St. Joseph R.C. Church

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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.

The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

January 16, 2022 John 2: 1-11

HolyFamilybanner If you’re anything like me, it seems like it has been months since we celebrated Christmas. The busy and rich holy days gave way to New Year’s resolutions, as we returned to work, school, and ministry. Even the memories of our recent celebrations of Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord are quickly fading. And yet, on this Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, the gospel story of the wedding at Cana forms the third part of a sort of Epiphany trilogy and carries the themes of these two Christmastide feasts into the green days of Ordinary Time: manifestation and transformation.

These three Epiphany events — the visit of the Magi, the baptism of Jesus by John, and the miracle at Cana — are, as Pope Francis has described them, “the three signs that the liturgy brings in these days in order to speak to us about the manifestation of God: God makes himself known.” As we know, the story of the Magi coming from the East reminds us that the child born in Bethlehem was born for all peoples, and the baptism of Jesus is the revelation that he is the Father’s “beloved Son.” So, then, what do we learn from the miracle at Cana? What truth is revealed in this Sunday’s gospel?

To answer this question, we have to pull back the lens, as it were, to take in a broader view of salvation history.

Throughout the Old Testament, we read of how God continually called straying women and men back into right-relationship with Himself. The Hebrew Scriptures are filled with signs and stories that reveal God’s covenant-love — His relationship — with His Chosen People: the rainbow after the great flood (Genesis 9:1-17), Abraham’s star-filled sky (Gn 15), the giving of the Law to Moses (Exodus 15 and 24), and the promises made to King David and his descendants (1 Samuel 7:12-13). Each of these stories remind us that while the People of Israel violated this relationship time and again, God’s love and mercy remained constant. Even the first reading of this Sunday’s Mass reminds us of God’s abiding and merciful love: “As a young man marries a virgin, your Builder shall marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so shall your God rejoice in you (Isaiah 62:5).”

But those signs and symbols of the Old Testament were only representations of God’s love. On that first Christmas night everything changed. In Jesus — who is the Word-Made-Flesh — God “made his dwelling among us and we have seen his glory” (John 1:14) and the miracle at Cana was the first time that Jesus manifested — remember, this is an Epiphany — his own transforming power and his glory. This is why Adrian Nocent, OSB, could write these beautiful words in his celebrated commentary on the liturgical year: “We were once water, now we are wine, and are judged worthy of the wedding feast … We are being invited, then, to meditate on this renewal of our selves, of our institutions, and of everything around us, but we must bear in mind that the renewal will come in its fullness only at the wedding feast of the last day.”

Cana marked a beginning and in the transformation of the water into wine we discover that Jesus wasn’t simply another prophet or holy man. He was God’s “Beloved” and he holds the power to transform — to recreate and renew — the elements of earth and, more importantly, the hearts, minds, and souls of his followers.

In the coming weeks of Ordinary Time, we will hear the stories of how this transforming and saving work, begun in Cana, changed the lives of Jesus’ disciples, as we’re invited to reflect on how that transforming power continues to shape us today.

Br. Silas Henderson, SDS

Parish News

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 January 17, 2022
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION INFORMATION FOR GRADES K-8

Jan 16      No Classes – MLK Weekend
Feb 20      No Classes – Presidents’ Weekend
Feb 27                            1st Communion Parent Meeting –
                                        9 & 11 AM

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

CONFIRMATION PROGRAM: GRADES 7-8

Jan 19      Classes in School – Grade 8
Jan 26    Classes in School
Jan 30th   8th Grade Class Mass – 10 AM
Feb 2        Classes in School
Feb 9        Classes in School – Grade 8
Feb 13      7th Grade Class Mass – 10 AM
Feb 16      Classes in School

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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.