Greetings St. Joseph Parish!
Happy Easter! We're in the Fifth Week of Eastertide! When is the last time you greeted someone with "Alleluia!" or "Happy Easter!"? Here's the May 2023 edition of The Journey, loaded with highlights of Holy Week and Easter and looking forward to spring events!
Parish Life
Ann Gibney, St. Joseph Parish Life Coordinator
Steven has passed his final exams and will be home for the summer! We look forward to seeing over the next few months!
Thanks to everyone who donated vases money for flowers! Residents of Elkader's care facilities will be overjoyed with such vibrant colors and fragrances!
St. Joseph Pastoral Council
Claudia McCalley, Chair
Parish Elections
Pastoral Council elections will take place on May 20 at St. Joseph. The Parish Council has two openings to be filled. There are two nominees to three-year terms. The Faith Formation Commission will also hold elections, and there are four nominees as well as space for a write in candidate. Thank you to all who accepted nominations for these leadership teams! Biographies of each nominee will be available in the bulletin on May 13/14. Please participate in the election of parishioners who serve you!
Faith Formation
Hazel Martin, St. Joseph Parish
Director of Faith Formation
The faith formation year has ended for our students, and it couldn't have been done without our great catechists! A huge thank you to Carla Clark, Chena Deutmeyer, Makenzie Farmer, Julie Schmidt, Pete & Kristi McGreal, and John Wiley, Jr. for all of your great work!
Congratulations to the second graders who received their First Communion on April 22 at St. Joseph! Pictured are JoElla Carlson, Bodey Clark, Madisyn Deutmeyer, Weston Heavens, Dylan Koehn, Levi Oberbroeckling, Jordan Stannard, Angela Uhal, Xander Warpinski, and Nora Wiley. Thanks to Pete and Kristi McGreal for being their catechists this year, too!
In their preparation, second graders from around the Emmaus Pastorate visited the Basilica of St. Francis Xavier in Dyersville to learn about making hosts and tour the beautiful church.
Adult Faith Formation
Fran Zichal, Emmaus Pastorate
Adult Faith Formation Coordinator
How to start using FORMED:
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Future Fun!
The Committee will be meeting on May 15 to create summer and fall activities. Watch out for details next month!
Did you get a holy water bottle or Give Us This Day?
If you wanted a holy water bottle, let a Hospitality Minister know, and they'll get one for you after Mass. This month's Give Us This Day is still available in church. This is a great daily prayer aid!
Mary and the Bible
There will be two classes in May titled “A Biblical Walk with the Blessed Mother.” This class will be held twice: May 18 at St. Joseph Parish Center at 5:30pm and on May 31 at St. Mark Parish Center after the 7:00am Mass. Coffee and rolls will be served at both. We’ll use a program based on DVD and book, Walking with Mary, written by Dr. Edward Sri.
Baptism Class
The final Baptism class of this academic year in the Emmaus Pastorate is scheduled for Wednesday, May 31 at 6:00pm in the St. Joseph Parish Center. It is our practice that parents of the Emmaus Pastorate desiring baptism participate in a Baptism class. If you wish to have your child baptized, please contact the Pastorate Office at 563-928-7200. Classes are open to all parents of the Emmaus Pastorate.
Grief Share Support Group
Grief Share Support Group continues to offer class on Tuesdays from 5:30pm to 7:00pm until May 30. The class is held at St. Joseph Parish Center in Elkader. To register, contact Fran Zichal at 563-880-0873 or Kandi DeShaw at 608-306-2558.
Liturgy & Worship
John Uhal, Pastoral Associate
Holy Week 2023
May Mass Intentions
- May 5: Keith & Billie Kobliska
- May 6: for the people of St. Joseph
- May 12: Mary Jo Moore
- May 13: Therin Rentschler
- May 19: Jack Moyna
- May 20: Alan Wagner
- May 26: Joshua Collins
- May 27: Harry Hubbard
KMCH Sponsors
- May 7: Rob & Anette Meyers of Dunkerton, IA
- May 14: St. Mark Parish Senior Class 2023 of Edgewood, IA
- May 21: Mary Sue Quinlan of Lewisville, TX
- May 28: Michelle Hunt of Lewisville, TX
Let us pray...
