St. Joseph the Worker

Dear Parishioners of St. Joseph the Worker:

 It is the middle of September already.  Autumn is just around the corner.  Cooler temperatures, falling leaves, shorter days, and football!

One of the really neat things I have seen since I arrived at SJW is a decal that says: FAITH FORMATION BEGINS AT MASS.  How true this is!  Our Eucharist, that special sacrament the Lord entrusted to us, is the PRIMARY teaching tool, the PRIMARY way we encounter the Lord, the PRIMARY tool for shaping our children’s present and future.

If you are the parents of a child in our parish, PLEASE see to it that they are at Mass each weekend.

If you are the parents of a child in our parish, PLEASE know that if you are sending your child to Faith Formation, but walking out the door at 10:15 after class and don’t go into church for Mass, the message you are sending does not benefit your child.

If you are the parents of a child in our parish, PLEASE form their faith at home by reading the Bible to them, praying a Rosary with them as a family, talking to them about Jesus, sharing your relationship with Jesus.  You as parents are the primary teachers of your child in the ways of faith. 

But the message above is for all of us.  Are we, no matter what age, at Mass each weekend, making that a true priority in our lives?

Are we, no matter what age, putting a golf game, a sporting event, more sleep time in bed, pure apathy in the way of celebrating the Eucharist?

Are we, no matter what age, not extending the Mass by praying at home and living our Catholic faith in  our home, workplace, neighborhood, classroom?

The faith we have was given to us and entrusted to us at the moment of our Baptism.  The Lord Jesus welcomed us into the Church.  At that time, we pledged to live out of our faith, share our faith, grow in our faith, and to witness it each moment of every day.

Let us reflect this week on how we are doing at being FAITH-FILLED Catholic Christians for our Lord.

Let us pledge to be stronger in our lives spiritually.

Let us challenge ourselves to make sure that our children, our spouse, our grandchildren, our neighbors, our extended family, and all others see that we are committed to the faith given us.

Let us never be indifferent, apathetic, or weak when it comes to living as Catholics.  AMEN.

Your Pastor, Father Joe