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

Upcoming Events

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.

MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK

Saturday: 9:00am +Estelle Papania 5:00pm +Lorraine Goad Sunday: 8:00am People of the Parish 10:30am +Nunzio Caranna 5:00pm +Keith Stewart Monday: 7:00am +Keith Stewart Tuesday: 6:00pm +Mackie Fayard Wednesday: 7:00am +Dan Day Thursday: 7:00am +Kathy Hage Friday: 7:00am +Walter Lolley

Last Week’s Collections

1st Collection: $6461 2nd Collection: St. Vincent de Paul - $1066 Children’s Collection: $14 Solemnity of Mary Collection: $2358

Thank you for your generosity!

The 2nd collection at all Masses this weekend will be for Aged and Infirmed Priests. The 2nd collection at all Masses next weekend will be for Plant Maintenance.

Parish Ministry Meetings

Knights of Columbus: 1st & 3rd Wednesday, 7:00pm

K C Ladies Auxiliary: 3rd Tuesday, 6:30pm

Young At Heart: 4th Thursday, 12 noon

Prayer group: Every Thursday, 5:15pm

For information, call the Parish Office.

Legion of Mary: Every Thursday, 10:00am For information, call Annette Seymour 326-0851.

Kris Allen Chris Arleth David Belew Regina Papania Bell Mary Ann Bishop Dean Bowles Suzanne Bowles Cono Caranna Gail Charlot Garry Cooper Anna Cospelich Buddy Cospelich Bev Crawford Chuck Cruthirds Aaliyah Daughtery Cindy Dickinson Shellie Ely Cindy Fore Ashley French Mary Ann Galle Warren Galle Jennifer Garriga

Mary Gibbs Dan Goad Ronnie Guidry Louis Helwick Alibe Hinton Jordan Hoang Joann Hoda Mike Hoda Etoile Jenkins Kathy Joyce Mary Kealy Sonny Kirschenheuter Bernie & Bryan Koehr Don LaFlamme Joan Liner Betty Martin Connie McKay Kathy McKeague Pam Miller Kevin Murray Sophia Nuchereno

Cheryl Papania Willie Payne Josh Parker Janice Pittman James Platt Colette Marissa Quigley Nena Revon Diane Riel Tracie Ryan Skip Ryland Peggy Ryland Ken Saxon Mary Ann Smith Jason Taylor Adolph Tolentino Mrs. Benny Turner Charlie Underwood Felicia Vann Alexa Zupko Wier Winkey Williams Richard Wilson

Please Remember in Your Prayers

Catholic Education

St. James Elementary 603 West Av. 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: Matt Buckley Tel #: 228 702-0500

FORMED.ORG provides access to the best Catholic entertainment, movies, audio talks, ebooks, and video courses. To gain access:

1.Go to formed.org. 2.Click on “Enter Code” 3.The parish access Code is: ZQXK2X 4.Fill out all of the requested fields.

Schedule Pickup!

The January 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!

Altar Servers, Lectors and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion

We are deeply grateful to those who serve in our

ministries, but we are in need of additional help. We

invite all parishioners who want to serve in one of the

three above capacities to sign up. A sign up sheet is

on the center table, and we will schedule classes soon!

Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. — Isaiah 60:1

If you are new to the parish, please complete a

registration form on the back table or go to our web-

site and click on the “New Parishioner” tab.

St. John’s Youth Ministry Group invites all high

schoolers to come join them on Sunday evenings

after the 5:00pm Mass. There are games and

discussions, and we also share a meal together. All

are welcome! Bring a friend!

All married and engaged couples are welcome to come

and join in fellowship and learning. As usual, 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 mrusso@stjohngulfport.org

A Family of Faith

Parent Catechetical Gathering

Sunday / Feb. 3 / 11:30am - 1:00pm

Fatima Room

Carlow Mass

The annual Carlow Mass for deceased Irish priests will

be held at 6:00pm, January 8, at St. Thomas the Apos-

tle Church in Long Beach. Father Louis Lohan will be

the homilist. A reception will follow in the Parish

Community Center.

A Family of Faith

Family Gathering

January 20 / 1:00pm - 3:00pm

Presentation Hall

Love of heaven is the only way to heaven. —John Henry Newman

Married Couples Retreat

St. Joseph Abbey’s Christian Life Center

March 16-17, 2019 / St. Benedict, Louisiana

You and your spouse will

spend time growing closer in

your marriage through

inspiring talks, private couple

time, individual prayer time,

Reconciliation, Eucharistic

Adoration and the celebration

of the Mass.

Consider taking this time to enrich your Marriage!

For more information on the retreat fee schedule, and

to register contact Mara Russo at 228-265-7156, or at

mrusso@stjohngulfport.org.

Medugorje Pilgrimage with Fr. Ryan September 25 - October 4, 2019

For Reservations or for More Information Contact:

Gary at Magnificat Tours (877) 333– 9290, or

Debbie Beach (228) 313-7899

Happy birthday wishes are extended to:

John Carroll, Blake Dedeaux, Jan Farrell & Rhonda

Mires on Jan 6; Thomas Scaia on Jan 7; Henrietta

Caranna on Jan 9; George Burkhardt & Sarah

Hebert on Jan 11; and Janet Papania on Jan 12.

