Parish Bulletin

Over the past week or so the school had several meetings, whether it was the School Board, the PTF meeting (Parents, Teachers and Friends) and a general session to review the Archdiocesan Parent Satisfaction Survey.

The Board is excited at what the next school year will be bringing the students. Some very positive developments are being put into place. Ms. Pat Brink, the principal, in consultation with the School Board, is increasing the school day by up to 30 minutes, which gives more time to teach those 4 Rs, which are basic to all Catholic Education (Reading, wRiting, aRithmatic and Religion). In addition to adding to these basics, a Spanish Language curriculum is being introduced. This and a few other endeavors are ways for the school to address the concerns and interests of parents, which were conveyed in a recent Archdiocesan survey whose results were reviewed by the faculty and the parents. This area of ACADEMICS was the second most important reason that parents choose St. John as their school of choice. The school is proud of its 6^th grade Math Class who participated in the State’s Thinking Cap Quiz Bowl – St. John students placed first.

Parents choose CATHOLIC IDENTITY as the #1 reason they chose St. John School as the school of choice for their child. The survey revealed that parents are quite satisfied (nearly 90%) in how that identity is being nurtured, teaching the Catholic faith, providing an atmosphere of Catholic values and opportunities for faith and spiritual growth.

PERPETUAL ADORATION UPDATE… The evening division has only one scheduled adorer for each of the following hours:

Sunday 6 & 8 p.m.; Monday 6 & 10 p.m.; Tuesday 6, a.m., 2, 6 & 11 p.m.; Thursday 9 & 11 p.m.; Friday 6 & 8 p.m.; and Saturday 6, 8 & 9 p.m. We would like to have two or more scheduled adorers for each hour in order to be certain that the Lord will never be left alone. If you are willing to commit to one of the above hours, please call Agnes at the parish center.

At 2:00 p.m. (children’s format) and 7:00 p.m. (on First Fridays, Stations will follow the 7 p.m. Mass.)

CHILDREN’S LITURGY. . . Sunday, March 4

Thursday, March 29 – 7:00 p.m. Parish Penance Service (Multiple Priests available after Penance Service.)

WE PRAY for the REPOSE of Lee O’Neill, Dennis Rohe, Valerie Henderson and Joseph N. Smith and for their families and friends.

BAPTISMS : Congratulations and welcome to Garrett Joseph Denkenberger, son of Renee and Ralph Denkenberger; Lillian Matilda Kopacz, daughter of Mary and Henry Kopacz; Anna Rose Wiest, daughter of Allison and Kevin Wiest; and Kyle John Hensley, son of Stephanie and David Hensley.

Amount collected in February from the 5^th Sunday of the month

Envelope Program………………………… $5,576.11

ELECTRONIC DONATIONS: Please consider having your contributions debited electronically from your bank account. Call George Hinkel at 410-848-4744 x249 to initiate this process OR Electronic Debiting Envelopes are available in the narthex of the church. We appreciate your generosity.

Almsgiving

CARDINAL’S LENTEN APPEAL… Please prayerfully consider a gift to the Lenten Appeal. The good works accomplished through the Appeal impacts many people’s lives. Your participation matters so very much to those in need. Make this YOUR year to give!

THE TRANSFIGURATION: Every now and then we get a glimpse of the Kingdom of Heaven, as the apostles did when they saw Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah, the lawgiver and the prophet. We finally understand what scripture and the Church have been telling us about God’s desire, God’s way. This glimpse of the Kingdom of Heaven can happen when we place our feet in the shoes of our brothers and sisters who struggle with hunger and poverty, and see life from their perspectives.

Catholic Relief Services has been helping the people of Pakistan through education programs that focus on improving the social and economic situation of the most vulnerable members of the community, often women, as a key to addressing malnutrition and high mortality rates. Please support CRS’ education projects with your prayers, fasting, learning, and giving with Operation Rice Bowl this week. Visit www.crs.org/orb to learn more.

