Announcements

FAMILIA Program coming to St. John of the Cross 

ATTENTION – MOMS WITH ANY SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN OR YOUNGER

St. John of the Cross Catholic Church announces a program designed specifically for you. It is called Familia. Familia’s mission is to strengthen families by helping men and women live their vocation to marriage and parenthood in all its fullness. Familia programs include a Motherhood Series, a Fatherhood Series and a Couple Series. Beginning in mid-September we will inaugurate Familia by first offering the Called To Act program which is part of the Motherhood Series.

The Called To Act program consists of 8 short lessons and is designed to build your understanding of what it is to inspire and support not only your family, but those you encounter every day. Participants in the Called To Act program will

• understand that Christ calls everyone to “labor in the vineyard,” and the need for everyone to participate.
• grow in understanding of the dignity of all persons and the need to bring Christ’s gospel message to them.
• discuss and learn ways to live Christ’s call in their daily lives especially through the virtue of charity.

The program meets every other Wednesday at 10 AM starting Sept. 22, 2010. Each session is 90 minutes or less and will be led by a facilitator.

And yes, we will have a separately led, Catholic learning & activity program for your pre-school children, as well as infant care, while you and other moms participate in Familia. All will take place here at St. John of the Cross.
To participate in this program you must register by Sept. 17, 2010. So, recruit your friends and sign up!

This first Familia program will be limited to a 8-10 mom team. By the way, individuals from other faiths have found great benefit to participating in Familia programs. Feel free to invite them! There will be a registration fee of $20 to cover half the cost of course materials and is payable at time of registration. Our parish will assist with paying the other half. We will need to know the number and ages of your infant and/or pre-school children. You can sign up by visiting the church office and complete the registration form. Please direct questions to Vanesa Martin at 562-4642. You can also visit Familia at www.familiausa.net for complete information about the program. This program will give moms an opportunity to share knowledge and grow friendships!

Bingo

There is Bingo on every Friday beginning Sept. 11th at the Crowley Center on 82nd Ave. A FREEE LUNCH IS PROVIDED.

 

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

Exposition is held every Friday (Oct. through May) immediately following the 8:30 am Mass. Exposition closes with Benediction at 4:00 pm. The Divine Mercy Chaplet is recited at 3:00 p.m. No exposition/Benediction June to October.

Ministry Meetings

Women's Guild

Committee meets September, November, January, March at 9:30 a.m. - Rev. John A. Crowley Center. General Meeting occurs October, December, February, April at 12 noon - Rev John A. Crowley Center.

Hurricane Prayer

God our Father, Creator of the Universe and Lord over all creation, we humbly stand before you as your children in thanksgiving for your loving care and protection.  We ask that you keep us safe from all hurricanes which may threaten us in the coming seasons. Protect us from all fear and anxiety of storms and give us an ardent trust and hope in Your love and mercy. You alone have the power to command the sea, the wind and the rain. You alone bring peace, calm, and safety. 

Father, we thank you in advance, for you are our only Refuge.  We ask this through Christ Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.  Amen. 

Diocese of Palm Beach, Office of the Bishop

Shepherds of Christ Prayer Chapter

The Shepherds of Christ prayer chapters pray for priests (all their needs, the world over), the Church (the entire community of faith), and the world (all members of the human family). Prayers are held after the Tuesday morning Mass. Terry Spytek and Anne Young are contact persons in the church.

Prayer Shawl Ministry

Calling all knitters!  Would you like to be part of a ministry that knits simple shawls consisting of three knits and three purls (just right to meditate on Father, Son and Holy Spirit while praying your way through the making of the shawl)?  We would then place them by the Pieta in the sanctuary one Friday a month during Adoration.  Father would bless them and we would send them on their way to anyone who needs to be comforted and surrounded by loving prayer – to a relative or friend, to someone from the wellness ministry or to a newly pregnant woman from one of our two crisis pregnancy centers, etc. If you are interested, the directions for creating the shawl are available in the office.  Please provide your name and phone number to the office staff when receiving the information.  If you would prefer to knit, crochet or quilt a similar comforting article, even clothing for babies, we would love to have you join us in spirit as we all work in our own homes. We would then come together to have the work of our hands blessed before given to a recipient. Please call Ginny at 567-6131 if you have any questions.

Don't know how to knit, but would like to learn so you can be part of the team? We'll have a class to teach you. Call Ginny at 567-6131.

