Parish Ministries – St Joseph Church

Altar Servers

Altar Servers fulfill a vital role at St. Joseph Parish. Their primary role is to assist the priest in the celebration of the liturgy during Mass. In addition, servers have the privilege of assisting the celebrant at other liturgical events.

Students who have received their First Communion (Grade 3-12) are welcome to become altar servers. If you have questions or are interested in becoming a server, please contact the parish office at 610-948-7760 or e-mail st.joes@comcast.net

Choir

St. Joseph’s Choir is comprised of parish men and women from 15 years of age through adulthood. The choir sings one Sunday Mass per month, as well as Holy Days of Obligation, Holy Week, Christmas Eve and Midnight Mass. All voice parts are needed, but particularly tenors and basses! The ability to read music is a plus, but not entirely necessary.

For those parishioners thinking of joining the choir, please email Leslie at LeslieCStaab@comcast.net .

Leslie C. Staab, Director
BSBA, Villanova University, 1992
MSEd, Gwynedd-Mercy College, 2009

CYO

CYO Sports is one component of a parish’s comprehensive youth ministry program which enables the partnership of parents, coaches, priests, religious, teachers, and adult leaders to manage and support a sports program that allows youth to grow in their relationship with God and come to better understand themselves and the Catholic Faith.

Employs healthy and enjoyable competition to promote the sharing of gospen values among athletes, parents, and coaches
Assists parish leadership in nourishing the emotional, spiritual, social, and physical needs of young people.
Encourages our youth to appreciate the gifts they possess, and challenges them to share these gifts with their community
Allows youth to witness the life of Christian Discipleship in their coaches and adult leaders
Encourages youth to become responsible members of their faith community

If you are interested in learning more, please visit www.hfscyo.com

Eucharistic Ministers

An Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion helps distribute communion at Mass and may take communion to the shut-ins, sick and dying. (Canon Law 230.3)

A team of fully initiated parishioners have been commissioned to fulfill the duties of an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. Extraordinary ministers are assigned to the Masses on Saturday evening & Sunday morning as well as on Holy Days for the orderly and reverent distribution of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you are interested in becoming a candidate for appointment as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, contact the parish office at 610-948-7760 or e-mail st.joes@comcast.net .

Intercessory Prayer

“Ask and you shall receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened unto you.” Matthew 7:7

Intercessory Prayer members offer up prayers each day for the special intentions placed in the intercessory prayer petition box located in the foyer of the church or requested via the HOME page of our website..

If you are interested in learning more or in joining this group, please contact Mary Frank at frankdvoa@aol.com .

Lectors

“From the very beginning, Christians have gathered together to hear the word of God, and, from the very beginning, there have been individuals entrusted with the task of reading the word.” This has become the role of the lector today.

“Lectors carry out their primary function during the Liturgy of the Word. Here the lector proclaims God’s Word to His people so that, strengthened by the words of Holy Scripture, they might come to a deeper love of God and a fuller Christian life.”

There are many opportunities for lectors at St. Joseph Church. If you are interested in becoming a lector, contact John Michael at johnmichael2@comcast.net

PRAYER FOR LECTORS

Heavenly Father,
I ask for your grace as I proclaim your Word to the people of my Parish.
I ask that when I speak it will be your voice they hear
and thus be inspired to live according to that Word.
I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

Liturgy Committee

The members of the Liturgy Committee, under the guidance of Fr. O’Hara, are committed to fostering and enhancing the spiritual services held at St. Joseph’s. It is our hope that the services increase the prayer life of those who attend them and confirm that Jesus is always present in our lives. We can appreciate the God presence through the liturgies offered at St. Joseph’s.

We are always eager to hear from you. You can reach our contact person, Eleanor Slanga, at 610-469-9241 or jepslanga@verizon.net

Men of St. Joseph (MOJO)

Church history tells us that St. Francis upon entering the Church of San Damiano heard our Lord speak to him from the crucifix and ask him “Rebuild My Church”. Only after rebuilding the crumbling foundation did he realize that Jesus was asking him to repair the spiritual foundation of the Church. Today, nearly 800 years later the Men of St. Joseph are fulfilling St. Francis’ mission by not only rebuilding our Church but also providing for a more enlightening spiritual life in our Parish.

