Three new families joined Fr. Tim for the “Pizza with the Pastor” welcoming event on Thursday, February 16. The event is held 3 times per year for new families joining the parish. A special thank you to the Colerain LaRosa’s (Stone Creek location) for sponsoring the dinner. The pizza was delicious! New Parishioner Fun Fact — In 2011, 51 new families joined the parish!!!
Pictured (left to right): Fr. Tim, Jeff & Ashley Hack, Magda & Ben Geers, and Sandy & Mike Keeney. Welcome to St. John’s!!!
A Lunch with the Principal was one of the silent auc
tion prizes at this year’s New Year’s Eve Blue Jay Ball. With the winning bid from the Zerhusen Family, Megan Zerhusen and one of her friends, Emily Bollin, were recently treated to lunch by the school’s principal, Ms. Catie Blum. Megan and Emily are both 3rd graders at St. John the Baptist School. They chose Bob Evans for lunch, one of their favorite places to eat.
The 1st annual New Year’s Blue Jay Ball was a huge success this year. Over $13,000 was raised to benefit the Help-A-Student (HAS) Education Fund. The HAS program provides financial assistance to families needing help to cover the cost of tuition to attend St. John the Baptist School. For the current school year, 2011/2012, a total of $55,000 has been distributed to families needing assistance – 37 families (57 students) have been helped this year (note: these statistics are combined totals for the Pastoral Area parishes of St. John the Baptist, Corpus Christi, and St. John Neumann).
Mary Speed, Chairperson
Pastoral Council
Family: Husband – Steve; Children – Cari and Kellie
Years in Parish: 18
Parish Activities: Pastoral Council, Youth Ministry Committee, Festival Worker, Formerly Shopping Cents, Coaching, Scouts, Challenge Summer Camp
Education: St. Margaret Mary, McAuley High School, Bowling Green State University
Job: Director Information Technology, P.H. Glatfelter Co.
Why do you serve on Pastoral Council? I feel it is important to give of my time and talent and serve the parish from which my family benefits so greatly. As my involvement in administering Challenge Summer Camp and in coaching St. John’s volleyball were coming to an end, I was looking for another outlet to contribute. I was approached by a member of Pastoral Council, and through the discernment process, felt it was a good fit for my talents.
What gifts do you feel you have that are an asset to Pastoral Council? Many skills from my career experiences can transfer to work on Pastoral council (i.e., organization, team facilitation, etc.). Most important, however, is a desire to see our parish continue to thrive and serve the needs of our members and the community.
What do you like about Pastoral Council? I have enjoyed working with individuals on Council, many of whom I might not have otherwise had met. We have a diverse group, each bringing differing experiences and perspectives to our discussions and decisions. We always have a full agenda, and walk away from our meetings feeling it was time well spent.
What are your hopes and dreams for St. John’s Parish? Many of the themes in the strategic plan are related to the parish providing a foundation for members of all ages to have an active faith life. My hopes for St. John the Baptist Parish are that we can fulfill that promise for parishioners and the community in which we live.
Valentine’s Day Celebration
The St. John’s Seniors’ Group held a Valentine’s Day Celebration at their February gathering. The Dancing Grandmas & Bob, a local volunteer tap dancing group, performed at the celebration. The Seniors’ Group meets the second Wednesday of each month. Call the parish office at 385-8010 to learn more about the Seniors’ Group at St. John’s.
Bob Carle, Member-at-Large
Pastoral Council
Family: Wife, Tina
Years in Parish: 32 years
Parish Activities: Pastoral Council, Worship Commission, Coordinator of servers ministry, RCIA, Lector, Extraordinary Minister of Communion, Adult server, Sacristan, Teacher of Summer School of Religion, Festival (Chicken Dinner), Saturday morning men’s fellowship, and Bereavement
Education: St. James Monfort Heights, Colerain High School, Lay Pastoral Ministry Certification Athenaeum of Ohio, Coordinator of Religious Education Certification Archdiocese of Cincinnati, BA Degree in Business Administration-The College of Mount Saint Joseph
Job: Macy’s Credit and Customer Service, Inc., Credit Analyst, Billing Adjustor
Interests: Sports, Reading, Teaching, Camping, Traveling, and spending time with my Wife
Why do you serve on Pastoral Council? I was always interested on how a parish operates.
