St. Joseph s
ANNUAL HEART OF A MOTHER CONCERT ON MOTHER S DAY! May 13 th at 1pm, Mary Verdi, Teresa Mango on Harp and Mark Kelso will offer a concert at Sacred Heart Church in Pittsfield, Ma. This will be an hour of music celebrating all mothers! We will have a candle lighting ceremony and each woman will be given a flower. Bring your mother, your friend or just yourself. $10 suggested donation will go to the musicians. The Food Pantry Is in dire need of someone with a ½ ton or larger truck to help with our pick up schedule from the Food Bank. On a rotational basis you would be picking up food at BCAC on outer East St. on Tuesdays, around 11:45AM. Food is then brought to our Pantry, checked off and shelved, with your duties ending around 1:30PM. If you have time to offer help with this situation please give the Rectory a call. ENDERS ISLAND Tuesday, October 2nd Day of Retreat Enders Island, Mystic, CT - The bus leaves our parking lot at 7:30AM. Coffee reception upon arrival. A wonderful hot lunch, Mass and talk. Free time to roam the Island. We leave to return home between 4 & 4:30PM. The cost for the day is $92. Please call for reservations. MOTHER S DAY PLANT SALE Saturday, May 12th from 10AM until after the 4PM Mass and Sunday after the 9AM Mass. Start thinking about your gifts. CCD NEWS First Communion Classes Sunday, April 29 th - 10:00 am rehearsal in church (children only) Friday, May 4th - 5:30 pm final rehearsal. Parents/guardians and children in church May 5 th -Saturday-First Communion 11:00 a.m. May 6 th -Sunday -Crowning of Mary with First Communion candidates. SARATOGA RACE TRACK OR CASINO Monday, August 20th. Bus leaves St. Joe s at 9:30AM and leaves Saratoga after the last race. The cost of the trip is $35. The Rectory is taking reservations. POLISH PICNIC COOKING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Once again St. Joseph s Parish will host a Food Booth on the Front Walkway on Third Thursday. We d like to know who may be available to help out this year. So if interested or even a returning worker please let us know at the Rectory. Dates have been CHANGED FROM TUESDAY to WEDNESDAY Cabbage Pierogi Wed. April 25th Cheese Pierogi Wed. May 2nd Cabbage Pierogi Wed. May 9th &16th at 3:30 PM Picnic Date is July 15, 2018
ST. JOSEPH CHURCH, Pittsfield, MA April 29, 2018 If you wish to be gift bearers at Mass, please inform the greeter and/or sign up on the sheet on the gifts table before Mass, especially if you are family and/or friends of the person for whom the Mass is being offered. Thank you MAMA MIA At the MacHaydn Theatre on Friday, July 20th. The bus leaves our parking lot at 5 PM, Dinner at Yianni s and then onto the Theatre. The cost for the evening is $83. Please call the Rectory for reservations. WEEKLY GIVING Our increased weekly giving program is now underway. Please respond by using the response envelope enclosed with the letter you received from Father this week. The participation of all parishioners is essential for the success of this effort. If you increased your weekly offering but did not use the special envelope, please do so next weekend so we can acknowledge your response properly. Our choir is looking for new recruits. Please see either Don or Carl for information. Sat., Apr.28th Sun., Apr. 29th Sun., Apr. 29th 4:00 PM 9:00 AM 11:30 AM Joe Tournier Anne Hynes Daniel Kochapski Kay Tournier Pat Keegan Charles Knappe Marie Kotowicz Anne Kozlowski J. Weatherwax Mardi Fezzie Joe Ryan Anna Stack Juliette Ekouah Al Najimy Anne Dunham The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here LIVE IT.
April 29, 2018 5th Sunday of Easter Are you ready for a trim? In today's Gospel, we hear the familiar teaching of the vine and the branches. Jesus reminds us that if we remain close to him-living in humility, following God's law, loving our neighbor-we will notice a positive change in our life and the lives of those around us. "Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit." The Holy Spirit is life-giving. He is fruitful. The Spirit of God won't refuse grace to a heart that is open. As we progress through life, learning how to live and love, we grow. Our personalities flower. We discover what it is to be a blessing to others. We also experience lack, loss, and the results of our failures. We know what it is like to "wither" at times, particularly the times when we willingly separate ourselves from Jesus. "Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me." For most of us, this experience of being disconnected and off track generates a desire to return to what is right and good, to return to the vine. But this Gospel is more than "Are you in or are you out?" Even when we remain in God, when we follow Jesus, we are not exempt from the challenge, the pruning. "Everyone that [bears fruit] he prunes." A prudent trim is necessary in the natural world of trees and vines. Dead wood, broken shoots, and diseased branches need to be cut back in order for the plant to bear fruit. Jesus wants us to be healthy! He says as much himself: "By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples." Take a look at your life today. Where are you bearing fruit? Where do you need to be pruned? Saturday, April 28th Mike Wituszynski Sunday, April 29th Rose & Elda Paduano Nurses from St. Luke s Sanctuary Candle Virginia H. Boivin Monday, April 30th Carol Monti Nichols Requested by Tom, John, Shana Arasimowicz Tuesday, May 1st Andrea, Andrew, Nathaniel & Mikayla Requested by Aunt & Sister Wednesday, May 2nd For the Parish Thursday, May 3rd Andrea, Andrew, Nathaniel & Mikayla Requested by Aunt & Sister Friday, May 4th Virginia H. Boivin-Birthday Remembrance Saturday, May 5th Michael Monterosso-5th Anniversary Sunday, May 6th Bill Madden Requested by Deacon Pat & Donna Timmy Jones-Birthday Remembrance 4:00 PM 9:00 AM 11:30 AM 4:00 PM 9:00 AM 11:30 AM Readings for the Week of April 29, 2018 Sunday: Acts 9:26-31/Ps 22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32 [26a]/1 Jn 3:18-24/Jn 15:1-8 Monday: Acts 14:5-18/Ps 115:1-2, 3-4, 15-16 [1ab]/Jn 14:21-26 Tuesday: Acts 14:19-28/Ps 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 21 [cf. 12]/Jn 14:27-31a St. Joseph the Worker: Gn 1:26--2:3 or Col 3:14-15, 17, 23-24/Ps 90:2, 3-4, 12-13, 14 and 16 [cf. 17b]/Mt 13:54-58 Wednesday: Acts 15:1-6/Ps 122:1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5 [cf. 1]/Jn 15:1-8 Thursday: 1 Cor 15:1-8/Ps 19:2-3, 4-5 [5]/Jn 14:6-14 Friday: Acts 15:22-31/Ps 57:8-9, 10 and 12 [10a]/Jn 15:12-17 Saturday: Acts 16:1-10/Ps 100:1b-2, 3, 5/Jn 15:18-21 Next Sunday: Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48/Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4 [cf. 2b]/1 Jn 4:7-10/Jn 15:9-17