FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK

Fr. R. Marc Sherlock

August 2012

.New Child Protection Program for the Archdiocese

Archbishop Schnurr has chosen a new child protection program

that is mandatory for all adults who have regular contact with

children in the parish. The program is called VIRTUS. The word

“virtus” comes from Latin, and means valor, moral strength,

excellence and worth. This program is used by many dioceses in

the United States. Sally Minnich, Director of our Early Childhood

Program, Jennifer Melke, our Director of Evangelization &

Catechesis and Teri Iverson, our Director of Youth Ministry are

being trained to lead the program in our parish. Sandy Hipp, our

Bookkeeper & Administrative Assistant, will be the Coordinator

of the program in our parish keeping all records of attendance,

etc. for us. Adults who have already been fingerprinted do not

need to do so again with this program. They are required to

attend a VIRTUS program to continue to have contact with

children in the parish. Adults who have not been fingerprinted

by the Archdiocese will need to do so in addition to attending

the program. After attending the program adults will

be required to read a one-page article each month [on-

line] and answer three short questions. I attended a

program for priests in June. During the program we

were reminded that 1 out of every 5 adult women and

1 out of every 10 adult men say they were molested

as children. Obviously this problem goes beyond the

estimated 4% of priests who have molested children.

We also learned 4 myths or falsehoods surrounding

child sexual abuse. The following 4 statements are

FALSE: 1. Strangers are responsible for most child

sexual abuse. 2. Most sexual abusers are

homosexual. 3. Children usually lie about child sexual

abuse. 4. Priests abuse children because of their vow

of celibacy. I am very grateful to all of our adults who

have cooperated with past child protection programs

and I look forward to your continued cooperation with

the VIRTUS program. We will let you know when

sessions will be scheduled. Everyone must attend a

session no later than June 30, 2014. For more

information about VIRTUS log on to: http://

www.virtusonline.org/virtus/virtus_description.cfm

St. John The Baptist Catholic Church Newsletter

In this issue:

The Buck Stops Here 2

Women of Spirit 3

Staff Notes 4, 6, 7

Festival Fun 5

VBS 8

WOS Get-A-Way 9

Festival Raffle 10

AMEN!

Above: Children had a “bale” of fun finding prizes in the straw pile at the festival.

2

Recently, we received news a close friend of ours was

dying. She was diagnosed with lung cancer and didn’t have

long. She decided that she wanted to plan her funeral Mass

so that the readings and music would reflect her life. Sitting

with family, this was an excellent way to talk about the things

that really mattered to her. Her daughter told me that one of

the songs she wanted was Hail Mary, Gentle Woman, a selec-

tion that was very meaningful to her. My husband Bill and I

made plans a couple of Sundays ago to visit with her. She is

spending her days in a nursing home in Coldwater, Ohio, so

we set out after Mass. Bill brought his guitar. When we ar-

rived, there was much hugging and laughter as she didn’t

know that we were coming. Then Bill got out the guitar and

told her that we were going to sing her favorite song. As he

began to play the chords and sing, a small crowd gathered in

the hall outside Betty’s room. When the song was finished,

one of the nurses came into the room with tears in her eyes

and hugged Betty saying how beautiful the song was. With

pride, Betty told her “They are going to sing that song at my

funeral.”

THE BUCK STOPS HERE

By: Cindy Griffin, Editor

Betty isn’t afraid of dying. She knows that she is going

on to something even better. This woman has raised a big

family, has grandchildren and great-grandchildren and lots of

friends (like us) who love her. She has faith that the God who

created her and who has been with her every step of her life

journey has prepared a place for her on the next part of her

journey. A place where there is no more pain or suffering. Her

faith is a wonderful sign for all of us who love her.

As we walk this path on earth, we are constantly re-

minded of the fragility of life. It is only temporary. But with the

help of people like my friend Betty, we can see that there is

more. This is the heart of our Christianity. We are people of

hope.

It’s not too often that we get a chance in life to do really

meaningful things. Our everyday lives are sometimes full of

ordinary tasks. Making that trip to Coldwater turned out to be

one of the most meaningful things that I’ve done in a long time.

