Baptism

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” ( Mt 28:19-20).

"Baptism is birth into the new life in Christ. In accordance with the Lord’s will, it is necessary for salvation, as is the Church herself, which we enter by Baptism."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, art. 1277)

Pre-baptism preparation required for all parents seeking baptism for their children. Please call Father Shawn at 613.382.2017 to set up an appointment.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (R.C.I.A.)

RCIA is a formation process for adults who are interested in becoming Catholics, both those never baptised or those baptised in other Christian communities. It may also be of interest to Catholics who have not practiced for some time, and would like to refresh their faith.

The gatherings take place on Tuesday evenings. During the course of the year, specific Rites are celebrated on Sundays with the catachumens and candidates for full Communion. The highlight of this process is the celebration of the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist during the Easter Vigil Liturgy.

If you are interested in joining the Catholic Church or in just having a chat about what Catholics believe please do not hesitate to call Father Shawn and set up an appointment.

Eucharist

Jesus said: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread,
he will live for ever; . . . he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and . . . abides
in me, and I in him” ( Jn 6:51, 54, 56).

The Eucharist is the heart and the summit of the Church’s life, for in it Christ associates his Church and all her members with his sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving offered once for all on the cross to his Father; by this sacrifice he pours out the graces of salvation on his Body which is the Church.
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, art. 1407)

Weekend

• St. John’s Saturday Vigil Mass: 5:00 pm
• St. John's Sunday Mass: 10:30 am

• St. Philomena’s Sunday Mass: 8:45 am

Weekly

• St. John's Tuesday and Thursday - 9:00 am
• St. John's Monday, Wednesday and Friday - 8:00 am

Carveth Continuing Care Facility

• 2nd Friday of Each Month - 1:30 pm

St. Joseph's Catholic Elementary School

• Once Each Month at St. John's Church
  with students and staff (see bulletin) - 9:30 am

First Communion and Reconciliation for School Children

First Communion for children in grade 2 at St. Joseph's School is celebrated on a Sunday during the Easter Season. 

Children attending Catholic Schools are prepared for this sacrament by a combined effort of their teachers and Father Shawn.  A Catechetical Program is available for students enrolled in Public/Private schools who wish to receive Jesus in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.  Please contact the parish office.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is celebrated before First Communion and takes place within the Penance Service at St. John's Church.

For more information or to register your child, please contact St. Joseph's School or Father Shawn.

 

Confirmation

“Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:14-17).

"Confirmation perfects Baptismal grace; it is the sacrament which gives the Holy Spirit in order to root us more deeply in the divine filiation, incorporate us more firmly into Christ, strengthen our bond with the Church, associate us more closely with her mission, and help us bear witness to the Christian faith in words accompanied by deeds." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, art. 1316)

Confirmation for candidates in grade seven or older at St. Joseph's School is celebrated during the Sunday Liturgy at 10:30 am.  Students attending Catholic Schools are preparing for this Sacrament through the combined efforts of their teachers and Father Shawn.  Our Parish offers pre-Confirmation classes for those enrolled in Public/Private Schools.  This one evening a week program starts ten weeks before Confirmation.  All candidates are celebrating the Rite of Enrollment as well as a Retreat before Confirmation.  All events are announced in the Sunday Bulletin weeks before. Adults who seek confirmation would normally go through the R.C.I.A. process.  For more information, please contact Father Shawn at the rectory at 613-382-2017.

Matrimony

Getting Married at St. John the Evangelist, Gananoque

Congratulations on your engagement! The days of your engagement are a special gift from God as you prepare for your married life together – enjoy them!
Congratulations again on deciding to be married in the Catholic Church, before God and with the prayers of the parish to support you. Planning a wedding involves many steps – this short guide is meant to help you both with those aspects related to your Catholic wedding at St. John the Evangelist.

Marriage as a Sacrament

A wedding is above all a sacrament for two baptized Christians. It is also a family celebration, an occasion to host friends and to plan a honeymoon. But all those matters are secondary to the grace that the couple receives in the Sacrament of Matrimony. God’s grace is the gift of His own life that He grants you to sustain your married life together. There are hundreds of things that go into planning a wedding – it is important that you keep your mind and heart focused on the sacrament that you will be receiving.
Remember: A wedding is primarily a spiritual reality. That’s why all weddings should take place in the church – the house of the Lord. Please do not ask to have your wedding outside, at home or at a hotel or golf club.

