MASSES FOR THE WEEK OF

APRIL 6– APRIL 12

MON. 6 8:30 AM Herman Lafferty (Rita Markle)

TUES. 7 8:30 AM Francis Bochenek (Family)

WED. 8 8:30 AM Rose Kiser (Ken & Adeline Vahle)

THURS. 9 7:30 PM` For the Parish

FRI. 10 7:00 PM Liturgy of the Passion

SAT. 11 8:30 PM For the Parish

SUN. 12 8:00 AM Virgil King (Atha Toon)

10:30 AM Hoot Rousseau (Thompson Family)

Just a note to let you know when you request a mass intention the schedule may change according to Father’s commitments.

USHERS

SAT. 11 8:30 PM Kathy & Gene Trimbach, Megan &Tom Miller

SUN. 12 8:00 AM John Heitkamp, George Doviak, Alan Leingang, Rick

Monnier

10:30 AM Scott, Julie, Jeremiah & Caroline Lawson

ALTAR SERVERS

SAT. 11 8:30 PM To be Announced

SUN. 12 8:00 AM To be Announced

10:30 AM To be Announced

EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS

SAT. 11 8:30 PM 7 volunteers needed

SUN. 12 8:00 AM 7 volunteers needed

10:30 AM 7 volunteers needed

LECTORS

THURS. 9 7:30 PM Steve Barno

FRI. 10 7:00 PM Dottie Zimmerman, Bob Spiller

SAT. 11 8:30 PM Dan Thomas, Cindy Griffin, Ed Cubick

SUN. 12 8:00 AM Mike & Tina Droesch

10:30 AM Jeanne Koch, Doug Black

CHILDREN’S LITURGY

NO CHILDREN’S LITURGY EASTER

GREETERS

Volunteers are needed for all masses

NEXT WEEK’S READINGS

First Reading …………………………………………Acts 10: 34a, 37-43

Second Reading ………………………………………Colossians 3: 1-4

Gospel ………………………………………………..Mark 16: 1-7 (41)

HOME EUCHARIST

If you are unable to attend mass this week and would like to receive the Eucharist, call the Parish Office at 667-3419 before 3:30 on Friday or call Ann Fallert @ 667-3416 or Lavonne Fleming @ 667-7313 on Saturday and arrangements will be made for home communion.

Our thoughts and prayers remain with those serving our country at this time and with their loved ones at home. We pray for a safe homecoming and that the world may one day be at peace.

MINISTRY OF CARE

If you are home from the hospital and could use a meal brought in---call us.

If you could use a ride to the doctor or dentist---call us.

If you need a prescription picked up and you can't get it --- call us.

We are CARE GIVERS for St. John's parish. Let us be God's right hand by helping you.

Call 667-3419 or 667-6336

HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE

Tuesday, April 7:

12:00-1:00 pm – Confessions

7:00-8:00 pm – Holy Hour

Wednesday, April 8:

5:00-6:00 pm – Confessions

7:00-8:00 pm – Confessions

Holy Thursday, April 9:

6:00-7:15 pm – Agape Meal

7:30 pm – Mass of the Lord’s Supper

Good Friday, April 10:

12:00 Noon – Rosary & Stations of the Cross

7:00 pm – Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion

Holy Saturday, April 11:

8:30 pm – Easter Vigil Mass

Easter Sunday, April 12:

8:00 am – Mass

10:30 am Mass

“What shall I return to the Lord for all the Lord has given to me?” Christian stewards recognize Christ as the source of all good things. God calls us to share what we have to help others. We are grateful for the gifts we have received and are eager to use them to show our love for Christ and for one another. The Catholic Ministries Appeal is one way to use our gifts for the church. If you have not yet made your gift, please consider making a prayerful, thankful pledge to the Catholic Ministries Appeal this weekend. For more information please visit www.catholicappeals.info. Thanks you.

St. John's MOM's Group - The St. John’s Mom’s Group would like to invite all mothers of young children to attend our meetings and/or events. The group meets twice a month on Thursday mornings from 9:15 to 11:00 a.m.

in the Parish Banquet Hall with the exception of the summer months. Babysitting is provided in room #108

Thursday, April 9 at 9:30 am - Easter Egg Hunt at the Catrone's house.
Bring an Easter basket/bucket for your eggs and and small snack to share.

Thursday, April 16 at 6:30 pm - Mom's Night Out at Bonefish Grill by the
Dayton Mall (yes, they have non-fish entrees).  Please RSVP to Kathy at
339-5360 or litespeed@woh.rr.com.
Saturday, April 18 at 6:00 pm - Craft and Hobby Night in the Banquet Hall.
Please RSVP to Kathy at 339-5360 or litespeed@woh.rr.com.

