St. John Baptist de la salle
April 4
TH2021
www.stjohnsfamilyoffaith.com easter SUNDAY
MONDAY, April 5 – Monday within the Octave
of Easter
8:00 a.m. NO MASS TODAY
TUESDAY, April 6 – Tuesday within the Octave
of Easter
7:00 p.m. Deacon Cy Simchick
WEDNESDAY, April 7 – Wednesday within the
Octave or Easter 8:00 a.m. Jim Domin
THURSDAY, April 8 – Thursday within the Octave
of Easter
7:00 p.m. The Volpiccini Family
FRIDAY, April 9 – Friday within the Octave of
Easter 8:00 a.m. John Feeney
SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER SATURDAY, APRIL 10
4:00 p.m. Jack & Claire Causa
SUNDAY, APRIL 11
8:30 a.m. Catherine Hofmann 10:30 a.m. People of the Parish
Please direct all bulletin and website inquiries to the Parish Communications Coordinator, Sarah Capato at 610.850.4978 or [email protected].
Bulletin submissions are due Thursday, ten days prior to the Sunday of publication.
SATURDAY, APRIL 10 – 4:00PM
Lector: Maria Biancone
EM: Cliff Brahmstadt, Kathy Burke, Mary Ellen Symanski, Bernadette Yohn
SUNDAY, APRIL 11 – 8:30AM
Lector: Tony Farina
EM: Billie & Mike Resch, Britt & Brian Kobularcik
SUNDAY, APRIL 11 – 10:30AM
Lector: Trevor Schonen
EM: Susan Artz, Betty Wells, Mary Beth Kakos, Cindy Trygar
Sanctuary Candle for the week of April 4-10
in loving memory of Deacon Cy Simchick (requested by his goddaughter, Lily Yohn)
Weekly stewardship
SUNDAY: 3/28 $7,379.46
Mass intentions for the week
Upcoming liturgical ministers
Away from home? Find a mass wherever you are
by visiting www.masstimes.org
First Reading: Acts 10:34a, 37-43
Peter discusses Jesus’ life of preaching and healing. Jesus was crucified, then he rose up and was seen by his chosen witnesses. Peter also mentions the importance of all the disciples bearing witness to what they saw, so that many people would believe in Jesus, and have their sins forgiven through him.
Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-4
Paul asserts that we must pay attention to higher realms rather than earthly concerns. Our life is not yet
completely known to us, until Christ appears and we are raised to glory in him.
Gospel: John 20:1-9
When Mary Magdalene discovered Jesus’ tomb was open, she told Simon Peter and another disciple. They ran to the tomb and Peter went inside. He found the burial wrappings on the ground, with the head covering separate from the rest. The other disciple came in and they believed what they saw, although until then they had not understood the Scripture’s message of Jesus’
resurrection.
Todays readings
Catholic Bishop Abuse Reporting Service
If you have an allegation of abuse against a bishop, please con-tact the Catholic Bishop Abuse Reporting Service at
www.ReportBishopAbuse.org or by calling 800.276.1562.
DIOCESAN OFFICE OF SAFE ENVIRONMENT Pamela J. Russo, M.S.W, M.S. Secretary, Youth Protection and Catholic Human Services P.O. Box F, Allentown, PA 18105-1538 610.871.5200 ext. 2204 or [email protected]
VICTIM ASSISTANCE COORDINATOR Mrs. Wendy S. Krisak Kalamar
DIRECT LINE: 1.800.791.9209
Parish Safe Environment Coordinator: Bernadette Yohn 610.777.1697 or [email protected]
Fall Sports
The Allentown Diocese has determined that we may pro-ceed with Fall Sports in a limited capacity. Due to the tim-ing of the decision, Golf is not feasible at this time. Volley-ball has been moved to the Spring in hopes to be able to accommodate indoor activities at higher numbers allowed at indoor events. Cross Country is moving for-ward with a condensed Fall Season which due to capacity restrictions, will be consolidated to 5th-8th grade boys and girls this year. Practices can begin as soon as we can get students registered and waiver forms filled out with hopes of at least 1 meet in late October. Cross Country practices are being planned for Wednesday evenings, Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons at St. Benedicts Picnic Grove pending availability. Due to a change in the Medical release form, registration will have to be done on paper. Forms will be available at the Spaghetti dinner as well as on the Lasalle website and our CYO website www.lasallecyo.com. We may be in need of some adult assistance with practices/meets if you have all your clear-ances. You can let us know if you are interested by email-ing us at [email protected]. We hope you and your fami-lies are doing well and staying safe and look forward to a successful Cross-Country season. God Bless
and #GO BEARS!
