The Diocese of Youngstown is holding the Church Overseas Combined Collection for ministries of the Church around the globe. These ministries of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Holy Father/Peter’s Pence, the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, and the Church in Latin America assist the Church in serving people who are hungry, refugees, victims of natural disasters, and development projects. Please give generously to this January 23/24 collection which combines four collections in one.

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 2021 Blood Drives on Mondays, Jan., 25, Mar. 29, Jun. 7, Aug. 2, Sept. 27, and Nov. 22, Noon-6:00 p.m. Visit www.redcrossblood.org today to schedule your appointment to give to an upcoming blood drive!

Dr. Rachel Constance, Associate Professor of History and Director of the Byers Institute for Community Health at Walsh University presented Pandemic Stories for Portage County’s Digital Doctrine on January 11. Recently, Dr. Constance designed the Walsh University Pandemic Stories Oral History Project, a collaboration between the Byers Institute, the Renacci Center for Civic Engagement, the Food Design Institute, and the Walsh University Archives. The oral history project uses the collective memory of our individual experiences as a testament to our pandemic times to provide context and meaning for future generations. Read more about this project at https://www.walsh.edu/pandemic-stories.html. You are invited to participate by following the link to the story collection survey and tell your story.

Catholic Charities launched the Warm Hearts for Warm Homes campaign (formerly Keep the Kids Warm) in 2008 in response to the economic recession impacting many local families. Unfortunately, the need for this annual campaign still exists over 12 years later. Warm Hearts for Warm Homes aims to provide utility assistance during the cold winter months to families with children, working poor adults and older adults on fixed incomes. More information about Warm Hearts for Warm Homes, including ways to support this campaign with your prayers and financial support, can be found at www.ccdoy.org. A second collection will be taken the weekend of January 30/31 for this effort.

Our 2021 Men's Renewal Weekend is scheduled to be held February 20th & 21st. St. Joseph's Men’s Renewal is a free, two-day gathering of adult Christian men (Catholic and non-Catholic) coming together in faith to deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ and other Christian men. This renewal is absolutely FREE for all men 18 years and older. Take some time for yourself. Come enjoy fellowship, laughs, and good food. This is a weekend you will not regret and never forget. Come for yourself, your wife, your son, your daughter. It is held in St. Joseph's Hughes Hall, school building, and church spaces gathering at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 20, and ending with Mass on Sunday afternoon, February 21. You will be fed in mind, body, and spirit. You're guaranteed to leave FULL. To register online, go to bit.ly/2021SJMensrenewal. Or you may submit a registration form found in the Narthex or downloadable from our parish website (https://stjosephmantua.com/men-of-st-joseph). Questions? Please contact Scott (440-313-2451) or Matt (330-507-8467).

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)

This weekend concludes the Christmas Season, transitioning us into Ordinary Time once again. For many, we’re also getting back to “normal,” or at least the “new normal” of the continually extraordinary time we’re living in. With the transition to the new year, I’d like to share a little update on my adventures since I was last in Ohio this past summer.

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).

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. 

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/

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.

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.

We would like everyone at St. Joseph’s to feel welcome as a part of our parish community family. Your assistance in keeping our records up-to-date helps to ensure that no one becomes “just a member. ” 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. To register or to update your information, please contact the Parish Office (330-274-2253 or ktrares@stjosephmantua.com). If you have started the process, but have yet to return the blue registration form, please do so ASAP.