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Dear Family of the N Y Archdiocese
A Message from Cardinal DolanThe Covid-19 pandemic, which has caused disruption across many aspects of our daily lives, is having an especially profound impact on young people, including those in our Catholic schools, whose education is being altered or interrupted.
The pandemic and resulting economic impact have dramatically reduced the number of parents who can afford to make tuition payments for the upcoming school year. Two weeks ago, I shared the sad news that 20 of our schools, already facing soaring deficits, would not be able to re-open this Fall due to steep declines in enrollment. Without assistance to our parents and children from the Federal government, many more of our Catholic schools may have to close permanently. These closures will harm thousands of students from our archdiocese, and across the nation.
Many of our nation’s elected officials of both parties recognize the crisis that is confronting all schools, including Catholic and other non-government schools. Congress is working on another bill to provide relief from the Covid crisis for critical parts of our economy and society such as our schools. Catholic and other non-government schools must be included in that relief.
The time to make your voices heard is now. If Congress does not provide assistance to our schools within the next few weeks before the school year opens, many parents may find themselves unable to meet even our modest tuition costs, and we will be forced to write you again announcing yet more school closures.
Please contact your elected officials – Senator Chuck Schumer at (202) 224-6542 or (212) 486-4430, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand at (202) 224-4451 or (212) 688-6262, and your local Member of Congress (you can find the name and contact info of your Representative here) – and implore them to provide assistance to prevent our Catholic schools from closing permanently.
With gratitude and prayerful best wishes, I am,
Faithfully yours in Christ,
Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan
Archbishop of New York -
walking with purpose - Study group
Walking with Purpose transforms the hearts and lives of women by providing Bible studies that enable women to know Christ through Scripture and the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church
Opening Your Heart, The Starting Point
This 22 week foundational course is designed for women who are new to WWP as well as those with more Bible study experience.
Join us as we examine the core questions that we need to wrestle with if we want to experience all the God has for us.
How can I conquer my fears?
What is the role of the Holy Spirit in my life?
What does the Eucharist have to do with my friendship with Christ?
What challenges will I face in my efforts to follow Jesus more closely?The Walking with Purpose Bible Study group will meet virtually beginning
Tuesday, September 22nd
from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.To register and get the full calendar,
please contact Marla Greco at:
mgreco@themontfortacademy.org or
Aine N Schenk at
ainenschenk@gmail.comThere is no fee to register, but all participants are asked to purchase The Opening Your Heart workbook, which is available on the WWP website:
walkingwithpurpose.com -
Mass Times and Reconciliation
Keep in mind-Social Distancing-Maximum of 90 people
Mon - Sat: 6:45 - 8:30 - 12 Noon
Sunday - 8:00am - 9:30 - 10:45 - 12 Noon - 5:00pm
Vigil Mass: Sat 5:00p.
Temporarily: Extra Masses in the Parish Center
Sat 5:15pm - Sun 11:00 am & 5:10 pm (only if needed)
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Reconciliation -(Confession)
Thursday & Saturday - 11:00 - 11:30
Temporarily heard in the Sacristy - Face mask Required -
Rectory Office Information
ADDRESS: 15 Cedar Street Bronxville, New York 10708
PHONE: 914-337-1660
FAX: 914-337-1342
MON - FRI: 9 AM - 3:00 PM (Temporary)
SAT - SUN: 9 AM - 3:00 PM -
"WeShare" - An Opportunity to TitheWhen you are unable to attend Mass
WeShare is our new easy to use online giving tool. To join simply click here: https://www.churchgiving.com/?pc=rqa93d37
QUESTIONS: Contact WeShare support at 1(800) 950-9952
If you are already registered and wish to tithe:https://saintjosephsbronxville.churchgiving.com/ -
COVID-19 PrayerCOVID-19 PRAYERIt is amazing how our lives and our language has changed in the last 5 months. COVID-19 has affected us all in how we live, how we work, how we learn, and how we worship. This virus is not going away anytime soon. It remains vicious, capricious, and often deadly. The statistics in our country and around the world remain staggering and sobering.Please pray this prayer often and share it with your loved ones.God of all mercies, grant:To your holy people, safety and good health.To those afflicted with COVID-19, swift healing.To the frightened, courage.To the dying, comfort.To the dead, eternal life.To health care providers, strength and stamina.To our leaders, wisdom and compassion.To our nation, unity of purpose.To the Church, the grace to serve the suffering selflessly.To all believers, strong faith in your divine presence.To the whole human family, unity of heart.And to us, your servants, the reward of knowing that we are doing your will when we spend ourselves in the service of others.
