ANNUAL CATHOLIC APPEAL PRAYER ~ SOWING THE SEEDS O God, open our eyes and ears to the presence of Your Holy Spirit. May the seed of Your Word scattered among us fall on the fertile land and through the Annual Catholic Appeal make us good stewards in faith. May these seeds take root in our hearts and lives and produce an abundant harvest of good words and deeds. Fortify us for difficult times that we may endure. Deliver us from distraction and all that may confuse us and choke us with false promises. Till us, turn us, and enrich us with every blessing of your spirit that we may be fruitful and forever faithful for you. Amen

Annual Catholic Appeal will begin on February 17th. This appeal funds the many ministries conducted by the diocese. Our goal this year is $35,000. Please be as generous as your means allow.

We have no one in the seminary at the present time. This means there will be no ordinations for the next several years,. For this reason our bishop, Bishop William has made himself the new Vocation Director for the Diocese. He is inviting men to seriously consider the priesthood. He is calling all of us to pray for vocations publicly by participating in special Masses and Holy Hours throughout our diocese. We the parish of St. Joseph have been asked to start this public prayer for Vocations on Friday night, March 19th at 7 pm. This is the year dedicated to St Joseph. What a fitting place to start this vocation awareness. Please join us for this Holy Hour on March 19th at 7pm. There will also be an opportunity for private confession at this time. Area priests have been invited to be here.

Seniors need help to get your shot? Call the Froio Senior Center at 499-5575 or call 499-9346 or just dial 211. They can help you make an appointment.

Thank you everyone and especially the ladies of the St. Anne’s Society who helped send Valentines to our shut-ins. We hope the cards and good wishes helped to bring a little joy and love to all who received them.

1. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of abstinence from meat as well as days of fast, when only one full meal is allowed. On days of fast 2 other meatless meals may be taken according to one’s needs, but together they should not equal another full meal. 2. The other Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence from meat. 3. The obligation to abstain from meat begins at 14 years of age. 4. The obligation to fast begins at 18 years of age and ends at 59 years of age. 5. Although the faithful may excuse themselves for a just cause from these laws of fast and abstinence, there is an obligation to substitute another penance and no Catholic should lightly excuse himself/herself from this obligation in the Lenten season.

Daily Confession: Mon. ~ Fri. 11:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.// Wed. evening 6:30 ~ 7:00 p.m.// Sat. 3:00 p.m. ~ 3:45 p.m. STATIONS OF THE CROSS: Fridays at 6:00 p.m. Vespers: Sundays, 6 p.m. in the church. RCIA: Wednesdays, 7 p.m. Holy hour: Daily 11:00 a.m. ~ Noon Daily mass: 12:10 p.m.

Annual Catholic Appeal will begin on February 17th. This appeal funds the many ministries conducted by the diocese. Our goal this year is $35,000. Please be as generous as your means allow. ANNUAL CATHOLIC APPEAL PRAYER ~ SOWING THE SEEDS". O God, open our eyes and ears to the presence of Your Holy Spirit. May the seed of Your Word scattered among us fall on the fertile land and through the Annual Catholic Appeal make us good stewards in faith. May these seeds take root in our hearts and lives and produce an abundant harvest of good words and deeds. Fortify us for difficult times that we may endure. Deliver us from distraction and all that may confuse us and choke us with false promises. Till us, turn us, and enrich us with every blessing of your spirit that we may be fruitful and forever faithful for you. Amen

From the desk of John Arasimowicz: To our families and students of Saint Joseph CCD programs, please remember that Lent has begun. Please try to remember Jesus every day in prayer, being kind to a friend or a family member, going out of your way and doing something nice for someone else, giving up your time to help someone. This is our way of showing Jesus how much we love him. This is a wonderful way to prepare for Easter. Please continue to use your weekly news. If you can, watch Mass on our website. Please continue to follow all the restrictions with COVID-19 to keep everyone safe and healthy so we can you get back to our parish community in person. May God bless you and watch over you and keep you safe.

Seniors need help to get your shot? Call the Froio Senior Center at 499-5575 or call 499-9346 or just dial 211. They can help you make an appointment.