Please hold all of those who have died and their loved ones in your prayers, especially Harry Hubbard, Dolores Putz, Cyrilla Haugen, and their families.
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 now 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!
With over 170 episodes and over 5,000 downloads, there's an episode we all need!
Confirmation 2023
Join the Emmaus Pastorate as we celebrate the confirmation of 11 sophomores. Mass will be at 7:00pm on May 3 at St. Mark Parish. Fr. John will preside.
Baccalaureate Mass 2023
St. Joseph will celebrate six graduating seniors on May 6 at the 5:00pm Mass. Congratulations to Lexi Loan, Dan McGreal, Nick Deitchler, Katelyn Scherf, Allison White, and Tate Berns for all of your hard work and dedication!
Social Justice Committee
Colleen Moore, Chair
We are currently creating the next annual time, talent, and treasure survey and hope to have it ready by the end of May. Look for it in the coming months!
More Things to Know
Clayton County Food Shelf
In April, St. Joseph collected 46lbs of food! Thank you!! Our next collection will be Saturday night, May 6. Thanks for your generosity!!
Disability Inclusion Ministry
Monthly birthday parties continue with great success! John Uhal provided the music and entertainment at the April party, which had the greatest attendance yet. Contact Jane Spargrove at 563-933-6235 for further information or to register for a party.
Seventh and eighth graders prepared Easter eggs for St. Joseph Parish. Thanks for the great treat, and thanks to their catechist, Carla Clark!
NCYC Mother's Day Cupcakes
Mother’s Day cupcake bouquets are available for $20.00 per bouquet. Bouquets will be available for pick up at Mass on Mother’s Day weekend (May 13/14) at Sts. Joseph, Mark, and Mary Parishes. Delivery is available inside the Emmaus Pastorate for an additional $5.00. NCYC Participants will be selling bouquets before and after Mass until May 7. Please contact the Parish Center with questions.
Archbishop Jackels celebrated his final Mass in the Archdiocese of Dubuque last month. Some staff and Fr. John had the opportunity to meet our Apostolic Administrator, Bishop Pates, at the Pastoral Leadership Study Day on April 20. Bishop Pates is the retired bishop of Des Moines and will help shepherd us until a new Archbishop is chosen by Pope Francis.
The National Catholic Youth Conference draws youth from around the United States, and the Archdiocese of Dubuque sends almost 1,000 students (almost 10% of the total attendants)! Eleven high schoolers and four adults will attend in 2023, and your support is very important to sending them on their way!
Loving Legacy Workshop
One of the best gifts you can give your loved ones in your final days is preparedness! Have you thought about your end of life care and funeral arrangements? The Emmaus Pastorate has all the information you need to know on making ethical end of life decisions and plans and an excellent team to help you prepare your own funeral. That way, none of your survivors are left with those tasks! The next Loving Legacy workshop will be on May 20 at 9:00am at St. Mary's Upper Room. Please call the Emmaus Pastorate office at 563-928-7200 to reserve your place!
Upcoming Events
- May 3: Conferral of the Sacrament of Confirmation at St. Mark at 7:00pm
- May 6: Baccalaureate & May Crowning at St. Joseph's 5:00pm Mass
- May 11: Pastoral Council meeting at 6:00pm
- May 13/14: NCYC cupcake bouquet pickup and delivery
- May 15: Finance Council meeting at 5:30pm
- May 20: Loving Legacy workshop at St. Mary Upper Room in Strawberry Point at 9:00am
- May 20: Parish Elections at 5:00pm Mass
- May 30: Pastorate Finance Council meeting at 6:30pm at St. Mary Parish
- May 31: Baptism Class at 6:00pm at St. Joseph Parish Center
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.