School Calendar

March 5-9- Kindergarten Registration – 9 – 2 p.m.

March 9 – All School Liturgy at 9:30 a.m./ Stations at 2:00 p.m.

March 9 – PTF Family Fun Night – Cafeteria – 7 – 9 p.m.

March 15 – School Board Meeting at 7:30 a.m.

INNISBROOK ON-GOING FUNDRAISER: Check out the website for gift giving ideas. The school receives 50% of all sales.

The school participates in the grocery bonus programs for Giant, Martin’s and Safeway. Forms for this program are located at the entrances of the Church. Take a flyer for the appropriate store and fill out the information requested. Forms can be placed in the collection basket or drop them off at school during the week. Call Darlene at 410-876-7031 or 410-848-1508.

GROCERY CERTIFICATES PROGRAMS: Please support the school by purchasing gift cards for Kohl’s, Boscov’s, and local grocery stores. There is no additional cost involved, but the school makes 5% on all sales. Cards are for sale in the school office as well as the Portico Book + Gifts Store.

WHY CATHOLIC: WEEK 6: Why Catholic? Our last session focuses on the Incarnation, which is the mystery of the union of the divine and human natures in the one person of Jesus Christ. Throughout His life, Jesus demonstrated His divine nature by works of power over nature, illness, demons, death and sin. The Father's loving concern sent Jesus to be our Lord and Savior, redeeming us. Thank you to all who have participated in this first season of Why Catholic? We look forward to many more joining us in the fall.

RCIA… Our upcoming session of RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) will begin Monday, March 12^th at 7 p.m. To learn more about the RCIA process, please email Paul Gallagher at pgallagher@sjwest.org or you may visit the Faith Formation section of the parish website at www.sjwest.org

REMINDER: Morning of Preparation on Saturday, March 10^th from 9:00-12:00 for all Tuesday Religious Ed students, older Eucharist and Home-schooled students. Meeting in the Portico.

— LIFE TEEN (Grades 9 - 12) —

Life Teen is a High School Youth Ministry that meets every 1st, 2nd and 4th Sunday at 7:15 p.m. in the Cafeteria. On the 3rd Sunday of each month we meet in the Portico at 7:15. Newcomers are welcome!

Sun., March 4-Lights Out Dodge Ball: You've played Dodge ball right? How about with a strobe light, fog machine and glow sticks? Oh man, this is going to be interesting... Who knows? You might even learn something about your faith!

Fri., March 9-11- Life Teen Spring Retreat: Are you looking to make your lent memorable? You need a retreat! The date is March 9-11^th. The cost is $85 (ask if this is a problem). E-mail Kenn at kdemoll@sjwest.org

STEUBENVILLE 2007: The dates are now finalized…and we’re going on July 13-15^th! The total cost of the trip is $225, with a first deposit of $50 due NOW! This is an awesome way to spend your summer. Financial assistance is available.

— THE EDGE (Grades 6, 7 & 8) —

We meet every 2^ndSunday and 4^th Friday from 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. in the Cafeteria. This ministry is open to all 6^th, 7^th & 8^th graders.

Sun., March 11 – Jesus and Accepting Myself – Want to feel loved, valued, and accepted for who you are? Then you definitely don’t want to miss this night designed to do just that. EVERYONE is welcome!

Fri., March 23 – Holy Week-est Link– Get ready for a great time! Bring all of your friends and join us for this EDGE Game Show Trivia Challenge! How much do you know about Holy Week?

Sun., April 8 – No EDGE – Happy Easter!

— YOUTH ALIVE (Grades 5 - 6) —

We meet in the Cafeteria from 7-8:30 p.m. every 1^st and 3^rd Friday. Bring your friends and join the fun! Contact Kate for details.

Fri., March 16 – St. Patrick’s Day Party – Wear your green and join us at we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with games, food, fun and friends! Everyone is welcome!

