Rev. Stephen F. Leva……………………………………..….Pastor Rev. Anthony T. Rossi…………………………….Parochial Vicar Rev. John E. Donia………………………………………..Resident Rev. Francis J. Mulranen……………………………..…...Resident Deacon Jim Bogdan……………………………Permanent Deacon Deacon Edward R. Schiappa…………………...Permanent Deacon Phone: 610-269-8294 Fax: 610-269-2487 www.stjosephrc.org 332 Manor Avenue, Downingtown, PA 19335 May 5, 2019 | Third Sunday of Easter Parish Staff School Phone: 610-269-8999 Mr. Allan Anderson Business Manager Fax: 610-269-2252 www.stjosephrc.org/school Mr. Allen Austin Director of Youth Sister Catherine Irene, I.H.M. Principal Ministry Sister Diane Licordare, I.H.M. Vice Principal Mrs. Roe DeRitis Parish Secretary Mrs. Mary Jane McGeehan Administrative Ms. Anna Kozlowska Elder Care Program Assistant Manager Mr. Dennis Luminella Maintenance Supervisor/ Parish Religious Education Program St. Joseph Cemetery Phone: 610-873-8798 Supervisor Fax: 610-873-5466 Mrs. Becky Matakas Parish Ministries www.stjosephrc.org/prep Coordinator Mrs. Kathy Thomas Director of Religious Mrs. Dodie Milano Receptionist Education Mrs. Mary Beth Mostyn Administrative Assistant Convent Mrs. Carol Orphanos Bookkeeper 484 -593-4352 Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary BAPTISMS TODAY’S READINGS Parents of babies to be baptized are asked to please register for Pre-Jordan, a baptism The readings for the preparation program at Saint Joseph Parish, recommended by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. You can find the class dates and register either online via our website or by Third Sunday of Easter filling out a form in the parish office or the Saint Katharine Drexel Room in church. For more information, please visit www.stjosephrc.org/sacraments/baptism, or contact the Parish can be found at #906 (C) Office at 610-269-8294. Congratulations to the following children who were baptized last weekend: SATURDAY, MAY 4 5:00 PM Gretchen Metz MASON DANIEL BAILER BROOKS MATTHEW HEINRICH ARABELLA MAE CHARLTON SUNDAY, MAY 5 ARIA CHIMAMANDA ONUCHUKU ADAM JOSEPH KERSHNER 6:00 AM For Our Parishioners MAX ALEXANDER POWELL JAYDEN MALLALIE PHAM 7:30 AM Edie Bartone 9:00 AM Deceased Members of MARRIAGE St. Joseph Prime Timers Couples planning to marry are asked to meet with their parish priest as soon as possible after 10:30 AM Members of the their engagement and to enroll in a marriage-prep program (Pre-Cana) at least six months St. Joseph Memorial prior to the wedding. Registration forms can be found on our website at www.stjosephrc.org. Society For more information, contact the Parish Office at 610-269-8294. Anne C. Petrella, Dr. Michael Leddy, PLEASE PRAY FOR: Celebration of the Frances Banbrick, Joan L. Gray, Blessed Eucharist Every three months we will remove names from Saturday: 5pm Vigil Francis Wedge and Mary Ellen Hartmann the military and sick list. This is to help ensure that our lists are always up to date. Please call Sunday: 6:00 a.m., 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 12:00 PM Ruth and Dunlap Wingo the parish office to add/remove/re-add names. 10:30 a.m., 12 noon, 4:00 p.m. 4:00 PM Guiseppe and Philomena Thank you for your patience. Feola ...those who are serving our country: Mon-Fri: 7:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m. MONDAY, MAY 6 Brandon W. A’Hara, SSGT Steve Anderson, Petty Saturday: 8:00 a.m. 7:00 AM Bonnie Calvey (5th Officer Katesiree Cannon Boson, Caytie Castells, Anniv) Ensign Morgan S. Dankanich, Capt. Joseph S. Holy Days of Obligation As Announced 9:00 AM John Werning DiBerardinis, Nicole Doyle, Sean Doyle, Capt. Mark Edwards, Sargent Ian Fay, Daniel J. Heil, TUESDAY, MAY 7 Victoria Jones, Zachary Kish, Peter Kurtz, Lt. Reconciliation 7:00 AM Patricia Scalia Col. Paul Lang, Krzysztof Malarz, Major J. Saturday: 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. 9:00 AM Sadie Keane Kevin McKittrick, Capt. Andrew C. Oddo, PFC Wednesdays: 6:30 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 6:30 WEDNESDAY, MAY 8 Nicholas Odgers, 2nd Lt. Joseph W. Rule, 1st Lt. p.m. 7:00 AM Alfred A. Tomarchio Eric F. Satterthwaite, Pvt. 1st Class Matthew 9:00 AM Joseph Ryan Roch Scalia, Cmdr. Christopher Schwarz, Jr., Pvt. Nick Anointing of the Sick Scott, Corporal Jeremy Solnosky, Benjamin Any sick or hospitalized parishioner who THURSDAY, MAY 9 Starcheski, LT Sean Sweeney and Aaron Thieroff is in need of the Sacrament of the Sick 7:00 AM Anthony & Mary Irene should contact the Parish Office. Masino …those who are sick: 9:00 AM Maria Vincenzo & La Rayne Anderson, Sylvia Anderson, Frank Perpetual Adoration of the Guido Napoleone Baker, Be Bonner, Faber Botero, Cindy Bower, Blessed Sacrament Catherine Bowman, Ashlyn Brown, Marica Bukay, FRIDAY, MAY 10 Holy Family Chapel in the Holy Family Connie Bull, Ellen Cassidy, Mike Cesario, Dolly Center. 