Holiday Schedule update

The parish office will be closed beginning Monday, Dec 26th through Friday, Dec 30th.

Also there will be only one weekday mass at 8:00 AM during this time. The 12 noon mass will resume on Tuesday, January 3rd.

St. Joseph Third Annual Re-Gifting Tree

St. Joseph Church Third Annual Re-Gifting Tree

Borrowing the phrase from the popular tv show "Seinfeld", St. Joseph
Church is encouraging all to become "re-gfters" again this year. The day
after Christmas is usually a big shopping day in the United States as many
seek out bargains and look to return or exchange items that did not fit,
were not the right color, or were just not in line with personal tastes.
Few of us “need” all of the gifts we will receive at Christmas. And so,
for those items we plan to return, St. Joseph parish is asking you to
donate them to be given to someone who really needs that gift. Rather
than rushing back to the store or mall, or opening a gift and then letting
it gather dust on a shelf, we invite the community to re-gift our
underappreciated gifts to our less fortunate brothers and sisters. Gifts
may be left under the re-gifting tree from Dec 25 to January 9th. Any
questions please call the office at 973-761-5933. St. Joseph Church is
located at 767 Prospect St. Maplewood, NJ 07040.

Youth Group News 12/23/2011

Please note that St. Joseph's youth group will not meet Dec 25th or Jan 1st. The next meeting will be on January 8th at 7:30 PM in the youth room located in Bernard Hall.

St Joseph Christmas Masses

Make a Gift to St. Joseph Parish through an IRA Charitable Rollover

The IRA Charitable Rollover has been extended through 2012. This extension allows individuals age 70 1/2 or older to make a direct distribution from their IRA to a qualified charity such as ST. JOSEPH PARISH. This will not increase your gross income and no charitable deduction is needed to obtain tax benefit. By using a standard deduction, you will receive a tax break from making a charitable deduction. Please contact Theresa Lynch at the Planned Giving Office of the Archdiocese of Newark. She can be reached at 973-497-4042. or at lynchth@rcan.org.

From the Parish Office

As Christmas, December 25th, falls on a Sunday this year, a serious problem arised for our parish and for that matter, every parish. The offerings from Christmas Day usually amount to more than the offerings received on a regular Sunday. The same thing happens the following week with the Holy Day, January 1st falling on a Sunday.



The impact upon the parish budget will be nearly $30,000.00. While this year's date was considered when estimating the parish income for 2011. it will cause a problem if everyone ignores the opportunity of making a special Christmas and New Year donation/gift to our beloved parish.



Please keep this in mind when you prepare your offerings for Sunday, Dec. 25th and Sunday, Jan. 1st. As stewards of the gifts God has entrusted to you, be mindful of this reality for the next two Sundays. Thank you!

SFIC 9th Annual High School Basketball Festival

The Scholarship Fund for Inner City Children will hold its 9th annual High School Basketball Festival on Saturday, January 7th, 2012 and Sunday, January 8th, 2012 at Kean University in Union. For full game schedule, times and ticket information, please visit www.sfichoops.com or call 973-497-4279.

The Scholarship Fund for Inner City Children provides economically challenged students in grades K-12 with partial tuition scholarships to attend Catholic School in the Archdiocese of Newark.

Youth Group News 12/15/2011

St. Joseph's Youth Group will gather this Sunday, December 18th at 7:30 PM in the youth room located in Bernard Hall for our annual Christmas Party.

All high school students are invited to attend this fun night to gather and celebrate the end of Advent and beginning of Christmas!

ReGifting Tree

Sunday December 25th-January 8th

Donate your underappreciated gifts and the gifts you will never exchange. St. Joseph Parish will Re-Gift all items to our sisters and brothers in need.

Christmas Holiday Schedule

The parish office will be closed beginning Monday, December 26th through Friday, December 30th. Also there will be only one weekday mass at 8:00 AM during this time.

The 12:00 noon mass will resume on Monday, January 2nd.

Youth Group News 12/9/2011

St. Joseph Youth Group will meet this Sunday, December 11th from 10:15 to 11:15 am in the youth room in Bernard Hall. We encourage our members to gather together at the 9:00 am Mass with youth group to follow.

If you have any questions, please email our youth minister, Tom Berrios at tomberrios@hotmail.com.

Knights of Columbus to meet

The NEXT meeting of the Regina Pacis Council #4066 of the Knights of Columbus will be on Monday, December 12, 2011 at 8:00pm in the Council Home.

All men of the parish are invited and welcome!

Rosary Cookie Sale

The Rosary Society will be holding their annual cookie sale at all the Masses the weekend of December 17th and 18th. If any parishioners would like to help the Rosarians in the effort to bake cookies or breads to sell, please call Angela Bukwich at 973-761-6746.

Looking for Artificial Christmas Trees

If any parishioniers have green artificial Christmas trees that are in good shape and that you do not need, would you please donate them to St. Joseph Church so that it can be used for our manger display.

The decorating of the manger will take place on Sunday, December 18.

Please call our parish office (973-761-5933) to arrange for the drop off of the tree. Thank you!

Thanks to CYO Celtics team members!

for collecting food and monetary donations for out St. Joseph's and OLS Food Pantries! Our CYO program participates in a service project each year. This past weekend, team members stood at the doors of Eden's Gourmet asking for donations to help feed the hungry. The response was overwhelming and we thank the teams for their hard work.

Please visit the Celtics website http://www.eteamz.com/stjosephcelticscyobasketball to learn more about our CYO basketball program and to view the schedule of games. Come out and support our team.

