Priesthood Sunday is a time to thank all priests for  answering the call to serve!!! “Whoever is not against us is for us.” Pray for Father John and all priests! They heard God calling them to the priesthood and chose to serve Christ. Now, they enrich our spiritual well-being everyday in the name of God.

Gracious and loving God, we thank you for the gift of our Priests.
Through them, we experience your presence in the sacraments.
Help our priests to be strong in their vocation.           
Set their souls on fire with love for your people.
Grant them the wisdom, understanding, and strength they need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. 
Inspire them with the vision of your Kingdom.
Give them the words they need to spread the Gospel.
Allow them to experience joy in their ministry.
Help them to become instruments of your divine grace.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns as our Eternal Priest.

Amen.

Dear Parishioners and Visitors,

To be a catechist is to be of service to the Lord and  to one another through the ministry of handing on  the faith through witness, word, and example.  In many ways, it is a humbling ministry, for none of us is perfect nor knows all there is to know about our faith.  Yet in our imperfection, God calls us to “make disciples of all nations … teaching them to observe all I have commanded you.”  
Mt. 28:19-20. As a parish community, we should be eternally grateful to our Faith Formation teachers as they exercise their ministry here in St. Joseph’s faith  community.  They not only lead our catechetical  program, but they do so effectively because they live their faith every day, bearing witness to the Gospel message in word and action.  As such – and in conjunction with their classroom instruction – their students learn Christian values and spirituality, and incorporate them into their daily lives.

On this Catechetical Sunday and the first Faith Formation class, please join me in thanking our Faith Formation teachers for their faith-filled dedication to pass on the message of the Gospel and the teachings of the Catholic Church to our fine young students who achieve so much under their tutelage and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

With prayerful best wishes,

Fr. John Mahoney