Congratulations to our confirmation teacher and his wife ~ Mr. & Mrs. Michael Hogue ~ on the wonderful addition to their family, Jackson Thomas. With God’s blessings and best wishes. ~ Your parish and CCD family of St. Joseph’s Church

Dear Friends in Christ: Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which this year falls on February 17, 2021. A visible sign of our Lenten practices comes on Ash Wednesday when ashes mark the faithful with an outward sign of our frail human nature, with the words, “Remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.” This year, because of COVID limitations, ashes will not be applied to the forehead, but rather, sprinkled over the head of the faithful, thus avoiding close physical contact. The practices of fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, as well as abstaining from meat on Ash Wednesday and all of the Fridays of Lent are outward signs of the work we seek to do during Lent to make our interior dispositions more of what Christ would have us be. The acts of almsgiving and self-sacrifice help us to grow in our understanding of all God has done for us. A special undertaking can be Operation Rice Bowl, a sacrifice by each of us for those who never have a full meal. History indicates that in the Diocese of Springfield Lenten Penance services have been beacons of light for Catholics returning to the practice of their faith through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I am grateful for your ministry of healing, particularly for those who have felt hurt by the Church in any way. At this time of global pandemic, our Lenten activities of Reconciliation Anne Dunham gathering will look and feel different. As we navigate the coming days, let us be aware of the many ways in which we cane provide healing to our Catholic family . Please refer to the enclosed guidelines for Lenten practices as they pertain to fasting, abstinence and almsgiving. May this Lent be a time of growth in our relationship with Christ and with others, and may we find ourselves in a more meaningful and intentional relationship with our God. With every best wish, In Christ, Most Reverend William D.

Lenten Vespers begins in Church next Sunday, February 21, 2021, at 6 p.m. This is a perfect time to begin your Lenten practice of prayer and reflection. Due to COVID-19 restrictions the video presentation following the service is not available.

Wednesday, February 17, 2021 - MASS AT 12:10 and 5:30 PM at St. Joseph Church

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

Just a reminder that MASKS are required for Mass.

Sunday's 9 AM MASS at St. Joseph is streamed live at stjoepittsfield.com & on St. Joseph's Parish App.

It’s officially one month since we popped the champagne, toasted 2021 and wrote down a list of resolutions. This is usually the time when we start to take a good, hard look in the mirror to assess what we have done — or have not done — with the first month of this brand-new year. New years can be scary, can’t they? Full of promise, sure, but also full of room for failure. Full of space for our old baggage, old fears and the continuation of old mistakes. The same can be said of Christ, and the new life he offers us, if we are brave enough to accept it. Opportunities like that can be intimidating. In that moment, we might find ourselves like the man with the unclean spirit crying out: “What have you to do with me, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?” Jesus is a comforter of the afflicted; he is a consoling figure, but he is also a challenging one. Sometimes we have grown attached to our afflictions. The idea of correcting bad habits or forming new ones is frankly terrifying to us. We have a voice deep inside who sees Christ and his invitation to repentance, and it cries out in fear: “I know who you are!” When we live in the present, disavowing the baggage of the past or fear of the future, we submit ourselves to the promise of redemption. Let us be brave everyday stewards and invite Christ’s healing power into our lives. We won’t regret it.

A warm welcome goes out to our tenth Bishop of Springfield, MOST REVEREND WILLIAM D. BYRNE, installed December 14, 2020. Congratulations! Our new bishop celebrated Mass on January 16, 2021 at St. Joseph’s Parish.

Can it be different kinds of bread? Do you know? In the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, the most common form for the eucharistic bread is the small white communion “wafer” that is a ubiquitous part of the Catholic Mass. The instructions of the Church have been very specific regarding the make-up of the bread used in the Mass: “The bread used in the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharistic Sacrifice must be unleavened, purely of wheat, and recently made … it follows therefore that bread made from another substance, even if it is grain, or if it is mixed with another substance different from wheat to such an extent that it would not commonly be considered wheat bread, does not constitute valid matter for confecting the Sacrifice and the Eucharistic Sacrament.” The Church’s tradition of using a wheat-based bread is based on the bread that Jesus would have used at the Last Supper and is considered to be an essential part of the “matter” of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. As we consider the question of whether a “wafer” — which is properly called a “host” — should be used, we also must keep in mind that in the Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church, leavened (i.e. “raised”) bread is more often used. And so, while the thin, white “wafer” is most commonly used in the Roman Rite of the Church, the full expression of the Catholic tradition does allow for a more substantial form of bread to be used, but the tradition of using a simple wheat bread with no other additions or additives is considered essential.