EASTER II SUNDAY
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St. John the Baptist Catholic Church Phone: 251-865-6902P. O. Box 417, Grand Bay, AL 3641 Fax: 251-865-1412
Email: Parish website:
Pastor:
Fr. Anthony Kadavil ()
Secretary:
Rev.Deacon Billy Graham
Parish Council President:
Mr. Steve Sema Jr. ()
Finance Council President:
Mrs. Paula Rials
CCD Coordinator & Youth Director:
Mrs. Karen Day
Sunday School Classes & Youth Group programs: CCD classes from 8-45- 9-45, Youth program from 11- 12 am.
Special thanks to the anonymous donorwho donated the celebrant chairin memory of her step father and our deceased long time parishioner Mr. John J. Poplawski .
Televised Shut-in Mass for the home bound Catholicswill be offered at St. Johns’ on Monday, April 28th, at 5:00 p.m. Please plan to attend.
Divine Mercy Sunday at Visitation Monastery: The Sisters of The Visitation Monastery invite everyone to attend the annual "Divine MercySunday" presented by Father Dan Good on April 7 on the sacred grounds of The Visitation Monastery. Confessions begin at1:30 p.m.with Adoration, Benediction, and the Rosary following at2 p.m. The "Hour of Great Mercy" Divine Mercy Chaplet & Mass will be at 3 p.m.
Second Collectionnext Sunday will be for the “Building Fund”. Please be generous.
The Ladies Sodalitywill meet on Thursday, May 1st, at 7:00 p.m.
The Golden Groupwill meet on Thursday, May 1st at 11:30 a.m. for a covered dish lunch. We will also complete the details for the May 22nd Delta Wildlife Eco Tour Excursion. This excursion is open to anyone in the parish that would like to join us. We will tour the facilities at 5 Rivers and then take a boat tour of the Delta. It is suggested that you bring your binoculars and camera. Afterwards the Golden Group will provide a picnic lunch at the 5 Rivers Facility overlooking the delta. It must be confirmed by May 10ththat you are going. Contact Lynda Jones at 865-6290 or email at .
Knights of Columbus Council 15490will hold an officers meeting on Monday, May 5th, at 6:30 p.m.
The VacationBibleSchoolwill be held the week of June 23 thru the 27th. Please keep your children free for these days. More details will come later.
Rice Bowls:Please return themby Sunday, April 27th so that we can get a total and submit the money to Catholic Relief Services.
Birthdays of this Week: April 26th; Kenneth Burns, Deacon Billy Graham, Cameron Schilling: 27th; Jackie Clark, Gennie Garret: 28th; Martha Delmas: 29th; Deborah Sema: 30th; Kyle McBride: May 1st; Dr. Reggie Stewart. NoKnown WeddingAnniversariesthis week.
Mass Intentions of this week: April 26th- May 2nd.
Sat. the 26th: ------For the eternal repose of the soul of Barbara Werneath
Sun. the 27th: ------For the Parish Community
Mon the 28th: ------For the eternal repose of the souls of the deceased relatives/friends of Werner
& Carolyn Bidlingmaier
Tue the 29th: ------For the eternal repose of the souls of deceased relatives of Doris Sema
Wed the 30th ------For the eternal repose of the soul of Sue Kirchoff by the Kirchoff family
May 1st & 2nd ------For the eternal repose of the souls of deceased relatives of Doris Sema
Grand Bay St. John’s homilies in Vatican Radio: The official website of the Vatican Radio has started uploading a 3-page summary version of Fr. Tony’s Sunday homilies and broadcasting its 9 minutes summary version throughout the English speaking world. It is a great and unique honor given to our parish. Our special thanks to Pope Francis and the Vatican radio officials.Click on the link:
The65thAnnual Blessing of the Fleetwill be heldat St. Margaret's Parish inBayou La Batre on Saturday May 3 and Sun May 4. The weekend event will include a Gumbo Cook-off, Arts & Crafts, Prize Bingo, BayouBoat Cruises, Land & WaterParades, and many new kid’s activities.Delicious food will includeGulf seafood, Vietnamese food, and more. For infoonenteringtheCook-Off, or about otherevents, visit fleetblessing.org orcall 251-824-2415
St. Vincent de Paul Parish Spring Festivalis rescheduled to May 18th due to inclement weather last Sunday, April 6th. Please make plans to attend if possible support our school.