Fri., April 20 – Men in Black Game – Youth Alive encourages you to go to the Men in Black Basketball game at Westminster High School. This game is a ton of fun and I hope to see all of you there with your families!

PASTORAL COUNCIL UPCOMING ELECTIONS… The Pastoral Council is looking for YOU! What can you bring to the table? Are you a life-long parishioner? One who know the history of St. John? Have you been here for 20 years? 10 years? Or a new parishioner who wants to get involved? If you or someone you know would like to serve on the Pastoral Council, e-mail pastoralcouncil@sjwest.org or call Jeannie at 410-840-8205.

EDITOR NEEDED FOR NEWSLETTER…we are in need of a new editor of The Evangelist. We publish three issues per year. The role of the editor is to coordinate the collection of articles with our team of volunteer writers. If you have editing skills and would like to volunteer to help your parish in this way, please contact Frank Tontala at ftontala@sjwest.org.

parish breakfast…sun., March 4

Join the Knights at the Portico for a great breakfast of pancakes, French toast, eggs and more from 8:00-11:30 a.m. Adults - $5, children -$3. Your support for our breakfasts has been tremendous. Please continue to join us on the 1^st Sunday of each month.

The next blood drive will be from 2- 8 p.m. at The Portico. We could still use some people to make phone calls. To make an appointment, call Ted Cook at 410-876-2107. Please consider giving the gift of life. Jesus shed his blood for us; so let’s do the same for our community. DONATE!

Fish Fry in the Portico on Friday’s during Lent. Time: 4-7 p.m. Adults $6.50, Kids $3.25 and under 5 free. Family pricing available. Fish dinners (fried or baked) include fish, roll, potato and vegetable. Shrimp dinners available, too. Take a night off, come and have dinner with us—visit with friends. Any questions, contact Teresa Richardson at 410-848-4744 x 227

The Sodality will meet for Mass and Rosary at the 9:15 a.m. (2^nd Sunday of each month). There will be no formal meeting this month, as members will be attending the Parish Communion Breakfast. If you have any questions, contact Carolyn Keiner at 410-848-4563.

Our regular meeting will be held at 1:00 p.m. in the St. Therese Room of the Parish Center. All Health Care Ministers are encouraged to attend.

St. Vincent de Paul Society will have a truck on campus the 4^th weekend of each month. The truck should be here from Saturday afternoon (2:00 p.m. to Sunday afternoon). Only donations of clothes, outerwear and shoes will be accepted. For more information, call the St. Vincent de Paul office at 410-848-8693.

The James Cardinal Gibbons Assembly #379 of the Knights of Columbus will be hosting the Annual Teachers Banquet at the Portico this year. This event honors our Catholic School and Religious Education teachers in our parish and in Carroll County. The highlight of the celebration will be the presentation of the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award to the Catholic School teacher and the Ellen Feustel Award to the Religious Education Program teacher who have demonstrated exceptional ability and a strong commitment to the Catholic education of the youth in our parishes. Plan on attending and supporting our teachers. Tickets are $22. Contact Lou Stachowiak at 410-635-2583, lwstack@comcast.net.

knights of columbus SPRING DANCE…sat., April 21

Come celebrate our 98^th year. Place: The Portico from 7-12 p.m. Featuring music by Clockwork. Buffet dinner, cash bar - $40.00 per person. For tickets call Lou Stachowiak-410-635-2583, Rich Nestor – 410-751-5258.

Mark your calendars! This year we will be doing Longaberger baskets as well as Vera Bradley handbags. Anyone interested in sponsoring a basket or handbag contact the parish center or Anna Ludwig at 410-876-2652.

Only 2 spaces left. Friday, March 9^th is the cut off date for all registrations, so if you want to take these last 2 spots; you have to respond as soon as possible. If you submit your registration after the spaces are taken, your request will be put on a waiting list. Congratulations and “Ben Venuti” (Welcome) to those parishioners who have signed up! These pilgrim-passengers will soon be receiving information about the upcoming itinerary and planning information meeting as well as the follow up “pranzo” (lunch), which will give us samples of Italian cuisine as well as some fun practice with the Italian language and culture!

