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Dear Members and Friends of St. Joseph Church,
I hope each of you is in good health and you are enjoying the blessings of summer. As we face September, I am surprised how quickly time has elapsed. It seems as if summer passes so quickly!
We are facing new beginnings in many areas of our lives. The 2021-22 School Year is starting: That means teachers and school personnel are busy at work and the students are leaving vacation behind and “hitting the books,” or perhaps computer screens! Fall sports are underway; especially my favorite one that involves “pigskin.” I pray as I am confident that you too are praying, for the health and safety of our teachers and students. There are many reasons for excitement and high expectations. We are still dealing with the pandemic; but we cannot be paralyzed by fear.
As you know, we have done well financially through the recent fiscal year. Please review the financial statement in this week’s bulletin. We have also done well through our most recent Capital Campaign. The largest source of income for the Capital Campaign was the bequest from the estate of Ethel and Thomas Mackin. We have acknowledged this bequest by calling the former Blue Room the Mackin Room. Due to your generosity, we have invested heavily in technology. The Mackin Room has been affectionately dubbed “the Zoom Room.”
The following is a highlighting of some of the activities this September:
7-10: I will be attending the Diocese of Youngstown Priest Convocation.
12: CCD begins! The parents are receiving a letter from Mrs. Linda Landers, our CCD Coordinator, concerning the protocol for the school year. Also in this bulletin is the letter about the new school year from Bishop Bonnar.
19: The Vicki Castronova Benefit Dinner and Basket-Raffle, The Raffle ticket drawing will take place at this time. Please see Bulletin for more information.
As a parish we have a wonderful future together. We have accomplished a number of renovation and improvement projects and we have started a number of parish activities that appear to have a promising future. I encourage each of you to consider how well you are using your own time, talent, and treasure as a steward of God’s gifts.
Praying that God blesses each of you with the rich harvest you need, I remain