Freedom to Marry

In order to be married in the Catholic Church, either the bride or the bridegroom must be Catholic, and the other party must have a good understanding of what a Christian marriage is according to the rites of the Catholic Church. Baptismal certificates will be required from both parties if both are Christian.
In addition, both parties must be free to marry, meaning that there is no coercion or other pressures forcing the wedding (such as a pregnancy). Both parties obviously must not be married to anyone else. If you have been married before it is very important to make Father Shawn aware of this.

Wedding Date

When you called the parish, the availability of a specific date was likely your first question. Before the wedding date can be confirmed, Father Shawn must be confident that you understand what a Catholic marriage is, and that you are in fact free to marry. If either party has been married before, either civilly or religiously, it may not be possible to meet the original date that you proposed. This usually can be easily worked out.

What Does It Cost?

There is no required fee to have your wedding at St. John the Evangelist. If there is no connection to St. John the Evangelist you must secure permission for the wedding from Father Shawn and a fee will be charged.
It is customary to give a donation of at least $200 to the parish on the occasion of your wedding. This donation goes to the parish.

There is no required stipend for Father Shawn. If you have another priest coming to celebrate the wedding, it would be customary to provide him with a stipend depending on your circumstances (suggested $100 - $250).

Flowers, Decorations, Confetti, Rice

You may bring flowers as you wish. If you wish more elaborate decorations, please check well in advance with Father Shawn about what you are planning.
It is customary to leave some floral arrangements in the church for the Sunday Masses after your wedding, even if others are taken to the reception. This is an offering in thanksgiving to God for your married life and it is sign to the whole parish that a wedding has taken place and a reminder to them to pray for the newly-married couple.
If you wish to throw flower petals, confetti, rice or anything else this must take place only outside and you must ensure that it is cleaned up immediately after the ceremony and someone should be designated for this. It is preferable that you refrain from such practices.

Music

The parish will provide the music for your wedding. Brian Lucy is the organist and you should contact him as soon as possible. (613-382-2026) Brian will take you through a vast array of possibilities of sacred music. Your music selections must be songs that were written to praise God. Brian is a good vocalist and will lead the parts of the Mass (if you are having Mass). Brian should be provided with a stipend of $100. David Tompkins, a parishioner, has a stunning tenor voice and is often used for such occasions. He too should be provided with a stipend of at least $50 depending on what you have him do.
All music in the church must be sacred music; no secular music is appropriate in the church – save that for the reception.

Altar Servers

The parish can provide altar servers for weddings. It is possible to ask some of our regular altar servers to serve at your wedding. If so, a small stipend should be provided for them by the bridal couple.

Photographs/Video

It order to preserve the sacred character of the wedding, no photography or videography is permitted by anyone in the bridal party or congregation.
It is recommended that one “official” photographer be designated for the church, and Father Shawn will indicate where he or she should be positioned during the ceremony. The photographer or videographer should never enter the sanctuary.
If you wish a video recording to be made, it should be in a fixed spot where it will not disturb the ceremony. Please alert your videographer and photographer to speak to Father Shawn well in advance of the ceremony.

Marriage Preparation Course

There are marriage preparation courses offered in Kingston. They are six Mondays or Wednesdays, beginning, September, 2008. The Wednesday night repeats the Monday so that you have a bit of flexibility in which night in a given week you attend. If absolutely necessary Father Shawn can conduct a personal marriage preparation with the couple himself. Usually this involves about 4-6 sessions of about sixty-ninety minutes each. The fee for this course is $100.
Each couple should buy two copies of the book used for these instructions: Marriage is for Keeps: Foundations for Christian Marriage (Wedding Edition with Marriage Rite and Readings) by John Kippley. It can be ordered online for about $10/copy.
There is a fee of $100/couple for marriage preparation, to be paid to St. John the Evangelist parish. If the couple cannot afford the fee, the instructions will be provided for a lesser charge, or free of charge.

