THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16, Rev. Thomas J. Whitman, Pastor Director of Religious Ed: Parish Secretary: Lori Vasconi Financial Secretary: Carol Koch Maintenance: Brad Goodall Music Director: Mary Messina Office Hours Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM (closed 12:30-1:30 PM) Schedule Saturday Vigil - 5:15 PM Sunday - 8:30 & 11:00 AM Weekday: M, T, Th, Fri - 8:00 AM Wed. - 12:10 PM (Check weekly bulletin for changes.) Confessions Saturday: 4:00-4:30 PM or by request. Religious Education Program Sundays, 9:30 AM - 10:45 AM CCD Grades K-10 at Case Avenue Elem. School, Grade 11 in the church annex. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Every Wednesday after the 12:10 PM in the Mother s Chapel. Shenango Valley Catholic School System Mr. William Lyon, Principal, Kennedy Catholic Middle and High Schools: 724-346-5531 Mr. Joshua Testa, Principal St. John Paul II: 724-342-2205 PARISHIONER PRE-REGISTRATION FORM NAME STREET CITY & ZIP PHONE E-Mail Place completed form in today s collection basket or drop it off in the church office. New Member Address Change Update Info Baptism: Please contact the parish office to schedule a time and date. A pre-baptism class is required. No baptisms during Advent and Lent. Matrimony: By appointment six months in advance. Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA): Please call the church office at 724-981-3232. Prayer Line: For intentions, please call 724-342-3456.
PASTOR S COLUMN CHURCH CALENDARS: The church calendars for the year 2019 are available at all the exits. We are grateful to McGonigle Funeral Home for sponsoring these calendars again this year. DECORATING THE CHURCH TODAY: We will be decorating the church on Sunday, December 16 after the 11:00. All are welcome to come and help us decorate. ADVENT RECONCILIATION SERVICES: Advent and Lent are two important times of preparation in our church year. The sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the traditional ways we prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ at Christmas and at Easter. Visit the website http://bustedhalo.com to refresh your memory about this sacrament. Or you might refer to the MyParishApp for St. Joseph Parish that gives you a how to guide, an examination of conscience, and the act of contrition right on your phone. To get MyParishApp - all you need to do is text APP to the phone number 88202. Then follow the instructions for St. Joseph Parish, Sharon, PA. It is free. Local Penance Services will be held at: Beloved Disciple Church, Grove City, December 16, at 2:00pm St. Joseph Church, December 18, at 7:00pm Notre Dame Church, December 20, at 6:30pm CHRISTMAS MASSES: es for Christmas Eve are at 4:30pm, 7:00pm, and Midnight. on Christmas Day will be at 9:30am. CHRISTMAS COLLECTION: As we have done in the past, we will tithe (10%) of the Christmas Collection to the Prince of Peace Center. Your generosity to this collection will help support the great work of the Prince of Peace Center. In the past we have people who have come forward anonymously to match what we give to Prince of Peace. So far I have one person who will match what the parish gives to Prince of Peace from this collection. PARISH COMEDY NIGHT: Mark Friday, January 18, 2019 on your calendar! We will be holding another parish comedy night consisting of dinner and professional comedians with clean humor. These have been wonderful evenings and we hope you will consider joining us for this year s event. Invite family, friends and neighbors. Tickets are on sale weekdays in the parish office during regular office hours or after weekend es with Fr. Tom. Consider them as stocking stuffers for Christmas! REFLECTIONS ON THE READINGS: See the bulletin inserts each week of Advent. AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support St. Joseph Church every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that AMAZON WILL DONATE 0.2% OF THE PURCHASE PRICE TO ST. JOSEPH CHURCH. Simply log onto https://smile.amazon.com/ch/25-0938306 to sign up and to support St. Joseph Church! Child Protection and Creating Safe Environments Keeping God s Children Protected and Safe: To know that we are children of God is to live in complete love, with deep abiding security and the ability to dream, to sing, to create, to laugh, and to play without worry. As we grow older, we face a new reality we cannot approach all God s creation with the same trust and confidence. We learn, through sometimes hurtful and damaging experiences, that some people reject the ability that God gave them to love and respect others they ignore God s call. The Diocese of Erie s program to safeguard children helps remind us of these very facts. With the help of this program, the faithful are guided and educated about the responsibility of how to keep God s children protected and safe. To see what the Diocese of Erie is doing to help create safe environments, check out http://www.eriercd.org/protectyouth.htm.
