The Way of the Cross follows Jesus on his way to Calvary. Join us as we pray the stations remembering the passion and death of Jesus at each of the 14 stops along the route. St. Joseph—3:00 p.m. / St. Ambrose—7:00 p.m. (alternate Fridays). The Divine Mercy Chaplet devotion is based on the Christological apparitions of Jesus reported by Saint Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938). She was a Polish religious sister of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy and canonized as a Catholic saint in 2000. Faustina stated that she received the prayer through visions and conversations with Jesus, who made specific promises regarding the recitation of the prayers. The chaplet is often said as a rosary-based prayer. Come pray this devotion beginning at 7:00 p.m. on alternate Fridays at St. Ambrose. St. Ambrose will start with Personal Quiet Prayer time at 6:30 p.m. until Stations or Chaplet begin. 2/19 > Stations, 3:00 p.m. (St. Joseph) / Stations, 7:00 p.m. (St. Ambrose) 2/26 > Stations, 3:00 p.m. (St. Joseph) / Divine Mercy Chaplet, 7:00 p.m. (St. Ambrose) 3/5 > Stations, 3:00 p.m. (St. Joseph) / Stations, 7:00 p.m. (St. Ambrose) 3/12 > Stations, 3:00 p.m. (St. Joseph) / Divine Mercy Chaplet, 7:00 p.m. (St. Ambrose) 3/19 > Stations, 3:00 p.m. (St. Joseph) / Stations, 7:00 p.m. (St. Ambrose) 3/26 > Stations, 3:00 p.m. (St. Joseph) / Divine Mercy Chaplet, 7:00 p.m. (St. Ambrose)

A heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who has made a commitment to the 2021 Annual Bishop’s Appeal. To date, 1.35% of our 405 Active households have responded. However, we need the support of all members of our parish if we are to be successful in reaching our parish goal of $41,800.00. If you have not yet responded to the 2021 Annual Bishop’s Appeal, please do so at this time by visiting https://www.ccdoy.org/give/bishops-appeal/ or using the commitment envelopes available in the church or by sending your commitment to the Parish Office. Parishioners who have not responded yet will be contacted soon about making a commitment.

Pope Francis announced a Year of St. Joseph Tuesday, December 8th, in honor of the 150th anniversary of the saint’s proclamation as patron of the Universal Church. The year begins December 8, 2020, and concludes on December 8, 2021, according to a decree authorized by the pope. The decree said that Francis had established a Year of St. Joseph so that “every member of the faithful, following his example, may strengthen their life of faith daily in the complete fulfillment of God’s will.” It added that the pope had granted special indulgences to mark the year.  Visit Our Patron Saint page to delve into all things Saint Joseph. MARK YOUR CALENDARS - We will have a 7:00 p.m. Mass on Friday, March 19th for the Feast of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Join our faith community—and more than 12,000 Catholic communities across the United States—in a life-changing Lenten journey with CRS Rice Bowl. Pick up your family’s CRS Rice Bowl from the Narthex beginning this weekend. During the 40 days of Lent, we will reflect on how hunger and malnutrition affect our human family, and on the need to take action to end this global injustice. Visit crsricebowl.org to learn more.

We added two free modules from Hallow to our website. Hallow is a Catholic prayer and meditation app that helps you deepen your relationship with God through audio-guided contemplative prayer, meditation, Bible studies, and spiritual music. The  Hallow - Blog module shares engaging blog-style articles on prayer. It is updated year-round with new content, from basic "how-to" techniques on prayers such as the Examen, the Rosary, and Lectio Divina, to helpful guides and tips on cultivating a vibrant prayer life. You’ll find this module on our Families Growing in Faith page under the prayer section. The Hallow - Video provides 5-20 minute guided meditations that help our flock build daily prayer habits. New, premium video content that is usually reserved for Hallow's paid subscribers will be featured every week through this module. Look for this module on our Faith Formation page titled “Guided Meditations”.

If you wish to have your 2020 contribution statement from St. Joseph Church, there are several ways to obtain it. (Click on the heading to read more)

St. Joseph Cares continues their commitment to help those in need. Although the Free Clothing Giveaways are not currently taking place, there is a collection bin at Mantua Center Christian Church (4118 St. Rt. 82, corner of Mantua Center Rd.). If you have clothing to donate, please drop them off at Mantua Center (not at St. Joseph’s) where members of St. Joseph Cares will be helping with this effort. Hopefully, the giveaways will be able to start up again later this year. Also, if you or someone you know is in desperate need for clothing, please contact Lynn Kelley (330-990-8912).

We are in need of someone to keep our sidewalks clear of snow and ice. If you’re interested in learning more about this paid position ($12.00/hour), please contact the Parish Office (330-274-2253).

Along with our parish website and Facebook page, the bulletin is the center of our parish communication, and we want to keep you informed. The bulletin has been available on our website at https://stjosephmantua.com/bulletins for quite some time. Thanks to our bulletin company, J.S. Paluch, registered parishioners who the parish currently has an email address for in our database receives the bulletin automatically every Saturday (be sure to check your spam folder if you do not find it in your inbox). If you do not receive this email, you can self-signup at https://ebulletin.jspaluch.com/#/ or by texting the word ‘BULLETIN’ to 94090. We will still receive a limited number of printed bulletins for those attending Mass and in the Parish Office. As you can see, there are plenty of ways to stay connected anytime. Stay kind, be generous, be hopeful, and God bless.

St. Joseph's Ox Roast Fair was one of three finalists in the Entertainment & Leisure category for the Record-Courier's Official Community Choice Awards - 2020 Best of the Best. Winners and finalists are given a window decal and a plaque or certificate to display. Although we didn't come out on top, we're proud to receive this distinction as one of the finest in the area. And even in a year when the Ox Roast Fair wasn't able to be held! Just another strange happening in a very weird year. Check out all of the contest's results at https://record-courier.gannettcontests.com/Best-of-the-Best-2020-Winners/

Our Children's Liturgy of the Word program will not take place while we are under the COVID- 19 Pandemic restrictions.

