Fellowship
FAN THE FLAMES
Do you want more of what God wants to give you? Come to Fan the Flames Prayer Group and experience the Love, Joy and Power that God always intended us to have through the Holy Spirit. Please join us on Thursdays at 7pm in the Dining Room in the Parish Center. (Ring the bell for admittance.) For more information call Tom or Irene Burnett at 410-848-1773 or Monica Fisher at 443-928-7311. If you need personal prayer, please call or text Chris Gallagher at 410-596-7081.
Hispanic Ministry
The Hispanic Ministry creates community among the Spanish-speaking members of our parish.
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus’s Westminster Council #1393 was organized in 1909, bringing together Catholic men, 18 years and older, to promote and support Church, fraternal and civic activities. Events hosted by the Knights include parish breakfasts, dances, food drives, and more.
Meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month in the St. John Portico. Our pastor, Fr. Mark Bialek serves as the spiritual advisor and Chaplain. New members take an exemplification which explains the three principles of our Order – Charity, Unity, and Fraternity.
Visit our website at www.kc1393.org to get more information. Get Knights Council #1393 shirts, hats, and more in the online store at tinyurl.com/KofCStore!
Ladies Sodality
Catholic women ages 16 and older are invited to join this group that specializes in spiritual works of mercy. Activities include organizing the annual May Procession and Blessed Mother Crowning, praying the rosary upon request at a funeral home, and running the bake sale table at the annual Christmas Bazaar.
Meetings are held on the second Sunday of the month during the school year. Members attend the Sunday 9am Mass followed by a rosary in the church before holding their meeting in the Parish Center.
To request a rosary at a funeral home, please contact Mary Jo Judge at 410-857-5655.
Little Flowers Girls Club
This fun and faith-filled club for Catholic girls, ages 6 – 15, teaches virtues through scripture, saints’ biographies, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Girls learn and practice the virtues together! Gatherings are two Wednesdays each month from 6:30pm – 7:45pm in the Parish Center.
Registration for 24/25 is now open! Contact Marjorie Livingston for more info.
Men’s Ministry
Our Men’s Ministry offers various opportunities for men ages 21+ to enrich their faith and create community. Events include retreats, Exodus 90, and Catholic book studies.
Cor is a new Men’s Group sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. Taking its name from the Latin word for heart, this group is an opportunity for formation, fraternity, and prayer among the men of our St. John – St. Joseph’s Pastorate. Men do not have to be a Knight to attend. All men are welcome to come and foster friendships while deepening their relationships with God! Meetings are typically on the third Sunday of the month from 7pm – 9pm in the St. John Portico. For more information, email Marty Salter at salterwm@msn.com.
Mom’s Group
St. John’s Moms’ Fellowship Group provides opportunities for mothers and their children to gather together. Get connected with other moms in our parish by joining their Facebook group!
St. John Home Instruction Group
The St. John Home Instruction Group was founded to provide a support and resource network for those who desire to provide authentic, Catholic home instruction for their children. We strive to foster camaraderie for our students in a Catholic-based environment all while joining our families’ prayers, works, joys, and sufferings together to allow God’s grace to work through us. We are a registered umbrella for families located in Carroll County, MD only. Our group meets for a twice monthly Co-op for Catholic Homeschool Families registered in a participating parish with an additional field trip planned each month. Anyone desiring to know more is encouraged to contact us for more information on our registration process and/or if you would like to attend our once monthly Parent Meeting.
Well-Read Mom Book Club
Join other moms and women to reflect on great novels and spiritual classics, encouraging personal growth, friendship, and meaningful conversations. The book club meets in the Parish Center on the first Monday of the month at 7pm from September – June. You do not have to be a mother to join; all women are welcome!
Women’s Book Study
Looking for a way to grow in your faith while creating new friendships with other women? Then join our Women’s Book Study! This fall’s book is When Women Pray by Kathleen Beckman. Running from August 29 – November 21, 2024, meetings are every other Thursday evening from 7pm – 9pm in the Parish Center. The group discussion will be structured around the reflection questions at the end of each chapter. The book is available for purchase online.
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.
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
Aaron & Hur Ministry Prayer Support
This group intentionally prays for St. John’s entire parish and school: priests, staff, ministry leaders, teachers—by name—as well as ministry volunteers, those they serve, and all parish events listed in the bulletin. We are a prayer support helping to “hold up” the arms of those doing our parish’s work.
We meet virtually once a month to pray together and learn about a prayer or spiritual tradition. Meetings are optional. During the month, each volunteer prays on their own time for assigned ministries. Because we work remotely and members pray on their own schedule, this ministry is a great way to be involved in the life of the parish even if you cannot travel or attend in-person activities.
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 for two 9-week sessions twice a year in the Parish Center. The next 9-week session runs February 25 – April 22, 2025 on Tuesdays from 10:15am – 11:30am. Contact Janet Tenney for more information!
Catholic War Veterans
Catholic War Veterans Sargent Shriver Post 2016 meets on Wednesdays at 7pm at the Westminster American Legion Meeting Hall (2 Sycamore St., Westminster, MD 21157). They 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.
Healthcare Ministry
A team of volunteers, coordinated by a St. John staff member. The mission of Healthcare Ministry is to bring “Jesus” to those who are separated from the parish liturgical celebrations because of health issues. Visits are made weekly 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:
- Healthcare 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.
- Healthcare Ministers meet annually, discussing relative issues.
Our greatest need is to be blessed with more volunteers to join us in all we do in this growing parish.
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 1pm – 3pm.
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 1pm—3pm in the parish center.
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. John Angel Team (Gabriel Network)
The Gabriel Network empowers a committed network of Christian churches to accompany pregnant mothers and families in need by providing practical, emotional, and spiritual support through pregnancy and beyond. It realizes this mission through three programs: a helpline, a church-based ministry, and a housing ministry. The St. John Angel Team has worked with the Gabriel Network for nine years, and currently serves mothers and families in Carroll County and in surrounding counties.
St. Vincent de Paul 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, Tuesday through Thursday, 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 in grades 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!
If you want to volunteer as a catechist, assistant, substitute, or even a traffic helper, contact Kenn deMoll at kdemoll@sjwest.org.
All volunteers must complete VIRTUS training.
VBS (Vacation Bible School)
Join us for VBS 2024, June 24th-27th!
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 2024, June 24th-27th!
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!