Greetings St. Joseph Parish!
Christmastide, Epiphany, Groundhog Day, Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Valentine's Day, Ash Wednesday, baptisms, and awe-some weather - there's so much happening in this February edition of The Journey! Let's get to it!
Parish Life
Ann Gibney, St. Joseph Parish Life Coordinator
St. Valentine Project
We'd like to make Valentine’s Day special for the residents of the Elkader Care Center, Kingston Court Assisted Living, and Scenic Acres. Please consider donating individually wrapped candy, miniature candy bars, small cans of pop (root beer and 7-up), individual bags of chips, lotion, lip balm, deodorant, shower wash, shampoo, conditioner, small stuffed animals, stamps, note cards, rolls of dimes, nickels, or quarters, window clings, bird seed, word searches, coloring books, markers, socks, or small packages of tissues. Please drop off your donations by February 11 to the Parish Center or church. Thanks in advance for your kindness and generosity!
Be sure to keep praying for our seminarian, Steven Kessler, who's in his final year of formation at Loras College and St. Pius X Seminary in Dubuque. God willing, he'll continue formation next year in Illinois!
Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 25! Following the 5:00pm, St. Joseph will host a town hall meeting, and your input is needed! Come hear what's happening in the leadership circles and let your voice be heard! Cinnamon rolls and chili will also be served.
Faith Formation
Hazel Martin, St. Joseph Parish
Director of Faith Formation
Altar Servers Needed!
St. Joseph Parish needs more Altar Servers! Training will be available on Wednesday evenings during the Faith Formation class time. This training can be given to any interested boy or girl 3rd grade and older. Please talk with your son or daughter about this liturgical ministry, and contact Janine Berns at the Parish Center if interested. Altar serving is an excellent way to be more present during the Mass!
Adult Faith Formation
Fran Zichal, Emmaus Pastorate
Adult Faith Formation Coordinator
Be sure to mark your calendars for the last Monday of each month and celebrate birthdays with the Disability Inclusion Committee! Watch for posters around our parishes for more information!
The AFF Committee is looking at options to host a retreat in the Pastorate this spring. Keep looking for details on this enriching experience.
Beauty in Christ Women's Conference
The women's conference originally scheduled for January 28 has been postponed to Saturday, February 5 from 8:00am-1:30pm at St. Mark Parish Center. If you were previously registered, you still are, and if you'd like to register or are no longer able to come, please contact Janine Berns or Fran Zichal. (Contact information is below) Titled "Fiat! Saying Yes to God!", this year's keynote speakers are national speaker and author Marcia Lane-McGee and local women's health educator Jamie Rathjen. Shelly and Paul Dolan are helping to host this event, breakfast and lunch will be served, and there will be door prizes, virtual lectures, and discussion groups. Please contact Janine Berns or Fran Zichal to register. (Contact info. is below.) For more information on the conference and speakers, see Beauty in Christ's website.
Mark your calendars for the 2023 Archdiocesan Men's Conference featuring Archbishop Michael Jackels and keynote speaker Dr. Edward Sri. Call the Emmaus Pastorate office at 563-928-7200 or email Deacon Paul Dolan for more information.
Liturgy & Worship
John Uhal, Pastoral Associate
Welcome greetings to
Seraphina Permann, who was baptized on January 25! Her family, friends, and faith formation class were there to witness the great occasion!
February Mass Intentions
- February 3: Maureen Bergan
- February 4: Janarius Tschirgi
- February 10: Pope Benedict XVI
- February 11: for the people of St. Joseph Parish
- February 17: Fr. John's intention
- February 18: Pat Keleher
- February 22: Joshua Collins
- February 22: Ken Klosterman
- February 24: Don & Mary Clark
- February 25: Merlin & Therin Trentschler
KMCH Sponsors
- February 5 - Michelle Hunt of Lewisville, TX
- February 12 - Ruth Knapp of Waterloo, IA
- February 19 - Len & Gail Froyen of Cedar Falls, IA
- February 26 - Kyle & Sarah Kumpf and family of Peosta, IA
Eucharistic Adoration
Remember that Eucharistic Adoration is available! Following Friday morning Mass from 8:30am-9:30am, the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for us to adore, and Fr. John will be available for confessions. At the entrance of church is a wide range of books and other prayer aids; feel free to take and use one!! (Adoration is available following every daily Mass and on the first Thursday evening of every month around the Emmaus Pastorate.)
Also, remember that on the first Thursday night of every month adoration is offered at one of the Emmaus Pastorate Parishes. This month, adoration will be held on February 2 from 7:00pm-8:00pm at St. Joseph Parish.
