Welcome to St. John the Baptist

and Our Lady of the Assumption

Our Mission

To provide a unified, Catholic community striving to maintain,

promote and continue the legacy of faith begun by our forefathers.

~

The family of faith at St. John the Baptist began as a mission of Sacred Heart Parish in 1924 and was officially chartered, with our Mission Church,

Our Lady of the Assumption, in 1964.

 

Calendar of Events

Mass Schedule

  

Weekdays

 

  Our Lady

Tuesdays

6:30PM

 

St. John

Wednesdays

7AM

    

Thursdays/Fridays

7:30AM

 

Weekends

Saturday Vigil

5PM-St. John

(until Time Change)

 

Sundays

7 & 11AM-St. John

9AM-Our Lady

 

NOTE:

During Lent, weekday Masses are held at St. John at 7:00AM,

Wed-Friday

and in Clinton

at 6:30 PM on Tuesdays

 

Confession

15 minutes before

weekday Masses

4 PM Saturdays

(until Time Change)

 

Adoration

Noon-6 Daily

at St. John

 

PARISHIONER RESOURCES

Stop Listening to

"THEM!"

Start Listening to Us!

 

Facts and Fiction about the Annulment process in the Roman Catholic Church

 

Rumor- "It takes years to get an annulment through the Catholic Church."

Total Fiction! The length of time it takes to complete the annulment process is almost completely dependent on you. Yes, it does take a little time to collect the necessary documents: your Baptism Record, your marriage license & *marriage certificate (*if married in the Catholic Church, your divorce decree, & a few other documents, most of which you should have available in your records at home anyway. We do need certified originals of each document, however, it is not difficult to secure those items.

Rumor- "It is very expensive to get an Annulment; it’s just a money-making scheme."

Total Fiction! In the Diocese of Baton Rouge, a fixed cost of $950 is assessed to each completed Tribunal case. You are asked to pay only one-half of that cost - $475.00 & only if you can afford to pay, &.....you can pay it in installments! Those who have financial challenges complete a one-page hardship form when submitting the documents & it’s done!

Rumor- "You don’t have to get an annulment to receive Communion; some priests say it’s ok."

Total Fiction!  The rules of the Catholic Church are not subject to modification by any priest. If you have not re-married, & have fully reconciled yourself, regarding any sins, through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, you may receive Holy Communion. If, however, you have re-married outside of the church, your first marriage is considered still valid, therefore, you are not in a state of grace & you should not receive Communion.

Rumor- "It’s just not worth the trouble & pain."

Total Fiction!  If you did re-marry & are not able to receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist, you are missing out on one of the fundamental gifts of Jesus Christ when He started our church. Why not take a small amount of time to do what is needed to return to the graces of the Church & to again receive the Precious Body & Blood of Christ? In addition, completing the annulment process provides an outlet to, once & for all, purge yourself of all the pain & sorrow associated with that past life.

Rumor-"Your ‘ex’ has to be involved & can start all sorts of trouble."

Total Fiction!  For legal purposes, we are required to notify a former spouse that a petition for annulment has been filed but that’s it! He or she does not get involved, with the exception that, in very rare cases a former spouse may want to contest your petition. No one sees your file!

Rumor- "It’ll make my children illegitimate."

Total Fiction! That's a bunch of hooey! No way, Jose!

 Children–the innocent–are not ever affected by the annulment process!

 

 

Call Ric at the Parish Office to discuss beginning the healing process, or to learn more about the Facts vs. Fiction. We will help you get through the process with as little stress as possible, so you can get back to the Church the way you remember it--in full Communion with Our Lord!

Call 654-5778

 

 

 

Adoration Chapel Now Open at St. John's  *Check back.  Still to come!
 
The Pastoral and Administrative Staff of St. John's and Our Lady
 *Check back.  Still to come!
 
Our Weekly Bulletin-The Herald

 

Details of all that is going on this week at St. John's and Our Lady, including articles, special events, holy days, the Liturgical Schedule, Weekly Scripture readings and more.

*Note:  To submit something for inclusion in the next edition of The Herald, please email correspondence to rsmith@sjb-ola.org, no later than 3 pm on the Friday prior to the printing of that issue.  Bulletins are printed one week in advance of the Sunday for which they are intended.  All items are subject to space availability as well as approval for content.

Stewardship Services
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE
 

In this section you will find a detailed Liturgical Schedule for the month, which is also downloadable in .pdf format.  This schedule lists all lay persons who have offered their stewardship at the weekend Masses, including Ushers, Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist and others.

 

Monthly Calendar of Events

 

Each month we publish a calendar of events that shows, in abbreviated form, all the events, Masses and programs planned for the faith communities of St. John the Baptist and Our Lady of the Assumption.  This document is available for download in .pdf format and can be opened/printed on any computer, as well as being available for on-screen viewing.

 

Youth Ministry and Religious Education

 *Check back.  Still to come!

