Website www.stjosephodenton.org Telephone: 410-674 674-9238 1283 Odenton Rd., Odenton, MD 21113 St. Joseph Church Parish Newsletter Volume 11, Issue 3 September 2015 Inside this issue: Haiti Sister Parish 2 Arundel House of Hope 2 Staff Spotlight 3 Sick and Bereavement 4 Fishes & Loaves 5 Advent Outreach 5 Bulletin Board 6 Support the Troops 8 Music Ministry 9 Bingo 10 Hospitality 10 Sodality 10 Shield the Vulnerable 11 CLOW 11
Page 2 St. Joseph Church Parish Newsletter Haiti Sister Parish Update The St. Joseph-St. Peter sister parish partnership has been ongoing for more than 10 years. Every year, St. Joseph parishioners donate funds to provide a hot nutritious lunch for 300 school children pre-k through 6 th grade at St. Peter s elementary school and supplement the teachers salaries. Our parish has also funded other projects, including textbooks, a well to provide clean water, renovations to the school building, and emergency aid. Most recently, our parish has overseen a major project to add a second floor to the main school building at St. Peter. The construction project, which is 95% complete and will be ready for use in the coming months, was paid for by contributions from the estates of two very generous St. Joseph s parishioners. Plans are set for this year s Haiti Sister Parish Spaghetti Dinner scheduled for Saturday September 26. Attending the dinner will be Fr. Jean Merat, pastor of our sister parish, St. Peter Catholic Church in Poteau, Haiti. This will be Fr. Merat s second trip to St. Joseph. He plans to visit the School of the Incarnation on Friday, September 25, and will be attending all three masses that weekend. He will also meet with the Haiti Sister Parish Committee in a business meeting to review the current program including funding and spending and plan for the upcoming year. Parishioners are encouraged to meet Fr. Merat and welcome him throughout his stay. Tickets for the Spaghetti Dinner can be purchased after the masses up to the weekend before the dinner. Cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children 10 years and under. Children 3 and under are free. The Haiti Sister Parish Committee meets on the first Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. at the church. New members are encouraged. As always we appreciate the generosity and prayers from St. Joseph parishioners to support our brothers and sisters in Haiti. Gary Grey Arundel House of Hope Reminders Warning: Farmer s Almanac predicts cold and snowy winter. Survival of the homeless is seriously threatened. Last winter our parish poured forth much love and compassion for our brothers in need as we provided a week of shelter and meals in the Youth Center in February. Your wonderful support was very heart warming, and we are looking forward to another good Shelter Week, January 25 - February 1, 2016. Volunteer sign-ups and requests for donations will be in November and December. This is a wonderful opportunity to share God s love and blessings with others, and experience wonderful blessings in return. For information contact Cathy Klingler at 410-279-1859 In His Service, Shelter Committee Chuck and Cathy Klingler
Volume 11, Issue 3 Page 3 Staff Spotlight Michelle Chervenak First impressions are extremely important, especially in business. Owners know that a warm smile and friendly face at the front desk goes a long way toward making customers feel welcome and at ease. This is exactly the first impression you get when walking into St. Joseph s Parish office. The first cheerful, pleasant face you see is that of our office manager, Michelle Chervenak. A Hyattsville, Maryland, native, Michelle took a circuitous route to St. Joseph s. After graduating from Seton High School (PG County), she pursued a degree in Family Studies. From there, she served as a social worker, acting as a go-between for parents of children with disabilities. Michelle also worked selling promotional products to retail businesses. Many of these jobs were in Florida and Ohio, since she moved with her husband as a result of his job transfers. The events around September 11, 2001, changed her mind about many things. Michelle felt the need to move closer to extended family. The Chervenak household moved back to Maryland, and Michelle began to work for a patent annuity firm. When the patent firm closed its doors, she took the opportunity to become the office manager at Church of the Holy Apostles, and now at St. Joseph. An office manager s job is more than just greeting people and answering the phone. Michelle Chervenak is truly the woman who knows what s going on. And if she doesn t know immediately, she knows just who to ask. This job never gets boring, she said. Her responsibilities include: registering new parishioners, maintaining the parish database, maintaining ministry file records, keeping the church events calendar current, producing the weekly bulletin, and other duties as needed. The biggest responsibility is the Sacramental data base, which includes the important Baptismal records. Michelle is involved in other ministries in the parish. She works with her children in the BLAZE middle school ministry, and Children s Liturgy of the Word. She also works with the Hospitality committee. We need help with all of the ministries, she explained. We welcome all assistants, and assistance! Her children s activities keep her busy when she s not in the parish office. She enjoys family time, going on day trips, or just reading. This summer, after reading an article about local dairies, family time became the quest for the best ice cream parlor near a park. She personally recommends Scoops, near Downs Park in Pasadena. So, the next time you phone the church office, or just stop by, be sure to say thank you to Michelle. She keeps our parish office running smoothly all year round. Marge McGugan