Giving of shawls, etc. - Do you know someone who is homebound or someone who is dealing with an extended or difficult illness? Possibly someone in a nursing home? Maybe an out-of-town relative or friend who would appreciate how much you care about them? Perhaps a mom with a difficult pregnancy or one who has made a decision to keep her baby? If so, then get your name on a list in the parish office to get one of these "snuggle wraps", each beautifully handcrafted by a cadre of our parishioners now involved in this ministry. They are provided in a box and include a beautiful card from our St. John of the Cross parish that explains the special blessings that come with it (see above paragraph). These will be suitable for both men and women through a variety of colors that can be selected. Keep in mind that whoever you may be thinking of does not have to be Catholic. First come, first served. We expect a high demand. Think about who you might surprise and then get on the list. Blessings to you!

Events

Food Pantry

The food pantry still needs some helping and food. We need more canned goods and non-persishable staples for the needy in the area. The pantry has been busy distributing food to the needy over the summer months, but now needs your help. A large container is available for your donations in the back of the church near Fr. John's office.

Ushers

They are needed at the 7:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. Mass. If you attend either Mass, we would appreciate your volunteering to help take up the collection. Any usher (in white jacket) can direct you to where you are needed.

Adult Altar Servers

We are in need of adult altar servers for the added weekend Masses as well as daily Masses. If you think you might be interested in this ministry, please call Jerry Martin at 772-563-0537. Excellent training provided.

Sacristans

We can always use sacristans to serve at either daily or weekend Masses. If you think you might be interested in this ministry, please contact Fr. John or Jerry Martin. Excellent training provided.

 

Abortion

Just the Facts

(Reprinted from the Florida Catholic Newspaper, 2002)

(Adult Only Reading)

A woman seeking an abortion before the fourteenth week of pregnancy will likely undergo one of the following procedures:

 Suction Curettage

1. The cervix is dilated.
2. A suction curette (a hollow tube with a knife-like edged tip) is inserted into the womb.
3. Suction tears apart the fetus (the human person) and sucks the body parts into a container.
4. he container is checked to assure that all the body parts have been removed in order to prevent any infections—infections which can at times lead to the death of the mother.

 Dilation and Curettage (D&C)

1. The cervix is dilated.
2. The insertion of a loop-shaped knife (curette) is inserted.
3. The curette scrapes the wall of the uterus and cuts the placenta and fetus into smaller parts.
4. The parts are pulled out of the uterus through the cervix.
5. Body parts must be counted so as to prevent infection.

 RU 486 (taken before the ninth week)

1. A steroid drug (taken in the form of a pill or injection) is given to the woman to destroy the placenta or prevent it from being formed.
2. Prostaglandin is injected or orally given to induce the uterus to contract and push the fetus out of the body.

During the first fourteen weeks brain waves (week six) are recorded and the heart is beating (week three).  The child can hear, can hiccup, can close and open his (her) eyelids and can respond to touch or pain.  The child has permanent fingerprints and an identifiable sex.  By week eight the skeletal, nervous, digestive, circulatory, and respiratory system are functioning.  By week twelve the child looks like a tiny doll sucking its thumb.  The following weeks entail simple refinements of what has already begun. 

Pagans routinely aborted their children and abandoned them to die outside city walls.  We have outdone the pagans in our cruelty.  The revival of paganism is more vicious than its original incarnation.

A woman seeking an abortion after fourteen weeks but before sixteen weeks of pregnancy will likely undergo the following procedure:

Dilation and Evacuation (D&E)

1. The cervix is dilated.
2. A curette (resembling pliers) is used to dismember and crush the large and strong bones of the fetus (such as the skull or head).
3. The dismembered and crushed parts are now small enough for removal through the cervix.
4. Body parts are counted.

A woman seeking an abortion after sixteen weeks of pregnancy will likely undergo one of the following procedures:

Saline Solution Evacuation

1. A concentrated salt solution is injected through the abdomen and into the amniotic fluid, which surrounds the fetus (the child) in the uterus.
2. The child inhales and swallows the solution and dies within two hours either by salt poisoning, dehydration, hemorrhaging, or convulsions.
3. The mother goes into labor twenty-four to forty-eight hours later and gives birth to a dead child.

