MARCH 2022
community of St. John & St. James The Season of Lent: A Time for Encountering God and Growing in Our Faith
Holy Thursday Mass
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e often hear that Lent is a time for growth. But what does that mean? Specifically, it refers to growth in our relationship with God. The mindset with which we enter into Lent can greatly impact the way that God is able to work and change our lives. There are three essential ways to participate in the Lenten season that are put forth in Holy Scripture and by the Church — prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It is important that we participate in all three because it allows us to engage more of our senses throughout Lent. “Fasting can sometimes mean that we are hungry or uncomfortable,” Fr. John O’Neill says. “Almsgiving can involve volunteering or giving more than we usually would financially. Giving more can make a dent in our pocket that we really feel and experience. Finally, prayer opens our spiritual life. If we do the same thing this year as last year, we will have the same results. Prayer allows us to be open to the new paths and growth that God is calling us to.” The growth that we experience during Lent does not simply come from continued on page 2
The Season of Lent
continued from front cover
making a sacrifice, but it also involves how we replace what we’ve sacrificed. It means giving up technology and replacing that time with spiritual readings, or giving up coffee and donating the money we save to a charity. It means being intentional about our sacrifice and what fills its place in our lives. There will be many opportunities to join members of our community in growth this Lent. The Knights of Columbus will host a Fish Fry every Friday evening during Lent, and food will be served beginning at 5 p.m. Also taking place on Fridays during Lent, there will be a Holy Hour at 6 p.m. followed by Stations of the Cross starting at 7 p.m. and Hispanic Stations beginning at 8 p.m. On Wednesdays during Lent, there will be a Holy Hour beginning after the 5:15 p.m. Mass. Confession will be offered during this Holy Hour on Wednesdays. In addition to the weekly opportunities, a Community Mission will be hosted on March 20-21. Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy, will be coming to speak to our community and many guests from surrounding areas. Fr. Alar is a nationally known speaker and frequent guest on EWTN. He also hosts the Divine Mercy Matters online series. It is very exciting that we will be able to host Fr. Alar for this Community Mission, which is another fantastic opportunity during Lent to grow and learn more about the faith. “Lent is a time of encounter,” Fr. John says. “What is God calling us to do to help with this encounter? What could this encounter look like? How will we change our lives this Lent to better encounter the Lord?”
Stations of the Cross
Knights of Columbus members prepping for the Fish Fry
“Lent is a time of encounter. What is God calling us to do to help with this encounter? What could this encounter look like? How will we change our lives this Lent to better encounter the Lord?” — FR. JOHN O’NEILL If you would like more information about Lenten opportunities in our faith community, please visit www.stjohn-bartlesville.org or www.saintjamescatholicparish.org.
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A Letter From Our Pastor
The
Joy of Lent
Dear Parishioners,
H
ave you ever thought about the joy in sacrifice that Lent provides? Most of us don’t delight in sacrifice; in fact, in our daily lives, we often do our best to avoid challenges and practices that push us outside of our comfort zones. In Christianity, there is a beautiful irony between joy and sacrifice, and we are presented with a wonderful opportunity to embrace this uniquely during Lent. In one of his Lenten messages, Pope Francis shared, “Lent is a fitting time for selfdenial; we would do well to ask ourselves what we can give up in order to help and enrich others by our own poverty.” While giving up sweets in favor of healthy snacks for Lent is a common and noble endeavor, the goal of Lent should not only be a spiritual excuse to lose weight! In choosing acts of selfdenial, we are saying “no” to things in order to get into the practice of saying “no” when inclined towards sin, ultimately deepening our faith and our relationship with the Lord. Victory can be found when we deny ourselves and pick up our crosses and hardships in order to grow closer to Christ! Therein lies the joy. When we grow closer to God by denying our will, we say “yes” to a life of abundance with Him. Our God is a benevolent God; He will not hold back His grace from those who honor Him and choose challenging things to grow and give Him glory. Christ even tells us Himself, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Without question, Lent is a time for conscious penitence and spiritual preparation for Easter. And it is important
to remember that God loves us whether we make Lenten changes or not. At the same time, Lent provides us an opportunity to make God a greater part of our life, and to take our faith to new levels. Stewardship is a God-centered way of life — a spiritual way of living that, above all, acknowledges God’s presence in all we do. Lent is a time for every one of us to do more than simply deny ourselves; we need to welcome God into our lives in greater ways so that when we get to Holy Week and Easter, we have an even greater appreciation for the sacrifice the Lord made for us. Talk about pure joy! May you and your loved ones enjoy a holy and joyous Lenten journey. Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. John O’Neill Pastor
