANEL PROJECT AND OUR SJB GYM!
CLICK TO DONATE ONLINE TO OUR SOLAR PANEL PROJECT that will save us over $60,000 annually in electricity costs!
CLICK TO DONATE ONLINE TO OUR SJB LEGACY GYM FUND so we can continue to build on the 5.2 million dollar grant we've received, and make our SJB gymnasium a reality!
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC CHURCH
FEDERAL TAX ID: 95-2111195
To learn more about other ways to make a gift contact Tony Manrique at (714) 540-2214 x160 or email him at tony@sjboc.org.
In 2025, let’s open ourselves up to new possibilities and success achieved through giving and receiving.
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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 tony@sjboc.org
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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 5,000 Page "Followers"!
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FOLLOW SJB ON INSTAGRAM AS WELL!
Click on the logo on the right.
Our goal is to get to 1,100 followers
this month.
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SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YouTube CHANNEL
let's get to 2,300 subscribers in January!
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January is the month of
the Holy Name of Jesus
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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.
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