If you have eliminated your home phone number and replaced it with your cell phone number we need to know! Please send Diana Voiles an email at dvoiles@saintjoan.org and let her know what your new phone number is. If you have moved, please let us know what your new address is too!

January 6, 2012

WASHINGTON—Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, vice-president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), congratulated Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York, 61, and Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien of Baltimore, 72, on being named cardinals by Pope Benedict XVI, January 6. They will be officially elevated to the College of Cardinals, February 18, in Rome.

“This is an honor for these outstanding church leaders as well as an honor for the Church in the United States,” Archbishop Kurtz of Louisville said.“As men of prayer, wisdom and dedication, they will bring many talents and graces to their new roles as advisors to the Holy Father.” Archbishop Kurtz noted their generous service beyond their respective archdioceses. “The entire USCCB has benefitted from their many abilities,” he said. “As president of the USCCB and as former president of Catholic Relief Services, Cardinal-designate Dolan has brought both energy and grace to international and domestic matters.” He noted Cardinal-designate O’Brien’s unique contributions as well. “Cardinal-designate O’Brien’s experience with the military has made him a valuable consultant on USCCB justice and peace efforts,” he said. “His seminary background has proven especially insightful in development of our priestly formation programs.” (more…)

For our Winter Family Initiative we will be showing and discussing Father Robert Barron’s,  THE CATHOLICISM PROJECT, a 10 part film series.  However, we will initially show only 6 parts but then at a later date show the remaining 4. These will be the times that we will be offering this opportunity:

Family Initiative – Wednesday evenings 6:30 – 8:00 pm
K4J and babysitting available - January 11, 18, 25 and February 1, 8, 15

Sunday mornings from 10:30 - 11:45 am
January 8, 15, 22, 29 and February 5, 12

It will also be offered on Thursday nights at St. Patrick on these days.
Thursday nights from 7:00 – 8:30 pm
January 12, 19, 26 and February 2,9,16

This is a free event, but you must register to attend! Registration forms are at Fr. Ted’s corner.

Check out this trailer to get a preview of THE CATHOLICISM PROJECT.

 We are asking you to please spiritually adopt a baby or several babies during 2012. Everything you need is available in the Kiosk to spiritually adopt a baby. What a great way to honor and celebrate the Feast of The Holy Family, December 30th.                

 How does it work?

• When spiritually adopting a baby you have the opportunity to pledge a daily prayer for nine months for a baby who is in danger of abortion. This special prayer is found on prayer cards that will be available.  Each month you – the ‘spiritual parent’ is given information about their baby’s development in the womb. 
• While the identity of this child will remain unknown to his or her ‘spiritual parent’, God knows who the child is. Many people have found that naming ‘their baby’ helps to keep them focused on the reality that their prayers are helping to save a particular baby from the harm of abortion.
• At the end of nine months, when the baby is born, we will have a “birth”day party. This will be an opportunity to bring baby gifts that will be donated to Birthright. We will also have birthday cake!  

VATICAN CITY, 20 DEC 2011 (VIS) – The Holy Father yesterday signed decrees acknowledging miracles attributed to the intervention of seven blesseds (four women and three men) who will shortly be canonised. One of the new blesseds is Kateri Tekakwitha, the first native North American to be raised to the glory of the altars.

 Kateri Tekakwitha was born in 1656 in Ossernenon (present-day Auriesville, U.S.A.). Her father was a Mohawk chief and her mother a Roman Catholic Algonquian who had been educated by French missionaries. At the age of four she lost her family in a smallpox epidemic which also left her disfigured and with poor eyesight. Adopted by a relative, the chief of neighbouring clan, she continued to nurture an interest in Christianity and was baptised at the age of 20.

 The members of her tribe did not understand her new religious affiliation and she was marginalised, practising physical mortification as a path of sanctity and praying for the conversion of her relatives. Having suffered persecutions which put her life at risk, she was forced to flee to a native American Christian community in Kahnawake, Quebec where she made a vow of chastity and lived a life dedicated to prayer, penance, and care for the sick and elderly. She died in 1680 at the age of 24. Her last words were: “Jesus, I love you”.  According to tradition, Kateri’s scars disappeared after her death to reveal a woman of great beauty, and numerous sick people who participated in her funeral were miraculously healed.

 The process of canonisation began in 1884. She was declared venerable by Pius XII in 1943 and beatified by John Paul II in 1980. As the first native North American to be beatified she occupies a special place in the devotion of her people. Her feast day falls on 14 July. OP/  VIS 20111220 (320)

Year of the Eucharist will begin January 1.

In preparation for the Year of Faith proclaimed by Pope Benedict, we as a parish family will be celebrating a year dedicated to devotion of the Eucharist. This year’s theme requires little or no reading; rather, the goal is to give you resources to develop your own Eucharistic life and that of your family. As we have done previously for the Year of the Bible and the Year of the Catechism, there will be sign-ups at all the church entrances for those who would like to receive the weekly updates.  You can also sign up by e-mailing Chad Grube at cgrube@saintjoan.org. 

Some of the activities for this next year will include:

•  Eucharistic heroes highlighted in each Voices.
• Weekly updates will include a short writing from a pope or saint about Eucharistic life  as well as age appropriate suggestions of how to that you can increase your devotion to the Eucharist indvidually and as a family.
• Quarterly Mornings of Reflection that will include presentations for adults and children followed by an hour of adoration together.
• Several Donuts & Doctrine presentations will focus on Eucharistic themes.
• Many other activities as all the catechetical leaders of the parish look to implement this year’s theme in their specific areas

Benedict XVI met with thousands of faithful in the Paul VI Audience Hall for his last general audience before Christmas. The pope spoke about the meaning of Christmas as well as the importance of being close to Christ throughout the entire year.

Catholics Come Home has announced a major prime time evangelization initiative set to air on American TV networks beginning in mid-Advent and ending after Christmas. The initiative’s advertising campaign aims to reach 250 million television viewers in over 10,000 U.S. cities and in every U.S. diocese. “These inspiring messages are sponsored by 30,000 Catholic families who want to invite neighbors, relatives, and co-workers to the largest family reunion in modern history,” said Catholics Come Home founder Tom Peterson. The ad used in the campaign notes the beauty and history of the Catholic Church. It mentions Catholics’ traditions of prayer, help for the poor, and work in education. “Guided by the Holy Spirit, we compiled the Bible,” it says, stating that the Church was “started by Jesus.” “If you’ve been away, come home to your parish, and visit CatholicsComeHome.org today,” the ad says.

Catholics Come Home says the ad is scheduled to air over 400 times from Dec. 16 through Jan. 8. Read entire article at: Catholic News Agency