2302 W. CHURCH ST. | JOHNSBURG, IL 60051 | (815) 385 -1477

Fax (815) 363 -3333 | www.s t johns johnsburg.org | f ind us on mypar ish app

A diocesan parish served by the Congregation of the Resurrection

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

August 9, 2020 † 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mass Sign-Up available at stjohnsjohnsburg.org

Saturday: 4:00 pm

Sunday: 7:00 am, 9:00 am, 11:00am

WEEKEND MASSES

HOLY DAY OBLIGATION

Eve of Holy Day: 7:00 pm Holy Day Masses:

9:00 am and 7:00pm

Saturdays: 3:00—3:45 pm and by appointment

Communal Penance celebrated during

Advent and Lent

SACRAMENT OF

RECONCILATION

WEEKDAY MASSES

Monday: 8:00 am Tuesday: 8:00 am

Wednesday: 8:00 am Thursday: 8:00 am

Friday: 8:00 am

Weekdays before Mass

ROSARY

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time Be still and know that I am God. Silence is sacred. Silence speaks the language of the soul and is the foundation of all life and eternity itself. Silence takes us beyond the limits of our minds and allows us to seek and to love the essence of all love, perfect love, and being. In silence, we can be non-verbally present to things and to God in ways that words cannot accomplish. We can discover, encounter, and be pre-sent to truths that our minds struggle to conceive and then set aside the boxes we put around things when comprehending them is challenging. We can know the unknowable and touch eternity when we encounter the core silence in our souls. We can do this even on a noisy street and in the midst of the greatest distraction. Once we have made friends with silence, the rambling noise of the world no longer seems to matter, and we can carry a deep forgiving peace within us, even when physical silence cannot be found. We know that we are loved, cared for, sustained, nourished, embraced, and carried. There is nothing to fear in silence, and I can be pre-sent to myself in the same way that God is present to me. I can see myself as God sees me. All of my faults, weaknesses, imperfections, failings, and sinfulness melt away in the abundance of God’s mercy. All of the worldly things we see as being important no longer are. It is in silence that all of the barriers that divide us dis-appear. There is no more “yours” and “mine” but only the oneness of “ours.” There is no longer a need to “figure things out,” and we tap into our desire to simply let things be. Silence is creative and powerful and gives us hope. Silence is God’s greatest blessing. God became one with humanity in silence. It allows us to be one with all of creation, with the moon and the stars and all of the creatures God has made. The small-est particle of creation radiates with beauty. Silence allows us to soar beyond ourselves and connect in ways that the mind can only imagine. When all is quiet, we begin to see that it is only our fear that keeps us from the Lord. It is our fear that causes us to sink and to fail. We can hear the gentle whisper that tells us to reach for God’s hand. We discover that we yearn for the salvation and wholeness that only God can give to us. Be still my soul and be at peace.

Gospel meditation

BAPTISMS: Parents must be registered parishioners. Parishioners call Fr. Jacek Junak, CR at (815) 385-1477, EXT. 202 for information, requirements, and scheduling for baptism preparation classes.

RCIA: Adults seeking baptism and/or entry into the Catholic Church are invited to participate in the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) Program. Please call Fr. Jacek Junak, CR for more information.

CEMETERY: Please call Annie in the parish office at (815) 385-1477, EXT. 203 to purchase cemetery plots and niches in columbarium.

MARRIAGES: Please call Fr. Jacek Junak, CR at (815) 385-1477, EXT. 202 for appointment, requirements, and a desired wedding date of at least 6 months in advance.

PRAYER LIST: Please call Anna Rose in the parish office at (815) 385-1477, EXT. 223 to be placed on the bulletin prayer list.

REGISTRATION: Please call Annie in the parish office (815) 385-1477, EXT. 203 to register as a parishioner.