Amen.Be prudent. Be respectful of the health of others. Wear your mask. Stay distant. Be healthy.Remember that very one of us is precious in the eyes of Almighty God!God bless you,Fr Peter -
CARDINAL’S APPEAL UPDATE 2020
The Cardinal’s Appeal has been going now for about 30 years.
Each year, the Appeal raises much-needed funds to support poor parishes, seminarians, our retired priests, and to do out-reach programs to young and old alike. Here at St Joseph’s, we have had a proud record of not only making our targeted goal but exceeding it! So many of our parishioners are wonderful examples of what it means to be good stewards.
Our parish goal this year is $362K. Right now, we are at about 80% of that goal with about $287K pledged. This extraordinary generosity is from just 410 families---just 16% of our entire parish. We need about $75K more to meet our goal. Our prayer is that so many families who have never been involved in the Appeal in the past will become involved this year.
I know the past 5 months have been financially challenging for many. Believe me, our parish has suffered some substantial financial losses. However, there are so many in our backyard in the Archdiocese who are in serious need and rely on our generosity. The need has never been greater than now.
Please consider making a pledge to the Appeal. Your gift—large or small—will make a huge difference in the lives of so many who are far less fortunate than we are.
God bless you,
Fr Peter -
2020 Census
I recently received a note from Mary Marvin, the Mayor of Bronxville. It seems the response to the 2020 CENSUS is the lowest in decades. The Village stands to lose 30% of various kinds of aid for the next decade. PLEASE fill out your 2020 CENSUS cards or simply go online to fill one out. It only takes a couple of minutes. I did it myself and it is very easy.
Fr Peter -
Welcome from Fr. Peter
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Weekly News at St Joseph's
STATE OF ST JOE’S 6+ MONTHS INTO THE VIRUS
Who ever thought that the COVID-19 pandemic would still be radically affecting our lives almost 7 months after it shut down our churches here in NY?
Now, it looks like its effects will continue to be with us for many months to come. Wearing masks and social distancing---and the anxiety that come with it--are clearly not going away anytime soon. As your pastor and temporal administrator of our great parish, I felt I needed to reach out to you and address two very important topics as we move forward: worship and stewardship.
I fully understand that many people, especially our older parishioners, still may not feel safe coming to church. I hope you and your families will worship with us virtually as we continue to have Mass live streamed every day, Monday-Saturday at 6:45 and Sunday at 10:45. You can pray with us at whatever time is convenient by just going to our website and clicking the ‘Facebook’ icon.
For those wishing to join us physically at Mass, you can do that daily at 6:45, 8:30, and 12 Noon.
For those coming for the weekend liturgy, we can accommodate 100 in the church ( I recommend you come early) Saturday at 5, Sunday at 8, 9:30, 10:45, 12 noon and 5 pm. Please note that when we reach our capacity of 100 in the church, we have 3 additional Masses in the Parish Center: Saturday at 5:15, Sunday at 11 am and 5:15 pm.
What is vitally important—especially for our children-- is that we continue to make time for reverent worship and keeping the Sabbath special and ‘holy.’ The great fear is that many are finding it easy NOT to come to Mass or to even worship virtually on Sunday. What we don’t want to lose is your valued connection to our parish community of St Joseph’s. Yes, so many of our programs and events have had to be changed, post phoned, or even cancelled, but this will not last forever. As a church, above all, we need to keep praying with and for one another—it goes to the very heart of who we are as a church.
My second reason for writing you is to frankly discuss the financial impact of COVID on our parish. Let me say, “Thank you” to those of you have continued to mail in your contributions, dropped them off in church or those who have joined electronic giving (We Share) via our website. I want to also thank the 420 families who have been so generous to the Cardinal’s Annual Appeal in this difficult year that does so much to help the poor. This year, St Joseph’s collected almost $300k---just an amazing amount and a clear testimony of your great generosity and sense of stewardship!
I fully realize these are tough financial times for so many families. However, I would be derelict in my duty as your Pastor if I didn’t tell you that the impact of COVID on our parish has been severe.
In the last 28 weeks, we have lost an average of $10K a week in our collections. We also lost about $100K in the missed Easter collection. Do the math. Do the math if this continues for the next 28 weeks! The impact on the parish has been alarming. Like any family, we are trying our best to curtail expenses, but our overhead in salaries and maintenance is substantial.
