In our Parish

This week’s Mass Intentions (Daily Readings)

Thursday January 16
Hebrews 3:7-14; Mark 1:40-45
9 AM – Deceased Members of the Leece & Byrne Families

Friday January 17 – St. Anthony
Hebrews 4:1-5, 11; Mark 2:1-12
9 AM – Beverly Carbin

Saturday January 18
Hebrews 4:12-16; Mark 2:13-17
5 PM – Agnes Hallahan

Sunday January 19 – 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 62:1-5; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; John 2:1-12
9 AM – Pro Populo (For the Parishioners)
11 AM – Raul Francisco

Monday January 20
Hebrews 5:1-10; Mark 2:18-22 – No Mass

Tuesday January 21– St. Agnes
Hebrews 6:10-20; Mark 2:23-28
7 PM – Mary Ferencich

Wednesday January 22
Hebrews 7:1-3; Mark 3:1-6
9 AM – Beverly Carbin

Thursday January 23
Hebrews 7:25-8.6; Mark 3:7-12
9 AM – Freda De Jesus

Friday January 24 – St. Francis de Sales
Hebrews 8:6-13, 11; Mark 3:13-19
9 AM – In Thanksgiving of Gustavo Campos

Saturday January 25 – Conversion of St. Paul, the Apostle
Acts 22:3-16; Mark 16:15-18
5 PM – Beverly Carbin

Sunday January 26 – 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-30; Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21
9 AM – Pro Populo (For the Parishioners)
11 AM – Catrien Goldsworthy

Group Meetings

Thursday January 16
Knights of Columbus – 7 PM – Hall / WR
St. Vincent de Paul – 8 PM – Hall / WR

Friday January 17
AA Meeting – 9 PM – Hall

Monday January 20
Emotions Anonymous Meeting – 7 PM – WR

Tuesday January 21
Catechism – 6 PM – Hall

Friday January 24
AA Meeting – 9 PM – Hall

Saturday January 25
Games Night – 6 PM – Hall

Other Announcements

Welcome to all who are visiting our Parish.
We pray that you are nourished by our Liturgy. If you are new to our community, please fill out a registration form and return it to the office or place in it the collection basket. Registration forms are located at all doors of the Church and you are welcome to contact the office to obtain a personal set of Church envelopes if you would like one.

Sunday Offerings
Sunday, December 8, 2024: $5,213.30. Thank you for your generosity!!!

Our Building Maintenance Fund:
Has reached $22,043.04 and is growing – Thanks for your support!

Knights of Columbus Corner
St. John’s School will be collecting cans of soup until February 7th for a SOUP ER BOWL Challenge. Please drop off cans at the Brant Street Entrance in a bin marked School Soup we Challenge.

Knights 50/50 Raffle!
Buying tickets in the Knights 50/50 Raffle gives ticket holders a chance to win half of what is collected. Using the special URL attached to the poster: www.ontarioofc.ca | www.rafflebox.ca/raffle/k-of-c-ont/ supports the charity work of St. John the Baptist Council #18496. Thank you in advance for your support and good luck in the draw!

St. Vincent de Paul Corner
The St. Vincent DePaul Society is extending a huge thank you to all of the Parishioners for your very generous donations toward our Christmas Program. Our neighbours thoroughly enjoyed “shopping” in our market without price tags.

2025 Offertory Envelopes
Are available for pick up in the Church. They are arranged alphabetically on the tables toward Brant Street. Please contact the Parish Office if you currently don’t have envelopes but would like a box.

Games Night at St. John’s
Games night will be offered in the Parish Hall on January 25 immediately follow the 5:00 Mass. Bingo will once again be featured as well as various board games and card tables for Euchre. Light refreshments will be available. This is a free will offering event.

Fundraising Notification
St. John the Baptist Parish is preparing to establish a Fundraising Committee starting in January 2025. If there are any parishioners with fundraising experience and wish to be part of this committee, please contact the parish office at 905-634-2485. “God loves a cheerful giver!”

Adult Preparation for Sacraments at the 2025 Easter Vigil
Our Parish Adult Catechetical Program resumes in our Hall. We would like to welcome adults, married couples and youths 9 years old and up who want to become Catholic and be fully initiated in the Catholic faith through Baptism, First Holy Communion and Confirmation. A fun learning course!  Please call the office for more information.

Knights of Columbus
Did you know that St. John’s has a Knights of Columbus Council? We were formed in mid June of this year. Our official name is St. John the Baptist Council #18496. We are volunteers ready to work in our Church. If you are a male 18 years or older you can join our team. The first step is to look at www.kofc.org and get a picture of what we do. The next step is to call John D’Addario 905-973-0474 and join the team!

