St. Joseph the Worker

Parish Giving

MISSION STATEMENT

VIBRANT & ACTIVE
We are a Roman Catholic faith family in Chatham Illinois committed to proclaiming the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We live our faith with our words and through our actions.  Nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, we seek to become a place of mercy and hope where everyone is welcomed, loved and respected.

Parish Pastoral Council

The role of the St. Joseph the Worker Parish Pastoral Council members is to serve the pastor, provide channels of communication and cooperation to the pastor, staff and members of the parish, and provide support to the pastoral work of the parish.   By working together in community we grow in faith and fellowship.

If you have questions, concerns or requests about St. Joseph the Worker Church, your parish stewardship or activity committee, or as a parishioner, you are encouraged to contact the Pastoral Council Chairperson, or Vice-Chairperson.   

Chairperson, Pat Kornfeld,  kornfeld.pat@comcast.net

Vice-Chairperson, Debbie Shawgo,  debbieshawgo@gmail.com

BULLETINS

SCRIP

SCRIP is a gift card program to support St. Josephs Preschool with purchases you might already be making.

You can find the order form HERE

This is a perfect way to shop for gift cards for Christmas, or anytime, to help support our Preschool.

The last order before Christmas will be placed on December 16.

Advent Wreath

During Advent, we pray special prayers with our Christian family, the Church.  We say these prayers around the Advent wreath.  The Advent wreath helps to remind us to look for Jesus’ love in our lives.  Each week, we light a candle on the wreath and we say a prayer.  This is a suggested family Advent custom to have in your home.

Second Sunday of Advent

Holy God, our hearts need the warmth of Your love and our minds look for the light of Your Word.  Show us how to wait for Jesus, our Savior.  Give us strength to grow in love, so that the dawn of His coming may find us joyful and ready to welcome the light of His truth.  We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

Amen.

Attention High School Students and Adults

You  are invited to sing in the Christmas Choir for the 9:00pm Vigil Mass on Christmas Eve.

The rehearsal schedule is as follows:

Monday, December 2^nd—6:00-8:00pm

Thursday, December 5^th—7:15-8:30pm

Monday, December 9^th—6:45-8:30pm

Thursday, December 12^th—7:15-8:30pm

Monday, December 16^th—7:15-8:30pm

Thursday, December 19^th—7:00-8:30pm

Sunday, December 22^nd—3:00-6:00pm

First Friday

Eucharistic Adoration is available on Friday, December 6^th from 7:15-8:15am and 9:15-11:30am, ending with Benediction.  All are welcome.  

Angel Tree gifts should be returned to the area by the main bathrooms NO LATER THAN NOON on Sunday, December 8^th.  Presents should NOT BE WRAPPED.  Please securely attach the ornament from the tree to the bag containing the gifts so that it is delivered to the correct individual.  Contact Deb Fiedler, 217-414-6566, with any questions or concerns.  Thank you in advance for your generosity and willingness to create a brighter Christmas for those less fortunate.

Join us for an Afternoon of Games on Wednesday, December 18^th, 12:30-3:30pm in Kollross Hall.  We will be offering card games, dice and board games.  You can bring a friend, learn a game, teach a game, or just sit, watch and visit.  Drinks will be provided. 

This year the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be celebrated on Monday, December 9^th.  This Feast Day is a Holy Day of Obligation, a day that the faithful are expected to attend Mass.  We will have Mass at 8:30am and at 5:30pm.

We will be holding an Advent Penance Service on Tuesday, December 10^th at 6:00pm.

The next TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) meeting is Sunday, December 15^th at 9:15am in the Resource Room.  All St. Joseph parishioners are welcome and encouraged to attend!

Sunday, December 15 at 1:00pm

Christmas is such a special time of the year—

A time of celebration, family, and the birth of our Lord.

With this in mind, you are invited to join us as we prepare the house of our Lord to celebrate His birth.

There are jobs for every skill level, so everyone can help.

We will meet in the church sanctuary.

Our next gathering will be on Wednesday, Dec.18^th at 11:30am.  We will meet for lunch at

Dublin Pub

1975 Wabash Ave

Springfield

If you plan on joining us, please sign up in the Gathering Space from Dec.7th through Dec.15th. 

If you have signed up to attend and find you cannot come, please contact Carol Lombardo at 214-514-8783 in order to give the restaurant an accurate reservation count.  Thank You! 

Contributions from IRA Trustees and Brokerage Firms

If you are planning to make a contribution to the Capital Campaign or regular offertory collection, and the payment will come directly from your IRA Trustee or a Brokerage Firm, we ask that you please call the church office and tell Deb Howerton the amount so we can be watching for it. We have received some contributions from various sources that do not indicate the person(s) making the contribution. 

Important News for Parents!!!

The Cry Room, or Quiet Room, in church is there for a very worthwhile purpose.  It is for a child who may be restless, crying, etc.  This space enables the child and parent to still be able to hear the Mass, yet not disturb the people around them in the main church proper.  But, this space is limited in size and in the number of people able to be accommodated.  Therefore, please do not use this space for any other purpose than stated above.  It is not a space for multi-members of a family to reside during Mass.  This limits other people from using the room.  Thanks for understanding. 

One of the beautiful ways we can keep a deceased loved one’s memory alive is through having a memorial set up at the time of their death.  A very nice example of such a memorial would be to have one for St. Joseph the Worker Parish.  People would then have the opportunity to designate SJW for a memorial gift.  At the time of a loved one’s passing, please consider having our parish as one of the memorial options. 

Please Note

If you are over the age of 21, are still living with your parents, and are gainfully employed, you should register as a member of the parish instead of continuing to be a part of your parent’s household.  This will make our records more accurate.

St. Joseph the Worker Preschool offers a 4/5 year old class that meets on M/W/F from 9:00am - 11:30am and a 3 year old class that meets on T/Th from 9:00am - 11:30am. Mrs.Jackie Viste is the Preschool teacher and provides fun, faith-based enriching activities to all of our students. She is assisted by her aides, parish members Mrs. Judy Gartland and Mrs. Melody Clark.

More information and all forms can be found HERE

To learn more about our Preschool Fundraisers click HERE