St Joseph's Parish
Contact information on WEBSITE
Please save this E-Bulletin! It is the equivalent of your Church Bulletin, and you may need to access it this week.
4th Sunday of Easter
World Day of Prayer for Vocations
April 21, 2024
"I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father."
John 10
Sunday Mass Schedule:
Saturday 5:00pm
Sunday 9:00am
Confessions 15 minutes before every Mass
or by appointment
Click the Picture below for Online Sunday Mass 9am
New posts
Save the Date: CWL Spring Tea - Tues. May 14 at 6:30pm
Retreat Season...check out a variety below!
Pastoral Council Election: Coming Soon!
This week: Divine Mercy Prayer 9:45am Friday
Daily Mass Schedule
Tuesday: 5:30pm
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: 9:00am
Divine Mercy Prayer Friday after Mass (9:45am)
Congratulations to Deborah Smyth on receiving her Sacraments of Initiation into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil! Her sponsor, Charlotte West, and the rest of our community welcomes her and we all look forward to working with her in the Vineyard of the Lord!
For Emotional and Spiritual Healing
Rachel’s Vineyard weekend retreats offer a supportive and non-judgmental environment where women and men can express, release and reconcile painful post-abortive emotions to begin the process of restoration, renewal and healing.
Registering now. Confidentiality assured.
Merrit retreat: April 30 – May 2, 2024
Contact Nancy at 250-267-5081, phone or text
Through a retreat program facilitated by mental health professionals and centered on Jesus Christ, Grief to Grace helps those who have endured neglect, physical, emotional, sexual, and/or spiritual abuse in their family of origin, their community, from spouses/partners, and/or coworkers or supervisors, find healing and journey to wholeness. The next retreat in Canada is May 14 - 18, 2024 in Kelowna. For more information please email grieftogracekelowna@gmail.com or make a confidential call to 250-808-6403.
Two Dominican Sisters, one Benedictine Monk, our priests, and a group of Catholic young adults – The Diocesan Youth Conference 2024 is going to be beautiful.
Who: For all youth Gr. 7-12
Where: The Pastoral Centre, Prince George
When: May 24-26th
How: Registration Opens April 15th
Email: Lisa Findlay with all your questions: lfindlay@pgdiocese.bc.ca
The Diocese has acquired for all of us free memberships to FORMED for this year. Click the link above and explore. Family, kids, young and older have lots to explore and partake of, from bible studies, to movies, to podcasts and more.
Press the link below and Search for
"St. Joseph Smithers" to sign up free and easy.
St. Joseph Catholic School
Grandparents Day: May 1 at the school from 2-3 pm. Come and enjoy some tea and snacks and see what students at St. Joseph's are up to.
Registration has begun. Contact the school if you're interested in joining us this year! We have openings in a number of grades along with our incoming K class.
Staff needed throughout the Diocese for this coming year!
Catholic Independent Schools Diocese of Prince George (CISPG) has begun recruiting for the 2024-2025 school year.
We ask for your prayers and help to find Catholic, certified teachers for our 8 Catholic Schools. All 8 schools have vacancies including the Principal-ship at Sacred Heart School in Prince George. CISPG hires non-Catholics with the expectation they understand and are respectful to Catholic values and lifestyle.
Teaching vacancies and the application forms can be found at http://cispg.ca/careers/
Please share this with anyone you may know that could be teaching in our vibrant Catholic Schools!
Diocesan Appeal 2023/24: Called Together.
Our Parish Goal: $13,946.
Pledged: 100% so far
Healing & Reconciliation raised this year in our Diocese: $34,000
Ways to give: by cheque "RCEC Diocesan Appeal"; cash; e-transfer "appeal@pgdiocese.bc.ca
Along with all other parishes and missions throughout the diocese, we continue the Annual Diocesan Appeal: “Called Together – Giving, Sharing, Serving.” Called Together supports the mission of the local Church across our diocese. Your gift to Called Together is one way that you can practice stewardship and participate in the mission of the Church. The diocesan goal has been slightly increased to $275,000 this year, still far short of the usual $400,000. This year, we are putting a focus on funding those programs which were suspended under COVID, but are now coming back to life. We also continue to direct the biggest portion to go to help those smaller parishes and missions across the diocese who continue to face ongoing challenges and need our support.