Thursday, April 23 at 9:15 am - Meeting in the Banquet Hall w/sitters.

GOOD FRIDAY – On Good Friday our parish will take up the annual Good Friday Collection for the Holy Land. Your financial contribution helps to support the struggling Christian community and to protect Christianity’s holiest places. Please be Generous.

YOUTH SCHEDULE:

CANDLE SALES CONTINUE!!! The Young Neighbors in Action mission trip group will be selling "pie candles”! The candles look and smell like pies and come in a variety of "flavors". The large candles are $6 each or 2/$10 while the small candles are $3 each and all money goes towards the students’ summer mission trip!!!! Stop by the parish office to purchase one!!! Thanks in advance for your support

BAPTISM PREP CLASSES - The next BAPTISMAL PREPARATION PROGRAM will be this Sunday, April 5, 2009 in Room # 100 at 1:00 p.m. This class is required prior to scheduling a Baptism. Please contact the Parish Office to register at 667-3419.

RCIA: The Scrutinies are over now our catechumens and candidates await the celebration of the Easter Sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist) at the Easter Vigil next Saturday evening. Come and join them for the culmination of a year of learning, prayer, service, and becoming disciples of our Lord. Please keep them in your prayers as they journey these final days.

Liturgical Bits & Bytes

HOLY SATURDAY

The Vigil of Easter is a day of emptiness. The church waits at the Lord’s tomb. The altar is bare, the church is empty. Mass is not celebrated. Even the Vigil celebration has the feeling of prayerful waiting. The Vigil celebration is begun only after nightfall. This is not an anticipated Sunday Mass, but a vigil in the strictest sense.

The Service begins with LIGHT. The Easter fire is blessed. The Paschal Candle is lit, carried to its place of honor, and the great Easter proclamation, the Exsultet, is sung.

The next major part of this service is the WORD. On this most holy night the story of our salvation is retold and slowly we approach the message of great joy: the Alleluia! The Gospel announcing the good news of resurrection is proclaimed and a homily is shared.

The third part of the service is perhaps the highlight: WATER. All of Lent we have been reflecting on the process of initiation for our adult candidates in the RCIA process. This is the night that we bless the Easter water, we profess our faith, we baptize our catechumens, and we renew our own Baptism through the ritual of sprinkling. Confirmation, a sacrament separated from Baptism for most of us, is celebrated as part of this rite of initiation.

The final section of the Vigil is EUCHARIST. The newly initiated bring bread and wine to the table where they will share Eucharist with us for the first time. 

The dismissal with its double alleluia is sung and thus begins the season of Easter: the great fifty days of celebration which will culminate with our celebration of the feast of Pentecost.

Raise your voice for the voiceless with Catholics Confront Global Poverty:

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) recently launched a new initiative entitled Catholics Confront Global Poverty. This initiative coordinates and focuses advocacy around seven key issues that relate to global poverty, and seeks to join the voices of 1 million U.S. Catholics in advocating for improvement. Learn more below, and consider joining the initiative by going to www.usccb.org/sdwp/globalpoverty/

Spiritual Life Team Forming - Do you have an idea for spiritual growth that you'd like to see happen in our parish? Do you have an idea for a small group study, a one-day retreat, a marriage workshop, a topic speaker for young mothers, or a men's night out.... the list could be endless.

Please contact us with your ideas. The ISPD Parish Wide Education committee is looking to form a Spiritual Life Team to help plan and implement these events. Would you be interested in serving a year on this team? Please call or e-mail:

Tami Kueterman  669-9030  jkueterman@aol.com

Kathleen McCrillis 667-3710   smccrillis@earthlink.net

ATTENTION GOLFERS (DUFFERS) The St. John the Baptist Duffers Golf League is looking for additional participants. We currently have eighteen (18) teams and have room for twenty-two (22). This is a couples’ nine-hole league; however, you do not have to play with your spouse or significant other. Anyone of the opposite sex will suffice with a minimum age of 18. We play Friday evenings at Homestead GC with tee times beginning at 4:30pm and ending at 6:15pm (subject to change depending on the number of couples). The format is a two- person scramble, so if you are not a very good player, you can rely on your partner to help you. This puts the emphasis (for most of us) on fun rather than competition. If you can’t or don’t want to be a regular, you may choose to be on our sub list. Also, after golf each Friday, there is always a party with plenty of food and drink. These are hosted by one or two of the Duffers couples. Our “kickoff” meeting and dinner will be held April 17 at 6:00pm in the Parish Banquet Hall. Golf begins the following Friday, April 24 and runs through August 21. If you are interested and want more information, please contact John or Alice Sferro at 890-2515, 272-9407 (cell), or mmbenito@att.net

HOLY HOUR -   Our next Holy Hour is Tuesday, April 7th.  The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed on the altar from 7:00-8:00 p.m.   Come for the hour or for any part of the hour. 