PHOTO GALLERY
Please do not forget that our website features a photo gallery. If you are interested in viewing photos from past events, please find the gallery at: https://stjohnthebaptist.ca/photo-gallery

Pre-Authorized Giving at St. John’s Parish
Have you considered supporting the parish through pre-authorized giving? This allows you to give to the parish through scheduled monthly transfers from your bank account, and helps ensure regular, dependable contributions to the parish. Most of all, though, pre-authorized giving affords us the opportunity to re-orient how we think about giving. Rather than giving from what’s left over, this method of giving encourages us to discern a level of Parish support with greater intention. In this way, we respond more fully to the call to “honour the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your produce.” (Proverbs 3, 9-10). For more information or to enroll, please contact the parish office.

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL CONTRIBUTIONS
For contributions to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, please make all cheques payable to the St. Vincent de Paul Society and not to St. John’s Parish. Thank You!

The Sacrament of Baptism: Where Life in Christ Begins!
Our parish is on the lookout for dynamic volunteers to help us grow our Baptism Prep Ministry. Is the Holy Spirit inspiring you to get involved and help families prepare for the Sacrament that starts it all? Please contact Deacon Cam and Annette to find out how to join our ministry by emailing cjohnson@hamiltondiocese.com

SACRED HEART OF JESUS, HAVE MERCY ON US
Come and join us every Thursday at 9 a.m. for the Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Holy Mass.

Devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help
We would love to have you join our weekly Devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help immediately before the Tuesday evening Mass. We start at 7 p.m. and all are most welcome.

Visitor’s Envelopes
Kindly use a pink Visitor’s Envelope if donating a loose cheque and complete the front of the envelope in full or at least write your name. This helps immensely. If you would like a set of parish envelopes of your own, please visit or phone the office for assistance. Thank you!

Do you own a business that could serve our parish?
From time to time our parish may be in need of contracted work. We may need to go to outside companies without knowing if a parishioner is able to provide a product or service that we could use. If you own a business that could serve our parish and would like to be considered for future work, please contact Margaret Hribljan by emailing her at margaret.h@cogeco.ca.

LOST AND FOUND NOTICE
If you have lost something, please check the Lost & Found baskets located at the Brant St. entrance to the Church. All items that unclaimed after a month will be donated or discarded.

Parish Hall Rental
If you wish to rent the parish hall, please contact the parish office in advance of your event to make the necessary arrangements.

Volunteering at St. John the Baptist Parish
As a new year begins, we are looking for volunteers for various church events. Volunteers are required to read the description of volunteer roles (provided) and to fill out the Volunteer Information Form which has your contact information recorded for LOW risk volunteers. The HIGH risk volunteers are required to do the volunteer form along with a police check which includes: anyone working with children, handling money or working with vulnerable people. We will be offering dates in the next few weeks to anyone who needs assistance completing forms and with police checks. Please email the following coordinators for forms or any further questions: loismorrisonhuq@gmail.com or dinaknight779@gmail.com

Burlington Food Bank Collection
Please leave your donations of packaged and canned food items in the cupboard near the Brant Street doors if you are able to help with the food collection. Thank you so much for helping our neighbours in need. The Food Bank is extremely grateful.

 

In the Community

MEN’S IGNATIAN RETREAT
14-16 March, 2025. Venue: Manresa, 2325 Liverpool Road, Pickering. Topic will be: “The Wisdom of Henri Nouwen: Guidance
for the Lenten Journey.” by Fr. Kevin Kelly S.J.  Henri Nouwen was a Dutch-born Catholic priest and a psychologist as well as spiritual guide and writer. He wrote about faith, spiritual development, prayer and other aspects of our journey with God. He was skilled in helping people understand they are beloved of God, giving and receiving forgiveness, growing in hope and accepting one’s limitations. Suggested offering $260.00. For details, please call Jonathan Fowler 905 634-0248, or Fiona (at Manresa), 905-839-2864. Registration: online: manresa-canada.ca or by email manresaregistration@outlook.com

THE SERRA CLUB OF HAMILTON
Meets at Annunciation of Our Lord Parish for Mass and their Annual General Meeting on January 21. It is an opportunity to review the goals of the club, most especially the promotion of vocations to the Priesthood in the Diocese of Hamilton. It also gives me the opportunity to promote the plans and projects of the Jubilee Year of Hope. New members are always welcome.

 

In the Diocese

Pray for Vocations
As John the Baptist introduced the people of his time to Jesus, a voice from heaven said, “You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.” Perhaps God is calling you to do the same in our time as a priest, deacon or religious. If He is, please contact Fr. Mark Morley, Director of Vocations, Diocese of Hamilton at 905-528-7988 or Email: vocations@hamiltondiocese.com. You can also visit hamiltondiocese.com/vocations/

JUBILEE OF HOPE, 2025
The Diocese of Hamilton joins the celebration of the Global Church in this Ordinary Jubilee Year, 2025, as “Pilgrims of Hope!” We are all invited to journey through this year drawing closer to God through prayer, service and experiences of renewal. Six churches have been designated as pilgrimage sites across the Diocese, welcoming you as a visitor over the course of the Jubilee to come and pray. Resources, information and locations of the pilgrimage sites are all made available on the Diocesan Website: www.hamiltondiocese.com.

