Parish News & Events

Pandamania Vacation Bible School

VBS is held the week of June 22nd-26th; 9:00-11:30am each day. This year’s theme is “Pandamania: Where God is Wild about You!” VBS is open to all children age 4 (by 9/1/26) to present grade level 4 (entering grade 5).


VBS Colors

  • Monday - Blue
  • Tuesday - Orange
  • Wednesday - Green
  • Thursday - Pink
  • Friday - Yellow


Contact the office at 217-483-3772 to register for this health talk!

Sew n' Sews

Meetings have been suspended until after the 4th of July! See you July 7th!

Our next Afternoon of Games will be held on Wednesday, July 1st, starting at 11:30am in Kollross Hall. We will offer cards, dice, and board games. You can bring a friend, learn a game, teach a game, or just sit, watch, and visit.

Eucharistic Adoration

There will be Eucharistic Adoration in the Church on Friday, July 3rd from 7:15am-8:15am and from 9:15am-11:30am, ending with Benediction.

Office Closure

The parish office will be closed on Friday, July 3rd in observance of the Independence Day holiday. The office will re-open on Monday, July 6th with normal hours.

ST. MONICA MINISTRY

Please gather with us on Wednesday, July 1st from 9:00am to 10:00am to pray for fallen away/lapsed Catholics. This is an important prayer ministry, and we hope to see you there!

Liturgical Ministers Needed

We are very grateful for the parishioners who currently serve as Liturgical Ministers. However, we can always use more help. Each weekend, 39 people are needed to ensure each Mass runs smoothly.

If you are interested in becoming a Hospitality Minister, Reader, Altar Server, or Eucharistic Minister, we would ask that you contact either Fr. Joe or Judy Gartland.

PB&J Ministry

Join us in the kitchen between Sunday Masses on June 28th, from 9:00a.m.-10:30a.m., to make sandwiches and deliver to various food pantries in Springfield. You can stay for as little or as long as you are able. Your generosity is amazing! Thank you again for your support! All ages are welcome!

Finance Council News

Our parish owes a big THANK YOU to Bruce Thompson for his many years of service as the Finance Council Chairperson. He and his wife, Barb, have moved to the West coast to be near their family. We will definitely miss his stewardship, counsel, and financial direction. May the Lord bless Bruce and Barb as they begin a new chapter in their lives. Please pray for them.

With that said, we want to welcome Brian Stenke as the new Finance Council Chairperson. He has generously agreed to take over for Bruce. Brian works in the financial realm and will be a great asset in leading our parish financially. Thanks so much, Brian, for saying “yes” to assuming this role for us.

Baptismal Preparation

Friendly reminder to sign up for baptismal preparation class on July 16 at 6:30pm if you have a child that you would like to have baptized. If you have already taken this class, you do not have to take it again. Contact the office at 217-483-3772 to sign up.

WHEN YOU PRAY: A CLEAR PATH TO A DEEPER RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD


This bible study is a 7-session study designed to help transform your prayer life. Cultivate a rich and lasting prayer life!


The study includes:

  • Workbook with questions, reflections, and applications
  • “When You Pray” book - written by Dr. Edward Sri to offer guidance on trust, surrender, and the transformation of your soul


Bible Study Starts:

WHEN: Thursday, July 9th

WHERE: St. Joe’s Kollross Hall

TIME: 12:15pm


“When You Pray” is authored by Dr. Edward Sri and features commentary from Fr. Jacques Philippe, Fr. Josh Johnson, Fr. Gregory Pine, Sister Josephine Garrett, Fr. Donald Haggerty, and Sister Maris Stella.


The cost is $28 and includes the Book & Workbook. Please make checks payable to St. Joseph the Worker.


Register in the church gathering space or contact the church office at 217-483-3772 or Pam Branham at 217-652-0246.

Bulletin Submission Date Change

The bulletin for the weekend of July 4th and July 5th will be published early due to the Independence Day holiday. Please submit any information you’d like to be added to the bulletin for that weekend by Thursday, June 25th at 12:00pm (noon). All submissions after that date and time will not be added for the July 4th and July 5th weekend.

IMPORTANT: Request to Rent a Parish Space for Parishioner Groups

From now on, ALL parish groups that meet at the church are to complete a Request to Rent a Parish Space for Parishioner Groups. This is to ensure that the parish office has the contact information for the group coordinator, and this is the form that will be signed by Father/office staff for approval of parish events. This form MUST be filled out, returned to the office, and signed by Father prior to advertising the use of any parish space/parish event. Any groups that already have standing space/event forms must re-submit their request using the new form, signing their acknowledgement of the new standards for our spaces.

The form lays out expectations as to how our parish spaces are to be cleaned up following group meetings or events. There is a cleaning checklist that will need to be returned to the parish office following each meeting/event. We are implementing this form so that we can ensure the longevity of our parish spaces following the Capital Campaign updates! Thank you for understanding!


IMPORTANT: Safe Environment Training & Background Checks

You may have noticed that our Office Manager and Secretary have been contacting parishioners regarding expired or expiring background checks and DCFS CANTS forms. These are background checks that are REQUIRED by the Diocese in order to volunteer or be involved in any capacity at our parish. This includes parishioners that are 18+ years old and involved with CHWC, choir, liturgical ministry, VBS, councils, Bible Studies, Trivia Night, etc. If you have not completed these background checks or have one due, you are not able to continue to volunteer or be involved until this is complete. All coordinators of volunteers will be contacted to ensure that people with background checks that are due do not continue to volunteer. If you have issues completing the background check or need additional information, please contact our office at 217-483-3772. Thank you for your cooperation!

YOUTH

There will be weekly Youth sessions beginning at 11:45am on Sundays after Mass for all youth ages 7th grade through 12th grade. Please mark your calendars! Light snacks and drinks will be provided.

SCRIP Fundraising Program

Why not purchase gifts cards through SCRIP! 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. In fact, you can purchase Visa Gift Cards without an additional fee! Gift cards are ordered on the first of the month or more often depending on the number of orders. You can find the order form HERE

Holy Family Food Pantry will be the recipient for June. They are especially in need of jellies, canned food of any kind, soups of any kind, hot/cold cereals, dry pasta, and rice. Collection boxes are at the south entrance of the church outside the Fr. Franzen Day Chapel. Thank you for your support.

Support St. Joseph the Worker Parish with time, talent, treasure and a Google review! 

Your good review might be the vehicle to entice others to come and experience our friendly and welcoming worship environment. Discipleship is in action when we share our thoughts about why we choose to worship at St. Joseph the Worker Church. If you write reviews for your favorite restaurant or other service provider, why not write a review for your church. Spread the good word! 

To write a review:

  1. Sign in to your Google Account.
  2. Search for St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church.
  3. Find the Reviews Section.
  4. Click “Write a Review.”
  5. Rate and Write: Choose your star rating (1-5 stars) and write your review in the text box. Be honest and specific.

Submit. Once you’re satisfied, click “post” to publish your review. 

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. 

Memorials

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.

Would you like to add something to this list or bulletin?

All bulletin info is due on Mondays by 12:00pm to secretary@stjoschatham.org.


Bulletin Submission Date Change

The bulletin for the weekend of July 4th and July 5th will be published early due to the Independence Day holiday. Please submit any information you’d like to be added to the bulletin for that weekend by Thursday, June 25th at 12:00pm (noon). All submissions after that date and time will not be added for the July 4th and July 5th weekend.