Bulletin highlights for the St. John the Baptist Parish Community:

Peace I Leave With You; My Peace I Give To You [05/26/19]
As the Church prepares to celebrate the Ascension of Jesus into heaven and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles at Pentecost, we encounter today’s Gospel which is a source of great life and hope. In the course of this brief passage Jesus speaks of He and the Father dwelling with those who love them and of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, being sent to teach them, and then he bestows His peace on them, telling them not to be troubled or afraid. The realities this Gospel presents mean a great deal in our own lives as we strive to follow the example of the disciples and be faithful followers of Jesus today. To know that the Lord dwells with us means that we are never alone and always have God’s protection and guidance. To know that the Lord sends His Spirit as our Advocate means that He moves in living and effective ways to provide for us. To know that the Lord bestows His peace upon us means that as we trust in him our anxiety and worry can be no more. All of these gifts are important as the On Mission for The Church Alive! Initiative continues to take shape in our parishes/groupings. As we strive to do the work in the Lord in light of the gifts he has given us we can trust in his guidance and peace. Visit onmissionchurchalive.org to learn more and stay informed.

As I Have Loved You, So You Also Should Love One Another [05/19/19]
When Jesus is asked what the greatest commandment is, His response is to love God above all and to love our neighbor as our self. As Christians, this is what we strive for every day. We work to have our hearts formed so that in all things, at all times and in all circumstances we can show love for God and love for others. In today’s Gospel, Jesus invites us to love others as He has loved us. This invitation offers a beautiful moment of reflection to recognize how He has loved us. He has given us life, gifts and talents, family and friends to love us, and faith that we may realize with trust that we are never alone. The love of Jesus for us is unconditional and sacrificial and the more we reflect on this love, the more we realize how we are called to love one another. While this call of Jesus should inspire us to open our eyes and ears to see and hear the needs of others and to respond in love, it also should lead us to love others even when there is no particular reason to, simply because they are our sisters and brothers. As the On Mission for the Church Alive! Initiative calls us to be building God’s kingdom, may it be rooted in the opportunities we have to love others as God loves us.

For information regarding On Mission for the Church Alive! here at St. John the Baptist Parish, click here.


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As a parishioner of St. John the Baptist, would you please take a moment to provide your email address to the parish office? In doing this, it will help improve parish community communications. For more information and instructions, visit the Registration page.

There will be a second collection the weekend of May 18/19, 2019 for Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Church in Latin America, Central & Eastern Europe, & Africa. Please be generous as your means allow.

Invitations have been mailed for the High School Graduation Mass and Brunch to be held on Sunday, May 19, 2019. If you are a parishioner and a high school senior and did not receive an invitation, please contact Susan at 724.774.7719 as soon as possible.

Our parish grouping is working with Newman Connection to connect graduating high school students to their college local Catholic campus ministry. Newman Connection is a non-profit organization working with campuses nationwide to refer graduating high school students to Catholic campus ministers who in turn invite incoming students to get involved before they even arrive on campus.

As you know, college graduates who have been active in campus ministry are more likely to attend Mass, to volunteer for leadership roles in parishes once they return to their parish from college, and to consider religious vocations. As part of our pastoral responsibility, we want to support these students as they embark on this next step in their lives.

Please email Fr Martin at mbartel@diopitt.org and provide the names(s), email address and the college/university (with city, state) to be attended of your 2019 high school graduate(s). With this information, Newman Connection will be able to successfully connect the students to their college faith community. The youth of our parish are the future! Help us to help them!

The sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick will be administered after the following weekend Masses:

• Saturday, May 25, 2019 - 4:00PM Mass at Our Lady of Fatima, Hopewell Township
• Saturday, May 25, 2019 - 4:30PM Mass at St. Frances Cabrini, Center Township
• Sunday, May 26, 2019 - 10:00AM Mass at St. Titus, Aliquippa
• Sunday, May 26, 2019 - 10:30AM Mass at St. John the Baptist, Monaca

Those who desire anointing are asked to come to the front of church after Mass and sit in every other pew row in order to make it easy for the priest to pass through the empty intervening pews when laying hands and anointing.

