Happy Easter! Christ is Risen Alleluia! He is Risen Indeed Alleluia!!!

Divine Mercy Sunday Novena Begins Today on Good Friday...

Today, on Good Friday, begins a wonderful opportunity for prayer and preparation for the Second Sunday Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday. Additionally, this year, John Paul II will given a new name in the Church on Divine Mercy Sunday: Blessed John Paul II. I hope you will continue to pray in these holy days for God's Mercy to be upon us. He is so good and gracious to us His children.

(click here to visit a website with the Divine Mercy Novena)

Prayers for the Repose of the Soul of Father Mel Bennett... including details for his funeral...

I blogged awhile back asking for prayers for a brother priest of mine named Father Mel Bennett. He had been serving as a Senior Associate Pastor at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Carmel, IN.

Anyway, last night at our annual Chrism Mass in Lafayette, IN, Bishop Doherty shared with us in his homily that Father Mel had passed away. I saw him just two days ago, shared with him that I was proud of him and that he was a hero of mine. I will never forget the great conversations we had over the years. He provided me with great support in my early years of priesthood. He will certainly be missed by many many people. He was one of the legends of my diocese and served in many wonderful roles throughout his years of priestly ministry. I was sad to hear the news at the Chrism Mass, but then I realized that Father Mel loved the Mass and that he was right there with us in the Eucharist as all his brother priests were gathered together with the people of our diocese. That brought me great peace last night, even in the midst of the storms and rain that delayed my getting back to Zionsville.

To share the great gift Father Mel Bennett was to our diocese, please read this list of all that he did so very faithfully for over 40 years:

Ordained May 24, 1969. 1969, Chaplain, St. Joseph Motherhouse, Tipton; 1970, Associate Pastor, St. Vincent de Paul, Logansport; 1972, Associate Pastor, St. Joan of Arc, Kokomo; 1974, Acting Pastor, St. Joan of Arc, Kokomo; 1974, Pastoral Team, St. Joan of Arc, Kokomo; 1980, Pastor, St. Joan of Arc, Kokomo; 1982, Pastor, St. Bridget, Logansport; 1984, Pastor, St. Alphonsus Liguori, Zionsville; 1988, Vicar for Priests; 1989, Full-time Vicar for Clergy with residence at Emmaus House; 1994, Pastor, St. Bernard, Crawfordsville; 2000, Chaplain, Wabash College Newman Apostolate, Crawfordsville, while continuing as Pastor, St. Bernard, Crawfordsville; 2001, Pastor, St. Bernard, Crawfordsville; 2003, Chaplain, Wabash College Newman Apostolate, Crawfordsville, while continuing as Pastor, St. Bernard, Crawfordsville; 2005, Senior Associate, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Carmel.

Let us remember to pray for Father Mel Bennett. Eternal rest grant unto him. Also, I came across a good prayer which would be fitting to share in this post.

A Prayer for a Deceased Priest
O God, Thou didst raise Thy servant, Father Mel Bennett, to the sacred priesthood of Jesus Christ, according to the Order of Melchisedech, giving him the sublime power to offer the Eternal Sacrifice, to bring the Body and Blood of Thy Son Jesus Christ down upon the altar, and to absolve the sins of men in Thine own Holy Name. We beseech Thee to reward his faithfulness and to forget his faults, admitting him speedily into Thy Holy Presence, there to enjoy forever the recompense of his labors. This we ask through Jesus Christ Thy Son, our Lord. Amen.

Finally, here is the letter we received today from Bishop Doherty:

20 April 2011

Dear Monsignors/Fathers/Deacons:

Father Melvin Bennett, age 69, died at Saint Vincent’s Hospital, Indianapolis on Tuesday, April 19th.

The body of Father Bennett will be received at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton parish on Monday, April 25th at 11:00 a.m. Visitation will follow until 7:00 p.m. when the Office of the Dead and Vigil will begin.

The Funeral Mass will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 26th at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton parish. Bishop Timothy Doherty will be the celebrant with Bishop William Higi and the classmates of Father Bennett as concelebrants along with the priests of the Diocese.

A luncheon will follow the Funeral Mass at Saint Elizabeth Seton parish hall.

Burial will be at St. John’s Cemetery in Earl Park (on or about 4:15/4:30) following the luncheon.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Father Melvin Bennett Spiritual Center on the campus of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton parish.

Let us remember all of our deceased brothers in our prayers. As a reminder, the custom is to celebrate three Masses for the repose of the soul of a deceased brother priest.



Most Reverend Timothy L. Doherty
Bishop of Lafayette-in-Indiana

Palm Sunday Video!

This video is very well done! It makes one think for sure!

A Must See Upcoming Movie: There Be Dragons.

The movie "There Be Dragons" will be released on May 6th. It is about a priest, Saint Jose Maria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei. Here is the trailer:

I would highly encourage you and your families to watch "There Be Dragons." Saint Jose Maria Escriva, pray for us!

