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 Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: August 7, 2022

trinity2021 The first disciples were mired in the present moment. Most were poor. Like their contemporaries, they were living from day to day in a harsh world. The community faced daily struggle, fear and persecution. They needed to be reminded: though Jesus seems to be gone and things were going poorly for his community, nevertheless, he is with us now and he will return. In the light of this hope, early Christians could look at their lives through the lens of expectation. He will soon come again.

As time passed, and Jesus did not in fact return, the sense of urgency passed. It was easier to become complacent, to grow comfortable with compromise, and to put off real conversion. All of the Gospel messages about being prepared had to be reinterpreted. Very often, the motivation for authentic Christian living became the inevitability and the unpredictability of death: Christians must live good and holy lives every single day in order to be ready to meet the Lord at the moment of death.

Generally, it is not normal for people to live with the thought of imminent death unless they happen to be terminally ill, or very old, or caught in some life threatening circumstance. So for most of us, being prepared has to take on a different meaning. It has to imply a profound sense of commitment and fidelity to the Gospel and to Christian values. It means that this attitude of mind and heart should become second nature to us, always present and always directing and affecting our life choices.

One doesn't need to be a theologian or "professional religious" person in order to be a disciple. Jesus never once formulated a doctrinal or theological proposition. He spent his life and his ministry among people living with them, touching them, talking with them, embracing and healing them, and breathing His Spirit into their hearts. The first disciples became aware - begrudgingly, at first - that the Spirit they had seen in Jesus was present and active in their lives as well. Eventually, they came to believe that this Spirit could be as courageously expressed in their lives as Jesus had allowed it to be in his. And so should we.

Jesus' ministry flowed from his belief that living in love was living in God. He believed that His intimate understanding of God would be "good news" to all people - that it would bring freedom to those held captive, bring sight to the blind and set all of us free.

Jesus has indeed set us free. But this is a freedom that is far different from what we might expect. We are set free from images, ideas and practices that bind us into the enslavement of thinking and acting as if we had all of the answers. We are set free from the fear and abandonment of a distant, impersonal God. We are set free from divisions that divide us and set us against one another. This is a freedom that challenges us to break down barriers and to take personal responsibility for the emergence of God's reign in this world.

Being prepared means being ready for a spot check on our Christianity at any time. Jesus preached and lived in the Spirit. We must speak and act consistently in a way that will always identify us always as doing the same.

All this talk of perseverance in trials, faithfulness in waiting, hope in Jesus' return can be tedious. But being prepared isn't a part-time virtue. We are always on the watch for the Lord in our daily lives, trying to discern how to respond to him in prayer and service to others.

We are the people of the promise, the people of God's choice. We are the "evidence of things not seen." At the most unexpected times and in the most surprising of ways, the Lord knocks on the door of our lives and asks to be let in.

Are we ready to do so?

https://www.ecatholicism.org/index.php/11-lectionary-cycle-c/127-19th-sunday-in-ordinary-time-awaiting-the-master-s-return

Parish News

Eucharist Adoration Every Tuesday 8:30AM - 10:00PM
EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
Every Tuesday
8:30 AM – 10:00 PM

Ways to Spend an Hour with Jesus:
 Tell Him what angers you; then listen.
 Speak about your loved ones.
 Pray for an enemy.
 Talk with Him about work.
 Sing a song for Him in your heart

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“If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.”
St. Maximilian
Confirmation to Be Held on October 8, 2022
On Saturday, October 8, 2022, the present Confirmation Class, (’21-‘22) will be confirmed by Bishop Serratelli at 11 AM here at St. Joseph’s Church.

The final requirements for their Confirmation are:
- attendance at Mass
- selection of a Confirmation name (must be a saints’ name)
- selecting a Sponsor
- attendance at the Retreat that is scheduled for September 17th at 9AM
- Confession before making Confirmation

Those who choose to be confirmed are, in a sense, claiming their choice for their faith and are affirming their desire to be a member of the Roman Catholic Church and a true disciple of Jesus. After receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit there should be a willingness to be and do for others, as well as sharing their God-given gifts with those in need. They are to give witness to God in their lives.
Additionally, once someone receives the sacrament of Confirmation they are eligible to be a Lector at Mass, a sponsor for a candidate in Confirmation and a Godparent at a Baptism
Centennial Mass Here on July 31 at Noon
Our parish will have other events during the months to come that will continue the celebration of the gift and blessing of our
100 th Anniversary.

An Anniversary Mass to honor our wonderful milestone will take place in St. Joseph’s Church. This will be a special Mass
of Thanksgiving with Bishop Kevin Sweeney as the main celebrant. Priests who have served at St. Joseph in the past have been invited to join in this celebrative gathering on Sunday, July 31 st at the 12 Noon Mass. It is our hope that many priests who have helped out or served at St. Joseph’s will be in attendance.

As part of the ceremony, a plaque on which the names of all the priests who have served as Pastors is inscribed will be blessed and placed in the ground as a memorial of this Centennial.

A reception will follow in Halloran Hall.
Summer Parish Office Hours
The Parish Office is on summer hours. Office hours are Monday to Thursday 9 AM – 3 PM, closed on Fridays.
Year of the Eucharist
In honor of the Year of the Eucharist, we are happy to announce that we are expanding our hours of Adoration
of the Blessed Sacrament.

Thanks to you we now have guardians for all 16 hours of Adoration. But now we need two substitutes for each
hour. Sign up sheets are in the back of church. We will begin our weekly Adoration this Tuesday, March 1st and every Tuesday after the 8:00 AM Mass until midnight. Jesus, our Friend, waits for our visits.

St. Maximilian Kolbe made frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament
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 Forms Are Due on August 1
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION INFORMATION FOR GRADES K-8

GRADES K-6

Registration forms for the 2022-2023 are due back August 1 st . A $20 late fee for registrations received after August 1 st will be charged.

Registration forms for the 2022-2023 CCD school year are available on the back tables in church and in our Parish Center.

First Holy Communion – Children are required to complete 1 st grade of Religious Education before they can enter into the 2 nd 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 6. 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.

CONFIRMATION PROGRAM GRADES 7-8

Confirmation Registration Forms will be
sent out via email in August.

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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.