 

Need Assistance with exorbitant prescription drug pricing?  We are sponsoring a program through which parishioners, their family members and friends, can benefit from a free program through which you receive substantial discounts off of most prescription drugs at many pharmacies throughout the United States.   Read  the details below and click on the link to download your discount drug card today.

 

Client Logo

This FREE DRUG CARD program is being endorsed by St. John the Baptist and Our Lady of the Assumption to assist our parishioners in cutting your prescription drug costs. Simply download your FREE Prescription Drug Cards and receive savings of up to 75% at more than 54,000 national and regional pharmacies. Participating pharmacies include the following: Walgreens, Rite Aid, Eckerd Drugs, Publix, CVS Pharmacy, Winn Dixie, BI-LO, King Soopers, Fred's Pharmacy, Drug Fair and Kmart as well as thousands of independent pharmacies. Please enter your name and e-mail address below in each box and we will generate a printable membership card for you. This card is pre-activated and can be used immediately. These Prescription Cards are not Insurance!

RT Med pricing

Card Information

First Name

Last Name

Email

 

Note: You can put NONE in e-mail box if you don’t want updates.
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Guide to Examination of Conscience and Steps for Confession

  

6 STEPS FOR A GOOD CONFESSION

      Examine your conscience - what sins have you committed since your last good confession.

      Be sincerely sorry for your sins.

      Confess your sins to the priest.

      Make certain that you confess all your mortal sins and the number of them.

      After your confession, do the penance the priest gives to you.

      Pray daily for the strength to avoid the occasion of sin, especially for those sins you were just absolved from

 

ACT OF CONTRITION

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins because of your just punishment, but most of all because they offend You, my God, Who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen.

FIRST COMMANDMENT
"I am the Lord your God. You shall not have strange gods before Me." (Ex 20:2,3)

      Did I doubt or deny that God exists?

      Did I refuse to believe what God as revealed to us?

      Did I believe in fortune telling, horoscopes, dreams, the occult, good-luck charms, tarot cards, palmistry, Ouija boards, seances, reincarnation?

      Did I deny that I was Catholic?

      Did I leave the Catholic Faith?

      Did I give time to God each day in prayer?

      Did I love God with my whole heart?

      Did I despair of or presume on God's mercy?

      Did I have false gods in my life that I gave greater attention to than God, like money, profession, drugs, TV, fame, pleasure, property, etc.?

       

SECOND COMMANDMENT
"You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain." (Ex 20:7)

      Did I blaspheme or insult God?

      Did I take God's name carelessly or uselessly?

      Did I curse, or break an oath or vow?

      Did I get angry with God?

THIRD COMMANDMENT
"Remember that you keep holy the Sabbath Day." (Ex 20:8)

      Did I miss Mass Sunday or a Holy Day of Obligation through my own fault?

      Did I come to Mass on time? Leave early?

      Did I do work on Sunday that was not necessary?

      Did I set aside Sunday as a day of rest and a family day?

      Did I show reverence in the presence of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament?

FOURTH COMMANDMENT
"Honor your father and your mother." (Ex 20:12)

      Did I disobey or disrespect my parents or legitimate superiors?

      Did I neglect my duties to my husband, wife, children or parents?

      Did I neglect to give good religious example to my family?

      Did I fail to actively take an interest in the religious education and formation of my children?

      Did I fail to educate myself on the true teachings of the Church?

      Did I give scandal by what I said or did, especially to the young?

      Did I cause anyone to leave the faith?

      Did I cause tension and fights in my family?

      Did I care for my aged and infirm relatives?

      Did I give a full day's work for a full day's pay?

      Did I give a fair wage to my employees?

FIFTH COMMANDMENT
"You shall not kill." (Ex 20:13)

      Did I kill or physically injure anyone?

      Did I have an abortion, or advise someone else to have an abortion? (One who procures and abortion is automatically excommunicated, as is anyone who is involved in an abortion, Canon 1398. The excommunication will be lifted in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.)

      Did I use or cause my spouse to use birth control pills (whether or not realizing that birth control pills do abort the fetus if and when conceived)?

      Did I attempt suicide?

      Did I take part in or approve of "mercy killing" (euthanasia)?

      Did I get angry, impatient, envious, unkind, proud, revengeful, jealous, hateful toward another, lazy?

      Did I give bad example by drug abuse, drinking alcohol to excess, fighting, quarreling?

      Did I abuse my children?

SIXTH COMMANDMENT
"You shall not commit adultery." (Ex 20:14) "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife." (Ex 20:17)

Note: In the area of deliberate sexual sins listed below, all are mortal sins if there is sufficient reflection and full consent of the will. "No fornicators, idolaters, or adulterers, no sodomites,... will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Cor 6:9-10) "Anyone who looks lustfully at a woman has already committed adultery with her in his thoughts." (Mt 5:28)

      Did I willfully entertain impure thoughts or desires?

