A: To double down on the importance of the month of May dedicated to honoring Mother Mary, Pope Paul VI said, “In this month (May), too, the benefits of God's mercy come down to us from her (Mary’s) throne in greater abundance" (Paul VI: Encyclical on the Month of May, no. 1). So what is so special about May?
     The practice of a month being dedicated to the Virgin Mary existed before it became known officially in the month of May. In the medieval times there was a 30-day devotion called “Tricesimum” originally Latin for thirtieth and also used to mean “Lady’s Month” that started from August through September. Later in the 13th century, the Jesuits were known to dedicate the month of May to honoring Holy Virgin Mary. It is suggested that May was chosen for three main reasons: 1) to combat in May secular pagan feasts dedicated to false gods or spirits, 2) several Marian devotionals already were said in the month of May and 3) because spring is the time of new birth that represents how Jesus came through a pure virgin into our world to give us new birth.
     By the 1500s Marian May booklets and books began to appear to foster this devotion. In the end of the 1700s, Father Latomia of the Roman College of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) located in Rome, made a vow to dedicate the month of May to Virgin Mary. He did this because of the infidelity and immorality of the students at that college and to ask Holy Virgin Mary to help them. This practice spread to other Jesuit colleges and thus the Catholic churches near them. In 1815 the month of May dedication to Mary was granted a partial indulgence by Pope Pius VII and a plenary indulgence by Pope Pius IX in 1859. Finally, in 1945 Pope Pius XII made the month of May officially the Catholic month of dedication to the Blessed Mother Mary. Some of the highlighted Marian days in May include: 
May 1 (or 1st Sunday)  – Our Lady, Queen of May. Often includes a May Crowning ceremony.
May 13 – Our Lady of Fatima
May 24 – Mary, Help of Christians
May 31 – The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
    In Mary’s Magnificat she correctly professed how all generations would call her blessed and so we do, not because of her, but because of the “greatness of the Lord” and His grace given to her and all of us through her and the Church she represents. She is forever bringing us to the will of Her Son, in her words to us “Do whatever He tells you”. As Pope Paul VI said in his 1965 encyclical, “the person who encounters Mary cannot help but encounter Christ likewise. For what other reason do we continually turn to Mary except to seek the Christ in her arms, to seek our Savior in her, through her, and with her?” She is a loving good Mother who loves the Father and Her Son wanting all of His children to be safe in His family, His Kingdom. In this “Lady’s Month” let us allow our Mother to bring us closer to Her Son Jesus. Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers and especially to our dear Holy Blessed Mother Mary.​

A: Let’s be honest—confession might be one of the most intimidating, misunderstood practices in the Catholic Church.

Whether you’re a lifelong Catholic, someone returning after years away, or just trying to make sense of it all, you’ve probably wondered:
“Why do I have to go to a priest? Can’t I just tell God I’m sorry?”
Fair question. Let’s break it down.


🔥 What Is Confession, Really?
Confession—more formally called the Sacrament of Reconciliation—isn’t about humiliation or guilt-tripping. It’s about healing.
It’s Jesus saying:
“I know you. I see the real mess. And I still want you.”

📖 Yes, It’s in the Bible.
Right after the resurrection, Jesus says something stunning to His disciples:
“Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
– John 20:22–23
Wait… what?
Jesus literally gives His apostles the authority to forgive or retain sins—meaning He intended His Church to mediate His mercy.
And how would the apostles know which sins to forgive or retain?
People had to confess them.

🧑‍⚖️ But Why a Priest?
Priests are not spiritual superheroes. They’re instruments—earthen vessels through whom Jesus continues His work.
In confession, the priest:

• Listens
• Prays
• Advises
• And most importantly… says these words:

“I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
Boom.
Not “God forgives you… probably.”
Not “Well, good luck out there.”
But certainty. Tangible, spoken absolution.

✝️ Confession Isn’t for God’s Sake. It’s for Yours.
Yes—you can and should talk to God directly.
But when you go to confession:

• You hear forgiveness.
• You feel the weight lift.
• You know you’ve come home.

Jesus already knows your sins. But He also knows what heals a human heart:
🗣️ Speaking the truth aloud.
👂 Hearing the words of mercy.
🤝 Letting yourself be known and loved.
Confession is personal redemption with skin on it.

