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March 18, 2021
Feast of St. Cyril of Jerusalem

Click on the banner above to visit the website for the Year of St. Joseph

May this be a year of great grace for all of us as we more deeply entrust ourselves to the care of our spiritual father and our parish patron. St. Joseph, pray for us!


THE SOLEMNITY OF ST. JOSEPH
IS THIS FRIDAY, MARCH 19
Mass will be celebrated at St. Joseph Church at 10am.

All are also welcome to attend the Mass for the Solemnity of St. Joseph at the Cathedral Basilica at 12:05 p.m. The Mass will also be streamed live via the Archdiocesan Vimeo Channel . In addition, all are welcome to join in The Litany of Saint Joseph that will take place prior to the Cathedral Mass. 

You Can Eat Meat This Friday!
Canon Law states that “abstinence from meat... is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday.”  Since this Friday, March 19, is the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Catholics are allowed to eat meat this Friday. Click here for a further explanation.

Archdiocesan Novena to St. Joseph Begins this Friday, March 19
The Archdiocesan Novena to Saint Joseph can be prayed in any setting. The praying of this Novena is to unite everyone in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on the 19th of each month, from March through November 2021, in single petition of confident prayer to the Lord through the heavenly intercession of Saint Joseph. Please keep in mind the monthly Archdiocesan intention, found within the Novena Prayers.
  • Click here for the Novena Prayers.  (You can print the prayers on one sheet of paper (back-to-back) and fold as noted.)
  • The Novena Prayers are also available at the hand sanitizing stations and at the exits of the church.
“Go to Joseph” Talk Series (on Zoom) Concludes this Friday March 19, 7-8pm
Please join a special talk series for the Year of St. Joseph by Father Gerald Dennis Gill, Rector of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Peter and Paul. Each evening will include discussion, sharing on the topics presented and the praying of the Holy Rosary and the Litany of St. Joseph.  For more information, talk topics and the Zoom link, click here for the flyer.

Consecration to St. Joseph
For information concerning the Consecration to St. Joseph, click here.

A Vincentian Approach to the Virtues of St. Joseph
Join virtually as the Miraculous Medal Shrine’s Vincentian priests delve into the life and personhood of St. Joseph in an intriguing series: “A Vincentian Approach to the Virtues of St. Joseph” to be held on Friday, March 19 and March 26 from 7:30PM -8:30PM.  To register, visit miraculousmedal.org/events/stjoe2021/
SOME LENTEN REMINDERS
The bishops of the United States prescribe, as minimal obligation, that all persons over 14 years of age are gravely obliged to abstain from meat on all Fridays of Lent (except March 19, the Solemnity of St. Joseph).  All persons over 18 years of age and up to the beginning of their 60th year are gravely obliged to fast by limiting themselves to a single full meal on Good Friday, while the other two meals are to be light.
 
All the faithful are encouraged at attend Mass and to receive the Most Holy Eucharist daily, to use frequently the Sacrament of Penance, to undertake spiritual reading, especially the study of the Sacred Scriptures, and to attend parish Lenten devotions and Lenten educational programs.
 
We will pray the Stations of the Cross at St. Joseph Church on Sundays at 9:15am and on Fridays at 10:30am.
 
All are encouraged to participate in the annual Catholic Relief Service’s Rice Bowl, which has aided countless hungry persons here in our Archdiocese and throughout the world.

CRS RICE BOWL

There is a collection box near the bulletin boards in the gym to place your filled CRS Rice Bowl.  You may also drop the Rice Bowl envelope, included in your envelope packet, in the collection basket.  Checks should be made payable to St. Joseph Church.  For more information, visit the CRS Rice Bowl website.

40 DAYS FOR LIFE
Please join us in lifting our voices in song and prayer as we close out the 2021 40 Days for Life Spring Campaign on Saturday, March 27.  We will be holding a prayer rally outside of 777 Appletree St., Philadelphia, starting at 8AM.  Following the prayer rally, we will be having a Mass at 9AM at nearby Holy Redeemer Catholic Church at 915 Vine Street, followed by refreshments.
HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE
 
March 28 – Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion
9:15am Stations of the Cross at St. Joseph Church
10am Mass and Blessing of Palms at St. Joseph Church
 
March 29 – Monday of Holy Week
10am Mass at St. Joseph Church
 
March 31 – Wednesday of Holy Week
10am Mass at St. Joseph Church
10:30am Stations of the Cross at St. Joseph Church
 
April 1 – Holy Thursday
5pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper at St. Joseph Church
St. Joseph Church will remain open until 9pm
(7:30pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper at Presentation BVM Church)
 
April 2 – Good Friday
St. Joseph Church will open 12 noon until 4pm for private prayer.
7:30pm Solemn Service of the Lord’s Passion at St. Joseph Church
(3pm Solemn Service of the Lord’s Passion at Presentation BVM)
 
