Parish News & Events
Mass Schedule Update
On Saturday, August 15th, a Mass celebrating the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, will be held at 9:00am. It is NOT a Holy Day of Obligation this year since it falls on a Saturday. The 4:30pm Mass on that day will be for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Also, the Mass on Tuesday, August 18th will be held at 6:00pm instead of 8:30am.
The next TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) meeting is Sunday, August 16th at 9:15am in the Resource Room. All St. Joseph parishioners are welcome and encouraged to attend!
Adoration
Eucharistic Adoration will take place in the church on Friday, August 7th from 7:15am-8:15am and from 9:15am-11:30am, ending with Benediction.
Great Job!
“High” Praise to Finn Try, a junior at GHS, who vaulted 15.4 ft, a personal best, at the STL Invitational on July 25th. Way to achieve, Finn!
St. Joseph the Worker happily welcomes the new parishioners that joined us in July:
The Westbrook Family
The Ridley Family
The Shimkus Family
The Fleck Family
The Kelley Family
The Cunningham Family
The Elliott Family
The Pranger Family
The Nelson Families
The York Family
The Hughes Family
We are so happy that you’ve decided to join us at SJW! We look forward to having you become more acquainted with our parish, and we hope that you find us vibrant and active. May God bless you!
2026 Arts & Crafts Fair
Mark your calendars! The St. Joe's Annual Arts & Crafts Fair is back and will be held on Saturday, October 17th, 2026, from 8:30 am - 2:00 pm. All of our vendors will be selling handmade crafts including signs, home decor, wreaths, crocheted items, holiday items, and so much more! Come walk through and visit the tables for this indoor event that will be just before the holidays!
This year our Arts and Crafts Fair will be held inside on Saturday, October 17th from 8:30 am until 2:00 pm. Vendor setup will be available on Friday, October 16th from 4:30 pm - 8:30 pm and/or the morning of the event from 7:00 am - 8:30 am.
We are keeping our rental fees the same again this year as a celebration of all the renovations and updates at the church being finished for this year's event! Each space is 10' x 6' for $30. Tables can be rented for a fee upon request (included on the registration form).
Registration applications are due by September 1st and payment is due by September 17th. Feel free to share and invite other friends, family, and vendors you know who may be interested!
Further information can be found on the registration form at www.stjoschatham.org.
Blood Pressure Checks
The parish nurses will be checking blood pressures the weekend of August 8th and 9th.
Faith Formation Registration is DUE AUGUST 17th!
Registration for the 2026/2027 Faith
Formation year continues. We ask all families with children in kindergarten through grade level 8 to register for Faith Formation.
Children may attend Sunday morning classes from 9:15-10:15am.
Tuition for Grades K-8 is $60 for one child and $100 for two or more.
We are extending registration through August 17, 2026.
More information and forms can be found on our website, or you may stop into the church office and speak with Maddie.
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 August. They are especially in need of canned soup (not cream of mushroom), dry cereal, rice, pasta (spaghetti), dried boxed potatoes, mac and cheese, peanut butter, and jelly. 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:
- Sign in to your Google Account.
- Search for St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church.
- Find the Reviews Section.
- Click “Write a Review.”
- 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.