Christmas Eve Masses to be held at Ag Center
The St. John Westminster Christmas Eve Masses will be held in the Ag Center, and the Christmas Day Masses will be held at St. John's main church. Please visit sjwest.org/christmas for more information!
Annual Appeal for Catholic Ministries
Next weekend, Saint John will launch our 2019 Annual Appeal for Catholic Ministries at our parish. Formerly known as the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal, the same support for the spiritual and corporal works of mercy in our local church is being requested under a new name and a new brand. With the support of Annual Appeal monies, the Archdiocese of Baltimore provides pastoral, educational, and charitable ministries to parishes and families throughout the Archdiocese.
Fr. Mark’s Homily for Mass of Reparation
Here is Fr. Mark’s homily: Hope Has Two Daughters that he delivered at our Mass of Reparation here at Saint John on Tuesday, September 18th. “We remove our outer garments, wrap a towel around our waists and wash the feet of those who have been the victim of godless deeds, whose innocence was lost, whose voices were not heard and whose lives have been shattered.”
We Stand With You!
"Let me be abundantly clear...we stand with you! This betrayal of trust has been both 'criminal and morally reprehensible.'There is no place within the priesthood for those who harm children or prey on the innocent and vulnerable. There is no place for a shepherd of the Church who has failed to act on credible accusations. We stand with those who have been tragically affected by abuse. Only the Light of truth, transparency and accountability will begin the delicate task of piecing together those lives that have been shattered. We fully commit ourselves to the rebuilding of the Church to ensure that his plague will no longer ravage the Body of Christ." Please read Fr. Mark's full letter HERE.
Little Sisters of the Poor Nun Run
Help the Little Sisters of the Poor in the their ministry to the residents of Saint Martin's Home in Catonsville, MD by participating in this year's Nun Run by joining our parish team, "Blisters for Sisters," on Saturday, September 8th at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. To find our more information or to register, please click HERE.
Guppy Gulch Family Trip August 22
GUPPY GULCH WATER PARK NOW OPEN TO FAMILIES (12 & up)!! August 22 We will be taking a bus to Guppy Gulch and now all family members 12 and older are invited. Guppy Gulch has a blob for launching people, zipline, waterslides, floating trampoline, floating climbing walls, floating obstacle courses, paddleboards, and much more. Check it out at guppygulchcamp.com. Cost will be $35 per youth. We will leave promptly at 8:00 am (be here at 7:50 am!) by bus (and most likely some car pool) from St. John and return around 6:00pm or a little after. Everyone should pack a lunch and snacks, but there are some snacks for sale as well. Modesty is a must, so please wear a conservative one piece bathing suit or dark shirt and shorts. This is one you don’t want to miss! For further information and to RSVP as soon as you can please contact me at rgrinstead@sjwest.orgor 410-848-8443 x238.
Fr. Mark Establishes our Parish Leadership Team
Fr. Mark has established a Parish Leadership Team model for our parish. While the pastor remains the spiritual leader and executive authority of the parish, the Parish Leadership Team (PLT) exists to assist the pastor in managing the parish. This involves everything from strategic decisions and people management to operations and finance. The role of leadership team members is to look beyond their areas of expertise or responsibility in order to help the pastor protect the good of the entire parish. A pastor is a better leader when he surrounds himself with good leaders and opens himself to their input and influence. Please watch the video of Pat Lancioni's presentation and go more in depth with The Amazing Parish HERE.
Our Saint John School – Faith Formation is Our Foundation
To find out more information about our Saint John School and becoming part of the excellence of Catholic education, please click HERE.
Fr. Andrew DeFusco Assigned as Our New Associate Pastor
Fr. Mark is delighted to announce that Archbishop William Lori has assigned Fr. Andrew DeFusco as our new associate pastor effective July 1, 2018. Ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 2014, Fr. Andrew has served for the past four years as associate pastor of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. Before ordination, believe it or not, Fr. Andrew served as a seminarian and then deacon at Resurrection of Our Lord in Laurel, Maryland where he served with Fr. Mark from 2012-2014. He also served as a seminarian intern for a summer here at Saint John. For more of Fr. Andrew's biography, please click HERE.
Pierce Family Fund Established
In the early hours of Friday morning John, Terri, Jonathan, Hannah and Nicolas Pierce lost their home to a devastating fire. As part of our Saint John parish and school family we have established the “Pierce Family Fund” to help provide for their needs over the coming months as they begin to rebuild. We will be taking a collection at Saint John next weekend, March 17-18th, at all Masses. You can also donate directly here:
http://www.givecentral.org/location/508/event/15349
Thank you in advance for your generosity and please keep the Pierce’s in your prayers.