Altar Serving

Do you have a young man in your family who has received his First Holy Communion? He should help serve at the altar of the Lord! Altar serving has classically been seen to be an aid in discerning if a man is called to the priesthood. To serve at the altar of God is a privilege and one that should be seen as a great honor. Please let Fr. Brian or Fr. Szabo know if you’d be willing to be trained.

Porters and Sacristans

Porters (Ushers) are members of the parish who help welcome those coming to Mass, serve during the Mass by collecting the donations to the parish, and handing out our weekly bulletin as our members leave. Sacristans help serve the Mass by preparing the readings and items needed to celebrate the Mass so that the priests can focus more time into spiritually preparing for the celebration of the Mass. If you are interested in serving St. John’s in one of these ministries, please contact our parish secretary at secretary@mountaineercatholic.com or by calling the parish office at (304) 296-8231.

We are in particular need of porters and sacristans for the 5:00pm Vigil Mass and the 6:30pm Sunday Evening Mass.

Lectors

At St. John’s, our lectors are responsible for the 1st Reading, 2nd Reading, and Intercessions. If you are interested in serving St. John’s through this ministry, please contact our parish secretary at secretary@mountaineercatholic.com or by calling the parish office at (304) 296-8231.

We are in particular need of lectors for the 6:30pm Sunday Evening Mass.

Organizing the Church Pews

St. John’s is in need of parishioners who are willing to go through the pews to straighten up our Mass booklets and help clean up the pews between each Mass. If you are interested in serving St. John’s through this ministry, please contact our parish secretary at secretary@mountaineercatholic.com or by calling the parish office at (304) 296-8231.

An Altar Society cares for the altar, sacristy, and sanctuary. Its purpose is to help maintain the liturgical needs of daily worship, to beautify the sanctuary (since Christ is present there in the Tabernacle), and to grow in community and common service. Some of its duties and responsibilities include the purchase of altar supplies, including vestments, linens and vessels used during Mass. There are scheduled teams that clean the holy water fonts, polish brass, dust altar area, straighten books in the pews and remove any uncleanliness from the sanctuary, clean the altar server vestments and all linens used for the altar. Altar societies are also communal—they are meant to build holy friendships.

If you are interested in being a part of our new altar society, please email Father Szabo at pszabo@dwc.org or call the parish office at (304) 296-8231. Our priests are very thankful for all those who make St. John’s their “own” by helping them in the small but meaningful duties in order to give glory to God and maintain the upkeep of their parish.

“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name,
I am there in their midst.” – Matthew 18:19-20

At St. John’s we support and encourage each other through prayer. Each day we pray for all of the prayer requests submitted to our parish and entrust them to our Lord’s Mercy and Love.

Prayer Requests
Please fill out the following form if you would like to submit a prayer request. Your contact information will not be shared with our prayer team.

Be a Prayer Chain Member
If you would like to pray for others and the prayer requests that we receive, please let us know. The more people interceding for our parish and all of the intentions we receive, the better!

Once a month a Mass will be offered  for our deceased loved ones enrolled in the society registry. Check the church bulletin for the days which Mass will be offered. To enroll loved ones, simply submit the names of your deceased loved ones in the collection basket on a paper marked “Purgatorial Society” or email their names to secretary@mountaineercatholic.com and write “Purgatorial Society” in the subject line and your loved ones will be permanently enrolled. As often as you can, offer prayers, good works, and sacrifices for the souls in purgatory. Be sure to encourage others to do so also.

We are in need of parishioners to visit our homebound and those in our local nursing homes on behalf of St. John’s. If interested, please email Fr. Szabo at pszabo@dwc.org.

Meets weekly on Tuesday night at 7:00pm for prayer, scripture study, and to praise and worship God. By conference call or in-person at Potters Cellar. Just call (213) 992-5682 and when prompted use access code 93368.

St. John’s offers two soup kitchens for our needy here in Morgantown: Bible and a Breakfast on Saturday mornings from 8:00 – 9:00am and Sarah’s Table on Sunday mornings from 11:30am – 12:30pm.

Bible and a Breakfast

Every Saturday morning the Bible & Breakfast volunteers serve healthy meals and words for the needy in Morgantown. If you would like to spread God’s love to those in need through volunteering your time and talents, please call Bob Carubia at (304) 276-1360 for details.

Sarah’s Table

Located in Potter’s Cellar at St. John’s. For over 25 years each Sunday a team of volunteers has prepared and served a free mid-day meal to those in need of good food and good company. All are welcome! Interested in volunteering? Join the team! Our teams serve 4-5 times over the course of the year. For more information or to volunteer, please contact Marge McCawley at (304) 376-4188 (can text) or mmcawley@aol.com. Interested in giving a monetary donation? Please make checks out to St. John University Parish with Sarah’s Table on the memo line and mailed to St. John University Parish. You may also donate online here.

Our parish hosts a meal for families after a funeral Mass, and what better way to comfort others through food and kind service! If you’re interested in this ministry, please contact the parish secretary at secretary@mountaineercatholic.com or call the parish office at (304) 296-8231.

The Confraternity of Saint Nicholas is a public association of the faithful who, through prayer, fasting, and good works, are dedicated to the protection of all children from scandalization, abuse, and trafficking. The members of the Confraternity, by fulfilling its obligations, gain many spiritual benefits. Members enjoy the intercession of St. Nicholas, great wonder worker, Bishop, and patron of children. We pray that, as St. Nicholas defended the Divinity of Christ, he too by our prayers, fasting, and good works defends all children from harm.

Courage members are men and women who experience same-sex attractions and who have made a commitment to strive for chastity. They are inspired by the Gospel call to holiness and the Catholic Church’s beautiful teachings about the goodness and inherent purpose of human sexuality.

Through our apostolate, people who experience same-sex attraction receive pastoral support in the form of spiritual guidance, community prayer support, and fellowship.

The Five Goals of Courage are:

1. To live chaste lives in accordance with the Roman Catholic Church’s teaching on homosexuality (Chastity);
2. To dedicate our entire lives to Christ through service to others, spiritual reading, prayer, meditation, individual spiritual direction, frequent attendance at Mass, and the frequent reception of the sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist (Prayer and Dedication);
3. To foster a spirit of fellowship in which we may share with one another our thoughts and experiences, and so ensure that no one will have to face the problems of homosexuality alone (Fellowship);
4. To be mindful of the truth that chaste friendships are not only possible but necessary in a chaste Christian life; and to encourage one another in forming and sustaining these friendships (Support);
5. To live lives that may serve as good examples to others (Good Example/Role Model).

More information can be found on Courage’s official website. If you experience same-sex attraction and would like to be part of our local Courage Chapter, please email couragedwc@gmail.com.

Narcotics Anonymous is a community ministry willing to help those who have or are in need of recovery that will meet n Wednesdays from 6:30pm – 7:30pm in Potters Cellar. Children are welcome. Please contact Cassidy Thompson at: cassidyathompson1992@gmail.com for more information.