SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,
because it neither sees nor knows him. But you know him, because he remains with you, and will be in you.”

The words of Jesus in today’s gospel—spoken to his disciples. These very same words could have been spoken last week right here in our parish of St. John and St. Mary. Spoken to all of the kids from the High School and Middle School Youth Groups, the Confirmation Class and our KidsRelig 8^th Grade—the kids who made Hope for Japan so successful.

And it was successful. The kids raised $2400 to support the work of Catholic Relief Services in aid of the children of Japan. And all of this in an afternoon of family fun—face painting, Japanese name painting, ice cream, hot dogs, pizza and The Jumpy Castle.

But the money raised and the fun had by all is only one measure of success. Today’s gospel would measure another kind of success—to know Jesus because his Spirit is within and to see him in the people we become. There are two parts to this measurement:

· Part One: a community in which the Spirit can live;

· Part Two: the Spirit lived inside out. so that the face of Jesus can be seen in the faces of the community.

And, again, Hope for Japan was a success. Middlers and high schoolers worked together, parents with elementaries and younger played together and even a few grandparents noshed together—the first step to community—hang out together and you’ll learn to hang on together. And where was the face of Jesus? On all those faces doing good together!

Thanks to all the kids who worked so hard and to all the parents who helped so much. Thanks to everyone who came and had a good time and who were so very generous in their contributions and support.

Memorial Day

Throughout the year, the kids of KidsRelig have prayed for the men and women of our armed services, sent cards and letters, cookies and care packages and coffee cards. And our kids have received many “thank you” notes. As we stop to remember on Memorial Day all of the uniformed men and women who have served and sacrificed, we pray that we may never stop remembering.

Love,

Deacon Charlie

Fifth Sunday of Easter

“‘Amen, amen, I say to you,

whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,

and will do greater ones than these,

because I am going to the Father.’”

The words of Jesus in today’s gospel couldn’t be a better description of what’s been happening around here at St. John and St. Mary in these past few weeks.

First Communion

Last week, our Second Graders received First Holy Communion on Saturday, May 14, and celebrated with the entire parish at the 10:30 Mass on the following day.

Much work went into the preparation of our kids for First Holy Communion—their own work, the work of their parents and families and the very special work of their teachers. Our celebration was filled with prayer and music, flowers and banners, the finest suits and gowns, and Eucharist—the Thanksgiving Meal for our belief in Him whose work we do.

Hope for Japan

Hope for Japan—a fundraiser for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami—will happen this Sunday, May 22^nd, from 1 to 3 PM, at the Upper Church. But it doesn’t just happen. It’s the result of a lot of hard work by our High School and 7^th/8^th Grade Youth Groups, Confirmation Class and 8^th Grade of KidsRelig.

Come, see our young people do the works of Jesus

and even “greater than these.”

And Have Some Family Fun!!!

Sushi, Pizza, Bagels, Donuts, Drinks,

Bake Sale, 50/50 Raffle, Handmade Prayer cards,

Face Painting, Oragami

&

The Jumpy Castle

Everything’s a Dollar!!!

All proceeds will go to Catholic Relief Services

Love,

Deacon Charlie

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Jesus may not have gotten a very good grade on his parable of the shepherd and the sheep in today’s gospel. Because he does what every English teacher rails against—mixes metaphors. At one and the same time, he is the shepherd, the gatekeeper and the gate.

Whatever metaphor you choose, Jesus is telling about a fence and a gate. The Good Shepherd doesn’t hop the fence, but goes through the gate, opened by the gatekeeper and made wide in its welcome to the sheep. And the distinction he draws is this—fence-hoppers can get in and out of the sheepfold, but they miss the welcome of the gatekeeper and the wideness of the gate. And most of all, fence-hoppers remain strangers and miss the chance to be shepherds—good friends to their sheep. Fence-hoppers get over, but they don’t look in the eyes of the gatekeeper and hear his greeting; they don’t help to push the heavy gate open, and they don’t get to watch the sheep ready to go through whatever the shepherd goes through as long as they are following him.

Shepherd, gatekeeper or gate—whatever the metaphor, the message is the same. Jesus says, “Come, meet me.”

First Holy Communion

On Saturday, that’s exactly what happened in this very church. Our Second Graders heard Jesus call to each of them, “Come, meet me.” And, indeed, that’s what they did in their First Holy Communion.