Page 4 St. Joseph Church Parish Newsletter In Memoriam Sharon Mullen Mary Orem William J. French Jaqueline Hufstetler Patricia Cassell Kenneth Kreiner Julia Mar nez Laverne McAllister- Madden Parker Kathryn Strupczewski Ralph J. Esposito William Hufstetler Sick and bereavement As we do each year, we began our six-week grief support group, Grieving the Death of a Loved One, on September 19. Many thanks to Rob and Joyce McKay who once again are facilitating the group for us this year. Father Jim will celebrate a Mass of Remembrance on All Souls Day, Monday, November 2nd at 7 pm. At this Mass, we will remember all those who went home to the Lord this past year, especially those from our parish and families. Our ministry will offer a one-morning support group session Grieving at the Holidays on Saturday, November 14, from 10 am until noon in the Lounge area. We would like to acknowledge the group of parishioners who are members of our Home Visitors Ministry. These dedicated ministers visit our sick and homebound parishioners weekly. They visit folks in their homes, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and, at times, in hospitals. Not only do they spend time talking with those they visit and catching them up on parish news, but also and most importantly they bring Eucharist to those parishioners who cannot come to Mass. Please keep in prayer all of our parishioners who are ill, close to death, or are grieving the death of a loved one. We wish all of our fellow parishioners a most holy Advent season. Joanna Mallon
Volume 11, Issue 3 Page 5 Fishes and loaves Ministry The Fishes and Loaves Meal Ministry continues to serve those in need, in our faith community, during those times in their lives when they could use our support. Our ministry provides meals to parishioners in an attempt to make difficult times a little less stressful and a little more manageable. If you are interested in serving as a meal minister or ever find that you could use the support of the Fishes and Loaves Meal Ministry, please contact Diane Smith at dianesmith4691@aol.com. Diane Smith Advent Outreach As our parish did last year, we will once again be supporting Christ Child Society for our Advent Outreach service project by providing gifts for 60-70 children in need from Anne Arundel County. Christ Child Society will provide us with the names, ages and size information for these children and our hope is that the parishioners of St. Joseph will help to meet the needs of these children by purchasing the requested gifts for the children. Once we have been contacted by Christ Child Society and receive the names of the children in need, we will have gift information cards available after masses for parishioners to sign out and take. The gift information card will have all of the information that you will need to purchase a gift for a child. The gifts historically needed are coats, clothing, toys, books, pajamas and toiletries. Please look for more information regarding Advent Outreach in the weekly church bulletin as we get closer to November. Those announcements will have the dates that gift cards will be available after masses (usually early November) and the dates that all gifts will be due back to St. Joseph (usually Thanksgiving weekend). If you have any questions, or would like to help parishioners sign out gift cards after masses, please contact Diane Smith at dianesmith4691@aol.com. Diane Smith
Page 6 St. Joseph Church Parish Newsletter Casseroles for Our Daily Bread October 1, November 5, December 3 Bring your completed casserole to Corrigan Hall Entrance between 6:30 and 8 pm Volunteers are needed, too. Contact Stephen Martin, through the parish office. Help clean up the Parish grounds. Earn service hours. November 21 and December 12 Watch the weekly bulletin for details. Craft Group meets each Tuesday at 10 am in the Hall. Learn a new craft or increase the skills you have. Enjoy fellowship with other crafters. Items are sold at the Christmas Craft Fair in December. Book Club meets September 24 at 7 pm. Join in discussion of Erika Robuck s Hemmingway s Girl See you at St. Joseph s Convent, 1250 Baliol Lane, Odenton Share the Word! Join us at 10 am every Thursday to examine the upcoming Sunday s readings.
Volume 11, Issue 3 Page 7 Annual Christmas Craft Fair December 5 9am to 1:30 pm Shop for your holiday gifts and decorations! Support Youth Ministry Programs Hospitality Weekends September 26 & 27 October 24 & 25 November 21 & 22 Meet fellow parishioners after all Masses! Veteran s Care package item collections start October 31. Watch the weekly bulletin for details. Heads up, Ministers! Next newsletter is scheduled for distribution the Second Sunday of Advent, December 5 and 6. This edition will cover Christmas, Ordinary time, and the start of Lent. Articles are due by Thanksgiving! Men s group Meets weekly: Thursday at 6 am or Saturday at 8 am at Panera Bread, Waugh Chapel Center Join us to discuss the upcoming Sunday Readings. Upcoming Music Concerts Laudato Si` - November 13 at 7 pm Lesson and Carols - December 20 at 5 pm, followed by refreshments in Corrigan Hall.