jxävéåx St. Joseph Parish Community Welcomes All New Parishioners & Visitors! You are always welcome here at St. Joseph Parish. If you are considering or would like to join our parish, we welcome you to please pick up a Welcome Packet which are located at each entrance. You may place your completed census form in the offertory basket during, drop it off at the parish office during our normal weekday office hours or mail it to Saint Joseph Church, 79 Case Ave., Sharon, PA 16146. FEATURED FOOD PANTRY ITEM Next week s featured item - Bar Soap. Please place your donation in the shopping cart located in the Gathering Space. ion date! UPCOMING FEATURED ITEMS Toothpaste - Canned Fruit - Cereal If you d like to volunteer, please report to the church s lower level at 8:00am on our next distribution day, Friday, December 21. TUESDAY, December 18, 6:30pm Notre Dame Church Hermitage, PA Children and adults will be delighted as all the parts of the Christmas Story are tied together for the first time: From the light of Creation to the manger in Bethlehem, from the origin of Saint Nicholas to the secret of the Christmas Angel himself, staring Frank Runyeon! Show begins at 6:30pm at Notre Dame in Hermitage with a Free Will Offering to help defray expenses. If you would like more information, please contact Notre Dame Office of Religious Education at 724-981-9447. WEEKEND COLLECTION-December 10, Number of Adult envelopes sent.. 859 Number of Adult envelopes used. 262 Number of unused envelopes... 597 Sunday Offertory......$ 8,799 Budgeted Offertory....$10,650 Deficit........($ 1,851) Other Collections: Immaculate Conception.. $ 1,180 Religious Retirement...$ 2,147 PLEASE PRAY FOR: Alice Fabrey, Tony Perry, Darlene Lenhart, Mary Lou Brandon, Lorraine Penhos, Fran Ray, Ed Thomas, Joe Simko, Ann Jofery, Anna Hines, Ed Benedict, John Keaveny and Bill Lasche. HOSPITAL STAY If you or a loved one become hospitalized, please call the church office at 724-981-3232 to notify us of your family name and room number so we will be able to visit and distribute Holy Communion to you or your loved one. BAPTISM CLASS If you are planning to have your child baptized, a baptism class is required for the parents. To schedule your class, please call the church office at 724-981-3232. Parish Organizations Altar Servers Baptismal Class Catholic Daughters of America Choir / Music Ministry College Care Packages Cursillo Liaison Eucharistic Ministers Food Pantry Garden & Grounds Committee Hospitality/Greeters Knights of Columbus Liturgy Committee Liturgy of the Word for Children Money Counters Parish Advocate for the Disabled Parish Building & Maintenance Committee Pastoral Council Prayer Chain Pre-Cana Prince of Peace Soup Kitchen Pro-Life Quilters R.C.I.A. Religious Education Sacramental Prep. Sacristan Sister Parish Small Christian Communities St. Joseph Parish Finance Committee Pauline Radasevich Mary Messina Deb Nevant Mary Beth Jones TO VOLUNTEER ONLY (724) 962-2001 (724) 977-8025 (724) 866-2465 (724) 346-5050 (724) 877-4171 Bryon Anzevino Tom Rookey Sandy Swogger (724) 962-0801 (724) 347-7224 (724) 866-4923 John Bonomo Catherine Holl (724) 347-4423 Frank Connelly Neil Ostheimer Joan Stoudt Dennis & Mary C. Rubano (724) 346-5247 (724) 342-3456 (330) 448-1935 JoAnne White Catherine Holl Joann Sangregorio Stephen Pass David U Halie (724) 347-5027 (724) 347-4423 (330) 448-8733 (724) 877-5225 (724) 983-1998 Kay Stockan (724) 347-3830 Jim Black (724) 981-7510 (724) 346-3711 (724) 346-5050 (724) 347-5027 St. Rose/St. Mary Cemetery Carol Koch Ushers Vacation Bible School West Hill Ministries Women s Guild Mary Beth Jones Jo Anne White DECORATING THE CHURCH FOR CHRISTMAS Don t forget to stick around or come back after the 11:00! We will be decorating the church altar and other areas of the church TODAY, December 16!