Just as St. Francis realized that a dual mission was at work in his life, the Men of St. Joseph enjoy a simultaneous vocation of rebuilding the place and rebuilding their person. In doing so, the Men of St. Joseph are fulfilling the missionary mandate of Pope John Paul II to be craftsmen of a new humanity and are making things new again in Christ.

The Men of Saint Joseph (MOJO) is an organization open to all male members of St. Joseph parish. MOJO meet on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm in the rectory basement. All men of the parish are encouraged to join us.

MOJO helps provide fellowship and parish unity by holding many events throughout the year…
—Oktoberfest is held the first Saturday in October and features authentic German food, drink and music.
—Our annual Italian dinner includes a large buffet of homemade Italian dishes.
—Throughout the summer we serve breakfast in the pavilion on select Sundays from 8:30-11:00. The menu is constantly changing and there is no charge for these breakfasts, only a donation is requested.

If you are interested in joining this active group, please contact Kevin Thum at 610-948-6412 or kevin.thum04@gmail.com

Project Outreach

St. Joseph Church Volunteers help to man the community Food Pantry on a rotational basis along with other churches in the Spring City area. The pantry is located at First United Church of Christ, 145 Chestnut St, Spring City, PA. The pantry is open on Thursdays to residents of the Spring-Ford School District. Contact 610-948-5111 for registration guidelines.

If you are interested in learning more or in joining the St. Joseph Project Outreach team, please contact the rectory at 610-948-7760 or email st.joes@comcast.net

Scouts

CUB SCOUTS OF AMERICA
Children, ages 5–10, of St. Joseph Parish are invited to sign up for Cub Scouts. Pack 85 meets at Holy Family School.

If you are interested in learning more or in joining this group, please contact Ian Peltier at ian.peltier@scouting.org

GIRL SCOUTS OF AMERICA
The girls of St. Joseph Parish are invited to sign up for scouting.

If you are interested in learning more or in joining GSA, please contact Mary Frank at 610-792-0502 or frankdvoa@aol.com

Servites of Mary–Meets 2nd Tuesday at 7PM

We are a Catholic organization of lay men & women living our faith in the context of the world. We seek to grow spiritually following the example of the Seven Holy Founders of the Order of Servants of Mary – a group of cloth merchants who left everything in 1233 to follow Christ with a special devotion to the Virgin Mary, especially her own union in the Passion of her Son. This group was known for their commitment to community, service and devotion to Mary.

Our Mission
To be, like Mary, a compassionate presence in people’s lives.

Our Vision
That all may know the presence and love of God and live in harmony with creation. https://www.servitesisters.org

We are open to all interested in joining us and encourage you to join us at any of our meetings.
For more information, please contact Mary Frank at frankdvoa@aol.com or call 610-310-4675

St. Vincent de Paul Society

Members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (or “Vincentians”) are men and women who strive to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to individuals in need. We are young and old. Our members come in every shade of skin color. Some of us are wealthy, some are financially poor, but all of us are blessed with an awareness that our blessings (time, talent or treasure) are to be shared with our brothers and sisters in need.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul offers tangible assistance to those in need on a person-to-person basis. It is this personalized involvement that makes the work of the Society unique. This aid may take the form of intervention, consultation, or often through direct dollar or in-kind service. An essential precept of the Society’s work is to provide help while conscientiously maintaining the confidentiality and dignity of those who are served. The Society recognizes that it must assume, also, a role of advocacy for those who are defenseless or voiceless. Some 12 million persons are helped annually by Vincentians in the United States. http://www.svdpusa.org

If you are in need of assistance, or would like to volunteer call the helpline (484) 447-8947 and leave a message.

Women’s Group

The Women’s Group is an organization for the women of the parish ages 18 and older. Meetings are held once a month. The group is very involved in the parish, as their mission is to support the needs of the parish. They hold the yearly “Breakfast with Santa” and the ever-popular “Basket Raffle” as well as coordinating the Dedication to Mary in May.

If you are interested in learning more or in joining this active group, please contact Pat Herbert (President of the Women’s Group) at 610-764-1734.