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Welcome to St. John the Evangelist! Whether you’re just visiting for a brief time, looking for a new parish home, returning to the practice of your Catholic faith or interested in finding out more about the Catholic Church, we are happy you’re here! To learn more about St. John, please visit stjohngulfport.org.
MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK
Saturday: 5:00 PM + Lorraine Goad Sunday: 8:00 AM + Walter Lolley 10:30 AM + Deceased Legionaries 5:00 PM People of the Parish Monday: 7:00 AM + Mackie Fayard Tuesday: 6:00 PM + Richard & Edna Garrett Wednesday: 7:00 AM + Parker Hoover Thursday: 9:00 AM + Estelle Papania Friday: 7:00 AM No Mass
Parish Ministry Meetings
Knights of Columbus: 1st & 3rd Wednesday - 7:00 PM
K C Ladies Auxiliary: 3rd Tuesday - 6:30 PM
Young At Heart: 4th Thursday - 12 Noon
Prayer Group: Every Thursday - 5:15 PM
For information, call the Parish Office.
Legion of Mary: Every Thursday - 10:00 AM For information, call Annette Seymour 228-326-0851.
Last Week’s Collections
1st Collection: $ 6017 2nd Collection: $ 582 for Property Insurance Children’s Collection: $ 35
Thank you for your generosity!
This week’s second collection is for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. Next week’s second collection is for the St. Vincent de Paul Pharmacy.
Kris Allen John Atwood Regina Papania Bell Mary Ann Bishop Macarolyn Brown Ed Croal Desa Elkins Ronnie Guidry Joann Hoda Mike Hoda Jean Ladner Ann Landry JoAnn Liner Eleanor Mize
Lulu Mount Sophia Nuchereno Bernard Papania Linda Papania Ruthie Parker Toney Phillips Colette Marissa Quigley Alexander Rich Peggy Ryland Skip Ryland Sandy Senseney Suzanne Shifalo Doug Thigpen, Jr.
Mary Thigpen Jon Williams Mary Walker Erma Wilson
Your prayers are asked for the following individuals
who are facing illness or other life challenges.
Catholic Education
St. James Elementary 603 West Avenue, Gulfport, MS 39507
Principal: Jennifer Broadus Tel #: 228-896-6631
St. Vincent De Paul Elementary 4321 Espy Avenue, Long Beach MS 39560
Principal: Carol Church Tel #: 228-222-6000
St. Patrick High School 18300 St. Patrick Road, Biloxi, MS 39532
Principal: Dr. Matt Buckley Tel #: 228-702-0500
If you are new to the parish, please complete a
registration form on the back table or go to our
website and click on the “New Parishioner” tab.
Schedule Pickup
The December schedules for Altar Servers, Lectors,
and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
can be found on the table nearest the Memorial Room
in the back of the church. If you serve in one or more
of these ministries, please be sure and pick one up!
The Christmas schedules will be available in the
upcoming weeks.
Happy Thanksgiving from
Father Ryan and the
Parish Staff!
We hope you enjoy celebrating the holiday
with family and friends!
The Parish Office will close at noon on Wednesday,
November 27, and will remain closed on Thursday
and Friday, November 28 and 29.
Second Collection Envelopes
Second collection envelopes for designated national and diocesan appeals will be available on the tables in
the back of the church two weeks prior to the collection. Please pick one up and remember to print your name and envelope number on the back of the
collection envelope.
Prayer for Hurricane Season
O Heavenly Father, all the elements of nature obey your command. Calm the storms that threaten us and turn our fear into praise of your goodness. Protect us from hurricanes and disasters of nature. We pray through Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
If you or anyone in your family is ill at
home or in the hospital and would like us
to visit you - please call 228-864-2272.
To add or remove a name from the prayer list, please contact the Parish Office. Names will appear on the prayer list for six weeks, but are renewable.
Sister Mary’s Contact Information
Sr. Mary Kealy, PBVM
Nano Nagle Place
Douglas Street
Cork, Ireland
Our youth group meets on
Sunday from 3:30 - 4:45 PM
in the Youth Room. For
more information, please
contact Bridgett Bermond at
228-209-9281.
St. John the Evangelist Advent Mission
We are pleased to announce our upcoming Advent mission with renowned Catholic Speaker Jimmy Seghers. The topic of the mission is Different Ways of Encountering Christ. We invite all to participate to prepare our hearts for Our Lord’s coming at Christmas. The detailed schedule is as follows:
Monday, December 2: “Encountering Christ in Our Holy Mother” 6:00pm-Talk and 7:00pm-Penance Service
Tuesday, December 3: “Encountering Christ in the Holy Eucharist” 5:00pm-Mass and 6:00pm-Talk 7:00pm XLT with Confession
Wednesday, December 4: “Encountering Christ in Suffering” 6:00pm-Talk and 7:00pm Adoration and Confession
Young at Heart
Thursday / December 5 / 12:00 PM
Presentation Hall
Come and enjoy our annual holiday luncheon. We’ll be serving ham and turkey & dressing, so bring your favorite vegetable, salad or dessert to compliment the
meal. Exciting games of bingo will follow lunch!
