St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church

09/04/2026

All are invited to unite as one diocese at our Diocesan Pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

During the pilgrimage, we will gather for Mass, prayer, and fellowship as a diocese. Opportunities for free time will be available to tour the basilica and participate in other activities, as well.

FREE transportation will be offered on buses leaving from multiple areas within the diocese and seats are first come first served!

Reserve your spot on a bus or learn more about the pilgrimage: https://bit.ly/CDRPilgrimage-2026

09/04/2026

Gospel of the Day (Luke 5,33-39)

The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, "The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same ; but yours eat and drink." Jesus answered them, "Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days."

And he also told them a parable. "No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Otherwise, he will tear the new and the piece from it will not match the old cloak. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined.

Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins. (And) no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, 'The old is good.'"

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day/2026/09/04.html

09/01/2026

On today’s World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, Pope Leo reminds us it is our duty to care for the many “ecosystems” entrusted to us by God, the ecosystems of creation, relationships and the human heart itself.

This year’s theme is: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks” (Isaiah 2:4).

God has entrusted us with his beautiful creation of nature and humanity; may we treat all of it with love and respect.

09/01/2026

Gospel of the Day (Luke 4,31-37)

Jesus then went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee. He taught them on the sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching because he spoke with authority. In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out in a loud voice, Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!

Jesus rebuked him and said, "Be quiet! Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm. They were all amazed and said to one another, "What is there about his word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out." And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day/2026/09/01.html

08/31/2026

Gospel of the Day (Luke 4,16-30)

Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord."

Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.

He said to them, "Surely you will quote me this proverb, 'Physician, cure yourself,' and say, 'Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.'"
And he said, "Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land.

It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury.

They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day/2026/08/31.html

08/28/2026

This November, Virginians will face a grave moral decision at the polls - their vote on the Virginia Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment (Ballot Question 1).

This extreme amendment proposes enshrining unlimited abortion, even up until birth, in our state constitution and eliminating many of the current safeguards that protect women and minors.

Bishop Knestout is committed to educating voters on the dangers of this amendment and urges everyone to vote no to Ballot Question 1.

Read more about this extreme amendment and Church teaching: https://bit.ly/ProtectVA-CV0231

08/28/2026

Gospel of the Day (Matthew 25,1-13)

Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.

Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'

But the wise ones replied, 'No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.'While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, 'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!' But he said in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.' Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day/2026/08/28.html

08/27/2026

08/27/2026

Gospel of the Day (Matthew 24,42-51)

Jesus said to his disciples: "Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.
Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.
Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is long delayed,'
and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards,
the servant's master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day/2026/08/27.html

08/24/2026