Daily Prayer from Our Staff
Daily readings can be found on the USCCB website here.
Today’s Prayer – April 3
by Theresa Konitzer – Director of Religious Education
Jesus, You alone are God. Through Your very word and touch You healed the lame, gave sight to the blind man, calmed the angry sea, cured the hemorrhaging woman, and raised Lazarus from the dead. All these miracles were done so that we might see and believe that You are God and that above all things You love us. Yet, like those in today’s Gospel who saw and did not believe, there are some of us today who question who is this Jesus? If He is God, why is it that He cannot take away this pandemic? Why do we need to suffer? Why are we being asked to live in isolation from one another?
Jesus, help me to remember that You love me and are with me in my struggles. Give me the faith that I so desperately need to pull me through these rough times. Help me to know that You are always by my side.
Amen.
What’s New
- Drop-Off Our Daily Bread Casseroles to St. John’s Hall – Good news! Thanks to a few parish volunteers, and with permission from the Archdiocese, we will be able to receive frozen casseroles in the church hall this Sunday, April 5 from 8 AM to 12 Noon. Please place items in the trunk or back of your vehicle with a hatch. When you pull into the driveway close to the side door of the Church Hall, kindly stay in your vehicle, pop the trunk, and a volunteer will take the items out without making physical contact with you. Download a copy of the casserole recipe here.
- To the Heart: A Lenten Retreat With Fr. Mike Schmitz – This FREE live online retreat with Father Mike Schmitz will help you draw closer to Jesus’ heart as Holy Week begins. Beginning Friday evening and ending Palm Sunday afternoon, join Father Mike and a group of fellow Christians for a time of spiritual renewal and reflection. Register for the webinar here.
- Sew & Donate Cloth Masks – In an effort to preserve medical-grade personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Johns Hopkins Medicine Unified Command Center has coordinated a volunteer project to sew and donate homemade cloth masks, which can be used for situations in which medical grade equipment is not required. If you are interested in this effort, please click here for instructions. Masks may be dropped off at the Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center, 601 N. Caroline St., Baltimore, MD 21287. A drop box is positioned on the sidewalk to the right just past the McElderry Street Garage exit. Masks may also be mailed to: The Johns Hopkins Medicine Unified Command Center 1800 Orleans St., Zayed 2117 Baltimore, MD 21287 Attention: Mask Donation.
- Home for the Holy Days – As we head into Holy Week, we’ve put together a comprehensive list (posted below – click on the image to enlarge) of the upcoming live-streams at St. John as well as some ideas to help us to be connected and to make Holy Week at home more meaningful. The Busted Halo website features additional helpful information and explanations of Holy Week traditions – check them out here.
- FAQ’s Attached – The Archdiocese has created two FAQ documents (posted below) to address questions related to “Easter Duty” and Plenary Indulgences. Click on the images to enlarge.
- Video from Archdiocesan Priests – a special “We Miss You” video message from around the Archdiocese is posted below. We miss you and can’t wait to worship together again!
- At Home with Your Faith – Below are several infographics from the Archdiocese with helpful information for those working at home and/or or staying at home with children during the pandemic shutdown. There’s also a page of tips for celebrating Holy Week at home. Click on an image to enlarge.
Additional Notes
- Masses Will Continue to be Live-streamed on Sundays at 9 AM – We are happy to report that we will still be able to broadcast Masses at St John! This is great news, as we prepare to celebrate the holiest days in the Church year, Holy Week and Easter.
- Holy Week services will be broadcast via Facebook Live!
- Palm Sunday, April 5: 9 AM Mass
- Holy Thursday, April 9: 7 PM Mass of the Lord’s Supper
- Good Friday, April 10: 7 PM Solemn Celebration of the Lord’s Passion
- Holy Saturday, April 11: 7 PM Easter Vigil
- Easter Sunday, April 12: 9 AM Easter Mass
- The parish office is closed, however emails and phone messages will be retrieved periodically. An emergency option is available when you call the parish office. Communication will be provided to you via our website, Facebook, and Flocknote emails.