7:00 AM Domenic & Rose Ulissi Colella, Anita Suleski Conant, Baby Michael 9:00 AM Carol & Edward Halbert Morning Prayer Corrigan, Steve Dakuginow, Amelia D’Ginto, Bill Monday—Friday at 6:30 a.m. in Church. SATURDAY, MAY 11 Dunn, Frank Elko, Jack Falkner, George Forczek, 8:00 AM Barry Newsome Brooke Gabster, Dave Goldstein, Karen Goldstein, Devotions ANNOUNCED MASSES Carrie Grosso, Shelly Guiseppe, Michele Halis, The Holy Rosary: Liam Hawk, George Hershey, Ryan Hieb, Sr. NEXT WEEKEND Recited before the 9:00 a.m. Mass daily. Marion Hicks, Rhys Hopson, Danielle Horack, Miraculous Medal Devotions: SATURDAY, MAY 11 David Horack, Judy Kaplan, Lucy Perkinson Every Tuesday after the 9 a.m. Mass. 5:00 PM Daniel DiFrancesco Karvois, Michelle Larkin, Delores Leifholt, Crystal Novena to Saint Joseph: SUNDAY, MAY 12 Leff, Ellen Lis, Sylvia L. Mango, Wendy Martini, McBeth Family, Justin McCarthy, Jim McGowan, Every Wednesday after the 9 a.m. Mass. 6:00 AM For Our Parishioners Divine Mercy Chaplet: 7:30 AM Theresa DiBerardinis Pat Melcher, Anna Moschitta, David Mulder, Gerald Murphy, Wilma Murphy, Katie Nejman, Every Thursday after the 9 a.m. Mass. 9:00 AM Mary Viscusi & Bernice Litany to the Sacred Heart: Ciesielka Judy Nelson, Sr. Mary O’Connor, Marie O’Donnell, Jeannie Panik, Sue Rizzo, Chris First Friday of the month after the 9 a.m. 10:30 AM Bernice and Clyde Mass. Pearson Samuelson, Msgr. Francis Schmidt, Margaret Schmidt, John Schreiber, Mike Smith, Dot First Saturday Devotions: 12:00 PM Bonnie Calvey Swisher, Agatha Szafran, Agnes Timothy, The First Saturday of each month at 8:30 4:00 PM Lucy Stefanelli Elizabeth Van Voorhees, Bobby Voldish, Lily a.m. The Sanctuary Candle burns Walker and Margaret Weaver. in memory of: Please remember in your prayers all those who have died, including: Joseph Ryan Roch William F. Frey, Sr. WEEKLY LETTER May 5, 2019 Dear Parishioners, Some years ago in one of the parishes where I was stationed a priest friend of mine came to celebrate First Holy Communion with us and at the end of the celebration, he said to me, “You are undeniably Italian, aren’t you?” My answer to that question was (and still is), “Yes, and proud of it.” I love that celebration, I love the day and the excitement and the blessing for our children that is First Holy Communion. I love seeing them dressed up and hands folded, and their bright, shiny faces. I love it all. This weekend in our community, we had the great joy of celebrating First Holy Communion with our precious children. I honestly wish we could bottle that moment and give it as a gift to these children so that they will never forget the beauty and special blessing of knowing Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament. To our children, to their parents and guardians, to our teachers and catechists and all who helped to prepare them for this day, I say thank you. Thank you for helping them to come to know Jesus and to love Him. I pray that our children will feel that closeness and joy each and every time they receive Holy Communion throughout their lives. As we continue to celebrate the Easter season, in our readings today we hear of a moment when Jesus appears to His disciples as they are working the only other thing they knew, fishing. Things hadn’t, it would seem, gone the way they had hoped and so they go back to their “old life” - that is until Jesus shows up on the scene. Within the context of the exchange Jesus has with the disciples, He elicits the three-fold profession of faith from Peter who, not too long ago, three times denied even knowing Jesus. While that denial was clearly not Peter’s finest moment, in today’s Gospel Jesus helps Peter, and all of us to recognize that his faith is not dependent on being perfect, but rather it hinges on giving Jesus our hearts day after day. Sometimes in life we choose other than Jesus, even for a brief moment and we call those choices sin. Sin is not the last word my friends, it never was and it never will be. Jesus suffered, died and rose from the dead so that sin and sadness, suffering and death would lose its grip on us. We are a people formed in the image and likeness of God who have been redeemed by the only Son of God. While we many not always feel worthy of so much love, it is always ours because of Jesus. Let us try to live our lives each day as His people who know for certain that Jesus lives! Peace, Fr. Steve Leva Collection for Notre Dame Next Weekend, May 11-12th Archbishop Chaput has asked that our parishes be invited to take up a voluntary collection to help the Archdiocese of Paris repair the Cathedral of Notre Dame.