"We, the members of St. Joseph Parish, as followers of Jesus Christ, are committed to serving the church, recognizing that our Church is a community of the people of God"
From the Pastor's Desk
Dear Parishioners and friends of St. Joseph,
As we begin the 2nd week of Advent, we continue to pray that advent prayer - COME LORD JESUS!
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Today and tomorrow are the final days of the parish jewelry fundraiser.
This is a great opportunity to purchase gifts for Baptism, 1st Communion, Confirmation, birthday or Christmas gifts.
Open House - St. Joseph Church Gathering Room
Saturday Dec 3 - 10:00am to 4:00pm and 7:00 pm to 9:00pm
Sunday Dec 4 - following the 9:00, 10:30 and 12:00pm Masses
Any questions or orders, contact carmelinapassero@gmail.com.
Open House - St. Joseph Church Gathering Room
Saturday Dec 3 - 10:00am to 4:00pm and 7:00 pm to 9:00pm
Sunday Dec 4 - following the 9:00, 10:30 and 12:00pm Masses
Any questions or orders, contact carmelinapassero@gmail.com.
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On Wednesday December 7 @ 7pm, we will have our Parish Advent Night of Reconciliation in preparation for Christmas. The only gift the Lord wishes is that of a pure heart. There will be priests from across the Diocese speaking a variety of languages. Please make an effort to go to confession that evening and drink from the fount of mercy of our God.
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We continue to lift Fr. Steve in our prayers.
Thank you to all those parishioners who have already dropped off their GET WELL cards. For those who have not yet done so, please drop them in the box in the vestibule of the church or bring it to the parish office. Don't forget to add your spiritual bouquet of prayers in the card and let Fr. Steve know how you are praying for him!
Thank you for continuing to pray for our beloved Fr. Steve!
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In the Church foyer you will see the GIVING TREE, put up by the members of our St. Vincent de Paul society. Feel free to take an ornament from the tree which represents a young person who is in need and a gift can be purchased for them. Thank you for your consideration of caring for those most in need in our community and making Christmas special for them as well.
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GOD's PLAYBOOK podcast continues to launch DAILY.
I pray that each of you will use this podcast to enhance your faith and especially recommend it to your family and friends to bring them back to faith, especially the weekly attendance at Mass. This podcast will answer tough questions about faith, give the reasons why we believe what we believe and also broaden our prospective on God and His daily will for our lives.
Subscribe here on the podcast Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/GodsPlaybook and click on this link to begin listening to the podcasts - https://godsplaybook.buzzsprout.com/
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The Knights of Columbus wine sale form is attached to this update. Consider purchasing wine as Christmas gifts for your family and help support the charitable arm of the Knights of Columbus.
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Let us continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. They deserve and rely on our prayers and support. Let us ask the Lord of peace to bring peace to the people of Ukraine, Russia and throughout the world. Once again, I include this Prayer for Ukraine.
PRAYER FOR UKRAINE
Almighty God, through Jesus' divine name and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we humbly ask for your mercy to obtain peace in the land of Ukraine. May all the people of that country, especially children and the elderly, remain safe from danger. Please do not let chaos and war reign in the land of Ukraine, but only a forever peace that comes from You. Amen.
Be assured of my prayers and I humbly ask for yours.
God loves you and so do I.
Mary, Mother of the Church - pray for us
St. Joseph - pray for us
God bless,
Fr. Rico
December is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception
Click the image to learn more!
Hello everyone!
This week's bulletin/newsletter is attached below. Click on it to download and view.
Here are the highlights this week:
- Letter from the pastor
- Church BBQ coming up on Thursday!
- Vacation Bible School is starting soon
- Jerry's mom passed away. Please pray for her!
- (NOTE: be sure to update these bullet points to reflect the highlights in each weekly bulletin)
1. Our GOD TALK Parish Bible study will continue praying over John Chapter 8/9 on Tuesday December 6th @ 7:00pm via Zoom. All are welcome and encouraged to join so as to come to know God's Word more clearly.
2. Baptisms continue to take place. If you are looking to have your son / daughter baptized, please contact the parish office. We are booking dates into January.
3. Our updated campaign for our HVAC system is $94,295. Please continue to remember the parish through your regular giving and consider giving in addition for this campaign. Funds can be left in the parish collection box or sent via etransfer to myparishgift@gmail.com with "HVAC" on the memo line.
4. Below, you will see the teaser for the 2023 Faith & Flavours of Italy Pilgrimage that I will be leading from August 27 - Sept 10, 2023. Join me as we journey to enjoy the experience of a lifetime as we walk in the footsteps of St. Peter, St. Anthony of Padua and St. Francis of Assisi. Highlights will include Rome, Assisi, Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre, Amalfi Coast, Pisa, Padua, San Gimignano and other beautiful places! Save the date and reserve your spot now, spaces will be limited! More details to follow in the coming weeks.
We have almost finalized an itinerary and price, it will be released shortly!
5. Advent Night of Reconciliation - Dec 7 @ 7pm with priests from across the Diocese.
Weekly Mass Schedule
Monday 9:00 am*
Tuesday 9:00 am*
Wednesday 9:00 am*
Thursday 8:20 am & 9:40 am*
Friday 9:00 am*
Saturday 9:00 am*
* denotes Live-streamed
Holy Hour:
Saturday 9:30am to 10:30am.