By the sacred anointing of the sick and the prayer of the priest, the whole Church commends those who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that He may raise them up and save them. “And indeed he exhorts them to contribute to the good of the People of God by freely uniting themselves to the passion and death of Christ.”

The Anointing of the Sick is not a sacrament just for those at the point of death. Hence, as soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him/her to receive the sacrament has certainly already arrived. If a sick person who received this anointing recovers, that same individual upon suffering another grave illness can receive this sacrament again. If during the same illness the person’s condition becomes more serious, the sacrament may be repeated. It is also fitting to receive the Anointing of the Sick just prior to a serious operation. The same holds for the elderly whose frailty becomes more pronounced. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1499, 1514, 1515)

With fewer priests available, it is even more critical than ever to receive this sacrament when it is offered rather than to wait for an emergency situation. That is why this sacrament is made available in the parishes of our parish grouping twice a year as well as upon request.

Masses on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27, 2019, will be celebrated at 9:00AM at Mt. Olivet Cemetery AND at 9:00AM at St. John the Baptist Cemetery. The Our Lady of Fatima Parish Mass intention will be satisfied at Mt. Olivet Cemetery; the St. Frances Cabrini Parish Mass intention will be satisfied at St. John the Baptist Cemetery.

Consider bringing a lawn chair to Mt. Olivet Cemetery to supplement the seating in the chapel. Definitely bring lawn chairs to St. John the Baptist Cemetery for seating. In the event of rain, the Mass at St. John the Baptist Cemetery will move to St. John the Baptist Church.

Memorial Day Mass Set-Up Volunteers
Volunteers are needed to erect and dismantle a tent to cover the altar for the Mass at St. John the Baptist Cemetery. Please call the Parish Pastoral Center Office at 724.775.3940 ext. 3 to sign up.

The Pastoral Center Office will be closed on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27, 2019 and reopen on Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at 9:00AM. God bless and much gratitude to all who have given their lives in service to our country as well as their families.

Thursday, May 30, 2019 is the Ascension of the Lord. It is a holy day of obligation. The Mass schedule for this holy day for our parish grouping is, as follows:

St. John the Baptist

• Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at 5:30PM
• Thursday, May 30, 2019 at 8:00AM

St. Frances Cabrini

• Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at 6:30PM
• Thursday, May 30, 2019 at 12:10PM

St. Titus

• Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at 4:00PM
• Thursday, May 30, 2019 at 7:00AM

Our Lady of Fatima

• Thursday, May 30, 2019 at 8:30AM

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.”

It is hoped that our parish can offer a portion of the second reading on Pentecost from the Acts of the Apostles in various languages. If you speak any language, other than English of course, and would be willing to read a few sentences at Mass the weekend of June 8/9, 2019, please contact the Parish Pastoral Center Office at 724.775.3940 ext. 3. Thank you in advance for your participation. This will be a wonderful way to bring the scripture reading to life on Pentecost Sunday.

If you wish to have a Mass offered at St. John the Baptist Church for a loved one or a special intention, there are many weekday Masses still open. Please call the Parish Pastoral Center Office at 724.775.3940 ext. 3 to make your request(s).

In order to reduce parish expenses, the mailing offertory envelopes has been stopped for parishioners who have not made use of them in the last three years. These [279] parishioners will remain on our parish census, but will not be mailed envelope packets, eliminating production and mailing expense. Any parishioner who wishes to resume receiving envelopes in support of our Parish Community of St. John the Baptist, please contact the Parish Pastoral Center Office at 724.775.3940 ext. 3, and your offertory envelope packet delivery will be immediately reinstate.

The Initiation of Catechumens is a process that takes place within the community of the faithful, with catechumens joining with the faithful and together they reflect on the Paschal Mystery. RCIA regularly meets on Sunday after the 10:30AM Mass in the Faith Formation Room of the Pastoral Center. To learn more about RCIA at St. John the Baptist Parish, you may also call the Pastoral Center at 724.775.3940. All are welcome.