I will forever be grateful for that opportunity.

To Betty: See you on the flip side!

Congratulations!

Michael Verdi and Kara McClurg

Recently married at St. John’s!

WE WELCOME THROUGH BAPTISM

Hannah Noelle Firman, daughter of Matthew and Lauryl Firman

Gabrielle Marie Rammel, daughter of Craig and Angela Rammel

Eliana Rose Hall, daughter of Gregory and Brittani Hall

Emily Reagan Hall, daughter of Gregory and Brittani Hall

Just a reminder that our Parish School of

Religion and our Early Childhood Programs

will soon be getting started for the school

year. Please use caution in the parking

lots to keep our precious little ones safe!

3

How the Women of Spirit Spent Their Summer

Where has the summer gone??? How many times have you heard that phrase in the past week? The Women of Spirit had a blast this summer getting together on June 14 at Night Sky Café for some dinner and on to Waterstone in Troy for some Pottery Painting! Let me tell you, we’ve got some talented and creative women in our parish. Twelve women joined together for a great night of laughter and fun. We also enjoyed some terrific books through the WOS Book Club, Sa-rah’s Key by Tatiana DeRosnay and Seabiscut by Laura Hillenbrand. We highly recommend both.

Mark your calendars for our annual Fall Get Away Weekend this year at Buck Creek State Park in Springfield the weekend of September 28 – 30. Food, friends, laughter, time to relax, walking trails, and a campfire! It doesn’t get better than this. Contact Cindy Griffin (698-5590) if you would like to be a part of the planning team. (see page 9 for flyer) Another event in the planning stages is Poetry as Prayer. A.J. Wagner (a former Montgomery County Judge and County Auditor, currently a lawyer in private practice) has been writing poetry for years and put together a program highlighting the amount of poetry within our scripture. Look for this program for both men and women later this fall.

All women of the Parish ages 18 – 108 are welcome to join us at your convenience. Our Mission is to support, en-courage and empower one another as we travel the spiritual journey, nurturing and celebrating our relationship with God. Contact Amy Puthoff (937-776-5642) for more information.

WOMEN OF SPIRIT

Submitted by: Amy Puthoff

Above: The Beam girls get artsy at the Waterstone in Troy.

Above: Kathy McGrath and Amy Dziedzic work on their creations. Above: Joyce Johnson and Mickie Mescher decide what to make.

Below: Judie McKitrick concentrates on perfection!

4

SALUTATIONS FROM SALLY

By: Sally Minnich, ECP DIrector

We were blessed with perfect weather for

our end of the year family picnic. Many

of the teachers have picnics with their

classes during the course of the summer

as mini-reunions, but those lazy, hazy

days of summer will soon come to a

close. Though the season provides an

opportunity for families and teachers to

relax and rejuvenate, thoughts of a new

school year are never far off. Some of

the teachers met in early July to talk

about some new ideas they want to incor-

porate. Another was anxious to see her

class list. Fire inspections are completed,

floors are waxed and closets are cleaned.

As summer winds down, serious prepara-

tions begin for a new school year. Teach-

ers arrange the classrooms into learning

centers, put up cheery decorations

and plan daily activities so the pre-

schoolers can learn as they play.

Children eagerly pick out special

backpacks and new clothes and look

forward to making new friends. Par-

ents get ready to send their children

off to preschool and gear up for a

new routine. There’s nothing quite

like the excitement of the first day of

school.

At this writing, we still have a few

openings for the fall classes. If you

know of anyone who might be inter-

ested in learning more about the

program, please have them call the

center at 667-2629. They can also

email me at stjohnecp@woh.rr.com.

I am making my annual plea for used

printer ink cartridges and old cell

phones. Our supply is getting deplet-

ed. Last year we were able to get

more than $500 worth of supplies for

free by recycling these items. Besides

our normal supplies, we were also

able to purchase two new bulletin

boards for the hallway and some com-

puter software. You can drop these

items off at the church office or the

E.C.P. office during business hours,

place them outside the E.C.P. office

door when you come to church or put

them in the mail slot by the main of-

fice door during off hours. Please

place the printer cartridges into a

plastic bag to prevent leakage.

