Bishop Gainer, out of great concern for the health and well being of the faithful, has suspended all public Masses in the Diocese of Harrisburg.  Please know you are all in the prayers of the priests and deacons here at St. Joseph Parish.  Like your home, our parish expenses continue during this difficult time.  Since people cannot come to church we have seen a great reduction in giving.  We need your support now more than ever.  You may drop off your contributions at the parish office, under the door is fine.  However, now is a great time to register for “Parish Giving”.  Please see below and register for on line giving.  Thank you for your continued support. 

St. Joseph Parish has enlisted Parish Giving to provide its members with the opportunity to use Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) as an alternative method for giving. 

Click on Parish Giving logo above to register for the program.

Parish Giving allows participants to donate a recurring contribution that is automatically transferred from your checking or savings account, or even credit card, on a monthly basis, and you select your own billing date. This Program can be utilized for your Sunday contributions, as well as any Holy Day Collection and all diocesan collections.

The use of EFT is not only time saving and convenient for you, but also allows our Parish to realize a more consistent level of support. By signing up for Parish Giving, you will know that you are doing your part to support the Parish even at times you are not able to be physically present to celebrate with the Parish Community.

Novena for Protection in Time of Pandemic

Select the above link for the prayer

There will be a ham and scalloped potato dinner prepared and ready for either pick up or delivery on Wed April 1 and Thurs April 2, between 1 pm and 2:30 pm.

Please contact the church office if you would like to receive a meal for you and any family member.

717-637-5236

Kentucky Mission Project: With the Diocesan directive to close the churches for the foreseeable future, parishioners may still bring in non-perishable food items (cans and packaged-items---please check the expiration dates), toiletries (tooth paste, tooth brushes, soaps, shampoos, etc.), new paint brushes, cleaning supplies, and donations.  These items may be left by the office door; or, if during office hours, brought into the office proper. Our group of 7 is traveling to the Diocese of Lexington, KY (Bishop Gainer's former diocese), April 26 - May 2, 2020 for a one-week mission project.  You may call Stacey, parish receptionist, at 637-5236 should you have any questions.  

During this challenging time, many of the faithful may be unable to attend Mass.  Magnificat is honored to provide complimentary access to our online version to help people pray from home.  

English: http://magnificat.com/free

Spanish: http://magnificat.com/gratis  

Also, Formed is now available on Roku devices.

One is an Act of Spiritual Communion:  https://www.hbgdiocese.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Spiritual-Communion.pdf

The second is a Sunday Prayer at Home:  https://www.hbgdiocese.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Sunday-Prayer-at-Home.pdf

Prayer to Our Lady Imploring Her Protection

O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope.
We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick.
At the foot of the Cross you participated in Jesus’ pain, with steadfast faith.
You, Salvation of the Roman People, know what we need.
We are certain that you will provide, so that, as you did at Cana of Galilee, joy and feasting might return after this moment of trial.
Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform ourselves to the Father’s will and to do what Jesus tells us:
He who took our sufferings upon Himself, and bore our sorrows to bring us, through the Cross, to the joy of the Resurrection. Amen.
We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God.
Do not despise our pleas – we who are put to the test – and deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin.

Information concerning a prayer app.

We know this is an incredibly busy and challenging time. With dioceses across the country (and world) suspending the celebration of the Mass, we can only imagine the stress that you and your parishioners are experiencing. 

I wanted to pass along a note from our friends at Hallow. They've been scrambling to figure out how they can best support you and your parishioners.

As a quick introduction - Hallow is a Catholic prayer and meditation app that guides users in deepening their relationship with Christ through audio-guided contemplative prayer & meditation sessions. It launched in Dec-2018 and as of now have over 150,000 downloads in over 50 countries, 750,000 prayers completed, and are now the #1 Catholic app in the US.  

The app comes recommended by a number of Bishops, priests, families, and teachers across the country (see endorsements below).  You can see a video walk through of the app here.  

Thank you for visiting the St. Joseph Catholic Church website!

Here at St. Joseph Church, we promote stewardship by encouraging parishioners to acknowledge that everything we have is a gift from God.  We provide opportunities through our many ministries to express our gratitude to Him by using our marvelous gifts of time, talent and financial resources to be true disciples of Jesus Christ.  This message is conveyed in the parish Vision Statement:

To develop a parish whose culture enables each person to embrace the Biblical Mandate:  "Not  to be served but to serve"  (Mark: 10:45), to love the Lord with all his/her heart, soul and being and to love others in truth, justice, and charity.

St. Joseph is a diverse parish of Catholics who are united in their Catholic beliefs.  Our desire is that all parishioners, as members of the body of Christ, will feel personally connected to the parish, thereby growing in love of God and each other.  If you are a member of the parish but have not been attending Mass, please know that you are missed and we encourage you to join us in the celebration of the Eucharist as well as other activities.

Advocacy for People with Disabilities

The Diocese of Harrisburg is committed to working toward full participation of people with disabilities and their families in all aspects of the life of the Church.  The Diocesan Office of Ministry for People with Disabilities initiated the Parish Advocacy Program in 2007 to enable parishes to better respond to the gifts and needs of their parishioners with disabilities. 

Fran Stringer has been appointed by Monsignor Lyons to serve as our Parish Advocate.  A Parish Advocate works with the pastor and also the Office of Ministry with People with Disabilities in the diocese.   This person strives to assist parishioners with disabilities to become full participants in the life of the church – spiritually, physically and socially. 

If you or someone you know is limited in participation at St. Joseph Parish and this could be improved by special accommodations please let Fran know how we might work with you to remove roadblocks to full inclusion in our parish life.  She can be reached by calling the Parish Office at 637-5236.   Please leave your name, contact information and the most convenient time for a call back.  

We are starting a new column from SJS alumni giving testimonials about how attending St. Joseph school has impacted them.

Why Saint Joseph’s school worked for me:

-Loved wearing uniforms because I didn’t have to figure out what to wear each day. (It also taught me appropriate attire for appropriate settings)

-Learned not only academics but the work ethic and critical thinking necessary to be successful

-Enjoyed community atmosphere where I felt safe and loved by peers and faculty 

-Respect, responsibility and discipline were an integral part of the learning experience 

-basketball program was competitive, fun and coached very well

Andy Redding 

Saint Joseph graduate 1998

Delone Catholic graduate 2002

Penn state BS finance 2006

Current occupation- Business owner