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Lent it right around the corner. Before long, Ash Wednesday will dawn. We will come to Church for ashes. We will see the Cross of ash on each other’s foreheads. That is our reminder that we are united in Jesus and under His Cross. The Cross comes in many forms: loneliness, addiction, relapse, unemployment, underemployment, mental illness, violence, all forms of hurt and fear. We don’t lift our Crosses alone. We can lift our Cross with one another. Ash Wednesday is the great reminder to connect and share the weight of the Cross in charity.
Ash Wednesday begins Lent – the time to focus on three things: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving.
We do all three: we pray; we give up a certain food as a sacrifice; and we give to the poor through sharing our time, our talent and our treasure. While we each do all three in Lent, this Lent and beyond, let’s focus on prayer in a special way.
Let’s do that in these ways:
- Beginning the first weekend of Lent there will be a table set up in the gathering space. This table is a special place for our parishioners and guests to write down prayer requests and intentions on small pieces of paper. These are meant to be anonymous – no need to sign your name. These intentions – what you want to pray for -- will be collected in a basket brought up with the offertory and placed near the altar for Mass. This is a sign of our sharing our prayer requests with one another and with God.
- On the Wednesdays of Lent – March 1, 8, 15, 29, and April 5 we will have a series on Prayer. The presentations will be held in Church from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. with time for questions. (Please note that no presentation is scheduled for Wednesday, March 22). More details will follow.
Lent is right around the corner – let’s turn that corner together, united in prayer!
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Ash Wednesday - Wednesday, February 22nd
- Alpha Youth Program
- Ash Wednesday
- Presentations on Prayer
- Stations of the Cross
- Friday Simple Suppers
- Easter Week Schedule
- The Scrutinies
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Youth Faith Program
The program starts Tuesday, Feb 28th and continues to meet on March 7, 14, 21, 28, April 11, 18, and 25 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. An extended “retreat” will take place on Saturday April 15 from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. All meetings are in Donnelly Hall.
Register HereWe share the exciting news that the Church of St. Joseph will offer Youth Alpha for 8th to 12th grade students. Alpha is a youth faith program that emphasizes an "Introduction to Christianity" course is conducted over a series of nine meetings. Each evening begins with a meal and then a video or talk is shown, followed by discussion.
The content emphasizes the "Kerygma" (the basic gospel message) with an emphasis on living the Christian life in the power of the Holy Spirit. Many Catholic parishes (over 70 of the 200+ parishes) have offered Alpha (adult version) in the Philadelphia Archdiocese.
As many have experienced in their own upbringing, it is possible to be raised in a strong Catholic or Christian environment without fully, personally embracing the death and resurrection of Christ and living in the strength of the Holy Spirit. Youth Alpha, in a very comfortable setting, presents these truths and invites the individual to consider and act on these truths.
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Ashes will be distributed during the Masses at 6:30 am, 8:30 am w/Holy Family School School students and
at 7:00 pm.
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On the
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Coming Soon!
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Join us for dinner Fridays during Lent! Meatless dinners are provided from 6:00 to 7:00 pm, just before Sations of the Cross. All meals are free and provided by a parish ministry group.
Date Ministry Group Providing Meal Dinner Menu
February 24th Stewardship Pasta
March 3rd
March 10th
March 17th
March 24th
March 31st High School CYO Pizza
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Coming Soon!
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Please join us at the 9:30 A.M. Mass on March 12th, 19th and 26th as the Scrutinies take place. Join with those adults who seek to become Catholic and support them with your prayers!
From the earliest times of the Church, those adults who seek to become Catholic have learned about and entered the Church through a series of sacred rites. We are blessed this year with several adults who have expressed a desire to become Catholic. They are scheduled to receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist at the Easter Vigil MassOne of the preparatory ancient rites is known as “The Scrutinies.” These brief rites take place within Sunday Mass on the third, fourth and fifth Sundays of Lent.
The Scrutinies are a time in which the Catechumens – those adults who are preparing to be Baptized -- can complete their conversion to Christ. The Scutinies are also a time when these adults deepen their resolve to strengthen their decision to place God at the center of their lives.