This year, the diocese is continuing to collect funds for the BC Bishops’ appeal in support of Healing and Reconciliation. This appeal is separate from Called Together and aims to provide funds for projects that support healing and reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples. In prior years, the diocese has tried to meet this need through programs such as Returning to Spirit, the Rose Prince Pilgrimage and through the work of our priests and religious involved in indigenous ministry. After we began our first Healing and Reconciliation Appeal, the Canadian Bishops agreed to support a national campaign to raise $30 million dollars in support of healing and reconciliation efforts. The diocesan goal for our portion of that $30 million is $147,000 of which $110,000 has already been raised. The monies raised in our diocese will be used to support healing and reconciliation efforts in our diocese. The committee tasked with discerning how to best use those funds has already begun to meet. We look to the generosity of everyone to make a meaningful contribution to promote this important work. The form in the Called Together package allows you to designate how much you would like to direct to the Diocesan Annual Appeal and how much to the Healing and Reconciliation appeal. We thank you for your continued generous support.
Preparation for the Sacraments
Our Catholic Faith has Seven Sacraments that draw us in special ways more deeply into the life of God and His spiritual family, the Church. Whether it’s Baptism, Holy Communion, Reconciliation, Confirmation, the Anointing of the Sick, or Marriage, the first step for practising Catholics is to have a one-on-one meeting with the Pastor, who will provide customized preparations, according to the readiness of each individual person or family. Speak to Fr. Jack after Mass on Sundays to set up your first meeting with him.
Bishop Thomas J. Lobsinger, OMI Memorial Bursary Program
This annual British Columbia and Yukon Bursary program is underway. The 2024 program is now receiving applications. We are privileged to offer fourteen bursaries of $1,000.00 each to Catholic students across the province. These bursaries are made available on a one-time only basis to young practicing Catholic students who are in post secondary education at a recognized institute of higher learning within the Province of British Columbia. Applications are accepted from January 1, 2024 until June 30, 2024 with the bursaries being awarded in the fall. The Terms of Reference may be found on our web site (kofcbc.org).
Requests for application should be addressed to:
Christopher Chen – State Bursary Chairman
Knights of Columbus BC Charity Foundation
#333 – 1231 Pacific Boulevard
Vancouver, B.C. V6Z-0E2
Or email: chrischen.kofc@gmail.com
Deadline for requests for application is June 1, 2024
To All Women of our Parish
Why join the CWL?
This is a wonderful organization of catholic woman who share the common bond of their catholic faith, working together and getting to know one another building lifelong friendships.
Your yearly fee is $55.00 helps support many local and catholic charities.
If you would like more information please contact:
Bina Tucker – 250-847-3095
Marie Ziegler – 250-847-2574 or 250-876-8729
Fr. Callaly Council monthly meetings are held on the 2nd Monday of each month at 7:00 in the church meeting room.
We are catholic men, who put faith and charity first. We lead, serve, protect, and defend. We share a desire to be better husbands, fathers, sons, neighbours, and role models. Our intent is to build strong Catholic Fathers and Families, leadership within our parishes, and growth in our faith.
The founder of the Knights of Columbus Father McGivney is now being considered for sainthood.
James W. Schwab
Grand Knight/ Financial Secretary/Life Program
Fr. Callaly Council 7973
St Joseph's Parish Smithers, St Anthony's Parish Houston, St Mary's Parish New Hazelton
Thank you to all our volunteers that help make our youth nights possible!!!
All youth welcome, ages 10-15. Contact Joanna & Cassie via email at massmealmeetup@gmail.com for more information.
Teacher contact: Cara Polanin 250-847-9414
Sunday School is now offered during 9 AM Sunday Mass for children 2yrs old til 1st Communion age. Children are sent out after the opening prayer with their catechists and come back in time for the Offertory. Feel free to join them until they get comfortable on their own.
Congratulations to Ryan, Kayleigh, Matthew on the occasion of their 1st Communion on Sunday Nov. 5th.
Please keep their families in your prayers as they seek to build good habits of Sunday Mass attendance and growing participation in the life of our Parish Family.