      Did I use impure or suggestive words? Tell impure stories? Listen to them?

      Did I deliberately look at impure TV, videos, plays, pictures or movies? Or deliberately read impure materials?

      Did I commit impure acts by myself (masturbation)?

      Did I commit impure acts with another - fornication (premarital sex), adultery (sex with a married person)?

      Did I practice artificial birth control (by pills, device, withdrawal)?

      Did I marry or advise anyone to marry outside the Church?

      Did I avoid the occasions of impurity?

      Did I try to control my thoughts?

      Did I engage in homosexual activity?

      Did I respect all members of the opposite sex, or have I thought of other people as objects?

      Did I or my spouse have sterilization done?

      Did I abuse my marriage rights?

SEVENTH & TENTH COMMANDMENTS
"You shall not steal." (Ex 20:15) "You shall not covet your neighbor's goods." (Ex 20:17)

      Did I steal, cheat, help or encourage others to steal or keep stolen goods? Have I made restitution for stolen goods?

      Did I fulfill my contracts; give or accept bribes; pay my bills; rashly gamble or speculate; deprive my family of the necessities of life?

      Did I waste time at work, school or at home?

      Did I envy other people's families or possessions?

      Did I make material possessions the purpose of my life?

EIGHTH COMMANDMENT
"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." (Ex 20:16)

      Did I lie?

      Did I deliberately deceive others, or injure others by lies?

      Did I commit perjury?

      Did I gossip or reveal others' faults or sins?

      Did I fail to keep secret that should be confidential?

OTHER SINS

      Did I fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday?

      Did I eat meat on the Fridays of Lent or Ash Wednesday?

      Did I fail to receive Holy Communion during Easter time?

      Did I go to Holy Communion in a state of mortal sin? Without fasting (water and medicine permitted) for one hour from food and drink?

      Did I make a bad confession?

      Did I fail to contribute to the support of the Church?

"Whoever eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily sins against the Body and Blood of the Lord. ... He who eats and drinks without recognizing the Body eats and drinks judgement on himself." (1 Cor 11:27-29)

So, to receive Holy Communion while in the state of mortal sin (having committed a mortal sin which has not been confessed and forgiven in the Sacrament of Confession) is itself a mortal sin - a mortal sin of sacrilege.

"O God, be merciful to me, a sinner." (Lk 18:13)

"Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven..." (Jn 20:23)

"Though your sins be like scarlet, they shall become white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall become white as wool." (Is 1:18)

"If we confess our sins, He who is upright can be depended upon to forgive sins, and to cleanse us from every wrong." (1 Jn 1:9)

"Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing." (Lk 23:24)

"Forgive us our sins, for we too forgive all who do us wrong." (Lk 11:4)

Steps To Confess Your Sins

 

      Go into the confessional; close the door. If you are going to confession fact-to-face, sit down on the chair. If you are going to confession with the screen, kneel down.

    Father will: "In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

    You make the sign of the cross while he says this.

      Then you begin by saying: "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned."

    Next, you say: "It has been ____ since my last confession."

      You continue: "These are my sins:"

    Then you tell Father your sins--those that you remember because of the Examination of Conscience that you made earlier.

      After telling Father your sins, you say: "I am truly sorry for these and for all of my sins."

    The priest may then say a few words to you. Listen to carefully and prayerfully to him, as he speaks through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

      Father will next give you a penance (usually a prayer).  

    If he simply tells you what you are to do, you say, "Thank you, Father."
    If he asks you whether you will do something as your penance, you say, "Yes, Father."

      Father will then ask you to say the Act of Contrition.

Oh, my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you,

and I detest all my sins because of your just punishment.

But most of all because they offend you, Oh Lord,

who are all good and deserving of all my love.

I firmly resolve with the help of your grace,

to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.

      Then Father will give you the Lord's forgiveness.

Father says:

"God the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of His son,
has reconciled the world to Himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins;
through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace,
and I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

      Lastly Father dismisses you.

    You respond by saying: "Thank you, Father."
    You then stand up and leave the confessional.

Finally, you do the penance that the priest assigned you. Also, thank God for His mercy and strength that you have received in the Sacrament of Penance and say a prayer for the priest who administered the Sacrament to you.

Please make it a part of your daily life to recognize your weaknesses, to be contrite and repentant of your sins, to "avoid the near occasion of sin," and to confess your sins to a priest at as soon as possible after committing them, so as to remain in a state of grace with Our Lord.  Only if in the state of grace should any Catholic receive the blessed sacrament of Holy Communion. 

 

If you are not in a state of grace but you would like to participate in the Communion service during Mass, simply approach Father with your hands crossed over your chest.  Father will bestow upon you a special blessing, after which you should return to your pew and prayerfully ask God for forgiveness of your sins.

 

 

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Last modified: 05/07/14