BERKS CATHOLIC YOUTH FOOTBALL AND CHEER-LEADING- 2021 Season Registration is
now open- This year you can register online by going to HTTPS://GO.TEAMSNAP.COM/FORMS/258246. This program is open to girls and boys enrolled in Berks County Parochial Schools. Some age and grade restrictions do apply. FOR MORE ON ELIGIBILITY AND COST: Go to WWW.LEAGUELINEUP.COM/BCYFAC You can also follow us on Facebook by going to: Berks Cath-olic Youth Football and Cheer-2020 and Beyond For any other questions contact: Danielle Fowler 610.374.1695 or email
Holy Guardian Angels Outdoor Spring Craft Fair
We invite you to our Spring Craft Fair, featuring a variety of vendors, a 20+ gift basket auction, raffles for a 2’ x 3’ Alpaca throw rug and a beautiful, one-of-a-kind, hand-made bed quilt. Saturday, April 24, in the parking lot, 3125 Kutztown Road, Reading, PA 19605 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (Rain Date May 1)(Cost of tickets for the quilt raffle is $10/1 ticket or 3 tickets/$20 Quilt raffle tickets can be purchased now at the HGA rectory or online through the HGA Facebook page, and will also be availa-ble the day of the fair until 12:45 p.m. Winning tickets for all raffles will be drawn at the craft fair beginning @ 1:00 p.m.) Safety protocols – masks and social
Natural Family Planning
If you are interested in more information to avoid or achieve pregnancy naturally, please contact Elisabeth Laskowski, a Certified Creighton Model Fertility Care Instructor. Register for a phone consult or Introductory Session at www.fcsbc.setmore.com
You are invited to Honor the Divine Mercy
Saturday April 10th 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. and Sunday
April 11th 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Each day will begin with
1 hour for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Each day will also include Divine Mercy Devotions, Eucharistic Adoration, Conferences and Holy Mass. This year we will be blest to welcome Father Stephen Hayes, Dominican, Province of Zanesville, Ohio. To register contact: Sister Joan Noreen: Our Lady’s Missionaries of the Eucharist, 640 E. Main St., Birdsboro, PA 19508 [email protected] -
610.582.3333- www.olme.org - All are Welcome! Bring a Friend!
SouperBowl of Caring Thank you
Dear St. John Parish Members,
Thank you for your very generous SouperBowl of Caring gift of $1,100 to the Mifflin Community Food Ministry in February. We appreciate your faithful support of this ministry. This month we will be mak-ing available to the clients all the mak-ingredients to pre-pare an April Easter in addition to the regular food items and paper products. The Miffllin Community Food Ministry is not affiliated with Helping Harvest, therefore, we are especially grateful for any gift. We use all gifts of time, money, food, paper products, and other types of donations to serve God and the families in need in our area through this ministry. The Food Ministry is open the third Saturday of eve-ry month at Zion EC Church, 57 N. Church St. Mohnton from 9-11 am.
Janet Reese, Secretary
Be Fearless, Be Joyful, Be Renewed: Living the Spirit of Easter
The Easter season—beginning on Easter Sunday and continuing for 50 days—is an opportunity for us to cultivate a spirit that defines who we are as Christians. So what does living the spirit of the Easter season mean in practical terms? Here are three concrete suggestions.
