As living members of the Body of Christ, the people of
St. Joseph Parish embrace the Traditions of the Church as given to us by Christ.
Empowered by the Holy Spirit we teach, live, and love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, and celebrate the Word of God as a faith-filled community that welcomes all who seek the truth. We celebrate the presence of God in our midst through worship, service, and catechesis. In accordance with the teachings of the Church, we work to assist all parish members in discerning the truths of our faith and the moral obligation to which we are called to live the Gospel. Email us.
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St. Joseph Parish Needs Your Help!
Volunteer training 5/26/20,
6PM, in Church. Enter through
Clay Street entrance.
The Catholic Dioceses in the State of Illinois have
begun implementing a phased plan of re-opening
our Churches as we navigate our way through
these new waters.
As we follow the guidelines set by the Church
and State government, we are seeking
volunteers to assist the Church in various
roles. Volunteers will assist with seating parishioners,
manning sanitizing stations, and cleaning after
parishioners leave. Volunteers should be under
65 years of age with no underlying health conditions.
Please call the rectory if you are able to volunteer,
815-727-9378. Additionally, if you have any questions,
or need additional information, please call the rectory.
We cannot open safely and successfully without
your help.
God bless you and stay well.
Fr. Tim
Church Re-Opening Phased Plan
for Resuming the Celebration
of Masses & Sacraments
Read Bishop Pates' Letter
Read the Executive Summary Plan
As we approach our great national holiday of
Memorial Day, when Americans throughout
our great country gather to remember and pray
for all those men and women who made the
ultimate sacrifice to protect our God-given
freedoms, we wish everyone a blessed,
safe, and healthy holiday.
We also pause to give thanks for all of our
veterans, living and deceased, who have
served our nation with courage
and dignity. I wish we could gather for
our annual celebration of this great
day at our Cemetery Grotto, but
our prayers and gratitude transcends time
and space. May God bless our
beloved dead, our veterans
and troops, and all faithful Americans
who admire and understand
service and sacrifice.
~ Fr. Tim
I read this every year at Memorial Day:
“It is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer
Who has given us freedom to protest.
It is the Soldier, not the lawyer
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the Soldier, not the politician
Who has given us the right to vote.
It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.”
― Charles M Province
Have you Turned in Your
Homecoming Fair Raffle Tickets?
Even though our Homecoming Fair is cancelled,
we are still holding our annual Raffle and
we need your full support. All tickets sold and returned by Sunday, June 7th, will be eligible
for the Early Bird drawing with a cash prize of
$250! We thank you for your continued support
of the Parish. If you need additional tickets to
sell, please call the rectory and we will happily
mail them to you.
We need your help!
Our weekend to collect for St. John's Food
Pantry is June 27 & 28.
St. Joseph Parish supports the St. John Food Pantry with
a collection on the fourth weekend of each month. Since we
are unable to collect donations at weekend Masses, we
are asking for your help.
Could you make a monetary donation or bring
an item or two of non-perishable food or a
household item (cleaning product, shampoo, etc.)
to help St. John's Food Pantry?
Monetary donations can be mailed to the rectory or
dropped through the mail slot in the front door of the
rectory. Non-perishable food donations can be dropped
off to the back porch of the rectory at your convenience.
Many are in need during this challenging time. With children
home from school and adults not working full time or at
all, so many are lacking basic necessities, like food.
May God bless you for your generosity and
prayerful support.
The beautiful poem below was written by a friend of
our parish. To view it larger, click here.
Summer Picnic Cancellations
It is with great disappointment and much sadness that
I officially announce the cancellation of all activities at
St. Joseph Park for this 2020 season. This decision was
not arrived at easily. I have been following the news
like all of you, hoping that this health crisis would have
subsided by now, but that has not come to fruition. I
have also spoken to city and diocesan leaders, our
insurance carrier, and medical and infectious disease
experts who recommend not going forward with our
picnic season, especially since it would be almost
impossible to enforce the requirements of social
distancing and the need to wear a face covering in
public. I know some of you might be thinking, why
cancel the entire summer? I understand that, but you
need to understand the time and planning that goes
into each and every picnic, as well as up-front expenses
for food, entertainment and other items, all while not
knowing whether your picnic might be cancelled at any
time due to present health circumstances. I understand
full well the financial burden that the cancellations place
on all the organizations that use our Park. This fundraiser
is often one of their primary sources of revenue, just as
it is here at St. Joe’s. However, I believe that most of
you agree with me that the health of all those who attend
and volunteer at these picnics is paramount, along with our moral responsibility to confront this pandemic together. I appreciate your support of this decision and ask for your continued prayers for all of our health care professionals,
first responders and all others who have placed their own
health at risk to serve us. May God grant us His protection
and guidance and may our Blessed Mother wrap each of us
in the mantle of her love. God love all of you.
Fr. Timothy P. Andres, O.Carm.
Pastor, St. Joseph Parish, Joliet
Oh Mary, we crown Thee with blossoms today.
Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May
Prayer to St. Rocco
O Great St. Rocco, deliver us, we beseech thee,
from the scourges of God; through thy intercession,
preserve our bodies from contagious diseases, and
our souls from the contagion of sin. Obtain for us
salubrious air; but above all purity of heart.
Amen.
St. Rocco is the patron saint of epidemics
and the gravely ill.
St. Joseph’s Senior News May 2020
Wishing all members and families comfort and good
health during this crisis. It would be wonderful if we
could click our fingers and everything would be as it
was last year. We can only pray that this crisis
resolves itself as quickly as is safe and possible.