Next week, we will publish the names of all our First Communion Kids so that the entire parish can rejoice and pray for them—each by name.

Hope for Japan

Next Sunday, May 22^nd, from 1 to 3 PM, at the Upper Church, our High School and 7^th & 8^th Grade Youth Groups, the Confirmation Class and the 8^th Grades of KidsdRelig will hold a fundraiser for relief efforts in Japan. All proceeds will go to Catholic Relief Services.

Fun for families will help raise funds for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami. Come and enjoy:

Sushi, Pizza, Bagels, Donuts, Drinks

Bake Sale, 50/50 Raffle, Handmade Prayer Cards

Face Painting, Oragami

&

The Jumpy Castle

EVERYTHING’S A DOLLAR

Love,

Deacon Charlie

THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER

“And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him “

The Emmaus gospel—an iconic story of Eucharist. In the disciples’ journey, the encounter with Jesus in word and action is real. But as real as it may be, it is only fully revealed when the bread, which is blessed and broken by Jesus, is shared among those to whom it is given. Although we cannot explain this truth, we cannot escape it. Where there is Eucharist, there is the Risen Lord. Is it any surprise, then, that our hearts should burn within us whenever we are invited to the Table of the Lord!

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION

And these days at KidsRelig, it’s all about Eucharist!!! Next Saturday, May 14th, we will celebrate with 71 of our Second Graders and their families:

FIRST COMMUNION, MAY 14TH

GRAFFLIN

9:30 am

WESTORCHARD/ROARING BROOK

11:30 am

We ask the entire parish to remember our Second Graders and their families in their prayers.

PARISH MASS OF THANKSGVING

&

CELEBRATION

OF THE

SECOND GRADE COMMUNION CLASS

Next Sunday, May 15th, at the 10:30 AM Mass, there will be the opportunity for the entire parish to gather with the Second Grade Communion Class and their families and celebrate in thanksgiving for their First Holy Communion. A parish reception will follow in Skelly Hall.

FIRST COMMUNION REHEARSALS

GRAFFLIN

TUESDAY, 5/10, 3:45-4:45 pm

WESTORCHARD/ROARING BROOK

THURSDAY, 5/12, 3:45-4:45 pm

No Bus Transportation On Rehearsal Days

***First Communion Parents—Please Watch for Last Minute Emails***

HOPE FOR JAPAN

May 22nd

1-3 pm

Watch for signs and posters at church next week and for more news in this column and on the parish website about this joint effort by our High School & 7th and 8th Grade Youth Groups, the Confirmation Class, the 8th Grades in KidsRelig and all our kids.

Love,

Deacon Charlie

The Second Sunday of Easter

The End of Another Beginning

This past week was our last at KidsRelig. With pizza for the Middlers, we signed up to volunteer for Sunday, May 22nd, in our effort to raise funds to aid in the relief of Japan. The kids have called it: HOPE FOR JAPAN. Then, it was outside, whenever the weather permitted, for as much fun as possible. For the Elementaries, it was making special prayer cards for HOPE FOR JAPAN, which will be offered for purchase on May 22nd as one of many fundraisers. With 4th Grade helping 2nd and 3rd Grade helping 1st, there was a lot of hard work. But hard work was followed by ice cream, whipped cream and chocolate syrup. Sundaes were made with as much expertise as the prayer cards.

Oh sure, there was plenty of noise, but there was also plenty of laughter and many, many thank yous.

Through it all, I could hear the words of Jesus in this week’s gospel, “Peace be with you.” Not a peace that says don’t worry, go back to sleep. (You could never have slept through KidsRelig this week.) But, instead, be confident that you have come to a good and safe place, filled with a love that lets you find yourself—and most importantly, find yourself in the company of the Lord.

That’s what Easter did for the disciples and made them Easter People. At KidsRelig, we hope we have made Easter Kids.

One Last Grace

A perfect grace for our last days:

Dear God,

Thank you for our families, out pets, our friends, and the world, plus our food.
We are thankful for them all because they are gifts from You Who makes us happy.
Please take care of the people of Japan.

We are sorry for those who died from the earthquake and tsunami because they are no longer with us, except in the hearts of their loved ones. Amen.