What is a Catholic understanding of 'tithing' as part of our return to the Lord for all the good He has done?
Check out the following articles to learn more.
Consider using the above chart
to evaluate
your personal level of generosity last year
and ask for the grace to move up to the
next level of sacrificial giving.
E-Transfers
are now possible for our Parish!
Complete the following instructions:
First time using transfer option add and save a recipient: "St Joseph's Parish" in your banking APP
Email address - smitherscatholic@pgdiocese.bc.ca
Message needs to be added for each transaction - "St Joseph's, SMITHERS" (there is more than one St. Joseph parish in our Diocese)
You do not need a security question (donation is automatically deposited into the designated parish account)
The confirmation will say that you made a donation to "The Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of Prince Rupert" and includes the message you put in and the reference number assigned to the e-transfer.
Click above for a short trailer.
There are some Catechisms available through Mary in the Office. Some large print soft cover and a smaller hard cover version. They are also available for order online in many places.
Click on the images below to check out the Free Prayer App AMEN or the paid subscription App HALLOW below. Both can also be found in your APP store of choice as well.
AMEN
HALLOW
Traveling? Check out the link below for Mass times all over North America
Flocknote: If you would like to tell someone how to sign up .... text the word 'smithers' to the # 514-900-0130
Pope Francis' visit to Canada to help in the process of healing and reconciliation as a follow up to his recent apology to the Indigenous Peoples of Canada was very moving. Much thanks for all the prayers and support given for this necessary outreach. Click the above picture for a recap. Please keep the need for reconciliation and healing in your prayers as we go forward.
Progress on the Path of Reconciliation
Bishop Stephen Jensen welcomed the news of Pope Francis’ message of apology to residential school survivors at the end of his week of meetings with Indigenous, Inuit, and Metis delegates in Rome. This is another step on the journey of healing and reconciliation with those who welcomed missionaries and immigrants to this land long ago.
Last year, the Diocese of Prince George embarked on a fundraising appeal to support residential school survivors, their families and communities and to promote reconciliation among the indigenous and non-indigenous peoples in our part of the country. Over $70,000.00 was raised by this special appeal, which represents about half of the amount the diocese has pledged as its share of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops’ collective pledge to raise $30 million across the country over the next five years.
The bishops’ conference established a new registered charity to manage funds raised across the country with transparency and good governance, including oversight from Indigenous Board Directors. The fund will publish annual reports and will be subject to an audit by an independent accounting firm each year.
All the funds pledged and raised from the diocese will be returned and used to support projects recommended by a local committee of Indigenous persons, which is in the process of being formed. The diocese will provide updates as this work proceeds.
We hope this initiative will be one more contribution to the work of fostering mutual respect and commitment to a shared future for all who call this land home.
For further reading:
It is with great sorrow, shame, and deepest apologies on behalf of those that have gone before us, that we acknowledge the national tragedy of residential schools that is so heavy upon us presently. There are so many unanswered questions, so much missing information, and unheard stories, with so much left to do towards Reconciliation, that it can feel overwhelming. In solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples of Canada and all who are suffering so deeply in this heart-breaking moment, let us continue to inform ourselves and prayerfully discern each person's part in the path forward. Below are a number of links that you can explore to help in this process of education that you might not be aware of. Fr. Jack
Click above for a link to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to explore the many reports written from the findings of the multi year process, including so many of the stories of survivors.
Above is a link from Archbishop Miller for the wider Archdiocese of Vancouver (which Kamloops was part of before becoming its own diocese) with his Letter of Apology in 2015 reaffirming the earlier apologies by B.C. Bishops, which he re-issued this past week in light of the recent revelations.
O.M.I. Apologies with Question and Answer. Click on the above image from the Website of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (O.M.I.) of Lacombe Province (Canada) who were the Catholic Religious Community (like Jesuits or Franciscans) who contracted with the Canadian Government to run some of the Residential Schools, including Kamloops and Lejac. They also have re-stated their previous apologies in recent days.
Please click on logo above to access the CCCB website and explore the many tabs that document much of the Catholic response to date, along with a number of apologies and history of Aboriginal outreach.
For more detailed information visit our Parish Website.