Let us pray...
Please hold all of those who have died and their loved ones in your prayers, especially:
- Shirley Waterman
- Marilyn Ryan
On the go a lot??
Do you wish you could hear Fr. John's or Deacon Paul's homilies in the car or on the go? Well know you can! Visit our website, click on Homilies & Podcast in the top menu or under the Worship tab, and you'll be able to listen to any of their Sunday homilies! Special episodes from holy days, visits from Archbishop Jackels, and the occasional recording of our musicians are also posted. Try it!
If you subscribe to podcasts, search for The Emmaus Pastorate's Podcast wherever you find them! There are over 150 episodes, and new episodes usually release on Mondays.
Ash Wednesday Mass Schedule - February 22
7:00am @ St. Mark Parish in Edgewood
12:15pm @ St. Mary Parish in Strawberry Point
5:30pm @ St. Joseph Parish in Elkader
7:30pm @ St. Mark Parish in Edgewood
More Things to Know
Disability Inclusion Ministry
Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate Christmas with Rise's residents in January! The Disability Inclusion Committee met several times to assess and identified several ways to improve next year.
Also remember the monthly birthday celebrations for anyone with intellectual disabilities. Watch for posters with more info, and mark your calendars for the last Monday of each month! If you would like to serve this population, please contact Jane Sparrgrove at sparrgrovejane@gmail.com.
Clayton County Food Shelf
St. Joseph Social Justice Committee collected 35lbs of food in addition to $199 cash for the Clayton County Food Shelf in January. Remember the first Saturday of each month is the collection!
In February, the food shelf especially needs unsweetened, ready to eat cereal; canned fruit; canned tuna; toilet tissue; hand, laundry, and dish soap, toothpaste, and shampoo. Our next collection will be Saturday night, February 4. Thanks for your generosity!!
Grief Share Program
Preparation for the next Grief Share Program is underway. The 13-week class will be held at St. Mark Parish Center in Edgewood beginning on March 7 from 6:00pm to 7:30pm. Contact Kandi DeShaw at 608-306-2558 or Fran Zichal at 5643-880-0873 for more information and to register.
Thank you to everyone who donated to the ArchdioceseOne special appeal! Here's a message from Archbishop Jackels.
Knights of Columbus
John Uhal, Grand Knight
Tootsie Roll Drive Funds
Council 2209 awarded four local organizations with $500 in January 2023 with funds generated from their annual Campaign for People with Intellectual Disabilities – affectionately known as the Tootsie Roll Drive. The four organizations are Central Community Schools; Rise, Ltd.; Elkader Child Care and Learning Center; and Northeast Iowa Community Action Agency who serve people young and old who have physical and mental disabilities.
Council 2209 also hosted their annual Free Throw Championship on January 15 at Central Community School. Open to any boy and girl aged nine-14, 10 participated in this year’s competition. Winners from this year are eligible to compete at the district level contest on February 5. Participants are broken into gender and age groups, and the winners of this year’s local competition are Emersyn Wiley, Ty Deering, Ty Berns, Hadley, Mueller, Tenley Deering, and Mylee Mueller.
Upcoming Events
- February 2: Holy Hour with adoration and confessions at St. Joseph Parish from 7:00pm-8:00am (the first Thursday of every month offers adoration at one of the Emmaus Pastorate Parishes)
- February 4: Beauty in Christ women's conference (from the original date of January 28) from 8:00am-1:30pm at St. Mark Parish Center
- February 4: Liturgy Committee and Catechist Lenten Inservice at St. Mark Parish Center from 9:00am-10:30am; if you sit on this committee or are a catechist in a faith formation program, please plan to attend.
- February 4: Souper Bowl collection at St. Joseph; bring a can of soup and/or $1 to Mass!
- February 5: Lenten Musician Workshop at 11:15am at St. Mark Parish
- February 5: Just For Fun Card Party hosted by St. Ann's Circle in the St. Joseph Parish Hall from 1:00pm-4:00pm; card games for every age!
- February 12: Fedeler Breakfast at 9:00am at Sacred Heart Parish
- February 22: Ash Wednesday (see Mass schedule above, online, and in the bulletin)
- February 24: Fish Fry at St. Mary Parish in Strawberry Point
- March 2: Holy hour with adoration and confessions at St. Mary Parish in Strawberry Point
- March 3: Fish Fry at St. Patrick Parish in Colesburg
Do you have something to add to this newsletter? Please send any articles and/or pictures to John Uhal at the Parish Center, by calling 563-245-2548, or by email at j.uhal@dbqarch.org.