St. Joseph the Worker

Parishioners of St. Joseph the Worker:

Make sure you keep your eyes open as you drive these days—SCHOOL is open!  Please drive safely, especially in the morning & mid-afternoon.

I want to wish all our young people a very happy year of learning & growth.  How fortunate we are in Chatham to have a very good school system.  And, we have some of our students attending area Catholic grade schools & SHG, as well as other public schools near Chatham.  Our youth have excellent opportunities to further their education & their preparedness for the future.  We are grateful to all our teachers who help shape the many students in their classes. 

With school beginning once again, this can lead us to reflect on education in our Catholic faith.  As we expect our children to be in class each day, do we make sure that our children are in our Faith Formation classes which will begin in several weeks?  Continuing education in the Catholic faith is not only nice, but VITAL for the growth of our young people in the formation of their SOULS. 

NOW—some may say that once our children receive their sacraments, that is good enough.  And with Confirmation & First Communion occurring in the 3^rd grade, I have heard parents say that this is enough religion for their child.  OK—let’s put this in context.

What if you stopped your child’s education after the 3^rd grade level in MATH, SCIENCE, COMPUTER, ENGLISH, etc.?  Wouldn’t that be negligent, insane, or unheard of?  THEN, how or why is it permissible to stop their CATHOLIC EDUCATION at such a young age? 

Our Faith Formation classes continue through 8^th grade.  That is the absolute least religious education a child should expect, wouldn’t you agree?  If you are a parent of a grade school child, PLEASE see to it that their RELIGIOUS EDUCATION is on the same level as their education each day in “regular” school. 

And I want to extend my gratitude to Janice Anderson, our Faith Formation Coordinator, & to all our catechists & assistants who provide ongoing education in the Catholic faith.  They are valuable to our children, as well as to our parish. 

Let us ALL be followers of Jesus who CONTINUE our education in our Catholic faith.  If we are not growing in our faith each day, we are not allowing ourselves to get to know Jesus Christ better.  Religious education and attendance at Mass draw us closer to the Lord & to the Church.  Why would anyone not take the opportunity for this to occur?

                                                             Your Pastor, Father Joe