Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

   Greetings to you in the healing, hope, and joy of Jesus!
   There are times when the pastoral needs of the diocese necessitate a change of priest assignments. These times are moments when there is a discernment of the Holy Spirit calling us to take this action.
   With any change of the assignment of a priest, equally important is the pastoral well-being of the parishioners who are impacted by any change of their parish priest.
   As has already been announced, Fr. Steve Langenbrunner will be leaving Holy Rosary and St. John parishes and will be appointed the pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in International Falls and St. Columban Parish in Little Fork, effective August 1, 2023.
   I am very grateful for the outstanding pastoral presence and service that Fr. Steve has given to you in his time as your pastor. I am sure it is difficult for you to see him leave as your pastor.
   I assure you that another pastor will be appointed to serve both parishes of St. John and Holy Rosary, that is a given. In the meantime, I am appointing Fr. Steve LaFlamme to be the Priest Moderator for both parishes. As such he will be responsible for overseeing any canonical or governance items that might come forward. I am also appointing Deacon Tim Egan as the Pastoral Administrator of both parishes. He will help to oversee day-to-day pastoral operations, activities, and finances. Finally, I am appointing Fr. Timothy Cloutier as the Priest Celebrant of both parishes. He will be responsible for the sacramental and liturgical life of the parishes.
   With the present parish leadership and the priests mentioned above, there should be little disruption to the pastoral services and programs provided to you as parishioners.
   I promise that I will keep you informed of any developments regarding the appointment of your new pastor. In the meantime, please pray to the Holy Spirit to guide us in our discernment as to who can best serve your parish communities as your next pastor.

Blessings on you, your parish and those you love,

+Daniel

Thanks to everyone, parishioners and visitors, who have contributed to getting new windows for St. John's church. On Monday, June 5, the crew from Perrault construction will be here to begin installing the Social Hall windows and those windows in the church proper, on both sides of the pews. It may be about a 2 week project, so please be patient.

If we look at 2 of the short parables which we heard from Jesus today at Mass, we can reflect on the importance of the small things we do to spread the Kingdom of God to others. Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of God as a very small seed which then grows into a large bush. Every good word and deed we do can help in the advancement of the Gospel, sometimes directly speaking about God and prayer, sometimes living out what it means to be a Christian. Always trying to be open to the Holy Spirit and spreading God’s love, in opposition to hatred, lack of faith and selfishness in the world. 

      Jesus also compares the Kingdom to yeast. A little bit of yeast causes a lot of flour to rise and form wonderful bread. Each of us can be like yeast, spreading God’s love in Jesus who wants everyone to experience the eternal salvation he came to bring. Sharing our own joy with others, our gratitude and belief in the importance of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist and following Him daily all help spread the Kingdom of God. Everyone does not have a dramatic one-time conversion experience, sometimes it is through patient listening, answering questions and walking encouragingly with someone who is open to Jesus’ message. And of course, Mass and our personal prayer life beforehand for all those we will encounter and for our own guidance is so important.    

If you are in need of help with groceries or anything else, please contact the office at 218-387-1409. If you simply want to talk or need prayer, please call Fr. Steve. If no answer, please leave a message and phone number.

www.facebook.com St. Johns/ Holy Rosary
You should see the 2 pictures of our churches below, to tell you that you have OUR church page. Contact church office if you need help finding. It will have Mass times and other info updated periodically.

 

Exciting News

We now have a parish subscription to FORMED, https://formed.org.signup
If you are not familiar with it, it is a Catholic website, app that you can access on
your phone, tablet, smart tv, etc. It has many movies about Saints, teaching,
study materials and many ways to learn about and enhance your faith.
It is for everyone. You can watch at home and there are many adult videos and books,
as well as children's material. Simple go to formed.org and follow the sign-in
instructions.  Click on sign-up as a parishioner. The easiest way is to just type in 55604
and St. John's should pop up, click on that and then enter your email address.
Once you register, you can stay logged in.