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Bereavement Ministry
The members of our Ministry of Compassion dedicate themselves to being present to families in times of loss and to being companions for them as they journey toward healing. On the first Sunday of each month, our team offers compassionate sharing group sessions for persons who have lost a loved one. Those who are trying to cope with the mystery of death are welcomed and affirmed as they gather for coffee, comfortable conversation and thoughtful prayer with others who are progressing toward understanding and acceptance. We meet in the rectory for one hour beginning at 10:00 a.m.
In addition, the Bereavement Ministry helps to plan and host the parish All Souls’ Day Mass and reception. Those who have died within the year are honored and their families are comforted with the prayers and support of the entire community of St. Joseph.
It is our hope that together we can serve others during their time of distress and reveal the loving face of Christ to those who are in tears.
Prayer Shawl Ministry
Can you knit or crochet a simple shawl? Shawls made with compassionate hands and prayerful hearts can be symbolic of the embrace of our God, who loves unconditionally. They wrap, comfort, shelter and warm those who receive them. Compassion and the art of knitting are the foundations of a ministry that reaches out to those in need of solace. Imagine the uplift to someone in need of support when they are offered a prayer shawl, a gift of talent and prayers ~ a hug from Christ!
Shawls are created at home with love and prayer and then brought to the rectory or to one of our gatherings. Our knitters meet about four times a year to knit and share conversation and yarn tips, to recount the stories of shawl recipients and to earnestly pray for them. At each gathering, newly completed shawls are brought forward and blessed, then tucked away until they are personally delivered with a prayer as a gift from the parish. God has endowed us with the ability to help others to heal, and to reassure those in need when all seems lost. Needles, hands and handiwork are blessings to others.
Open Arms Ministry
Open Arms is a welcoming group for gay and lesbian Catholics and the family and friends of gay Catholics who meet to provide fellowship with one another on our spiritual journeys. Please contact the rectory for more information and next meeting dates.
WomanSpirit Reads
WomanSpirit Reads is a reading group of St. Joseph parish that focuses on books about women's spirituality. We meet approximately every six weeks, in the rectory, to discuss our current book and select our next one. Please contact the rectory for updated information or with questions.
The Filipino Ministry
Anywhere we go, we Catholic Filipinos have always had a deep longing to worship God in our very own rich and beautiful way. We recognize this need to help sustain our spiritual growth in places far away from the Philippines where we acquired our particular inculturated brand of Catholicism. Many have likely missed the experience and are likely to become emotional when it comes to culture and tradition and strive to introduce to their children the richness of Filipino culture. These kids, despite growing up with video games instead of “Patintero” and “Tumbang Preso” and other native games, or visiting Disneyland instead of exotic beaches and mountains back in the Philippines, many of them strive to define for themselves what being a "Filipino" is all about.
Responding to this felt need, programs are developed that aim to reconnect young Filipino-Americans with the land of their heritage, giving them a chance to be introduced to Filipino culture and tradition as well as the social issues that confront their homeland. In order to meet this deep desire, Catholic Filipino families in and around St. Joseph Parish with the leadership of the Lord of Pardon Prayer Group have thus banded together to create the Filipino Catholic of St. Joseph Parish and hold monthly Misa ng Bayang Filipino every first Sunday of the Month at 2:30 pm and the SANTACRUZAN FESTIVAL during the month of May. Both of which continue to be stable institutions, an indispensable medium for enhancing Catholic spiritual wellbeing within the local Filipino community, with its constituents committed to its perpetuation for as long as they live in beautiful St. Joseph Faith Community.
Our latest addition to the ministry is the MARRIAGE CONVALIDATION PROGRAM for couples whose marriage is somehow not fully recognized by the Catholic Church which ordinarily requires baptized Roman Catholics to marry before a priest. Catholics who exchange marriage vows in the presence of ministers from other religious traditions or authorized civic officials are not considered validly married in the eyes of the Catholic Church. Those couples may seek to have their union officially recognized by the Church.
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