The Feast of St. Francis of Assisi is October 4. There will be an annual Pet Blessing on Saturday, October 5, at 11 a.m. at St. Joan of Arc, and at Noon at St. Joseph and St. Ambrose. Our Lady of Perpetual Help will hold the event on Sunday, October 6, at 3 p.m. Everyone is encouraged to bring their pets and/or farm animals for this special blessing in honor of our patron saint of animals.

The Sisterhood of St. Joseph is hosting a Wine & Chocolate Walk in Mantua Village on Saturday, October 5, beginning at 2 p.m. Come sample wine from Ohio wineries hosted by Mantua's shops and restaurants. Other storefront locations will have chocolates. Current participating wineries include Salvage, Ferrante, CLE Urban Winery, West Main St Winery, McAlpine Meadery, Sharon James Cellars Winery, Nauti Vine Winery, Troutman Vineyards, and Wolf Creek Vineyards. Pre-sale tickets are $25 and $30 day of. Online ticket sales available this year. Tickets include 10 wine samples, wine glass, and chocolates. Event is rain or shine. Must be 21+ to purchase a ticket. For tickets, please visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/951428256527?aff=oddtdtcreator or contact Cathy Sherbondy (412-303-6529 or [email protected]) or Jay D’Aurelio (330-569-8156 or [email protected]).

As of October 3, the Diocese of Youngstown is just 5% away from meeting their goal of $4 Million with pledges and gifts totaling $3,804,066. THANK YOU to everyone who has donated to help provide hope to the countless clients at Catholic Charities, as well as continuing the mission of the Church in the Diocese of Youngstown. St. Joseph Parish has reached 104.17% of our goal thanks to the 131 households who have pledged $35,937.00. If you did not get a chance to donate, the diocese still needs your support. To learn more and/or make a gift online, please scan the QR code or visit https://doy.org/appeal/.

Do you have an hour to help save a life? As a proud Premier Blood Partner with the Red Cross, we know that just that short amount of time donating blood can mean a lifetime to a patient battling illness or injury. Roll up a sleeve and join us in giving back to the community. St. Joseph’s will host a Blood Drive on Monday, October 7 , Noon to 6 p.m. Visit www.redcrossblood.org today to schedule your appointment to give to an upcoming blood drive!

Portage North Parishes present . . . SHRINES OF ITALY with optional 2-night Venice & St. Anthony Padua Post Tour Extension April 29 - May 9, 2025 Join Rev. Francis Katrinak, Spiritual Director, on this 11 day tour of Italy! Highlights include Rome, Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, Holy House of Nazareth in Loreto, San Giovanni Rotondo, Tomb of Padre Pio, Tomb of Saint Matthew the Apostle in Salemo, Abbey of Montecassino, Catacombs, Papal Audience, Christian Rome City Tour, Vatican City, and St. Peter’s Basilica. All the details for the trip can be found on the flyer and registration form that located is in the Narthex or at the Office of St. Joseph & St. Ambrose Parishes. In addition, you may download the flyer from the links section on the Portage North page (https://stjosephmantua.com/portage-north-region) or contact The Travel Connection (Pat Hollywood 330-562-3178 or [email protected]). There will be a Special Travel Presentation on Tuesday, October 8th, 6 p.m. at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Aurora. Bring your questions! Please RSVP: 330-562-8519

Join us as we continue our focus on the Eucharist in the midst of the National Eucharistic Revival. Make plans to attend REVIVE Retreat 2024 on Saturday, October 19, in Hughes Hall beginning at 1 p.m. Special speaker Fr. Damian Ference, a priest of the Cleveland Diocese where he serves as Vicar for Evangelization, Secretary for Parish Life and Special Ministries, and as Professor of Philosophy at Borromeo Seminary, will be a part of the afternoon. Reconciliation and 5:30 p.m. Mass will be followed by dinner & bonfire. Register online for this free event at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe_rnr0iaZKVmAVPcxj6Wj3ItAfxBokypMEt3NvNBKb8_87Bg/viewform

Please join us in praying for the repose of the soul of Sister Rose Anne Krantz, CDP, who departed this life on September 27. She had been fighting cancer for the past two years and was under Hospice care. She served at St. Joseph Parish as Pastoral Minister, Sept. 1, 2006-June 30, 2010 (https://stjosephmantua.com/women-religious-who-served). To read more about Sister Rose Anne or to make a contribution in her memory, visit https://cdpsisters.org/who-we-are/sisters/sister-rose-anne-krantz. Memorial Service will be held on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, 4:00 p.m. Visitation Chapel at Kearns Spirituality Center, 9000 Babcock Blvd., Allison Park, PA 15101 Livestream: https://video.ibm.com/channel/Q4zW6rUvwPq A Mass of Remembrance and Thanksgiving will be held at a later date. Sister Rose Anne Krantz donated her body to the Humanity Gifts Registry.