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THE 2022 MA
Community Youth Join Fellow Catholics to J
The first March for Life trip, 2010
Kayden, Blythe and Simeon
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anuary 22 marked the 49th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade court decision legalizing abortion in our country. As Catholics, reverencing all life as a gift from God and all humans as made in the image and likeness of God, this was a somber day and it reminded us that our work is far from over. Hope was found, however, in the March for Life in Washington, D.C. As they have done every year since the Roe v. Wade case, Catholics from all over the country gathered in union with other Christians and non-Christians in prayer and peaceful protest. Many of those who gathered were young people, representing the growing pro-life generation. This year, two students from the Catholic community of Bartlesville made the long trip out to Washington D.C. Kayden Reyes and Simeon Zielenski, accompanied by Blythe Zielenski and Youth Director Cassie Rebeor, embarked on the 26-hour bus ride with the Diocese of Tulsa on Jan. 18. Attending the March for Life was so important that Kayden even celebrated his 18th birthday while on the trip. For Kayden, representing the Catholic stance on the dignity of life was too important to pass up. “We were all at the march for the same thing and we believe the same thing,” Kayden says, remembering the thousands of people who marched with him. “It was good to have a voice and to feel like I’m actually doing something to stop abortion.” The trip included sightseeing, Mass at the National Basilica, and a meeting with Oklahoma senators, including Senator James Lankford who then joined the Diocese of Tulsa group in attending the March. Our community has been taking students to the March for Life since 2010. There are many ways for our parish communities to support those who attend the march. The trip often calls for some extra fundraising and chaperones are always needed, but through prayer, all of us can support the sanctity of life and those who march.
RCH FOR LIFE
o Support and Promote the Sanctity of Life “First and always, we need prayer warriors,” Cassie says. “Then we typically need chaperones. This trip is a once-in-a-lifetime experience every time you go and is totally worth the bus ride!” While COVID-19 made the March for Life trip more complicated, we are grateful that we were able to send a small group this year while our parish supported them with prayer. Our community can continue to defend life throughout the year, especially through the 40 Days for Life in the fall. Parishioners are invited to join the students in prayer at the Garden of Hope in Tulsa and volunteers are needed to help transport students there.
The bus ride to Washington, D.C.
If you would like to learn more about how you can support our youth as they defend the dignity of all human life, please contact Cassie Rebeor at bartlesvillecatholicyouth@gmail.com.
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Journeying With Christ Through the Stations of the Cross F
or Roman Catholics throughout the world, the Stations of the Cross are synonymous with Lent, Holy Week, and, especially, Good Friday. This devotion is also known as the Way of the Cross, the Via Crucis, and the Via Dolorosa. It commemorates 14 key events on the day of Christ’s crucifixion. The Stations originated in medieval Europe when wars prevented Christian pilgrims from visiting the Holy Land. Later, for the many who wanted to pass along the same route, but could not make the trip to Jerusalem, a practice developed that eventually took the form of the 14 stations currently found in almost every church. It was St. Francis of Assisi who devised the list of stations and started the tradition of reciting it as a type of devotional service. European artists created works depicting scenes of Christ’s journey to Calvary. In 1761, St. Alphonsus Liguori wrote: “The pious exercise of the Way of the Cross represents the sorrowful journey that Jesus Christ made with the cross on His shoulders, to die on Calvary for the love of us. We should, therefore, practice this devotion with the greatest possible fervor, placing ourselves in spirit beside our Savior as He walked this sorrowful way, uniting our tears with His, and offering to Him both our compassion and our gratitude.” Praying the Stations of the Cross is one of the most popular devotions for Roman Catholics, and is often performed in a spirit of reparation for the sufferings and insults that Jesus endured during His Passion. The object of the Stations is to help us make a spiritual pilgrimage of prayer, through meditating upon the chief scenes of Christ’s sufferings and death. This devotion may be conducted personally, by making your way from one station to another and saying the prayers, or by having the celebrant move from station to station while the congregation make the responses. A plenary indulgence may be gained by praying the Stations of the Cross. If, for some reasonable cause, the Stations are interrupted, a partial indulgence may be gained for each station.
