St. Joseph R.C. Church

Home

Welcome to St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church

Our Saturday @ 5:30PM Mass can be viewed weekly via livestream by clicking on the link to the right: YouTube: Parish Livestream

e are a Roman Catholic community of believers in Jesus Christ in Lincoln Park and surrounding areas, located in the Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey. Our Bishop is Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney. Please feel free to visit the pages of our Parish site, learn about who we are as a community of faith and the services our parish provides. If you are thinking about moving to the Lincoln Park area, we cordially invite you to make St. Joseph's your parish.

Caravaggio Doubting Thomas John 6:24-35 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time August 1, 2021

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” (John 6:35)

How many times do you use or hear the word “want” during the day? What do you want to be when you grow up? What do you want for dinner? I want to watch something else. Where do you want to be in 25 years?

We live in a culture that is governed by wants. Sadly, this endless desire for more is only intensified by countless advertising campaigns and the belief that the only things worth having are those that are new and novel.

As we continue our reading of the sixth chapter of John’s gospel this Sunday, we get a sense that this was also the perspective of the crowds who had gathered around Jesus after he fed a great number with only a few loaves and fish. “Jesus answered them and said, ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.’” Even though Jesus had satisfied their physical hunger, they still wanted more.

Like so many people in our world today, the crowd that day was really only looking for something perishable, for temporary satisfaction to an immediate want. Whether this was an opportunity to see Jesus perform another miracle — or because they were hoping for more to eat than just bread and fish — they were hoping for something else. They wanted just one more thing.

St. John tells us, however, that Jesus recognized their misguided desires and reminded them — and us — that if we are to be truly filled (and fulfilled), we have to recognize and honor those hungers, hopes, and needs that are deep within us. We must recognize, in a special way, that common and very human need to be known and loved. These are the hungers and needs that Jesus addresses in this Gospel passage when he says to the crowds, “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”

No amount of money, power, influence, sex, or material goods can ever bring true satisfaction and fulfillment. However much we might have in life, those fundamental desires that are deep within us will never be satisfied without the love of God and the care and support of a community. Pope Francis spoke to this when he reflected:

“[The crowd] had given more meaning to that bread than to its donor. God himself is both the gift and the giver. Thus from that bread, from that gesture, the people can find the One who gives it, who is God. He invites them to open up to a perspective which is not only that of the daily need to eat, dress, achieve success, build a career. Jesus speaks of another food. He speaks of a food which is incorruptible and which is good to seek and gather… That is to say, to seek salvation, the encounter with God.”

In the end, we know that only God can truly provide the nourishment and fulfillment that will bring us lasting peace and joy and that will satisfy these deeply rooted needs and desires. But we also recognize that we have been given the great gifts of the Scriptures and the Eucharist — the Bread of Life — to nourish and strengthen us as we journey through life.

As Pope Benedict XVI reminded the bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean in 2007, “Every Eucharist is a personal encounter with Christ. Listening to God’s word, our hearts burn because it is he who is explaining and proclaiming it. When we break the bread at the Eucharist, it is he whom we receive personally.”

To receive the Eucharist is not to get something but to encounter someone. Because in the Eucharist, we enter into a communion with Jesus himself. It is in this communion that the deepest desires and longings of our hearts find lasting fulfillment.

Br. Silas Henderson, S.D.S.

Parish News

CCD REGISTRATION SUNDAYS: July 18, 25, Aug. 1

Sr. Ellen will be hosting ‘Sunday Sign-ups’ for CCD parents of K thru 6th Grade children on the following Sundays: July 18th, July 25 or August 1st. They will be scheduled after the Sunday Masses, 8 am, 10 am and the 12 noon Masses in the school building.

If you are a new family, please bring Baptismal Certificates. Registration Forms are available if needed.
New Pandemic Protocols
New Pandemic Protocols

The following are the new protocols set forth by the
Diocese of Paterson:

* Mass will be at full capacity.

* Masks are not required for people who are fully
vaccinated but may be worn.

* Masks are required for those who are not fully
vaccinated.

* The collection basket will remain in the back of
church.

* Communion should be received in the hand.
Those wishing to receive on the tongue may do
so by going to the end of the Communion line.

* Receiving the precious blood is not permitted at
this time.

* The 5:30 pm Mass will continue to be livestreamed
for those too ill to attend Mass.
The Year of St. Joseph
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
R.C.I.A., the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, is a process for anyone wishing to know more about the Roman Catholic Faith and the reception of the sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation). By our baptism, each of us is called to share the good news. Each of us may know someone who, if asked, would consider becoming a Catholic. The invitation needs to be extended.

As a member of the faith family, have you extended the invitation? If you want to become a Catholic or know someone who may be interested in becoming a Catholic, please come to the Parish Center room 6 for classes on Sundays at 11 AM or call the office at
973.696.4411.
Religious Education Program: Updated August 1, 2021
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION INFORMATION FOR GRADES K-8

Registration forms for the 2021-2022 CCD school year were sent out via email. If you did not
receive it, or if your email address has changed since last year’s registration (which would have been last summer),
please be sure to email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your new email address. Registration forms are available
in the back of church and in our Parish Center, on our Facebook page, and at the following links:

Registration Letter 21/22

CCD Registration Form 21/22

First Holy Communion – Children are required to complete 1st grade of Religious Education before they can enter into the 2nd grade of our program for First Holy Communion.

Registration for new students will also be taking place. Our program begins with Kindergarten and continues through Grade 8. If you have a child in Kindergarten only, the registration fee is $30. A copy of their baptismal certificate is required for each new child registered. Families must be registered members of the parish when registering for the program.

For more information or to request forms, please call 973.696.4411 x10.

CONFIRMATION PROGRAM

Confirmation Registration will be emailed out in the beginning of August.

********************

For more information, please call 973.696.4411 x12.
Polish Masses to Be Celebrated at St. Joseph's on the Third Saturday of Each Month
Polish Masses are now being celebrated at St. Josephs on the 3rd Saturday of every month at 7 PM.
Parish Registration
If you are new to the parish or have not previously registered in the parish, please do so by calling the office at 973.696.4411 x 101 for a registration form. Also, if you are not receiving collection envelopes, we can arrange to have them sent them to you.
First Friday Benediction
Please join us for our regular First Friday services with a monthly Eucharistic Holy Hour from 7 to 8 PM, featuring Exposition of the

Blessed Sacrament, Adoration, and Benediction, provided by our Deacons. Please note that Mass will only be available in the morning at 8 AM.
Visiting the Sick and Shut-Ins
If you have a famly member or know of someone who is in the hospital or homebound and they would like to receive Holy Communion, please call Sr. Ellen at (973) 696-4411, etx. 3.

Because of privacy laws, the hospital does not contact us when a parishioner is admitted and therefore, we have no way of knowing. Notifying us will enable us to visit our parishioners and bring them the sacraments.
Parish Email List: Great Way to Stay Informed!
If you would like to be added to the parish email list or to update your email address with us, to receive notifications of funerals and parish events, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and let us know. As of now, we have over 500 people on our email list. What a resourceful way to keep up to date on our parish happenings! Thank you.