Fr. Alexander Albert - Pastor
Susan Derouen - Secretary
Patti Bonin - Religious Education
Office Hours*
Mon, Tues, Thurs: 8:00 am-Noon
Wed: 8:00 am-Noon, 1:00-5:00 pm
*Fr. Albert takes appointments outside
office hours. Please call to schedule.
1510 Church St.
Jeanerette, LA 70544
Phone: 337-276-4576
Press 1 for emergencies
Fax: 337-276-5804
stjohnev@stjohnjeanerette.org
www.stjohnjeanerette.org
@stjohnjtown
Weekend Masses
Saturday: 3:00 pm Confessions
4:00 pm Mass
Sunday: 8:00 & 10:00 am
Weekday Masses*
Tuesday 6:00 pm
Wednesday 12:05 pm
Thursday 6:00 pm
Friday 12:05 pm
Saturday after 1st Friday 8:30 am
Intentions
Tue, Jan. 12 6:00 pm
Leatrice Marquette
Wed, Jan. 13 12:05 pm
JoAnn LeJeune (Her
3rd anniversary);
Michael St. Germain
Thu, Jan. 14 6:00 pm
Mary Fay Freshley
Fri, Jan. 15 12:05 pm
Sat, Jan 16 8:30 am
No Mass
Sat, Jan 16 4:00 pm
W J Fremin
Also remembered in prayer: Junius/Lauriel Legnon;
Jerome Migues; Diane/Karey Landry, Dean Derouen,
Angeline “Jo” Simoneaux; M/M Bourque, Daniel Bourque,
Curless Tabb, Nelson Guillotte, Richard/Laura Verret,
Myrtle L Prince; Walter, Jr/Walter, Sr/Lena Fitch;
Steven Blanchard; Marie/Ted/M/M T J/Cleveland
Moore, M/M Ulysse/ L J/Neta Landry, M/M Eno
Maturin, Peter Bouton, Julius Bourque; Gerard Eldridge;
Beryl Bonin, Claire B Myers, Bonin Family; Lois “Puggy”
Comeaux (Death anniversary on Jan 18); Mary Fay
Freshley; Terry/Ted Guillotte; Yvette Martine Bodin;
Rolando V/Blanca/Roe Bastanzuri
Sunday, Jan 17 8:00 am
Dolly/T-Paul/
Charlotte/Kerry/M/M Arnold Landry
Also remembered in prayer: Marvin “Ga”/Perry Hebert,
M/M Arthur Hebert, M/M Whitney Hebert; Mark/
Neuville/Keith Sonnier; M/M Ray Louviere & Family;
Jenny Gibbons; Brent Breaux; Robera Lancon (Her 2nd
anniversary on January 20); J C/Ida Viator; Evelyn (Her
birthday)/Taylor Lancon, Joseph M Pugh , Sr;
Sun, Jan 17 10:00 am
Parishioners of St. John
the Evangelist Church
Also remembered in prayer: Eric )/(Alison)/Loretta
Mouret; Mary Alice Foco, Ava Foco Perry; Steven
Blanchard, M/M Ted/M/M T J Moore & Cleveland, M/
M Ulysse/ L J/Neta Landry, M/M Eno Maturin, Julius/
Peter; Margaret Roberts; Louella/James O’Donnell, Gail
O Theriot; Virginia Allain (Her birthday on January 18);
Gene P Broussard, Sr.
Please Pray for Our Beloved Dead
Spiritual Life & Worship
Sacraments
-
Baptisms
are celebrated once a month. Registration
and class attendance are required; please call the
parish office.
-
Weddings
, please contact us at least 7 months
before your desired date. Visit the website
www.stjohnjeanerette.org/getting-married-at-st-john
to see the process.
-
Anointing of the Sick
is given by request to those
who are “in danger of death.” This can be from age,
injury, or illness. Please don’t wait until the last
minute! Call as soon as you receive a serious diagnosis.
For emergencies, call the office and press ‘1’ when
prompted.
Sanctuary Lights: January 10
Church
: Gerard Eldridge
Chapel
: Kim Derise
Pray for our Military:
Brett Amedee, Dyllan Blanchard, Barry Clements,
Jeremy Dube, Lance Dube, Matthew Gottschalk,
Kenneth Lancon, Bernard LeBlanc, Major James S. Long,
II, Ross Mata, Andrew Meyer, Katherine Milar, Alden
Milar, Fernand Paul Muffoletto, Blake Prados, Michael
Prados, Sherel Sinitiere, II, Neil Stevens, Jr., Travis
Theriot; Jennifer Thibodeaux, Paul Thibodeaux
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
On this first weekend after the Feast of the
Epiphany, the Gospel reading reminds us of Jesus’
baptism. It gives meaning to our own baptism into
Christ Jesus. Jesus’ baptism is a reminder that he
is not only our Lord but also our Brother. He was
baptized, just as we are. He shares in our
humanity. Good stewards recognize that their
baptisms call them to conform their daily lives to
Jesus’ teachings and to live their lives as Jesus did.
