Author Archives: sjwebmaster

Update as of May 1, 2020

A new edition of the St. Joe’s e-Bulletin was published yesterday.  You can access the e-Bulletin here.  To receive these e-Bulletins directly in your in-box, you can sign-up at this link.

Thanks to our faithful parish bulletin publisher, John Patrick Publishing Company, we are still publishing a weekly online version of our printed parish bulletin. Looks just like the paper copy that you know and love!  You can access it here.  And, be sure to read the back page and support our loyal advertisers that make our weekly printed bulletin possible – they need our support now more than ever.

Update as of April 23, 2020

A new edition of the St. Joe’s e-Bulletin was published earlier today.  You can access the e-Bulletin here.  To receive these e-Bulletins directly in your in-box, you can sign-up at this link.

Thanks to our faithful parish bulletin publisher, John Patrick Publishing Company, we are still publishing a weekly online version of our printed parish bulletin. Looks just like the paper copy that you know and love!  You can access it here.  And, be sure to read the back page and support our loyal advertisers that make our weekly printed bulletin possible – they need our support now more than ever.

A Message from Father Harrison

Alleluia!   Alleluia!   Alleluia!

Happy Easter to everyone!  Now each of us must ask ourselves the question – “Has Easter changed us this year?  How has it changed us?  Or did it just slip by?”

Easter tells that world that we are part of a new life, a new life style, with new goals and strengths and vision.  It does not just speak of a day in the past when this Jesus rose from the dead, as though that were all that is involved in the celebration.  If that were the case, would there really be any reason for us to be excited about one man riding from the dead?  None!  We say that we are also part of His new Life – that we are united to Him, personally, not simply institutionally – that as St. Paul tells us that we already one with Him in glory.

How will we live that glory; how will we explain what that glory is; how will anyone else come to understand our new situation, our new life style – except that we act differently from what we were before Easter.  That is how we, human beings, communicate the most important thing about ourselves – by acting them out.  Our lives become the most basic and dynamic tools for telling someone else about what is happening in our hearts – not just a philosophy about life, but what is really occurring in the inmost recesses of our characters, what has begun to burn away the callous characterizations of others that have allowed us to ignore their needs or their human dignity, or that have caused us to consider our good more important than the good of others (…love your neighbor as yourself…).

All should see that we are changed and that the model of that alteration in Jesus, Himself.  Nothing short of that!  That is what Easter is all about.  If He were dead and gone, we could not be like Him.  But He is not dead!  He is alive!  Therefore, we can be united with Him in this life, and be like Him, and love like Him, and hold the needy in our arms like Him, and address the pain of others like Him, and embrace the rejected of the world like Him, and give hope to those cast to the periphery of life like Him.  We can do all things like Him because we live in Him!

That is Easter!  But is it happening in us?  During the corona virus troubles, we see the human condition as vulnerable – because of the sickness; but also powerful – in its ability to sacrifice for others.  Now, if we consciously keep Easter vibrant and active in our hearts and allow that life to grow throughout the course of our future, we will begin to see the real power of our Easter celebration – what the whole world can be like with Jesus!

Update as of April 16, 2020

A new edition of the St. Joe’s e-Bulletin was published earlier today.  You can access the e-Bulletin here.  To receive these e-Bulletins directly in your in-box, you can sign-up at this link.

Thanks to our faithful parish bulletin publisher, John Patrick Publishing Company, we are still publishing a weekly online version of our printed parish bulletin. Looks just like the paper copy that you know and love!  You can access it here.  And, be sure to read the back page and support our loyal advertisers that make our weekly printed bulletin possible – they need our support now more than ever.

Funeral Notice: Icyline Morris

Norman and Icyline Morris

Please pray for the soul of Icyline Morris, wife of Norman, who passed away last week.