St. Vincent de Paul is collecting items for Easter baskets for the poor. Items requested include, but are not limited to the following: coloring books, crayons, play dough, small toys, religious items for kids, Easter baskets or any Easter related items for children. NO CANDY PLEASE! Donations can be placed in the food baskets located at the doors of the church or dropped off at the parish center. The deadline for donations is the weekend of March 24-25.

The next meeting of the St. Vincent de Paul Society will take place on Wednesday, March 7^th at 7:00 p.m. in the Portico. If you are interested in learning more about our work, please join us at this meeting or call Patty Terrano at 410-857-1473.

The Blessings Closet is the 3^rd Sunday of the month (March 18). Paper products, sanitary and hygiene products are desperately needed. All items will be given to Shepherd’s Staff.

LOAVES and FISHES SOUP KITCHEN is updating its volunteer and contributor listings for the period April 1, 2007 through September 30, 2007. If you will not be participating, please leave a message with Mike Radov at 410-857-9528.

Join the Maryland Federation of Catholic School Families and the Maryland Nonpublic Schools Legislative Coalition from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the Presidential Conference Center West, Miller Office Bldg., 11 Bladen St., Annapolis, MD to ask our legislators to support upcoming legislation affecting our schools:

A placement test has been scheduled for those 8^th grade students who are interested in attending Delone Catholic High School for the 2007-08 school year. The test will be administered from 8 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the school, 140 S. Oxford Ave., McSherrystown, PA. Contact Sr. Maria Jude, at 717-637-5969. All 8^th grade applicants to Delone must take this test.

The annual Maryland Candlelight March for Life will be held at 6:30 p.m. Meet with other Maryland pro-lifers and walk through downtown Annapolis to the Statehouse. Keynote address by State Senator Andrew P. Harris, M.D. A photo ID will be needed to enter the legislative buildings. Call Maria DeCesare at 410-848-0716 for more information.

THE NATIONAL CHRISTIAN CHOIR…Saturday, March 24

The National Christian Choir, For Worship and Praise, will perform at Baker Memorial Chapel, McDaniel College, at 4:00 p.m. The performance is sponsored by the Westminster Ministerium. A free will offering is appreciated.

CARROLL COUNTY HUNGER WALK…Sunday, April 22

This year’s walk will begin with registration at 1:30 p.m. and the walk at 2 p.m. at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in New Windsor. There is also a poster contest for students in grades 3-8 with first and second prizes being $100 and $50 savings bonds and all those who participate in the contest will receive a small prize as a thank you for helping promote the walk. Deadline to register for the contest is March 22, 2007. For more information contact Jim Benedict at 410-775-2717 or email benedict@verizon.net

Save the dates! The annual Exp will be at the Baltimore Convention Center and is an exciting opportunity for ALL Catholics to combine fun, fellowship and spiritual renewal. There are over 100 exhibitors and will be fantastic talks on parenting, spirituality, marriage, young adult issues and education by renowned speakers. For details go to www.catholicfamilyexpo.org

ETHICS HOTLINE…The Archdiocese will implement an ethics hotline so employees, volunteers, parishioners, vendors and other interested parties can report concerns regarding suspected financial and human resources issues. Reports can be filed via the web at www.archbalt.org by using the EthicsPoint link or by using the EthicsPoint website at www.ethicspoint.com or via one of EthicsPoint’s trained specialists at 1-888-572-8026.

The Portico Books + Gifts: Give the gift of faith! We are expanding our book selection, many new titles and more on the way! Check out our new outdoor garden statuary. 10% discount on purchases over $95 through March 17th. Plus, many individual items on sale. Thanks for supporting your Parish Store.