St. Joseph Catholic Church & the Knights of Columbus Father John Cassidy Assembly #3034 & Mantua Council #3766 present A Celebration of all First Responders & Military Blue Mass on Sunday, September 26, at 9:00 a.m. Family and friends are welcome as we honor those who have died in the line of duty, veterans, retirees, and those currently serving as first responders and military. It is an opportunity to show our gratitude and to pray for the safety of our first responders, military, and their families. A reception will follow in Hughes Hall. In addition to the K of C, we thank our sponsoring groups including St. Joseph Worship Committee, the Sisterhood of St. Joseph, Scouting BSA Troops #575 & #7575, the PSR programs of St. Joseph Church and St. Ambrose Church. For more information, please contact Jim Fields (330-402-2862 or cowboyjim59@hotmail.com) or St. Joseph's Parish Office (330-274-2253).

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, September 27 , Noon-6:00 p.m. Visit www.redcrossblood.org today to schedule your appointment!

On Sunday, October 3rd, at 10:00 a.m. in the Parish Center, join Deacon Gerry Scopilliti and Peg Haney for an information session about RCIA. If you are interested in being a Catholic or if you want to learn more about the practices and teachings of the Catholic Church, RCIA could be for you! You can sign up by contacting Deacon Gerry or the Parish Office (330-274-2253) or Peg Haney (330-274-2268).

We will be offering a Pet Blessing on Saturday, October 2nd, in the St. Joseph Pavilion at 10:00 a.m. (St. Ambrose in Garrettsville at 1:00 p.m.). During the blessing and at all weekend Masses, our PSR program will be collecting items for the Portage Animal Protective League in honor of the Feast of St. Francis on October 4th. Items from their wish list include dog & cat food & treats, cat litter, kennel & cage supplies, shelter & office supplies. Items may be dropped off at the Pet Blessing, in the church Narthex before Masses, or at PSR. Visit https://portageapl.org/donate-supplies/ to see their specific needs and brand requests. You may also donate by ordering items from Amazon.com or Chewy.com through the PAPL website.

From September 30 - October 2, take a pilgrimage to the heart of Saint Joseph during The Saint Joseph Summit. There is so much to learn from the life of Saint Joseph. Be inspired by Saint Joseph through inspiring talks from all your favorite Catholic speakers and join thousands of pilgrims wanting to know the heart of Saint Joseph in this Year of Saint Joseph. Please share this message with your family, friends and parish and encourage them to register for the Saint Joseph Summit at https://www.spiritfilledevents.com/saint-joseph-summit-homepage.

In light of the changing circumstances of the COVID-19 Virus and in an effort to maintain a safe environment, The Most Reverend David J. Bonnar, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Youngstown has issued the revised temporary guidelines for those attending Sunday/ Weekday Mass. This revised guideline reinforces the presumed practice that anyone unvaccinated is to be wearing a face covering while attending Mass. For those who are vaccinated it is recommended that face coverings also be worn for the good of all.

The Sisterhood of St. Joseph’s will hold the annual Christmas Boutique on Sunday, November 7, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. in Hughes Hall. Tables are still available for crafters—$30.00 for an 8 ft. table (2nd table is $25.00). To reserve a table and/or for more info., please contact Nikki Fathauer (937-726-6470 or nmpoppe1@gmail.com). Reservations accepted on a first come basis. Mark your calendars for the 36th Annual Christmas Boutique to be held on Sunday, November 7, 2021!  Don't miss one of the area's nicest craft shows, sponsored by the Sisterhood of St. Joseph. Held in Hughes Hall, the Christmas Boutique continues the 36 year tradition of a nice show of hand-crafted items, baked goods, raffles, door prizes, and breakfast and lunch items. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Members of St. Joseph's PSR program will run the kitchen offering snack, lunch and dessert items at this annual fundraiser. 

A heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who has made a commitment to the 2021 Annual Bishop’s Appeal. As of September 23, 157 of our 511 Active Households have collectively committed $34,574.00 toward our parish’s goal of $41,800.00. However, we need the support of all members of our parish if we are to be successful in reaching our goal. 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 responding to the diocesan mailing.

The week’s rain including downpours on Friday & Saturday didn’t dampen the spirit of our wonderful volunteers. Sunday’s sunshine brought out huge crowds and everyone had a good time despite the muddy conditions. Rest assured the grounds will be repaired thanks to our Maintenance & Grounds Ministry, volunteers, and the help of our friends and parishioners at Lakeside Sand & Gravel. We can’t begin to give enough thanks to the hundreds of volunteers who make our great parish family event happen each year. Not only is it a parish fundraiser but yet another opportunity to extend our hospitality and it’s a blessing to all. We so appreciate every ones’ efforts, support, and participation. Watch for raffles, pulls, and contests winners' results at https://stjosephmantua.com/ox-thanks-appreciation-winners.

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.

In light of improving circumstances, a reduction in infections, and more people being vaccinated, the Bishops of Ohio have decided that the general obligation to attend Mass on Sunday and Holy days is to be reinstated on June 5-6, 2021. Revised Directives and Guidance for Public Liturgies on Sunday and Weekday Mass have been issued for all parishes in the Diocese of Youngstown following the latest revised directives form the CDC and the State of Ohio. Follow the link for more details.

We’d like to start a new ministry at to enhance our beautiful grounds. Many are not aware that our St. Joseph Garden Club disbanded at the end of 2019 due to dwindling membership & age of those participating. They were founded in Sept., 1982, under the leadership of Rev. Joseph Fata, and their aim was to beautify the parish grounds, assist the Worship Committee, and gain knowledge of all aspects of gardening through education, experience and mutual friendship. The Christmas Boutique was an annual fundraiser (Sisterhood of St. Joseph to host now). Plans are to have initial bed clean-up and mulching done by a landscaping company and/or an Eagle Project. Then, we’d like groups, families, couples, and individuals volunteer to handle the seasonal beautification of a designated area. Responsibilities will include spring clean up as needed, weeding, add plantings (with approval), water as necessary, deadhead and trim as needed, and fall clean-up. Plant purchases will be reimbursed by parish. DESIGNATED AREAS: Church Entrance Sign Rectory Yard Front of School Building Front of Church Garden by Flag Pole (aka Peace Garden) Parish Center Yard Parish Center Courtyard To volunteer or find out more, please contact Kathi (330-274-2253 or ktrares@stjosephmantua.com).

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).

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).

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.

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).

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.

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.