Our Saint Joseph Community is a vibrant and warm Parish and we would like to welcome you in. We have a wonderful variety of Masses and Educational opportunities and are eager to share the love of Jesus Christ with the world. Join us for Mass or at one of our community events and find out how you can get involved.

Our Mission is to deepen our personal and communal relationship with Jesus Christ in the context of our Catholic Christian faith tradition. It is our intention to do this by actively promoting and developing the spiritual, the educational, the formational, the communal service and justice components of our parish.

Monday - Thursday: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday: 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM

March 31, 2020

Dear St. Joseph Parishioners,

I pray that you are all doing well.  Fr. Tran and I are fine and we thank you for your prayers.  We ask for your prayers for our staff and for those we serve in our community. The church staff is working in the office, on a limited schedule, and from home in order to observe the social distancing regulations.   Please know that if you are in need of assistance or have any questions you may call the office, leave a message, and someone will return your call.  You may also email the office at sjsecretary@sjsandchurch.com.   As always, we are grateful for your support of St. Joseph Church.

Please see below the new information regarding Palm Sunday.  In addition, there is an updated letter from Bishop Spalding extending the dispensation from attending Sunday Mass and the canceling of all activities through April 24, 2020.

Palm Sunday:  Blessed Palms will be available, in the church on Saturday, April 4, from 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm and on Sunday, April 5 from 8:00 am – 6:00 pm.  Please remember to observe social distancing and to use the sanitizing gel provided.  Thank you for your patience and prayers as we pass the information on to you as soon as possible.  If you know of someone who is homebound or does not get the email messages, please pass this information on to them.

Sunday Obligation/Online: Although all public celebrations of Mass are canceled, we are reminded that we have an obligation to honor the Sabbath day.  We ask all to refrain from unnecessary work on Sundays and to offer prayers such as reciting the Holy Rosary, reading the readings from Sunday Mass, and/or praying the Stations of the Cross at home.  We received some requests for virtual Mass at St. Joseph.  Please know that St. Joseph does not have the capabilities of providing Mass online.  You are encouraged to take advantage of opportunities to watch the celebration of Holy Mass online at   https://www.soundscatholic.com/watch  or on EWTN.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will continue on Wednesdays from 5:00 pm-6:00 pm and on Fridays from 9:00 am-6:00 pm, in the church.  The church will be open during regular business hours for private prayer.  We ask that everyone attending, please observe the guidelines for social distancing and use the sanitizing gel located at the main entrance. 
Please remember to continue to support your church and its mission. Donations may be mailed in to the church office or through our website with Online Giving.  This site lets you set up automatic contributions and change the timing or the amount of your gift at any time. You may make pledges and manage your contributions to the pledge amount, and you may make a one-time donation to special causes. Please go to https://www.osvonlinegiving.com/1420  and click on "Create New Account" and complete your initial account registration.

Thank you and God Bless!
Fr. Jean Baptiste

Before the 4:30 PM Saturday Mass
Before the 8:30 PM Sunday Mass
Wednesdays 5-6PM

Every Friday During Lent
Confessions - 3:30-6 PM  

Holy Week Schedule
Chrism Mass - Catholic Pastoral Center
Tuesday, April 7 - 6:30 PM
 
St. Joseph Church
Wednesday - Mass, 6:00 PM
Holy Thursday - Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 7:00 PM (adoration until midnight)
Good Friday - Seven Last Words, 12:00 PM
Stations of the Cross, 3:00 PM
Veneration of the Cross, 7:00 PM
Holy Saturday - Easter Vigil, 8:00 PM
Easter Sunday  8:30 AM, 11:00 AM & 5:00 PM

MyParish App can be found by texting App to 88202 or visiting myparishapp.com to download.  Select our parish after downloading.  

Features will include:

• The Church Calendar
• Mass Times
• Weekly Bulletin
• Daily Mass Readings
• Latest Catholic news from around the world
• An easy-to-reference list of Catholic prayers with prayer requests
• A helpful examination of conscience and next confession reminder

 
This app offers a lot of capabilities for improving parish communication and serving as a faith building resource. Please pass along to anyone that may be interested. The more people that use and participate, the stronger our Catholic Community will become.

Please contact the church office at 615-865-1071 or email  
sjsecretary@sjsandchurch.com for any questions or assistance with downloading.

Security - Exterior Fencing
Our goal is to continue to upgrade our campus, our processes and training to ensure a safe and nurturing environment for this next generation. Keeping schools safe allows children to look forward to being in an encouraging environment that promotes social and creative learning. When the basic safety needs aren’t met, children are at risk for not feeling comfortable at school and may stop showing up, or they may remain on edge throughout the day. Our playground and campus fencing needs to be upgraded. This work is projected to cost $10,000 and is expected to take six weeks to complete once funding is available.

Accessibility - Handicap Ramp Fund
Many generations of families have been nurtured at St. Joseph over the years, and we continue to grow and to thrive. We are thankful for our growth and for the church building and other facilities we enjoy.  We are mindful, too, that we must ensure that everyone who wishes to be a part of our community is able to do so.  Ensuring that our church is accessible for everyone is an important component in welcoming all parishioners and guests. This will involve removing stairs and other impediments to those with limited mobility, building access ramps to our entrances, and installing both guard and handrails to ensure the safety of parishioners and guests who utilize the ramps. This work is projected to cost $128,000 and is expected to take six weeks to complete once capital funding is available. I ask that you prayerfully consider contributing to the Security and Accessibility Campaign to ensure that we may welcome and protect everyone who enters our doors.

How Can I Help?
By Check. Simply place your check in the offering and note “Handicap Ramp” in the memo section.
Online. Visit https://donorbox.org/school-safety-and-accessibility