Formation & Education
As Covid-19 vaccines are becoming more available, now is a good time to consider some of the controversies
around their production. First, we should make it clear what the Church says about vaccines in general. As a scientific and medical practice, it’s not the Church’s job to judge their effectiveness on a medical or scientific level. Still, the Church’s job (and mine) is to teach the truth about God and about the moral life we are called to live. Inasmuch as vaccines are meant to protect and promote health, the Church affirms that their use is a morally good thing. Where the controversy arises is in how they are made.
It is possible for a vaccine to made in a morally appropriate way. The problem, however, is that some are made using living cells derived from a human being. In the past, some doctors used a human embryo (living human being) to produce what is called a “cell line” - living tissue derived from the child. The cell line is no longer the child, but it did depend on his/her death to be made. I should make it clear that these cell lines do not cause more abortions to happen. More demand for the vaccine does not lead to more
abortions because they don’t need more to keep the cell line going. Scientifically speaking, these cell lines give doctors a way to test how human tissue reacts to certain medicines and even give them raw material to help produce medicines based on the human body’s own abilities. Sadly, some vaccines are produced by using these cell lines. Others are made in another way, but then use these cell lines to test their effectiveness. The doctors who do this are acting immorally and unethically.
The question is, what do we do? If a vaccine was made using these cell lines, can we use them? What if they were only tested after the fact? If I use these medicines, am I cooperating with an abortion? To that last question, we can say no. You can’t “cooperate” with something that already happened. The abortion is in the past, so you’re not causing it or even helping it to happen. Still, is it okay to
benefit from something evil? In our broken world, it’s actually impossible to avoid all ways of benefitting from someone else’s
suffering. It doesn’t mean we don’t try, but that we don’t expect the impossible. How many people live on land that once belonged to natives forced out or murdered by the military in the past? Do we avoid medical treatments for hypothermia and malaria because they came from research the Nazis did in concentration camps? When we know a product or benefit came from a past evil and we have an alternative, we should pick the alternative. When we want something that came from a past evil, but it’s not really necessary or important, then we should avoid it. But what if there isn’t a choice? What if refusing this benefit (like a vaccine) could cost me my life? Should I die because someone else did something wrong in the past? The Church is clear that we should prefer to die rather than commit a sin. But is it a sin to benefit from someone else’s sin in the past? Not necessarily. If our goal and intention is the good thing (health), and we firmly oppose the evil thing (abortion), and there is no viable alternative, then it is not a sin to use it.
In particular, there are three Covid vaccines already being used in the U.S: AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Pfizer. More are coming, but are not ready yet. AstraZeneca produces their vaccine using cell lines derived from an aborted child. This does not mean they inject you with a baby’s cells, only that cell lines derived from a child are part of the production process. Both Moderna and Pfizer do not use the cell lines to make their vaccines. Some labs (not run by them) did use the cell lines to test the effectiveness of these two vaccines. It’s not clear whether or not these kinds of tests will be repeated in the future. There are more vaccines on the way, some of which don’t use these cell lines in any way whatsoever, but it’s not clear when they will be available.
So, do we use the ones we have now or not? The Church is clear that no one should be forced to take them. It also tells us that, because we are not causing any more abortion, it’s not a sin to use these vaccines if there are no alternatives. We should also voice our objections to the use of cell lines and advocate for alternatives. For those at-risk and those in direct contact with at-risk people (which is most of us), we can use the vaccines available now. It’s not that good consequences outweigh the bad - that’s not how we judge right and wrong. The choice itself is good, but we know there are past evils connected to it and some negative side-effects. The choice we are making is to protect our health and the health of others. The bad side-effect is that it can look like we’re okay with a past abortion. That’s why we should voice our objections and, when possible, choose better alternatives. I would advise people to avoid AstraZeneca because of their production and because we already have better (but not perfect) alternatives. You are free to wait for alternatives which have no connection to these cell lines at all or to decline the vaccine altogether. Once they become available, we should opt for those wherever possible. Please don’t make this about politics. Reflect carefully and pray for wisdom. Pray also for a more just society that protects and honors every life. Finally, I urge you to avoid judging those who come to a different decision than you about whether or not they will take the vaccine. Taking the vaccine may not be sinful, but condemning others definitely is.