- Church closed until further notice – In accordance with Governor Hogan’s latest executive order, all churches in the Archdiocese of Baltimore are closed until further notice. We ask that you please stay home and refrain from coming to the parish.
Online & Recorded Mass at St. John
- St. John’s Online Mass on Sundays at 9:00 AM! We will live-stream and record a private Mass on Facebook at 9:00 AM on Sundays. This is not a public Mass, rather the Mass will be broadcast live on the St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church (Hydes, MD) Facebook page.
- If you’re not already on Facebook, it’s free and easy to join. Visit www.facebook.com to sign up for a new account, then find our page, St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church (Hydes, MD) at www.facebook.com/st.john.hydes/. Click on “Follow” to receive our updates. Click on “Videos,” and if we’re live-streaming, the stream should appear in the video list.
- Some older devices unfortunately may not be able to maintain the live feed. Switching to a newer device if possible should help to alleviate the issue.
- A video recording of the Mass will be available for later viewing if you’re not able to watch live. The recording can be found on Facebook in the “Videos” section of our page, and will also be posted on our website and on YouTube.
Thank You for Your Support
- We would like to thank everyone for your ongoing support of the parish during this unprecedented time.
- You may mail contributions to the parish office or give online if you prefer.
- Online Giving also has a “Quick Give” option that doesn’t require signing up. Visit https://www.osvonlinegiving.com/758 and select “Quick Give” under St. John the Evangelist Long Green Valley to pay via credit card or Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) from your bank account.
Spiritual Enrichment
Prayer…Sacred Scripture…Adoration…Almsgiving of Food…Reflection
- SJE Staff “Today’s Prayer”—Prayers will be composed by staff for parishioners’ home recitation. The Today’s Prayer by staff will be posted on the SJE website, sent via FlockNotes, and available on Facebook.
- Prayer Petitions—usually written in the narthex Parish Book of Intentions – may be submitted to office@sjehydes.org for the attention of the SJE Prayer Network.
- Lectio Divina, i.e., a divine reading, is accessible here. Read about lectio divina here.
- Sew & Donate Cloth Masks – In an effort to preserve medical-grade personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Johns Hopkins Medicine Unified Command Center has coordinated a volunteer project to sew and donate homemade cloth masks, which can be used for situations in which medical grade equipment is not required. If you are interested in this effort, please click here for instructions. Masks may be dropped off at the Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center, 601 N. Caroline St., Baltimore, MD 21287. A drop box is positioned on the sidewalk to the right just past the McElderry Street Garage exit. Masks may also be mailed to: The Johns Hopkins Medicine Unified Command Center 1800 Orleans St., Zayed 2117 Baltimore, MD 21287 Attention: Mask Donation.
- Suggested Online Resources for Lenten reflection are listed below.
Stay Connected to SJE
- Stay Connected to SJE with these additional electronic tools:
- Voicemail & Email – While the office is closed, staff members are still monitoring email and voicemail. Our general email is office@sjehydes.org. For urgent matters, there is an emergency option when you call the main office phone number.
- Parish Website – Visit us online at www.sjehydes.org for the latest news, updates, resources and more.
- MyParish App – This app contains lots of information about our parish, along with daily Mass readings, archdiocesan and international news, prayers, reminders, weekly church bulletins, and much more! You can download the app by searching for “MyParish” on your phone’s app store.
- Facebook – Be sure to “Like Us” on Facebook to read our latest posts www.facebook.com/st.john.hydes.
- Twitter – If you “tweet,” be sure to follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/StJohnLongGreen
Additional Online Mass Options
St. John the Evangelist, Long Green Valley Mass Recordings
Cathedral of Mary Our Queen livestream
Additional Resources
Novena Prayer for Mary’s intercession against the coronavirus
Baltimore’s Catholic Radio – 92.7 FM