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

A Note From Fr. Joe

I will be out of the office beginning Friday, July 25^th, returning Thursday, July 31^st.  There will not be an 8:30am Mass on Friday, July 25^th, Monday July 28^th and Tuesday, July 29^th. 

Dear Parishioners:

Thank you abundantly for the connections we have made over the past 19 years. It's hard to put into words my gratitude for the wonderful farewell reception and for the kindnesses of your words, cards and gifts. Thank you to the parish for the new laptop and statue of St. Joseph the Worker. All of you have touched my life, with God at the center, and I will always hold you and your families in my heart and prayers. I thank God for each of you! Please keep in touch and remember me in your prayers. 

Sr. Judy

As a parish member for over 25 years and a Preschool Aide for 11 years, there are many of you that I already know.  For those of you I know only by face, or not at all, I look forward to meeting you. In addition to the church email and phone number,        I can be reached at 217-801-4320.  Thank you for all of the years I was able to work as a Preschool Aide, to all the families that entrusted their children to me, and for this opportunity to serve as the Minister of Care.

Judy Gartland

 Holy Hour

Join us for Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on Monday, July 21^st, from 6:00-7:00pm.

The next TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) meeting will be on Sunday, July 20^th at 9:15am in the Resource Room. All St. Joseph parishioners are welcome and encouraged to attend!

Our next gathering will be on Wednesday, July 23^rd at 11:30am.  We will meet for lunch at Longbridge Golf Course, 1055 W Camp Sangamo Rd, Springfield

If you plan on joining us, please sign up in the Gathering Space by July 20^th. 

If you have signed up to attend and find you cannot come, please contact Jodi Kos at 217-622-3715 or Mary Lynn Yates at 618-315-2975 in order to give the restaurant an accurate reservation count.  Thank You! 

Church Directory Update

Help us create our new pictorial directory August 5^th–9^th and August 28^th–30^th. Each family photographed will receive a complimentary 8x10 portrait mailed directly to their home, plus a free copy of the completed directory. The entire process takes about 45 minutes to one hour.

To schedule your appointment, go HERE, click on the “Photography Appointment Scheduling Login” box, and enter the  Church Code: il434 and Password: photos (both codes are case sensitive). Follow the prompts to choose your family’s appointment time. We hope every family will participate to help us create a directory we can be proud of!

Seeking New Parish Graphic Design Logo

St. Joseph the Worker Church is seeking a new parish logo to better identify our patron St. Joseph the Worker.  The logo would be used on various forms/letterhead/website/social media/other communications and eventually the church outdoor signage.  If you are a talented graphic designer or simply a talented artist and have some ideas, don’t be shy, share your design offering(s).  Design offerings should be submitted to the church office by September 30, 2025. 

Registration for the 2025-2026 Faith Formation year is underway.  We look forward to working alongside families to help them grow strong in their faith.  If you have a child ready to enter kindergarten or are new to the parish, please let us know so that we can be sure to get you on our registration list.  

All children, grades K-8, will attend Faith Formation on Sunday mornings from 9:15-10:15am.

Tuition for Grades K-8 is $60 for one child and $100 for two or more. Fees are due by August 1, 2025. Please note: no child will be denied due to inability to pay.   Please contact Janice Anderson with questions.

Forms can be found HERE  or in the Parish Office; Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4:00pm.

PB&J Weekend is Coming!

Help feed a hungry family by donating peanut butter and jelly or a monetary gift to help purchase the bread. Donations can be dropped off in the Gathering Space at the designated table from August 9^th-17^th. Your generous support is appreciated and needed.

SCRIP Fundraising Program

SCRIP is just another name for gift cards.  Our preschool purchases gift cards from Great Lakes Scrip (a clearing house offering hundreds of different gift cards) at a discount of 1.5-20% depending on the business.  Gift cards are sold to you at face value.  Orders are placed on the 1^st of each month, or more often depending on the number of orders received.  Please consider using this program.   You can find the order form HERE

Please check-in at the office before entering the building during work hours.  We need to know who is in the building in case of an emergency.

Preschool Registration for Fall 2025

We still have openings in our Preschool in both of our sessions—children who will be 3 years old by September 1, and children who are 4/5 years old.  You can visit our website: stjoschatham.org, or contact Jackie Viste at preschoolinstructor@stjoschatham.org, for additional information.

Knights of Columbus 4179 News

If you are interested in joining the Knights of Columbus, please contact: Sean Fink at 217-415-1147. 

Rosary Group

St. Joe’s Rosary Group Prayer Session is available to all parishioners who want to praise and worship God, to pray for St. Joseph the Worker Church, family, friends and loved ones or to intercede for others.  We start praying the Rosary on Zoom at 4:15pm and finish all prayers around 5:10pm.  You can join through the Zoom Meeting ID: 509 233 2302  Passcode: Prayer, or you can call Pam Branham at 217-652-0246 for more details. 

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. Melody Clark.

More information and all forms can be found HERE

To learn more about our Preschool Fundraisers click HERE