Monday & Wednesday: 8:30 am – 2:30 pm Tuesday & Thursday: 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm Friday: 8:30am– Noon

Pastor: Rev. Jacek Junak, CR, EXT. 202 Deacon: Mr. Jerry Giessinger Deacon: Mr. Dave Gillespie

CLERGY

Secretary: Annie Muich EXT. 203 stjohnjohnsburgsecretary@gmail.com Business Manager: Kasia Placek EXT. 204 stjohnbusinessmanager@gmail.com Religious Ed. Director: Stephanie Eldridge EXT. 201 stjohnreyouth@gmail.com Bulletin Editor: Anna Rose Zakrzewski EXT. 223 stjohnbulletin2302@gmail.com Music Ministry: Mary Jo Schwontkowski EXT. 1 mjschwontkowski@sbcglobal.net

PARISH STAFF

Principal: Mrs. Brenda Baldassano

2304 W. Church Street Johnsburg, IL 60051 (815) 385-3959 www.stjohnschool.com

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST SCHOOL

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BUSINESS HOURS

2 Welcome to St. John the Baptist, Johnsburg, IL

PARISH INFORMATION

Sunday: 1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-13a/Ps 85:9, 10, 11-12, 13-14 [8]/Rom 9:1-5/Mt 14:22-33 Monday: 2 Cor 9:6-10/Ps 112:1-2, 5-6, 7-8, 9 [5]/Jn 12:24-26 Tuesday: Ez 2:8—3:4/Ps 119:14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131 [103a]/Mt 18:1-5, 10, 12-14 Wednesday: Ez 9:1-7; 10:18-22/Ps 113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 [4b]/Mt 18:15-20 Thursday: Ez 12:1-12/Ps 78:56-57, 58-59, 61-62 [cf. 7b]/ Mt 18:21—19:1 Friday: Ez 16:1-15, 60, 63 or 16:59-63/Is 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6 [1c]/Mt 19:3-12 Saturday: Vigil: 1 Chr 15:3-4, 15-16; 16:1-2/Ps 132:6-7, 9- 10, 13-14 [8]1 Cor 15:54b-57/Lk 11:27-28. Day: Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab/Ps 45:10, 11, 12, 16 [10bc]/1 Cor 15:20-27/Lk 1:39-56 Next Sunday: Is 56:1, 6-7/Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8 [4]/Rom 11:13- 15, 29-32/Mt 15:21-28

Weekly Readings - Year A

August 9, 2020 † Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 3

Prayer Requests

We will keep names on the list for eight weeks, and then remove. If you would like the name of your loved one to be on the list for longer than eight weeks, please call the Parish Office to renew.

Thank you for your understanding.

“One thing only I ask you, that you remember me at the altar of the Lord.” - St. Monica

Mass Intentions

Jakey Baldassano Ted Bierchen

Jim Blaney Valerie Brunkhorst

Kyle Buscemi Noelle Hoeh-Butski Carmelita Caifano

Jeannie Caifano Serenity Carf

Sabrina Cavanaugh Mary Chambers

Mike & Sharon Coyle John Ferraro

Tina Fosnacht Glenda Fussell

Debbie Glen Patti Hoeh

Michael Jonas Jerome Kehl

Sr. Rosemary Kelley Judy King

Don & Barb Klapperich Dean & Sandra Lenard

Robert Madsen Sr. Carol Mecko

Aaliyah Gilbert-Meyer Jeanne Monaco

Dan Oleksa Charlotte Paoletti

Kathy Posey Nancy Roberts

Roz Ruiz Jerry Schillaci Mira Williams

John Wolf Alice Zabawski

Diane Zyskowski

Our Beloved Deceased:

Georgianne Chromczak Robbin Pierce

Saturday, August 8, St. Dominic 4:00 PM † Harold Hunt, Birthday (Hunt Family) Sunday, August 9, 19th Sunday in Ord. Time 7:00 AM † Jack Mulholland, Anniversary (Lawrence & Valerie Brixy) 9:00 AM Parishioners, Friends, & Benefactors of St. John the Baptist (Fr. Jacek, CR) 11:00 AM † Marcin Placek, Birthday (Placek Family) Monday, August 10, St. Lawrence 8:00 AM † Dr. John Brunkhorst (Marlene Goetschel) Tuesday, August 11, St. Clare 8:00 AM † John Hiller (Fr. Jacek & Parish Staff) Wednesday, August 12, St. Jane Frances de Chantal 8:00 AM † Deceased of Holmes & Marulewski Families (Chris Marulewski) Thursday, August 13, Sts. Pontian & Hippolytus 8:00 AM † Joseph John Elsey (Elsey Family) Friday, August 14, St. Maximillian Kolbe 8:00 AM † Tom Majercik (Chuck & Nancy Majercik) Saturday, August 15, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 4:00 PM † Leonard Nusser, Anniversary (Nusser Family) Sunday, August 16, 20th Sunday in Ord. Time 7:00 AM † Arnie Diedrich, Anniversary (Christine Marulewski) 9:00 AM Parishioners, Friends, & Benefactors of St. John the Baptist (Fr. Jacek, CR) 11:00 AM † Joseph & Catherine Kalavas Anniversary (Family)

