March 17, 2026

2 days ago
6 min read

Welcome to the latest news blog for St. John Neumann Parish. This page will be updated weekly with the most recent information to keep you informed. You can also access past blogs by clicking on the links on our blog landing page.

Father Dan's Ski Chair Chat!

Parish News

Diocesan News & Events

Catholic Charities Harrisburg needs volunteer classroom aides and tutors for our virtual Adult English Language learning program. Both morning and evening times are available. The time commitment is 2 hours a week. All necessary training is provided and volunteers must be 18 or older. Please contact Katie at kmartin@cchbg.org or 717-329-6139 to learn more and get involved!

Click the link for a reflection from Bishop Senior on St. Patrick: https://www.hbgdiocese.org/bishop-senior-offers-reflection-on-saint-patrick-2026/

Men of the Diocese are warmly invited to join Father Boniface Hicks, OSB for the 2026 Men’s Conference on April 18th, at the Diocesan Center. Mark your calendars and invite your friends and family! This year’s theme is “Steadfast in Mercy.”

Deadline/Costs:

$40 per person

$70 father/son combo

CLERGY ADMITTED FREE

Deadline: April 6, 2026

$50 Walk-In Registration

Due to space limitations, walk-ins can’t be assured of preferred workshop choices.

If any special accommodations are needed, please contact Marianne Weltmer at (717) 657-4804 ext. 322 or mweltmer@hbgdiocese.org. Requests should be made by April 1, 2026.

Catholic Charities Harrisburg needs volunteer classroom aides and tutors for our virtual Adult English Language learning program. Both morning and evening times are available. The time commitment is 2 hours a week. All necessary training is provided and volunteers must be 18 or older. Please contact Katie at kmartin@cchbg.org or 717-329-6139 to learn more and get involved!
Bishop Timothy C. Senior invites men throughout the Diocese of Harrisburg to prayerfully discern a call to serve the Church as permanent deacons. A new formation cohort will begin in August 2026. Men between the ages of 30 and 62 who are active, prayerful Catholics are encouraged to speak with their pastor about this possibility. Applications are available through pastors and are due by March 15, 2026. Information sessions will be held at 6 p.m. at the Diocesan Center, Harrisburg; and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15, at St. Pius X Parish, Selingsgrove. Bishop Senior’s full letter, which offers additional guidance and details, is available at https://www.catholicwitness.org/invitation-for-applications-to-be-permanent-deacons/.
Beginning Experience Weekend: The Harrisburg Diocese Beginning Experience Team will host a Beginning Experience Weekend on May 1–3, 2026, at Camp Kirchenwald, Lebanon, Pa. Beginning Experience is an approved, ecumenical program offering healing, hope, and spiritual restoration for those grieving the loss of a spouse through death, divorce, or separation. Led by trained facilitators who have experienced loss themselves and certified by the International Beginning Experience Organization, these weekends have helped hundreds move toward renewed peace and purpose. For more information, visit https://www.hbgdiocese.org/clev/laity-and-family/navigating-difficulties/, or contact Julie at 717-379-0800.

Hallow

You can now pray with Rembrandt’s famous painting, “The Return of the Prodigal Son,” in a new Visio Divina guided by the incredible Sister Miriam! Visio Divina means “divine seeing” in Latin. It’s a beautiful form of Christian prayer where you contemplate a sacred image and allow your heart and imagination to enter into the scene, paying attention to what God might be telling you there and simply resting in His presence.

In this new prayer, we’ll sit with Rembrandt’s masterpiece which captures the powerful moment when the prodigal son finally returns home to his father. Join Sister Miriam today in prayer and reflection as we enter the Parable of the Prodigal Son like never before through Rembrandt's beautiful painting!

Easter with Hallow: He is Risen

Join Fr. John Burns & Lauren Daigle for a week-long prayer challenge with Hallow! He is Risen will be a time for your parish to meditate on the post-resurrection accounts from scripture each day and focus on Christ's victories. The waitlist will open on April 1. The challenge begins on Easter Monday, April 6.

Check out Father Dan's Lenten audio message on our Hallow parish page!

I already have a Hallow account. How do I access SJN's parish page?

