Sacristans

Sacristans prepare the Church and altar for Mass. They arrange Liturgical books, the vestments and anything else necessary for the celebration of the Mass on Sundays and any other holy days or special feast days. If interested contact Lisa Davisson at the parish office.

Lectors

Lectors share the scripture readings, prayer of the Faithful, and announcements at parish liturgies. it is important for lectors to understand the scripture readings and convey them clearly to the congregation. Required workshops are held once or twice a year to train people who are interested in serving this ministry. There is also a Lector Workbook given to each Lector, which helps them to better understand the readings and how to deliver them appropriately. If interested in becoming a Lector contact Lisa Davisson at the Parish Office.

Altar Servers

The Altar Server Ministry is open to all boys and girls grades 3 and up who are members of St. John parish and who have received the sacrament of First Holy Communion. Adult servers are also utilized at our Masses. Servers are assigned duty at Sunday Masses and also holy days and other occasions. If interested, please contact Bill Hanz 419-371-6013.

Cantors

The cantor has the special role of leading our sung responses at Mass. The cantor most often serves as the psalmist, leading the responsorial psalm, and also other music that requires an assembly response. The cantor is not a soloist but a leader, along with the accompanist, who leads the assembly in the music of the liturgy. In addition to the Sunday and holy day Masses, cantors also assist at weddings, funerals, and other special liturgies. Cantors should possess a clear, accurate and pleasant voice. Auditions may be requested for cantors. If interested contact MaryBlanche at 419-236-1484.

  • MaryBlanche Hengstler
  • MaryLou Barber
  • Billie Stanley
  • Margie Walker
  • Velma Kill
  • Rosalie Stluka
  • Karrie Lester
  • Ceci Shope

Eucharistic Ministers

Eucharistic Ministers are trained at workshops before being commissioned. Each Eucharistic Minister is assigned to several Sunday Masses each year. This is a very fulfilling ministry and a wonderful way to feel closely connected to the Liturgy. Trained EM's are also needed to deliver communion to the homebound, the hospitalized, and those in nursing homes. Watch the bulletin for info on new training workshops or contact Lisa Davisson at the Parish Office.

Greeters

Greeters welcome individuals before mass. You may be a greeter as a family, an individual youth who has been confirmed, an individual adult or a couple. If interested in being a greeter please contact Jeff Steinke 419-303-1652.

Ushers

Ushers provide a welcoming environment at Mass, take up the collection, and see that the offertory gifts are brought to the altar. They direct the flow of traffic during communion and assist with unexpected situations that might arise during Mass. When the Mass is over, they hand out the bulletins. This ministry is open to all men, women and young adults. If interested contact Jeff Steinke 419-303-1652.

Vacation Bible School

VBS will be held June 10- 14th, 2019 in the morning 8 am - 11:45 a.m., Monday thru Friday. at St John's Hall.

Bereavement Committee

  • Mary Lou Barber
  • Stella Cogley
  • Rita Deerhake
  • Joan Naftzger

Prayer Chain

St. John has a prayer chain. If you have an intention you wish to be added to the prayer list, you may call Stella Cogley at 419-227-3024. Requests are kept confidential. If you are interested in volunteering to pray for the chain, please let Stella know this as well.

Choir

Rehearsals Thurs. 6-7:30 p.m. Sept. thru May.
All are welcome & encouraged to join! If interested in joining choir call MaryBlanche at 419-236-1484.

Funeral Procedures at St. John

Funeral Liturgy

Funeral arrangements are pre-arranged through one of the area funeral homes. The funeral director will contact the parish office to notify us of a death and then give us a family contact name that we contact to make the funeral Mass arrangements.

The contact name is also given to a member of the bereavement team from our parish. The bereavement team member will contact the family regarding the liturgy itself, to arrange for Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Altar Servers, and to help you select the readings and music you would like for the Mass. An organist is available and can provide either a vocalist or the choir. However, if you have a vocalist you want to sing for the funeral, they will need to contact our organist to practice the songs before the funeral.

