Our Mission

We the parishioners of St. Joseph’s Parish, inspired by the Holy Spirit, welcome the privilege to proclaim the Gospel and thank God for the challenge of our faith. As a parish, we value our faith and commit ourselves to…

…Worship God through the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, frequent sacramental participation, self-sacrifice, prayer and meditation, and offering of daily actions to the honor and glory of God.

…Create and nourish our Christian community by encouraging involvement of all generations in parish activities; enriching the domestic family and cultivating a parish community centered in Christ.

…Spread the Good News by proclaiming the saving message of Christ through our words and actions; inviting others to share in our faith.

…Teach the message of Christ by providing a variety of educational opportunities; helping us to grow in our faith.
Serve the needs of our parish family and the entire community through spiritual and corporal works of charity.

Through the intercession of Mary our Mother, and St. Joseph, our parish patron, we pray to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit that the Lord of Light may guide us in our earthly journey and to our heavenly home.

This mission statement was developed by the St. Joseph Parish Pastoral Council.

Our Ministries

As a proactive part of the church mission, St. Joseph’s is obligated to carry forth Christ’s mission in the world through a series organized ministries that help our congregation and larger community.

Pastoral Council

The parish pastoral council is a consultative body which provides input, suggestions and feedback to the pastor on the various aspects of the spiritual life of the parish. The council meets monthly on the third Monday of the month. Meetings are held at 7:30pm in the rectory meeting room. (Meetings are usually not held during the summer months unless an urgent need arises.)

Membership

Since its inception in 1992, all pastoral council had been appointed by the pastor.  Starting in 1999, a members nomination and election process was put into place.  The council consists of 12 members of which 6 are elected and 6 are appointed.  Members serve a 3 year term and can only serve two consecutive terms.  Each year, two new members are elected and two new members are appointed.

Election Process

Nominations are solicited from the parishioners.  An orientation session is then held with the nominees to familiarize them with the activities of the council.  An election ballot containing the names of those nominees who are interested in serving on the council is then mailed to all the adult parishioners.   New members join the council at the September meeting.

Religious Education

St. Joseph’s holds religious education programs (PREP) for all school students.  Click here to learn more

Music Ministry

Among the most the vital of our responsibilities as a community of faith, is sharing in worship with one another. During the Mass, all parishioners are invited to participate and join in singing. All hymns are located in either the missalette or the music issue.

We also have two choirs at St. Joseph’s and new members are always welcome. The choirs sing at the regular Masses as well as special Masses during Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter. Rehearsals for both choirs begin after Labor Day and continue through Easter. Choir membership is open, there are no tryouts and you don’t need to be able to read music. If you are thinking of joining, September and January are the best times.

Cantors

The role of the cantor in the celebration of the Eucharist is to encourage, lead and support the assembly in its rightful role as active participants in the hymns, sung responses and acclamations of the Mass. With certain exceptions (such as the chanting of the verse portions of the Responsorial Psalm, or the Gospel verse), the role of the cantor in Catholic liturgy is not that of a soloist.

Since the cantor’s ministerial function is one which enables and encourages the assembly to engage more fully in its proper role as co-celebrants of the Mass, it is only necessary for a prospective cantor to possess a reliable, solid voice rather than a trained or beautiful voice. If you are interested in becoming a cantor at St. Joseph’s, please contact the music director.

PREP

St. Joseph’s holds religious education programs (PREP) for all school students.  Click here to learn more