St. John the Evangelist

We have posted a copy of a shortened newsletter with important parish information and a message from Father regarding the resumption of Masses. Please click on the link below for the newsletter. Thank you.

Catholic Charities staff want to help if you are in need as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. You do NOT have to be Catholic to receive help!

Call our helpline at 620-272-0010 or send us an email at COVID19Help@CatholicCharitiesSWKS.org  

We can help with food assistance, non-food pantry items, tracking down your stimulus check, health insurance paperwork, basic taxes, housing, counseling and other basic living needs.  

If anyone would like to support and donate to Catholic Charities for the Pandemic Relief Fund, you can go online at www.CatholicCharitiesSWKS.org OR mail a check to Catholic Charities at 2201 16th St. Great Bend, KS  67530, where there is also a drop box.

Click on the FaceBook emblem in the header of the webpage (above) to watch our parish Mass! You do NOT need to join Facebook to watch! Just click 'not now' when asked to log in.

PENTECOST SUNDAY  (Year  A)

Today is Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the Church. On that first Pentecost day after the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ, God chose to present to the world his new people assembled from various parts of the world, originally with different languages but now united under the one language, LOVE. God chose this new people and called the assembly the Church. We are a chosen people and we are called to live according to the law of the spirit. Jesus had promised the disciples that he would send them the power from on high, and he fulfilled his promise on that Pentecost day when the Holy Spirit descended on them as tongues of fire. The Spirit came with the 7 gifts (Wisdom, Counsel, Knowledge, Understanding, Courage, Piety and Fear of the Lord). The Lord has chosen us and equipped us for the mission. To God be the glory now and forever.

But unfortunately as John Fulton Sheen observed, though we are a chosen people we have continued to live as a frozen people. We are frozen by fear, laziness, weakness, selfishness and immoralities of all kinds. Indeed we are frozen in different aspects of our lives as Christians: frozen in our prayer life, frozen in the way we relate with one another, frozen in the way we celebrate our faith. We don't seem to be excited about our faith neither do we look like we are happy to be in God's house; we are always in a hurry to get it over and done with as soon as possible. We show far more excitement about everything else, be it politics, sports, movies or other forms of entertainment. And those are the places we would want to be more often than to be in the Church.

Today as we celebrate Pentecost, let us pray for a new outpouring of the spirit in our lives to renew the face of the earth and renew our faith. We need the Holy Spirit to come into our hearts to reinvigorate us and drive away the fear, laziness, weakness and indifference to the faith that most of us manifest regularly. We need the Spirit to conquer the urge to sin in us and make us more selfless and keen to fulfill the command of Christ in our lives. I pray today that the Holy Spirit which God has sent into our lives may change us from being lukewarm Christians to zealous, fervent and enthusiastic members of the church.

Spirit of the Living God, Fall afresh on us, Melt us, Mold us, Fill us and Use us.

Please call the parish office to schedule an individual appointment with Father for the sacrament of reconciliation (confession).

Prayer intentions may be called to Nancy Kirmer at 620-653-2466.