💥 What Happens Before the Confessional?
Before you ever enter the confessional, the most important part has already begun: true contrition.
Contrition means you’re genuinely sorry—not just that you messed up, but that your choices wounded your relationship with God.
It’s not about fear of punishment—it’s about the desire to be made whole again. It’s the moment you say in your soul:
“Lord, I want to come home.”
That sorrow—authentic and heartfelt—is the door that opens the floodgates of mercy.

💥 What Happens in the Confessional?
Here’s a breakdown. It’s not scary—we promise:

1. You walk in. Face-to-face or behind a screen.
2. “Bless me, Father…” is how it starts, but it’s not magic. Just be honest.
3. Confess your sins. As simply or thoroughly as you can.
4. The priest may give advice. Then assigns a simple act of penance (like a prayer).
5. He says the words of absolution. Your sins are gone. Period.
6. You go in peace. Clean. Free. Loved.

🌊 It’s Like a Spiritual Shower
Everyone needs to wash off the grime now and then—why would your soul be any different?
Confession is:

• A reset button
• A sacrament of second chances
• A way to step back into grace

🧠 Still Feeling Unsure?
That’s okay.
Here are some common blocks, and what’s true:

• Fear: “The priest will judge me.”
  • Truth: He’s heard worse. And he’s been there too.
• Fear: “I haven’t gone in years.”
  • Truth: He’ll be thrilled you’re back. Really.
• Fear: “I don’t remember how.”
  • Truth: That’s fine. He’ll walk you through it.
• Fear: “I’m embarrassed.”
  • Truth: That’s the enemy talking. Mercy silences shame.

📣 Final Thought: God Already Forgives. Confession Lets You Receive It.
It’s not about earning forgiveness—it’s about letting it in.
Jesus gave us the Sacrament of Reconciliation not as a burden, but as a gift.
And honestly? Once you go… you’ll wonder why you waited.

✨ Ready to Try?

• Check out our parish’s confession times.
• Ask someone to go with you.
• Check out these “Examination of Conscience” based on different states in life if you need help getting ready for confession.
• Be brave. God’s waiting—with mercy, not lightning bolts.

 

A: In this time of almsgiving we have had many parishioners emailing in to ask how they can login to get their contribution statement. We would like to thank all of you first and foremost for your generous gifts to God’s Kingdom work and to our parish. The below instructions should easily guide you to logging in:

1. Go to pushpay.com/login
2. You can sign in with email and password or by putting in your cell phone number and it will send you a code to login.
3. If you can’t remember if you have logged in before try to put your phone number in. If you have an account it will text to your cell phone a code to log in.
4. If you have never set up online giving, see the note below.
5. If you have an account and receive a text on your phone with a code, put the code into the prompted phone code space on pushpay and it will log you in.
6. Click on the left onto “Giving Statements” which will bring you to the end of year statement.
7. Let your cursor go over the 2025 End of Year Statement, Click on the far right on either view or download icon and print out.
8. If you do not have email or a cell phone, then you normally receive your contribution statement in the mail at the end of the year. But, if you do not have that statement and do not want or cannot go online to download or print it, please call the office and we can print it out for you. 

Hope this helps. Thank-you on behalf of all St John Evangelist for your giving! 

If you want to set up online giving and have never logged in before to give online and the system is not taking your cell number or email:  Go to stjohnfenton.org and click on the donate button (see below). You can give as little as $1 to set this up. Set up either a one time giving or recurring gift and it will send you a code to a cell phone to sign up as a login.  Once you login you can switch to email and password if you do not want to use a cell phone in the future.                                 
 