Prostaglandin Abortion

1. Prostaglandin is injected through the abdomen into the amniotic fluid, which surrounds the child in the uterus.
2. Prostaglandin causes the muscle tissue of the mother to push the fetus, the child, out of the uterus.
3. The child is born dead or alive (when born alive it is left to die).

A woman seeking an abortion during the latter periods of her pregnancy will likely undergo the following procedure:

Partial-Birth Abortion or Dilation and Extraction

1. Laminara is used to dilate the cervix over a two-day period.
2. The abortionist uses large forceps to grasp the leg of the child (the fetus) and pull it down into the vagina and out of the body.  The head, being too big, remains lodged in the cervical opening.
3. An incision is made at the base of the fetal skull to spread open the skull in order to insert a suction catheter.
4. The skull contents are evacuated through the suction catheter and the entire body is now capable of being removed.

Rachel’s Vineyard is a healing ministry for those who are suffering from Post-Abortion Trauma.  For information regarding Rachel’s Vineyard call the Diocese of Palm Beach’s Respect Life Office, 561-9500.

AFFIRMS ABORTION/BREAST CANCER LINK

By  THADDEUS M. BAKLINSKI

(From 12/16/07 Bulletin)

CHICAGO (Life Site News) A new study published in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons documents the fact that abortion is the "best predictor of breast cancer" in eight European nations.
           While this study was ignored by much of the major media, Dennis Byrne of The Chicago Tribune, wrote a commentary entitled, "Snubbing cancer study will only hurt women: Research showing link to abortion ignored by media."
           Karen Malec of the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer said: "The media's behavior is very problematic. When the history, books are written on the abortion-breast cancer link, women are going to be appalled by the major media's behavior on this matter and the media will suffer further loss of credibility."
           "The mainstream media have aggressively promoted abortion and the abortion-breast cancer link would mean that more of their readers are getting breast cancer because they believed what the media were telling them," she added.
           The usual argument used by critics of abortion-breast cancer link studies is "recall bias," which claims flawed research due to its being based on interviews with women who have breast cancer and admit to having had one or more abortions.
           After the study was published, critics attacked the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, saying the research was politically motivated. "It was a shoot -the-messenger approach," explained Karem Malec, "because science really is not on their side, so they argued ideology."
           Furthermore, this research was discussed in the insurance magazine The Actuary. Insurance actuaries were advised to adjust their insurance premiums and reserves accordingly in order to plan for a 50% increase in breast cancer projected out to 2029.
           Malec continued, "The abortion-breast cancer link critics are having a hard time explaining why an insurance magazine would publish a 'politically motivated' article discussing the abortion-breast cancer link: and advising its readers that this epidemic will be costly for the insurance industry and consumers. Insurance companies, after all, are in the business of making money and pleasing their stockholders, not in dealing with politically motivated issues."

           

She concluded: "For people who don't know whom to believe, when the insurance industry starts talking about the issue, then we know it's a serious problem."

 

The Scriptures point out the importance of tithing for blessings. While we as Catholics are not bound by the tithing laws of the Bible, we are called to give according to how we feel God has blessed us. Scriptural quotes for tithing are found in Genesis 14:18-20; Gen. 28:22; Lev. 27-30; Mt. 23:23; Lk. 11:42; Heb. 7:1-11.

Examples of tithing are as follows (Annual Gross Household Income/Amount of Weekly Gift @ 10%/5%/3%/1%):

$30,000/$58/$29/$17/$6
$50,000/$86/$48/$29/$10
$70,000/$135/$67/$40/$14
$100,000/$192/$96/$58/$19

For those who are unable to meet the financial dimension of tithing, one may fulfill tithing by offering up one's talent (ie. Ushering, Knights of Columbus, CCW, etc.) or time to the parish (ie. attending the Bible class or Catechism class). In whatever manner you choose to build the Kingdom of God, we love you!

Boy Scout Troop #513

The Knights of Columbus #13153 of St. John of the Cross Church have sponsored Boy Scout Troop #513 for the past 4 years. We meet weekly on Tuesdays at 7:00 pm in the Rev. John A. Crowley Center. Dave Smith (an EM) is the Scoutmaster. There are 5 Assistant Scoutmasters and a Troop Committee of 10-12 members. We have 23 scouts who are members of 4 patrols.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Scoutmaster Dave Smith at 778-0242 or Ken Rozelsky, K of C at 567-9481.

Please see Fr. John on any matters concerning the building of the new rectory and the build-out inside the existing structure of our church.