Hospitality Is One Form Of Worship
Each day we see more tents and booths, bags and barrels, tractors and ride trailers. The sound of hammering and the mouth-watering smell of roasted meat fill the air. Each year at this time the parish gears up for yet another Ox Roast Fair. And each year bears witness once more to a community rooted in hospitality.
The first thing newcomers notice when they celebrate liturgy with us is the warm smiles and greetings at the door. This spirit carries over to all activities at Ox Roast. Whether it means setting up tents, selling tickets or food, giving directions or doing a trash run, the sense of community and selfless giving is too strong to be missed by even the most casual of observers.
While it is true that this is the major fundraiser of the year for the parish, one gets the feeling that it is even more importantly a chance to come together as a parish family in a common endeavor. It is no wonder that our fair is a highlight of the season.
As we bring these months of preparation to close and begin welcoming fair-goers, let us thank God and one another for yet another opportunity to extend hospitality to all.

For a complete look at St. Joseph’s Annual Ox Roast Fair,
Click Here or find us on Facebook at St. Joseph’s Ox Roast Fair.    

What Is Happening At Mass?
Video Presentation & Discussion Sessions

July 5, 12 & 26
5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Parish Center

As many Catholics know, the Second Vatican Council famously referred to the liturgy as the “source and summit of the Christian life.” And following the prompts of the great figures of the liturgical movement in the first half of the twentieth century, the Council Fathers called for a fuller, more conscious, and more active participation in the liturgy on the part of Catholics.
 

Join seminary Jerry Land as he presents this important topic
using Bishop Robert Barron’s video & study program.
Each session will include discussion and Q & A opportunities.

You’ll remember Jerry from the time he spent at our parish last summer.
He is in formation at the Sacred Heart Seminary & School of Theology in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and just finished Pre-Theology.

Come and enhance your understanding of the Mass today.
Learn why it is so important & why it is a
privileged encounter with the living Christ.

Bishop Robert Barron is the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He is also the host of CATHOLICISM, a groundbreaking, award-winning documentary about the Catholic Faith, which aired on PBS. He is also a #1 Amazon bestselling author and has published numerous books, essays, and articles on theology and the spiritual life. He is a religion correspondent for NBC and has also appeared on FOX News, CNN, and EWTN. Learn more at www.wordonfire.org.

If you should have any questions about these sessions,
please contact Jerry at 330-719-0463 or gland@youngstowndiocese.org.

We Hope To See You There!

What's Happening on the Grounds?
Work on the new fireworks staging area continues. Thank you to Joe Ober, Lakeside Sand & Gravel (Kotkowski Family) and Brugmann Sand & Gravel for this improvement to our Ox Roast Fair.

Ground leveling near the Beer South Booth will help improve the area for patrons.

 

Some of our food booths will be getting new buildings this year. The cement pad that Pizza, Sausage Sandwich, and Pierogis are on will be expanded. Permanent steel buildings will then be added that will allow easier storage of lots of the Fair’s equipment. Plus, it will make set-up much easier. Thank you to Rich Bretz for pouring and stamping the concrete (look for his booth during the Fair featuring stamped concrete).

Church Renovations
Thanks to the generous offering of time, talent & treasure from Bill Hafemeister and his workers, the long awaited renovations to the interior of St. Joseph Church have begun. The altar wall's water damaged wallpaper was removed, decorative columns were added, the mold issue was addressed, and new wood-grain textured wallpaper was installed. In addition, the canopy above the altar and the ceiling fans were cleaned and LED lighting was installed throughout the church. Next, plans are to clean the wood beams and take care of the rest of the church walls as funds become available.


You may have also noticed that our St. Joseph niche now has votive candles on the carpenter's bench and a new table crafted by Char Baumbick. As with the Blessed Mother statue, you may light a candle while praying for your intention or offering thanks and then leave the flame burning as signs of our prayers (donation envelopes are available).

 

Bishop's Appeal for Catholic Charities and Church
The 2018 Bishop’s Appeal for Catholic Charities and Church continues through Pentecost. This important annual fund raising campaign unites Catholics throughout the six counties of our diocese in a spirit of compassion and charity to serve the needs of others. In 2017, Catholic Charities provided help and hope to over 11,000 of people in Portage and Stark Counties. Your generosity and support for the Bishop’s Appeal helps to change lives . . . one family at a time. As of July 13, St. Joseph Church has 170 households contributing $37,005.00 in support of the 2018 Bishop’s Appeal — that’s 117% of our goal of $31,601.00! Bishop Murry has approved a 25% rebate to all parishes that exceed their goal (in cash received) for this year’s collection. To make your gift to the 2018 Appeal online, visit www.doy.org. Thank you for helping Catholic Charities change lives one family at a time through the Bishop's Appeal. 

Good Stewards

• Thanks to logging of trees on church property & the generosity of parishioners, church roofing has been replaced with an energy efficient white surface.
• LED lighting installed in Hughes Hall, kitchen, school hallways, downstairs rooms, and offices (church space to be done soon).
• Sacristies received painting of cupboards & walls, new hardware and reorganization thanks to some wonderful volunteers.
• Electric meters have been shut off when not in use in areas like ac units and  pavilion saving considerable monthly fees.
• Back-up well work done to comply with EPA regulations & donor paid deductible from insurance claim (lightning strike).
• Many kneelers were repaired & background of Joseph & the Children artpiece received some sanding & painting thanks to one of our faithful volunteers.
• Devotional candle stand for St. Joseph niche crafted by one of our loyal volunteers (decorative screen to be added soon).
• Church’s north wall has been cleaned & new wallpaper installed thanks to a generous parishioner (other walls done as funds allow).
• Parish's Hughes Hall Kitchen very old stove has been replaced by two new units with electronic ignitors & safety gas shut off.
• Non-working large freezer unit from kitchen was sold allowing for better kitchen lay-out.
• Permanent metal building was installed where Ox Roast Fair pizza, sausage sandwich & pierogi booths are located. This will allow easier set-up & provide much needed storage for Fair's equipment.

Finance Council & our Pastor continue to prioritize our parish facility needs & address them as funding becomes available.

St. Joseph Church now has a new system, called My Own Church, for updating your family information! All you need to do is hit the blue "Update Your Info" button and create an account. Then, someone in the church office will approve your account, and you’ll be able to update all of your family information, including names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses. Your family members' sacrament information is also among the information available. You’ll be able to view the St. Joseph Church pictorial directory (photos from the 2008 and 2014 Parish Pictorial Directories are already loaded into the database). You’ll be able upload your favorite family photo and chose whether you want that photo (or other information) to be visible to other members who’ve logged in—or you can keep some information private and available only to church administrators. If you’re involved in ministries here at St. Joseph Church, the information you put into My Own Church will help us schedule your ministry. You’ll be able to update your preferences and availability. For more details including FAQs and how to videos, click here.

Please remember to check out My Own Church soon! 

ParishSOFT Giving (formerly ConnectNow Giving)
We’re pleased to announce that St. Joseph Church now provides online giving through software called ParishSOFT Giving (formerly ConnectNow Giving). This is a convenient and safe way to make a one-time or recurring donation. It replaces the WeShare Online Giving that we previously used. ParishSOFT Giving is part of our parish database. It is less expensive for the parish and contributions are automatically entered into the database (rather than the secretary printing out a report and manually entering them). Getting started is easy! - just click on the ParishSOFT Giving button (on the right hand column under Links). To learn more about this convenient way to donate to St. Joseph Church, please visit our ParishSOFT Giving webpage.