May 16, 2020

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church

Welcome Back to Mass!!

Resumption of Public Celebration of Masses & the Sacraments

Dear Parishioners of St. John’s,

We look forward to seeing you at St. John’s again for the celebration of Mass—if you are comfortable to return! We will still offer Mass online, Tuesday-Friday@ 6:oopm and Sunday @ 10:00am if you are over age 65, have any health issues or are worried about public services at this time.

•  Papal dispensation still in effect! All Parishioners aged 65 and older with any health issues should still celebrate Mass from home via online participation. Anyone with concerns about public celebrations may stay home as well.

 Public Masses will resume the weekend of May 16 & 17, 2020

Mass Times: Saturday @ 5:00pm and 7:00pm

 Sunday @ 7:00am, 9:00am, 11:00am & 5:00pm

Communion—no mass (ONLY) offered Sundays from 4:00pm-4:30pm

Confession offered 30 minutes prior to every Mass

•  Celebration of Mass logistical modifications:

1. Social Distancinggovernmental regulations must be kept! Marked spaces on flooring will space Parishioners out for entrance & dismissal.

2. All Parishioners to bring their own face masks & hand sanitizer.

3. All Parishioners will be guided to places in the Church pews by marked signs—every other pew will be cordoned off as unusable. Seats at each pews will be marked for seating. Families/households may sit together in an available pew.

•  Celebration of Mass Liturgical Modifications:

1. No congregating in groups (including before and after Mass in narthex)

2. Limited choirs

3. All Parishioners and Ministers will wear face masks

4. All hymnals/missals to be removed (use of phones/projectors permitted)

5. No Holy Water font.

6. No procession of Gifts.

7. No handholding during Lord’s Prayer.

8. Sign-of Peace: bow/wave only.

9. No Precious Blood offered at Communion.

10. 4 Communion lines, marked on church floor.

11. All E.M. must use hand sanitizer immediately prior to distributing Holy Communion. Holy Communion Bread by hand only (no gloves!). All gluten-free Parishioners to Father’s line.

12. No basket offertory collections—we will have 1 ‘drop box’ located by interior church doors.

•  Hygiene at the Church: 

All pews, (used at Mass), Ambo, lectern, chairs, piano, door handles, bathroom door & sink handles, sacristy, Altar Server cross (if used) must be wiped down with sanitizer cloths after EACH MASS CELEBRATION. (volunteers, please!)

•  No gatherings after Mass (donuts, etc)
•  Any/all meetings MUST observe social distancing guidelines—(groups of under 10 only) please call office to schedule. We are treating each event on a case-by-case basis.

    Also, If your family is a registered Parishioner at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and are experiencing financial hardship at this time due to loss of a job, please call the office at (904) 246-6014 Monday-Friday (we have limited resources available), so this aid is ONLY for the Parishioners of St. John’s at this time. We are your family and we are here for you!

   Please be kind to everyone as we are working through this transitional time! Thank-you and God Bless you & your family!

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 May  6 update

So, we have a request for each of you:

Can you PLEASE email us a picture, a short note, story or paragraph on how you & your family are adjusting to staying at home during this time? It does NOT have to be religious (but if you have incorporated a at-home prayer space, etc. that would be great)—include your pet family members too! Fun, creative, thoughtful, messy, goofy---anything is welcome!

We (St. John’s) would like to make a montage showing how we are getting through this time. I pray that it helps connect us as a Parish family and maybe inspire our brothers & sisters to try & do something new!

You can email them to 

SAMatthews.Stjohn@outlook.com or

Mtrinidad.stjohn@outlook.com

PLEASE keep the Love of God and PRAYER as the center of your daily lives—this time is a gift from Him to us and our families—it is time to slow down, pray more and rediscover the beauty in the simple pleasure of life!

God Bless & we will continue to keep you all in our prayers! 

St John’s office  

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April 27 update:

Pope Composes Prayers for End of Pandemic to be Recited after Rosary 

  Pope Francis asked Catholics to make a special effort in May to pray the rosary, knowing that by doing so they will be united with believers around the world asking for Mary's intercession in stopping the coronavirus pandemic.
 

  "Contemplating the face of Christ with the heart of Mary, our mother, will make us even more united as a spiritual family and will help us overcome this time of trial," the pope said in a letter addressed to all Catholics and released by the Vatican April 25.
 

   The month of May is traditionally devoted to Mary, and many Catholics already are in the habit of praying the rosary at home during the month, he noted. "The restrictions of the pandemic have made us come to appreciate all the more this 'family' aspect, also from a spiritual point of view."
 

   Both prayers acknowledge Mary's closeness to her son's followers and ask for her protection and for her intercession just as she interceded with Jesus on behalf of the newlyweds at Cana who had run out of wine for their wedding feast.
 

   Pope Francis' prayers also include specific intentions for those who are sick, for those who care for them, for those who have died and those who mourn for them, for scientists seeking cures and vaccines, and for government leaders who must find a way to protect their people. 

Link to prayers is the red button marked "Pope Francis Prayers", after the Spiritual Communion Prayer

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In the event of an emergency, call Father Rafael's emergency number (904)-496-2539.

Spiritual Communion Prayer

My Jesus,

I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.

I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You.

Never permit me to be separated from You.  Amen