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Lent Begins Wednesday!

The penitential season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 10 and lasts until the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, March 24.

The bishops of the United States prescribe, as minimal obligation, that all persons over 14 years of age are gravely obliged to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays of Lent.  All persons over 18 years of age and up to the beginning of their 60th year are gravely obliged to fast by limiting themselves to a single full meal on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, while the other two meals are to be light.

All the faithful are encouraged at attend Mass and to receive the Most Holy Eucharist daily, to use frequently the Sacrament of Penance, to undertake spiritual reading, especially the study of the Sacred Scriptures, and to attend parish Lenten devotions and Lenten educational programs.

Ashes will be distributed on Ash Wednesday at the 9:30am Mass at St. Joseph Church and at the 6:30am and 7:30pm Mass at Presentation BVM Church.

On Sundays during Lent, we will pray the Stations of the Cross at 9:30am at St. Joseph Church.  A video will be shown in the Parish Community Room following the 10am Mass each Sunday.

All are encouraged to participate in the annual Operation Rice Bowl, which has aided countless hungry persons here in our Archdiocese and throughout the world.

Best Lent Ever!

BLE_652x212

What are you doing for Lent this year? What if we told you: Don’t give up chocolate. Do something life-changing instead.

Let’s do something life-changing together!

This year our parish is participating in Dynamic Catholic’s FREE email program Best Lent Ever®Rediscover Jesus. Beginning Ash Wednesday (February 10), you will receive daily inspirational emails with short videos from Matthew Kelly and a member of the Dynamic Catholic team. During the 40 days of Lent, they will guide you through each of the 40 chapters in Matthew’s new bestseller Rediscover Jesus – the book we gave away at Christmas (we have a few copies left at the entrance of the Church) – and share simple ways to bring Jesus into your everyday life.

BLE Sign Up

Take a 40-day spiritual journey to encounter Jesus—and yourself—in a deeply personal way. Let’s make this your best Lent ever!

Sign up today for free at DynamicCatholic.com/BestLentEver

CCD Report Cards

Report cards for CCD grades 1-8 will be distributed this Sunday, February 7 after the 10am Mass.  Our distribution process is a little different this year so that we can insure that the report cards are being seen by the parents.  On Sunday, our CCD Coordinator, Bill Boyce, will be handing the report cards directly to parents after Mass, so please see him before leaving on Sunday.

Some of the catechists would like to meet with some parents when they receive the report cards.  Bill will let parents know on Sunday if their child’s catechist would like to meet with them.  This meeting should not be interpreted as a bad thing – in some cases, it is just that the catechist has not yet met the parent this year and would like to introduce himself or herself.

And don’t forget to visit our new website – www.stjoescheltenham.org – we have our own page at www.stjoescheltenham.org/ccd

February 7: Stewardship Library Open House

Our Prayer and Worship Committee will host an Open House for the Stewardship Library as well as the Parish Library immediately following the 10am Mass on Sunday, February 7.  What a perfect time to stock up on some reading materials before Lent begins.

The Stewardship Library, which is a product of Lighthouse Catholic Media, and our Parish Library are located in the hallway outside of our Parish Community Room where refreshments will be served during the Open House.

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Jubilee Year of Mercy – February 2016: Confession, Sacrament of Mercy

Year-of-Mercy-English-CLEAR“Through the ministry of the Church, may God give you pardon and peace…”

Each time the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Penance is celebrated, the priest begins the formula of absolution with these words. They express the profound reality that is taking place. First, there is the recognition that the Church mediates God’s loving activity of forgiveness of sins. Jesus intentionally created the Church to extend his victory over sin. Second, this Sacrament, like all the others, begins with God’s initiative. Long before we recognize our need for God’s mercy, he is already calling us to him, extending his offer of grace.

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Presentation B.V.M. School Open House

Presentation BVM SchoolPresentation B.V.M. School will host an OPEN HOUSE on Sunday, January 31, 2016 from 9:30am to 12pm.

Come and visit our school and see all we have to offer your children.  Presentation B.V.M. School provides an excellent education and affordable private Catholic School education from pre-school to grade 8.

Registrations for the 2016-17 school year are now being accepted.  Those registering will need the following:

  • Birth certificate
  • Baptismal certificate
  • School records
  • Immunization records, and
  • Registration fee of $150

Please spread the word to anyone you know who is looking for a quality education

Presentation B.V.M. School offers a nurturing, faith-filled environment rooted in strong Catholic traditions.

