St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church 2414 Seventeenth Street, Gulfport, Mississippi 39501

Telephone (228) 864-2272 Fax (228) 864-2273 Email: stjohnthee@cableone.net

Staff: Rev. Joseph Uko, Pastor Deacon David Allen, Pastoral Associate Sr. Mary Kealy, PBVM, Pastoral Associate Teri Patton, Parish Secretary Masses: Saturday Vigil: 5:00 p.m. First Saturday Devotion: 9:00 a.m. Sunday: 8:00 & 10:30 a.m., 6:00 p.m. Daily Mass: Monday through Friday: 7:00 a.m. Spanish Mass: Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Holy Days: 6:00 p.m., Vigil, 7:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. Confession: Saturday 4:00 – 4:45 p.m. and anytime on request

July 12, 2015 - Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

LOOKING AHEAD TO LISTEN TODAY In next week's first reading the prophet Jeremiah will say, on behalf of God, "Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture" (Jeremiah 23:1). Today Amaziah, a priest of King Jeroboam, represents the archetype of this kind of shepherd. Against this sort of uncaring shepherd, God calls a real life-vocation shepherd and a true shepherd-prophet, Amos. The voice of Amos is one of the harshest in the prophetic literature, but the harshness seems to be neces-sary to counteract the misleading and scattering of the flock that the God of Israel was observing. Amos left his vocation as a shepherd of sheep and dresser of sycamore trees to become a shepherd of the flock of Israel and a re-dresser of the wrongs committed by those whose status as priest or prophet of Israel had led them astray from their own vocation. An-other prophet, Jeremiah, would tell of the coming shepherd-king, anointed from the house of David, who will come to restore justice and righteousness throughout the land.

LOOKING BACK TO LOOK AHEAD It is important to connect this week's Gospel with last week's. Jesus had just encountered a severe lack of faith in his family and neighbors, who took offense at him. So severe was their reaction to him that he couldn't work much in the way of healing or other mighty deeds. Yet immediately upon the heels of that incident, he summons the Twelve and sends them out ("apostle" means "one who is sent"). Jesus remains stalwart in the pursuit of the vocation he was given by God: to recover the lost sheep of the house of Israel. We have to admire the Twelve, who like Amos have left their own livelihoods as they are sent out on a rather intimidating new mission. Our admiration ought to increase when we realize that this takes place immediately after the rather humiliating scene Jesus had just endured. But having witnessed Jesus face rejection and still persevere in his vocation, they must have been made bold as he told them of the rejection they would face when he sent them out. Christ, through the Spirit and the waters of baptism, still sends us out on mission. This is our first calling. Let us, strengthened by the prophetic witness of Christ and the Twelve, be faithful to that calling. Copyright (c) 2005, World Library Publications. All rights reserved.

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time July 12, 2015

Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven.

— Psalm 85:12

SENT BY GOD In Amos’ time the vocation of prophet had achieved a very formal status in Israel. The prophets had arisen, origi-nally, to act as God’s voice when Israel was no longer led by the spiritual/civil figures known as “judges,” but by monarchs. Over time, the monarchy had appropriated the offices of priest and prophet, established them into compa-nies, and reserved the right to appoint courtly prophets. Then, as now, when those in power also got to choose who would act as their official conscience, things sometimes went awry. At such times, God raised up prophets from unlikely places, and this is how Amos received his voca-tion as prophet. In last week’s Gospel we heard how Jesus was raised up as God’s anointed from a place many viewed as unlikely. As we continue to discern our own vocation as baptized disciples, we can be assured that we are, in Paul’s words, “chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will” (Ephesians 1:11). Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

Welcome to St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church!

If you are new to the parish and have not yet registered, please call 864-2272.

C.C.D. (Grades K-12) ................ Sundays, 9:00-10:15 A.M. Knights of Columbus...... 1st & 3rd Wednesday, 7:00 P.M. K C Ladies Auxiliary..................... 3rd Tuesday, 6:30 P.M. R.C.I.A. .................................................Tuesdays, 6:30 P.M. St. Vincent de Paul................... 2nd Wednesday, 9:00 A.M. Young At Heart............................... 4th Thursday, 12 Noon

Happy birthday wishes - Leslie North & Annette Seymour celebrate July 13; Carl Ne-caise, Kathleen Walker & Emily Favre cele-brate July 14; Bryan Hebert & Rose Tournil-lon celebrate July 15; July McWaters & Mary

Borzik celebrate July 16; Trilby Matthew & Cathy McGuffee celebrate July 17. May God Bless them with many more Happy Birthdays!

