St. Joseph's Church

There have been reports of suspicious text messages from an unrecognized number in which the writer purports to be Msgr. Mike asking for assistance (such as buying gift cards). These are not coming from Msgr. Mike and should be ignored.

LECTIO DIVINA GROUP - Starting this Advent, a Lectio Divina (Divine Reading) group will meet in the North Chapel every Monday from 6:30-7:30pm, led by. Fr. Michael. The goal of this group is to hear, listen, pray and contemplate the Word of God. We will normally use the Gospel for the up coming Sunday for this. There will be group sharing and some Bible study, however, the main focus is contemplating the Word. First meeting will be Monday, Nov. 29th at 6:30.

CCD schedule for December: Kindergarten through 9th grade December 5th, December 12th and December 19th. Christmas Pageant will take place Sunday December 19th at the 9 o’clock Mass. CCD to follow. Confirmation class for 2022 will take place December 12th from 5:30 to 8 pm. at St. Joseph’s Parish Center with Mass and Penance service. If you have any questions please contact me, John Arasimowicz, at 413-822-1297 or johnaccd@gmail.com. Thank you!

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST - "How many of you say: I should like to see His face, His garments, His shoes. You do see Him, you touch Him, you eat Him. He gives Himself to you, not only that you may see Him, but also to be your food and nourishment." ~St. John Chrysostom For more information and videos check out www.yearoftheeucharist.net

THANKSGIVING MASS AT ST. JOSEPH CHURCH WILL BE THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25 AT 10:00 a.m.

Msgr. Mike is requesting all Lectors and Eucharistic Ministers to attend the Holy Day Mass of the Immaculate Conception Wednesday, December 8, followed by evening of reflection and gratitude. The Mass begins at 5:30 in the church and will be followed by prayer, reflection and blessing. Refreshments will be available.

Father in Heaven, Creator of all and source of all goodness and love, please look kindly upon us and receive our heartfelt gratitude in this time of giving thanks. Thank you for all the graces and blessings you have bestowed upon us. Our food and shelter, our health, the loves we have for one another, our family and friends. Dear Father, in Your infinite generosity, please grant us continued graces and blessing throughout the coming year. We ask this in the Name of Jesus, Amen.

SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST - "Jesus has made Himself the Bread of Life to give us life. Night and day, He is there. If you really want to grow in love, come back to the Eucharist, come back to that Adoration." ~Mother Teresa For more information and videos check out www.yearoftheeucharist.net

ST. JOSEPH PARISH COUNCIL - We will have a meeting on Sunday, November 21 after the 9 AM Mass. This will be a ZOOM meeting due to concerns with variable numbers of the COVID-19 virus.

The ANNUAL BAKE SALE at St. Joseph Church is scheduled for Saturday, November 20, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Parish Center. Tell your friends and relatives. Your input is the best advertisement. There will be a workshop to make Italian cookies for our Bake Sale, on Thursday, November 18 starting at 9:00 a.m. and running through lunch. Please try to attend and help make cookies for selling in package trays. Thank you!

HOLIDAY BAZAAR at ST. JOSEPH’S PARISH - Saturday, November 20, from 10 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. in the parish center. We also are looking for donations for our cheer basket as well as items for the Chinese Raffle table. Donations need to be left at the Rectory before November 16 so that we have time to put them together. Thank you and hope to see you at the bazaar!

We have 14 cemetery/home wreaths available for sale at $10 each. You can call 445-5789 to reserve one and/or pay for one. Pick up will be at the Holiday Bazaar on November 20th from 10 to 2 in the Parish Center.

Please consider signing up to give your donations to our parish online. It is very easy to do. You can donate either with a credit card or a check and choose how much you would like to give and how often: weekly, monthly, semi-monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually. You can go directly to the website at https://stjoepittsfield.weshareonline.org to sign up. We thank you for your generosity during these difficult times.

BISHOP ROBERT BARRON’S - THE CREED - The keys that unlock the beliefs of the Christian Faith are stated succinctly in the Nicene Creed, which we pray at every Sunday Mass. Born at the Council of Nicaea in the Fourth Century after intense debates, this formal statement of faith is the foundation of both eastern and western Christianity. And to this day, most Christians around the world would subscribe to it. This 7 week study will be held in the Pine Room at 12 Park Street from 9-11 AM on the following Saturdays: March 5, 12, 19, 26, April 2, 9, & 16. Each class will consist of a video, followed by small group discussions. The course will be led by Dcn. John and small group leaders. Registration will be held January 8 thru February 14. No late registrations will be accepted, due to limited class size and the time needed to gather materials. The anticipated cost for the book/study guide is $20. For more information contact Dcn. John Murray at: DcnJLMurray@gmail.com or 323-6272 x4.