Thanks in advance for your help.

5

As yet another festival season comes to a close I find myself reflecting on all of the fond memories of yet an-other wonderful weekend and I hope you all are too.

First I must thank God for the amazing weather we were blessed with! As much as we need rain, and boy –oh- boy was it in the forecast, we were blessed! The rain that did find its way on Sunday was a relief from the hot sun and I for one took pleasure in watching the kids dance and play in it.

Festival is a huge undertaking and requires count-less hours of volunteer time for which I must express my sincerest appreciation and gratitude. We could not have this festival with out the support of all you. It requires the cooperation of many volunteers and the willingness of our parish staff, both of which we are blessed with. I would like to thank all of my wonderful chair people as they spend months planning and organizing so that we can open our

doors to the community and let people see the community spirit we have when we all come together. It is always won-derful to see people of all ages working side by side whether it is in assisting with a booth, flipping burgers, or assisting

REFLECTIONS ON THE FESTIVAL

Submitted By: Jennifer Weir, Chairperson

with set up and tear down. Festival time has become a time honored tradition where families and people of all ages are able to work to-gether. We are blessed here at St. John’s with many wonderful people who are always so willing to give of their time and tal-ents that it makes chairing this event seem effortless.

We tried a few new ideas this year and we feel they were well re-ceived. This was the first year for the PRESENT TO WIN Raffle and was a way for us to thank the parish for coming out to support the festi-val. We handed out FREE tickets after each of the masses that weekend and drawings were held on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon with the winners each receiving $50. We look to continue this tradition and hope to see the prize value increase as well. Another new addition was the Straw Pile for the kids. Money and prizes were hid a pile of hay and kids had the opportunity to search for them. It was really a lot of fun to watch the excitement on their faces as they plowed through that pile. We are always looking for creative and new ideas and are always open to suggestions and are always looking for new members to join the committee.

It is our wish for our parish that festival time will be-come a sense of pride and joyful memories as it has become for us. We must again thank all of you who volunteered, do-nated items for the flea market, baked goods for the sweet tooth booth, do-nated raffle bas-ket items, but most of all we must thank ALL of you who came out and showed your support and commitment to this wonderful event in the best possible way, by simply enjoying the fruits of our labor. There is no better way to show your sup-port than by coming out and enjoying all that we have to offer.

Thanks again for making this one of the most suc-cessful festivals to date!

6

Parish School of Religion – Gearing Up for Another Year!

Wow! In the midst of all this heat and sun that another year of

PSR is right around the corner! We have lots of wonderful and

great things happening this year! Sessions begin on Sept. 9th

and end on May 5th. We will begin the year with a brief prayer

service, doughnuts, and a separate orientation for parents and

youth. We will also end the year on May 5th with doughnuts and

a celebration of the year.

In the spring we conducted a parent evaluation. Based on the

results of that evaluation and discussion at the Evangelization &

Catechesis Commission meeting, we decided to offer PSR at

the following times:

Grades 1-10 Sunday mornings, 9 am-10:15 am

Grades Pre-K – 8 Sunday mornings, 11:45 am – 1 pm

Grades 11 & 12 Sunday evenings, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

We have adopted the Our Sunday Visitor (OSV) curriculum that

spans Pre-K through High School (Allelu! [Pre-K & Kindergar-

ten], Call to Faith [1-8] and Call to Discipleship[9-12]) . This

change will only affect grades Pre-K, Kindergarten & 6-12 be-

cause the other grades are already using Our Sunday Visitor’s

Call to Faith series. This is a comprehensive spiral curriculum

that is in conformity with Archdiocesan guidelines and stand-

ards. Each year children will cover more in depth these seven

doctrinal themes: Revelation, The Trinity, Jesus Christ, The

Church, Morality, Sacraments and The Kingdom of God along

with a few lessons on the Liturgical Seasons and Catholic Social

Teaching. This curriculum incorporates experiential, active

learning methods and discussions that help children to connect

their faith with their lives. Parent and Family Faith Formation

resources for this curriculum are available online at

www.osvcurriculum.com . Each family will also be receiving a

monthly Take Out: Family Faith on the Go mini-magazine.

