About St. John of the Cross Catholic Church
St. John of the Cross in Vero Beach celebrates Our Lord’s glory, love, and mercy in a beautiful new church where its priests and parishioners provide an inviting atmosphere to young families and retirees who are seeking solid ground in these difficult times.
Upon entering the church and seeing the beautiful sanctuary and the Catholic appointments throughout, one immediately gets the sense that one is on holy ground. A certain stillness permeates the air, a stillness that is conducive to prayer, a place where Jesus can speak to the heart.
One can join in the praying of the rosary being led before many Masses. If the rosary is not being recited, quiet prevails. You can kneel or sit with minimal distraction allowing you to absorb the moments while you pray and converse from your heart with Our Lord present, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, in the tabernacle.
At St. John of the Cross you participate in the celebration of the Mass, where one receives the “medicine of immortality,” where Calvary is made present. At every mass we sit at the foot of the cross with His Mother and His disciples. At the Mass we do what Jesus commanded: “Do this in remembrance of me.”
To better prepare you for Mass, our priests are available to hear your confession before the weekend Masses (except the 7:30 a.m.) and at any time during the week by appointment. They are also available on Saturdays 11:00 a.m. to 12 noon and 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. They help in every way they can to provide ways to receive the grace Jesus has made available to you through His Catholic Church which has a limitless repository of grace. Their offices are located in the lobby area of the church.
Eucharistic adoration is available weekdays from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. A novena to Our Blessed Mother takes place after every 8:30 a.m. Mass on Monday’s. Divine Mercy prayers take place after the novena on Mondays.
If you are moving to our area and are seeking a local Catholic church, or if you wish to return to your Catholic roots after a long absence, or if you are of another Christian faith and have an interest in the Catholic Church, or if you, like many, are asking where is the solid ground these days, we warmly invite you to check us out. Peruse the content of our web site. For the lapsed Catholic, there is the Rediscovering the Church page among others. For those with a possible interest in becoming a Catholic, there is the Exploring the Church page. For these and especially those seeking solid ground in these times of secularism, relativism and all the other “ism’s” and contradictions, there are the What We Believe and FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) pages. Of course, you can come to our church on a weekday or Sunday and experience the Mass and have a look at our church. We welcome your questions and you can submit them through the Question Box at our website. You can also e-mail or phone the parish with your questions. Remember, with God, all things are possible!
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| Church & Office - Church open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Call for business Office hours. |
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The Rev. John A. Crowley Parish Center - Center open for scheduled parish functions and by appointment. See Parish Center rental page. |
- From corner of 58th Avenue and State Rt. 60, go West on Rt. 60 to 82nd Avenue and turn right at the light. The Parish Center is on the left after approximately 2/10 mile.
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- From I-95, take the Vero Beach exit for State Rt. 60. Go East on Rt. 60 to 82nd Avenue and turn left at light. The Parish Center is on the left after approximately 2/10 mile.
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- From the church and office, you have two options. The "clean car" option is to return to Rt. 60, turn right and proceed to 82nd Avenue. Turn right at the light and the Parish Center will be on your left after approximately 2/10 mile. The "dusty car" option is to go West on 26th Street (unpaved) to 82nd Avenue. Turn left and the Parish Center will be on your right.
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Above: Fr. John Pasquini celebrating the Eucharist.
The Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ |
Fr. John J. Pasquini, Pastor
Curriculum Vitae
- Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy), Magna cum Laude, UCLA/St. John’s Seminary College (1987)
- Catholic Schoolteacher (English Literature), St. Clare Catholic School, NPB, FL (1988-1993)
- Master of Arts in Theology, Summa cum Laude, St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary (1997)
- Master of Divinity, Magna cum Laude, St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary (1998)
- Deaconate (1997)/Priesthood (1998)
- Parochial Vicar, St. Joan of Arc, Boca Raton, FL (1998-1999)
- Spiritual Moderator, Diocesan Respect Life Office, Diocese of Palm Beach (2001-2002)
- Spiritual Moderator, Rachel’s Vineyard (2001-2002)
- Spiritual Moderator, Third Order of Carmelites (1999-2003)
- Parochial Vicar, St. Clare, North Palm Beach, FL (1999-2003)
- Parochial Vicar, St. Juliana, WPB, FL (2003-2004)
- Chaplain, Spiritual Director, Liturgical Committee Chairman, Ave Maria University, FL (2004)
- Parochial Vicar, St. Jude’s, Tequesta, FL (2004-2007)
- Diocesan Presbyterial Council (2004)
- Columnist, Florida Catholic (2001—to present)
- Contributing writer in Catholic Journals and Magazines
- Author of eighteen books on theology and philosophy.
