St. Joan of Arc Parish is looking for a Director of Stewardship.   This position would be responsible for forming stewards in the image of Jesus Christ and managing and coordinating the overall stewardship activities for the parish and its ministries.   For more information on this position, please call Jan at 765-865-9964 in the parish office.  Applications are available in the parish office and here.

January 20, 2012

WASHINGTON—Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), sharply criticized the decision by the Obama administration in which it “ordered almost every employer and insurer in the country to provide sterilization and contraceptives, including some abortion-inducing drugs, in their health plans.”

Archbishop Timothy Dolan on HHS Conscience Regulation from Rocco Palmo on Vimeo.

“Never before has the federal government forced individuals and organizations to go out into the marketplace and buy a product that violates their conscience. This shouldn’t happen in a land where free exercise of religion ranks first in the Bill of Rights,” Cardinal-designate Dolan said.

On January 20, Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the Health and Human Services, announced that non-profit employers will have one year to comply with the new rule. Cardinal-designate Dolan urged Catholics and the public at large to speak out in protest. “Let your elected leaders know that you want religious liberty and rights of conscience restored and that you want the administration’s contraceptive mandate rescinded,” he said.

St. Patrick Parish is seeking applicants for the position of Director of Music.  Applicants should possess a significant musical background and formal training in choral directing and have the ability to efficiently facilitate multiple levels of liturgical music needs.  Personal interview and live audition required. For more information, please contact Shelly Reida at (765-452-6021).  Applications are available in the parish office and can be faxed or mailed.

♥   Valentine Dinner and Dance in celebration of World Marriage Day  ♥

At St. Joan of Arc we will have a Valentine Dinner and Dance in celebration of World Marriage Day on Saturday, February 11. We will begin with a special blessing for married couples at the 4:30 pm Mass on Saturday, February 11. After Mass, in the Blessed John Paul II room, we will have a catered dinner by Rozzi’s and dancing from 6:00 - 10:00 pm. Seating will be limited and reservations are required. Tickets are $40 per couple. The Sts. Joan of Arc and Patrick School 8th graders and their parents will offer free-will babysitting for the evening, but you need to reserve your spot. You can stop in the kiosk and make your reservation after Mass on the weekends of January 28/29 and February 4/5 or click here and print out a  reservation form or stop by Fr. Ted’s corner for a copy.

The Catholicism Project is creating an exciting buzz around St. Joan of Arc! Our parishioners who are attending are very excited about what they have learned about their Catholic faith and all of the beautiful places that Fr. Barron takes us to! It is not too late to join us. In fact we are extending The Catholicism Project so that we can show all 10 sessions of the series. Below are the remaining dates at St. Joan of Arc. Please keep in mind that we had to work around Ash Wednesday and our parish mission so we cannot show the sessions in 10 consecutive weeks, however, we will be done before Holy Week and we will keep the Sunday and Wednesday sessions on the same schedule to allow for flexibility for which class you can attend. The K4J class on Wednesday night will end at the 6 week mark (February 15) , however, we will offer babysitting for those who need it on Wednesday nights. Starting on week seven St. Patrick and St. Joan of Arc will be on a different session schedule. If you are not currently enrolled and want to join us just call the parish office or send me an email at jmarrah@saintjoan.org . Click here to see the Table of Contents for each of the 10 DVD lessons.

Dates of remaining sessions:
Sunday(10:30 – 11:45 am)- January 22, 29, February 5, 12, 19 and March 11, 18, 25
Wednesday (6:30 – 8:00 pm)– January 25, February 1, 8, 15 and March 7, 14, 21, 28

DIFFICULTIES AND HOPES OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN AMERICA

VATICAN CITY, 19 JAN 2012 (VIS) – Today in the Vatican Benedict XVI received a group of prelates from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops [Regions 4 (Washington DC, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Virgin Islands, and West Virginia) and 6 (Ohio and Michigan)], at the end of their “ad limina” visit. Extracts from his English-language remarks to them are given below.

“At the heart of every culture, whether perceived or not, is a consensus about the nature of reality and the moral good, and thus about the conditions for human flourishing. In America, that consensus, as enshrined in your nation’s founding documents, was grounded in a worldview shaped not only by faith but a commitment to certain ethical principles deriving from nature and nature’s God. Today that consensus has eroded significantly in the face of powerful new cultural currents which are not only directly opposed to core moral teachings of the Judeo-Christian tradition, but increasingly hostile to Christianity as such.

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Have you considered giving online? Online giving is easy, it’s convenient, and it’s safe and a great way to start the New Year.  Click here to go directly to the registration form to start online giving today! We encourage you to give monthly online. For those who don’t like to see the basket pass them by without putting something in it, we provide slips for you to place in the basket weekly or monthly that says you are an online giver. If you are interested in receiving these please call the parish office, 865-9964.