Newly Formed Maintenance & Grounds Ministry
We are please to announce the formation of a Maintenance & Grounds Ministry at St. Joseph's. This includes a special group of volunteers who are responsible for the care and maintenance of the physical facilities and the grounds of our parish. Like the skeleton of the human body, the work of this organization is to support the mission and ministry of the church, by caring for the concrete, physical foundation of parish life. It is responsible for assuring maintenance and repairs are accomplished in a professional and timely manner in accordance with principles of good stewardship.

Heading up our Maintenance Crew . . . 

• Greg D’Aurelio

• Don Engelhart

• John Kruis

They will manage the care of the buildings and grounds of our entire parish property with the help of a team of other volunteers with varying expertise in general maintenance and repair, plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling, mechanics, refrigeration, phone systems, and grounds keeping. We are grateful for this “labor of love” ministry whose members are not afraid to get their hands dirty and take pride in the upkeep of the Parish Community of St. Joseph. Click here for more news.

Keep The Kids Warm
Many of the families who come to Catholic Charities for assistance need help keeping their homes warm for their children during the cold winter months. Catholic Charities’ Keep the Kids Warm campaign provides tangible assistance and peace of mind to families in need of utility assistance. Please visit www.ccdoy.org to learn more or to make a gift.
In addition, PSR is accepting donations of hats, gloves, and scarves of all sizes for Catholic Charities in Ravenna. Place your donations on the Christmas Tree in the hallway. Items will be collected from Sunday, December 30 through Sunday, January 13.

Partners in Interfaith Clothing Drive
Mantua Center Christian Church and Hilltop Christian Church have organized a Free Clothing Giveaway for the greater Crestwood area every two months. Providing free clothing to families in need, the events are held from 9:00 a.m. to Noon at the old Mantua Center School (11741 Mantua Center Rd.). Find them on Facebook at Free-Clothing-Giveaway. You do not need to be a resident, there is no limit, and no questions are asked. Upcoming 2019 dates are January 19, March 16, May 18, July 20, September 21, and November 16. Donations of clean, wearable condition clothing for all ages are welcome 24/7 at yellow bins located at Mantua Center & Hilltop Christian Churches. St. Joseph Cares will be holding a clothing drive at St. Joseph Church the weekend prior to the giveaway weekends (January 12/13, March 9/10, May 11/12, July 13/14, September 14/15 & November 9/10). There is a particular need for men’s clothing and shoes. Please have all clothes folded and bagged. Place in the All-Purpose Room near the windows (look for sign). All clothes will be removed that weekend. To donate clothes at other times, please drop them off at Hilltop and Mantua Center Christian Churches and not at St Joe’s. What a wonderful way to live out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy! Click here for an informational flyer.

American Red Cross Blood Drive
St. Joseph Parish will be hosting an American Red Cross Blood Drive on Monday, January 28, 1:00-6:00 p.m., in Hughes Hall. Please bring your Red Cross blood donor card or other form of positive ID when you come to donate. The need is constant – the gratification is instant. Did you know you can schedule your appointment online? Simply click on Account Login, create an account, and schedule. There’s also a free Red Cross Blood App available for download on devices through Ap Store ^SM and Google Play™ (or text “BLOODAPP” to 90999). You may also save time by completing your pre-reading and health history questions before you come on the day you donate with RapidPass. For more info., please visit www.redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Women's Auxiliary of K of C Offering Scholarship
The Women's Auxiliary of Mantua Knights of Columbus Council #3766 is sponsoring a $500.00 scholarship for a Catholic female that is graduating in 2019 and planning on attending either a two or four year college or a vocational-technical school. Please encourage anyone you know in the area to apply. You can obtain the eligibility rules and application on the Women’s Auxiliary page, by clicking here, or from Annette Carlisle at annette.carlisle.7258@gmail.com. Deadline date is January 30, 2019.

Women's Auxiliary Hosting Casino Bus Trip
The Mantua K of C Women's Auxiliary is hosting a bus trip to Rivers Casino, Pittsburgh, PA, on Monday, February 18. The bus will depart from the Sentinel Party Center (aka K of C Hall), 11845 St. Rt. 44, Mantua, at 9:00 a.m. and return at approximately 6:00 p.m. The cost is $40.00 per person and each attendee will receive $20.00 in free play plus a $5.00 food voucher. The casino recommends you have your players card and a photo ID with you. Please call 330-274-4982 by Monday, February 11, and leave a message to reserve your seat or contact Mary Ann Feddor at 330-842-0505. 

2019 St. Joseph Men's Renewal
All men 18 years and older are invited to the St. Joseph Men's Renewal held at the parish 8:00 a.m. Saturday, February 16 through a concluding Mass the afternoon of Sunday, February 17. Take time for yourself at this free two-day gathering of men who are coming together in faith to deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ and with other Christian men. Enjoy fellowship, laughs, and good food. This is a weekend you will not regret and never forget. To learn more, please click here for a video or visit our Men of St. Joseph page. You may also contact Doug (330-958-2489) or Matt (330-507-8467) or email MenOfStJosephMantua@gmail.com for more details.

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 to 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! 

Parish Business Directory & Directory of Talents
St. Joseph Church is creating a Parish Business Directory of parishioner-owned businesses and professional services in an effort to help the parish provide economic support within our own community.  This new Business Directory is intended to be an online resource that gives current information such as contacts, links to websites and other descriptions of these businesses. In addition, we're putting together a comprehensive list of talents and services. There will also be a printed edition created as the lists develop. Click here to learn more.

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.