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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 from the Norbertine Fathers and Sisters, and the staff, of St. John the Baptist Catholic Parish.
This issue of THE HERALD celebrates our beautiful Holy Week and Sacred Triduum liturgies and devotions, highlights special activities at our SJB school, and provides information on exciting upcoming events including our May 16, 17, 18 parish festival - The Baker Street Bash!
The month of May is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Below is an article about the devotion.
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CHRISTUS RESURREXIT!
CHRIST IS RISEN!
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At the Easter Vigil - our community joyfully welcomed 31 people who were baptized, and an additional 7 people who made Professions of Faith, into the Catholic Church! All of these men, women, and children, then received the Sacrament of Confirmation and their 1st Holy Communion!
Praise God!
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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, MAY 4
ITALIAN MASS
6:30 PM
Join us on May 4 for
Holy Mass in Italian!
Refreshments after Mass in the parish hall.
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FRIDAYS,
MAY 9 & JUNE 13
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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SATURDAY, MAY 10
Date Day
We are providing FREE CHILDCARE on Saturday May 10th. 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.
We start in the Daycare building, which is the first portable building next to the gate and church parking lot.
Older Middle School and High School students are welcome to be dropped off as well and can even gain service hours if helping our adult volunteers watch the littler ones
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.
To ensure we have enough volunteers next month for the number of children being dropped off for childcare, please register in advance: CLICK HERE
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MOTHER'S DAY NOVENA
Begins May 11
This Mother’s Day we will once again begin our Mother's Day Novena of Masses to honor those women in our lives who, like our Blessed Lady, said “yes” to the vocation of marriage, and who then extended that “yes” through time by continually sacrificing themselves for their husbands and children. You may enroll your mother and other special mothers in your life HERE or by using the envelopes in the vestibule of the church.
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SUNDAY, MAY 11
HAPPY and BLESSED MOTHER'S DAY
to all our wonderful moms!
| | Mother's Day Roses Event - May 10 and 11 . . . | | |
MAY 16, 17, 18
JOIN US FOR THE SJB PARISH FESTIVAL
THE BAKER STREET BASH!
Food! Fun! Friends!
Visit the festival website for information, entertainment line-up,
and volunteer opportunities: www.sjbfestival.com
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WEDNESDAY, MAY 21
Candlelight Mass
YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY
Join us during parish confessions for Candlelight Mass. We are hosting a beautiful and reverent candle lit liturgy in Latin geared toward young adults. The Mass is similar to the typical Sunday Mass at St. Michael's Abbey.
This will be the last planned candlelight Mass before we break for summer and begin our outdoor hikes and Masses at St. Michael's Abbey.
We will have booklets for the ordinary form of the Mass in Latin and English. This helps us to follow along and participate. These booklets will be available in the center aisle before and during Mass. If you bring someone new be sure to borrow one.
Mass will begin at 7:00pm in the church. It will be during our weekly parish confession time so reconciliation will be available during and after the Mass.
After Mass, Young Adults are invited to a join the community in fellowship at a local eatery.
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MONDAY, MAY 26
Memorial Day
Special Schedule
Holy Hour: 7:45 to 8:45 am
Holy Mass: 9:00 am
No other Masses or devotions
No afternoon Adoration, Confessions, or Triumph Evening of Prayer
Parish Office Closed - Adoration Chapel will be open
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SJB Mom & Dad Groups
EVERY MONTH
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We have an SJB moms' group through the Family Ministry. They meet regularly for playdates, fellowship, and/or small group discussion.
If you're interested in meeting this wonderful group of Catholic moms, please contact the volunteer Mom's Group Coordinator (Beatriz Wright) at sjbmoms@sjboc.org.
To sign up for the Mom's group directly: CLICK HERE.
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The SJB Dads group is meeting once a month in the fourth week of the month. If you are a dad interested in attending a gathering in the future, please email the Director of Family Evangelization (Brandon Tait):
Brandon@sjboc.org.
To sign up for the Dad's group directly: CLICK HERE
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THANK YOU!
FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT OF OUR BELOVED SJB PARISH!
To sign up for Sunday online giving please click HERE
To receive Sunday Offertory envelopes, email
Tony Manrique at tony@sjboc.org
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Message from our SJB
St. Vincent de Paul Conference
The members of our SJB Conference of the Society of St Vincent de Paul thank you for your generous support of our ministry to our neighbors in need.
Last year we were able to assist over 1,000 neighbors, including adults and children. So far this year, we have served almost 600 individuals.