Cohabitation before Marriage

If you are living together already, you should let Father Shawn know immediately. He will advise you to separate before the wedding, or at the very least to cease living as an already married couple and to let others know of this decision.
Why will he ask this when it seems so common for couples to live together today? There are three reasons.
First, couples that marry after having lived together have much higher divorce rates than couples that don’t. It stands to reason that cohabiting couples’ lives change very little after the wedding – they go on living as they did before. The difference marriage makes is therefore diminished. If you want your marriage to last, Statistics Canada – let alone the Catholic Church – will tell that living together beforehand is bad idea.
Second, as you will learn in your marriage preparation sessions, the sexual union of husband and wife is intended to renew their wedding vows. Sex outside of marriage, or prior to it, is not only contrary to the moral law that reserves sexual union for married couples, but it means that your married sexuality will not be something distinctively marital, thereby weakening your marriage.
Third, cohabitation is a public choice – your family, your friends and your parish knows about it. Living together without benefit of marriage is a public declaration, at least implicitly; that you think that marriage is not necessary to live as if you are married. Whether you intend it or not, it is a way of saying that your lives together do not need the blessing of the Church or the grace of God, and that you intend to enjoy the benefits of the married state without the promises that are at the heart of the marital covenant. Living together is a public statement directly contrary to the public statement that a wedding is supposed to make. The cohabiting couple that arrives at the church for their wedding is saying directly contrary things with their actions, and that is no way to begin a married life together.
A couple that decides to continue living together before the wedding may still go ahead with the wedding, for it does mean an improvement in their situation. However, it would not be appropriate to celebrate such a wedding with all the festivity that would normally be planned. It should be a quieter, smaller, more reserved ceremony. Father Shawn will not celebrate a wedding Mass for a couple which chooses to live together until the wedding, but only the wedding ceremony itself.
What then to do if you are living together? Speak honestly with Father Shawn about it and make a sincere effort to live as the Lord Jesus would have you live in preparation for your marriage. It is for your own good, the good of your marriage and it is never too late to make a change. The mercy of God knows no limits – do not be afraid to make a change. God’s grace is always strong enough to help us.

Wedding Mass

The usual form of a Catholic wedding is within the offering of the Holy Mass. However, there can be reasons why it is desirable to only have the wedding ceremony itself, without the Mass. If either the bride or bridegroom is not Catholic, or if most of the guests are not Catholic, it might be thought better to have the wedding ceremony alone. Please discuss this with Father Shawn.

In Conclusion

There are many things to think about for a wedding of course. This guide is intended to help you with some practical matters, and to keep first things first. If you have any other question, do not hesitate to ask Father Shawn.
What now? The first thing an engaged couple should do, if they have not begun doing so already, is to pray together. Both should already be praying for each other daily, but prayer together is at the core of a Christian marriage and family.

God bless you both,

Father Shawn J. Hughes

Holy Orders

When day came, [Jesus] called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named apostles… And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people.. came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. (Luke 6:13-18)

The whole Church is a priestly people. Through Baptism all the faithful share in the priesthood of Christ. This participation is called the “common priesthood of the faithful.” Based on this common priesthood and ordered to its service, there exists another participation in the mission of Christ: the ministry conferred by the sacrament of Holy Orders, where the task is to serve in the name and in the person of Christ the Head in the midst of the community. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, article 1591)

Considering a vocation to the priesthood, permanent diaconate or religious life?

If you are discerning a call to a life of service to the Church, please feel free to contact Father Shawn by phone at 382-2017, or to contact Fr. Rod McNeil, the Archdiocesan vocations director and pastor of St. Patrick’s Parish in Napanee, at 613-354-5453.

For more on vocational awareness, visit the Archdiocese of Kingston’s vocations web page, and Vocations Canada.

Reconciliation

Lead us back to you, O LORD, that we may be restored: give us anew such days as we had of old. (Lamentations 5:21)

Sin is before all else an offense against God, a rupture of communion with him. At the same time it damages communion with the Church. For this reason conversion entails both God’s forgiveness and reconciliation with the Church, which are expressed and accomplished liturgically by the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, article 1440)

Confessions at St. John’s

• 30 minutes before each weekday Mass
• Each Saturday between 4:00 pm and 4:50 pm
• Private appointment is always available for those who wish it.  Please call Father Shawn at the rectory 613-382-2017.

CELEBRATING THE SACRAMENT
The following is excerpted from “Celebrating Confession“, a brochure published by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.

When ready to celebrate the sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession), these steps are involved.
Beforehand: Examination of conscience
We pray to the Holy Spirit for light and strength, examine our conscience in the light of the Scriptures and the Commandments, since our last Confession, and become truly sorry for our sins.

