Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time July 6, 2014 - July 13, 2014

FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK To my family of St. Joseph,

Happy July Fourth Weekend…and praised be Jesus Christ

for a recent step our country made to ensure that this is the “land of

the free”! This past week in a narrowly tailored 5-4 ruling, the Su-

preme Court said “closely held companies” may be exempted from a

government requirement to include contraceptives in employee health

insurance coverage under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

The court said that Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Woods, the two fam-

ily-run companies that objected to the government mandate that em-

ployees be covered for a range of contraceptives, including drugs con-

sidered to be abortifacients, are protected from the requirement of the

Affordable Care Act. The opinion essentially held that for-profit com-

panies may hold protected religious views. With this wide application

of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act it is only a matter of time

that non-profit Christian and Catholic institutions are granted the

same protection. This is a huge victory for the Religious Liberty

movement and very fitting that this decision came during the Fort-

night for Freedom initiative of the US Bishops (this was the fourth

year our country’s bishops called us to two weeks of prayer and fast-

ing for religious liberty leading up to July Fourth).

But as we celebrate and give thanks for this development, we

must also make sure to remain vigilant in our prayer and attention to

the issues in our government that remain problematic. We cannot

become complacent but must keep our figurative “foot on the gas

pedal” when it comes to moral and social justice issues in our country

by prayer, fasting and speaking up. So on this special holiday week-

end we pray for our country, her leaders and her citizens that we may

use our place, power and blessings to lead our nation and the world in

seeking and serving the common good, and thereby fostering a Chris-

tian society of true charity and justice.

May God bless America, our missionaries and our week

ahead!

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Rich

Our Lady of Perpetual Help …pray for us!

St. Joseph…pray for us!

Notes from the pastor…

**Thank you to Fr. Chuck Schmidt, a retired priest of the Diocese of

Erie living in Port Allegheny, for covering our Sunday Masses this

weekend so I could attend the Catholic Heart Work Camp Mission

Trip to Kentucky this week.

**Prayers for the Missionaries Please keep the following mission-

aries from St. Joseph and Holy Redeemer, who will be commissioned

at the 5:30 and 5:15pm Masses this Saturday respectively, in your

prayers this week as we will be doing service projects for the rural

poor of Betsy Layne, KY: James Power, Jennifer Wortman, Chuck

and Eileen Gerardi, Amy Harvey, Mike Fitzsimmons, Anna

Fitzsimmons, Mark Reiff, Sammy Sherrard, Dominick Giannini,

Brooke Siliano, Scotlyn Seyler, Tori Paris, Megan Wortman, Meg

Beyer, Janelle Balas, Katlyn Adams, Caitie Ryan and myself. And

know that our group will be lifting you up in prayer in a special way

this week!

**Liturgies this week Since Jamie Power and I will both be in Ken-

tucky on the mission trip, there will be no weekday Masses or Com-

munion Services at St. Joseph (please note there is still Mass on

Saturday morning). In the spirit of the Bishop’s directives at Em-

maus (see below) we are asking everyone to attend daily Mass at Holy

Redeemer. Please note that there still will be Eucharistic Adoration

on Thursday.

**Missionary Co-op Next weekend (July 12/13) we will host

Mary Parneetha, Executive Director of Foundation for Children in

Need for our annual missionary cooperative assigned from the Dio-

cese. See the blurb below for more information and please be pre-

pared for a second collection to support this important missionary

ministry.

**Diocesan Pastoral Planning At Emmaus, Bishop Persico spoke

to the clergy about the Diocesan vision for the future and I would

like to address several things that affect us at St. Joseph and the

greater Catholic Community of Warren. First- Bishop Persico

stressed that he is calling the process we began last year “pastoral

planning.” Previously many were calling it strategic planning but

he said that is too business-like and stresses the wrong perspective.

Our process is about evangelization and how to most effectively to

bring the good news of Jesus Christ to people of northwest Pennsyl-

vania as well as to care for the pastoral needs of the church of our

diocese. Second- the Bishop continued to urge cities and towns in

our diocese that have more than one church (i.e. Warren) to look for

more ways to work, pray and have fellowship together. This was

part of the motivation for our combined Easter Vigils, Parish Mis-

sions as well as the Spring Flings and other communal events that

we have sponsored together. We will continue to seek ways that we

can work more with Holy Redeemer. Third- the Bishop asked that

again all parishes in towns with more than one parish enact the fol-

lowing policy in cases of emergency when the pastor becomes ill or

cannot celebrate weekend Masses at his parish… that Masses at that

church be cancelled and signs are put up asking people to go to the

other local church that weekend. In the past, the chancery would

try to get last second coverage from somewhere else in the diocese.

This can no longer be handled with the limited clergy personnel in

the diocese. Fourth- by the end of summer the bishop will be dis-

tributing a prayer for all parishes to pray every Sunday for our di-

ocesan pastoral planning process. In the meantime please keep this

process in your personal prayer intentions. Fifth- the issue of ad-

justing Mass times between the 2 parishes in Warren has been put

on hold due to some concerns of those involved so for now there

will be no Mass time changes.