Live with Joy
Joy is a deep-down gladness that cannot be taken away, even in the midst of sorrow. The Passion and Res-urrection of Jesus teach us that suffering is transformed through faith in the Risen Christ. With this faith, we are able to hold on to an enduring sense of joy even in the midst of the sadness we experience from the loss of a loved one, a failure to achieve an important goal, or a setback during recovery from an illness.
Live without Fear
The Resurrection teaches us that God can overcome anything, even death. When the Risen Christ appears to the women at the tomb and later to his disciples, his first words are “Do not be afraid!” (Mt 28:5,10) These words speak to our hearts, helping us cope with the fear from the loss of a job, a serious illness, or a crumbling relationship. Our faith allows us to trust that God can overcome our most serious problems.
Live with New Eyes
Easter means to live with a sense of newness. Just as the return of spring lifts our spirits and makes us feel like the whole world is new, the Resurrection of Jesus makes “all things new.” (Rev. 21:5) The Easter spirit is a spirit of renewal that enables us to show up at work with a positive attitude, to renew relationships that have been taken for granted, and to express appreciation and affection to those closest to us. It means to see the world through new eyes—God's eyes.
We can use these 50 days to cultivate an Easter spirit that enables us to be truly Christian: embracing joy, living without fear, and seeing the world again—as if for the first time.
APRIL NOVENA
April 7th is the feast day of the patron saint for our parish. St John Baptist de La Salle dedicated his life to the education of youth. He founded the Christian Brothers who opened many schools in France. Our
cur-rent day teachers need prayers and support as they spend countless hours educating our youth and young adults to become good
followers of Christ. All of us at one time or another have taught others whether it be our own children, grand children or associates as we should never stop sharing our faith knowledge with others. This novena
is dedicated to all who teach and will begin on April 7th. Opening prayer
Heavenly Father, you chose St John Baptist de la Salle to give young people a Christian education. Give your church teachers who will devote themselves to helping your children grow as
Christian men and women.
Say the rosary of the day. Closing prayer
Lord God, your spirit of wisdom fills the earth and teaches us your ways. Please look upon all teachers and let them strive to
share their knowledge with gentle patience. Guide them to share the values of our Christian faith to eager minds. Grant
that they may follow Jesus the greatest teacher as He is the way, the truth and the life. Amen
St John Baptist de la Salle
Feast day April 7
In 17th-century France, education was reserved for those who were rich, and only by special providence did John Baptist de La Salle become interested in schools for boys who were poor. Born into a powerful, wealthy family, John’s background and early training for the priesthood prepared him for high offices in the Church. By chance, John met Adrien Nyel, who was establishing some charitable schools for boys in need. John disliked the rough behavior of those who were poor and the smells and sights of the slums, but he sympathized with their poverty. John helped open a school for boys in need. He secured five teachers and rented a building. As John checked on his school, he witnessed shocking conditions. John decided he had to bring order to the school. He planned to upgrade the standards of the teachers and train them to be religious educators. His teachers quit. But soon men of better quality took their places and thrived under John’s training. John began to see that he must identify with his teachers, so he gave away his fortune and dedicated himself to education.
John founded the Brothers of Christian Schools to educate those who were poor. “The more religious a school is, the more successful it is,” was John’s philosophy. His boys attended daily Mass, were taught the catechism and prayers, and had religion integrated into other subjects. John motivated the students to prepare for a career and to live their lives by Christian principles. His schools attracted boys from fee-paying schools. Jealous instructors tried to bring lawsuits to ruin his work, but his efforts were praised by the people. John opened boarding schools for boys in need and gave them courses in practical skills. He founded schools for troubled children from wealthy families so that the young boys would not be sent to prison. John died on Good Friday in 1719. He is the patron of teachers.