The bereavement member will help to complete the Funeral Liturgy Planning form and submit it to the parish office for review. The family will be contacted if any changes are required.

Please note that following Communion a five minute "time of remembrance" is permitted to be given by a family member or friend. We ask that any Eulogies depicting the deceased's life be done at the Wake Service at the funeral home the previous evening. Compliance with the five minute time frame is necessary for the sake of the funeral home and cemetery personnel who have more than one funeral a day, for your friends who may need to return to work, and for the ladies preparing the dinner who are volunteering their time and often times work on a schedule.

Wake Service

Due to scheduling conflicts of the Pastor, the Deacon lay persons are encouraged to lead the family in the Wake Service on the night before the funeral if the pastor is unavailable. The Wake is normally scheduled around 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home but late afternoons are also permissible. The funeral director will be flexible to schedule the wake earlier than 8:00 p.m. if you feel the service will take longer.

Funeral Dinners

If you would like to have a funeral luncheon at St. John, please advise the funeral director. They will contact us and we will have a representative from the parish contact you to get details and cost for preparation.

Funeral Eulogy of Time of Remembrance

Families are encouraged to have any eulogy, read any poem, etc. at the wake service at the funeral home the night before the funeral.

The family will be allowed a five minute "time of remembrance" following Holy Communion at the funeral liturgy. The "time of remembrance" should be about the deceased' faith life and their life, but should not include specific stories like "I remember when Uncle Joe did…" Rather, it should be more about the person's qualities.

The reason for the time limit on the remembrance are varied.

  1. Many people come to funeral liturgies on their lunch break and need to get back to their job. If the eulogy takes a long time, the solemnity of the funeral Mass itself is interrupted by people leaving the church early.
  2. The funeral home personnel and the cemetery may have more than one funeral in a day at other churches. If one funeral runs over, the others are delayed.
  3. The ladies and gentlemen who work on the funeral dinners are volunteers. They give of their time as a ministry. They are also homemakers and some may even work second shifts. If they are held up, they may miss out on other events during a day. In addition, a lot of them are elderly. If the church has more than one funeral in a week, it can be very taxing on them. These dedicated folks often put in long hours of service to our parishes.
Please note that the above guidelines are followed in the other Catholic churches throughout the area.

Funeral Music

FUNERAL MUSIC LIST
  • All Creatures of Our God and King #600
  • Amazing Grace #713
  • Ave Maria
  • Be Not Afraid #706
  • Blessed Assurance #609
  • Blest Are They #99
  • Blest Be the Lord #708
  • Come to Me #728
  • Day is Done #875
  • Earthen Vessels #672
  • Faith of Our Fathers #698
  • For All the Saints #526
  • Gentle Shepherd #737
  • Gift of Finest Wheat #803
  • Give Me Jesus #583
  • Here I Am, Lord #832
  • Holy God, We Praise Thy Name #593
  • Hosea #559
  • How Can I Keep from Singing #721
  • How Great Thou Art #628
  • I Have Loved You #649
  • I Heard the Voice of Jesus #729
  • I Know That My Redeemer Lives #586
  • In the Breaking of the Bread #808
  • In the Garden #860
  • Jesus, the Bread of Life #817
  • Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee #617
  • Keep in Mind #589
  • Lead Me, Lord #659
  • Let There Be Peace on Earth #739
  • Let Us Break Bread Together #806
  • Like A Child Rests #734
  • Like A Shepherd #648
  • Lord of All Hopefulness #690
  • Lord of the Dance #764
  • Nearer, My God, to Thee #861
  • Now Thank We All Our God #636
  • O God, Our Help in Ages Past #705
  • On Eagle's Wings #704
  • One Bread, One Body #820
  • Prayer of St. Francis #738
  • Seek Ye First #720
  • Shelter Me, O God #724
  • Sing a New Song #607
  • Sing With All the Saints in Glory #789
  • Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling #557
  • The Strife Is O'er #431
  • Whatsoever You Do #846
  • "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" and "O Danny Boy" are appropriate for the postlude.
  • Irish folk tunes may be requested for the prelude.
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