On Thursday, May 23, 2019 at 6:30PM in St. John the Baptist Pastoral Center a Baptismal Preparation Class will be held. This class is a one-time requirement for parents wishing to have their child baptized. Topics to be covered include: the Sacrament of Baptism, the Rite of Baptism, and the need for suitable godparents who regularly practice the Faith to serve as worthy role models and mentors for the child in the ways of faith. To register, call the Parish Pastoral Center Office at 724.775.3940 ext. 3. The next class will be offered in June at Our Lady of Fatima Church, Hopewell Township.

On Friday, June 7, 2019 the Parish Church of St. John the Baptist, 1409 Pennsylvania Avenue, Monaca, PA will welcome the precious, first-class relics St. Anthony of Padua from the Pontifical Basilica in Padua, Italy. The touring relics will be accompanied by Fr. Alessandro Ratti, one of fifty-four OFM Conventual Franciscan Friars of the Franciscan Order of St. Francis of Assisi who minister in the basilica where the saint is buried. Veneration will begin at 5:00PM; Mass will be celebrated at 7:00PM.

For details, visit the Notes & Insights page.

Parishioners available to assist as adult servers and lectors are needed during the weekdays for funeral Masses. Please consider this service to the church. It will only cost about an hour of your time, but gift is priceless in eternity. Please call the parish office at 724.775.3940, ext. 3.

Our parish Bible Study normally meets each Wednesday at 9:30AM in the Faith Formation Room of the Pastoral Center. We use the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (based on the Revised Standard Version: Second Catholic Edition) by Scott Hahn & Curtis Mitch. On alternate weeks, we also view DVD’s of speakers. We will be viewing Solomon and discuss this DVD over the next three weeks.

Further your Biblical knowledge. Join our
study group for just one morning or as a regular! Have a donut and coffee while learning, discussing and sharing.

The St. Vincent DePaul Society is able to help those less fortunate with food, clothing, bills and simple home repairs. If you or anyone that you know could benefit from our help, please contact us. Our parish St. Vincent de Paul Society's phone number is 724.494.8864. All calls are confidential.

Those wishing to make a monetary donation to St. Vincent de Paul by check, please make it payable to: Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Thank you for your continued support and generosity.

SVdP Tuition Aid Program
The St. Vincent DePaul Society offers a Tuition Aid Program for graduating seniors who have been accepted by a university, college or trade school or for current college students meeting the following requirements: The university or trade school must be in Allegheny County or be any Pennsylvania state-affiliated college (Penn State, Slippery Rock, Indiana State, etc.). They must have at least a 3.0 average. They need an admission letter and invoice from the school of their choice; a letter of recommendation from a priest, pastor, rabbi, or a member of the St. Vincent DePaul Society confirming their need and a copy of their family's IRS Form 1040 showing adjusted gross income. Applications for this aid can be mailed to anyone interested by calling the St. John the Baptist Church Conference at 724.494.8864.

Space is available for rent in our Pastoral Center building (formerly occupied by the St. John the Baptist Preschool). Please pass the word along among relatives, friends, neighbors and co-workers who may be looking for office space. Interested parties should contact the Pastoral Center Office at 724.775.3940 ext. 3.

All adults and young adults ages 18 and up are welcome to participate in St. John the Baptist Young Adult Group Nights. To be added to the group email list and/or learn more about the Young Adult Group, email adri3151@yahoo.com. You can also join the St. John the Baptist Young Adult Group Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/922851577791397/ to stay up to date.

The members of the Fifty + Friends will not be meeting on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. Also, please note there will be no meeting in July or August. Have a great summer. See you in September for bingo, cards, games and a good time for all!

Our 2019 Parish Share assessment from the diocese is $68,380.00. We thank you for your generosity towards this project. Please be aware that all monies raised over the goal remain in our own parish!

Our parish provides Holy Communion to parishioners who are homebound or unable to attend Mass. For more information or to schedule a visit, please call St. John the Baptist Pastoral Center at 724.775.3940 ext. 3.