The second collection at all Masses this weekend is for Catholic School support. The second collection next weekend is for church hos-pitality.

.TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION Many marriage customs stand in tension with modern American attitudes and values, notably “giving away the bride,” which is no longer in the Catholic liturgy, and re-minds us of a time when marriage was a contract between men (the groom and the bride’s father). A Mexican cus-tom, now approved for use in the United States, has a very different message. An ancient Roman custom called for smashing pieces of gold and silver so that bride and groom could each keep half. This is the origin of today’s Mexican practice of the groom giving thirteen gold coins to the bride, sym-bolically placing all his worldly goods into her care, and a sign of his unconditional trust. The coins are often given in beautiful gift boxes and are retained as an heirloom. Why thirteen? The standard explanation is that they repre-sent Jesus and the apostles. The priest blesses the coins and pours them into the bride’s cupped hands. Then she entrusts them to the groom, who later pours them back into her hands. This enduring ritual is in such harmony with our tradition’s view of marriage that it is now in-creasingly performed by English‑speaking Hispanic Catholics at weddings in the United States. —Rev. James Field, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick will be of-fered on Tuesday, July 21, at the 11:15am Mass. This Sacrament will be celebrated within Mass. We encourage you to invite your friends and bring your loved ones who are sick to this celebration. All are welcome.

Drawdown Meeting Tuesday, July 14 @ 6:30pm in the parish office building. We will meet to discuss plans for the Annual Drawdown to be held in November. Everyone please try to attend. The drawdown is the main fund raising event for our church operations. If we could get a few more people to pitch in and help with the planning it will be a great bless-ing. Thank you in advance!

Congratulations to Tony & Suzanne King and to Larry & Penny Dedeaux on the anni-versary of their weddings on July 16th! Tony & Suzanne celebrate their 38th anniver-sary and Larry & Penny celebrate their 21st

anniversary. May God bless them with many more happy years together!

MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK Saturday: +Mary & Ludovic Lee Sunday: 8:00am–People of the Parish 10:30am– +John Mc Waters; +For the Holy Souls 6:00pm– +Gloria White Monday: +Matthew & Thelmas Serpa Tuesday: +Patricia Webb Wednesday: +Mackie Fayard Thursday: +Patricia Webb Friday: +Matthew & Thelma Serpa

Collection: July 4-5 Identifiable: $3532 Unidentifiable: $790 ACH: $1620 Maintenance: $650

Thank you for your generosity!

William Allen Brian Bacuzzi Peter Bacuzzi Theresa Barlow David Bell Mary Anne Bishop Irene Bosarge Pablo Cabasa Carol Campbell Gayle Clark Buddy Cospelich Rhonda Cospelich Socorro Crabbe Kevin Crane Gerald Cuevas Jennifer Davis Deanne Fasold Lynn Foster Nicole Gilbert Lorraine Goad Betty Godo Tom Goode Anna Grice

Jessi Hebert Mary Hickman Bethanie Jones Margaret Jowers Mary Kealy Kemberly Lacap Gary Lacy Chuck Lepowsky Joann Liner Carol Loften Walter Lolley S. J. Marengo Betty McGuire Mike Mensi Dot Miller Rhonda Mires Margaret Moran Karen Nelson Angel Nichols Trey Patterson Janie Paul Masella Phillips

Doris Ransom Taylor Rayburn Gary Reeves Chris Richards Sharon Rogers Ken Saxon Don Seymour Gary Seymour Emerson Stringer Herman Strock Kenny Taylor Lisa Thompson Marvin Thompson Bennye Turner Becky Truxillo Felecia Vann Ronald Wade Kathleen Walker Lee Wetzel Winkey Williams Addie Wittmann Ginger Worth

Please Remember in Your Prayers

Prayer is the door through which all God’s Graces comes to us -St. Theresa of Avila

The beautiful flowers on the altar this weekend were donated by Carl & Mary Ann Necaise

In celebration of their 47th Wedding Anniversary on June 15!

Thank You!