What gifts do you feel you have that are an asset to Pastoral Council? Leadership and experience in many areas.
What do you like about Pastoral Council? I like the fellowship, the knowledge, and ideas brought forward by the other members of Council and Commissions.
What are your hopes and dreams for St. John’s Parish? I hope the parish continues to share Christ’s sacramental life and evangelize to get more followers of Christ. This would grow our church and community, and also leaders of the Church and world. I hope we continue to grow and pray in order to become a closer parish community.
Mark Murray, Member-at-Large
Pastoral Council
Family: Wife – Teresa; Children – Jake, Maria, Matt, Catie, & Roni; 1 grandchild
Years in Parish: 24
Parish Activities: Eucharistic Minister, Scout Leader, Festival Worker, Pastoral Council
Education: St. Margaret Mary, Roger Bacon, University of Cincinnati
Job: Project Manager – City of Hamilton
Why do you serve on Pastoral Council? This parish has given my family and me so much, so it seems the right thing to do to offer my time to help.
What do you like about Pastoral Council? Our Council is an active group and willing take the time necessary to assist in the business of the parish and to oversee the new strategic plan. Our debate and discussion is leading to good decisions that should have a positive effect on the parish.
What are your hopes and dreams for St. John’s Parish? This parish has some really great people; to get to know them, you need to be involved. It would be great to see all families more active in parish life, especially the new and younger families. If we want our church to be there for us in the future, it’s important to be involved now and to have our children see that we are involved.
Richard A. Sander, Member-at-Large
Parish Council
Also elected to attend Finance Commission
Family: Married to Jane Sander. We have 7 grown children and 21 grandchildren. All of our children and some grandchildren attended Saint John’s School.
Parish Activities: Member of the Joseph Group, Festival worker and Seniors Group. Formerly an Usher, Athletic Club Treasurer, Cub Scout Leader, and Baseball and Basketball coach. Served two prior terms on Parish Council.
Education: St. Leo’s grade school, Elder high school, Xavier University, BS in BA and MBA
Jobs: Commissioned and served as 2nd Lt in the U.S. Army served in Germany. Certified Public Accountant, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Treasurer. Now Retired.
Interests: Golf, travel, grandchildren and Xavier basketball
Why do you serve on Pastoral Council? I was nominated and I believe I can contribute to the continued success of the parish.
What gifts do you feel you have that are an asset to Pastoral Council? Many years of business and life experience.
What do you like about Pastoral Council? Working with and meeting many different and talented people who are all interested in the management and stewardship of the parish.
What are your dreams for St. John’s Parish? That the financial obligations are met in a sustaining manner and that the parish continues to grow spiritually and physically.
Carole Borellis, Member-At-Large
Pastoral Council
My husband, Mike, and I became members of St. John the Baptist Parish in February of 2011. Our first encounter with the parish was a warm greeting by David Kissell who gave us information concerning parish activities and how we could become active members. We were extended an invitation to attend the “Welcome Newcomers” dinner. We accepted the invitation and came away with additional information and a feeling of a parish prioritizing service to God.
The Pastoral Council Chairperson, Mary Speed, called me in August to ask if I would consider filling a vacancy left on the Pastoral Council. I immediately had numerous thoughts as to why I would not be able to fill the position. In spite of these doubts, I decided to attend the council’s first meeting. It was at this meeting I made the decision to join the Council.
My decision was made on the gospel verse, “If at first you hear God’s voice, harden not your hearts.” Did I feel qualified…no…did I hear God’s voice…yes. I am a wife, mother of five married children, grandmother of seven, somewhat computer literate (still struggling) with a desire to get to know and help my parish.
As a result of my decision to join the Council, I have met some truly dedicated people striving for the betterment of St. John’s parish. As part of my role on the Council, I have attended Faith Formation meetings where I have seen and heard these members striving to bring the true meaning of Faith to our parish. I was present at the Strategic Planning Meetings where direction was being sought as to what our parish priorities should be. I am part of the new Healing Team focusing on the healing of those in need of God’s healing love.
I am hoping as each of us in St. John the Baptist Parish is called to serve, we will accept the call even though we may be a bit uncomfortable. We can then become God’s hands or feet or better yet voice to continue to lead our parish into the future.