~ Written by Raymond North

(Ms. DeMicco’s 4th Grade)

FIRST COMMUNION, MAY 14TH

GRAFFLIN: 9:30 am

WESTORCHARD/ROARING BROOK: 11:30 am

FIRST COMMUNION REHEARSALS

GRAFFLIN
TUESDAY, 5/3 & 5/10, 3:45-4:45 pm

WESTORCHARD/ROARING BROOK
THURSDAY, 5/5 & 5/12, 3:45-4:45 pm

NO BUS TRANSPORTATION ON REHEARSAL DAYS

HOPE FOR JAPAN
May 22nd
1-3 pm

Love,
Deacon Charlie

Palm Sunday

Sometimes, our own words get in the way of the Word. So, this week, we simply read the Passion slowly and reverently. We stopped here and there to let the power of the Word fill our hearts and minds and souls. And I can tell you that when we came to the verse that proclaims, “Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and give up his spirit,” the only sound in the church was the sound of silence.

GRACES

Three graces this week—one for each day of KidsRelig

Ms. McGetrick’s 3^rd Grade Grace

Dear God,

We thank you for creating us in your image.

We thank you for the food and water you give us.

We thank you for the beautiful Earth we have.

Help us to be respectful and kind and to live as Jesus wants us to. Amen.

A Grace by Jay Maher & Matthew Eiden

Dear God,

Thank you for our world

and for making us,

the earth, the water and the animals.

Thank you for our love, our family and our friends.

Thank you for the food we eat

and the water we drink.

Bless us as we settle down to eat this meal.

We will remember you as we eat this meal.

And we bless your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Ms Kucharik’s 4^th Grade Grace

Dear Holy Family,

we love you with all our hearts.

Thank you for our food, shelter and families

and all other things that you have given us.

Thank you for your love and care for us. Amen.

First Communion Parent Meetings

Thanks for taking the time to attend these meetings. It was so good to have the opportunity to pray together and to talk about the upcoming celebration of First Communion.

JAPAN RELIEF SUNDAY

May 22^nd

Enjoy the Spring Break!!! April 26, 27 and 28 will be our last regular classes together. We will be busy preparing for Japan Relief Sunday and celebrating our last days in this year’s KidsRelig.

Love,

Deacon Charlie

Fifth Sunday of Lent

The Lazarus story—a St. John-type parable about Resurrection.

With the Middlers, we started at the end with Lazarus being called by Jesus to come out of the tomb. If we just stopped there, Resurrection would be nothing more than a jack-in-the-box. So, we went to the beginning. There we found love, support, comfort, strength, faith, family and friendship. We found weeping and tears, and, although not reported, I have to believe there were also smiles and hugs—Jesus, you are here now and everything is better.

It is only when we went back to the beginning that we understood the end—Resurrection. It’s not popping back to life; it’s putting so much life into life everyday that a lifetime can’t possibly be enough time for living. As the magnet on our daughter Catie’s refrigerator proclaims:

“Dance as though no one is watching

Love as though you've never been hurt before

Sing as though no one can hear you

Live as though heaven is on earth.”

GRACES

The kids have been hard at work giving us new Graces. This week, we have two:

Dear God,

Thank you for everything you have given me.

Thank you for the blessing of life so I can share it with others and be happy.

Thank you for giving me shelter, food, good fortune and a family.

Thank you for giving me a family to guide me from making bad decisions. Amen.

(Maria Nikc & Margot Reddy—Ms. DeMicco’s 4^th Grade)

+++

Dear God,

thank you for our enriched life.

Thank you, God,

for helping the people of Japan

and we promise

to help and pray for them too.

God, we love you always and forever. Amen

(Ms. Levitz’ 3^rd Grade)

Indeed, our kids give us new graces!!!

First Communion Parent Meetings

Parents of our 2^nd Grade First Communion Class are invited to a meeting to pray and talk about Eucharist and our upcoming First Communion on May 14^th. There are 3 meeting dates to give a choice that best fits your schedule. You only attend ONE meeting.

· Saturday, April 9, 4-5 pm

· Monday, April 11, 7:30-8:30 pm

· Thursday, April 14, 7:30-8:30 pm

JAPAN RELIEF SUNDAY

May 22^nd

Calendar Reminder and Change

There is NO KidsRelig on April 19, 20 & 21. Our last regular sessions are April 26, 27 & 28. These last days are listed on the calendar as “Funraiser Days.” Instead of fun and fund—raising, those days will be devoted to preparations for Japan Relief Sunday, when we will really raise some fun and funds.

Love,

Deacon Charlie