While some of our neighbors have housing, many who come to us are individuals who have insecure housing or live on the streets or in their cars. With your donations, we are able to provide food cards and transportation assistance as well as occasional medical, utility and rent assistance. Vincentians strive to see the face of Christ in those they serve and to be the face of Christ to those in need.
Thank you for sharing in our ministry through your generosity. For further information please contact us at:
SocietyofSVDP.SJB@gmail.com.
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Stations of the Cross in
Tableau Vivant!
St John the Baptist School 8th Grade Students
Create Vivid Pageant
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In preparation for Holy Week, our St. John the Baptist Catholic School 8th grade students staged Living Stations of the Cross that powerfully conveyed the story of our Lord’s journey down the Via Dolorosa.
The two classes, under the direction of Vice Principal Jeff Urbaniec, Music Teacher Yvette Itano, and 8th grade teacher Janice Babcock, staged two presentations of the Stations of the Cross in Tableau Vivant format - with accompanying narration and music.
They created a “living picture” of each of the 14 Stations – costumed, stationary, silent, and carefully posed. Each scene was presented individually, then the curtain was closed and, while the tableau changed “backstage,” a student cantor led a hymn. The curtain then opened to reveal the next “station,” which was described by a narrator.
| | Kudos to our St. John the Baptist 8th Graders for a superb job communicating this beautiful devotion to our student body in a powerful and memorable manner. | | |
SJB School's 2025 "Super-Hero" Jog-A-Thon took place Friday, April 11th. This year SJB students ran to raise money for our SJB Gym Fund!
Wonderful and generous donors have contributed over 95% of the funds needed for the Gym Project.
So SJB students and alumni were focused on having a fantastic 2025 jog-a-thon with a goal of raising $100,000 of the remaining $500,000 needed to complete the gym funding.
The event kicked off with the traditional parade of the classrooms, with the boys and girls (and teachers) all decked out in their favorite super-hero costumes!
Each classroom prepared a banner and there was a competition for best banner.
| And then it was time to RUN! | | |
A TREMENDOUS EFFORT ALL THE WAY AROUND!
CONGRATULATIONS SJB SCHOOL ON ACHIEVING THE $100,000 GOAL FOR THE JOG-A-THON!!!
YOU TRULY ARE SUPER-HEROS!
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INDEED . . .
Wonderful things continue to happen at
SJB School!
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Parents who would like to learn more about our school are encouraged to click the link below:
or call (714) 557-5060
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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 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.
Help us get to 1,200 followers!
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SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YouTube CHANNEL
Let's get to 2,500 subscribers in May!
| | May is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary | |
The tradition of dedicating the month of May to Our Lady is centuries old, dating back at least 700 years. Saint Pope Paul VI wrote an encyclical on the month of May, Mense Maio , focusing on the Virgin Mary. He wrote: We are delighted and consoled by this pious custom associated with the month of May, which pays honor to the Blessed Virgin and brings such rich benefits to the Christian people. Since Mary is rightly to be regarded as the way by which we are led to Christ, the person who encounters Mary cannot help but encounter Christ likewise.
In classic western culture, May was connected with the beginning of new life. This ancient belief led to May being associated with the motherhood of Mother Earth and thus to motherhood in general. It is for this reason that Mother’s Day is celebrated in May in many countries. This connection between May and motherhood led Christians to adopt May as the month of our Lady, the Mother of God and our heavenly Mother. She brought life into the world by giving birth to her Son, Jesus, who brought about a new spring.
May is normally part of the Easter season, the period of fifty days which lasts from Easter to Pentecost. During this time we celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection from the dead, a celebration which culminates with his Ascension to the Father and the sending of the Holy Spirit to the Church on Pentecost. It is a fitting time to dedicate to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to recall her intense joy over her Son’s Resurrection and the comfort and guidance she gave to the Apostles.
During the Easter season, Mary’s presence in the beginnings of the Church is emphasized. She was present in the first community of disciples. In Acts 1:14 , she was present with the Apostles in the upper room as they prayerfully waited for the descent of the Holy Spirit with hopeful expectation. As Pope St. John Paul II stated in Redemptoris Mater, “Mary was in the Upper Room, where the Apostles were preparing to take up this mission with the coming of the Spirit of Truth: she was present with them. In their midst Mary was “devoted to prayer” as the “mother of Jesus” (cf. Acts 1:13-14), of the Crucified and Risen Christ.” Her maternal presence was humble and discreet but fundamental. Among them, she acted as a guide, an exceptional witness of the mystery of Christ, a role she had since His conception and birth, as well as a model of true faith.
- excerpted from an article by Nada Mazzei.
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