We set aside this day to thank God for all the blessings that He has bestowed on us, our family and our country.

GEORGE WASHINGTON’S THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION
City of New York, October 3, 1789

WHEREAS it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and

WHEREAS both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me: “to recommend to people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many single favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

NOW THEREFORE I do recommend and assign Thursday, the twenty-sixth day of November next, to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.

Father Emil Kapuan, who served as a U.S. Army chaplain during the Korean War, celebrates Mass in the field. Fr. Kapuan later died in a Korean P.O.W. camp and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery there.  U.S. Government photo.

The annual observance of Veterans Day in the United States on November 11th  has it roots in the the armistice that ended World War I hostilities in 1918. The armistice between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.  President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed thereafter that November 11 be observed as “Armistice Day.”  In 1954, Congress passed legislation that  renamed the federal holiday “Veterans Day,” in recognition of the service of veterans of all U.S. Wars.

Help us, dear God, to see Your face in every Veteran we encounter. Guide us as we imagine new ways to support Veterans and their families. Bring healing and peace to all who have been wounded physically, mentally and spiritually during wartime. Help us bring Your saving grace to heal the invisible wounds of war. We ask this in Jesus’ holy name. Amen.

Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. has written a number of columns recently on a variety of recent events.  The Archbishop’s columns can be found at CatholicPhilly.com.  Here are a sample:

Reaction concerning the anti-Catholic e-mails released this week by WikiLeaks.

Personal comments concerning the upcoming Presidential election.

Jesse Dean is a recently discharged soldier who had a rough upbringing, but because of his wife, found God and now is totally devoted to his faith.

He and wife move to Philadelphia so he can take a new job as an outreach leader at an old church whose membership has been declining. As everything is going well and as he starts connecting to the community, he discovers there’s an abortion clinic directly across the street from the church.

He goes to the pastor and to several others in the church and tries to get their help to no avail. One day something tragic and personal happens to him while he’s going about his everyday routine. He comes to the point that he begins to take action himself. He gets involved but the more involved he gets, the more resistance he gets from those in church and community. His wife, who thinks his actions will get him fired or land him in jail, also comes against him.

Finally, it comes down to him having to make a choice: is he going to take the easy way out and back off, which is what everyone wants him to do, or will he face a major confrontation which will require him to put everything on the line…not just his job, but his freedom and marriage as well.

This film encourages people to stand up for what they know is right, particularly as it pertains to taking God’s truths into society to address social issues. It addresses the spirit of retreat as it pertains to engaging the culture that has developed within the Church.

Rated PG-13.  See it at the Riverview Plaza, 1400 S Christopher Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19147

The Catholic bishops of the United States are pleased to offer once again to the Catholic faithful Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (en Español), their  teaching document on the political responsibility of Catholics. This statement represents the bishops’  guidance for Catholics in the exercise of their rights and duties as participants in our democracy. The bishops’ urge our pastors, lay and religious faithful, and all people of good will to use this statement to help form their consciences; to teach those entrusted to their care; to contribute to civil and respectful public dialogue; and to shape political choices in the coming election in light of Catholic teaching. The statement lifts up our dual heritage as both faithful Catholics and American citizens with rights and duties as participants in the civil order.

Just a reminder that during the month of October, the Month of the Holy Rosary, we will be praying the Rosary before Sunday Mass at 9:40am.

Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Pray for Us.

O God of love, compassion, and healing,
look on us, people of many different faiths and traditions,
who gather today at this site,
the scene of incredible violence and pain.

Jesus said “Blessed are the merciful, for mercy shall be theirs” (Mt 5:7), which makes the practice of the spiritual works of mercy a win-win for everyone!

When we instruct the ignorant and counsel the doubtful, we’re forced to brush up on our own faith in order to properly inform others. How many misunderstandings about Church teaching could be prevented if we understood not just what She teaches, but why!