- Parochial Administrator, St. John of the Cross Church, Vero Beach(2007)
- Pastor, St. John of the Cross (2008-present)
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Fr. John A. Crowley, Founding Pastor, Pastor Emeritus, Retired (August 1, 2007)
Before retiring, Fr. Crowley served the Diocese of Palm Beach for 40 years, seventeen of those as our beloved pastor and founder of St. John of the Cross parish in Vero Beach, FL.
Fr. Crowley spent sixteen years in formation before becoming a priest; 4 1/2 years in minor seminary at St. Vianney in Miami and 11 1/2 years at St. Vincent De Paul Seminary in Boynton Beach.
Fr. Crowley also spent 4 1/2 years doing missionary work in Panama and Costa Rico before returning to the Palm Beach diocese. Fr. Crowley taught Spanish in the minor seminary.
After serving at several parishes in the diocese, Fr. Crowley was assigned by Bishop Keith Symons to start a new parish in Vero Beach in 1989. His first Mass was held on Oct. 7, 1989, the Feast of the Holy Rosary, at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Oslo Road. At that Mass, Fr. Crowley consecrated all parishioners of the new parish to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and mandated that a rosary be prayed before all weekend Masses for the intention of funding and building the church.
Later in 1989, Fr. Crowley made use of the Assembly of God Church’s sanctuary for the celebration of weekend Masses.
In February of 1992 the current Parish Center was completed and the first Mass was celebrated on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes on Feb. 11, 1992. Mass and parish activities continued in this building and in 2002 ground was broken for the new church. Our parish center building is now named the Rev. John A. Crowley Parish Center.
On March 25, 2004, our beautiful new church was dedicated on the Marian feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Once again, Fr. Crowley consecrated the entire parish to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The rosary before all weekend Masses and many daily Masses continued with the intention of reducing the mortgage and completing our building projects.
The entire parish feels a tremendous debt of gratitude to Fr. Crowley for his spiritual and temporal leadership. We pray his retirement will be blessed with good health and a peace of mind of a job well done. |
Fr. David Downey, Parochial Vicar
Fr. Downey hales from Chicago. After high school Fr. Downey entered a Religious Order, the Congregation of Alexian Brothers, who are dedicated to the healing ministries, especially hospital work. He was a brother for ten years before leaving to pursue further studies in nursing and health-care administration. Fr. Downey still has his RN license and speaks fondly of his years in the field of Neuro-Surgical Intensive Care work, his years as a supervisor of Emergency Room care, and his years of work for the state of Illinois’ Mental Health-care Department.
Fr. Downey’s mother, father, two brothers, and sister have all gone home to God.
Fr. Downey and another diocesan classmate were sent to Blessed Pope John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, MA and were ordained priests by Bishop Sean O’Malley at St. Ignatius Loyola Cathedral on May 24th, 2003.
Prior to being assigned to St. John of the Cross, Fr. Downey served as Parochial Vicar for two years at St. Joan of Arc in Boca Raton, and for six years at St. Peter’s in Jupiter. He did his Pastoral Year as a seminarian in 1999-2000 here in Vero Beach at St. Helen’s. He served as a transitional-Deacon at St. Joseph’s in Stuart.
Fr. Michael J. Martin, CSP, Assistant
Fr. Martin is a member of the Paulist Order of priests. He is 6'9" tall and is known as "the Tallest Paulist. Fr. Michael resides in Vero Beach at a Paulist house and is an assistant priest of our parish.
Rev. Mr. Eugene Hoch, Deacon Administrator
Deacon Gene was born in the borough of Queens N Y and lived in New Jersey before moving to Vero Beach. He and his wife Rose have two children and 3 grandchildren. The Hochs moved to Vero Beach in April of 2008.
Before becoming a deacon he was a lector and extraordinary minister of Holy Communion at St. John Neumann in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. He also volunteered as a counselor in Alcoholics Anonymous for many years.
Deacon Gene felt a calling to become a deacon and entered the deaconate in 1993 and was ordained in May of 1997. He was a deacon at St. John Neumann in New Jersey for over 11 yrs.
Deacon Gene joined the Knights of Columbus in 1964. He has served as a spiritual advisor at two different Knights councils. Deacon Gene became a 4th Degree Knight in 2005.
Rev. Mr. Charles Mallory, Assistant Deacon
Deacon Charles is with us seasonally and assists at the parish during Holy Communion and makes visits to the sick.
