A: The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is held every year on August 15th. It is a day of obligation, however, when it falls on a Saturday or Monday the obligation is often lifted and transferred to Sunday; as it in 2026 which lands on a Saturday.  
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So, what is the Assumption of our Lady? What happened? The word Assumption comes from the Latin noun assūmptiō, meaning “taking up.” It refers to the special privilege of being “taken up” to heaven, body and soul, of the Blessed Virgin Mary when the end of her time on earth was complete.

History shows that discussions about the doctrine of the Assumption goes back to as early as 300AD. Devotion to the Assumption goes back to the sixth century but was not officially stated in the dogma of the Church until 1950 by Pope Pius XII. The earliest devotions were called the “Dormition of Mary”, or Mary's falling asleep and being taken to heaven.

Where would this belief come from? There are many reasonable explanations.

1. There are other assumptions in the Scripture, so it is not unreasonable, Enoch and Elijah.

              “Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him” (Ge5:24).
             “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death; and he was not found,
                  because God had taken him” (Heb11:5).
             “The Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind...Elijah went up by a
                  whirlwind into heaven...and he(Elisha) saw him no more” (Elijah 2Ki2:1,11-12).
             “Elijah because of great zeal for the law was taken up to heaven” (1Mac2:58).2.
      2.  The blessed Virgin Mary was full of grace unlike any other human person, second only to
           our Lord (Lk1:28). The phrase “full of grace” used here is different than in other places with
           other people, here in Luke1:28, the Greek translation means “has been and is now full of
           grace”, pointing to the belief that she was given fullness of grace from her conception
​           (CCC490-493,722, and Pope Pius IX1854b definition Ineffabilis Deus).
     3.  There are no relics of Mary’s body.
     4.  The Church and its tradition believed, honored, and celebrated this doctrine from the start
          it was just not officially stated dogma until 1950.
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In 1950 to help us understand the Assumption, Pope Pius XII wrote that Holy Mary’s Assumption related to her Immaculate Conception. “She, by an entirely unique privilege, completely overcame sin by her Immaculate Conception, and as a result she was not subject to the law of remaining in the corruption of the grave, and she did not have to wait until the end of time for the redemption of her body” (Munificentissimus Deus, #4-5). Death is still a surprise when it comes, as it should be. Death was not meant for us from the beginning but because of original sin, we all experience bodily death from the corruption of being born into original sin from Adam and Eve. Sin causes death. Mary was saved from original sin from her conception, and stayed sinless, given the gift of fullness of grace, so her body never saw decay. Pope Pius XII further quotes St Robert Bellarmine, “And who, I ask, could believe that the ark of holiness, the dwelling place of the Word of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit, could be reduced to ruin? My soul is filled with horror at the thought that this virginal flesh which had begotten God, had brought him into the world, had nourished and carried him, could have been turned into ashes or given over to be food for worms. (see Munificentissimus Deus, #34).

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary gives us the hope of the Resurrection and points to our future home that we all strive for. Mary is our Mother of the order of grace praying for us on our journey home. She is the best of our race, our example of pure obedience to grace and the will of the Father and love of the Son.
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“Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed it the fruit of your womb Jesus. Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, Amen”.

A: Father’s Day did not start in the USA until 1909 to commemorate veterans of the Civil War in the United States and all they do for their families and our nation. Before that in 1908 Grace Clayton proposed a one-time event to honor fathers who lost their lives in Virginia Coal Miner’s disaster. It was rejected but it sparked Sonora Dudd in 1909, whose father was a Civil War veteran whom she wanted to honor, to have the Spokane Ministerial Alliance to promote Father’s Day worldwide. Her father’s birthday was in June. It spread until President Lyndon Johnson named a date officially in 1966 stating, “In the homes of our Nation, we look to the fathers to provide the strength and stability which characterizes a successful family”.  It was later signed into law by President Richard Nixon. The third Sunday of June was chosen. In 2026, June 21st happens to also to fall on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year.
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But, Father’s Day has deeper Catholic roots. Sometime around the 14th to 15th centuries European Franciscans began to associate St Joseph’s feast on May 1st (St Joseph the workman) and the solemnity on March 19th (date of St Joseph’s death), with all fathers. Before this when the East and West Schism happened in the Catholic Church around the 5th century the Coptic Church put in place a devotion on July 20th to the fatherhood of St Joseph which also celebrated all fathers. These various devotional dates to St Joseph and all fathers came to the Americas with the Spanish and Portuguese sailors and eventually in 1909 Sonora Dudd laid groundwork for its official national recognition for all fathers.
The gift of the special fatherhood St Joseph had for Jesus gives us an excellent human example for all fathers and points to our heavenly Father’s loving provision and care for each one of us. All fathers have this special mission to reflect not only St Joseph’s special care of Mary and Jesus but to reflect God Father’s loving care of each of us. Life is not always easy, it can be messy, and even misunderstood in what the Father’s plan is for us. But like St Joseph, if men have faith and humility to take care of Mother Church, invite Mary into our homes, and take care of souls born from her whether we understand the complexity of it or not, we too will be blessed beyond measure. Fatherhood is extremely important in our society with all its relativity and lack of order. True fatherhood shows the power and strength of humility, stability, relationship, confidence in faith and its example, work ethic to care for dependents, endurance to go the distance, and provides a safe loving authority so that order can be in our society. The priesthood is a special spiritual fatherhood God has gifted us in the Catholic Church that extends this image of the Father to each one of us whether our fathers are in our lives or not. Let us celebrate the gift of fatherhood in each father we know, pray and encourage them in this special mission of witnessing to us who our heavenly Father truly is. 

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.