Blessing of Wine for the Feast of St. John the Evangelist after 8:00 am Mass. Please leave your bottles of wine on the table in the narthex before Mass.
Why bless wine for the feast of St. John?
From Aleteia - Original article
Legend of the Poison
The tradition is based on a legend surrounding the life of St. John. One day John was challenged by his enemies to drink a cup of wine filled with poison. The accounts of the legend differ as to what happens next. John either drank the wine and did not suffer any ill effect or he blessed the wine and the poison rose from the cup in the form of a serpent. In either case, John was not harmed by the wine and his enemies were confounded.
In memory of this event the Church has a special blessing of wine that can be found in the Roman Ritual. The blessing refers to the legend and also refer to the wine’s medicinal qualities. The blessing is centuries old and wine used to be a remedy for certain ailments.
It may not be a bad idea to have your wine blessed if you are planning an upcoming New Year’s Eve party, invoking God’s graces upon all those who drink it.