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Mission Statement
We are St Joseph Parish, a Roman Catholic Christian community of faith in the Belmont area.
We share a common relationship with Jesus Christ centered in our celebration of the Eucharist
We are disciples of the Lord, committed to sharing the Good News of Christ through worship, education and acts of charity.
We strengthen and encourage each other through prayer, presence, and the sacraments.
We strive by example to express our faith and to witness the message of Christ by loving God and neighbor.
"As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be your servant." -Mt 23:8-11

Mass Intentions

Saturday October 29, 2011
4:30 p.m. Mass (Francis J. Sylvester)

Sunday October 30, 2011
8:00 a.m. Mass
10:00 a.m. Mass (Mildred Baker)

Monday October 31, 2011
9:00 a.m. Mass

All Saints Day, Tuesday November 1, 2011
9:00 a.m. Mass
7:00 p.m. Mass (Moria Gavin & Brian Mahoney)

All Souls Day, Wednesday November 2, 2011
9:00 a.m. Mass (The Etienne Family)

Thursday November 3, 2011
NO MASS

Friday November 4, 2011
9:00 a.m. Mass

Saturday November 5, 2011
4:30 p.m. Mass (Patrick & Rose Maguire)

Sunday November 6, 2011
8:00 a.m. Mass (Dorothy Magsam)
10:00 a.m. Mass (2nd Ann. William Ruane)

SPECIAL COLLECTION

The red baskets at the doors of the Church next weekend, Nov 5th & 6th, are for your kind donations to the Pine Street Inn. Please be generous and may God bless you for your kindness.

PARISH CLEAN-UP DAY, NOVEMBER 11

All families are asked to participate in a Parish Clean-Up Day on Friday, November 11th (Veterans' Day), 9:30-12:30, as we prepare to welcome a new pastor. The clean-up will end with a luncheon, and will count for community service for all grades.
Readings for the Week of October 30, 2011:
Sunday: Mal 1:14b-2:2b, 8-10/1 Thes 2:7b-9, 13/Mt 23:1-12
Monday: Rom 11:29-36/Lk 14:12-14
Tuesday: Rv 7:2-4, 9-14/1 Jn 3:1-3/Mt 5:1-12a
Wednesday: Wis 3:1-9/Rom 5:5-11 or 6:3-9/Jn 6:37-40
Thursday: Rom 14:7-12/Lk 15:1-10
Friday: Rom 15:14-21/Lk 16:1-8
Saturday: Rom 16:3-9, 16, 22-27/Lk 16:9-15
Next Sunday: Wis 6:12-16/1 Thes 4:13-18 or 4:13-14/Mt 25:1-13

 

Please be courteous when you come into church and respect the sanctity of our worship space by turning off your cell phones, beepers and pagers. Thank you.

THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER

During the month of November in several ways the Church honors those who have died. It offers us all a time of remembrance, prayer and connection.

All Saints Day, Tuesday, Nov. 1st . This day is a Holy Day of Obligation honoring all the saints in heaven. Liturgy: Monday evening 7:00pm at St. Patrick; Tuesday morning 7:30am at St. Patrick; Tuesday morning 9:00am at St. Joseph; Tuesday evening 7:00pm at St. Joseph.
All Souls Day, Wednesday, Nov 2nd . This is a day set aside for the universal church to pray for all the dead, especially those who are journeying through Purgatory to Eternal Life in heaven. Our prayers this day can be very effective. Liturgy: 7:30am at St. Patrick; 9:00am at St. Joseph.
Book of Remembrance - A special place of honor and prayer will be available to sign in names of anyone who has died. At St. Joseph the Book of Remembrance table will have a new small arrangement of flowers each week. If you would like to donate $30 toward the floral basket, please let the office know. We will note your gift and the memorial in the bulletin.
All Soul Envelopes - The All Souls envelopes are available at the church entrances and will be placed on the altar. All those noted in the Book of Remembrance and All Souls Day envelopes will be remembered at all our Masses during the month of November.

IN LOVING MEMORY: ANNUAL MEMORIAL MASS

Our parish will celebrate a special Mass to remember and pray for members of Saint Joseph parish who have died during the past year. Those whose funerals were held at Saint Joseph Church will be mentioned at this Mass. This Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, November 5th at 4:30 p.m. Please call 617-484-0279 before Nov 3rd if you wish to have a loved one named at the Memorial Mass.

RITE OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL

Gregory King was buried from our church this past week. Please remember him and his family in your prayers.
 

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FAITH FORMATION CLASSES
  • Sunday morning classes for Grades K - 6 meet 8:50-9:50 a.m.
  • Sunday evening classes for 7 - Conf. II meet 4:50-7:30 p.m.
  • Monday afternoon classes for Grades K - 6 meet 3:45-4:50 p.m.