Rev. Mr. Joseph Verboys, Assistant Deacon
Deacon Joseph is with us seasonally and assists at the parish during Holy Communion and makes visits to the sick. |
Ministry Leaders
Altar Servers - Nancy Kiefer - 539-2312
Bible Study - Larry Gerrior - 388-5285
Risk Manager/Complex Supervisor - Fred Volk - 360-8264
Bulletin - Mary Martin - 563-0057
Charismatic Prayer Group - Phylis Shearn - 567-5265
Director of Religious Education - Frances DeSano - 563-0057
Finance Committee/Accountant - Josie Holtzclaw - 567-6297
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion - Pat Dimesa - 778-2926
Lectors - Donna Haro - 299-0010
Liturgy Committee/Sacristans - Gerry Martin - 563-0537
Music Ministry - Marguerite Brock - 569-2135
Parish Council - Pat Dimesa - (772) 713-9435
Respect Life Ministry - Ginny Frederick - 567-6131
Ushers - Deacon Gene Hock - 778-1476
Website - Tom Frederick - 567-6131
Wellness Ministry - Pat Dimesa - (772) 713-9435
Women's Guild - Kathi Kester - 299-7351
NOTE: Please go to the Parish Ministries page for a description of the above ministries, their meeting times, and volunteering information. You can get to the Parish Ministries page by going to the top of this page and clicking on the button to the left labeled Parish Ministries. You can also get to that page from our web site Home Page. |
Our Patron Saint
Saint John of the Cross is a Doctor of the Church, founder of the Discalced Carmelites, and one of the greatest mystical theologians in the history of Christianity. He was born Juan de Ypes de Alvarez in Fontiveros, Castile, Spain.
John of the Cross studied at the Jesuit school of Medina and in 1563 he entered the Carmelite Order at the monastery of Medina del Campo. After his religious profession, the Carmelite community sent him for further studies at the prestigious University of Salamanca. He studied there from 1564 - 1568 and received ordination to the priesthood in 1567.
With the encouragement and help of Saint Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross became part of the Catholic Church’s counterreformation, combating the laxity in the Catholic Church and the new heresy of Protestantism.
John’s life was dedicated to reforming various religious orders, especially the Carmelite order. He also became known for his spiritual writings and artistic gifts, becoming Spain’s national poet.
Known as the Doctor of Mystical Theology, John was a mystic, theologian, and poet who composed a rich body of works which found their deepest expression in mystical treatises in the form of poems with theological commentaries. These renowned poems include: The Spiritual Canticle, The Ascent of Mt. Carmel, The Living Flame of Love, and The Dark Night of the Soul. Through his writings John presented the development of the human soul through purgation, illumination, and transforming union.
John died on December 14, 1591 at a monastery in Ubeda. Beatified in 1675, he was canonized in 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1926 by Pope Pius XI. His feast day is December 14. |
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
We have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament weekdays from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM in our new chapel near the rear of our church building. It is accessible from the main church or through the far, rear door at the back of the church building. Come spend time with our Lord. |
Rosary Times
The rosary is prayed before each weekend Mass starting 1/2 hour before the scheduled start time of each Mass. The rosary is sometimes prayed before the 8:30 a.m. daily Masses, starting about 20 minutes before.
In addition, we pray a complete rosary, all five mysteries, "For Our Nation in Crisis" every Friday after the 8:30 AM Mass. This takes approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes. The Joyful Mysteries are said for Our Catholic Church. The Luminous Mysteries are said for Our Families. The Sorrowful Mysteries are said for Our Country. The Glorious Mysteries are said for our Personal Conversions. A short prayer is also made at the beginning of each mystery decade. Come join us for this most powerful prayer to change our country and its culture. |
Baptism Arrangements
Arrangements for Baptisms are made by contacting our office (563-0057). Be aware that there is preparatory education required prior to the celebration of this beautiful Sacrament. Our clergy will explain that to you and work with you. It is suggested that you purchase a Catechism of the Catholic Church and read the Church's teaching on Baptism. You can also go to the Sacraments page on this web site to get a partial amount of teaching on the Sacrament of Baptism. |
Anointing of the Sick
Please call the parish office at (772) 563-0057 to arrange for the administering of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick to you or a loved one. This Sacrament is administered only by a priest. Please refer to the Sacraments page on this web site for a partial teaching on the Sacrament. |
Marriage Preparation and Scheduling
Please call the parish office to arrange a meeting with one of the priests to discuss your intention. You will be required to complete very helpful and meaningful class work prior to the wedding. |
Funeral Arrangements
A family member or designate should call the parish office at (772) 567-0057 to advise the name of the deceased and the date of death. Usually, the funeral home handling the arrangements, after collaboration with the family, will call the parish and request a specific date and time for the funeral Mass at the church.