Happy Holy Week and Palm Sunday!

Holy Week has arrived! This weekend, we bless palm branches and journey with Jesus into Jerusalem crying out the words "Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis!" "Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest." I proposed the question in my Palm Sunday homily: Will be follow Jesus all the way to His crucifixion or won't we? A decision needs to be made by us all, even me. 

This year, I encouraged parishioners to be present at as many Holy Week liturgies and events as they possible can, even more than they have ever done before. This is easier said then done. But, if we allow the busyness of our lives and the constant bombardment from our secular culture pull us away from what is MOST important (OUR FAITH), then our Holy Week will not be very holy for us.

This is the Holiest Week of the entire Church Year. Our worship and prayer are intensified as we approach Jesus' Passion, Death and Resurrection. I also shared that Holy Week could end today on Palm Sunday and that we could just focus on Easter Morning, ignoring all the events that occur prior to Jesus' Resurrection from the dead.

However, as Catholic Christians, God calls us to grow in holiness and in Holy Week, that is what we strive to do. Will we be like the people in the Gospel who cried out there Hosannas and shortly after cried out "Crucify Him"?

Our Lord awaits the members of His Body, the Church, each one of us, to join Him in this journey every step of the way from His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem all the way to the Cross where He cries out "Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit." Let us enter now with our Lord into this Holiest of Weeks and prepare together for Easter. 

Blessed by God... a Lenten Parish Mission with Fr. James (Jim) Kubicki, S.J.

This week was a wonderful week for my parish of Saint Alphonsus Liguori in Zionsville, IN. We brought in Father Jim Kubicki, S.J. for our Lenten Parish Mission. He shared with us about the importance of the Eucharist in our lives. He broke the three evening talks down by discussing the Eucharist in terms of "what we believe about the Eucharist," "how we celebrate the Eucharist," and "how we live the Eucharist." He cited several references to both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. Pope John Paul II had called the Church to an entire Year of the Eucharist from October 2004 through October 2005. It is interesting that John Paul II went home to the Father's House on April 5, 2005, during the Year of the Eucharist. He was truly a man who was dedicated to the gift of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. 

After Pope Benedict XVI began his pontificate, he concluded what Pope John Paul II had begun. His Apostolic Exhortation on the Eucharist as the Source and Summit of the Church's Life and Mission, Sacramentum Caritatis (22 February 2007) has been helpful to understand how important the Eucharist really is in the lives of Catholic Christians and the very life of the Church, what the Second Vatican Council called "the Source and Summit of our Faith." Fr. Kubicki, S.J. also shared about the spirituality of offering ourselves each and every day and each and every moment of every day to God. This in turn allows us to be united to Jesus Christ Himself which has immense redemptive value. We can offer our sufferings and sacrifices with Jesus to the Father which makes us participants of the salvation of the world. The wonderful prayer the Apostleship of Prayer encourages people to pray is the Daily Offering Prayer. It is a great way to start one's day. 

Here is one example of this prayer:

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart: the salvation of souls, reparation for sin, and the reunion of all Christians. I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all Apostles of Prayer, and in particular for those recommended by our Holy Father this month. Amen.


Overall, we enjoyed Father Kubicki and his thoughts on the Holy Eucharist. It was especially interesting how he tied in our Lenten Mission with what he does personally in his life as a Jesuit priest. He is the National Director of the Apostleship of Prayer, which has an incredible website with great resources. I am confident that our parish grew closer to Jesus in the Eucharist through this year's parish Lenten Mission. Thank you God for bringing Father Kubicki, S.J. to share with us about your Son Jesus who comes to us in the Eucharist. Keep him safe and sound in all his work with the Apostleship of Prayer. 


If you would like to hear more from Father Kubicki, S.J., he has a podcast through the Apostleship of Prayer.

500 Festival 15K Training Run... Getting Ready for the Race for Vocations May 7th, 2011

Today was the last of three training runs to help me to get ready for the 500 Festival Mini Marathon next month. There was a 5K run in February, a 10K run in March and then finally, a 15K run just today. I have had some ongoing struggles with shin splints. I dealt with this problem when I was preparing for the New York City Marathon last November. It is not easy to train when you have a nagging injury. So, I just have been trying my best. I certainly can try to run more consistently each week. That would be a prayer request: God, help Father Joshua to remain disciplined in his running. Amen. Also, if you have a nagging injury, pray to God about it. He can definitely help you. Try not to get discouraged, but see how you may be able to learn from the experience.

Anyway, today, I did surprise myself in completing the 15K run (9.3 miles) in a satisfactory time of 1:07:06. Thank you God! The other bonus for today's run was that the good Lord held the rain off for us so we could get in without being completely soaked. I am so grateful for that. I was also thankful to have had the support of a wonderful parishioner named Jack. We were able to complete each of the three training runs this year. This is first for me! It is definitely good to get in some races before the Mini Marathon. The Mini will be here very soon.