4 St. John the Baptist, Johnsburg, IL

St. John the Baptist Religious Education

5 August 9, 2020 † Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

9 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ST. MAXIMILIAN KOLBE by Ellyn von huben

“Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” – John 15:13

That verse certainly comes to mind when-ever I think of St. Maximilian Kolbe, whose feast we celebrate (August 14). So it’s not surprising to read that these were the opening words of the papal decree intro-ducing his beatification. St. Maximilian Kolbe was arrested in Poland in February of 1941, and in May sent to the Auschwitz death camp. As prisoner #16670, he even-tually laid down his life for another prison-er on August 14, 1941, at the young age of 47.

When a prisoner escaped late in July of that year, ten men from his barracks were picked to suffer death by starvation as both punishment and deterrent. Fr. Maxi-milian offered to take the place of one of the men; Franciszek Gajowniczek had let out a cry of pain for his family and this holy priest volunteered to take his place.

What followed were weeks of unimagina-ble horror, as the men suffered the pains of dehydration and starvation. But this holy man not only offered to be one of the suffering, he ministered to them as well. After three weeks there were only four prisoners left alive. It was on this day in 1941, the day before the Church cele-brates the Assumption of St. Maximilian’s beloved Mary, the Immaculata, that Fr. Kolbe and three fellow prisoners were killed with injections of carbolic acid.

By the late 1940’s the cause for Fr. Kolbe’s beatification had begun. He was beatified by Pope Paul VI in 1971 and canonized by his fellow Pole, Pope John Paul II in 1982.

For those who know little beyond the story of the horrific and glorious last days of this saint, I would like to share nine things you should know:

1. Mary appeared to him as a boy. Baptized as Raymund Kolbe, our saint was a normal child and the stories of his child-hood don’t have the false patina that Flan-nery O’Connor said exist in the stories of pious children. Yet there is this one stun-ning exception. One night in Kolbe’s child-hood, Our Lady appeared to him in a dream holding a white crown and a red crown. He later related, “She asked if I was willing to accept either of these crowns. The white one meant that I should perse-

vere in purity, and the red that I should become a martyr. I said that I would ac-cept them both.” So, yes, St. Maximillian had a normal childhood, but with one tre-mendous difference that was to define the course of his life.

2. He always wanted to be a soldier. As a student, the young Raymond excelled in what we now call the STEM areas of study (science, technology, engineering, and math). He also had a passionate inter-est in all things military. A childhood dream of the priesthood was almost lost for this ardent patriot with a soldier’s heart, as he had hoped for a military ca-reer defending his beloved Poland. Com-plications caused him to abandon these plans and he entered the Franciscan novi-ate late in 1910 and was ordained in 1918.

His still had a soldier’s heart, but now waged a spiritual war. With several friends a new type of army was founded, the Mili-tia Immaculatae, an army to convert sin-ners and bring all to love Mary Immacu-late.

3. He founded a religious group focused on evangelization. By the time he was in his early thirties, Fr. Kolbe founded a religious house near War-saw, Niepokalanów – the City of the Im-maculate, from which to expand his evan-gelization efforts. Starting with a handful of friars, within a decade it grew to house nearly 1,000! He and a handful of his brothers travelled to Japan, where they opened another house in Nagasaki.

4. He was a master of the new media. Fr. Kolbe was a man of his times and thor-oughly modern in his evangelization. The friars’ made use of the most modern printing technology and distribution strat-egies for their materials, their arsenal in the Militia’s spiritual war. They had started a radio station and Fr. Kolbe even had plans for a movie studio.

5. He has a statue at Westminster Abbey. St. Maximilian Kolbe is among twenty modern martyrs from across the globe who have been honored with a statue on the façade of Westminster Abbey. This priest who had no greater love than to lay down his life can be seen above the west door of the abbey, along with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther King, Jr. and seventeen others.

6. You can acquire relics of St. Maximili-an. Though St. Maximilian’s body was inciner-ated at Auschwitz, there are first class rel-ics available for veneration. Years before the saint’s death, a somewhat prescient barber in his community started saving clippings of Fr. Kolbe’s hair and beard. Parishes may obtain a first class relic for public veneration through Niepokalanów. The community can also accommodate requests for second class relics and pro-vide prayer cards with relics.