Gospel and Scripture passages used for the funeral Mass are usually selected by the attending priest. However, if the family members wish to participate in the selection of the readings, or if the deceased specified a request prior to death, the presiding priest must be consulted prior to the Mass. There is a book containing approved funeral liturgy readings and Psalms in the sacristy for reference. Please check with Father if family members are interested in doing the readings.
Once the office has been notified about the deceased, our Choir Director, Marguerite Brock, will contact the family member or designate to determine if music is desired. If so an organist and cantor/soloist can be made available. Marguerite will also advise you on the selection of music.
Check with the funeral home handling the arrangements.
Cremation (From the USCCB)
Recent events have brought to the fore questions regarding the practice of the cremation of a body and burial at sea. Diocesan offices for worship might find this an opportune time to renew catechesis on these questions for the benefit of pastors and pastoral ministers.
A helpful summary of the Church's teaching on cremation may be found in the 1998 statement of the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy, "Reflections on the Body, Cremation and Catholic Funeral Rites."
"The Church's belief in the sacredness of the human body and the resurrection of the dead has traditionally found expression in the care taken to prepare the bodies of the deceased for burial."(OCF 411)
"This is the body once washed in baptism, anointed with the oil of salvation, and fed with the bread of life. This is the body whose hands clothed the poor and embraced the sorrowing. Indeed, the human body is so inextricably associated with the human person that it is hard to think of a human person apart from his or her body. Thus, the Church's reverence and care for the body grows out of a reverence and concern for the person whom the Church now commends to the care of God." (OCF 412)
Thus, while "cremation is now permitted, it does not enjoy the same value as burial of the body...The Church clearly prefers and urges that the body of the deceased be present for the funeral rites, since the presence of the human body better expresses the values which the Church affirms in its rites." (OCF 413) However, "when extraordinary circumstances make the cremation of a body the only feasible choice, pastoral sensitivity must be exercised by all who minister to the family of the deceased." (OCF 414)
The rites for burial of the cremated remains of a body may be found in the appendix to the Order of Christian Funerals. This appendix recommends that when cremation is chosen, the body be cremated after the Funeral, thus allowing for the presence of the body at the Funeral Mass. When pastoral circumstances require it, however, cremation and committal may take place even before the Funeral liturgy.
Any catechesis on the subject of cremation should emphasize that "the cremated remains of a body should be treated with the same respect given to the corporeal remains of a human body. This includes the use of a worthy vessel to contain the ashes, the manner in which they are carried, the care and attention to appropriate placement and transport, and the final disposition." (OCF 416)
While cremated remains may be buried in a grave, entombed in a mausoleum or columbarium or even buried at sea, "the practice of scattering cremated remains on the sea, from the air, or on the ground, or keeping cremated remains in the home of a relative or friend of the deceased are not the reverent disposition that the Church requires." (OCF 416) The cremated remains of the body may be properly buried at sea in the urn, coffin or other container in which they have been carried to the place of committal. When a body, or the cremated remains of a body are buried at sea, the Committal prayer found at number 406 § 4 is used:
Lord God,
by the power of your Word
you stilled the chaos of the primeval seas,
you made the raging waters of the Flood subside,
and calmed the storm on the sea of Galilee.
As we commit the body (earthly remains)
of our brother (sister) N. to the deep,
grant him/her peace and tranquility
until that day when he/she
and all who believe in you
will be raised to the glory of new life
promised in the waters of baptism.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.
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Adding a Name to the Prayer List for the Sick
Merely call the Parish Office at 563-0057 to register the ill person's name on the list. If the illness persists for more than 30 days, call again to renew the petition. |
How to Arrange for the Eucharist to be Brought to You at Your Home, the Hospital, or a nursing home
If you are ill at home and can't get to Mass, call the Parish Office at 563-0057 to make arrangements for the Eucharist to be brought to you. A specific day may be assigned. The Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion will ask you if you wish to see a priest for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. If so, they can arrange that.
If you are in a nursing home, again, call the Parish Office to make arrangements for the Eucharist to be brought to you.
If your location is or will be Indian River Memorial Hospital, make sure when registering that you are specifically listed as being Catholic and that you are a member of St. John of the Cross Catholic Church. Further, confirm with the registration attendant that you want this information displayed on the daily census printed by the hospital. This step is necessary due to privacy laws recently enacted. The hospital is in the territory of St. Helen Catholic Church and, by agreement, it is their responsibility to bring communion to you. Their Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion make their rounds on Wednesday and Sunday and they are trained to consult the daily census before doing so. Of course, circumstances as they may be, if you wish to see one of our priests, call the Parish Office at 563-0057 and make this request. NOTE: The registration process cannot be over emphasized. |
Mass Cards
Mass cards are obtainable from the Parish Office. The Parish Office is located at the church. |
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