Fellowship
Hispanic Ministry
The Hispanic Ministry creates community among the Spanish-speaking members of our parish.
Knights of Columbus
Westminster Council #1393 was organized in 1909, bringing together Catholic men, 18 years and older, to promote and support Church, fraternal and civic activities. Meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at The Portico of St. John Church. Our pastor, Fr. Mark Bialek serves as our spiritual advisor and Chaplain. New members take an exemplification which explains the three principles of our Order – Charity, Unity, and Fraternity. Visit the Knights of Columbus website at http://www.kc1393.org/ to get more information or to join the Knights.
Ladies Sodality
Members (women aged 18 and older) are involved in spiritual works of mercy. Upon request of the family, they will lead the recitation of the Rosary at a funeral home. Each spring, they organize the May Procession in the church. Meetings are held on the second Sunday of the month through the school year. Members attend the 8:45 a.m. Mass, followed by praying of the rosary in church and their monthly meeting in the parish center.
Men’s Ministry
Men’s Ministry is an opportunity for men ages 21+ to enrich their faith.
Mom’s Group
St. John’s Mom’s Fellowship has been placed on hold while the Calcutta Room undergoes a makeover! Meetings will resume in the spring. Check back for updates!
Women’s Ministry
The women’s ministry of St. John is devoted to helping women cultivate a Catholic lifestyle in women of all ages. Many of our groups have been put on hold during the pandemic; however, we are offering the Well-Read Women Book Club and a Lectio Divina Bible Study.
St. John’s Mom Fellowship and other spiritual/social opportunities will be set to resume this spring!
Liturgical Ministry
Altar Servers
A ministry for boys and girls, in 4th grade or higher, to serve the Lord by assisting at Masses. Training is required. We also have an advanced program to allow boys grades nine and higher, to explore vocations, while serving in an Altar Server leadership role.
Art and Environment Committee
The Art & Environment Committee, lovingly called the “Flower Brigade”, decorates the church and sanctuary in preparation for the various liturgical seasons. Activities include ordering flowers, making arrangements for the sanctuary and maintaining plants throughout the church. There are many components to this amazing ministry. Just contact Linda if you would like to get involved!
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMC)
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMC) are lay faithful who are answering the call to help distribute communion at Masses.
Click here to open the registration form.
Infant Baptism Ministry
Disciples in this ministry set up for baptisms, assist the deacons and priests and help with baptism prep classes. The sacrament of baptism is administered at 10:30 a.m. on the first Saturday of each month for Spanish-speaking families, and on the second and fourth Saturdays for English-speaking families.
Lectors
Proclaim the Word of God at all Masses—weekends, weekdays and Holydays. Training is required.
Marriage Preparation – Pre Cana
The parish supports engaged couples by providing marriage preparation courses assisting them in building a loving, lasting marriage. The parish offers a choice of programs to prepare couples for marriage. Each is organized by trained and certified married couples and clergy staff to help the couples grow in the understanding of marriage as a sacrament of God’s covenant love.
Music Ministry
Singers and instrumentalists are always needed to support our congregation in praise and worship through song as well as in outreach and evangelization. Various musical groups serve our parish at Mass, funerals, weddings, and other liturgies!
Ushers
Welcome people to worship, seat the parishioners, receive the monetary offerings during collections at Mass, direct Communion to those physically challenged and unable to come forward to receive Eucharist, organize the Communion lines, and distribute bulletins.
Outreach
Bereavement Ministry
St. John Parish wishes to support you at this most difficult time. This is a spiritually based program led by trained facilitators based on the book A New Day. This group meets the 3rd Sunday of every month at 10 a.m. in the Parish Center.
Catholic War Veterans
Catholic War Veterans Sargent Shriver Post 2016 meets on Wednesdays. We are always welcoming new members! Membership in the Catholic War Veterans is open to baptized Catholics who have served on Active Duty for at least 90 days, or in the Reserves, or National Guard, or are currently on Active Duty in any branch of the US Armed Forces.
Greeter Ministry
Greeters assist in welcoming parishioners to Mass every Sunday, opening doors and greeting parishioners with a smile.
Health Care Ministry
A team of volunteers, coordinated by a St. John staff member. The mission of Health Care Ministry is to bring “church” to those who are separated from the parish liturgical celebrations because of health issues. Visits are made daily to Carroll Hospital Center, where we attempt to visit every Catholic patient. The homebound and residents of approximately 14 different care facilities are visited. Extraordinary Ministers of Communion share a time of prayer and bring the Eucharist to the person desiring to be visited. Requests for visits may be made by the individual or their family. Here are some of the wonderful things ministers are involved with:
- Health Care Ministers visit Catholic mothers of newborns in the Hospital Birthing Center, giving the gift of a Miraculous Medal for the infant.
- Assistive devices such as wheelchairs, walkers, shower chairs and bedside commodes are available for loan through Health Care Ministry.
- At Christmas, supported by the donations and assistance of various parish organizations, the Health Care Ministers collect items, prepare and distribute “holiday caring packages” to the homebound.
- Health Care Ministers meet four times annually, discussing relative issues as well as hosting speakers on current health care topics.
Our greatest need is to be blessed with more volunteers to join us in all we do in this growing parish.
Mary/Martha Ministry
An outreach to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. The members of this ministry offer at charge to prepare and to serve luncheons for families following a funeral, upon request in the Portico based the availability.