​A: When I was about 39 years old, I had an extreme back muscle issues stemming from crushed vertebrae in my neck that caused me to not be able to stand up straight or walk without being bent over. It caused me great pain and affected my attitude toward others. I tried chiropractors, doctors, and physical therapy. Although that helped some, there seemed to be no real relief for me either in spirit or body. One weekend we went to mass out in west Michigan and the priest announced that anyone who had serious illness or physical problems could stand up and that he would give us the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. I started to think maybe I could stand up, but my husband said to me, “I don’t think this includes you, you’re not at the danger of death”. But right after he said that, the priest announced, “The Anointing of the Sick is not a sacrament for those only at the point of death but fitting for the faithful beginning to be in danger of death from sickness or old age.  It is for those seriously ill”. He was quoting from the CCC 1513-14. The Church in her wisdom does not wait until it’s almost too late, but desires to reach her children at the beginning of serious illness both spiritually and physically.
I also had not realized that the Anointing of the Sick is a liturgical and communal celebration whether at home, hospital or at church, for a single person or a group (CCC1517). Sacraments affect more than just the person receiving them, it is meant to affect the whole Church, they are sacraments of unity because their spiritual or physical healing affect all of us. Because this sacrament must include the Liturgy of the Word preceded by an act of repentance to awaken the faith of the sick person and the grace that flows from a priest, it was fitting that it was celebrated within the Eucharist, the mass (CCC1517-19). Further, the sacrament requires the laying on of hands, prayer, and anointing with holy oil. It also helps that others are there to pray for us reminding us of our unity with Jesus’ suffering and with each other. It is fitting that it take place with others, especially within the Eucharist like it was for me in the parish in west Michigan. And like mass, it is most fitting and more powerful if the Sacrament of Reconciliation be made beforehand.
If a person recovers after his or her anointing, he can in the case of another grave illness or even if the same illness returns, receive this sacrament again and should be received at the beginning of such a case and not wait. In fact, even just before a serious operation it is fitting to receive the Anointing of the Sick (CCC 1515).
After I received my anointing, I gradually started to feel better. I started to walk up straight and the extreme pain subsided, but not all of the physical trouble went away. Jesus is concerned about the whole person and has compassion on us. When He walked the earth, He did not heal all who were sick but His healings were signs for a more radical healing of the victory over sin and His coming Kingdom. God knows what we can handle and what is necessary. He knows when we need to pick up our crosses and when we need a new outlook on illness. More than my physical healing that day, I received strengthening, peace, and courage to overcome the difficulty of my serious condition (CCC1520). My countenance was lifted out of the temptation to be angry and worn out enough to get back in the game so to speak, to be buoyed up in my spirit so I could pick up my cross and use it for His glory. 
If you are in serious illness, come, come to the Sacrament of Anointing, and see too what God will do. 

A: Octave in the Catholic Church means an eight-day period following a feast day. Eight is a special number, our Lord’s Resurrection was on the eighth day, Jewish boys just like Jesus were circumcised on the eighth day, and certain feasts of the Jewish religion lasted seven days ending on the eighth day, like the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Weeks. Eight then was and is a symbol of dedication, rebirth, thanksgiving, and or renewal. Octave comes from the Latin word “octo” meaning eight. Even in music there is an octave, meaning the eighth note in a sequence or scale.
There are two main feast days in the Catholic Liturgical Year: Christmas and Easter, both are solemnities or holy days of obligation that have eight days of observance that repeat or remind Catholics of the solemnity of those feasts. “The celebration of Easter and Christmas, the two greatest solemnities, continues for eight days, with each octave governed by its own rules” (General Norms of the Liturgical Calendar). The octave starts on the feast, so the octave of Christmas starts on the 25th. The next six days are called “days within the octave”, and the last day, the eighth day, is considered higher than the previous six days as if a culmination of the remembrance of Christmas. Each day though after the feast of Christmas is seen as a little Christmas celebrating the incarnation of the Word made flesh, Emmanuel, God with us. The octave of Christmas ends on the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, Jan 1st.  During the six days between the feast and solemnity of Christmas and Solemnity of Mary there are four more various feast days, St Stephen, St John the Evangelist, the Holy Innocents, and the Holy Family. During this time our priests wear white and it is shown as white on our liturgical calendars, with an exception on the feasts of the martyrs; St Stephen and the Holy Innocence where they wear red.
During the octave of Christmas there are various ways to commemorate the importance of the incarnation of Christ at Christmas. You can attend daily mass, celebrate his coming with friends and family, prayerfully reflect on the liturgical daily mass readings, and ...simply rest, rest in the Lord and His love for you. Wise men still seek Him! Do you have any special traditions to carry Christmas beyond the 25th? Merry Christmas to you my dear family in Christ!