How Does OSV’s Allelu! Pre-K & Kindergarten Program Work?

Allelu! succeeds because it puts children at the center of the

program’s format and structure. In addition to recognizing that

children naturally seek a relationship with God, Allelu! respects

the child by paying close attention to the unique ways in which

young children learn about and live their faith. This includes of-

fering additional activities and guidelines for children with special

needs. The creators of Allelu! know that children learn best

when they are experiencing and doing. Allelu! incorporates

hands-on activities, arts, crafts, music, stories, pictures, and dra-

matic play to keep the children engaged and let them learn in

the way that is most natural for them. Allelu! is mindful of the

fact that God created us not only to be in relationship with him,

but with one another. The program also recognizes that chil-

dren’s first experiences of community are within their families, or

the “domestic church.” That’s why Allelu! puts great emphasis

on bringing catechesis home with activity sheets, prayers and

rituals that carry the lessons into the child’s family to rein-

force and support parents’ role as primary educators of the

Faith.

How Does OSV’s Call to Faith 1-8 Grade Program Work?

Call to Faith is an all-new, K-6 comprehensive religion pro-gram. The heart of lifelong catechesis, Call to Faith pro-vides a solid foundation of Scripture and Tradition, a rich diversity of prayer, and a developmental sequence of activi-ties. Call to Faith is shaped by the following catechetical princi-ples:

• Conversion is central to catechesis. The aim of Call to Faith is to form participants into disciples who act with the mind and heart of Christ. • Catechism is a lifelong process. Call to Faith is the springboard for ongoing lifelong catechesis for the entire Catholic community. • Catechesis is the responsibility of all baptized members of the Church. The whole parish commu-nity is called to hand on the faith through faith shar-ing and the witness of daily life.

Call to Faith draws on the following sources of Catholic wis-dom and experience: Scripture The treasure of God's word is highlighted and integrated into the program instruction, reflection, sharing, and prayer. Doctrine Each lesson of Call to Faith draws on Church doctrine in ways that help students, catechists, and families appreciate the Church's teachings as they apply to life to-day. Lives of Saints and People of Faith Call to Faith takes seriously the importance of models and witnesses of faith as a factor in the faith development of both children and adults. Church Feasts and Seasonals Complete seasonal lessons and celebrations introduce children to the feasts and sea-sons of the Church year. Music, prayer, and ritual actions draw children in to participation in the liturgical life of the Church. Cultural Customs and Celebrations Call to Faith is unique in that it involves the customs, devotions, and culture of many local communities. This component assists parishes in making the curriculum their own. Catholic Social Teachings Call to Faith provides a curric-ulum for Catholic Social Teaching: "Faith in Action," a com-prehensive, age-appropriate lesson at the end of each unit that correlates to the text and key Catholic Social Teaching themes. It is the first of its kind in an elementary religion se-ries. Our Sunday Visitor’s Call to Faith for 7

th & 8

th grade is a

flexible religious education program for young adolescents. Material is presented in seven Faith Booklets in this junior high program. The program can be used in parish, school, youth ministry, family or intergenerational settings. The indi-vidual Faith Booklets have six lessons each and can be cov-ered in any order. Each has stories, activities, opportunities