The Intercessors for Priestsin the Heart of St. Joseph is a new Confraternity that seeks to support all priests by praying for them through the powerful intercession of St. Joseph, the spiritual father of all priests. Prayer leaflets are available on the glass table. For more information, visit: or write for more information: Intercessors for Priests, 1621 Boykin Blvd., Mobile, Alabama, 36605.
Our Food Bank is really running low on food. The Knights of Columbus is sponsoring a year round food drive to help feed those in need. Catholic Charities requests your generous food contributions. Besides, Fr Tony always has request from people in need for food. We request everyone to bring in food items that can be turned into a meal for up to 4 people. If you prefer to give money you can just leave it in an envelope in the collection basket with “K of C” written on it and we will know that it is to stock the food bank. We have the holidays coming up and we need to build up the stock so that we can help those in need.
Items for Soldier’s Needs: Please don’t forget to bring items for soldiers’ needs: Shaving cream, disposable razors, solid deodorant, bars of soap/body wash, anti-bacteria cleaner, shampoo, tooth paste, dental floss, personal handy-wipes, personal hygiene items for women, foot powder, insect repellent, flea collars (they put them around their ankles), chopstick, athlete’s foot powder/spray, sun block lotion, sun shades, protective safety dust masks, socks, sweat headbands, batteries (AAA, AA, C), DVD movies, cards, writing tablets, paper, pens, envelopes, reading materials, snacks: cookies, gum, crest, life-savers, mints, pudding, crackers, sardines, chicken, tuna, salmon, jerky, peppermints, kool-aid, gatorade, tea/coffee. Put items in the designated box in the Parish Hall.
Help us keep flowers at the altar
The slotted wooden box on the glass table in the Parish Hall will receive donations for flowers. If you wish to give flowers for a specific remembrance or thanksgiving there is a sign-up flower chart on the wall to the left of the front doors.
New CDs
There are new CDs in the CD stack. Each CD costs $ 3. You can have 9 CDs for $ 25. CD on the revised Mass is now available.
Regular $2,188.00 / Easter Collection $1,192.00 / Good Friday (Holy Land) $184.00
Volunteers
Altar Care- MAY
Mickey Poirier & Maria Switzer
Church Cleaning: MAY 3, 4
Mickey Poirier & Maria Switzer
Sunday –May 3, 5 p.m.
Altar Server (Green) EMHC Lector Usher / Greeter
Daryl Kirchoff, Kayla Graham Wesey Dixon Steve Sema, Jr Steve Cauley, Kevin Cauley
& Sam Clark Billy Dixon Jay Graham Frank Church, Wayne Jackson
Sunday –May 4, 10 a.m.
Christina Kirchoff, Caitlyn John McBride Mark Voss John & Matthew Vancleave
Kirchoff & Lyman Ramsay Matt Johnson Reggie Stewart Tom Thornton, Ron Cauley
If you are scheduled to serve at Mass and find that you cannot serve, it is NECESSARY that you arrange for a substitute.Please take your responsibility seriously. If you are interested in serving as an Altar Server, Eucharistic Minister, Lector or as an Usher, please let Fr. Tony or the Office know of your willingness to serve. We especially need Usher/Greeters for the Saturday Mass.