7. The prisoner whom St. Maximilian saved attended his canonization. There was one extraordinary man in attendance at St. Maximilian’s canoniza-tion: Franciszek Gajowniczek. Though spared the torture of the starvation bun-ker, Gajowniczek had still suffered greatly. He was in Auschwitz for over five years and his sons did not live to see the day of his release. Those prisoners who had grown so fond of Fr. Kolbe were particular-ly cruel to Gajowniczek, as they blamed him for the loss of their beloved friend and priest. But he received consolation in 1982, in St. Peter’s Square, when the man who offered his life for Franciszek’s was declared a saint.

8. There are St. Maximilian pilgrimage sites, even in America. Niepokalanów is still a thriving community. There is even a museum which pilgrims visit in large numbers. If you live in the United States and your travels will not take you abroad, you can still plan a pil-grimage to the National Shrine of St. Maxi-milian Kolbe at Marytown in Libertyville, Illinois, about thirty miles north of Chica-go.

9. The pope declared him the patron saint of the twentieth century. St. Maximillian is the patron saint of fami-lies, prisoners, journalists, political prison-ers, drug addicts and the pro-life move-ment. St. John Paul II declared him to be “the patron saint of our difficult century.” The evils which made the twentieth centu-ry so difficult were not left behind as we moved into the twenty-first century.

Let us continue to call upon the interces-sion of this saint and continue to come to Jesus through his mother, Mary, the Im-maculata.

https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/blog/9-things-to-know-about-st-maximilian-kolbe/4426/

6 St. John the Baptist, Johnsburg, IL

SOCIAL MORALITY

Question: What are the principles that guide decision-making and social morality? Answer: There are seven principals of Catholic social teaching that guide our sense of social morality. These seven key points are the hallmarks of a just society, moral laws, and good leadership. They help shape our social “conscience” and lead us to choose those things that characterize social justice. They are 1) respect for the life and dignity of the human person; 2) call to family, community, and participation; 3) rights and responsibilities; 4) a preferential option for the poor; 5) the dignity of work and the rights of workers; 6) solidarity; and 7) care for God's creation. Catholic social teaching has had a great influence in our history and continues to guide us well. We must value every person in all walks of life, but especially those who are weak, vulnerable, and least able to defend themselves. We cannot justify the ends with the means, so no life can ever be sacrificed for the sake of another. The basic necessities of life cannot be denied someone: food, shelter, clothing, and medical care. We can and must find ways to put into practice the Gospel values we preach and proclaim, so that all people can know and experience God’s love for them. That might be the greatest principle of all!

5 August 9, 2020 † Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Sanctuary Lamp is burning

August 9th—22nd

in Loving Memory of

Russell Kipkowski

May this light which reminds us of Jesus’ True Presence in the Sanctuary welcome him into

eternal peace.

BEING HUMAN IS TO DOUBT Humans doubt. It’s what we do. We doubt ourselves and we doubt others. Before any of us say anything about Peter’s doubting the words of Jesus that told him he could get out of his boat and walk on water, we need to get real with our-selves: How would I respond in the same situation? I remember when I was child taking swimming lessons. One day I simply tightened up my muscles and sank. The lifeguard pulled me up and asked what happened. I said I did not know. The truth is that I was sinking un-der the weight of my own doubt. I did not believe I could do what clearly, I was told I could. That was only in five feet of water in a pool! Now that I’m older, I can look back and laugh. But an adult, the swimming pool is life, and I would be lying if I said that there are no longer times I find myself sinking due to new doubts.

Much of our doubt comes about because of a lack of trust in God. We place our trust in material things, wealth, or imperfect people instead of the One who is worthy of our trust 100 percent of the time. Our stew-ardship is often hampered by our doubt that God will provide all that we need. If I give more, I may not have enough to survive! When we place all our trust in God, not only do we find that we have been given all we need – our doubt that cause us to sink in the pool of life fades away. We don’t suddenly become perfect in our trust, and there will be times when we find our-selves with concerns again. However, it is in those mo-ments we find that He is still there, speaking the words we need to hear: “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

—Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS

The Parish Office is open with new COVID summer hours.

Mon: 8:30 am—2:30 pm Tues: 12:00 pm—6:00 pm Wed: 8:30 am—2:30 pm Thurs: 12:00 pm—6:00 pm Fri: 8:30 am—12:00 pm

Please respect all social distancing guidelines when visiting the Parish Office. Masks are required for the

safety of our staff and those we serve. Thank you for your cooperation!