Day of Reparation
December 6
St. John the Evangelist will participate in a worldwide
day of fasting, prayer and reparation for the purpose of
driving out any diabolic influence within the Church
that has been gained as a result of recent events, such
as those that occurred during the Amazon Synod held
in October.
All Catholic faithful are asked to do the following:
1. Pray the Rosary
2. Take on some form of penance, such as fasting,
abstinence and other types of mortification
3. Offer prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
After the 5:00 PM Benediction concluding our First
Friday devotion, we will pray a Rosary together as a
parish family and offer prayers to the Sacred Heart of
Jesus.
- Please Note -
Daily Mass for Thursday, November 28, will be at
9:00 AM. There will be no daily Mass on Friday,
November 29.
Upcoming Events Continued
READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Monday: Dn 1:1-6, 8-20; Dn 3:52-56; Lk 21:1-4
Tuesday: Dn 2:31-45; Dn 3:57-61; Lk 21:5-11
Wednesday: Dn 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28; Dn 3:62-67;
Lk 21:12-19
Thursday: Dn 6:12-28; Dn 3:68-74; Lk 21:20-28
Thanksgiving Day, Suggested:
Sir 50:22-24; Ps 145:2-11; 1 Cor 1:3-9;
Lk 17:11-19
Friday: Dn 7:2-14; Dn 3:75-81; Lk 21:29-33
Saturday: Rom 10:9-18; Ps 19:8-11; Mt 4:18-22
Sunday: Is 2:1-5; Ps 122:1-9;
Rom 13:11-14; Mt 24:37-44
Flowers have been donated by GiGi Grandis in loving memory of Anthony Verin Davis in remembrance of his birthday on November 18th.
Wednesday / December 18 / 6:00 PM
Presentation Hall
Doors open at 5:45 PM
All married and engaged couples are welcome to
come and join in fellowship and learning. A meal
and baby sitting will be provided. There is no
charge; but to plan properly, please reserve your spot
48 hours in advance by contacting Mara Russo at
228-265-7156 or [email protected] or on
GroupMe on the Couples Date Night Group.
We appreciate those who donate altar flowers. If
you would like to have flowers placed in the
church for a week in honor of a birthday,
anniversary or other celebration, or in memory of
a deceased loved one, please contact the Parish
Office.
During the Month of November
Please remember to keep praying
for all of your deceased loved
ones and all of the other
faithfully departed.
Remember, your prayers help
them get out of Purgatory!
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Since December 8 falls on a Sunday this year, the Feast of the
Immaculate Conception will be celebrated on Monday, December 9. It is NOT a Holy Day of Obligation; however, we will offer
daily Masses at 7:00 AM and 12:00 Noon.
Registration is now occurring for
this year’s Nativity Pageant. All
parish children in grades K-6 are
invited to participate in the
pageant, and all parish children/youth in grades K-12
are invited to participate in the mass as choir
members, lectors, altar servers, and extraordinary
ministers of Holy Communion (if properly
confirmed and commissioned). Registration forms
are on the tables in the back of the church and on the
website. Please contact Linda Hebert in the Parish
Office with any questions. A Family of Faith
Parent Catechetical Gathering
Sunday / December 8 / 11:30 AM
Fatima Room
December 6 - First Friday
December 7 - First Saturday
Worship Schedule on the Front of the Bulletin
At least two people for each hour of adoration
Sign-up Sheet on the Center Table
Please come and spend some time with Our Lord!
Attention Lectors
The 2020 Workbook for Lectors,
Gospel Readers and Proclaimers of
the Word is now available and may
be picked up in the Sacristy.
Happy birthday wishes are extended to:
Mike Mensi on Nov 24; Bailey Bermond on Nov 26;
Alex North on Nov 27; Kayla Brewer, Terri Goad &
Mac Rouse on Nov 28; and Angelica Sanchez on
Nov 30.
May God grant them many blessings in the coming year!
Belated Congratulations
to Our Parishioners
Celebrating a Wedding Anniversary
John & Mary Repp – 62 years on Nov 23
May God bless them with many more
happy years together!
Prayer Candles
5-Day Prayer Candles are
available for a $5 donation
and may be picked up in
the Church Sacristy after
Masses and in the Parish Office from
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM throughout the work week.
Red Candles for St. Joseph
Blue Candles for the Blessed Mother
Children’s Activity Guides
These guides go along with the Sunday readings.
If you have children, please take one for each
child on your way out of Mass. The guides are in
the Bulletin Stands.
Please Take One
Copies of the Advent The
Word Among Us are available
on the tables in the back of
the Church. Pick one up.
