From the Pastor's Desk
Dear Parishioners and friends of St. Joseph,
Happy Lent to you all.
As we have entered into the Season of Lent, begun on Ash Wednesday, it is the Church's annual retreat that draws us back to God. We are called to repent and believe in the Gospel.
By now, each of you have received the resource THE PASCHAL MYSTERY by Bishop Barron and Word on Fire Ministries - I encourage each of you to use it as a resource that we will use together as our Lenten Mission this year. Weekly in-person faith sharing groups will begin this week. I encourage you to attend these led by myself and our parish leadership team. Details will follow shortly with dates for all the weeks of Lent.
In the scriptures this weekend, Jesus overcomes temptation in the desert. So too are we to call upon the power of God to lift us beyond our temptations and live lives that are holy and righteous in the sight of God.
May each of us truly enter into the penitential component of this Season and seek to turn from our sins. May our prayer, fasting and almsgiving assist us in growing in holiness. .
We continue to lift Fr. Steve in our prayers.
Thank you for continuing to pray for our beloved Fr. Steve!
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Thanks to the parish team and all those volunteers who helped me to host the parish Shrove Tuesday pancake supper, which was a great success. It was a night to build community and prepare our stomachs for the challenges of fasting during Lent. Thanks to all who attended as well.
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Through Lent, we will be offering a Communal celebration of the Stations of the Cross on Friday evenings at 6:30pm followed by Mass at 7:00pm. As Lent calls us to prayer, fasting and almsgiving, this is a wonderful way to focus on the suffering of Jesus for our salvation. Join us on Fridays as we grow in God's grace.
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Please keep Wednesday March 22nd at 7pm on your calendar as our LENTEN NIGHT OF RECONCILIATION here at St. Joseph. I will have priests who speak a variety of languages here to hear your confessions. Remember as Church Law reminds us, our Easter duty is to go to confession, AT LEAST once a year. Make sure that your Lenten preparations include a holy confession either on this evening or on Saturday afternoons all year round.
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For those wishing to donate funds for our brothers and sisters in Turkey, Syria and the other areas affected by the natural disasters, please see the links shared in the foyer of the Church. There are many organizations that you can donate to directly to assist our brothers and sisters in need.
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I am pleased to continue to present the Pilgrimage Itinerary that I will be leading to Italy this coming fall - which I call "The Faith and Flavours of Italy." This pilgrimage promises to be one filled with God's grace and much fun too! We will be visiting Venice, Padua, Florence, Pisa, Cinque Terre, Assisi, some of the Tuscany regions, Rome, and have an optional extension to the Amalfi Coast for those interested in seeing the Isle of Capri and the Blue Grotto.
We will be journeying from August 27th to September 8, 2023**
Extension trip - Sept 8-10, 2023.
The itinerary attachment is included in this email.
For those who would like to join me, please fill out the registration form and contact the parish office. Spaces will be limited and will be saved on a first come - first serve basis.
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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.
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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