If you know of a family member or a neighbor who is in a local nursing home or hospital and would like a church visit, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, receive Holy Communion or the Anointing of the Sick, please call the Pastoral Center Office at 724.775.3940 ext. 3 to let a clergy/staff member know. Due to the HIPPA Laws, churches are almost never notified by the healthcare facility.

PLEASE NOTE: The quickest and most efficient way to ensure that your hospitalized loved ones are anointed in the case of an emergency is to ask the nurse to page the CATHOLIC CHAPLAIN ON CALL. There is a priest on duty 24/7 for Heritage Valley Beaver. (Our priests cover Thursdays and Fridays.) Calls to the Pastoral Center Office or notes left in the church sacristy may not be responded to in a timely fashion due to unavailability or oversight. Calls to the Catholic chaplain answering service receive IMMEDIATE RESPONSE. Also, please ensure your family member is listed in the hospital records as Catholic. If the person is not, there is no way of knowing the patient's religious affiliation and so are not seen when Fr. Regis kindly visits the hospital almost daily, or when the other priests are there. Thank you in advance for seeing to the sacramental needs of the hospitalized.

Anyone wanting to carry up the offertory gifts at a Mass celebrated for the intention of a family member or friend, please speak with one of the ushers about it prior to the start of Mass. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

As has been the practice for many years, parish offering envelopes deposited in the collection basket in any Catholic church in the Diocese of Pittsburgh are returned to the parish named on the envelope. St. John the Baptist envelopes deposited in the collection at Our Lady of Fatima, St. Frances Cabrini or St. Titus (or any other local Catholic church) are returned to St. John the Baptist to be included in the following week's offertory figures. Thank you in advance for supporting your parish, no matter where you may need to worship on a given weekend.

The book is open for scheduling Masses for 2019. Requests will only be accepted by phoning the Pastoral Center Office at 724.775.3940 ext. 3. Please note that no holy day or holiday Masses can be scheduled at this time.

Please note that all articles and information for the parish bulletin must be received by the Pastoral Center by 12noon on Friday so that it may be considered for publication in the bulletin to be printed for distribution at the weekend Masses that occur after the upcoming weekend. (Please be aware that deadline dates can occur earlier in relation to major holidays. At such times, contact the Pastoral Center well in advance to find out press cutoff dates and times.)

Announcements made at Sunday Masses must be received in the Pastoral Center by no later than 12noon on Thursday in order to be considered for presentation at by the lector at Mass.

The hanging sanctuary lamp found above the entrance of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel as well as the tabernacle lamp standing next to the chapel's altar, burn in testament of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharistic. For those interested in having a candle placed for a special intention in either location, please contact the Pastoral Center Office at 724.775.3940 ext. 3 or download and complete a Chapel/Shrine Candle Request Form by clicking here. The requested donation per candle is $10 which helps defray costs and assists the parish.

Those wishing to have a candle placed in the Blessed Mother Shrine Candle Lamp in memory or honor of a loved one or for a special intention, please contact the Pastoral Center Office at 724.775.3940 ext. 3 or download and complete a Chapel/Shrine Candle Request Form by clicking here. To defray costs and assist the parish in its mission, the requested donation per candle is $10.00.

When at church, don't forget to browse the pamphlet rack located in the main entrance/vestibule. It is hoped you will find helpful and engaging materials on it. Is there a subject on which you would like information or do you have something you would like to see added? If you do, please contact the Parish Pastoral Center (724.775.3940 ext. 3) to discuss the request. (Please note that all printed materials found in various places throughout the church must first be presented to the Pastoral Center Office. Any materials not cleared through the Pastoral Center Office will be removed.)

Looking for a place to hold a bridal or baby shower; birthday or graduation party; baptismal or funeral luncheon, a reception or reunion? Monsignor Farri Hall is that place! For more information and/or available dates, please contact the Pastoral Center Office at 724.775.3940 ext. 3.

For glimpses into the parish's ongoing history — occasions, recent and past; moments, enriching and notable — take a look at the page on this website titled Recollections.



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