Worship

Greetings,

First of all, I am continually amazed at the way the people of St. John of the Cross Parish step up and help whenever called upon. The Christmas Masses would not have been possible without the assistance of so many people. Parishioner, Heidi Drescher, and her team spent weeks planning and preparing the Advent and Christmas decorations and environment in our three worship spaces (the church, multi-purpose room and gym). Transforming the multi-purpose room and gym into worship spaces is no easy task, and Heidi and her team did a beautiful job. The maintenance men also played an important role behind the scenes, especially Andy Mola, who not only assisted Heidi and her team, but also worked with Frank DiPompeo making sure everything was set for the Christmas Masses.

The Christmas Masses also would not have been possible without the ministers to staff them. Thank you to Don King for organizing Communion Ministers, John Kravcik for Ushers, and Rich Bornhoff for Sacristans. All of these people put in time beforehand to make sure the Masses ran smoothly. And of course the Masses wouldn’t have been possible without the many Communion Ministers, Lectors, Ushers, Altar Servers, and Sacristans. And last, but certainly not least, a big note of appreciation goes to Jessica Koch, our Director of Music, and her choirs, cantors and accompanists. We thank each of you for sharing your
time and gift of your ministry with our parish.

That being said, we can always use more help in our liturgical ministries. Please consider coming to one of
the upcoming training sessions listed below and getting involved.

Training for new altar servers begins this Tuesday, January 17 from 3:30-5 p.m. in church and continues for the next 2 Tuesdays. Training for new lectors will be held next Sunday, January 22 at 2:30 p.m. and new communion ministers on Sunday, January 29 at 2:30 p.m. More information for each of these sessions as well as our new Vocal Technique Workshops can be
found at www.stjohnofthecross.org.

Thank you again to all who made the Christmas Masses a success, it wouldn’t be possible without you.

God Bless,
Jim Clauer
Director of Worship

Over 3500 parishioners and visitors are welcomed to the Lord’s Table during the course of each week at St. John of the Cross Parish at 6 weekend and 9 weekday liturgies. These numbers are supported by the over 450 liturgical ministers who contribute to our worship through their service and participation in the liturgy. Communion ministers, lectors, choir members, altar servers, ushers, children’s liturgy of the word leaders and sacristans support the worship life of the parish. These ministers give of their time and talent at SJC by acting as stewards of the liturgy for the spiritual enrichment of all who attend.

If you have never served as a liturgical minister, this is your invitation! Just as ministers serve the community, the ministry serves the minister. There are so many parts of the Mass that provide for spiritual growth and a wonderful sense of community working together. Watch for upcoming training dates this fall.

• Children’s Liturgy of the Word
• Liturgical Ministers
• Music
• Sunday Babysitting