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16 January - 23 January 2021
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St. Joseph School celebrates 145 Years!
On January 17th, Saint Joseph celebrates its 145th anniversary of providing quality education rooted in Catholic values. Want to give us a birthday gift?
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Consider making a donation of $145 to ensure another 145 years of serving students and the Tri-Cities community. Click here to give now. Learn more about our Promise for the Future Campaign and how you can get involved in a bolstering the school's foundation for generations to come.
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Substitute Teachers
Are you feeling a calling to share your Catholic faith? Saint Joseph Catholic School is in need of substitute teachers. Classroom management, problem-solving, and creative thinking are needed skill sets for this position. If you are interested in subbing, please send your resume to Mrs. Sarah Owens, Principal sowens@saintjosephschool.com.
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ASCEND 2021, A virtual campus ministry conference! This year the event is offered free to all and will take place on the weekend of Jan 21-23. Students will hear some top notch Catholic speakers and activities designed to encourage students to go deeper in the Catholic faith and to invest in campus fellowship. The lineup of speakers include guest speakers Fr. Mike Schmitz, Dr. Mary Healy and Dr. Dan Keating. Because of the pandemic, there is no cost or obligation associated with this event and it is offered as a way to encourage students during a difficult time in the history of the world and of the Church. Please visit the web site for more information or reach out to me directly if you'd prefer to speak to a live person to answer your questions. May God's peace rest on you and on your campus ministry!
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Pro-life Activities at Joseph
Activities related to the annual Walk for Life in Washington have been greatly curtailed this year due to the Covid 19 pandemic. To mark this important occasion, we will celebrate the gift of life at our 6:30 pm Mass on Friday January 29. We will also be having a "baby shower" to collect supplies for the Pregnancy Center of Petersburg. There will be a table in the commons from January 16 through January 31 where you can drop off items that you wish to contribute. Suggested items: infant diapers, baby wipes, baby powder, lotion, oil etc., infant clothes (sleepers, under shirts, other outfits).
Stay tuned for additional options for prayer to mark the Walk for Life on the 29th.
Thank you for contributing to the support of those who have resisted the societal pressures all around them and have chosen Life instead.
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Year of St. Joseph!
On 8 December, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Father announced the Catholic Church will be celebrating a year in honor of St. Joseph. This presents us with a wonderful opportunity to engage the faith with renewed vigor.
- Fr. Capuano
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Some things were doing!
- Men's Retreat, see link below
- Parish Retreat on St. Joseph with Brother Gabriel, FI
- Friday, 26 February
- PRIVATE Middle School Retreat
- 6:30 PM Mass, Exposition and Conference, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, Live-streamed
- Saturday, 27 February
- PRIVATE Confirmation retreat for our 10th graders
- Sunday, 28 February
- Evening Service and Conference, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, Live-streamed
- Ancient Prayer to St. Joseph recited at the end of Mass, with the intention: for the persecuted Church ad intra and ad extra, and for the relief of all Christians suffering all forms of persecution.
- Prayer cards with the prayer will be available soon. Let's memorize it and recite it together at the end of Mass
- More to come...
- Fr. Capuano
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Men's Retreat with Fr. Brian Capuano
Patris Cordis: Reflections on St. Joseph and living boldly as a Christian Man today.
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Friday-Saturday, 22-23 January
or
Friday-Saturday 5-6 February
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The Jeff Cavin’s Bible Timeline series will be offered by Fr. O’Reilly on a weekly basis starting on January 25th. Please consider joining us on Monday evenings to learn more about the Sacred Scriptures. The cost is 40.00. To register or for more information about the study, please contact drobinson@sjcpetersburg.com.
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Fr. O’Reilly will be leading an Exodus 90 group starting January 4th. This program is open for all adult men of the parish and involves 90 days of spiritual preparation towards Easter. The group will perform acts of penance and read through the book of Exodus in order to better hear the voice of God in the desert. Please see the following information: https://exodus90.com, or contact Fr. O'Reilly: joreilly@sjcpetersburg.com.
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Why offer the prayers after Mass at the foot of the altar at the conclusion of Sunday Mass?
We're mindful that Pope Leo XIII had a spiritual vision of coming tribulation, and he subsequently prescribed (required) that they be recited following "Low Mass" (non-sung or solemn Mass) as early as 1884. In general, they were recited for the protection of Holy Mother Church, and the conversion of Russia. In England, there were additional prayers prescribed for the protection and welfare of the Queen.
We added the prayers (Hail Mary (x3), the Salve Regina, Prayer for the Church, St. Michael's Prayer, and Invocation to the Sacred Heart (x3) for the conversion of souls and the protection and cultivation of the faith two years ago. With the advent of the new year and in light of Pope Francis' proclamation of a Year in honor of St. Joseph, our parish patron, I added the "Ancient Prayer to St. Joseph."
In his recent announcement of the Year of St. Joseph, Pope Francis "indulgenced" prayers to St. Joseph. In the article I included in the weekly update, see article above on St. Joseph, I referenced how indulgences may be gained and under what specific conditions. (General: be in a state of grace at the time of an indulgenced work, pray for the "intentions" of the Holy Father in general, desire to be free from all attachment to sin, receive Holy Communion and go to confession within 20 days of the work accomplished; i.e. go to confession with the intention of gaining the indulgence; Specific: pray or do the charitable work that "carries" an indulgence, while in a state of grace.