GO CELTICS!!!

St. Joseph Confirmation Candidates Collect Food

One of the laudable projects of the Confirmation Preparation program is the "Neighborhood Food Collection" where the candidates visit their neighborhood and distribute shopping bags for donations to needy families. A total of 4 big boxes were shipped to 4 needy families. 2 families in Luzon and 2 families in the Visayas both in the Philippines. Special thanks to those who helped the Confirmation candidates exercise their Christian Charity to those in need.

St. Joseph Parish outreach

St. Joseph Parish Christian Outreach to the Philippines!

Thank You!

Through the generosity of the parishioners of St. Joseph, we were able to help the Diocese of Romblon's various charitable, social, educational and formational ministries. Last June, Fr. Manolo gave $1,000.00 from our parish's "Tithing our Tithes" program.

We also helped the Social Action Center of the Diocese of Malolos in the Philippines to help the victims of the recent flooding in Northern Luzon which sent hundreds of thousands fleeing their homes. Almost 90% of the town was hit by floods which reached up to the second floors of the houses. Even now, thousands are still in temporary shelters. The 35,000.00 Philippine Peso ($833.00) was turned over to Msgr. Andy Valera, Vicar General of the Diocese of Malolos. The donation was collected during the Installation and blessing of the San Lorenzo Ruis Icon last September.

Through the second collection during Filipino Masses, we were able to send financial aid to the San Lorenzo Ruis Seminary for the formation of priests in Fr. Manolo's Diocese in the Philippines.

POLO (Parents of Little Ones) News Dec. 2011

POLO Families,
Please join the children of our Parish Religious Education Program for a
CHRIST-CENTERED HOLIDAY CELEBRATION
Sunday, December 18th
Let’s go to Mass together at 9:00 a.m.
Stay in church immediately after Mass for
CAROLS and LIVE ACTION NATIVITY
Coffee and Christmas cheer follow in the preschool area of Bernard Hall.
We will be collecting store bought boxed/bagged cookies to donate to our Food Pantry for the January distribution.
(no peanuts or peanut butter, please)

FYI:
Christmas Masses:
Christmas Eve Saturday, December 24
4 pm with Children’s Choir
6:30 pm with Contemporary Carols beginning at 6 pm
12 am Midnight Mass Carols w/choir & trumpet begin at 11:30
Christmas Day Sunday, December 25
9 am Mass with Carols old and new
11:30 am Mass with Choir and Trumpet

New Year’s Eve Saturday, Dec. 31st~ 5:30 pm
New Year’s Day Sunday, January 1st~ 9 am and 11:30 am

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

This Thursday, December 8th, is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a Holy Day of Obligation. Masses will be at 8:00 AM, 12:00 noon, and 7:30 PM.

The evening mass will be extended with special music and reflective prayers in honor of Mary and in observance of the season of Advent.

Blood Pressure Sunday

Next Sunday, December 11th, our parish nurse volunteers will be available to take and record your blood pressure at tables in the back of church.

Youth Group News 12/1/2011

St. Joseph Youth Group will have an Advent breakfast meeting this Sunday, December 4th after the 9:00 AM mass in the youth room.

Members of the Youth Group will gather together for Mass at 9:00 AM then have our weekly meeting from 10:15-11:15 AM in the youth room.

So if you usually go to the 11:30 AM Mass, please come by the youth room a little earlier and see what is going on. We will be discussing Advent, the new changes in the Mass, and plans for joining a retreat in February.

For more information, please email our youth minister, Tom Berrios at tomberrios@hotmail.com.

OPEN ARMS MINISTRY TO MEET

Open Arms is a welcoming spirituality group for gay and lesbian Catholics and their families and friends. Join us for our next gathering on Sunday, December 4, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., in the rectory. We will discuss Advent scripture readings and share some seasonal desserts!

If you would like more information, please contact Dugan McGinley at dmcginley@stjosephmaplewood.org

Rosary Society to Meet

The Rosary Society will meet at the rectory this Monday, Decenber 5th at 7:30 pm for their Christmas party.

They will also be holding their annual cookie sale at all masses the weekend of December 17-18. If any parishioner would like to help bake cookies or breads, please call Angela Bukwich at 973-761-6746.

WOMEN'S CORNERSTONE REUNION

The Women's Cornerstone I & II Reunion last month was a HUGE success! Over 40 women gathered to share food, conversation, prayer and listen to the inspirational words of Sr. Linda Klaiss. Participants of Cornerstone I & II are welcome and encouraged to attend a second reunion on Wednesday, February 15, 2012. If you are interested in helping to coordinate that evening please contact Beverly Mozone (mozonebee@yahoo.com), Mary Ann Zagar (maryzagar@comcast.net), or Gail Laughlin (glaughlin1@gmail.com). Many hands make for little work! More details about the reunion will be in the new year bulletins.

Also: information about Cornerstone III will be published in the 2012 bulletins...

Let's keep this annual tradition st St. Joseph Parish ALIVE

Men's Cornerstone Reunion

Calling all Cornerstone men of St. Joseph and Our Lady of Sorrows Parishes. There will be a reunion of all alumni!

Date: Thursday, December 8th in the OLS South Orange, parish meeting room (St. Joseph Hall, church basement)

Time: We will meet to attend the 7:00 pm Mass of the Immaculate Conception at OLS. The reunion will follow after the Mass.

NOTE: This is a social gathering. We will gather for fellowship and holiday greetings. Please RSVP by Monday, December 5th for an accurate count. Contact John Otchy @ 973-762-4185 or Don Blaesser @ 973-986-3521.