St. John the Baptist

***Please check back daily.***

June 4, 2020 - Important Update to Mass Sign Up 

Dear Parishioners of St. John the Baptist:

As stated in previous correspondence, the St. John’s Reopening Committee wants to keep you as updated as possible to the continuously changing circumstances surrounding the reopening of St. John’s for public Mass.  Our bishop, the Most Reverend David J. Malloy, has granted permission for public Masses to resume with limited participation. This weekend, June 6^th and June 7^th, Sunday Masses will resume at regularly scheduled times. Please take the time to read through the following participation guidelines as some things have changed. 

1. Any parishioner wishing to participate in Mass must sign up for a Mass time on a weekly basis, until further notice.  Each Mass time can be attended by a maximum of 150 parishioners, in addition to the ministers of the liturgy. We will be using an online program called Sign Up Genius to register for mass times, on this webpage.  If you are unable to use Sign Up Genius, please make your reservation by calling the parish office at (815) 385-1477 ext. 200.  Registration will begin on Thursday, June 4^th at 8:30 am. When registering online or through the parish office, please provide your phone number as well as the number of household members attending Mass.  We ask that you limit registrations to registered members of St. John the Baptist parish.
2. All Catholics in the diocese are still dispensed from the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days until further notice.  If you are feeling sick or have been exposed to someone who has the coronavirus, please DO NOT ATTEND MASS.  
3. The rules of social distancing—e.g., staying six feet apart, wearing face masks, using hand sanitizer, receiving Holy Communion in the hand, not blessing ourselves with holy water, etc.—will apply as Mass resumes.
4. Volunteers will sanitize the pews and other parts of the church that people are likely to touch.  We need volunteers for this important duty, and we ask that you call the parish office to offer your help.
5. While watching Mass on TV or online can never replace physical attendance, doing so is an act of charity toward your brothers and sisters in Christ.  We are all encouraged to make an act of spiritual communion each time we tune in to Mass in the media.

Please check back to the St. John’s parish website daily for any updates or changes, or, if you have not yet done so, download the free MyParish App on your smartphone for immediate updates. Be sure to search for “St. John the Baptist” in the “Find My Parish” search bar.

As always, we thank you for your patience and understanding in this process. 

May our resurrected Lord bless us and keep us healthy and safe!

June 1, 2020 - Letter from Fr. Jacek
Dear Parishioners of St. John the Baptist:

All of us are enduring the difficulties of social distancing because of the coronavirus, and for many of us Catholics one of the most difficult aspects of the pandemic has been our inability to attend Mass in person.  Our bishop, the Most Reverend David J. Malloy, has granted permission for public masses to resume, but he insists that we limit participation to no more than ten people in addition to the ministers of the liturgy.  I know that this limited number will be a hardship for many, but I ask your cooperation as we obey our shepherd’s instructions.  If it helps your feelings, remember that the first Mass, the Last Supper, was closed to all of Jesus’ disciples except the Twelve.  Even Our Lord’s Blessed Mother was left off that guest list.

We have a committee of seven parishioners who have been meeting regularly to plan how we will resume public Masses to ensure the safety and convenience of everyone.  Our plans are far from perfect, and it’s possible we’ll have to change them as things progress in the days and weeks ahead. I ask for your patience and prayers as we try to work out how we’ll be doing things in the time to come.  Here are the main points for you to consider at this time.

1. All Catholics in the diocese are still dispensed from the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days until further notice.  If you are feeling sick or have been exposed to someone who has the coronavirus, please DO NOT ATTEND MASS. 
2. The rules of social distancing—e.g., staying six feet apart, wearing face masks, using hand sanitizer, receiving Holy Communion in the hand, not blessing ourselves with holy water, etc.—will apply when in-person Mass resumes.
3. People who attend Mass will have to register for one of the ten places before the scheduled Mass.  We will be using an online program called Sign Up Genius, and you can access that program on the parish website.  If you are not able to use Sign Up Genius, please make your reservation by calling the parish office at (815) 385-1477 ext. 200.  Registration will begin on Thursday, June 4^th at 8:30 am. When registering, please provide your phone number and how many members will attend Mass.  We ask that you limit registrations to registered members of St. John the Baptist parish.
4. Volunteers will sanitize the pews and other parts of the church that people are likely to touch.  We need volunteers for this important duty, and we ask that you call the parish office to offer your help.
5. While watching Mass on TV or online can never replace physical attendance, doing so is an act of charity toward your brothers and sisters in Christ.  We are all encouraged to make an act of spiritual communion each time we tune in to Mass in the media.

Throughout history—and throughout the world in our own day—countless Catholics have been denied the right to attend Mass during plagues, persecutions, and natural disasters.  I ask you to join with this enormous Communion of Saints and offer your prayers and sacrifices to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for reparation for sin, the salvation of souls, and the end of the coronavirus pandemic.

May our resurrected Lord bless us and keep us healthy and safe.
 
 
Father Jacek CR

St. John's church bulletins are available by navigating to "The Faith" tab at the top of the screen and selecting "Church Bulletins". 

Bishop David Malloy will continue to post weekly devotionals on Wednesdays at 12 noon and Holy Mass on Sundays at 9 am on the Rockford Diocese website. All are encouraged to share in these posts! To navigate the diocesan website, click here. 

The Diocese of Rockford newspaper, The Observer is currently being offered at no charge during the Pandemic. Sign up for your free online subsciption at: http://observertoo.rockforddiocese.org/sub/account_login.php

All religious education classes, retreats, and events have been postponed until further notice. Please advise, parents will receive updates via email. 

Click the link below to visit St. John's School website!
https://www.stjohnschool.com/