PARISH NEWS SCRAP METAL DRIVE Our scrap metal drive is coming to a close. The drive runs through Monday, July 6th. Bring your scrap metal to the dumpster off 4th Street. MISSION APPEAL Next weekend, we will have a guest speaker at all the Masses offering the annual mission appeal for the Church’s many-faceted missionary activities throughout the world. Foundation for Children in Need is a Catholic lay organization based in Arlington Heights, IL. Mary Parneetha Yeruva, Executive Director is very happy to visit us and share about their mission work in the interior villages in the southern part of India. FCN sponsors 2,000 children and 15 elderly. They have been responsible for building several schools, boarding homes, a community health center and a home for the elderly. They provide free medical checkups and medi-cine to thousands of needy people and children. We welcome Parn-eetha and encourage you to support their mission work generously. There will be a second collection taken next weekend. To know more about their mission work, please visit: www.fcn-usa.org

YOUTH MINISTRY HAPPENINGS from Caitie Ryan Sausage Stand- Thank you to all who helped prepare and

man the Sausage Stand this year. A special thank you goes

to BiLo, Mangione’s, Shurfine and United Refining Com-

pany for their donations. A big thank you to Alicia and

Rob Gatto for all they do for this fundraiser and to Jennifer

Wortman for all her help.

READINGS FOR THE WEEK

Saint Joseph Church 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, West - Warren, PA 16365

MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK

Extraordinary Ministers

*K & D Weigel, P Proebstle, *A Hultquist, H Zaffino, *F Perrin

R & B Williams, R Sharp, P & S Cronmiller, P Tack

*C Luppino, A & P Webster, * K Morse, B Smelko, L & A Tyers

Altar Servers

B Massa E Massa

R Courson Volunteer

C Smelko L Smelko N Smelko

7/12 5:30pm

7/13 8:00am

7/13 10:30am

Lector

J Walker

B McGinn

M Smelko

Liturgical Ministry Schedules

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Hosea 2:16, 17b-18, 21-22; Gospel - Matthew 9:18-26

Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13; Gospel - Matthew 9:32-38

Hosea 10:1-3, 7-8, 12; Gospel - Matthew 10:1-7

Hosea 11:1-4, 8c-9; Gospel - Matthew 10:7-15

Hosea 14:2-10; Gospel - Matthew 10:16-23

Isaiah 6:1-8; Gospel - Matthew 10:24-33

Isaiah 55:10-11; Romans 8:18-23; Gospel - Matthew 13:1-23

Tuesday, July 8 4:30pm Soup Kitchen (Cafeteria) Thursday, July 10 12:30pm Adoration (Mother’s Chapel) 5:30pm Reposition (Mother’s Chapel) 8:00pm K of C Meeting (Clubhouse) Saturday, July 12 4:30pm Reconciliation (Church)

WEEKLY SANCTUARY CANDLES in memory of

Lucille Reisinger by James & Mary Reisinger

Sunday, 7/6 - Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 8:00am Bishop Anthony Bosco by Denise Pusateri 10:30am Living and Deceased Parishioners of Saint Joseph Monday, 7/7 - Weekday No Mass or Service Tuesday, 7/8 - Weekday No Mass or Service Wednesday, 7/9 - Weekday No Mass or Service Thursday, 7/10 - Weekday No Mass or Service Friday, 7/11 - Saint Benedict, Abbot No Mass or Service Saturday, 7/12 - Weekday 8:00am Angelo & Ann Dicembre (wedding ann) by Dicembre & Miller Families 5:30pm In Honor of Tom & Roxie Fadale 50th Wedding Anniversary

Sunday, 7/13 - Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 8:00am Rick Lodowski by Margaret & RIcky 10:30am Living and Deceased Parishioners of Saint Joseph

COMING EVENTS

SPONSOR OF THE WEEK

A & B Heating 723-5670

Please patronize the sponsors of our bulletin. It is through the paid advertising of the sponsors that we can publish the bulletin.

Please thank them.

VOCATIONS ICON We would like to thank The Cecco Family for taking the Vocations Icon this week and praying for an increase in vocations here at St. Joseph.

NATIONAL NEEDS COLLECTION This weekend, our parish will have a second collection to support six Catholic agencies that touch more than 100 million lives around the world. The funds from this collection provide food to the hungry, support to displace refu-gees and show Christ’s love and respect to all people. Please give generously to the collection and help Jesus in disguise. VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to help with VBS. It is a week of non-stop fun! I am looking for helpers grade 6-adult. Please consider being a group leader, station director, babysitter or snack maker. There are opportu-nities galore to join in the excitement. Call Jennifer at 723-2090 ext. 15. 2014 DIOCESAN ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS for couples celebrating 25, 50, 60 or more years of marriage in 2014 will be held in two locations: Our Lady of Peace Parish on Sunday, August 3rd at 1:30pm and at St. Boniface Parish in Kersey on Sunday, August 10th at 2:00pm. Bishop Persico will preside at the Erie liturgy and Bishop Emeritus Trautman will preside in Kersey. Liturgy will include presentation of scrolls to each anniversary couple. A light reception in the parish social hall will follow. To register, please visit the di-ocesan website: www.erieRCD.org RELIGIOUS EDUCATION is a great setting to use your gifts and talents. It is a wonderful opportunity to share your love of the Catholic faith with the young people of our parish. Please consider being a catechist for the 2014-15 school year. Just when you think you can’t… God calls and equips you to do just what He needs. Answer the call today- call Jennifer at 723-2090 ext 15. CHILD PROTECTION AND CREATING SAFE EVNIRONMENTS Parents should consider having internet accounts in their name with parents having the primary screen name, controlling passwords and using blocking and/or filtering devices. Children should not complete a profile for a service provider and children’s screen names should be nondescript so as not to identify that the user is a child. To see what the Diocese of Erie is doing to help create safe environments, check out: www.eriercd.org/protectyouth

Weekly Donations - June 29 $ 6,047

Thank you for your continued generosity!

In your charity, please pray for the soul of Imogene Collins, sister of Pat Gruber, who passed away recently. We extend our sym-pathy to her family, and ask God’s love and strength to bring her peace and consolation.