I need your help now and in the many challenging weeks ahead. If you have neglected to send your contributions—for whatever reason-- in the last 6+ months, please re-consider your level of weekly stewardship to the parish we all love so much.
God bless you for all that you do.
Please continue to pray for me---Fr Peter
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Blessing of Animals
The Feast of St Francis of Assisi falls on Sunday Oct 4 this year
We will be Blessing Animals at 3 PM on the lawn in front of the Rectory. Keep in mind the Social Distancing/Mask wearing procedures - pets exempted from mask wearing....
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FR TRAVIS….
Sadly, Fr Travis Gabriel left us this last week. His Cardinal Archbishop has called him home for a special assignment after just being with us 1 year. Fr Travis was a wonderful blessing to St Joseph’s. A kind, thoughtful, gentle, prayerful, and brilliant priest, he will be greatly missed. For us priests, he was a joy to live with in the rectory. Father’s only departing request was that we should pray for him. In your name, I promised him we would
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BEST IN CLASS PART IIOn Wednesday, September 9 th, our parish school of St Joseph’s opened for its 71 st academic year with a sparkling new look. Over the summer, construction crews were working hard 6 days a week to totally gut and rebuild the ground floor. Our goal was to put in a new, much-needed Pre-K, a remodeled science lab, and a state- of -the-art TRAC room. We hope that this new construction, together with a revised teaching curriculum, will attract new students and retain those in our upper grades. When so many schools around us were closing, St Joseph’s was the only one to embark on a daring new building project to invest in the future success of our students.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Thursday, Bishop Gerald Walsh came to represent Cardinal Dolan to bless our new classrooms as well as our students. We all agreed that this is a new and exciting chapter in the life of our parish school.
My special thanks to all those who worked on the “Best in Class’ Committee for over a year to make this dream a reality. My thanks to Paul Scariano, our energized chairman, who conceived this project. Thanks also to our faculty reps, Helen Marricco, Tim Chapman, and Annette Caserella. Thanks to our parent reps, Jean Enke and Joe Spillane, Jr. A very special thanks to Dean Marrazzo, our facilities manager, who worked day and night to oversee every detail of this project. Most especially, a big ‘THANK YOU’ to our tireless principal, Mrs. Sanchez. She has worked this entire summer trying to make St Joseph’s School stronger and better. With her enthusiastic leadership, we have added 69 new students this year.
These are very challenging times for all of our schools. With your support and your prayers, I know St Joseph’s will be a cutting edge, successful and truly CATHOLIC school for many generations to come.
God bless you and all of our students.
Fr Peter (SJS ’63)
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ANNOUNCED MASSES FOR 2021….
Many have asked about reserving announced Masses for 2021. Because of COVID-19, we have to do this process a little differently this year. Please go to our website and see the electronic bulletin for further instructions.
SOME GREAT NEWS!
St Joseph’s is a beautiful church. At the tender age of 92, she is getting even more beautiful.
For 7 years now, I have always wanted to have a mosaic of The Divine Mercy to replace the simple print we had. However, we have had lots more pressing, practical, and very expensive projects to do first. Now, thanks to the extraordinary generosity of Ms Sarajane Brittis, we have the mosaic, given in honor of her parents, Dr Anthony & Marianna Brittis. The mosaic was lovingly handcrafted in Italy—just outside Venice-- over the last 6 months and was just installed last Friday. How blessed we are! Generations to come will be able to pray before this sacred reminder of God’s infinite mercy. From all of us at St Joseph’s, “THANK YOU”, Ms Brittis!
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WELCOMING OUR PARISHIONERS BACK It has been so great to see folks gradually coming back to Mass even with masks and social distancing as our new ‘normal.’ Being able to receive the Eucharist is our greatest gift here on earth.Right now, the law only allows us to have a maximum of 85 people in our church for any Mass.
If needed, we are prepared to offer 3 additional Masses in the Parish Center on Saturday at 5:15, Sunday at 11, and Sunday evening at 5:15. Again, these Masses will only be celebrated if the main church is full.
Please also note that we will no long have a 1:15 pm Mass. This was effective, Sunday, July 5th.
These are very tough financial times for all---including your parish. Many thanks to all our faithful parishioners who have sent in your contributions to the Rectory. Many thanks to all who have joined electronic giving via WE SHARE. Together, I know that we will all get through these challenging days stronger physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
God bless you,
Fr Peter
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Sunday Reflection:Reflection for the 26rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Year A) Mt 21:28-32 (136)
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS.
