Grow – St. Johns and St. Marys Parishes

Join us on the journey of faith. Our primary ways of growing together is Groups!

Try a Small Group

Small Groups are a way to get to know other members of our church family and help us all to grow in our faith. We are not meant to do life “alone.” Most of us have been in groups that have made a positive impact on our lives – teams that we’ve played on, groups of friends, people that share common interests or hobbies with us. Even if you don’t think you would be into the “group thing”, don’t be afraid to give it a try! A small group of six to eight people helps us to make connections with those, like us, who want to be friends of Jesus and support others with the same goal. You can even get together a small group of your own friends and form a group yourselves! Sign up online by clicking here.

Would you like to learn about the Catholic faith?

If so, we invite you to attend an inquiry session about the OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults! We schedule inquiry sessions every month in the St. John’s Church Hall. At this inquiry session we will go over the OCIA process and answer any questions you might have about becoming Catholic. There is never any pressure to join, or even to continue – we just like welcoming people and answering questions. The OCIA is for adults, and children over the age of 7, who have never been baptized, or who have been baptized and would like to become Catholic! You can register for this month’s inquiry session by calling the parish office at (740) 676-0051. Please call if you have any questions!

33 Days to Eucharistic Glory
This isn’t just another book.

It’s an invitation to participate in a sacred journey—a Spiritual Pilgrimage.

At critical times throughout Salvation History, God’s people have been invited to consecrate themselves. We are at one of those critical times in history, and consecrating ourselves, our families, our country, and indeed, the whole world to the Eucharist may make all the difference.

33 Days to Eucharistic Glory is the first ever Eucharistic Consecration. This unprecedented spiritual resource presents profound truths, astonishing historical facts, powerful practical examples, a daily virtue to adopt, extraordinary prayers, and inspiring stories—all in an easy-to-follow daily format.

Life is a pilgrimage. It is a sacred journey toward our eternal home with God. Learn what it means to be a pilgrim in a world that is constantly trying to reduce you to a tourist and consumer. Journey with Mother Teresa, John Paul II, Thérèse of Lisieux, Maximilian Kolbe, Thomas Aquinas, Sister Faustina, the Children of Fatima, and Mary the Mother of God to experience Jesus in the Eucharist like never before.

Prepare yourself for an explosion of grace in your life. Grace is the assistance God gives us to do what is good, true, noble, and right. And there is no better way to receive God’s grace than through the Eucharist. Over thirty-three days you will learn how these great saints and others lived in Eucharistic Glory.

This extraordinary spiritual guide will forever change the way you spend time with Jesus in the Eucharist.

This consecration is an invitation to dedicate yourself to God and make yourself 100 percent available to carry out His will on this earth. It is an act of unconditional surrender to Jesus in the Eucharist, an opportunity to set aside our distractions and selfishness, dedicate ourselves abundantly, wholeheartedly, and completely to the will of God, and promise to faithfully respond to God’s grace in our life.

We will be doing this consecration as parishes, beginning on January 1. Wherever you are you are welcome to join us! Sign up here to get daily videos, and encouragement on the journey!

Pick up your free copy of the book, available at both churches!

2025 Eucharistic Consecration Dates Download

Rescued: The Unexpected and Extraordinary Power of the Gospel

Why am I here? Where am I going? How do I get there? We struggle with these questions because we’ve lost the story, the big picture of reality as God has created it. The story of reality is actually gospel, “good news”! How can we believe and be transformed by the gospel? Once we understand that the gospel is not merely “good” news but explosive, life-changing news, we will never be the same again. And in response to God’s work in our lives, what part can we play in recreating the world for God’s good plan? This 4-week series prepares us to celebrate Christmas by helping us to see the world through God’s lens, with a clear vision of the plot and the outcome of the story we’re living in, a story we can easily remember and explain in four words: Created—Captured—Rescued—Response.

Week One: Created—Why is there something rather than nothing?
Scripture: Luke 21:28
In the readings for the 1st Sunday of Advent we get a sense right away that we are in the middle of a story—names and places, Israel, Judah, David, a promise that was made. We ask God to make his ways known to us. St. Paul and Jesus talk about things to come. Even when scary things are described Jesus tells us to stand up and not be afraid. Why? Because we know how the story ends! First, though, we go back to the beginning. We are basing our message series on Fr. John Riccardo’s book, Rescued: The Unexpected and Extraordinary News of the Gospel. Get a copy of the book here and read along with our Advent reading plan.

Week Two: Captured – Why is everything so messed up?
Scripture: Luke 3:3

There is only one God and he is good and loving. He created everything to be good. How did it go so wrong? God did not create evil but he gave both the angels and human beings freedom. One angel rebelled out of envy and others joined him. We have an enemy who seeks to destroy us, Satan, or, the Devil. He tempted our first parents to turn away from God through sin. Now we are in slavery to sin. We have been captured and are in need of rescue.

Week Three: Rescued—What, if anything, has God done about our messed up situation?
Scripture: Luke 3:16

Our bible readings at Mass this weekend proclaim the best good news – from the prophet Zephaniah, to Isaiah, through John and Baptist and St. Paul—”God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid!” The Lord Jesus has come, he comes to us today, he is the Lord of the universe! This week we are asking for the grace of unshakeable confidence in Jesus as Lord of heaven and earth.

Week 4: Response – Our Personal Response to Jesus
Scripture: Lk 1:45

We often hear that our goal as Christians is to “get to heaven.” But there is more to our Christian life than that. We are called to not only receive Jesus’ rescue mission but to be heralds of it (cue Hark the Herald Angels Sing!). In this last week of our Advent message series we reflect on our personal response to Jesus and how he is sending us out on mission to rescue others. This week we ask for the graces of gratitude, surrender, and courage.