“This is the day which Yahweh has made, a day for us to rejoice and be glad.” (Ps 118,24)  

The time of our forty-day preparation for Easter has come to an end.  Today is a unique and special day in many ways.   Jesus Christ has defeated our eternal enemy which is death.  

The world has changed.  The one who died lives a life that is no longer in danger of death.  A new kind of life has begun, and God wants to give this to each of us.  The mystery of Easter proclaims to the whole world that God's Love does not die!  God loves every person, even those who crucified Christ.    

On behalf of Fr. Józef and myself I offer my best wishes to all parishioners and guests who come to our church.  

May each one of us experience in our hearts the true joy of Easter and the power of the Risen Christ.  

Letter from the Provincial of the Pauline Fathers Regarding the Future of St. Joseph's

Dear Parishioners, 
     Ash Wednesday is quickly approaching and together with the whole Church on February 17th, we will begin the forty-day period of our preparation for the feast of Christ's Resurrection. Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent.  Lent is a special time that we must put to good use.  
     During these forty days we will continue to carry out our daily duties, but we must make time to contemplate Jesus and His Cross. During Lent we are called to pray more often, fast and put into practice almsgiving as well as practicing the Stations of the Cross devotion. 
     All of us need to reflect and take a good look at ourselves in the light of the Gospel to see how much we follow the example of Christ. 
     Through Jesus and following Him we have a chance to become truly blessed and genuinely happy as the Gospel says. It is Jesus who gives us grace. It is He who cares for our salvation, but we must respond to this grace properly. 
     Lent is the perfect occasion for us to respond to Jesus’ call. It is time for us to start experiencing a new life. This is the time of God's action. I invite you to be thankful for this holy time and I will close as I opened reminding you to follow the path of Jesus through prayer, fasting and almsgiving.  
     We must focus our hearts and minds on the path of Jesus because this will govern our actions to help lead us to eternal life with Christ.  

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." 
Fr Bogdan

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,  
 
     As 2020 ends, I would like to express my gratitude for your continued loyalty to Saint Joseph Church. We faced challenges this year, but our parish has shown resiliency and connectivity. We have seen it throughout the year with the kindness and generosity of our parishioners. 
     I encourage you to enter the new year with a spirit of peace and joy. We do not know what the next moment will bring or what we may face but we need to remain faithful. The Lord has faith in us that we will draw closer to Him in the new year.
     In the Letter to the Ephesians Saint Paul says that we are special. God chose us in Christ before the world was made.  
     To understand this, the Church invites all of us in 2021 to look to our patron Saint Joseph. St. Joseph never lost his strength of spirit and his faith. He has always put his trust in the Lord. Let us remember that we are not alone, we have powerful intercessors in heaven and among them the patron of our parish: St. Joseph.
     Father Joseph and I would like to thank you for allowing us to serve you and please keep the faith and know with the help of our heavenly intercessors we will get through this together.  
 
Love and Prayers,  
Father Bogdan

Joy to the world, the Lord has Come!

Let earth receive her King!

 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 

Jesus comes to us with the desire to give us salvation and happiness. He wants to give us joy that we are saved, so that we may receive the "treasure" of the Lord.

Saint Alphonsus Liguori, said, “I think God must have said to Himself: Man does not love Me because He does not see Me; I will show Myself to him and thus make him love Me. God’s love for man was very great, and had been great from all eternity, but this love had not yet become visible… Then, it really appeared; the Son of God let Himself be seen as a tiny Baby in a stable, lying on a little straw.” 

The first prayer of Christmas Mass also reminds us that because of the Nativity: “we may share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity”.

On behalf of Father Joseph and myself I would like to thank you all of you for your support of Saint Joseph Parish. May Jesus be your light and may the New Year bring you an abundance of health, happiness, and peace. 

“May the Lord continually bless you with heaven’s blessings as well as with human joys”.

God Bless you, 

Fr Bogdan Olzacki OSPPE.

    In the Book of Judges, we learn of the horrific treatment of the Israelites. For years, the Israelites were oppressed by the eastern people who plundered their land. When it seemed that all hope was lost for the Israelites, the Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said: "Yahweh is with you, valiant warrior!" Gideon replied, "Excuse me, my Lord, but if Yahweh is with us, why is all this happening to us?"
     This is the question that many of us are asking today: “why is this happening to us?” Why are we living in such a difficult time? This is a difficult time, but we need to recognize that all of us, like Gideon in the Old Testament, have a special vocation in the history of salvation. Each one of us is being called to sainthood. The Good News is that on this way we are not alone.
     During the month of November, we commemorate many unknown saints among us whom are our family members and friends. They are all constantly interceding for us. Saint Therese of Lisieux before she died, said: “When I die, I will send down a shower of roses from the heavens, I will spend my heaven by doing good on earth.”
     Dear brothers and sisters have courage for we are not alone! 
As the Angel said to Gideon the Lord is with us!

Fr Bogdan

From the Pastor's Desk 
Dear Parishioners, 
Please enjoy our newsletter.  
     Saint John Paul II said, “What really matters in this life is that we are loved by Christ and that we love him in return.  In comparison to the love of Jesus, everything else is secondary. And, without the love of Jesus everything is useless.”
     Please take a moment and reflect upon these words. We are loved by Christ! We must love Him in return! How can we love Jesus in return? We can start right now in our homes. Each one of us is called to offer prayer for others. We can do it individually or even better together as a household. I am sure you have heard the saying which states: “the family that prays together stays together." This is what we need to do now, we need to pray more than ever before. Through your prayer it will strengthen your trust in Him, and Jesus will bring joy to your life.  
     Have a Blessed day and please keep me in your prayers.
 God bless you,
 
     Fr. Bogdan

Dear Brothers and Sisters
We have just completed another financial year. Many things have happened in the life of the Universal Catholic Church and in our parish. On this occasion, I would like to thank all parishioners for their prayers and their work for our parish.

Among the many events of the past year, the COVID pandemic was undoubtedly the most difficult. It has wreaked havoc not only in the country, but also in our parish life.
The number of services and the number of people who can attend have been limited. 
However, I am very happy that thanks to the commitment of our parishioners, we have a beautiful new website that broadcasts the 10:00 am Mass from our church every Sunday. Both those who are at home and those who are far away can join us in prayer.

A great achievement this year was the at-home/online Bible Summer Camp for children organized by Mrs Megan Mindek our Ministry Coordinator, for which I am especially grateful.

One of the events worth emphasizing is the fact that we were able to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation in our parish this year. Despite many inconveniences, five students of our parish CCD program were able to receive the last sacrament of Christian initiation.

Among the statistical data, it is worth noting that about 420 people came to our parish each Sunday in October 2019. During the year 1 child was baptized and there were 11 funerals.

Unfortunately, we see a steady decline in the Sunday collection. It is a great challenge for us and fills us with concern about the financial situation in the future.

Our parish and our church is a home that we build in many dimensions and aspects.
All matters are important: economic, physical or administrative, but above all those that contribute to build a relationship with God and fellow parishioners.

I am glad that we are together in building an authentic community, for which I thank you very much. 

Fr Bogdan Olzacki OSPPE

Financial Report 

I pray that you are having a blessed week during this challenging time.  I am writing this message to our parishioners to show how grateful I am for your prayers and the Masses said for my family.  I sincerely appreciate them with all my heart.  Your kindness made a difference.  My brother, Janusz, was able to have the surgery and is now recovering and doing well.  Please accept our deepest thanks.  Thank you is never enough.  God Bless you!

Always in my prayers,

Father Bogdan