April 3 – Holy Saturday
4pm-5pm Sacrament of Reconciliation at Presentation BVM
5pm Blessing of Easter Foods at Presentation BVM
8pm Solemn Easter Vigil at Presentation BVM
 
April 4 – Easter Sunday of the Lord’s Resurrection
10am Mass at St. Joseph Church
(8:30am & 11:30am Mass at Presentation BVM)

For those who are unable to participate in person, the 10am Mass from St. Joseph Church will be livestreamed on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday.  Services on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil will be livestreamed from the Cathedral via the Archdiocesan Vimeo Channel.
HOLY THURSDAY AND GOOD FRIDAY ADORATION
There is a sign-up sheet available on the bulletin board for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Holy Thursday evening and Good Friday afternoon.  Please consider signing up for a time slot (or two) so that the Blessed Sacrament will not be left alone during this solemn time.

Please note that due to Covid, the Blessed Sacrament will be reposed in the sanctuary of the Church rather that in the small side room near the organ.
MORAL GUIDANCE ON THE COVID-19 VACCINE
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued guidance regarding the Covid-19 vaccines.  Click here to access the most recent USCCB guidance.
2021-2022 REGISTRATIONS ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED
Registrations for the 2021-2022 academic year for grades K through 8, as well as the full day Pre-School/Pre-Kindergarten program, are now being accepted.  Schedule your private Zoom tour to see them in action!  Call the school at (215) 379-3798 or visit the school's website for further information.
YOU CAN SUPPORT PRESENTATION BVM SCHOOL IN A VARIETY OF WAYS
  • The Presentation BVM Scrip Program has been a successful fundraiser for the school for over 20 years and purchasing Scrip earns you money, too!. Visit presentationbvm.org/scrip or contact Nicole Herbert (215) 939-3900 or Kathleen Hurst (215) 870-8251. They are more than happy to steer you through this convenient (easy to use), caring (helps our parish), and profitable (both for you and the school) program.
  • The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Presentation BVM School.  Head on over to: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/23-1405627 and choose Presentation BVM School as your charitable organization of choice.  If you should have any questions, please contact Mrs. Trudy Rocks at (215) 379-3798 or mrs.rocks@presbvmschool.org
  • Learn how to redirect your tax dollars to benefit students from Presentation BVM School and receive a 90% tax credit!  Attend an Information Webinar on Tuesday, March 23 at 7pm.  To sign up for the webinar, contact Joe McGinn at the Foundation for Catholic Education at (610) 793-8613 or jmcginn@foundationforcatholiceducation.org.
10AM SUNDAY MASS FROM ST. JOE'S CONTINUES TO BE LIVESTREAMED!
For those who are unable to participate in person, the livestream of the Mass is available each Sunday at 10am via:
 
or
for non-Facebook users at stjoescheltenham.org/live
 
We do encourage those who are able, to begin returning to our church for the celebration of the Mass.  Social distancing and mask protocols continue to be followed.
A BRIEF RECAP OF SOME PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENTS:
  • 2020 contribution statements are now available.  Email the parish office to request one.
  • The Rosary Campaign for an End to the Coronavirus continues.  Join online, by phone or in spirit to pray the Rosary asking the miraculous intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary to put an end to the coronavirus and to bring restoration to those most severely impacted by the pandemic.
    • Rosary in English: Monday through Thursday at 8PM
    • Click here for more details and to log-in
  • Our parish offers Online Giving here. Be sure to select the correct St. Joseph in the dropdown menu!
  • The suggested offering for a Mass Intention is $10, payable at the time of your request. Please note that the Masses during the month of November are reserved for the Souls in Purgatory.
  • Get novena prayers in your e-mail inbox to help you pray each of the nine days with the Catholic Church via  www.praymorenovenas.com
STAY TUNED WITH CATHOLIC RADIO
Some of the Catholic Stations available in our area:
 
RELEVANT RADIO  - www.relevantradio.com 
Also in our area at 640AM on the radio .

RADIO MARIA     www.radiomaria.us
Also via the Radio Maria App which can be downloaded for free at their website www.radiomaria.us  

DOMESTIC CHURCH MEDIA   www.domesticchurchmedia.org

IN HIS SIGN RADIO  (IHS)     www.inhissign.com
Radio   800AM
SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THE WEEK
To access the daily scripture readings that are being used at Mass, click here.
PRINTED PARISH BULLETIN
Paper copies of our parish bulletin are available on the tables as you exit the Church.  The bulletin is also available online . Be sure to read the back page and support our loyal advertisers that make our weekly bulletin possible - they need our support now more than ever.
For an archive of previous e-Newsletters from St. Joe's, click here.
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Our mailing address is:
7631 Waters Rd., Cheltenham, PA 19012, USA

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