NOTES FROM JENNIFER

By: Jennifer Melke, DEC

Continued on next page

7

for prayer, and a call to service and community life in the par-ish. Each draws on Catholic doctrine, Scripture, People of Faith and Catholics Today. Each Session Leader Guide has sections on preparing for and facilitating the sessions with ex-tra tips, suggestions and options for enriching the lessons in creative ways. How Does OSV’s Call to Discipleship 9-12 Grade Program Work? Calling Youth to Discipleship When Jesus turned and saw them following him, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, …, “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day (John 1:38-39). Jesus is calling today’s adolescents to become disciples. He wants them to come and see. He calls them to follow him and to learn the ways of discipleship. Catechesis helps young peo-ple to answer their call to become disciples of Jesus Christ. When Jesus called the first disciples, he used their experienc-es to share his message through stories, parables, and exam-ples. He shared the truth of genuine faith and called the disci-ples to live a new way. He taught them by moving from life to faith to life. This is the kind of catechesis we are called to pro-vide for today’s youth, catechesis that · Utilizes the life experiences of adolescents, fostering a shared dialogue between the life of the adolescent—with his or her joys, struggles, questions, concerns and hopes—and the wisdom of the Catholic Church. · Provides for real-life application of learning by helping ado-lescents to apply their learning to living more faithfully as Cath-olic adolescents—considering the next steps that they will take and the obstacles that they will face. (National Directory for Catechesis, page 201) Call to Discipleship is a catechetical program for high school youth that makes the connections between life and faith by utilizing the experiences of youth, presenting a core theologi-cal message, and helping youth apply the truth of faith to eve-ryday life. Features This dynamic resource includes the following features. Systematic and Intentional Catechesis

Continued from previous page To life faithfully as a young disciple, youth need to experience the fullness of our shared faith. Call to Discipleship provides 54 sessions that youth can experience throughout their high school years in a variety of ways. These sessions are devel-oped for the following faith themes: · Revelation · The Trinity · Jesus Christ · The Church · Morality · Sacraments · Kingdom of God · Catholic Social Teaching · Liturgical Year ©Our Sunday Visitor Curriculum Division Flexible Sessions Amidst all of the information available today, how do we keep the main thing the main thing? Call to Discipleship features Core Theological Content for each session that includes a Catholic Faith Resource Handout with Imprimatur for each par-ticipant. Leaders choose from a variety of activities that help youth open the topic by recalling their life experience and pre-vious learning. A similar variety of activities are selected to close the session by helping youth deepen their understanding and connect their faith with everyday life choices and actions. Youth are called to be disciples through this intentional catech-esis which goes from life to faith to life. Works within the variety of pastoral ministry with youth in the parish Catechesis happens in relationships and draws upon the living faith of the parish and family communities. Call to Disciple-ship provides catechesis in a way that works with the other components of youth ministry. This program also provides op-portunities for connections with family through a Disciples at Home feature. This website resource also provides ways to build a faith learning community with youth by inviting youth to connect with the community online. More information on the description as well as the scope and sequence of the curriculum can be found on our par-

ish website or www.osvcurriculum.com .

WE MOURN OUR DEAD

Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

Elizabeth Gibbons Wanda Ruf

Helen Barnhart Bonnie Gunter

Kelly Lorms Joy Monnin

8

Sky Totally Catholic VBS: For God, All Things Are Possible!

By Jennifer Melke, DEC

Seventy-two four year olds up through those entering 5th grade woke up bright and early the week of July 23-27 to learn

more about the Bible, grow in their faithand have fun! “For God, all things are possible,” was this year’s theme. Children learned a Bible point and Scripture story each day with the help of a Bible Memory Buddy: Pat the Bat, Orville the Flying Pig, Scout the Eagle, Apollo the Caterpillar (who turns into a butterfly), and Rockette the Flying Super Squirrel. The week was full of drama, fun science experiments, games, snacks, a movie, and songs that reinforced each Bible point and Scripture reading. Our station leaders gave a considerable amount of their time preparing for and facilitating the day’s activities. Thank you to our station leaders: Megan Bruening (with Ashley Steauble and Sarah Herzog assisting), Irene Crawford, Tiffany Doseck, Kathy Hansbarger, Pam Hartings, Marion King, Jeanne Koch, Chris Marks, Robin and Mark Sojda, Betty Voisard and Sharon Wint! Thank you! We had several Jr. High and High School students as well as one adult help out as crew leaders. Crew leaders were responsible for guiding their crews (groups of children) from station to station and helping them with the activities and facilitating discussions. Thank you to our crew leaders (in no particular order): Book Aselage, Lauren Brackman, Claire Wint, Maddy May, Ben Lawson, Keller Powell, Natalie Seeman, Allisa Buynak, Andrew Manes, Conner Woltz, Patrick Manes, Christian Blake, Mat-thew Rindler, Adam Buynak, Sarah Wilson, Meredith Richters, Stephen Ridgeway, Joseph Miller, Dominic Graves, Jack Armen-trout, Sam Iverson, Kayla Bruns, Janice Sommers, Spencer Brackman, Joey Flora, Alex Spiller, Olivia Shirley, Levi Berning and Audrey Fairbanks!