There will be a visitation on Friday, April 17, 2020 at 9am at Saint Joseph Church, followed by the funeral Mass at 10am.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen.
May her soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Funeral Notice: James J. Malloy

Please pray for the soul of  James J. Malloy, Saint Joseph School Class of 1968, who passed away on February 11, 2020.  Click here for the obituary.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.
May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Funeral Notice: Lorraine Gable Finelli

Please pray for the soul of Lorraine Gable Finelli, Saint Joseph School Class of 1970, who passed away on April 6, 2020.

Click here for the obituary.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen.
May her soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Happy Easter!

We wish our St. Joseph family, both near and far, a blessed Easter.  For those who couldn’t make it to St. Joe’s today, we are bringing St. Joe’s to you!  Here are some pictures that we took today.

St. Joseph, Cheltenham – Easter 2020
St. Joseph, Cheltenham – Easter 2020
St. Joseph, Cheltenham – Easter 2020
St. Joseph, Cheltenham – Easter 2020

Father Harrison’s Easter 2020 Message

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Happy Easter to everyone!  Yes, it is still Easter, despite the peculiar situation in we all are living right now.  It is still our Easter celebration – Jesus has risen from the dead.  He who took the sins of humanity on His own shoulder brought them to the grave and has risen free of them.  And now, thanks to God’s gracious mercy, we share that very same life through the Sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist.

This last Lent was “different”.  Usually, we engage that season with prayer and penance and properly dispose ourselves for a fitting celebration of Easter.  But now that, in a sense, we were deprived of that usual Lenten routine, are we as ready to celebrate the new life of Easter?  Are we prepared to get past the discomfort of not having all the ordinary Lenten activities and, then, fully engage the mysticism of our union with the Risen Christ?  Will the world be able to see in us a clear description of this new life with all its virtue and joy and undefeated hope?

Yes, we may not presently have the “usual” Easter items around us.  But, then, isn’t Easter more than that: the chocolate eggs and bunnies, fading lilies; new clothes and Easter baskets?  Easter is so much more than these passing things.  True, we are used to them and they do make us feel good (perhaps a little too nostalgic about our own childhood Easters).  But, does our faith and the strength surrounding Easter depend on such thing?  No, of course not!

Then, let us engage the world around us with the considerable experience of knowing Jesus crucified and risen.  Let us approach each aspect of life, both happy and unhappy, with the joy on realizing that: His resurrection is the promise of our own – today; that His strength is ours – today; that His wisdom brings hope to all – today; that His mercy is life-giving – today; that His presence is for all – today – through our hearts, united in Him!  Especially now, under these viral circumstances, there are people who really do need to experience the risen Christ.  Do not be afraid to bring Him to them!

Archbishop Perez’s Easter Message

Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez released video pastoral messages in English and Spanish on the occasion of Easter 2020.

To view the video is English, please click below.

Pastoral Message to the Faithful from Archbishop Pérez on the Occasion of Easter 2020 from Kearns Media Consulting LLC on Vimeo.

To view the video is Spanish, please click below.

Mensaje del arzobispo Nelson J. Pérez a los fieles con motivo del Domingo de Pascua from Kearns Media Consulting LLC on Vimeo.

Easter Sunday at St. Joseph

On Easter Sunday, St. Joseph Church will be open from 9am until noon.  In the sanctuary of the Church, you will be able to obtain Holy Water that Father Harrison will have blessed the previous evening at the private Easter Vigil service.  (Please bring your own bottle in which to take home the Holy Water.)

The Easter/Pentecost reflection booklets will be available in the gym.

If you bring your offering envelope, please drop it in the mailslot of the Parish Center entrance along Waters Rd.  Thank you!

Update as of April 3, 2020

BLESSED PALM AVAILABLE AT ST. JOE’S
Blessed palm will be available at St. Joseph Church this Sunday, Palm Sunday, April 5 from 10am until noon in the gym.

PARISH BULLETIN
Thanks to our faithful parish bulletin publisher, John Patrick Publishing Company, we are still publishing a weekly online version of our parish bulletin.  Looks just like the paper copy that you know and love!  You can access it here or by clicking the Bulletin+ logo on the right hand side of this webpage.

FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP OF YOUR PARISH
A message from Father Harrison:
“Needless to say, the parish will be facing financial setbacks in the days ahead.  Your weekly contributions are essential for the good of the parish.  Your sacrificial giving is of great importance with meeting the costs of many parish programs, employee salaries and benefits, utilities, etc.

“I ask your help in this difficult time to mail in or drop off your weekly offering envelope at the parish office.  You may use online banking as an option too.  Please prayerfully consider increasing your offering as it may take some time to recoup when the crisis is over.

“From my heart, thank you for everything you do for us at St. Joseph Parish.  May Mary, our Lady of Good Health, watch over you and your loved ones.”

ARCHBISHOP PEREZ’S VIRTUAL LENTEN RETREAT
The Archbishop’s Virtual Lenten Retreat continues until Palm Sunday.  The 15-minute videos are released daily at 7pm here.  You can also view recordings of the videos from the previous days.

LIVE-STREAM OF HOLY WEEK AND EASTER SERVICES FROM THE CATHEDRAL
The Archdiocese has cancelled all public Holy Week and Easter services throughout the parishes.  The Archdiocese will have all the private services from the Cathedral live-streamed for all the faithful to participate online at archphila.org.  Archbishop Perez will be the celebrant of each service.  Click here for the schedule.

ROSARY CAMPAIGN FOR AN END TO THE CORONAVIRUS
The live-streamed campaign will continue nightly at 8pm until we don’t need to pray it anymore!  Details for joining the Campaign online or by phone can be found here.

DIVINE MERCY NOVENA
“By this Novena, I will grant every possible grace to souls.” ~Jesus to St. Faustina
Join the priests and seminarians of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary online, by phone or in spirit for one of the most powerful novenas in the Church, the Divine Mercy Novena.  Along with the specific intentions of each day, we will also ask for the grace of an end to the coronavirus pandemic.
Schedule: Good Friday, April 10 at 2pm;
Holy Saturday, April 11 through Divine Mercy Sunday, April 19 at 3:30pm.
For log-in information, the prayers of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and the promises attached to it, click here.

MIRACULOUS MEDAL NOVENA ONLINE
The Vincentians at the Miraculous Medal Shrine in Germantown continue to offer the Miraculous Medal Novena online each Monday at 9am at their website and Facebook page.

SEAL THE DOORPOSTS WITH THE DIVINE MERCY IMAGE
In this time of calamity, the Marian Fathers invite you to participate in a simple but incredibly powerful act of faith.  To protect you and your family, we urge you to post an Image of Divine Mercy on your front doors.  To learn more about this movement, click here.  To download and print an Image of Divine Mercy for your door, click here.

CATHOLIC CALL TO PRAYER
The Catholic Call to Prayer was started a few years ago by several parishes in the Archdiocese.  It continues to be a great resource to allow you to make a phone call and be guided in prayer.  In addition to the 6:30am call Monday to Friday, they will be hosting a Call at Noon EVERY day of the week!  The calls are 5 to 7 minutes long but assist you in opening up to the grace of God.  They pray the Angelus, Psalm 91 and then Intercessory Prayer.  Please call TOLL FREE 1 (877) 309-2073 and use Access Code 319-414-445#.  Please share this number widely as the Daily Call can be a tremendous vehicle of grace for many people, including those unable to attend Mass at this time.

NOURISH FOR CAREGIVERS “HOUSE CALLS” – offered daily at 11am
During these uncertain times, Nourish For Caregivers will continue to foster community for caregivers in the privacy and safety of your own home through Nourish “House Calls”.  Our mission is to bring hope and encouragement to those who feel hopeless and helpless in the face of this viral epidemic.  Caregivers may participate via landline, cell phone, or through the use of a computer/tablet device.  We hope you will join us as well as share this information with other caregivers who may benefit from these shared experiences.  Each call will last approximately one hour depending upon the  number of participants.  Landline/Cell Phone (not toll free): (312) 626 6799 and enter Meeting ID: 940 374 7100 or Computer/Tablet one touch link: Click here to join by video.