- In Christ, Fr. Albert
The Morality of Vaccines
Pastor’s Column
Community Life
Bible Study
Come Lord Jesus is a bible study
program that meets every Tuesday
night at 6:30 in the parish Hall or
Thursday Morning at 9:30 am at the
Parish Hall. Please call the office if
you’d like more information.
Free Online Faith Formation
Go to Formed.org and select “I belong to a parish or
organization.” Use our zip code to find our parish and
register for free access to lots of high-quality online faith
materials.
Join the Knights!
If you would like to join the KC’s please
call the office. There next meeting will
be held on January 13 at 6:30 pm at the
Parish Hall
Catholic Daughte
rs
If you would like to join the Catholic
Daughters, please call the office. There
next meeting will be held on January 13 at 6:30
pm at the Parish Hall.
Married Couples Retreat
Would you like to break away with your spouse
and spend quality time enriching your marriage?
The next Married Couples Retreat will be held
January 15-17, at St. Joseph’s Abbey’s Retreat
Center in Covington, La.
Visit www.Faithand Marriage.org
for more information or to register.
Dinner with Fr. Albert
Fr. Albert is listing his availability to visit with his
parishioners and get to know them better. If you
want to go to a restaurant, he will gladly pay for
himself. It is also a chance to have your home
blessed and/or have him meet family members
who might not go to Church. Please consider
inviting him to dinner (or to watch football). You
can also ask about availability on other days.
Sat, Jan 16 after 4pm Mass
Sat, Jan 30 after 4pm Mass
Continuing Precautions
We are in modified Phase II of Covid precautions.
Between the 3 regular Masses, we should have
room for everyone to attend. During this time,
attending Mass during
any day of the week
will also
count for Sunday obligation.
South Deanery “March For Life”
Please join us in praying for an end to abortion on
Friday, January 22. There will be a silent
Eucharistic procession from the Grotto on Main
St. to St. Peter’s Church beginning at 6:00 pm
followed by a Mass for Life. There will also be a 5
day Rosary congress following March and Mass.
CCD News
(Classes are 11am in Parish Hall)
Sun. Jan 10, 2021 Family Session
Wed, Jan 20, 2021 6-8pm Family Night
You can now give online!
Visit stjohnjeanerette.org/online-giving to sign
up. One-time and recurring gifts are available. You
can also choose to give to specific collections. You
can also find information on the website about
using an app to give via your smartphone.
Update on St. Joe’s
For the last few years, Head Start has leased the
school building from us, which accounted for over
10% of the income of the parish. Starting in
January, they will no longer use our building. This
will leave us with significant maintenance costs in
addition to the loss of that income. Unless
something changes, we will not be able to pay all
our bills. Our savings is not large and will not hold
us for long. I will be collaborating with the
Pastoral Council and Finance Committee to
determine the best course for our future. Please
give it some prayer and consideration and share
any ideas you may have with them or with me.
-Fr. Albert
Candles/Holy Water Bottles For Sale
Case of Candles——————32.00
Individual Candles—————3.00
Holy Water Bottles—————1.00
Hiring Cantor at St. John, Jeanerette
Starting in January, St. John the Evangelist in Jeanerette is
in need of a cantor for the 8am Sunday morning Mass.
Additionally, we are seeking someone capable of leading
communal praise and worship events on a monthly basis. If
you are someone you know is interested in applying for
either position or both, please contact the office at
337-276-4576 or by email at stjohnev@stjohnjeanerette.org.
Qualifications needed are:
Ability to read music
Ability to sing loudly, clearly, and well
Working knowledge of Catholic hymns and chants
Familiarity with the structure of the Mass
Willingness to attend trainings online or in person to
develop skills
Also desirable: Experience with leading communal
prayer
Pay will be per Mass/Engagement and can be negotiated
based on experience and travel requirements.
Offertory
Christmas General $3935.33 Christmas Second $671.00 Dec 26/27 General $2729.00
Insurance Fund $950.00 Tithe.ly ending Dec 25 $149.90
New Year General $1344.00 Jan 2/3 General $3330.00 Maintenance Fund $763.00 Tithe.ly ending Jan 1 $88.43
Total 13,960.66
Second Collections
January 17 Church in Latin America
January 31 Insurance Fund
Outreach & Evangelization
Stewardship
Managing God’s Gifts to Us
Poor Box
Thank you all for contributing to the Poor Box. We will
keep all poor box funds set aside for those in
need. Anyone looking for financial help
should schedule an appointment with Fr.
Bulletin #396450
St. John the Evangelist
Contact: Susan Derouen
337-276-4576
stjohnev@yahoo.com
Software:
Win 7
AA X
Pub 2010
HPJL 2605
Pages sent 1-6
Messages: Quantity—250