Remember the sick in your Prayers
Jean Mitchell, Evelyn Robison, Veronica Stewart, Cody Driskell,Jack Forbes, James Cauley, Betty Cauley, Kenny Kirchoff, Ronnie Cauley, Jim Kimble, Mary Rambo, Voncille Hulcher,Varetta Tulos, Addie Thompson, Deacon Rich Howell, Maura Young Weiss, Tiffany Fontenot, Rudy Rel, Fr. Joseph Bolling (St. Mathews parish), Fr. Joe Bolling (S.H. Residence), Jacobs, Tammy Asch, Deacon Doug McEnery, Deacon John, Alice Bedwell, Joel Rivera, Terry Roberts, Susan Taylor, Wayne Seumur, Francis Norris, , Bernie Nelson, Miss Pink Pridgen, Kim Pridgen, Clyde Shores, Glen Haab, Isabel Rel, Haley Holder, Lakeshia Johnson, Gary Sherman, Reverend Manuel Williams, Elizabeth Schmidt, John Atchison, Robert Headley, Ida Clark, Johnny Hill, Jared Hoken, Diana Abrams, Jimmy Murphy, Joe Ecker, Katie, Haley, Msgr. Joseph Jennings, Bea Muth, Hinleigh Hall, Ryan Keith Malone, Father Frank Sofie, Linda Graham, Dave Matern, Virginia Gable, Joseph Gable, Andrew Taylor, Doris Wilson, Glenda Poiroux, Ronald Norris, Diane Watts, Joyce Myrick, Daniel Dorriety, Paula Weatherly, Harrand Broussard, Lin Le Cho, Ginse, Maria, Phansico, Isave, Lincy, Katie Nielsen, Richard Arnold, Louis Poiroux, Homer Campbell, Jimmy Marchand, Daniel Lee Pridgen, Arlene Wissman, Becky Thompson, Sally Thompson, Peggie Huber, Dale Thompson, Jane Thompson, Andy Thompson, Callie Massey, Angela Heardon, Rita George, Edgar Broussard, Lillian Broussard, Robert Broussard, Jerry Blair, Michael Stairs, Amanda Illingsworth, Ray Bribsey, Dorothy Barnes, , Ellisworth Alford, O. T. Ellet, Jared Horn and for all those serving in the Armed Forces.
Pray for the Deceased dear ones of the Parish: Barbara Werneath,Lynn Poriere, Philip Marchand, Dolores Miller, Sue Kirchoff, Mary Sanders, Margaret Jackson, Darlene Alexander, Lewis Wright Carroll, Catherine Schnadelback, Mary Marchand, Steve Sema, Rick Marchand and Ciss Marchand. & Rev. Msgr. Cusack former Vicar for priests and Rev. Msgr. Robert Fulton.
Pray for the special intentionsof other sick and deceased relatives and friends.
Pray for our former parishioners who are now serving in the Armed ForcesTravis Wilson, SPC Jackson Triston, Jr., and Captain Will Hurd.
Sunday Homilies: Feed Your Soul
Video homily by Fr. Bill Grimm:
Fr. De Mello talk:
EasterII Sunday [A] (April 27):Acts 2: 42- 47, I Peter 1: 3-9, John 20: 19-3
See the Vatican radio version of Fr. Tony’s homily:
Iranian mother saves son's killer from hanging, with a slap of mercy and forgiveness:
Synopsis of Easter II Sunday (April 20) Homily on John 20: 19-31
Introduction: The readingsfor this Sunday are about God’s mercy, the necessity for trusting Faith and the need for the forgiveness of sins.
Scripture lessons: God revealed His mercy first and foremost by sending His only-begotten Son to become our Savior and Lord by his suffering, death and Resurrection. Divine Mercy is given to us also in each celebration of the Sacraments.The opening prayer addresses the Father as "God of everlasting Mercy." In the responsorial psalm we repeat several times, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endures forever” (Ps 118). The first reading (Acts 2: 42-47), tells us how the early Church grew every day because of the acts of mercy and sharing, sacrificial, agápe love practiced by the early Christians. In the second reading (1 Peter 1: 3-9), St. Peter glorifies God the Father of Jesus Christ for showing us His mercy by granting to His Son, Jesus, Resurrection from the dead and glorious Ascension into Heaven.Today’s Gospel vividly reminds us of how Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Reconciliation, a sacrament of Divine Mercy. The Risen Lord gave his Apostles the power to forgive sins with the words, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained" (Jn 20: 19-23).For centuries in the liturgy, the Church has proclaimed the mercy of God through the Word of God and the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. Presenting "doubting" Thomas’ famous profession of faith, “My Lord and my God,” the Gospel illustrates how Jesus showed his mercy to the doubting Apostle and emphasizes the importance of Faith.