DISCUSSION GROUPS WITH YOU ARE MADE NEW MINISTRIES
You Are Made New Ministry is now offering a daily Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3pm along with a weekly women’s support group and a discussion group for men and women.  View the schedule and log-in information here.

MORNING PRAYER WITH FR. MATT GUCKIN – DAILY AT 7AM
Join Fr. Matt Guckin from St. Francis de Sales parish in West Philadelphia for live-streamed Morning Prayer each morning at 7am. Two ways to join in: via their parish website or via Facebook Live.

GET FREE ACCESS TO CATHOLIC VIDEOS, BOOKS, MOVIES AND MORE
Content is available in English and Spanish for adults and children.  Access FORMED for free. If you do not already have a FREE account, here is how to get one:
1. Visit https://formed.org/signup
2. Type “Presentation Blessed Virgin Mary” in the search box and click on the listing that has “100 Old Soldiers Rd, Cheltenham PA”
3. Enter your info and click SignUp
4. Enjoy!

MORE SPIRITUAL RESOURCES
Many more resources can be found on the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Spiritual Resource webpage.

PASTORAL AND TEMPORAL RESPONSE OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA TO THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
Visit the Archdiocese’s Covid-19 webpage for a variety of resources.

OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP

  • As a result of COVID-19, Catholic Social Services food pantries are experiencing a shortage of food and personal items due to their increase in client volume, with some pantries seeing a 100% increase.  It’s become nearly impossible for them to accommodate each individual and family that visits them.  Please consider a donation to the Catholic Foundation of Greater Philadelphia’s Emergency Relief Fund to purchases supplies for the Catholic Social Services food pantries that are trying to feed those impacted by COVID-19.  100% of the Emergency Relief Fund’s proceeds will go directly to the food pantries.  Click here to donate.
  • The largest food pantry in Montgomery County, Martha’s Choice (run by Catholic Social Services) has seen a 100% increase in client volume.  They are in need of strong, healthy volunteers (under age 60) to help those in need during this time.  Martha’s Choice has been able to serve people from the parking lot, maintain social distancing/stringent sanitizing and limit the number of people present by adjusting service protocols for the safety of all involved.
    Volunteer shifts: Tuesday, 9:30am-1pm; Wednesday, 9am-2pm and 2pm-7pm; Thursday, 9:30-1pm; Friday 9am-2pm.
    Job needs: willingness to commit to a weekly shift or more for the next month or so; dedication to maintaining six feet physical distance; flexibility to changing priorities as deliveries arrive and food requests occur; and heavy lifting.
    If you are able to help with this, please contact Patrick Walsh at CSS Martha’s Choice Marketplace at pwalsh@chs-adphila.org
  • Saint John Hospice is a Catholic Social Services shelter for men located in Center City Philadelphia.  During the COVID-19 crisis, the volume of those seeking meals and other life-sustaining essentials has doubled and tripled.  Your donation will help keep them going in this time.  Learn more and donate here.
  • Mercy Hospice, also run by Catholic Social Services, is a community grounded in faith and service where single women and mothers with children experiencing homelessness and in recovery can find opportunities for new beginnings.  Learn more and donate here.

Our Lady, Help of the Sick, pray for us!
St. Joseph, Protector of the Holy Family, pray for us!

Funeral Notice: Art Pabustan

Please pray for the soul of  Art Pabustan, husband of Marcy, who passed away on March 30, 2020.

There will be a viewing on Friday, April 3, 2020  from 6pm to 8pm at Geitner-Givnish, 6230 N. 5th St., Philadelphia, and on Saturday, April 4, 2020 from 9am to 11am at Our Lady of Hope Church, Philadelphia, followed by the funeral Mass at Our Lady of Hope Church at 11am.  Click here for the obituary.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.
May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Update as of March 18, 2020

Archbishop Perez has issued a statement that suspends public Masses in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia until further notice.

Sunday remains the Lord’s Day and you are encouraged to:

You are encouraged to visit this website and our Facebook page on a regular basis for further updates.

Our Lady, Help of the Sick, pray for us!