Unfortunately, until the order to allow gatherings
occurs, our Senior monthly meetings are on hold.
Our May Meeting is cancelled. Our get-togethers
have always been a great way to connect with friends
and keep up with happenings of St. Joe’s’ events.
However, there are other ways to continue
these connections:
A phone call, text, message, a hand-written note,
email, etc., are some of the ways we can reunite
with friends in a safe manner. Your friends will be
so happy to hear from you.
the site for the weekly bulletins providing important
information regarding messages and events.
inspirational messages, stories, news, and so
much more. Check it out.
Even though we do not attend Mass at St. Joe’s, please
do not forget to make your weekly contributions. You can
do this online, through online banking, or by mail (403 N.
Chicago Street, Joliet, Il, 60432.)
Also, many of us are now ordering from Amazon. Just
google Amazon Smile, and using your same Amazon
profile info, you can set it up so St. Joe’s gets a small
portion of your order. The price does not increase.
If you would like, provide your email address so you
receive notices about Seniors directly. Maybe you have
something you would like to share to lift our spirits.
Please drop a note to Mary Barrett, Publicity, at mfbarrett@sbcglobal.net.
Till we are together once again!
The Diocese of Joliet is offering two Masses
each day from the Cathedral that can be viewed
via the internet as follows:
9:00 AM Celebrated by Fr. Burke Masters and
Fr. Ryan Adorjan
11:30 AM Celebrated by Bishop Pates
All Masses and activities at
St. Joseph Church and Parish Park are cancelled
until further notice in accordance with the State
of Illinois guidelines.
We recognize the centrality of the Eucharist in
our Catholic Faith, but the present crisis requires
us to follow directives that will eventually
minimize this pandemic.
So Storm Heaven with your prayers and recite
the following prayer as you make your
Spiritual Communion with Christ.
An Act of Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in
the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things, and I desire to
receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive You
sacramentally, come at least spiritually
into my heart. I embrace You as if You were
already there and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.
Thank You! Thank You!
We truly appreciate everyone
who has mailed in their offertory envelopes or
made online donations to St. Joseph Church.
Your generosity is helping us to maintain the Church
we all love and to keep the lights and heat on
until we all gather together again to
give praise & thanks
to our Lord and God.
We depend on your spiritual and financial support to
continue the operations and ministries at St. Joseph Church.
If possible, please prayerfully consider continuing your
donations to St. Joseph Church during these
uncertain times. Your offertory gifts can be mailed
to the rectory, dropped through the mail slot
in the front door, or you can submit your
offertory gift via Online Giving through the link
on the right-hand column.
We truly appreciate your continued support.
Scholarships Available
St. Joseph Parish supports the Catholic Education
of our registered, active parishioners. Elementary
students can apply for the Parish Scholarship here.
Students in grades 6 - 11 can apply for the
Klimek Scholarship here. Please note the new
deadline date is June 15th.
Call the rectory with any questions.
The Catholic Ministries Annual Appeal for 2020 will kick
off in February. Click on this link to watch the video.
Information will be mailed to diocese households.
Check out the new FORMED!!
Take advantage of this FREE program!
Every Life
Cherished * Chosen * Sent
Novena to St. Joseph & Holy Hour
Our parish monthly Eucharistic Holy Hour will include a
Novena to St. Joseph at a future date. Monthly novenas
are suspended until the health crisis is over. Our parish patron,
St. Joseph, is the patron of the Universal Church. Having
died in the "arms of Jesus and Mary" according to Catholic
tradition, he is considered the model of the pious believer
who receives grace at the moment of death, in other words,
the patron of a happy death. St. Joseph is also the patron
saint of families, fathers, workers and those seeking
employment, against doubt & hesitation, cemetery
workers, among many other causes.
All are invited to join us in this monthly Novena
to St. Joseph and Holy Hour. We will notify you
when Holy Hours will resume.
What is AMAZON SMILE?
Amazon Smile is a simple, automatic way for you to
support your favorite charitable organization every
time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low
prices, vast selection and convenient shopping
experience at Amazaon.com, with the added bonus
that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase
price to your favorite charitable organization.
You can use your existing account on Amazon.com.
Remember to go through Smile.Amazon and select
St. Joseph Parish as your charity of choice. Click on
this link or the icon in the right-hand column to begin
shopping and helping St. Joseph at the same time!
Let Great Lake Scrip gift cards help with your shopping
Great Lake Scrip gift cards are a convenient way to do your
shopping, while helping St. Joseph Church in the process.
Purchase gift cards - the same you would purchase in
stores - at face value through the Church. Use the cards
to fill up your vehicles with gas, purchase groceries and
gifts, dine out, and so much more! Click on the Great
Lakes Scrip icon above or call the rectory for additional
information. NEW! You can now place your order online
and pay with a credit card! Save time. Save Gas.
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Listen to
Fr. Tim's
interview with
Scott Slocum
under the
section
of WJOL
"And gradually,
though no one
remembers exactly how it
happened, the
unthinkable
becomes tolerable.
And then acceptable.
And then legal.
And then applaudable."
- Joni Eareckson Tada
Respect
All Life
From the Womb
To the Tomb
SCAM ALERT!!!
Cyber crime has hit St. Joseph and is
hitting dioceses nationwide. If/when you receive an email from
Fr. Tim requesting
you to purchase a gift card or to urgently contact
him via email, please delete it! It is a scam!
This email scam is also using other priests’ names in the diocese asking for money or gift
cards. Parishioners should contact the parish office to verify the legitimacy of any suspicious request
they may receive.
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