Welcome to the St. John Paul II Cluster Catholic family. We have two parish sites: St. John the Evangelist in Independence, Iowa and St. Patrick’s in Winthrop, Iowa. We cordially invite you to celebrate your Catholic faith with us and share in our spiritual journey. On behalf of the St. John Paul II Cluster Catholic Community and Parish Staff, I would like to personally welcome you to our parish website. I hope that your “visit” will give you a sense of the opportunities for worship and prayer that are offered in our cluster, as well as the various programs for growth in our Catholic faith and the many opportunities for “hands on” ministry.
We believe that our parishes are much more than simply a place to worship once a week. It is also a center for learning, teaching, sharing faith experiences, and for giving and receiving the strength that we all need for our life-long journey with God. We are those servants mentioned by Jesus (Matthew 25:14-30). Each of us have been richly gifted, but these gifts must be invested wisely and generously to help others, according to the principles of good Christian discipleship.
Know that you are most welcome in our cluster parishes. We hope that you will find your faith home here in our community
In the peace of Christ,
Kathy Post will host a women’s study group again this year during Lent. We will be discussing the book Christ’s Mother and Ours, A Catholic Guide to Mary by Father Oscar Lukefahr for the 6 meetings, beginning March 12th at 7 PM at 2132 Horseshoe Drive in Independence. Please call Kathy at 563-608-3151 to register. We will discuss the first two chapters on the first night. If anyone needs assistance ordering a book, please let Kathy know.
Men of the St John Paul Cluster. Once again, we will be offering an opportunity to reflect upon the Sunday readings more deeply during the season of Lent. The scripture study will be guided by the booklet, "With Jesus to the Cross year" year "C". Our goal is to grow in our understanding of the readings and deepen our relationship with Jesus. We will study the readings, reflect upon them and discuss the material and what it means to each of us. We invite all men to come join us as we grow in our faith during the Lenten season. We will meet on Wednesday evenings in the choir room at 7:00 pm. Please call Polly at the parish offices to sign up or myself Deacon Tim. Price of the book is $13.00. Hope to see you there.
A time honored practice in the season of Lent is to gather and retrace the steps of Jesus on his way to Calvary. We will continue this tradition beginning on Wednesday, March 12th at 6:15 pm in St. John’s Church. Come Join us as we reflect on how much Jesus loves us.
The Buchanan County Ministerial Association is sponsoring a series of Lenten Luncheons. The Lunch/Worship will start at noon and the cost for the meal is $8.00 per person. Each host church will provide a speaker, music, and a fellowship meal.
The schedule is as follows:
March 13 - St. John’s Catholic Church
March 20 - First United Methodist Church
March 27 - Immanuel Lutheran Church
April 3 - First Presbyterian Church
April 10 - Hope Wesleyan