(Please note that there is no WEEKLY 5:00 p.m. Mass. There is a 5:00 p.m. Mass only when there are Faith Formation classes for Grade 7th ru Confirmation when it is listed under Faith Formation Classes.)

FIRST RECONCILIATION PARENT MEETING, NOV. 15TH

All parents of children who are participating in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and First Eucharist are asked to attend a meeting at in the parish hall at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 15th . We will be discussing our plans, handing out materials and there will be a sign up for our First Reconciliation rehearsal.

UPCOMING FAMILY MASSES

The book containing sign-up sheets for those families wanting to participate in the Christmas Eve Family Mass, the Boy Scout Mass, and the Girl Scout Mass is now available on the table outside the Faith Formation offices. Please consider signing up to help with one of these special Family Masses. We also need families to help coordinate Family Masses at other times of the year please contact a member of the Parish Council if you can help ppc@stjoseph.belmont.ma.us

ALTAR SERVER TRAINING

Want to Be an Altar Server? This ministry is offered to children in grades four and above. The training program is four sessions and parents must attend the first session. We will be starting new Altar Server training sessions on October 30th, 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. If you are interested or have any questions please call Pat Dayton at 617-484-3279 or email pdayton@stjoseph.belmont.ma.us.

A BLESSING TO THE CONFIRMATION CLASS!

Last weekend our 10th Graders spent an overnight retreat preparing for Confirmation and the event went very well. We want to thank all the leaders who helped run the prayer time and also the students for their attention and commitment to the program. The parish continues to pray for the students and their families as they move closer to receiving this special sacrament.

VIRTUS TRAINING

All parish volunteers need to attend the VIRTUS training (only once, not every year). This year, the Belmont-Watertown Collaborative has scheduled training jointly. You may attend any of the following sessions. Please call the office of the hosting parish to register. Upcoming sessions: Wed, Nov 2 6:30-9:30 p.m. at St. Patrick; Sun, Nov 13 12-3 p.m. at Sacred Heart; Mon, Nov. 28 6-9 p.m. at St. Luke.

HALLOWEEN & ALL SAINTS DAY

Halloween as we know it is a mixture of pagan, Christian, civic, and cultural influences. Various cultures have associated the day with witches, ghosts, and goblins. Many people trace its roots to an old Celtic festival when the Celts believed the veil between the living and the dead was particularly thin. It was thought that, on this night, the souls of those who had died could cross over into our mortal world once again. When Christian missionaries won over the hearts of the Celts, this popular feast was moved from spring to fall and celebrated as the feast of the Eve of All Saints Day. Halloween comes from the word hallowed meaning "blessed" or "holy." So Halloween is the night that eagerly anticipates the celebration of our living connection with all the faithful who have lived and died before us. It is fitting, then, that on the night before All Saints Day, our families remember and celebrate in a special way our belief in the Communion (close connection) of Saints to our own lives.

Ways to Celebrate Your Values on Halloween

  1. Your kids can research their favorite saint or the saint they're named after. They could also dress up as their favorite saint for Halloween.
  2. Tell your children that Halloween can be a festive day to kick off the celebration of All Saints Day. We ask the saints, our spiritual ancestors, to pray for us on our own journey to holiness.
  3. At breakfast, recite a short litany of family members who have died and whom you remember in your prayers. After each name, have everyone say, "Pray for us."
  4. Have fun! Make a special meal for dinner. Here's a quick idea for a healthy meal to offset the abundance of candy. Give each child a paper plate. Put out bowls of olives, cucumbers, radishes, raisins, dried apricots or cranberries, cheese sticks, and cold cuts. Have the kids make faces on their plates with the food. They can make scary faces or funny faces or both. Then everyone gets to eat what they created. From: Loyola Press

HARVEST FESTIVAL, NOVEMBER 20TH

All families are invited to contribute a grocery bag or themed basket to this year's Harvest Festival/Turkey Shoot, which will be held on Sun, Nov 20th . Grocery bags should include all the fixings for Thanksgiving dinner: a family-size box of stuffing; 5 lbs. of potatoes; two cans each of corn, green beans, cranberry sauce, and pie filling; and a ready-made pie crust. Decorate and tag your bag with your family name. For themed baskets, families are encouraged to get creative! Past basket themes have included Game Night, Mom's Night Out, Coffee Lover, Pasta Dinner, etc. The possibilities are endless. There will be signup sheets at the door leading to the parking lot. Please drop off your bags and themed baskets at the Parish Office by 4 pm Thurs, Nov 17th . For more info call, 617-484-3279 or email Pat stjosephym@stjoseph.belmont.ma.us.