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Praying the Stations of the Cross
For an online guide to praying the Stations below, visit www.catholic.org/prayers/station.php Opening Prayer Station 1 - Jesus Is Condemned To Death Station 2 - Jesus Carries His Cross Station 3 - Jesus Falls The First Time Station 4 - Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother Station 5 - Simon Of Cyrene Helps Jesus To Carry His Cross Station 6 - Veronica Wipes The Face Of Jesus Station 7 - Jesus Falls The Second Time Station 8 - Jesus Meets The Women Of Jerusalem Station 9 - Jesus Falls A Third Time Station 10 - Jesus Is Stripped Of His Clothes Station 11 - Jesus Is Nailed To The Cross Station 12 - Jesus Dies On The Cross Station 13 - The Body Of Jesus Is Taken Down From The Cross Station 14 - Jesus Is Laid In The Tomb Closing Prayer
The Catholic Community of Bartlesville will offer Stations of the Cross each Friday during Lent at 7 p.m. in English and at 8 p.m. in Spanish. There will also be live Stations of the Cross on April 8.
Meet Our Parish and School Secretaries Ensuring the Seamless Operation of Our Faith Community T here’s seemingly no end to the number of tasks a parish or school secretary handles — from keeping track of records and directing phone calls, to welcoming people and more. Our parish secretaries, Janice Hoss at St. John’s and Mindy Freeman at St. James, and school secretary, Heidi Larkin, all do vital work to keep everything running smoothly. “Janice takes care of St. John’s,” Fr. John O’Neill says. “I tell people all the time, ‘Janice runs the place. I’m just the pastor.’ All the secretaries make sure everything happens that needs to.” Janice and Mindy are there to help welcome people coming for a funeral or funeral planning, and to
help Fr. Carlos Loaiza with translating to English. They are there to do whatever is asked of them. “Each of the secretaries has their own talents and abilities,” Fr. John says. “They are all three invaluable to me.” Although Heidi is relatively new to her role, she has eased into the work nicely. “Heidi has really done a great job so far,” Fr. John says. “It’s been a blessing to have her.” Fr. John wants parishioners to get to know the secretaries. They are always there to lend a smile and a helping hand. “They are the gatekeepers,” Fr. John says. “They allow me to be more effective as a pastor.”
Mindy Freeman — St. James
Mindy Freeman has been at St. James for nearly five years. She enjoys working in an environment where she can openly share her faith. She also loves just being there to help parishioners and visitors. Mindy is a cancer survivor and has been in remission for 12 years — she credits her positivity and a whole lot of prayers for getting her through. Mindy has five children and six grandchildren. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and reading. Mindy Freeman
Janice Hoss — St. John Before the Latin Gate
Janice has been with the parish for two years. She loves working with people, so she’s in a perfect role at St. John Before the Latin Gate. Janice also loves how her job is so family-friendly. People genuinely care about each other. Janice has been married to her husband, Tim, for four years. Janice has three children, and Tim has two children. They both enjoy spending time with their granddaughter, Sophia Rose. Janice was raised Catholic and comes from a family of eight. She was born and raised on a farm in Missouri. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors, gardening, taking care of the lawn, sewing, and spending time with family.
Janice Hoss with her granddaughter, Sophia Rose continued on back cover
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Saint John Before the Latin Gate 715 S. Johnstone Ave. Bartlesville, OK 74003 (918) 336-4353 www.stjohn-bartlesville.org Saint James Catholic Church 5500 Douglas Ln. Bartlesville, OK 74006 (918) 335-0844 www.saintjamescatholicparish.org
Meet Our Parish and School Secretaries continued from page 7
Heidi Larkin — St. John’s Catholic School
Heidi Larkin has been at the school for about five months. She is married to Rick, and they have one son. Heidi moved to the United States from Botswana, Africa, about 11 years ago. She loves helping people and working in an environment where she can freely talk about Jesus. In her free time, she enjoys being with family and gardening. Heidi Larkin
“Each of the secretaries has their own talents and abilities. They are all three invaluable to me.” — FR. JOHN O’NEILL MASS & CONFESSION TIMES ST. JOHN: Masses: Saturday: 5 p.m. | Sunday: 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. (en Español) | Tuesday: 7 a.m. | Wednesday: 5:15 p.m. Thursday: 7 a.m., 7 p.m. (en Español) | Friday: 8:15 a.m. (School Mass) Reconciliation: Saturday: 4-4:45 p.m. | Sunday: 12:30-1:15 p.m. ST. JAMES: Masses: Saturday: 5:30 p.m. | Sunday: 9:30 a.m. | Tuesday: 8:30 a.m. | Thursday: 8:30 a.m. | Saturday: 8:30 a.m. Reconciliation: Saturday: 4:30-5:15 p.m.