They are a wonderful
spiritual resource during this
season of preparation.
Today’s solemnity, the final feast of the Church year, is a youngster as feasts go. In 1925, Pope Pius XI was distressed by global political upheaval and the de-Christianizing of society. That year was a “Holy Year,” keyed to the sixteen hundredth anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, when the words “and of his kingdom there will be no end” were added to the Creed. The Pope explained that although most feasts had developed over many centuries, the Church sometimes provided a new feast to address new needs. He pointed to the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, showing Christ’s love and compassion in a time when many people embraced a cold and gloomy spirituality. Originally on the last Sunday of October, in the late 1960s the solemnity of Christ the King was moved to the last Sunday of the year.
Fresh from baptism’s waters, we are anointed with chrism “as Christ was anointed priest, prophet, and king.” This feast is a key to our iden-tity. On this feast, we recognize Christ as a king who breaks the usual mold of kingship, and who shapes his kingdom with our hands, our words, our deeds of love and service.
—James Field, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.
Parish Update
Our parish goal for this year’s Catholic Sharing
Appeal is $27,610. Thus far, 128 families have
responded and we have raised $42,591.60. Thank
you for your response!
If you have not made a pledge or given a one-time
gift to the CSA, pledge envelopes can be found in
the back of the church, or you can give online at
www.biloxidiocese.org.
The Advent Wreath
The Advent wreath is a popular family devotion for this season. It is usually a circle of evergreen branches surrounding
four candles, one for each of the Sundays of Advent. Frequently, three of the candles are violet and one is rose. The
rose-colored candle is lit during the third week of advent, beginning on Gaudete Sunday (Gaudete means “joy”) as a
reminder that our waiting will soon be over. The Advent wreath is blessed on the first Sunday of Advent. One candle is
lit the first week, two the second week, three the third week and all four the fourth week.
Blessing the Advent Wreath
On the first Sunday of Advent, gather the family and bless the advent wreath. Begin by making the sign of the cross.
Leader- Our help is in the name of the Lord.
All- Who made heaven and earth.
Reading
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness have seen a
great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them light has shined. You have multiplied the nation, you
have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. For a
child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this
time onward and for evermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Isaiah 9:2-3,6-7
Blessing
A parent leads the family in one of these blessings, or the family prays it in unison.
Lord God, Your Church joyfully awaits the coming of its savior, who enlightens our hearts and dispels the darkness of
ignorance and sin. Pour forth your blessings upon us as we light the candles of this wreath; may their light reflect the
splendor of Christ, who is Lord, for ever and ever. Amen.
Lord our God, we praise you for your Son, Jesus Christ: he is Emmanuel, the hope of the peoples, he is the wisdom that
teaches and guides us, he is the Savior of every nation. Lord God, let your blessing come upon us as we light the candles
of this wreath and its light be a sign of Christ’s promise to bring us salvation. May he come quickly and not delay. We
ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The First Week of Advent
This ceremony is meant for every day during the first week of Advent, beginning with the first Sunday. The family prays
one of these prayers as the first candle is lighted.
All powerful God, Increase our strength of will for doing good that Christ may find an eager welcome at his coming and
call us to his side in the kingdom of heaven, where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.
Father in heaven, our hearts desire the warmth of your love, and our minds are searching for the light of your Word.
Increase our longing for Christ our Savior and give us the strength to grow in love, that the dawn of his coming may find
us rejoicing in his presence and welcoming the light of his truth. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen.
The Second Week of Advent
The family prays one of these prayers as two candles are lighted.
God of power and mercy, open our hearts in welcome. Remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy,
so that we may share his wisdom and become one with him when he comes in glory, for he lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Father in heaven, the day draws near when the glory of your Son will make radiant the night of the waiting world. May
the lure of greed not impede us from the joy which moves the hearts of those who seek him. May the darkness not blind
us to the vision of wisdom, which fills the minds of those who find him. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen.
The Third Week of Advent
The family prays one of these prayers as three candles, including the rose-colored one, are lighted.
Lord God, may we, your people who look forward to the birthday of Christ, experience the joy of salvation and celebrate
that feast with love and thanksgiving. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ever faithful to your promises and ever close to your Church: the earth rejoices in hope of
the Savior’s coming and looks forward with longing to his return at the end of time. Prepare our hearts and remove the
sadness that hinders us from feeling the joy and hope which his presence will bestow, for he is Lord for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Fourth Week of Advent
The family prays one of these prayers as all four candles are lighted.
Lord, fill our hearts with you love, and as you revealed to us by an angel the coming of your Son as man, so lead us
through his suffering and death to the glory of his resurrection, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Father, all powerful God, your eternal word took flesh on our earth when the Virgin Mary placed her life at the service
of your plan. Lift our minds in watchful hope to hear the voice which announces his glory and open our minds to receive
the Spirit who prepares us for his coming. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source: A Prayer Book for Catholic Families