About two months ago, the Knights of Columbus Councils of Portage North parishes partnered to raise enough money to purchase an ultrasound machine for a women's health center opening in Ravenna. The fundraising was expected to take about 18 months to complete. We are pleased to announce that through the generous donations from our Portage North parishioners and many K of C councils from Northeast Ohio, we have raised over $44,500 for the purchase of the machine, which will be housed in a building renovated by NOVA Women's Health (an organization providing non-judgmental services to women questioning the future of their pregnancies). The original goal was to raise about $21,400 towards the purchase of the machine, with the Knights of Columbus Ohio Supreme Council matching the $21,400 to help purchase the machine. With more money being raised, a special machine used to clean the ultrasound equipment will be purchased as well as a year of consumable items used with the ultrasound machine. We couldn't have done this without the generosity of the many individuals and the Knights councils from all over Northeast Ohio. Thank you!

St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Warren is planning a celebration for Father Ed Stafford's 25th Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood. The event will be held in Covelli Hall at the Blessed Sacrament Church location (3020 Reeves Rd., Warren, OH 44483), on Saturday, November 23, after their 4 p.m. Mass. They are also making him a book that parishioners can donate $25.00 and send a memory that will be put into the keepsake for him. Please forward them to the Office of St. Joseph & St. Ambrose Parishes no later than October 27th.

As many of you know, Deacon Steve Gies was recently diagnosed with stage 3 cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. His wife, Linda, has suffered three strokes and is receiving rehab. We have had several inquiries from parishioners on how they may help them. Patti and Bill Wisniewski will be collecting gift cards from anyone who would like to help. There will be a collection bin/basket in the narthex/vestibules of the four Portage North parishes. Please feel free to drop off a gift card if you wish to do so (or you may place them in the collection basket marked Gies). If you have any questions, please contact the Wisniewski's at 330-297-7624.  We also have permission from the Diocese to share the link to their Go Fund Me account if you would like to support them in this way (https://gofund.me/ce6c7d40).

Have you heard about Portage North Life Teen? Several options are available for programs for the four parishes of Portage North. The GOAL is to provide a safe and fun place for high school teens to find a solid Catholic community, get answers to their questions and most importantly, to experience and encounter Jesus in a real and personal way. Check it out!

Diocesan Virtus Compliance and background checks are not just for those working with children anymore. Any adult who is an altar server or anyone bringing communion to or visiting the homebound, needs to be Virtus compliant. Training is done online at your convenience. Please contact Jennifer Berczik (330-274-2253- T,W,TH) to find out how to get started.

Every week we send out a parish newsletter through Flocknote. If you are not receiving it via email or text and would like to, please contact the Office of St. Joseph & St. Ambrose Parishes (330-274-2253 or [email protected]) with your email address and/or cell number.

We are in the process of bringing back a Funeral Luncheon Ministry team as part of our service to the bereaved. Graciously hosted by women and men of the parish who have dedicated themselves to helping, this ministry will be coordinated by JoDee Romano. Volunteers will help with set-up, donating baked goods, preparing and serving food, and cleaning up. If you are interested in becoming a part of this team, please contact the Office of St. Joseph & St. Ambrose Parishes (330-274-2253 or [email protected]). Questions may also be directed to JoDee.

St. Joseph's 300 Club Fundraiser starts February 1, 2024 and ends November 9, 2024. At a fantastic dinner at St. Nicholas Banquet Center in Mogadore on November 9th, there'll be a grand award of $7,500.00, a consolation prize of $1,000.00, and every 10th ticket drawn wins $100.00. In addition, on the first Sunday of the month for nine months, there'll be a monthly drawing for $100.00 in Hughes Hall after Mass. Tickets will be available for sale in January in the Narthex or from Debbie Kruis and Mary Ann Feddor. Good luck!

An easy way to generate some funds for parish improvements was started in 2018 through recycling aluminum cans. Collect your clean cans in plastic bags, crushing if possible, and deposit in the designated box in it's NEW LOCATION near the dumpster on the northeast corner of the school building. Thank you for participating in this effort!

Email accounts continue to have issues with hackers that pop up every few months. Messages that look like they’re coming from our pastors have recently come through to several people. If you receive a suspicious email or text that looks like it’s from them, please do not respond and report it as phishing and/or mark it as spam, and then delete it. Please pay close attention to the email address or number it’s coming from (you’ll notice it’s not from their @youngstowndiocese.org emails). In fact, our priests won’t send out emails or texts making requests 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.

Helping our parish identify itself as a community of faith and set broad goals, our mission statement defines who we are as a parish and identifies what we value. Starting in January, we will be saying this aloud together at the beginning of Sunday Mass. You’ll find copies of our Parish Mission Statement on the inside cover of our hymnals in the pews.

The Parish Community of St. Joseph is a very busy place with dozens of groups using the facilities year round. Please check with the Parish Office to confirm a date whenever you are planning a meeting, event, fundraiser, etc. Don’t assume that a space or date is available before you check the master calendar through the Parish Office staff (330-274-2253 or [email protected]). They should always know what is going on throughout the buildings and on the grounds not only for organizational purposes but also for safety and security concerns. We also take pride in accurately publicizing the many activities in the bulletin and on the parish website and Facebook pages. We appreciate your assistance in help to keep the parish running smoothly and efficiently by following good rules of communication:  clear, concise, complete, correct, and courteous.

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 [email protected]). 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.