Carnival Priest



Christmas 2018………New Year’s 2019………………….but not April Fool’s 2019My Dear Friends, God’s love and peace to you and your family today, this year and always. I am so happy and honored to hear from so many of you during the year by email, cards, calls and even personal visits. How pleasing it is to keep in touch with you. I continue to serve six parishes in the Ruskin, Florida area just south of Tampa with both English and Spanish liturgies. These are large parishes (from 6,500 families to 1,100 families) and with Florida continuing to grow, there are even plans to build more churches. In the summer months I am in Iowa helping out in various churches. Please pray for our priests. The 50th anniversary of my ordination to the Catholic Priesthood is May 24, 2019. I am honored and humbled that God called me to this ministry and I want to celebrate this with family and friends. I invite you to join me on Sunday, July 14, 2019 at Saint Joseph Catholic Church, Milford, Iowa, (Lake Okoboji) where we will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at 2:00 p.m. in the parish church. This will be followed by a dinner and reception at the parish center, next door. A full dinner will be available catered by Sneaky’s of Sioux City, Iowa. The dinner must be RSVP so we know how many to plan for so please RSVP to Susan Reiser at the Saint Joseph Parish Center at 712.338.2274 or email sreiser@ No gifts please. Any gifts received will all be sent to the Haiti Parish Twinning Project to continue to the good work they have been doing for years. There will be a charge for the dinner. I am guessing it will be around $15.To the world you may be on person but to one person you may be the world. Brandi SnyderI am happy to share an experience of this summer when I went to Poland for 12 days, spending time with relatives on my mother’s side. I have stopped at Muszyna, in Southeast Poland, while I would bring my tour groups through that area, celebrating Mass at The Church of Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary, and then spending a few precious hours with family. The last time I did this, they urged me to come at another time when it could be an extended stay. What a thrilling and enlightening time! The last number of years Poland has been rebuilding from the ravages of World War 2. What has resulted from this complete redoing is remarkable. Muszyna is located in an area of generous amounts of hot springs and is also a winter destination for skiers at the many slopes in the area. It enjoys a world wide reputation for its mineral springs baths and health spas . I met cousins I never knew I had. Each day was a most enlightening experience with the Hojniak and Krokowski families and others.Family. My brother, Tom and my sisters, Jan and Maria are doing well. This past year brought news that Jim Masteller (Janet’s son) was appointed District Court Judge in Omaha, Nebraska, and Dan Vakulskas (Tom’s son) was appointed Associate District Court Judge in Iowa for Plymouth and Sioux Counties. I completed a Fall tour of Italy and Rome with a group of most wonderful people. Everything went well from the canals of Venice, to Florence to Assisi to Rome including an audience with Pope Francis. Also met with the folks in the Vatican who support my carnival ministry. Our spring tour was to the Holy Land. The Way of the Cross was one of the highlights of our time there. This was my 11th tour of the Holy Land and I am looking forward to our time there in January of 2021.I have been leading pilgrimages and tours for 45+ years. Because of the growth of the middle class in countries where people have lifted themselves out of poverty and now have savings to do things like travel, people all over the world are traveling in record numbers. In years past I could sign up people for various trips a week or two prior to departure. Those days are gone. Now the cut off date is about two months in advance. If people procrastinate on a decision and then send in their reservation form they are taking a chance. In the past few years I have had to return down payment checks because we were full and could not take any more. If possible these folks are put on a waiting list where one’s chances are slim. All these are first come first served. That is why I am listing the following tours for the next couple years. For more information on any of these please get in touch with me by email, phone or mail. Always more details on my tours at my website It is never too early to request information or to sign up for any of these since they fill up fast.Listing of Future tours: Spain, Portugal and France. Fatima and Lourdes September 24 – October 4, 2019 Seats are limited.South America (Peru) Lima, Cuzco, Macchu Pichu, Lake Titicaca and more. February 10-18, 2020 (check website for complete details.) (Limit of 36) First come first served.Best of Europe and Passion Play of Oberammergau (Only once every ten years) July 31 - August 10 2020 Seats are limited. Includes the Passion Play and the cities that are not so touristy but are my favorites and we end in Paris.Holy Land. Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jerusalem, Jericho, Sea of Galilee, Dead Sea, Cana, Mount Carmel, Way of the Cross etc. January 19-28 2021 Seats are limited.Best of Italy, Rome, Florence, Assisi, Venice, Audience with Pope. Fall of 2021 (stay tuned for more details.)Please remember that trip prices include r/t air from the gateway city, all tours, transfers, most meals, daily Mass, porterage, first class hotels, all government taxes and airline surcharges. All are on a first come first served basis.Trip details In chronological order: September 24 – October 4, 2019 Spain, Portugal, France with Shrines of Fatima and Lourdes. Includes Madrid, Avila, Montserrat, Barcelona (including the eighth wonder of the world Sagrada Familia (one of my favorites). Shrines of Fatima and Lourdes. Salamanca. Leisurely pace. From Chicago $3,499. From Omaha $3,599. Single Room add $795. Peru, South America. February 10-18, 2020. This is my first time to South America and I want to do a very special tour in a country that has a marvelous history and most modern present. $3,499. R/T Miami. Begin to familiarize yourself with names like Inca Empire, Cuzco, Andes Mountains, Kencko, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, Puno and more. This will include travel by train and exposure to folklore handed down from the centuries. I want to do this at this time before the traveling world finds out what a treasure this is. Comfortable pace. (Limited to 36 travelers) This will fill up fast.July 31- August 10, 2020 Passion Play of Oberammergau along with what I consider is some of the Best Places Of Europe even though they rarely are in the headlines. In my opinion these are ‘hidden’ jewels in Switzerland and Germany. Rhine Valley, the University town of Heidelberg, Rothenburg, one of the best preserved medieval towns in Europe, Lucerne, one of the prettiest cities and last of all Glorious Paris. I am proud to present this once every ten year tour but it is filling up fast. Seats are limited and if you are thinking about this at all, please do not put It off. The last tour, I had to return 13 checks for down payments since we ran out of seats. Remember the story of Oberammergau. The Black Plague (1633) was destroying 85% of the population of Europe because there was no known cure or vaccine to prevent this. This was sweeping from city to city with its destruction and so the people of Oberammeragau made a solemn promise to the Lord. Spare their city from this horrible plague and we will honor your love by producing a huge Passion Play every ten years to honor the love and commitment of Jesus Christ. The city was spared and the city continues to perform the passion play with love and devotion on an open air stage with a covered auditorium seating 4,700, against a beautiful backdrop of towering Alpine Mountains. If you would like more information please get in touch with me ASAP either by phone or email. Working with Nawas I have secured Category one first class seats for this. Trip includes R/T Air, all tours, most meals, daily Mass, first class hotels, transfers, baggage handling and much more. Round trip Chicago: $4,599. Round Trip Omaha: $4,759. Double Occupancy. Single room $850. Per person. Please, there is time value to this. Let me hear from you soon to send you all the information. The next time for the Passion Play is 2030. Don’t miss out on this presentation. Comfortable pace.2021 Holy Land…January 19-28, 2021 This will be Holy Land pilgrimage number 12 for me and I am as excited about this as I was about the first time I was there years ago. Comfortable pace. Walk where Jesus Walked. Bethlehem, Nazareth, Bethany, Sea of Galilee, Dead Sea, Jericho, Jerusalem, Wailing Wall, Beatitudes Mount Carmel, Cana, Way of the Cross and more. All inclusive price: From Chicago $3,499. From Omaha or Tampa $3599. Single room $895. Italy late summer 2021. Dates yet to be determined but it will include Rome, Venice, Florence, Assisi, Papal Audience and free time to pursue your own desires. Keep in touch with so that when the details become available, it will appear there first. always has the latest up to date information on all my tours.There are 100’s of languages in the world but a smile speaks them all.My ministry to the carnival industry began on July 4, 1969 in LeMars, Iowa, following a life changing telephone call from Jennie Klein of Klein Amusements whose carnival was playing the LeMars, Iowa, Centennial. At the end of that celebration Jennie Klein asked me: “Father John, with the schedule we have during the fair season, sometimes we do not even have time to go out and get groceries much less take care of our spiritual obligations. Have you ever considered a pastoral outreach to us folks in the traveling show business?” That is where it began. I will be celebrating a Mass of Thanksgiving on Friday, August 2 at 10 a.m. in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, at the Benton County Fair followed by lunch and blessing the rides and the games. My good friend Most Reverend Don Kettler, Bishop of Saint Cloud, will be the presider at the Mass. Invited as well are chaplains from other ministries like circus, race track, anyone involved in ministries to people on the move.During this season of Lent, I encourage everyone to focus on oneSpiritual issue in their lives and the one issue this Lent might be: How doI handle doubts about whether God is truly “with us” whenProblems arise? Here is what the Lord has to say through His Prophet Isaiah (42:16) “ I will lead my blind people by roads they have never traveled. I will turn their darkness into light and make rough country roads smooth before them.These are my promises, and I will keep them without fail.”Let us keep in touch with one another appreciating the fact that the Lord is counting on us to make a difference in the world. I wish you the finest of God’s blessings and pray that as this season of Lent makes its way to Holy Week and the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord, that you may continue to be a light to all who know you and meet you.Blessings always,Father John Vakulskas Jr 712.490.8047 johnvakulskas@ October – April May - SeptemberBox 904 Box 347Ruskin FL 33575 Okoboji IA 51355NB If you wish to be removed from my mailing list please email or call or write and it will be done.Access to the Christmas Letter and all travel information is always at The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision. Helen Keller ................
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