Bishop William Byrne will be visiting our parish on January 16th for the 4:00 PM Mass.

Happy New Year! CCD news due to the pandemic numbers rising at this time we will not be able to meet in person. First grade through ninth will be receiving materials to do at home with their families in the middle of January. Thank you for your help and please continue to work with your children to keep them connected to their faith. Also we offering live stream mass at 9 AM every Sunday. Please join us. Until then, stay healthy and well. If for some reason you do not receive a packet please contact John Arasimowicz 822-1297. Thank you. With God‘s blessings, John A.

Sunday morning Mass at 9:00 a.m. is streamed live at stjoepittsfield.com & on the Parish App

December 31, 2020 - New Year’s Eve Mass at 4:00 p.m. January 1, 2021 - New Year’s Day Mass at 10:00 a.m.

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.

Just a reminder that MASKS are required for Mass.

Remember your loved one by reserving a Sanctuary Candle. Please call the rectory at 413-445-5789

A collection will be taken up at all Masses next weekend for the College of Our Lady of the Elms. For more than 85 years, Elms College has been the Catholic college in the Diocese, and has remained faithful to its mission to provide a college education rooted in faith. The need for your support continues to be great, and we urge you to be as generous as possible, as this collection will go directly to the Founder’s Fund for Excellence, which supports student scholarships. There is an envelope in your packet for this purpose. More information is available at the Elms College website, www.elms.edu/give, or by calling 413-265-2213.

ST. JOSEPH’S CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE Thursday, Dec. 24th Mass at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 25th Mass at 9:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Due to COVID-19 protocols, we are only allowing 125 people in the church. Once we reach the seating limit the church doors will be closed. Please plan accordingly and come early. Both the 3 p.m. Christmas eve mass and the 9 a.m. Christmas day mass will be livestreamed via the parish Facebook page. Click to view the Christmas eve mass here: https://www.facebook.com/stjoepittsfield/videos/710644342914408

The 2021 Diocesan Appeal for the College of Our Lady of the Elms — our Catholic college of Western Massachusetts — will be made throughout the Diocese at all Masses on January 2nd and 3rd. Elms College educates young women and men to be reflective, principled, and creative learners in the tradition of the Sisters of St. Joseph. This appeal will support the scholarships the Elms provides to students to make this faith-based education more affordable. The need for your support is great. We urge you to take part in this effort, and there is an envelope in your packet for this purpose. We also encourage you to check with your employer to see if they offer a matching gift opportunity. For more information about how you can support Elms College, visit their website, www.elms.edu/give , or call 413-265-2213.

Words of encouragement from Pope Francis: “Advent is a journey towards Bethlehem. May we be drawn by the Light of God made man.” Like us on Facebook. www.stjoepittsfield. Pope Francis has dedicated the New Year to St Joseph, the Patron of the Universal Church. This is the 150th anniversary of this special title of St Joseph. A special prayer will be said every Wednesday for the coming year. A green candle will burn each week in his honor. In addition to the Sanctuary (red) candle, the St. Joseph Candle may be reserved for your intention. A donation of $7.00 is requested. Christmas Flowers: If you wish to donate to the flowers for Christmas, please send us the name of your loved ones. A Mass will be offered for those intentions. In addition to our live-streamed Christmas Day Mass at 9am, Ch. 22 will broadcast Christmas Mass from St Michael's Cathedral celebrated by our new bishop, Bishop William Byrne. We can safely seat 125 parishioners at each Mass. especially at Christmas I would encourage you to come early. When we reach that number the doors will be closed. At this time of year, we receive and welcome many guests at St Joseph's. We hope you feel well received and welcomed. Thank you for worshiping with us. How about starting the New Year with on-line-giving. It's very easy to start. Thank you for your consideration. Check out our parish app. MyParish app.com Please remember all the sick and those living alone.

Blessed Advent! Remember last week where we read about this crazy man John "crying out in the desert"? Well, this week we read about what the people of his time wondered about him. They all asked him "What should we do?" The crowds were asking, the tax collectors were asking, the soldiers were asking. And he answers each of them according to the temptation of their particular state in life. To the crowds he says, share of your abundance. To the tax collectors he says, stop taking more money for yourselves. Only collect from the people what is proscribed. To the soldiers he says, stop extorting money. And so, what must we do to prepare? I ask myself if I am sharing from even the little that I think I have. Do I charge more than a fair price for my work? If I lend money to anyone, do I expect too much more in return? I challenge myself this week, and I challenge you, to take some time and think about how we are preparing for the coming birth of Christ, in history, in today's world, and in the future when he will come to bring all of creation back to the Father.

After a very long and boring homily the parishioners filed out of the church saying nothing to the pastor. Towards the end of the line was a thoughtful person who always commented on the homilies. “Father, today your homily reminded me of the peace and love of God!” The pastor was thrilled. “No one has ever said anything like that about my preaching before. Why did it remind you?” “Well, it reminded me of the peace of God because it surpassed all understanding, and the love of God because it endured forever!” ________________________________ During his children’s sermon, the assistant pastor asked the kids, "What is gray, has a bushy tail, and gathers nuts in the fall?" One five-year-old raised his hand, "I know the answer should be Jesus," he began, "but it sounds like a squirrel to me."

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION Vigil Masses Monday, December 7th St. Agnes at 5:30 p.m. St. Charles at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 8th St. Marks at 8:00 a.m. Sacred Heart at 9:00 a.m. St. Joseph at 12:10 p.m.

ST. CHARLES CHURCH MASS SCHEDULE Christmas Eve: 4pm & 6pm (both Masses will be live streamed) Christmas Day: 8am & 10am New Year's Eve: 4pm New Year's Day: 9am

Vespers will be held each Sunday evening at 6 p.m. during Advent. This is a peaceful start to the 4 weeks of Advent. This year the service will be in the main church and we will not have the video presentations following the service. Plan on attending.

St. Joseph Cemetery is looking to hire a new Cemetery Superintendent to replace the current Superintendent who has resigned. Interested candidates should have experience in lawn maintenance, supervising and managing staff, working effectively with the public and understanding budgets. The person must be able to drive trucks and lawn care equipment, able to respond to emergency situations and work effectively and compassionately with families at the time of a loss. Qualified candidates must possess a Massachusetts Driver’s License & Massachusetts Hoisting License or willing to obtain one for the backhoe operation. CORI check required. Please email a resume to St. Joseph Cemetery at: [email protected]

Our parish continues to appreciate its history as we pay tribute to the first pastor of this church on North St., Rev. Edward H. Purcell. Pastor from 1857 until his death in 1891, he was so beloved by the parish that his body was interred on the church grounds, under the impressive monument on the north lawn between the church and the rectory. The handsome cross which crowns his tombstone was recently restored to its original place, having been in storage for years after an accident displaced it. The ornate headstone, with a priest's hand elevating the sacred host, has been cleaned by volunteers restoring the granite to its original luster. Another tribute to Father Purcell was found in a storage area and is now proudly placed on the outside north wall of the church, facing the rectory. This marble plaque, with gold leaf lettering, was erected by grateful parishioners in the 1890s. It reads as follows: In Memory of Rev. E. H. Purcell First Pastor of St. Joseph's Church. Born July 5, 1827 Died Nov. 9, 1891 ~ May he rest in peace He died at the young age of 64, which was not uncommon in those days as the life of a parish priest was a strenuous one. Since Father Purcell is the pastor who erected our beautiful cast iron fence, we know he would be pleased to see it fully restored to its original appearance and durability!