TODAY’S READINGS First Reading — Amos said, “The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me, Go, prophesy to my people” (Amos 7:12-15). Psalm — Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation (Psalm 85). Second Reading — The God and Father of our Lord Je-sus Christ has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3-14 [3-10]). Gospel — Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two (Mark 6:7-13). The English translation of the Psalm Responses from the Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, Inter-national Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

READINGS FOR THE WEEK

Monday: Ex 1:8-14, 22; Ps 124:1b-8; Mt 10:34 — 11:1 Tuesday: Ex 2:1-15a; Ps 69:3, 14, 30-31, 33-34; Mt 11:20-24 Wednesday: Ex 3:1-6, 9-12; Ps 103:1b-4, 6-7; Mt 11:25-27 Thursday: Ex 3:13-20; Ps 105:1, 5, 8-9, 24-27; Mt 11:28-30 Friday: Ex 11:10 — 12:14; Ps 116:12-13, 15, 16bc, 17-18; Mt 12:1-8 Saturday: Ex 12:37-42; Ps 136:1, 23-24, 10-15; Mt 12:14-21 Sunday: Jer 23:1-6; Ps 23:1-6; Eph 2:13-18; Mk 6:30-34

SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Monday: St. Henry Tuesday: St. Kateri Tekakwitha Wednesday: St. Bonaventure Thursday: Our Lady of Mount Carmel Friday: Eid al Fitr (Islamic observance) begins at sunset Saturday: St. Camillus de Lellis; Blessed Virgin Mary

Hurricane Prayer 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 hurri-canes 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.

Pope Francis’ Prayer Intentions for July Universal: That political responsibility may be lived at all levels as a high form of charity. Evangelization: That, amid social inequalities, Latin American Christians may bear witness to love for the poor and contribute to a more fraternal society.

We extend our deepest sympathy to Fr. John Ugochuwku in the loss of his sister Bernadette Dim. May God reward Bernadette with Eter-nal Rest, Light and Peace and may He comfort her family in their sorrow.

Ignite Your Fire Freshman/Transfer Retreat

Presented by: The USM Catholic Student Association When: August 21st - 23rd Where: St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church Student Center Ignite Your Fire is a fun, faith-filled weekend for new members of CSA to get involved and connect with current mem-bers. You will get the tools and knowledge you need to live out your faith while in college. Join us for a weekend to start the year with fun and faith! Register at usmcsa.org For any questions, please contact the campus minister: Jonna Van Thiel, 601-450-2520 email: usmcatholic@gmail.com

Calendar of Events Jul 21 Anointing of the Sick at 11:15 Aug 15 Solemnity of the Assumption, Mass 9am Sept 20 Parish Picnic 22 Anointing of the Sick, 11:15 Oct 4 Mary’s Day Celebration, 10:30am Mass 14 Ministry Appreciation Dinner, 6pm Nov 7 Drawdown, 6:30pm, Presentation Hall

We really appreciate those who donate toward the flowers for our church. Sometimes dona-tions are made in honor of an event (anniversary, birthday, etc.) or in memory of a loved one. If you would like to have flowers

placed in church, please contact the parish office at 228 864-2272.

Choir practice is every Wednesday at 6:00pm in the Church. New voices are always welcome to help elevate our praises to God. Please consider being a part of this very important and beautiful ministry.

2016 European Shrines Tour with Father Joseph Uko Come join our group for a once in a lifetime pilgrimage experience in some of Europe’s awe inspiring Shrines and Cathedrals. Dates: April 25-May 7, 2016 Places and Shrines to see: Lisbon, Alcobaca, Fatima, Braga (Portugal), Santiago de Compostela, Burgos, San Ignacio de Loyola, Barcelona (Spain), Lourdes, Carcas-sonne (France) Cost: $2,999.00 per person Includes:1.Daily breakfast, 6 dinners, lunch on your own) 2. Round trip airfare from Gulfport 3. Cost of land tour 4. Airport transfer to hotel in Lisbon and hotel to airport in Barcelona. How to Book: Call Rose Morrissey at 866-842-4835 (except July 23-August 9, 2015). Book by September 15, 2015 with a $25o non-refundable deposit and receive a $100 early booking discount. Trip Insurance: Available for $209.00 per person For More Information, please contact: Cynthia Dominguez at 228 896-4905 or email Cyn-thia.d1973@yahoo.com