8 St. John the Baptist, Johnsburg, IL

Ministry News & Events

Please visit our parish website home page for information on the reopening of St. John’s for public mass as well as information on how to sign up for Mass times.

stjohnsjohnsburg.org

St. John the Baptist is in great need of volunteers to help before and after weekend masses! We are look-ing for healthy individuals under the age of 65 who are not considered "at risk" to support: Sanitizing the church before and

after liturgical service

Receiving parishioners, welcom-ing, and explaining new guide-lines as they enter the church

Helping direct people to maintain social distancing and the safety our fellow parishioners.

If you are interested in helping as a part of our Response Team please send your contact info (name, email, cell phone) to:

reopenstjohns@gmail.com

or call the parish office at:

(815) 385- 1477

Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend

Don’t take a summer vacation from your marriage, bring it into your marriage. Time with your spouse on a World-wide Marriage Encounter weekend is an investment that will pay dividends. It is a weekend for married couples to get away from job, computers, children, chores and phones – and focus on each other and God’s plan for your marriage. Sign up today to attend one of the upcoming Worldwide Marriage Encounter Week-ends :

September 11-13 in Geneva, IL

October 16-18 in Brookfield, WI

November 13-15 in Rockford, IL

Early registration is highly recommended. For more information visit our website at:

alifetimeoflove.org or call (888) 574-5653.

Para un fin de semana en español por favor llamen a Candelario y Emilia al 815-375-4250.

9 August 9, 2020 † Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Are you getting bored with staying home?

1st Way Life Center is currently looking for volunteers. The work varies. You may meet

with clients, do office tasks, process clothing donations, and more.

We are adhering to COVID guidelines. We are a safe and friendly environment. If you think you might be interested in volunteering, please call (815) 385 -2999 and leave a message for Helen.

This spring and summer have been a time of great uncertainty for many fam-ilies in our community, state and country. Even as some businesses begin to reopen more fully, reductions in force and layoffs continue to be common. The financial impact of reduced income and fewer job opportunities is signif-icant in our area. As families struggle to pay their bills, many end up food-poor, unable to provide nourishing meals for their family. St. Vincent de Paul assists and financially supports food box distributions through the Illinois Food Bank and by distributing bags of food and Aldi's gift certificates through their Vincentians' outreach. Your support of the parish Poor Box ensures that SVdP can continue to assist our neighbors in need. In addition, donations of laundry detergent are greatly appreciated.

"She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy." Proverbs 31:20

Church Finances

Ministry news & events

Until further notice, many church, school, ministry events and meetings have been cancelled or postponed.

For up-to-date Parish information and announcements, please visit the St. John the Baptist Church website at

stjohnsjohnsburg.org

or download the free MyParish App on your Smart Phone and enter “60051” or “St. John the Baptist” under Find a Parish.

Stewardship OF TREASURE Online Contributions……….…..………….….$ 755.00

Diocesan stewardship 2020 2020 Diocesan Stewardship Goal _ _ $74,260.00 Pledged to Date …..…….………………..……..$ 30,785.00 Paid to Date .…………...………………..……….$ 24,476.00 Difference between goal and payments $ 49,784.00

For pledging & payment: www.rockforddiocese.org/donate

See if your employer participates in a “Matching Gift Program” to double your gift.

Please remember St. John’s in your will. Thank you for your generous giving!

10 St. John the Baptist, Johnsburg, IL

Leaf It to a Kid

While visiting his grandparents, a small boy opened the big family Bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out. He picked it up and found that it was an old leaf that had been pressed flat between the pages.

“Grandma, look what I found,” he called out.

“What have you got there, dear?” she asked.

With astonishment in his voice, the boy answered, “I think it’s Adam’s underwear!”

What Next?

God was talking to one of his angels and said, “Do you know what I have just done? I’ve just created a 24-hour period of alternating light and darkness on Earth. Isn’t that great?”

The angel said, “Yes, but what will you do now?”

God said, “I think I’ll call it a day.”

A Morning Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

So far today, I’ve done all right.

I haven’t gossiped or lost my temper.

I haven’t been greedy, grumpy, nasty, or self-centered.

I’m really happy about that so far.

But in a few minutes I’m going to be getting out of bed

and then I’m going to need a lot of help. Thank you!

Amen.