Admonishing sinners isn’t about judging someone’s heart; it’s about those everyday moral decisions about right and wrong that we make whenever we decide not to steal, gossip, lie, etc. When we admonish sinners with love, we reaffirm our own convictions and make this world more civil and loving.

To bear wrongs patiently not only impresses those who offend us, it makes us stronger in body, mind and spirit. Paybacks might feel good, but they also introduce discord and division into our world. When we bear wrongs patiently, we become channels of peace.

Scripture and science agree that forgiving offenses willingly, letting go of grudges and bitterness, makes people happier, healthier, and better able to meet the challenges of everyday life.

Comforting the afflicted brings the merciful touch of God to those most in need. Our own faith is reinforced when we see how God’s presence can strengthen a soul in the midst of suffering.

Praying for the living and the dead unites us to the full Body of Christ – both in heaven and on earth – and invites the power of God into the lives of our living and deceased loved ones.  When we give God’s mercy to others, it becomes a blessing to us all!

-Susan Brinkmann, O.C.D.S., Catholic Life Institutes, Bedminster, PA

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 Quote from Catholic Tradition:

“I can’t stop praying for poor sinners who are on the road to hell. If they come to die in that state, they will be lost for all eternity. What a pity! We have to pray for sinners!  Praying for sinners is the most beautiful and useful of prayers because the just are on the way to heaven, the souls of purgatory are sure to enter there, but the poor sinners will be lost forever. All devotions are good but there is no better one than such prayer for sinners.“ –St. John Vianney

“Jesus came for two reasons: he came to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” –Dorothy Day

To continue reflecting on this theme, consider one of these resources!

• Recommended Book for the Month: Introduction to the Devout Life, Francis de Sales
• Lighthouse Catholic Media CD: Seven Deadly Sins – Seven Lively Virtues by Bishop Robert Barron

Kevin and Father Harrison

We welcome Mr. Kevin Hollinshead as our new parish Maintenance Man effective July 5, 2016.

Kevin succeeds Mr. John Lauer who retired last week after 18 years of service to our parish.

Happy Independence Day!  Mass will be celebrated today at Saint Joseph Church at 9:30am.

We pray, Thee O Almighty and Eternal God! Who through Jesus Christ hast revealed Thy glory to all nations, to preserve the works of Thy mercy, that Thy Church, being spread through the whole world, may continue with unchanging faith in the confession of Thy Name.

We pray Thee, who alone art good and holy, to endow with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal, and sanctity of life, our chief bishop, Pope Francis, the Vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the government of his Church; our own bishop, Charles, all other bishops, prelates, and pastors of the Church; and especially those who are appointed to exercise amongst us the functions of the holy ministry, and conduct Thy people into the ways of salvation.

We pray Thee O God of might, wisdom, and justice! Through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with Thy Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the President of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful to Thy people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality. Let the light of Thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government, so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge; and may perpetuate to us the blessing of equal liberty.

We pray for his excellency, the governor of this state, for the members of the assembly, for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare, that they may be enabled, by Thy powerful protection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability.

We recommend likewise, to Thy unbounded mercy, all our brethren and fellow citizens throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of Thy most holy law; that they may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world cannot give; and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal.

Finally, we pray to Thee, O Lord of mercy, to remember the souls of Thy servants departed who are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of peace; the souls of our parents, relatives, and friends; of those who, when living, were members of this congregation, and particularly of such as are lately deceased; of all benefactors who, by their donations or legacies to this Church, witnessed their zeal for the decency of divine worship and proved their claim to our grateful and charitable remembrance. To these, O Lord, and to all that rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light, and everlasting peace, through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Archbishop John Carroll’s Prayer for Government, November 10, 1791

John, Father Harrison and Vera

Our Parish Secretary, Miss Vera Halper, and our Parish Maintenance Man, Mr. John Lauer, are retiring on June 30, 2016.

We thank them for their many decades of faithful service to our parish and we pray that God will bless Vera and John and their families with good health and lots of relaxation during their well-earned retirement years.