Remember: you must be in a "state of grace," free from mortal sin at the time you do the work or pray the prayer that is indulgenced. Additionally, you must go to confession and receive Holy Communion with the intention of receiving the indulgence in order to gain the plenary indulgence. Lastly, you must intend to be free of all attachment to sin, not just mortal sin. I.e.: you desire to be holy and want to strive to be free from all sin. If you are missing part of what is required, you receive a partial indulgence, for yourself or for a holy soul, according to whom you designate the indulgence for.
Practical example: I want to pray for John who is deceased to get to benefit from the rewards of heaven and be "released from purgatory". I go to confession on Thursday with the intention of receiving the sacrament in order to gain the plenary indulgence for John. On Sunday, I receive Holy Communion with the intention of receiving the plenary indulgence for John. During the final prayers after Mass, I recite the Ancient Prayer to St. Joseph with the priest with the intention of gaining the plenary indulgence for John, and a specific desire that I be have the freedom from any attachment to sin.
If something is lacking from the above, the indulgence received for John is partial.
Notice here that the "requirements" for receiving a plenary or partial indulgence are focused on the participation in the sacramental life of the church, the common of saints, and the cultivation of personal holiness. Do I need to seek out indulgences in order to be holy? No. Do they help? Yes. Why would I not avail myself and deceased loved ones of graces freely extended by Our Lord through the life of the Church?
What follows are the specifics in relation to the recitation of the "Ancient Prayer to St. Joseph":
The plenary indulgence is also granted to the faithful who will recite the Litany to St. Joseph (for the Latin tradition), or the Akathistos to St. Joseph (for the Byzantine tradition), or any other prayer to St. Joseph proper to the other liturgical traditions, for the persecuted Church ad intra and ad extra, and for the relief of all Christians suffering all forms of persecution. Because, the decree notes, “the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt shows us that God is there where man is in danger, where man suffers, where he runs away, where he experiences rejection and abandonment.”
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-12/pope-francis-proclaims-year-of-st-joseph.html
I hope to include opportunities for the public recitation of the Litany to St. Joseph throughout the year, particularly during the month of March, when we traditionally focus on St. Joseph, like we do in the month of October for Our Lady.
What is an indulgence?
It is a grace extended by Our Lord, through the ministry of the Church, specifically through the exercise of the Petrine Office of the Holy Father for the removal of the "temporal punishment due to sins." So, think, Jacob Marley's chains in the Christmas Carol, I know it is a bad analogy, but it is visual! He bears the weight of his past sins. Do we not? Even when we are forgiven and sins have been resolved, we deal with the earthly (temporal) results of those sins. The "removal" of that temporal punishment is what we are after when we do penance following confession, in various penitential practices like spiritual and bodily mortifications (think: taking a cold shower for the conversion of a sinner, or to practically focus on the need for temperance in one area of life or another). A full (plenary) indulgence or a partial indulgence can be gained for oneself, or for a holy soul who has passed from purgatory to lessen the "time" before they are received fully into the embrace of Our Loving Father in Heaven.
It was common in times past to designate the number of days that would be "taken off" of purgatory. I.e.: 5 days every time you kiss a Sacred Heart Badge or "x" days for reciting the prayer Anima Christi. Today, the Sacred Penitentiary, the dicastery (committee/ congregation), responsible for assisting the Holy Father in dealing with issues of the internal forum, like confession, also deals with graces extended to the faithful like indulgences; it doesn't speak about the removal of "days" but simply restricts the granting of indulgences to full or partial (plenary or partial) removal of the temporal punishment due to sin, based on the practice prescribed and one's participation in the act. For example: Suppose I want to gain a plenary indulgence, I do the prayer, pray for the Holy Father and go to Holy Communion, but skip the opportunity to go to Confession. The indulgence that would be "applied" to me or to a holy soul in purgatory would be partial.
The common phrase in times past, "offer it up," is an example of how the faithful can practically "make up" for sin and help to heal the "fabric" of our relationship with the Lord, the Communion of the Church and peace throughout the world. If I sin against you, I need to repent, ask for forgiveness and do penance to "make up" for my sin. You also have a command from the Lord as a Christian to work on forgiving me and paving a way for authentic union and renewal as a result of my sin. We're in this together!
The offering of indulgences, through the treasury given as a gift to the Church, by Our Lord is one way in which we can participate in the salvation of our own souls and the sanctification of the world.
- Fr. Capuano
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The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond is seeking a full time (40 hours/week) maintenance/janitorial worker.
Some duties required are cleaning and sanitizing the church and office area, assist Director of Facilities and staff members as needed, and perform scheduled preventative maintenance and general repairs when needed.
Physical requirements include the ability to lift 50 lbs., the ability to work flexible hours, to walk extensively throughout the workday and to climb ladders and navigate heights such as the roof areas.
This position requires a successful clearance by Social Services, criminal background check and certificate of VIRTUS training, all of which are provided through the parish. Salary is based on diocesan scale and demonstrated experience in the maintenance field.
Interested candidates should send a cover letter and resume to tbaham@richmondcathedral.org
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Preparation for Spring Sacraments
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