Volunteers are needed to help plan, organize and work on the day of our Harvest Festival/Turkey Shoot/Basket Raffle. So we are inviting everyone to a planning meeting this Wednesday, November 2nd at 7 p.m. in the Parish Library.
 

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ONE MONTH TO THE NEW ROMAN MISSAL

NEW PRAYERS, SAME MASS

Beginning with the First Sunday of Advent in 2011, Catholics around the US will worship using the new English translation of the Roman Missal, Third Edition. The most noticeable changes are in the Order of Mass and the priest's prayers. "And also with you" becomes "And with your spirit." "We believe" becomes "I believe," and "one in being" becomes "consubstantial." Though some words are new, the Mass itself is not changing. As the US bishops remind us, this is an opportunity for liturgical and spiritual renewal. Learning to pray with new words, we enter into the mystery of the Eucharist with greater awareness and appreciation.

Q: Are all English-language countries going to be using the same revised texts?
A: The process of translation is a highly consultative work of several groups. The International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) is chartered to prepare English translations of liturgical texts on behalf of the conferences of bishops of English-speaking countries. Currently 11 conferences of bishops are full members of the Commission: the United States, Australia, Canada, England and Wales, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Scotland, and South Africa. The USCCB and the other member Conferences of Bishops receive draft translations of each text from ICEL (called "Green Books") and have the opportunity to offer comments and suggestions to ICEL. A second draft (called the "Gray Book") is proposed, which each Conference of Bishops approves (a Conference reserves the right to amend or modify a particular text) and submits to the Vatican for final approval. Each conference of bishops also has the opportunity to request various alterations (emendations) to the texts for exclusive use in the dioceses of their conference. The Vatican authorities consider and possibly issue approval of individual alterations, thereby making the changes applicable to the official ritual texts of that particular country. However, yes, the English language translations will be almost exactly the same. The English texts will more closely resemble other vernacular translations (e.g., Spanish) that have been in use for years.

Q: I know that some texts for the laity are going to be modified, but what about the texts for the priest?
A: In reality, the vast majority of the text modifications (i.e., revised translations) are in the priest's parts. While the people's responses are modified a bit, almost every text used by the priest/preside has been revised. This includes the opening prayer, the prayer over the gifts, the Eucharistic prayers, and the prayer after Communion. While it might provide little solace to the laity, it's important to acknowledge that our priests are facing a much more daunting challenge once the revised translation is promulgated. In addition to the preparation time needed to prepare print resources for the worshippers in the pews (the laity), selected publishers are also going to need time to prepare the revised ritual book for presiders. That book is currently titled the Sacramentary for Mass, but it is anticipated that revised edition will be simply be titled Roman Missal. Sources: ocp.org and usccb.org/romanmissal (c) 2011 OCP. All rights reserved.

PARISH HAPPENINGS ON MONDAY NOVEMBER 7TH

Monday Morning Movies celebrates the Church Year with the Apostolic Fathers. Steve Ray takes us on an exciting journey to the Roman Empire and the world of the first Christians. We'll sit at the feet of the apostles, celebrate the Eucharist in hiding, and tremble at the suffering they endured for Jesus Christ. Retrace their steps through Israel, Turkey, France and Italy. All this in a fast-paced, entertaining biography, travel documentary, Bible study, apologetics course and Church history study rolled into one remarkable adventure! Coffee & light refreshments will be served.

Prayer Shawl - November 7th & November 21st at 10 a.m. in the Parish Library.
Monthly Family Dinner - Join St. Joseph Parish as we celebrate the Liturgical Year at the monthly pasta dinner on Monday, November 7th from 5:15 - 7 pm in the Parish Hall.....
Books Group: November 7th at 7 pm - Canterbury Tales (reading through to, and including, The Pardoner's Tale). On a spring day in April sometime in the waning years of the 14th century 29 travelers set out for Canterbury on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Thomas Beckett. Among them are a knight, a monk, a prioress, a plowman, a miller, a merchant, a clerk, and an oft-widowed wife from Bath. Travel is arduous and wearing; to maintain their spirits, this band of pilgrims entertains each other with a series of tall tales that span the spectrum of literary genres. Five hundred years later, people are still reading Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. If you haven't yet made the acquaintance of the Franklin, the Pardoner, or the Squire because you never learned Middle English, take heart and join us on Nov. 7th in the Parish Library. All are welcome.

WORLD RELIGIONS, NOVEMBER 17TH: ISLAM

Islam is one of the largest religions, with over one billion followers in countries all around the world. Muslims, followers of Islam, believe that there is one God, Allah, and that Muhammad was God's messenger. According to Muslim tradition, Muhammad received the word of God and it was written down in the Islamic holy book, the Qur'an. Today, Islam continues to be a vital and growing religion not only in number but also in world importance. Join us on a journey to learn about Islam and its spiritual thought, and learn more about our own faith on the way.