May God grant them many blessings in the coming year!

We extend our deepest sympathy and prayers to:

The families and friends of George

Thatcher and Alda Walker. May God

grant them eternal light and peace, and

may He bring comfort to all of their family

members and friends.

Salute Italian Restaurant

We have Salute VIP cards available for purchase

in the Parish office. Buy one entrée and get the

second one free! It’s a $150 value for only $20.

Good for five lunches and five dinners. The cards

will expire on 12/01/19.

Electronic Transfer: We really appreciate the parish

families who use the electronic method of making their

regular church offerings. Electronic transfer is conven-

ient for you and convenient for us. If you are interested

in signing up, there are forms in the back of the Church,

or you can call the Parish Office.

The Youth Ministry Group will resume meeting on

Jan. 6th. The First Communion Group will resume

class on Jan. 13th.

We have a collection of items

that have been left in the

Church. If you’re missing

something, we might have it!

Call the Parish Office or stop

and look in the lost and found

basket, which is located in the Sacristy.

The 2019 Extension Society calendars

have arrived and are on the tables in the

back of the Church. Please take one!

Congratulations to our Parishioners

Celebrating Wedding Anniversaries

Stan & Vickie Tiner - 52 years on Dec 31.

Kevin & Sherri Killebrew - 37 years on Jan 11.

May God bless them with many more happy years together!

The 2019 Offering Envelopes are

now available for pickup. They are

located on the table near the

Memorial Room in the back of the

Church and they are listed alphabetically by family

name. If you don’t see a box with your name on it

or if you see a box for a family who you know has

left the parish, please inform Linda Hebert in the

Parish Office. Thank you!

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.

READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: 1 Jn 3:22 — 4:6; Ps 2:7bc-8, 10-12a; Mt 4:12-17, 23-25 Tuesday: 1 Jn 4:7-10; Ps 72:1-4, 7-8; Mk 6:34-44 Wednesday: 1 Jn 4:11-18; Ps 72: 1-2, 10, 12-13; Mk 6:45-52 Thursday: 1 Jn 4:19 — 5:4; Ps 72:1-2, 14, 15bc, 17; Lk 4:14-22a Friday: 1 Jn 5:5-13; Ps 147:12-15, 19-20; Lk 5:12-16 Saturday: 1 Jn 5:14-21; Ps 149:1-6a, 9b; Jn 3:22-30 Sunday: Is 42:1-4, 6-7 or Is 40:1-5, 9-11; Ps 29:1-4, 3, 9-10 or Ps 104:1b-4, 24-25, 27-30; Acts 10:34-38 or Ti 2:11-14; 3:4-7; Lk 3:15-16, 21-22

FINDING GOD

The splendid magi, all sparkle and dash and solemnity,

march right up off the pages of Matthew’s Gospel and

into our churches today. Matthew alone tells us this grand

and seductive story so that we might see the light and

know that the child these magi visited is the fulfillment of

prophecy, the king of the world that stretches to the

magi’s home country and beyond, right down the ages to

us.

We too see and understand anew. Like the magi, our pa-

tron saints for this day, we see in the newborn child the

king of the universe and light of the world. Like the magi,

we find in ourselves a new faith and a new life. Like

them, we return to our home by a new route.

We are asked to come away from this festive season our-

selves renewed and awake to the presence of God among

us. We are asked to find God where God is to be found, to

be attentive and surprised and ready to bow down in ado-

ration and to offer our gifts. Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

An Epiphany House Blessing

On the Feast of the Epiphany, the family gathers to

ask God’s blessing on their home and on those who

live in or visit the home. It is an invitation for Jesus

to be a daily guest in our home, our comings and

goings, our conversations, our work and play, our

joys and sorrows. A traditional way of doing this is

to use chalk to write +20 C M B 19+ above the

home’s entrance. It can also be written somewhere

inside the home.

The letters C, M, B have two meanings:

• They are the initial of the traditional names

of the three magi: Caspar, Melchior, and

Balthazar.

• They also abbreviate the Latin words

Christus Mansionem Benedicat (May Christ

bless this house)

The “+” signs represent the cross and 2019 the year.

Here is a suggested format for the blessing

All Start with the Sign of the Cross

Leader: Peace be to this house and to all who dwell

here, in the name of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

Reader: When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of

Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, Magi from

the east arrived in Jerusalem saying, “Where is the

newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its

rising and have come to do him homage.” After

their audience with the king, they set out. And

behold, the star that they had seen at its rising

preceded them, until it came and stopped over the

place where the child was. They were overjoyed at

seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw

the child with Mary, his mother. They prostrated

themselves and did him homage. Then they

opened their treasures and offered him gifts of

gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been

warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they

departed for their country by another way. The

word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

Leader: Using chalk, write the following on the

outside of the house or inside above the main

entrance: +20 Christus Mansionem Benedicat

19+ or +20 C M B 19+

All: Lord God of heaven and earth, you revealed

your only begotten son to every nation by the

guidance of a star. Bless this house and all who

live here and all who visit. May we be blessed

with health, kindness of heart, gentleness and the

keeping of your law. Fill us with the light of

Christ, that our love for each other may go out to

all. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

All End with the Sign of the Cross