DIACONATE FORMATION
FOUR MEN STUDYING TO BE PERMANENT DEACONS for the Diocese of Hamilton were installed as Instituted Acolytes last Saturday at the Mount Mary Immaculate Retreat Centre. They are Paul Dobrowolski, Gustavo Ponce, Adam Walker and Ivan Zeljeznjak. Their study continues for another year in preparation for their Ordination as Permanent Deacons for the Diocese of Hamilton.

JANUARY 26 IS SUNDAY OF THE WORD OF GOD or Bible Sunday!
Instituted by Pope Francis at the conclusion of the Holy Year of Mercy, Bible Sunday is celebrated each year on the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time. The theme this year, to coincide with the Jubilee Year of Hope, is taken from Psalm 119:74: “I hope in your Word!” Our celebration of Bible Sunday is a call to listen to how the Bible speaks in our hearts and within our communities of faith. This year we celebrate Sacred Scripture as a source of hope for the faithful. The Pastoral Offices of the Diocese have prepared a wide variety of resources for youth and adults to celebrate Bible Sunday 2025. Please Visit our website at https://hamiltondiocese.com/the-bible-speaks-2025/ for more information.

PARENTING TIP OF THE MONTH
Parenting Tip #165 Family time matters, as much when our children age as when they are young. It helps to ensure this happens by building traditions that everyone partakes in regularly. Traditions that everyone looks forward to and enjoys – pizza and movie nights, a special breakfast after attending Mass, games night – anything that brings you together for fun will do. The emotional health of children with these kinds of connections is stronger throughout their lifetime. As a family, plan your together time weekly and remember to share meals together daily, whichever meal of the day that has to be. With a solid family foundation, your connectedness can and will stay intact as your children grow older. (From: Teresa Hartnett, Family Ministry Office; 905-528-7988 ext. 2250)

MARRIAGE TIP OF THE MONTH
As Catholics we are called to an understanding of marriage that goes beyond the secular definition and is understood as Sacrament. Therefore, married couples are called to be a sign of God’s unconditional love for each of us, by the way they embody unconditional love for each other. Even when stress and conflict make their way into our lives, we are called to make sacred the ordinary. Stop and ask if your words and actions are reflecting Christ. If the answer is no, then change your response until you can honestly answer “yes”! (From: Teresa Hartnett, Family Ministry Office; 905 528-7988 ext. 2250)

THE REEL JUSTICE FILM FESTIVAL
Is excited to release our dates for the 2025 season. Our films this year focus on hope and the personal stories that give voice to those that often go unheard. Themes include women’s empowerment, refugees, youth, Indigenous justice, and environmental care. We start the season on January 23, 2025, with She Rises Up, a revealing look at the power of women’s economic participation. The film follows radically different women from Sri Lanka, Peru, and Senegal who are fighting to build businesses, create job opportunities for women, and contribute to the reduction of poverty in their communities. Film Director, Maureen Castle Tusty and Executive Producer James Tusty will join us as guest speakers. In 2008, they founded Sky Films Inc. to produce documentary films that inform, uplift, and inspire. The Reel Justice Film Festival is a partnership between the Bishop Farrell Library & Archives and Development and Peace. Film screenings are shown online, once a month from January to May. You can view our full film lineup at: https://hamiltondiocese.com/reel-justice-film-festival/ We hope you can join us!

MARRIAGE PREPARATION:
Are you getting married this fall or in the early part of 2025? Marriage preparation is an important way that the Church reaches out to support your relationship. Once you have spoken to the parish and booked your wedding, be sure to register for one of our upcoming courses, which run from January to December of each year. Fall 2024 dates our posted on the website now. Find our more at Preparation for Marriage – Diocese of Hamilton (hamiltondiocese.com).

DID YOU KNOW …
Children in our parishes benefit from the Catechetical Correspondence Program each year for ongoing religious education and preparation for the Sacraments. We need volunteers to support the program! If you are willing to accompany these children in their learning journey, please reach out to the Office for Evangelization and Catechesis at catechesis@hamiltondiocese.com. To learn more about the Catechetical Correspondence Program, please visit: https://bit.ly/DOHCCC.

RESTART: Refresh, Renew, Revive Group
Struggling after divorce or separation? Join us for learning, support and fun on a Friday evenings. Held the 2nd & 3rd Fridays of each month. These get-togethers offer continual support and insights for people as they journey through the divorce/separation process and beyond. Join in-person (700 King St. West, Hamilton), or by ZOOM. Register for the sessions here: https://sites.google.com/view/hamilton/restart/homeor contact Sarah at 905-528-7988 ext. 2249 or familyministry@hamiltondiocese.com, if you plan to attend in person and for the zoom link if joining online. We look forward to seeing you!

Project Rachel
If you are struggling after an abortion – either your own or someone else’s, Project Rachel is available to help find hope and healing. Please contact us at 905-526-1999.