Masses for the Week
DonationsDonations in memory of Stephen Bortnyck have been received and are acknowledged from Mrs. Elizabeth Taran and son, Joseph; and Robert and Stella Grubb. Your Prayers are RequestedIn the kindness of your prayers, please remember the Sick: Julia Esposito, Vera Lahm, Casper Hracho, John Yankech, Mary Riley, Rose Guldan, Jean Moister, Ann Hook, Lyndsey Conner, Helen Simmers, John Sabocsik and the Dead: Monsignor Francis Urbanowicz, Irene Hartmetz, and Helen McComsey. Sacrament of ReconciliationThis weekend, Confessions will be heard on Saturday, January 9th, from 5:45 to 6:15pm, prior to the Evening Mass. Next weekend, Confessions will be heard on Sunday, January 17th, from 9:45 to 10:15am, prior to the morning Mass. Also, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is available anytime upon request. Our Parish Jubilee Year DawnsThis Sunday, January 10th, the Feast of the Lord Jesus' Baptism, solemnly opens the 75th Anniversary Year of the Founding of St. Joseph Parish. To mark the happy occasion, the 10:30am Mass features the Rite of Sprinkling with Blessed Water, a brief Rite of Welcome for our Candidates for full Reception into the Church and the distribution of a special Jubilee item for all households of the Parish. Immediately following this festive Mass, fellowship over coffee and donuts takes place for everyone in the School Hall. With gladness, pride and thanksgiving, we lay hold of 1999 as our Anniversary Year. Certainly, God's grace and goodness to our Parish Family have not been lacking to our forebears and ourselves over these 75 years. A Special Note of ThanksMany were the hours prior to the holidays and great were the energies and talent that went into making St. Joseph Church the most beautiful Church in all of Chester County. The results for this Christmas Season are breathtaking! Our Parish Family wishes to acknowledge and extend sincere appreciation to the following kind parishioners: Wendy Fuski, Bob Dunlap, Sue and Spencer Dunlap, Babes Horenci; also, Bob and Steffie Levenite, Susan and Alicia McDevitt, Susan Sandoski, Kelly Steidler, Andy Levenite, as well as Joe and Stephanie Trumpelman, Cindy Stamate, Elana and Rebecca Kousisis. In particular, we would like to express a special "thank you" to Kelly Steidler for the outstanding work she did in creating the singularly attractive swags, wreaths and bows which adorn our Church. May the newborn King of Heaven and Earth bless them all for their dedication and generosity to St. Joseph Parish! A Compassionate WorkAid For Friends, a non-profit interfaith organization, serves free homecooked meals to the isolated homebound in the five county Greater Philadelphia Area. If you know of someone, regardless of age, in need of these services, please call Ellen at 384-7160. |
Standing up for LifeAll are invited to walk and pray together in the Chester County March for Life on Sunday, January 17th, beginning at 2:30pm. The participants should meet in the parking lot adjecent to the Chester County Pro-Life Coalition, 232 West Market Street, West Chester. The March will move to the Chester County Courthouse where a Program of Prayer will take place, featuring special guest speakers. Post-event refreshments will be offered in the nearby Knights of Columbus Hall. For more information, call the Pro-Life Coalition at 692-4463. Area Healing MassAll are welcome to attend an Archdiocesan Healing Mass in St. Maximilian Kolbe Church, Pleasant Grove Road, Westtown, on Friday, January 15th, under the sponsorship of the West Chester Area Charismatic Prayer Groups. Prayer and Praise will be conducted at 7:30pm, with Mass following at 8:00pm. The Rev. Msgr. D. James McGettigan will be officiating. Summertime PilgrimageSt. Charles Seminary, Overbrook, invites you to participate in a very special Pilgrimage to Italy, June 29th thru July 9th, 1999, with stops at Milan, Stresa, Venice, Florence, Padua, Assisi and Rome. Daily Mass and events will be offered. For more information, call (215)422-1273. Comboni NewsFarewell from Sister ConsigliaThe time is getting closer for me to leave the States and I want to share with you the joy I experience returning to Zambia where I have worked for almost 20 years. Yet, there is sadness in leaving the dear familiar people and places with whom I have shared myself these past four years, and dare to entrust my life once again to God and to the Missions in Africa. God has been good to me throughout my life and I am sure of God's loving guidance wherever I go! My returning and working here in the States has been enriching and I thank God and the people that I have met during these four years for making it a positive experience. Life is a gift from God and the more we share it with others the richer we are. I am a different person because of the people I have been working with in Coatesville, PA. Being with the "Latinos" I have learned and appreciated the beauty of other languages and customs, their gentleness, openness, simplicity and deep love that they have for the family and community. Yes!, "It is in giving that we receive", and I have received a lot in these years. Now I go forward where God wants me and with a heart full of gratitude I say: "For all that has been, "Thanks. For all that will be...Yes!" Sr. Consiglia Miglietta Welcome Sister VincenzaWe welcome Sr. Vincenza, to fill the shoes of Sr. Consiglia. Raised in Italy, she, too, has worked in many parts of the world, where her nursing skills were needed. We are happy to have her with us and hope you will have a chance to meet her and say "Hello!" Next MeetingThe next meeting will be on January 12th at 6:30pm. Meetings are held at the Sisters' Convent, located at 58 South Sixth Avenue. To contact the Comboni Missionary Sisters, Sr. Joan, Sr. Roberta and Sr. Vincenza, please call (610)380-9229 or you can call Barbara Reczek, St. Joseph Representative, at 384-4031. A Family PerspectiveBaptism of the LordSt. Paul tells us today that "God shows no partiality." This means that we are all equal in dignity before God - male and female, young and old, regardless of race or ethnicity. Our home should be a place where we receive respect that belongs to a beloved child of God, and learn to respect others as well. Upcoming MeetingsPlease mark your calendars and plan to attend, if possible, because we will be planning many events and need your input. Thanks.
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