Saturday 9:30am to 10:30am.
Please keep these brothers and sisters in Christ in your prayers as we mourn their passing into the Lord's hands
Jeffrey Lovegrove
Edward Klimuszko
Those who have died in Ukraine
Eternal rest, grant unto them O Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.
And let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.
Mass Intentions
Monday, December 5th
9:00 a.m. Special Intention Marie Yakimoff
-and- Special Intention for the Pastoral Team
Tuesday, December 6th St. Nicholas
9:00 a.m. † Fernando Cardoso
-and- Special Intention for Paula Tymchuk
Wednesday, December 7th
St. Ambrose
9:00 a.m. † Eva Verbanz
-and- † Fr. Paul Mastrangelo
Thursday, December 8th
Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Masses with Blessed Trinity Catholic School
8:20 a.m. † Tony Passero
-and- † Pat McMahon
9:40 a.m.
Friday, December 9th
St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin
9:00 a.m. † Fr. Wilfrid Murphy
-and- Special Intention for Ian Paul De Leon
Saturday, December 10th
9:00 a.m. † Sr. Jean Cunningham
-and- † Louise Kumanovic
5:00 p.m. † Agnes Bak
-and- † Peter Comerton
-and- † Joseph Muraca
Sunday, December 11thThird Sunday of Advent
9:00 a.m. † Karen Derousie
-and- † Barbara Derousie
10:30 a.m. † Jose Melo
-and- † Emily Ruytenbeek
-and- Special Intention for Fr. Stephen
12 noon † Tony Serafini
-and- Parishioners of St. Joseph, Living & Deceased
We will once again be clothing warm winter clothing (Adults) for the Out of the Cold Program. A box will be located in the foyer and will be checked regularly. If you have any questions, speak with Bill Slattery.
Our Christmas pageant is coming back and we are looking for volunteers young and old! If you are able to help out or have children willing to participate then use the sign up below.
Christmas Nativity Pageant
December 24th at 5 pm (also 2 mandatory practices)
Adult Volunteers
Child Actors
If you haven't been by, be sure to stop in to see the selection of beautiful gifts and religious items available.
We are looking to create a culture of Invitation and Hospitality and we need your help! Join us on Friday December 16 from 7-8:30 pm to learn some practical tips on how to invite people back to church or invite people to Alpha. Snacks and Coffee will be provided! RSVP using the signup below.
A culture of Invitation
Learn how to invite people to church and to Alpha! Join us for coffee, snacks and an interactive seminar!
Ministries and Groups
Thank you for putting People and Planet First
A major focus of Development and Peace — Caritas Canada’s People and Planet First campaign is advocating for a law that compels Canadian companies to respect human and environmental rights across their overseas operations.
Thousands of Canadians signed the petition in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in the Global South who are protecting the Earth and asserting their rights.
We are also delighted to welcome new members who will help amplify the voice of our movement by acting for peace and justice. On behalf of all those who struggle to preserve their lands, lifestyles, livelihoods and lives, Development and Peace thanks you for your commitment and mobilization. Together, we are building a world of justice.
To sign our petition and to continue supporting our campaign, visit devp.org/act.
To become a member and support our mission, visit devp.org/joinus.
We have had a tremendous reply to our giving tree but in case you haven't brought back your envelope yet:
"RETURN YOUR DONATION THIS WEEKEND"
Parishioners are reminded to return the “Christmas Angel” envelopes to the Parish office or in the offertory boxes following each Mass this weekend (December 3rd and 4th).
Our sincere thanks to all who have donated so generously to this program.
(You can also e-transfer your donation to myparishgift@gmail.com with the notation “Angel Giving Tree” in the memo box)
Your donation is greatly appreciated and will be used to purchase “gift cards” that will go along way to ensure a joyful Christmas to our neighbours in need.
Wine Orders are due back Sunday! Orders will be available for pickup on Friday.
Be sure to wave at Christmas Float as it goes by in the parade on Saturday! Keeping Christ in Christmas
Next Meetings
General Tuesday, December 6th 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm in the Gathering Room
The next meeting will take place in December! Stay tuned for details.
Little Spirits Aged 3-6 & Children's Liturgy Aged 7-10. Join us during the 10:30 am mass on Sunday!
Life Teen will be hosting an Alpha Youth for those who are curious and want to learn more about their faith and is open to all students in High School. We will be meeting after school in the Youth Room. We will start a new session in February on Thursdays for those who are interested. We will have a light meal, a short video and discussion. Contact Andrew to register!
EDGE will take place from 6:30 - 8 on Tuesdays this year. It is open for all students in grades 5-8 in the Youth Room.
We had 20 people out at our last Youth Ministry night and a ton of fun was had by all! Our next meeting will take place November 29th, contact Andrew for details!
Young Adult(19-39)
Stay tuned for our next meeting!
Get those deposits in for World Youth Day, the deadline has been extended and we continue to accept new applicants until December 15
Please continue to remember the Parish in your financial giving.
May God bless you abundantly for the gifts of your time, talents and treasures.
Reply to this email and let us know how we can pray for you! It is so important during this pandemic that we are there for each other so if we haven't seen you in a while let us know what's going on! We continue to pray for you, please continue to pray for all of us.
Fr. Rico, Fr. Stephen, Fr. Bill and the Pastoral Team