Everyone is invited to be a part of our parish community page. There, you can create a profile, add friends, share/respond to prayer intentions, and take part in prayer challenges with the parish. The steps are simple:

To join the parish page: Tap “Church” on the menu at the bottom of your screen > Select “Join a Church” > Search for our parish by typing "17601." Hallow has corrected our parish name from "Saint" to "St." when searching by name. However, it is best to search by zip code (17601).
Start praying with us!

I do not have a Hallow account. How do I get a free account and join the SJN page?

Go to hallow.com/parish.
Type in “17601” and click on St. John Neumann Parish.
Click “Join.”
Create an account using phone or email.
Create a password.
You may redeem the $1 offer by clicking “Redeem Offer,” OR click “SKIP” to continue to the basic (free) version of the app.

My $1 Hallow Trial Expired. Now what?

If you currently have a Hallow premium subscription (or $1 trial) and would like to renew, our Hallow Parish Partnership is offering a 25% discount on a premium subscription annually for the duration of our Hallow Parish Partnership. To redeem this, follow these instructions:

Cancel your current Hallow subscription.
1. Open your Hallow app. Go to the “Me” tab > Settings > Subscription > Cancel my Subscription.
Go to Hallow.com/redeem.
Enter code: GrowthSub25
Follow the steps to get your discount.
Enjoy your Hallow premium subscription, and don’t forget to join our parish page on Hallow!
1. Open the Hallow app.
2. Go to the Church tab at the bottom of your screen.
3. Select “Join a Church” and search for our parish by zip code: 17601.
4. Start praying with the parish!
If you do not wish to renew, Go to the "Me" tab, click the little wheel in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. Go to "Subscription" and click "Cancel My Subscription." If you were erroneously charged a renewal fee, contact parishsupport@hallow.app to have the charge reversed.

Ministry Team Members

Are you a member of a ministry team at SJN and interested in a premium Hallow account? Reach out to Erin Houser at the parish office or email ehouser@sjnlancaster.org to request access. Premium accounts are available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last.

Faith Formation (Religious Education) and CGS Families

If you are a registered parent or student in our Faith Formation Program and would like to obtain a premium Hallow subscription, please click here to submit your information and get your account started.

Customer Support

If you have any issues getting someone set up on the app, please reach out to parishsupport@hallow.app. Hallow has an incredibly talented support team that responds to parish partners with super high priority. Erin Houser is out of the office on leave returning April 1. Please contact Hallow directly with questions or concerns.

Youth Ministry

Stay tuned!

Faith Formation

A Family Lenten Project

by Erin Houser

This past week in Family Faith Formation, our families worked on a simple but meaningful Lenten activity: creating Family Prayer Boxes.

During Lent, we are invited to slow down, turn our hearts toward God, and grow in our relationship with Jesus through prayer. The Family Prayer Box is a beautiful way to bring that invitation into the home. Each family decorated a box and created small prayer cards to place inside, offering prayers of thanksgiving, asking for help, praying for others, and even asking for forgiveness.

What made this activity especially powerful was its simplicity. Children and parents alike were reminded that prayer does not have to be complicated. It can be as simple as saying “thank you,” asking Jesus for help with something that feels hard, or lifting up someone in need of prayer. As the boxes were filled, they became more than just a craft; they became a symbol of trust. Each prayer placed inside is a small act of surrender, a way of saying, “Jesus, I give this to You.”

We encourage all of our families to continue using their prayer boxes throughout Lent and beyond, adding prayers regularly and taking time together to talk about what is on their hearts. May this Lenten season be a time of growing trust, deeper prayer, and renewed closeness to Christ for all of our families.

If you are interested in learning more about Faith Formation at our parish, contact Nate Gulya at ngulya@sjnlancaster.org, or call the parish office.

Parish Health Ministry (PHM)

The Pope's Prayer Network Monthly Prayer for Mental Health - March 2026

This month the Pope’s prayer intention is for peace and disarmament, especially nuclear disarmament. Living under the threat of total destruction from nuclear war creates lasting fear that diminishes mental health across generations. Pope Leo said that “the temptation to have recourse to powerful and sophisticated weapons needs to be rejected.” Peace and mental health are inseparable. Effective disarmament is a commitment to protecting the dignity and mental health for those of us living today and those who will follow. We pray that world leaders choose the path of dialogue, diplomacy, and peace instead of violence. The International Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers (https://www.catholicmhm.org/click-to-pray.