What is Spiritual Adoption?

It is an opportunity to pledge a daily prayer for nine months for a baby who is in danger of abortion. This special prayer is found on the Spiritual Adoption Prayer cards. For the parents of the baby, please pray a daily Hail Mary. Pray that God in His great mercy will grant the parents the courage to once more imitate the lives of Mary and Joseph. THIS SPIRITUAL ADOPTION begins now, near Apr 18-19, 2026.

It is an opportunity to educate others about the development of the pre-born baby. You also are encouraged look at the posters that will be in the Narthex once a month so that all can watch the progress of their baby’s development.

Here is a table showing the O Antiphons as paired with the verses of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel":

Dec 17

Antiphon 1: O Wisdom of our God Most High, guiding creation with power and love: come to teach us the path of knowledge!

Verse 2: O come, O Wisdom from on high who ordered all things mightily to us the path of knowledge show and teach us in its ways to go.

One of the best-loved Advent hymns we sing is "O Come, O Come Emmanuel". The verses of that stirring song are comprised of what the Church calls the Advent "O antiphons".

The O antiphons were composed in the 7th or 8th century by an anonymous monk. These seven, short poetic verses, in today's liturgy, are intoned or recited as the Alleluia verse before the Gospel at Mass, and as the antiphon for the Magnificat at vespers. Each Advent, the Church begins singing the O antiphons on December 17—seven days before Christmas.

To help stop the anti-life push around the world, the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen encouraged the spiritual adoption of an unborn child. This is done by praying that the one particular but unknown child’s life be spared abortion and be allowed to continue to live.

We encourage you to be part of this 9-month family prayer program to pray for an unborn child in danger of an abortion.

Stations of the Cross and Holy Communion at Church on Fridays

Will be prayed in church on Friday evenings at 6:00 pm.

Stations of the Cross on Parish Website: For those who are still not comfortable coming to church during the pandemic a video version of our stations at St. John’s has be produced with the meditations coming from the Stations of the Cross through the eyes of the Blessed Mother and St. John the Evangelist. You can pray these at home any day of the week during Lent.

Many thanks for the generosity shown to me at Christmas through your prayers, cards and gifts. May the joy of Christ’s birth endure in our hearts throughout the coming New Year. I wish each of you and your families a blessed 2021.

This has been a very difficult year for each of us. As you are aware due to the circumstances of the current epidemic, we have had no choice but to change how we have had to conduct our singing, decorating and sitting arrangements for the safety of all.

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One of the best-loved Advent hymns we sing is "O Come, O Come Emmanuel". The verses of that stirring song are comprised of what the Church calls the Advent "O antiphons".

The O antiphons were composed in the 7th or 8th century by an anonymous monk. These seven, short poetic verses, in today's liturgy, are intoned or recited as the Alleluia verse before the Gospel at Mass, and as the antiphon for the Magnificat at vespers. Each Advent, the Church begins singing the O antiphons on December 17—seven days before Christmas.

The use of rose vestments during the sacred liturgy of the third Sunday of Advent has been a part of the Church’s tradition for many centuries and is a tradition we must hold onto. Rose gives us joy and a promise of hope; our world is in need of both. The Rose color, which is only used twice in the whole liturgical year, is traditionally associated with a sense of joy amidst a season of penance. On both Sundays (Gaudete in Advent and Laetare in Lent), rose is worn to remind us that the season of preparation is coming to a close and the great feast is swiftly approaching.

Advent is not the the same as Christmas. Advent is a time to praise God for his great gift of his Son, Jesus. It is a time to think about how ready we are to receive Jesus whenever he comes to us: in our daily life; in those who are in need; in the Eucharist at Mass; and at the end of time when Jesus comes in glory. Advent is a time to prepare our hearts and souls to celebrate the birthday of the Messiah.

12 Promises of the Sacred Heart

Authored By: St. Margaret Mary

The Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary

1. "I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. I will establish peace in their homes.
3. I will comfort them in all their afflictions.
4. I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.
5. I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
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