So, the results from my run today are at the following website http://connect.garmin.com/activity/78078448. I ran with Jack for two miles. He then told me to go on ahead and see what I could do. I did that, got into a groove and really worked on my last three miles (6:59, 6:58, 6:41). I also made myself encourage people if and when I passed them.

I will conclude this post with a brief note that was sent to the members of the Race for Vocations Team. If you would like to be part of our team, please sign up soon here so you can enjoy being part of an incredible cause for Vocations. Also, if you want to come down for the Mass and Dinner the evening before, please contact Courtney Mitchell at cmitchell@archindy.org or callher at 317-236-1490.

Here is the note:

Hello Race for Vocations Team Members,

Can you believe that in just about five weeks or so, we will be toeing the line of our Race for Vocations downtown Indianapolis! In these weeks ahead, let us be reminded of the following powerful words from Saint Paul about the race for eternal life, "I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith." (II Timothy 4:7) May this scripture be a guiding light for both the Race for Vocations and in our lives as we run the good race for holiness, which is the primary vocation that we all share!

In these coming weeks, you will be receiving emails with reflections on the various vocations in the Church. The reflections are from the hearts of a number of the individuals from our Race for Vocations Committee who have been working diligently since last years Race for Vocations to get us ready for 2011. As well, I would encourage you to continue to pray for vocations to the priesthood, consecrated/religious life, sacred married life and sacred single life as you train in these final weeks of preparation.

This week, let us focus on the aforementioned scripture from II Timothy 4:7. In reflecting on this passage, you might contemplate the following questions in your prayer and as you train:

1) How am doing in running the race to holiness?
2) How am I allowing God to feed me and help me in growing in faithfulness?
3) Am I competing well in my relationship with God and with His people?
4) How am I encouraging others to run the good race?

5) Am I remaining open to God with the life He has given to me?

Please be sure to ask others to pledge prayers for your Race. You may post their prayer pledges on Facebook at our Facebook page Race for Vocations.

Please Save the Following Important Dates!!!

Mass for Vocations: Friday, May 6, 2011, 6:30 pm at St. John's downtown! We are not sure if Archbishop Buechlein or Bishop Coyne will be presiding. Either way, we will have one of them to celebrate the Mass for Vocations along with many priests, seminarians, religious and lay people.

Pasta Dinner: Friday, May 6, 2011, immediately following the Mass for Vocations under the big top tent in St. John's parking lot! Free will donation accepted. All runners and their families/friends are invited to attend. RSVP with Courtney Mitchell at cmitchell@archindy.org

Race for Vocations: Saturday, May 7, 2011, Indianapolis Mini-Marathon and 5K.

OK Race for Vocations Team, have a great April and get ready for the 2011 Race for Vocations!!!

I will leave you with some great words from the Servant of God John Paul II for some food for thought in the days to come:

“It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). What we have here is not simply a moral exhortation, or a command which comes to us from without. The inclination to give is rooted in the depths of the human heart: every person is conscious of a desire to interact with others and everyone finds fulfillment in a free gift of self to others” (MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II FOR LENT 2003).

In His Priesthood,

Father Joshua M. Janko

Prayers for a brother priest... Father Mel Bennett

This past Friday, on April 1st, I received some terrible news. I learned that a priest from my Dad's parish, Saint Elizabeth Seton in Carmel, was involved in a very bad car accident. The news reports confirmed what I had learned. Fr. Mel was badly injured and others were involved as well. Please pray for them. This news was very difficult for me to take. Fr. Mel has been so supportive of my Dad and I over the years. I have been very thankful to visit Fr. Mel at the hospital a few times since the accident. On April 6th, I sat next to his bed and prayed the Holy Rosary for him and for this difficult situation.

I would ask you to please join me in praying for Father Mel Bennett and the other people involved. Especially, dear Lord, I pray for the family who has lost a loved one. "Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the Mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen." If you are able, please join me in offering some rosaries. God bless you... Father Joshua

The Perfect Birthday Gift for Pope Benedict XVI for His 84th...

84,000 Novenas for the Pope’s 84th Birthday!
Will you join me in giving the Pope a huge gift for his birthday? Pope Benedict XVI is celebrating his birthday on April 16th and I’m joining up with praymorenovenas.com to get 84,000 people to pray a novena for the Pope’s 84th birthday.

On April 8th, we will begin praying for nine days leading up to and ending on the Pope Benedict’s birthday. The Pope prays for us everyday so it’s time to return the gift to him on the anniversary of his birth.

Read on to learn how you can contribute to Pope Benedict's Birthday Gift of Prayers:

+ Sign up here: http://bit.ly/h0052O
+ Join the Facebook event and invite your friends here: http://on.fb.me/eE2Xs7
+ If you have a website or blog, post about it there!
+ Email your friends and family and get them praying too!

I’m sure the Pope will love that we are all praying for him! Please help us reach the goal of 84,000 novenas for the Pope!

Remember to sign up to pray your novena for the pope here: http://bit.ly/h0052O