Searching for “hidden” Chadder in Chadder’s

Theatre

Sharing our “God Sightings!”

Where did you see God today?

Decorating blue Jell-o hearts to eat!

“No matter how you feel…trust God!”

Wow! What a bubble!

No matter where you are…trust God!

Gone Fishin’

Jesus makes a beachside breakfast for his friends (John

21: 1-14)

9

ST. JOHN’S WOMEN OF SPIRIT PRESENT

All women 21 to 100 and older are welcome.

Friday, September 28th thru Sunday, September 30th

Buck Creek State Park near Springfield

$60 ($55 if paid by Sept. 10th - scholarships available)

Space is limited so register now and bring a friend!

Please join us for our

Annual Fall Getaway Weekend!

POEMS, PRAYERS & PROMISES

We Provide: You Provide:

Accommodations in a well-

appointed cottage

Hors d’oeurve or des-

sert as assigned

Food Your choice of drinks

Fun and Friends

A desire to refresh

your spirit

TO REGISTER, PLEASE FILL OUT THIS INFO SHEET AND DROP IN THE COLLEC-

TION BASKET OR TO THE PARISH OFFICE WITH YOUR CHECK FOR $60 ($55 by

Sept. 10th) payable to St. John’s WOS

NAME___________________________________________________________________

PHONE #__________________________EMAIL ADDRESS______________________

DIETARY RESTRICTIONS? IF YES, PLEASE DESCRIBE___________________________

If you have questions, please call Cindy Griffin at 698-5590

10

BASKET RAFFLE

1. Gift Cards Galore Basket ~ Pamela Hale

2. Advocare 24 Day Challenge ~ Lara Limbert

3. Dayton Dragon’s Basket ~ Susie Browning

4. Fit 2 Be Me ~ Carol Farmer 5. Bengals Fan Basket ~ Judy Wittman

6. Pamper Her Basket~ Brenda Sizemore

7. Create It Party Basket~ Nancy Blackwell

8. Take Me Out To the Ball Game~ Geraldine

Kreush

9. Women of Spirit Basket ~ Lauren Lester

10. Time for Dinner ~ Lara Limbert

11. Road Trip Basket ~ Tara Engel

12. Pool Time Fun Basket ~ Becky Lester

13. Car Care Basket ~ Jane Bice

14. Kids Fun Basket ~ Dawn Pelishek

15. Vera Bradley Galore ~ Ruthanne Monnier

16. Baby Basket ~ Amy Markey 17. Date Night Basket ~ Tara Engel

18. Women of Spirit Basket~ Emily Graham

19. BBQ Basket ~ Pam Golden

20. Christmas in July ~ Julie Demers

21. Mom’s Day Out ~ Paula Praners

22. Dog Days Basket ~ Bob Knoth

23. Crafts Galore Basket ~ Kristen Wolters

24. Picnic Basket ~ Susan Secrest

25. Cincinnati Reds Basket

Congratulations Raffle Winners!

Non Profit Organization

U. S. POSTAGE

TIPP CITY, OH 45371

PERMIT NUMBER 174

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church

753 South Hyatt Street

Tipp City, Ohio 45371

Return Service Requested

$1000 Grand Prize Winner ~ Pat Liening

$500 Prize Winner ~ Ted Fiely

$250 Prize Winner ~ Scott Tudor

$50 Prize Winner ~ Gerald Franck

$50 Prize Winner ~ Dale & Michelle Bonifas

$50 Prize Winner ~ Candy Staddon

40” HD TV Winner ~ Janet Barhorst

Present to Win $50 Winners Saturday— Darlene Lewis Sunday— The Lawson Family