In the musical “My Fair Lady” Eliza Doolittle sings: Don’t talk of stars, burning above if you’re in love, show me.”
It is actions that speak louder than words. We get sick and tired of “Yes Men” and “Yes women.” We want what is agreed upon done. Your word is your honor. We want actions, God wants actions, performance over promise.
In the Gospel Parable of today, Jesus tells us that the son, who initially said “No”, had second thoughts – a change of heart and did what was expected of him by his Father. Whereas the other son- said “Yes,” and did nothing about it.
Talk is cheap. Words can only be words when there is no corresponding action. If you want to know what someone believes don’t listen to what they say – watch what they do. Our actions serve as a testimony for what we believe in.
Jesus is the Word become flesh. He enfleshed the Word in action – by doing His Father’s Will. It would help us to ask, “what would Jesus do in this situation?”
In our own lives we could be saying “No” at first to God’s will in our lives, then we have second thoughts, wiser counsel prevails and we strive to measure up to God’s expectation of us. The lives of the Saints reveal the same pathway from “No” to “Yes”. Remember we are products of our past, but not shackled to the past. We can be different.
The question is whether we will accept God’s love for each one of us and turn away from sin. Remember, to follow Jesus, is to seek to do all that He asks of us. No matter how many times we have said “No” to God, we can still change and seek God’s Will and God forgives our faults.
Don’t preach a Sermon – Be a Sermon.
Remember, every Saint has a past – every Sinner still has a future. There is no need to be discouraged.
Fr. Dawson
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2021 Mass Book Requests
You may request your Masses in a letter as long as you adhere to the restrictions pointed out in this announcement.... Make sure that you print the intentions so that they can be read properly
Announced Masses for 2021
Please list your Mass requests for the year 2021.
Masses requested in the wills of the deceased parishioners are honored first.
It is required by Canon (Church) Law that one Mass per week should be offered for all the deceased and living members of the parish - (For the people of Saint Joseph’s Parish) This Mass will be the 8:00AM SUNDAY.
Please limit the requests to THREE Masses.
Sheets with more than THREE requests, will be returned to you!!
Preference will be given to registered parishioners – fill in the Parishioner # on the sheet – from your envelopes
Please note the exempted dates listed at the bottom of this sheet before making your selections.
Weekday Masses are 6:45; 8:30; 12:00
The Sunday Masses (5PM Sat- Vigil Mass) 9:30; 10:45; 12:00; and 5PM
The 1:15 PM Mass has been eliminated
If you have specific dates and times, we will try to honor them as best we can.
If mailing in an envelope marked - “Year 2021 Masses”.
Given that we are likely to continue social distancing, we suggest you mail your requests.
Requests will be entered in the order received and we will try to honor all requests.
You should bear in mind that with restricted numbers for attendance, it will be impossible to guarantee that you will be able to attend Masses requested for the 12 Noon and 5 PM Saturday Masses.
If the date and time you requested are not available, attempts will be made
to schedule the Mass as close as possible to your requested date or time.
You might also consider a weekly Memorial of the Sanctuary Candles or the Bread and Wine ($25 offering for the week)
An acknowledgement of your Mass requests will be mailed to you
the week of November 10th
Please check back after November 10th for an opportunity to schedule additional Mass requests or if you are not a registered parishioner
If you need a Mass changed, please come to the Rectory Office or call 337-1660. The usual offering for an announced Mass is $15.00.
PLEASE – CAREFULLY PRINT - ALL INFORMATION
DAY DATE TIME INTENTION (NAME)
1___________ ___________ _______ __________________________________
2___________ ___________ _______ __________________________________
3___________ ____________ _______ __________________________________
Your Name: __________________________________________________________________________
Your Address: ________________________________________________________________________
Your Phone or email: _________________________________
Parishioner #_____________
PLEASE NOTE: In the year 2021, NO intentions will be taken on Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday, All Souls, Thanksgiving and all Christmas Masses and the First Friday 12 Noon Mass which is reserved for the St Joseph’s Auxiliary Living & Deceased, Mother’s Day & Father’s Day Novena Masses
Reminder – The 8:00 am Sunday Mass is reserved for “The People of the Parish”
On Federal Holidays: There will NOT be a Noon Mass and The Church will be closed following the 8:30 Mass