St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Church, Forest City, PA
Icon of St. John the Baptist, Forerunner of Christ
Last update: 03/25/2023 ; Praying for you daily!
On Wednesday, March 22 at 6:00 pm Central Time, the Eastern Bishops of the United States celebrated the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom for Ukraine at the Great Basilica Cathedral of St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri. The Basilica is one of the most beautiful churches in the world almost entirely covered with mosaics. You may watch the Divine Liturgy by clicking here. It is beautiful!
From the family of +Cantor Ted Kowalick:
Rose Marie Kowalick and family would like to thank the priests, cantors, parishioners, and everyone who participated in the celebration of the life of Theodore John Kowalick, her husband of 61 years and the esteemed Cantor of St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Church for over 71 years.
The Liturgy, viewing, and burial were beautiful and peaceful and brought us much comfort. His final wish was to be near and with his family and in his church; we know how much this meant to him. He loved St. John's; that little white church on the hill was very much a part of who Ted was, as was his beloved town of Forest City.
Thank you for making this difficult time so special. May God bless all of you for your many kindnesses shown to us at this time.
~ The Family of +Cantor Ted Kowalick
Here is a list of Open Houses to visit Catholic schools in the Diocese of Scranton School District.
La Salle Academy's Open House will be on Sunday, March 19 from 1 till 3; La Salle Academy is a school for PreK through 8th Grade located next door to Holy Ghost in Jessup. Contact the school at 570-489-2010 to schedule a private tour. Visit their website at https://www.lsaelementary.org/ for more information.
Holy Cross High School, Dunmore, is for students in Grades 9 through 12. Contact the school at 570-346-7541 to schedule a private tour or schedule to shadow a current student. Visit their website at https://hchspa.org/ for more information.
Pictured here in the hallway of La Salle Academy's Junior High is Fr. John Cigan, Pastor of Holy Ghost and St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Churches; Sofia, a parishioner of Holy Ghost Church and a fourth grader at La Salle Academy in Jessup; and Mr. Dan Banicky, a parishioner of Holy Ghost Church and a teacher at Our Lady of Peace School in Clark's Summit.
On February 24, 2022, the world witnessed the horrific and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
Please pray for our Ukrainian brothers and sisters and remember kindly our priests and religious who have family in the Ukraine. Many prayers have been posted on our Facebook page and we welcome you to visit and to join us in prayer.
To donate directly to the needs of the Ukranian people, visit the website of St. Vladimir's Ukranian Catholic church at https://stvladimirscranton.org.
Important Notes: We apologize for any inconvenience but at this time we will no longer be livestreaming our church services. We invite all those who prayed with us online to join us in person; you are always welcome. The Choir Loft at Holy Ghost Church will remain closed to the public until further notice for the safety of those who are singing.
Just as prior to the pandemic, anyone is relieved of the obligation to participate at Sunday Liturgy for a serious reason such as sickness, immobility, fear, caring for someone else. ***********************************************************************************************
We are so VERY GRATEFUL for the generous support shown to our parish family and friends, even during the pandemic. At this time, we are unable to accept contributions online so we are asking our parishioners to please mail your contributions to the Rectory Office at 313 First Avenue in Jessup, PA 18434 if you are unable or reluctant to attend Divine Liturgy in person.
Again, thank you for your generosity in supporting Holy Ghost and St. John's Parishes.
The Weekly Bulletin for Holy Ghost and St. John's Parishes:
Slava Iisusu Christu! Glory to Jesus, the Christ! Slava vo v'iki Bohu! Glory forever to God!
Eastern Catholic Formation/ECF: Religious Education Classes
Registration for ECF (Eastern Catholic Formation) classes for our children in Grades K-8 is now OPEN! While instruction was once again done independently at home with children's first teachers, their parents, we hope to have a more normal situation this school year with in-person classes.
Please take this obligation seriously and put your child's religious education BEFORE all other activities. ECF not only teaches our children how to become closer to God through prayer, service, and knowledge, but it also teaches them what it is to be an Eastern Rite Catholic, and the beautiful traditions of the Byzantine Catholic Church. We welcome the opportunity to teach your child about his or her faith, and the ways of our beautiful Rite. Please know that we plan to hold in-person ECF classes in the fall. Please contact our DRE, Joyce Covaleski or our pastor, Fr. John Cigan with any questions at holyghostjessup@yahoo.com.
For enrichment activities, please visit byzimom.com.