ABCD CAMPAIGN BEGINS SOON 
A GIFT BOOK FOR 2022 
Welcome to the Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church parish family. We continue to deepen in the strengths of the parish: prayer, worship, and education of our members in the ways of God. We welcome you. We hope and pray that you will grow with us as we journey on our life's road to the Lord.
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YOU ARE IMPORTANT
Consciousness of the dignity of the human person, and acceptance and promotion of this ideal, are important to perpetuating our way of life. This sensitivity to our human dignity is primarily based on the belief that we are created by God, loved by Him, redeemed by his Son, Jesus Christ, and promised an eternal destiny in heaven. What an awesome thought that each one of us is so blessed! Yet we take it so much for granted.
To lose sight of a person's dignity means we relegate him/her to a usable or disposable commodity. Historically, when the leadership of nations overlooked each person's personal worth, the result was war, suppression, starvation, incarceration, injustice, killing, violation, discrimination, and even genocide. Unfortunately, all of these crimes have happened through the centuries and were rationalized by people who demeaned others. Little did such limited-capacity leaders realize that those they oppressed were their equals and possibly loved more by the almighty God because of being victimized.
Today, the world stage exhibits a repeat of the injustices and degradation we have seen in the past. Can't we ever learn from history how absurd and how narrow such behavior is even from a human perspective? In our day too many of our world's population are oppressed, demeaned, and devoid of hope because of a lack of acceptance that each person is important. Persons who are free and can make their own choices have the capacity to avoid oppression. But with issues of dictatorship, injustice, poverty, violence, and crime, too many of our human race does not enjoy minimum respect.
All of us need to foster, in our own hearts, a respect for any person we encounter on our journey. We need to nurture at all levels a dignified respect for the human person he or she is, a success or limited, healthy or sickly, independent or in need. As distinct from material objects, humans have a spiritual source, an everlasting soul. Challenging as it might be we need to look beyond the bodily framework and see the spirit in each other. Reflecting on others we can sense our own dignity. We are enormously loved by God.
Blessings,
Father Vincent T. Kelly
PRAYER OF THE WEEK
Prayer for The Holy Family of Jesus
O God, who were pleased to gives us the shining example of the Holy Family, graciously grant that we may imitate them in practicing the virtues of family life and in the bonds of charity, and so, in the joy of your house, delight one day in eternal rewards. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. R. Amen. Amen.