Thanks to a partnership with our ParishSoft Online Giving and Ministry One, we now have a new St. Joseph Church mobile app that’s free! You’ll be able to view events, links & sign-ups, give to the parish directly from your smartphone, contact the office, submit prayer requests, view our parish YouTube Channel videos, and receive church news and reminder messages. As the app is enhanced and improved, we’re looking forward to being able to access our My Own Church database plus the development of additional features. On your mobile device, go to https://parishsoft.ministryone.com/landing/LndL (this direct link is also available on our website’s home page under the “Stay Connected” section), download the St. Joseph Church app through Google Play or Apple App Store, open it, and explore! Let us know what you think by emailing Kathi (ktrares@stjosephmantua.com).

Following the United States Flag Code, the Mantua Knights of Columbus will sponsor a flag disposal ceremony for all worn and weathered American flags on Sunday, September 13, at the Sentinel Party Center (aka Knights of Columbus Hall, 11845 St. Rt. 44, Mantua). Gather your worn or torn symbols of our nation's courage and bring to church for this reverent disposal (see any K of C member). All Sir Knights and family members are invited to attend this impressive ceremony at 3:00 p.m. For more information, please contact Stan Carlisle (330-283-5609).

Our sidewalks around the parish have been raised and leveled to alleviate trip hazards especially next to the curb. This is step one of our anticipated Repaving Project (the last time everything was paved was 1996!). Fundraising efforts (such as the Lottery Raffle and aluminum cans), donations, and money set aside in our Renovation Fund will allow us to take on this much needed project as soon as funding permits. If you’d like to donate toward this effort, use the green Special Contribution Envelope in your contribution packet and designate it to Building & Grounds Maintenance. You may also give online at https://giving.parishsoft.com/dl/?uid=stj1104203.

Fr. Ed’s email continues to have issues with hackers that pop up every few months. If you receive a suspicious email or text that looks like it’s from him, please do not respond and report it as phishing and/or mark it as spam. Please pay close attention to the email address or number it’s coming from (you’ll notice it’s not from estafford@stjosephmantua.com). In fact, Fr. Ed most likely won’t send out emails or texts but rather will communicate with a phone call or in person. Thank you for helping to deter these fraudulent attacks. For information on how to recognize and avoid phishing scams, go to https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams.

Although the 2020 Ox Roast Fair had to be cancelled due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, plans are to have the Main Raffle still take place with the same prizes & tickets at next year’s event. Tickets are on sale through next year's Ox Roast Fair, July 16, 17, 18, 2021. Ticket sellers are reminded to continue to turn in their sold tickets and money. For anyone who would like a refund for purchased tickets because of the cancellation of the 2020 Ox Roast Fair, please contact Cindy Olesh (colesh@stjosephmantua.com or 330-221-2694).

The Fundraising Committee is starting an easy way to generate some funds for parish improvements through recycling aluminum cans. Collect your clean cans in plastic bags, crushing if possible, and deposit in the designated containers in front of the church or in the All-Purpose Room. They will be picked up every weekend after Sunday Mass. Thank you in advance for your participation. If you would like to assist in any of our fundraisers, please contact John or Debbie Kruis (330-618-3604 or 330-221-0272).

Dear St. Joseph Parish Community ..... After consultations with my religious community, I have made the decision to retire from active ministry. I related this to Fr. Ed in mid-May and he was most gracious in his response, for which I am very appreciative. Now I wish to inform the parish at large and to express my appreciation for the privilege of ministering among you for the past 10 years. I have been part of the joy and the pain in many of your lives. I have been a teacher of the faith among you. You have been teachers as well to me in your devotion to St. Joe’s, in the incredible summer Ox Roast, and in your fidelity to our Catholic faith. Thank you. There is no opportunity to “celebrate” at this time of COVID. You cannot even celebrate the life of so many loved ones who have died during these times of safe social distancing. And, I’m not going anywhere, but will remain at my Mantua residence at least for the coming year, so you will see me round about and available as a friend, confidant, visitor, and one who cares about you. If I were to consider the highlight of my time here, it would be this: that God in his provident goodness allowed me to complete my formal ministry life as a Sister of Notre Dame in this wonderful parish and in this wonderful town. With love, Sr. Joyce

Our Sunday bulletin is an important way for us to communicate with you, especially during these days of the Coronavirus pandemic. It might be the only way that we can reach some of you. Every bulletin that you receive is paid for through the generosity of the businesses that you see advertised. Most of these advertisers are members of our local community, and many belong to our parish. We urge you to think of them when you decide to have a meal or other item delivered to your door. Tell the business owners that you appreciate their support of our parish through their advertisements in the bulletin. This is one small way that we can work within our own community to weather the challenges that we face. Together we can help each other make it through. © J. S. Paluch Co., Inc.

To be a registered member of a parish is to have a sense of belonging to a family. Registration is important when it comes to requesting the Sacraments or becoming involved in the life of the parish family. Please do not take for granted that you are registered just because you attend Mass here. Are you on our database? Do your receive envelopes? If not, you are most likely not registered as an active parishioner. Each family member, 21 years of age or older, should be registered separately (parents–encourage adult children to register if they still consider themselves members). If you’d like to become an active registered member of the parish, please contact the Parish Office (330-274-2253 or ktrares@stjosephmantua.com). Also, if you move, change your phone number, would like to add your e-mail address, or have any other family changes, please let us know. We would like everyone at St. Joe’s to feel welcome as a part of our parish community family. Thank you for helping us keep up-to-date.