“Rivers of Living Water will flow from His Heart.” – John 7:39 River’s will flow from the Heart of Jesus in these Carolina Smoky Mountains says Fr. Richard Sutter (Parochial Administrator, St. John the Evangelist in Waynesville). All are invited to come and drink! Monument to the unborn with lighted fountain will be completed by July 20, 2019 in the St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church Cemetery in Waynesville, NC. This monument was a parishioner’s desire prior to here passing into eternal life several year ago. The parishioner left a significant monetary gift for the Pro-Life testimony on our St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church Campus. “Rivers of Living Water will flow from His Heart.” John 7:39 - will be the scripture passage around the lower brick face of the fountain, while an inscription “monument to the unborn” will be placed on the top of the cement section of water fountain base. Below is a five foot statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus carved from Carrara marble in Italy that is set to arrive at St. John the Evangelist in early July 2019. Three feet tall Carrara Marble Angel Statues, like the one pictured below, will be [...]

Some may wonder what Fr. Richard does on his day off. I enjoy opportunities of priestly fellowship. Yesterday Fr. Lucas Rossi (Pastor, St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Gastonia, NC) and Fr. Casey Coleman (Pastor, St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Sylva, NC) joined me at our St. John the Evangelist - Waynesville, NC Rectory for some prayer, fellowship, food, and a movie. Two Charlotte Diocese Seminarians also joined us for the day and overnight stay - Joseph Wasswa and Lee Benson. Lee will serve here at St. John the Evangelist this summer. Adoration yesterday evening before vespers in our Waynesville Rectory 3rd Floor Chapel - thanking God for the opportunity to have Joseph and Lee in the Smoky Mountain Vicariate this summer. We enjoyed dinner together cooked on the grill followed by a movie in the TV Room - “I Can Only Imagine” movie. Always prayers for the amazing parishioners of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church and Immaculate Conception Catholic Mission (Canton, NC) who make these moments of rest each week possible. Peace and Joy in Christ, Fr Richard Sutter

Our Spiritual Life... some times we have to climb and work to be properly pruned as disciples of our Blessed Lord! Mountain Life - pruning trees on our campus! Psalm 121:1-2 Leviticus 25:3-4 'Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its crop, but during the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath rest, a sabbath to the LORD; you shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard. Isaiah 5:6 "I will lay it waste; It will not be pruned or hoed, But briars and thorns will come up I will also charge the clouds to rain no rain on it." Isaiah 2:4 And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war. Isaiah 18:5 For before the harvest, as soon as the bud blossoms And the flower becomes a ripening grape, Then He will cut off the sprigs with pruning knives And remove and cut away the spreading branches. John [...]

CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD: VIEW ARTICLE: CLICK HERE College students study the stars, thanks to local Catholic parish’s hospitality WAYNESVILLE — Eighteen astronomy students from the University of Dallas have been special guests at St. John the Evangelist Church for the past two weeks. The students have been meeting in the parish hall in Waynesville for a two-week course entitled “Astronomy in the Smoky Mountains,” and attending daily Mass each morning with Father Richard Sutter, pastor. After an afternoon break and dinner each day, they have been going up into the mountains to peer up at the night sky for several hours. Waynesville and the nearby Pisgah National Forest make an ideal location for astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts because the area has clean air and very little light pollution. The area’s elevation ranges from 3,200 to 5,500 feet. Under the instruction of their professor, Dr. Richard Olenick, students have been using an 11-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope for their nighttime observations. They have been studying basic astronomy – including constellations, the life cycle of stars, the formation of planets and solar systems, and the structures of galaxies. Students have also been enjoying the natural beauty of the western North Carolina mountains, [...]

+JMJ+ Here we are on the Feast of the Visitation of Mary, the final day of May - the month in which we especially honor our Mother Mary! Our Blessed Mother held the first Eucharistic Procession when she journeyed to visit her cousin Elizabeth! She carried Jesus to others and served others with Christ like love! Thats our Mission! John 15:11-12 Let us pray for our Teenagers who are preparing for their first annual Catholic Heritage Pilgrimage to New Orleans, LA this summer July 7 - 11, 2019 where they will come to appreciate the French Immigrants who brought The Catholic Faith to that part of our country. Following their NOLA Pilgrimage, our teens will participate in the Atlanta Steubenville Teen Conference. Our 2019 Pilgrimage Theme is the same at the Steubenville Conference: BELONG! 1 John 3:1 See YouTube and Conference logo below and let us pray all of us develop a true devotion to Mary - Imitation of her virtues! John 2:5