Holy Thursday He is the One who covered death with shame and cast the devil into mourning, as Moses cast Pharaoh into mourning. He is the One who smote sin and robbed iniquity of offspring. He is the One who brought us out of slavery into freedom, out of darkness into light, out of death into life, out of tyranny into an eternal kingdom; who made us a new priesthood, a people chosen to be his own for ever. He is the Passover that is our salvation. It is he who endured every kind of suffering in all those who foreshadowed him. In Abel he was slain, in Isaac bound, in Jacob exiled, in Joseph sold, in Moses exposed to die. He was sacrificed in the Passover lamb, persecuted in David, dishonored in the prophets. It is he who was made man of the Virgin, he who was hung on the tree; it is he who was buried in the earth, raised from the dead, and taken up to the heights of heaven. He is the mute lamb, the slain lamb, the lamb born of Mary, the fair ewe. He was seized from the flock, dragged off to [...]

We are soon going to share in the Passover Let us prepare our hearts to accompany Jesus this Holy Week with the assistance of St. Gregory’s reflection below: “If you are a Simon of Cyrene, take up your cross and follow Christ. If you are crucified beside him like one of the thieves, now, like the good thief, acknowledge your God. For your sake, and because of your sin, Christ himself was regarded as a sinner; for his sake, therefore, you must cease to sin. Worship him who was hung on the cross because of you, even if you are hanging there yourself. Derive some benefit from the very shame; purchase salvation with your death. Enter paradise with Jesus, and discover how far you have fallen. Contemplate the glories there, and leave the other scoffing thief to die outside in his blasphemy. If you are a Joseph of Arimathea, go to the one who ordered his crucifixion, and ask for Christ’s body. Make your own the expiation for the sins of the whole world. If you are a Nicodemus, like the man who worshiped God by night, bring spices and prepare Christ’s body for burial. If you are [...]

L.I.T. - Life Involves Teens; Love Involves Transformation Teens of St. John the Evangelist in Waynesville enjoy a Volleyball Social during their regularly scheduled Wednesday Night (6:30pm - 8pm) L.I.T. Youth Group Gathering. These amazing teens during their spring break organized an evening of Fun, Food, and Faith... in that order... They met at Waynesville Recreation Center for some sand volleyball organized by Ms. Jessica Martin - SJE Parish Youth Evangelization Director. After several games the pizza arrived, along with Fr. Richard and a cooler full of ice cream. Fr. Richard joined them for a couple games of volleyball. The evening ended by joining another 70+ people at St. John the Evangelist for some time of adoration and benediction. Every Wednesday Night St. John the Evangelist exposes the Blessed Sacrament after 5:30pm Mass, then benediction is offered at 8pm. Wednesday Night is Family Night at the Parish and, on average, well over 100 people attend. St. John the Evangelist L.I.T. Youth Group is preparing for their first annual Catholic Heritage Pilgrimage to New Orleans and the Atlanta Steubenville Conference July 7 - 14, 2019. Haywood County High School Teens interested in attending NOLA Pilgrimage see: https://stjohnrcc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2019.NOLA_.Pilgrimage.pdf Matthew 17:20 [...]

Confirmed today... Thanks to a generous benefactor offering to pay in full - a new four foot Carrara marble Our Lady of Lourdes Statue hand carved in Italy will find a home at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Waynesville. The Grotto is being built by Kevin Wenzel as an Eagle Scout Project and the Our Lady of Lourdes Statue will be placed there upon arrival. The parish is convinced that their new youth and family recreational field came available due to the intercessory prayers of Our Lady of Lourdes on her Monday, February 11, 2019 Feast Day. With this in mind, they wish to honor her as an expression of gratitude and devotion. Tree removal and recreational field prep will begin Monday, April 15, 2019 and field will be graded the first two weeks in May. The statue will be near the entrance to the new recreation field and it will have the following inscriptions: “I AM THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.” Our Lady of Lourdes words to St. Bernadette “Do whatever He tells you.” John 2:5 (The Blessed Mother’s final words in Scripture) Kevin Wenzel - at Grotto Site... leading construction as his Eagle Scout Project. A [...]

Preparations for Palm Sunday