An overcast Sunday morning didn't dampen parishioners enthusiasm as St. Nicholas made a special appearance after Mass during Coffee Sunday ! He must have known it was the first Sunday in Advent, - just the right time to prepare for Christmas ! Join us in photos of the Mass and afterward fun downstairs in the Hall as we all spiritually prepare ourselves in earnest through the Advent season toward the Nativity. 

The Forty Hours Devotion is like a mini-retreat or mission for the parish. If it’s been a long while or if you’ve never gone on retreat, it’s great way to begin.
The Schedule was Thursday, November 15 - Sunday, November 18, 2018, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the dedication of our present church building in 1958 ( see archive photos).
The number forty in scripture has always signified a sacred period of time: the rains during the time of Noah lasted 40 days and nights; the Jews wandered through the desert for 40 years, our Lord fasted and prayed for 40 days before beginning His public ministry. The 40 Hours Devotion remembers that traditional “forty-hour period” from our Lord’s burial until the resurrection.

"The Ladies of St. Joseph" had an early November working meeting.  We made fleece blankets for The Cornerstone Shelter.  They have a need for blankets for youth/teens.It was a great turnout.....14 women gathered - donated their own fleece, - value of materials alone, approx. $20/blanket. If you've been looking for something meaningful and rewarding - joining with other women in prayerful common purpose for the benefit of others, consider the Ladies of St. Joseph. Come and see !

Many of those included on the prayer list in the bulletin are long standing, or even lifetime parishioners. One of which is Miss Stephanie Wrona whom we're visiting with today. Miss Steffi, who will be turning 98 this coming April 2019, over many years has volunteered as a choir member, member of the Rosary Society and St. Helen Society, worked at the annual Carnival every year, and helped supply many good meals for numerous parish events throughout the years. 
Many, like Miss Steffi, who are now homebound, need to be gratefully remembered in our prayers by all of us "newcomers" to the parish. She is one of the remaining supporters responsible for the construction of our present church, which replaced the original church building in 1958. See Gallery Archives for photos of the old church. God Bless you Miss Steffi !

It was a crisp Fall afternoon, right after the 4 p.m. Vigil Mass, for a delicious Polish Dinner prepared and served our own Ladies of St. Joseph. A full array of traditional Polish food, capped off by a 25 foot table of desserts and coffee, and conversation with friends old and new were the main ingredients to this delightful annual event. Take a few minutes to visit through the photos and plan to join us for the next parish adventure ! Check the bulletin and website regularly for future events. 

There's a certain beauty about a misty day along the ocean, and it didn't dampen the spirits of our group on Ender's Island in Mystic, CT.  A blessing by Fr. Bogdan at the 7:15 a.m. depature time set the day in motion, with a return time of 4:30 p.m. made for a refreshing day retreat. Join us as we revisit the trip to the beautiful 11 acre island.

A sunny morning greeted the congregation and family as we celebrated a new member of the Body of Christ. Join with us a we look in on this beautiful event ! 

It was a beautiful July Sunday for our St. Joseph Parish Cookout !  Everyone gathered outside after the 11:30 a.m. Mass for a delicious variety of summer picninc foods and desserts.  Join us in these photos, and don't forget to circle your calendar, God willing, for next year !

A fond farewell to parishioners Tom & Doris Wilk as they leave us to move up to New Hampshire. Tom and Doris raised 4 children, Doris doing the cooking and housekeeping for the many priests assigned to our parish, as well as a volunteer over the years for St. Helen's Society and the many parish events. Tom, spending 26 years in the Air Force, retiring as Captain, then another 19 years at Aetna in accounting. Tom served for years here at St. Joseph's as Lector, Confirmation teacher, Pastoral Council member, Knights of Columbus, St. Joseph Society Men's Club, serving at the Corner Stone Soup Kitchen & Shelter, delivering our weekly bread & food donations. Tom also pursued the spiritual life, attending the annual CT Catholic Men's Conference and attending various retreats at Immaculata Retreat House and St. Joseph's Trappist Abbey in Spencer, MA. Please keep Tom & Doris in your prayers as they begin their retirement and for those volunteers who will follow in their footsteps. God bless you Tom & Doris !  St. Joseph Abbey video clip. /  Spencer Trappist Ale video

During Holy Week of this past Lenten / Easter Season the CCD students together made lunch packages for the guests at the Corner Stone Soup Kitchen, an opportunity for a practical lesson in the theological virtue of Charity.  
It's the goal of our CCD program to bring our Faith from the lesson page into the student's daily lives. Faith not lived remains just a theory and has no transformative power in our lives or in the lives of those around us. 

A reflection on life priorities through the lens of the financial crisis back in '08. - Video Clip 5 minutes.

Passing on the Faith to our kids, - another look at who we are and what that means -  Video - 8 minutes

Amidst days of humidity and rain we had a beautiful, clear morning for the annual Corpus Christi Mass and Procession. Just before the end of the liturgy the congregation processed outdoors to four altars around the church grounds, young and not-so-young alike !  

What's Corpus Christi All About ?

Early Christian sources, such as The Didache ( Did-uh-kay, Greek: meaning ‘teaching’) an early Church document, written about 100 A.D., include instructions for the Eucharist. Ignatius of Antioch, ( b., approx 50 A.D. – martyred in Rome approx. 98-117 A.D.) a student of St. John the Apostle and one of the Apostolic Fathers, mentions the Eucharist as "the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ", and Justin Martyr (103-165 A.D.) speaks of it as: "the food over which the prayer of thanksgiving, the word received from Christ, has been said ... is the flesh and blood of this Jesus who became flesh ... and the deacons carry some to those who are absent."  ( See Leviticus 17:11, John 6:53, Mt 26:26-27, Mk 14:22, 24, Lk 22:19-20, , 1 Cor 11:16, & 27-29, Acts 27:35).

The Church reminds us in the month of May every year of Mary's role especially in the early Church as well as in the life of Christians throughout the ages. Take time to reflect on the following scripture passages, - Lk 1:26-55, Jn 2: 1-11, Mt 1:20, Mt 2:11, Lk 2:19, Lk 2:51, Acts 1:14.

Join us we look in on Holy Week services, - Holy Thursday (John 13: 12-15), Good Friday, Easter Vigil (John 8:12 ) including Baptism of catechumens, and at last, Easter Sunday, enabling us to carry the Good News out into our world of home, and work, ... where ever our lives and circumstances bring us, 

A beautifully cool and clear day welcomed parishioners arriving for the Palm Sunday Masses. Step inside with us in photos as we join the congregation for this start of Holy Week..

It was a cold but beautifully clear day for the annual Parish Breakfast ! Following Mass, we all convened downstairs in the church Hall for a delicious and hardy breakfast prepared by our own St. Joseph Society Men's Club. Eggs, sausage links, hash-browns, donuts, coffee, tea and hot chocolate awaited a hungry crowd !  Take a moment and visit again with us through the photos, and don't forget to join us next year !

NY Encounter is an annual free three day cultural event in NY which features exhibits, music and photography presentations, interviews, panel discussions along with Mass on Sunday this year celebrated by Sean Cardinal O'Malley OFM Cap., of Boston. Plan on joining us next year, - alwys on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.

See the 2018 promo video here. 

NY Encounter 2018 - website

Don't forget, plan to attend next year, - February 15-17, 2019 ! See you there !