CLOTHESLINE MINISTRY --    Spring and Easter selections are out at The Clothesline every Wednesday 2-8, Thursday & Saturday 10-4, and Friday 10-8.  There are lots of new and gently worn men's, women's and children's clothing, purses, belts, shoes, sandals, suits & dresses.  Know that Miami County agencies and our parish are benefiting from your generosity.   Donations accepted also during shop hours.  Reminder to clerks that The Clothesline will be closed on Friday, April 10.

K OF C NEWS - Application forms for SCHOLARSHIPS will be in the Narthex and should be completed and turned in by the end of April.  You must be a high school senior or older seeking further education.

2ND COLLECTION FOR PHASE II BUILDING PROJECT

Today’s second collection will be taken for pledges and other donations to our Phase II Building Project.

COFFEE, DONUTS AND BAGELS is this Sunday April 5^th in the Banquet Hall. Pastoral Council will host this month.

CATHOLIC TELEGRAPH

It is once again subscription renewal time for the Catholic Telegraph. Those wishing to receive this publication should return their envelope provided in your set with payment, to the Parish Office. The annual subscription rate is $24.00. If you would like to subscribe but are financially unable to do so, please contact the Parish Office, 667-3419 no later than April 6, to be added to the roster to receive the Catholic Telegraph.

YNIA – news - In July, 21 high school youth of our parish will be participating in a week long mission trip to San Francisco. We are collecting donations for a basket raffle in May to help fund this trip and are asking for help from the parish. Our themes will include Summer Fun, What’s Cooking and Family Fun Night. Items such as beach towels, gift cards, kitchen utensils, cookbooks, DVD’s, games, etc. are needed. All donations are appreciated and can be dropped off in the Narthex in the box marked St. John’s Youth Basket Raffle. If you have any questions, or need your donation picked up, contact Brenda Maus at 440-9659 or Lizann Makley at 667-5767. Thank you for your support of the youth of our parish!

PROTECT THE CONSCIENCE RIGHTS OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS!

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is inviting public comment on a proposal to rescind an important December 2008 federal regulation that protects the conscience rights of health care providers. The regulation implements and enforces three federal laws protecting the conscience rights of health care providers, especially those at risk of being discriminated against because of their moral or religious objection to abortion. Help protect the rights of our Catholic health care professionals and institutions. Please visit the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops website at www.usccb.org/conscienceprotection to access links to make a comment and to find out more information. Comments must be posted by April 9, 2009.

COME Check Out The St. Christopher School difference!

St. Christopher School located on National Road in Vandalia offers students an academically challenging curriculum rooted in the faith and traditions of the Catholic Church. A faculty of dedicated, well trained, and state certified teachers provide a well-rounded core curriculum that is enhanced with state of the art technology, wonderful art, music, and physical education programs.  Registration for the 2009-2010 school year is currently in progress.

ATTENTION PARENTS OF HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES FOR 2009 - Letters have been sent out to all families of 2009 graduating seniors from high school. If you did not get a letter, please call the office, 667-3419. We would like to honor all graduates from St. John’s at our annual Senior Mass and Brunch.

PRESCHOOL OPENINGS St. John’s Early Childhood Program is a developmental preschool with a nurturing Christian environment. The planned curriculum is taught by trained and caring teachers. We currently have openings in two of our afternoon classes which meet from 12:30 till 3:00. The Threes and Fours opening is in the Tuesday/Friday class while the Fours and Fives attend on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Please contact Sally Minnich at 667-2629 for more information or to schedule a visit.

LAST WEEK’S COLLECTION

Adult (132 envelopes) $5472.00

Loose Checks $770.00

Loose Cash $1366.00

Total $6838.00

St. Vincent outreach $67.00

Phase II Building No Available

TOTAL OUTSTANDING BUILDING DEBT $423,100.00

ST. CHRISTOPHER, 435 E. National Road, Vandalia, OH 45377

Mass Schedule

Saturday: 5:00 p.m. - Sunday: 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Holy Day vigil: 7:00 p.m. - Holy Day: 9:00 a.m. & 7:00 p.m.

(Collection envelopes will be forwarded to the proper parish)