Prayer Shawl Ministry
Members share their time & talent to create crocheted and knitted shawls and lap afghans for the benefit of the sick & infirm needing something warm and comforting to support them during a time of need. The handcrafted pieces are blessed prior to distribution. Since its inception in August of 2012, the ministry has created more than 100 shawls, with 70% of these being given to Carroll Hospital Center, and the remainder to St. John parishioners, upon request. The ministry meets in the parish center each Tuesday from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Ranger Rosaries
We support our troops by providing them with specialized Rosaries—Ranger Rosaries—made by hand using specific materials that are non-reflective, lightweight and “sound proofed” to further protect our soldiers. Since 2007, we have made and shipped more than 111,000 Rosaries to troops in combat zones, at overseas bases and in military hospitals. Chaplains have shared with us the popularity of the Rosaries and the appreciation of the soldiers who have received them. Join the Rosary makers on the 2nd & 4th Fridays of each month from 1:00—3:00 p.m. in the parish center. For more information, call the parish office.
Respect Life Group
Dedicated to the truth that life is a gift from God beginning at conception and ending at natural death. We are rooted in the conviction that there is much that all of us can do to prevent abortion, the death penalty, and injustices against life, and to conduct pro-life activities with prayer and joy throughout the year to promote awareness of all life issues. The St. John Respect Life Group supports the Pregnancy Support Center of Carroll County in Westminster, the only one of its kind in the county. Together with other Catholic churches in the area, St. John Parish continues to assist and support the center in its work. The group participates in the annual “Life Chain” in October and provides transportation to the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., each January.
St. Vincent DePaul Society (Helping the Poor in our Community)
The St. Vincent de Paul Society is an international Catholic organization that serves those in need. Through its network of Parish Conferences, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul helps people while leading its members to grow spiritually through service.
Our conference at St. John was established in 1993 assisting those in need in Carroll County. The St. John Westminster Conference meets regularly to provide for needs in a manner that promotes dignity and respect. There are no special qualifications other than the desire to join with others in helping those in need of the love of God. As a group we meet on the first Monday of each month at 10:30 in the Portico, September through June.
How do we serve?
Person to Person Service
Located in the Parish Center, the office is open two hours daily, Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.. Volunteers, known as Vincentians, meet with our neighbors who are requesting assistance with various financial needs and circumstances including evictions, medications, and utility shut offs. We also have a food pantry that is available to all during our business hours or by appointment.
Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen
Our Vincentians prepare and serve a nutritious lunch every Wednesday at The Church of the Ascension, 23 N. Court Street, Westminster. All are welcome!
Adopt-a-Family Program
For the Christmas season, through a partnership with the Salvation Army, our conference coordinates a gift distribution program. Names of individuals and families in need are gathered and “adopted” by our parishioners by selecting a card from the Giving Trees in the Church. Our parishioners provide toys, clothing, and food based on the needs of the “adoptee.”
All assistance we provide is funded by donations from our parishioners, either through the Poor Box, check, online giving or food for our pantry. If you are interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities or other ways of supporting the works of your St. Vincent de Paul Society conference, please contact Cathy Hoffman at 410-848-8693 or svdp@sjwest.org. Your involvement in this important mission is greatly appreciated. Please pray for the works of The St. Vincent de Paul Society and those we serve.
Religious Education
Become a Catechist
There is no greater gift we can give than to pass on our faith to others. Faith formation is an essential part of all of our lives as Christians committed to living and sharing God’s Word. We have various times when we offer religious education classes to students K-5; 6-8 and high school.
To be a catechist means that you are willing to echo the Faith to the future church–our young people. As a volunteer-driven ministry, we rely heavily on the Lord moving YOUR heart and calling you into this ministry. You were created for discipleship! We need you! If you want to volunteer as a catechist, assistant, substitute, or even a traffic helper, check the box on the registration form—if there isn’t a box write us a note and tell us what you prefer. Every year we need new people! If you assist—your tuition will be cut in ½. If you teach, your religious education could be FREE!
You might also want to check out our VIRTUS page. You will have to complete VIRTUS in order to volunteer.
VBS (Vacation Bible School)
Join us for VBS 2023, June 26th-30th!
Want to know when registration opens? Join our Flocknote email group to receive the latest updates.
Interested in learning about our volunteer opportunities during VBS? We have a Flocknote for that, too!
Worship
Divine Mercy Devotion
Celebration of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, combined with traditional prayers, hymns and the offering of intentions, takes place on Thursdays at 3:00 p.m. in the Perpetual Adoration Chapel, located in the parish center. Everyone is invited.
Perpetual Adoration
The Adoration Chapel is in the Parish Center. It is a place of quiet and reflection to which we are all called, at times. All are welcome during regularly scheduled Parish Office Hours. If you wish to commit to a particular time each week to pray in adoration, please visit adorationpro.org/johnwestminster or call the Parish Center.
Youth Ministry
Boy Scouts
Boy Scouts Troop 420 is based here at St. John Westminster. For more information, visit www.troop420md.org.
LIFE TEEN (High School Youth Group)
LIFE TEEN is our High School Youth Group that meets on Sunday evenings from 7-8:30 p.m.
LIFE TEEN Core Team
The LIFE TEEN Core Team is a team of adults who help lead the LIFE TEEN High School Youth Group.
Summit (Middle School Youth Group)
Summit is our Middle School Youth Group that meets on Thursdays in the Portico from 5:15-6:30 p.m.
VBS (Vacation Bible School)
Join us for VBS 2023, June 26th-30th!
Want to know when registration opens? Join our Flocknote email group to receive the latest updates.
Interested in learning about our volunteer opportunities during VBS? We have a Flocknote for that, too!