10/18/20

Dear St. Joseph Parish Family,

This past week we celebrated the confirmations of those who would have received confirmation this past Spring. Congratulations to all who received Confirmation this past Tuesday! And thank you to Bishop Whalen who celebrated the Mass and Confirmations. 

We have been celebrating first communions and first confessions for those who would have received them last Spring. We have held them across various daily Masses, and also at this Sunday's 9 am Mass. Congratulations to all our first communicants too!

CCD has begun and we are helping prepare this year's first communion & confirmation candidates. Also, RCIA is underway and it's shaping up to be a great class. Please keep all of them in your prayers as they prepare to go deeper in their faith and accept all the graces God wishes to pour out upon them. 

Our Parish Council and Finance Council are meeting again. We've been discussing this past year and the pandemic and our parish's response and recovery from the difficulties we've all faced. We're happy that liturgies are public again, and that the parish is coming back to life. Also, the renovations are again underway after delays due to the pandemic and we should all be excited as our new parish hall and adoration chapel start to become a reality! The school repairs are almost completed (they should be done by early November). The Parish Hall, McGuire Hall, is slated to be ready to host our St. Joseph dinner this Winter in mid-March. However, collections are down significantly, and this year and next will be tough financial years for the parish. We will make it through, and there are good reasons to hope for the years ahead, financially and otherwise. Overall, I am very optimistic about the future of our parish, even considering the difficulties the pandemic has presented.

God Bless,

Fr. Boniface