Going to Confession

Welcome: The priest welcomes the penitent. It is helpful if you indicate the time of your last Confession and anything else that will help the priest hearing your confession.
Scripture: A short passage of Scripture may be read.
Confession: Confess your sins and listen to the advice of the priest.
Penance: The priest proposes a good action or prayer to help make up for sin and deepen virtue.
Prayer of Sorrow (Act of Contrition): We pray expressing personal sorrow and asking for forgiveness.
Absolution: The priest grants absolution in the name of God and the Church.
Praise of God and Dismissal: The priest invites you to praise God and dismisses you with the command to go in peace.

Afterwards

We should spend some time in thanking God for forgiving us and restoring us to full life in Christ.

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE

Do I centre my life on God, on fidelity to the Gospel and the Commandments?
Do I set aside time for personal prayer?
Do I keep Sunday by participating in the Eucharist? Is Sunday a day of prayer and rest?
Do I observe the penitential practices of the Church? Do I keep Lent as a time of prayer?
Do I behave as a Christian in daily and public life? Is my faith reflected in my employment?
Have I taken property of others – including my employer? Am I envious of what others have?
Do I share my goods with those in need?
Do I respect the reputation of others?
Do I care for my family?
Do I model Christian life for my family: parents, wife, husband, children?
Do I exercise authority with genuine concern and responsibility? Do I give others the same respect that I expect for myself?
Have I dishonoured my body by thoughts or actions incompatible with Christian life?
Am I faithful to my marriage? Do I set an example of committed single living?
Do I live out my commitments to my spouse and my children to the best of my ability and reflect God’s love and faithfulness?
How do I deal with the difficulties, failures and disappointments of life?
Do I tend to the spiritual, physical and medical needs of my body?
Can others see the grace of Baptism at work in my life?

ACT OF CONTRITION

My God,
I am sorry for my sins with all my heart.
In choosing to do wrong
and failing to do good,
I have sinned against you
whom I should love above all things.
I firmly intend, with your help,
to do penance,
to sin no more,
and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.
Our Saviour Jesus Christ
suffered and died for us.
In his name, my God, have mercy.

OR

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
have mercy on me, a sinner.

SHORT SCRIPTURE PASSAGES

Matthew 6.14-15: If you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Mark 1.14b-15: Jesus came proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
Luke 15.7: I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Ephesians 5.1: Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

READINGS FOR PREPARATION AND REFLECTION

Deuteronomy 6. 3-9: Love the Lord your God with your whole heart.
Jeremiah 7.21-26: Listen to my voice, and I will be your God, and you will be my people.
Hosea 14.2-10: Return to the Lord you God.
Joel 2.12-19: Turn to me with your whole heart.
Matthew 5.1-12: The Beatitudes

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
- His mercy endures for ever.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
who has looked with favour
on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations

will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his name.

God has mercy on those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
The Lord has shown strength with his arm
and scattered the proud in their conceit,
casting down the mighty
from their thrones
and lifting up the lowly.

God has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,
to remember the promise of mercy,
the promise made to our forebears,
to Abraham and his children for ever.

(Luke 1.46-55; English Language Liturgical Consultation)

OR

All-holy Father, you have shown us your mercy and made us a new creation in the likeness of your Son. Make us living signs of your love for the whole world to see.

OR

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.

Anointing

“Is any among you sick? Let him call for the presbyters of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, art. 1526)

For emergencies, please call 613-382-2017.

What is the Sacrament of Anointing?

(Reprinted from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, articles 1527 to 1532.)

1527 The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick has as its purpose the conferral of a special grace on the Christian experiencing the difficulties inherent in the condition of grave illness or old age.

1528 The proper time for receiving this holy anointing has certainly arrived when the believer begins to be in danger of death because of illness or old age.

1529 Each time a Christian falls seriously ill, he may receive the Anointing of the Sick, and also when, after he has received it, the illness worsens.

1530 Only priests (presbyters and bishops) can give the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, using oil blessed by the bishop, or if necessary by the celebrating presbyter himself.

1531 The celebration of the Anointing of the Sick consists essentially in the anointing of the forehead and hands of the sick person (in the Roman Rite) or of other parts of the body (in the Eastern rite), the anointing being accompanied by the liturgical prayer of the celebrant asking for the special grace of this sacrament.

1532 The special grace of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick has as its effects:

-  the uniting of the sick person to the passion of Christ, for his own good and that of the whole Church;
-  the strengthening, peace, and courage to endure in a Christian manner the sufferings of illness or old age;
-  the forgiveness of sins, if the sick person was not able to obtain it through the sacrament of Penance;
-  the restoration of health, if it is conducive to the salvation of his soul;
-  the preparation for passing over to eternal life.