Intentions +Indicates Time Monday, December 17 Gn 49: 2, 8-10 / Mt 1: 1-17 +8:00 Mickey Rossi (Terry Conlin Family) Tuesday, December 18 Jer 23: 5-8 / Mt 1: 18-25 +8:00 Deceased Members of the Surovick Family (Veronica Whitman) *7:00 Penance Service-St. Joseph, Sharon Wednesday, December 19-Jgs 13: 2-7, 24-25a / Lk 1: 5-25 +12:10 Carmine Trenga, Sr. (Alan & Joyce Blanke) Thursday, December 20 Is 7: 10-14 / Lk 1: 26-38 +8:00 Velma Ryan (Tom Phillips Family) *6:00 RCIA-Choir Room *6:30 Penance Service-Notre Dame, Hermitage Friday, December 21-Sg 2: 8-14 or Zep 3: 14-18a / Lk 1: 39-45 +8:00 Ed Porterfield (Nancy Pushcar) Saturday, December 22-Mi 5: 1-4a / Heb 10: 5-10 / Lk 1: 39-45 FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT +5:15 All Living Parishioners of the Parish Sunday, December 23 Mi 5: 1-4a / Heb 10: 5-10 / Lk 1: 39-45 FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT +8:30 Jean Conlon (C. Steffen) +11:00 Jason Gruitza (Elaine and Ken Johnson) Saturday, 22, Vigil 5:15 PM Ministry Schedule for December 22/23 S. McLaughlin D. Dach, P. Dach, T. H. Cole, E. Anderson, N. Alexander, P. Young, Volunteer N. Alexander, D. Eller, A. Jordan GS: B. & F. Smeraglia Fr: B. Shelley Sunday, 23, 8:30 AM Sunday, 23, 11:00 AM S. Swogger S. Cleary, K. Anglin, M. Christman, C. Necastro, J. McLaughlin, S. Missory, Volunteer A. Schupp, N. Schupp, S. Pass GS: G. Beshero J. Bonomo M. B. Jones, M. Goodwin, L. Dach, D. Yao, D. D Amore, Dr. D Amore, K. Bonomo, J. Kaibas, J. Grandy, A. U Halie, U. Goda B. Dach, C. Duffy, H. Duffy, C. McKnight GS: R. & T. Rookey Fr: G. & O. Pacsi CL T. McCallen WEEKDAY-HOSPITAL December 23 18 - P. Heldorfer SRHS - P. Dach 19 - P. Emery Nugent - F. Smeraglia 20 - P. Radasevich Clepper - P. Emery
TICKETS ARE ON SALE THIS WEEKEND AFTER ALL MASSES OR THROUGH THE WEEK IN THE CHURCH OFFICE DURING OFFICE HOURS. Advent /Christmas Wreath Memorial The Church has obtained a new LED Advent/ Christmas Wreath for over the State Street entrance. This wreath will be used for many years to come. We are offering five parishioners the opportunity to memorialize a loved one by contributing $100 each to offset its purchase. If interested, please call the church office by Monday, December 17,. We will take the first five donors. Donors and those to be remembered will be listed under a special heading in the Christmas Flower Memorial included with the December 23, bulletin. (Due to the State Street construction project, the wreath is located outside the Case Avenue entrance this year.) WOMEN S GUILD CHRISTM@S B@KE S@LE The Women s Guild will be holding a Christmas Bake Sale THIS weekend. December 15/16. The goodies being offered are: plain bread, raisin bread, nut, apricot and poppy seed rolls as well as cinnamon breakfast rolls.