The Giving Tree Thank You

Giving TreeThank you to everyone who participated in Saint Joseph Parish’s Giving Tree this year.  Your generosity was overwhelming.  We brought all of our gifts to the Pro-Life Union Office.  Edel Finnegan, Executive Director of the Pro-Life Union, was very grateful for all of our donations.

Baby Bottle Campaign Thank You

We are so grateful to the people of Saint Joseph for their gift of $270.65 during our recent Respect Life Activities.  This support provides housing for expectant mothers and their children through maternity homes, including Guiding Star Ministries; enables us to organize prayer, witness and education events for thousands of people; and supports our efforts in public affairs to protect the dignity of life.  Through their gifts, the parishioners of Saint Joseph are building a Culture of Life in the Philadelphia area.

Thank you for all of the work you do to assist us in our mission for life!

Pro-Life UnionEdel Finnegan
Executive Director
Pro-Life Union of Greater Philadelphia

Anne Hinnegan
Member Services

Theresa Leinker
Director of Development

Save the Dates: Sunday Video Series

The Prayer and Worship Committee will be sponsoring the following videos immediately following the 10am Mass on the Sundays noted below.  The videos will be shown in the Parish Community Room.  Save the dates!

THE MYSTERY OF GOD: WHO GOD IS AND WHY HE MATTERS
Bishop Robert Barron
Parts 1-3 – Sundays, February 14, 21 and 28

JOSEPH OF NAZARETH
Parts 1 & 2 – Sundays, March 6 and 13

FAUSTINA: THE APOSTLE OF DIVINE MERCY
Sunday, April 3

THE MYSTERY OF GOD: WHO GOD IS AND WHY HE MATTERS
Bishop Robert Barron
Parts 4-6 – Sundays, April 10, 17 and 24

DIVINE MERCY 101
Father Chris Alar, MIC
Sunday, May 22

Food Bank Collection

CanWe continue to collect non-perishable food items for the Food Bank at St. Helena Parish.  Donations of canned food items are greatly appreciated.

There is also a great need for:

  • Peanut butter and jelly
  • Macaroni and cheese
  • Rice
  • Pasta
  • Apple juice
  • Canned beans (baked, kidney, etc.)
  • Instant plain oatmeal
  • Low salt soup
  • Powdered milk
  • Canned evaporated milk

Please, no opened or dented/damaged items.

Thank you in advance for your generosity and love of neighbor!


CCD: In Case of Inclement Weather…

In the event of inclement weather, an e-mail notification will be sent to this e-mail address by 8 am on Sunday to alert you if CCD class has been cancelled.  Please be sure to check your e-mail before leaving your home.  There will be no phone call notifications.  If you need an e-mail notification sent to a different e-mail address or if you need an alternate notification, please be sure to contact Bill Boyce now and provide that alternate e-mail or alternate arrangement.

We are blessed to be have students attending our CCD program from a variety of locales both near and far.  Therefore, weather conditions at your home may be different than those at the Church, so please use your best judgment when making your decision as to whether you should be venturing out.  The safety of our families is our utmost concern.

Please remember that the hill going down from the upper parking lot to the lower lot and to Meadow Lane can be very icy even with little precipitation, so please do not try to navigate down the hill.  Drop your children off once you turn into the parking lot and then drive across the upper lot toward the convent and then exit back on to Waters Rd.

Thank you for your cooperation.  Please be careful!

Divine Mercy Chaplet

Divine Mercy ImageThe recitation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is held in Church every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:15am and on Sunday at 10:45am unless otherwise noted.  This prayer uses traditional rosary beads to meditate upon and ask for the infinite mercy of God that was poured out upon the world through the passion of Jesus Christ.

The prayers of the Chaplet were given by Jesus to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938) with  the promise of many powerful graces as a fruit of this prayer.

To learn more about the Chaplet and our Archdiocesan celebration of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, click here.

Congratulations, Mary Russell!

Our High School CCD Catechist, Mary Russell, will receive the Our Lady of Guadalupe Award at the annual Archdiocesan Mass for Religious Education.  The Mass will be this Sunday, January 17 at 2pm at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

The Our Lady of Guadalupe Award is an archdiocesan award given to catechists who have served 15 years in parish religious education.  Congratulations, Mary, and thank you for your faithful service to the young people of our parish!