Life messages: 1) Let us accept God's invitation to celebrate and practice mercy. One way the Church celebrates God’s mercy throughout the year is through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Finding time for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is another good way to receive and give thanks for Divine Mercy. It is mainly through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy that we practice mercy in our daily lives and become eligible for God’s merciful judgment.
2) Let us ask God for the Faith that culminates in self-surrender to God and leads us to serve those we encounter with love. Living faith enables us to see the risen Lord in everyone and gives us the willingness to render toeach one our loving service. The spiritual Fathers prescribe the following traditional means to grow in the living and dynamic faith of St. Thomas the Apostle: a) First, we must come to know Jesus personally and intimately by our daily and meditative reading of the Bible. b) Next, we must strengthen our faith through our personal and community prayer. c) Third, we must share in the Divine life of Jesus by frequenting the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist. Bl. Mother Teresa presents it this way: “If we pray, we will believe; if we believe, we will love; if we love, we will serve. Only then we put our love of God into action.”
I have a question!
Why we do observe Easter II Sunday as “Divine Mercy Sunday”?1) Jesus demonstrated the divine mercy of God his Heavenly Father by his preaching and healing ministry. 2) He instructed his apostles and followers to love others as he loved by sharing mercy, compassion and sacrificial love. 3) Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Reconciliation as the sacrament expressing God’s mercy for repentant sinners by offering them pardon and forgiveness. 4) For centuries in liturgy the Church has proclaimed the mercy of God through the Word of God and the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. 5)The main inspiration behind the Divine Mercy devotion are the messages received by St. Faustina during her mystical visions. On the Second Sunday of Easter of the Jubilee Year 2000, at the Mass for the canonization of the Polish nun St. Faustina Kowalska, Pope John Paul II proclaimed to the world that “from now on throughout the Church this Sunday will be called Divine Mercy Sunday.” Besides, In his 1980 encyclical on God’s mercy, Rich in Mercy, he developed a scriptural and doctrinal basis for our faith in the mercy of God. 6) The DivineMercy Sunday is meant to strengthen our people’s trust in God’s mercy. 7) The Divine Mercy devotion fosters the virtue of trust in God’s mercy that finds its fulfillment in the liturgy of Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist.
Visit our website: http://stjohngrandbay.org/ for:
Sunday Homilies, 133 - Questions & Answers and
56 - Faith Formation Lessons
All are welcome with open hearts, open minds and open doors.
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Grand Bay celebrates God’s presence,grows in God’s grace,welcomes all people andreachesout with God’s love.We try to be to be a vibrant community of faithwhere all people feel they belong.No matter what your present status in the Catholic Church, No matter what your current family or marital situation, No matter what your past or present religious situation, No matter your personal history, age, background, race, etc., No matter what your own self-image or esteem, you are invited, welcomed, accepted, loved and respected at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Grand Bay!
We come together as a parish family to draw our life from the Eucharist and other sacraments.
As believers we participate fully, consciously and actively in the liturgy of the Church and seek to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ in word and action.
We commit ourselves to worship, education, stewardship and service as we extend our hand to others in need and to those who wish to join the church.
By the grace of God, after the example of Jesus Christ, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we dedicate ourselves to accomplish our mission within and beyond our community.
Photos of the great pastors who guided the destiny of our parish
Please visit St. John the Baptist Catholic parish website:
the full text of the
Sunday homily, Sunday bulletin, 56 Adult Faith Formation Lessons and Question of the Week (1-135).