Page 8 St. Joseph Church Parish Newsletter Support the Troops Care Packages. Although military operations have been reduced over the recent years, our committee stands ready to prepare care packages for our Service Men and Women deployed throughout the world. In past years, we have provided packages to troops (Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen and Guardsmen) in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait and other duty stations. The packages include snacks, comfort items and- a favorite- greeting cards prepared by the children from the parish s Religious Education classes. We hope to continue this effort for as long as the need exists. If you have a family member or friend deployed please provide us their name and duty address as soon as possible and we ll include them in our next iteration of care packages this coming Christmas. We plan on collecting items on the weekends of November 7-8 and November 14-15. In the event that we don t receive any names of deployed troops, we will combine any contributed items with the December 12-13 donations for the Fisher House at Forest Glen, MD. Veterans Day. We will once again, gather information to create another pictorial essay that recognizes our parishioners (and their families) who are serving or have served in uniform. We are requesting the following minimum information: Name; Service; Dates of Service (e.g., 1965-1972), two (2) photographs (digital or hard copy 4 x 6 or larger one in uniform, other with family), contact information (telephone number, email). Other optional information to assist us in organizing the display: Rank; Comments on Campaigns/Conflicts, Theater of Operations, Duty Stations, Other. Hard copy information may be dropped off at the parish office. If interested, please submit your input by October 28, 2015. For more details, please contact Mark Calambro @ 410-551-8774 or mmc2id@gmail.com Many thanks to the parish and committee volunteers; you have been vital to our success! Finally, we welcome those interested in joining the Support the Troops Committee as well as any comments that may improve our operations. For more details on any of the above topics, please contact Mark Calambro @ 410-551-8774 or mmc2id@gmail.com. Peace Through Strength. Mark Calambro
Volume 11, Issue 3 Page 9 Upcoming Music Ministry Events Save the Dates! Laudato Si (On Care for our Common Home) Concert Friday, November 13 th @ 7:30 p.m. The combined music ministries from St. Joseph Catholic Church, Our Lady of the Fields Catholic Church, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church and St. Andrew by the Bay will be presenting a concert based on Pope Francis encyclical Laudato Si (On Care for Our Common Home). The concert is on Friday, November 13 th at 7:30 p.m. at St. Joseph Church. Come out and hear some beautiful music! The concert is free and open to the public. The combined music ministries will participate in a music ministry retreat on Saturday, November 14 th from 9am-12pm. Lessons and Carols Sunday, December 20 th @ 5:00 p.m. Our annual Lessons and Carols program will be held on Sunday, December 20 th at 5:00 p.m. in the church. The entire St. Joseph Church music ministry will be participating in this wonderful program. Lessons and Carols is a service of Scripture and song that dates back to the late 19th century. In this service, we listen to Scripture lessons which recount the Fall, the promise of a Messiah, the Incarnation, and the Great Commission to preach the Good News. Each lesson is followed by a carol or other song that reflects the lesson's message. We hope that you will join us for this special program and come ready to participate and sing along with our Music Ministry! Lessons and Carols is a great way to help prepare our hearts for Christmas. The program is free and open to the public. Following the program, light refreshments will be served in Corrigan Hall. Katie Jenkins
Page 10 St. Joseph Church Parish Newsletter Hospitality Committee Hospitality provides a friendly, welcoming face and serves food and drinks at special celebrations and scheduled "Hospitality Weekends". We could use helpers for all events and Masses during Hospitality Weekends. If you are interested in serving in this ministry, please contact Michelle Chervenak at mchervenak@stjosephodenton.org. Michelle Chervenak Bingo News On Wednesday, September 16, 2015, we celebrated our 39th year of hosting Bingo here at St. Joseph Church. Each player received a gift along with cake and ice cream at intermission. We have Bingo every Wednesday night, doors open at 6:30 pm, and early birds start at 7:15pm. If you re looking for a night out, why not give Bingo a try. Admission starts at $10.00, for 33 games of bingo, pull-tabs, great food and lots of fun. The kitchen can use help from 6-9pm. Thank you to all our current volunteers, Bingo could not happen without you. Joe Allen Sodality News Like a lot of organizations in the parish, the Sodality of our Lady is ready to resume its fall schedule. In keeping with the Corporal works of mercy, we will be planning our meal for Sarah's House, and preparing for Sodality Sunday in October. In November, we will once again look forward to working with the Youth to prepare for Christmas gifts donated from the parish for Mary's Center. For more information on these and other projects we are planning, please call Lou Wilson at 301-621-7377. Also our meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month in the Lounge at 10 am. Plan on joining us on: October 8th November 12th December 10th...this meeting will be followed by our annual Christmas luncheon. All of the ladies of the parish are invited to join us as we work with other organizations in the parish. Bring your ideas and thoughts to further our ministry. We look forward to seeing you. Lou Wilson
Volume 11, Issue 3 Page 11 Shield the Vulnerable Update your Information The Archdiocese of Baltimore and St Joseph Catholic Church are committed to providing a safe environment for children and youth. We will exclude from ministry, employment and volunteer service anyone against whom there is a credible allegation of child abuse. All parents and volunteers who will have substantial contact with children in any of the ministries at St. Joseph must be fully compliant with the Revised Archdiocese Policy for the Protection of Children and the Revised Code of Conduct. All parishes and schools are now using a new compliance management system, Shield the Vulnerable. This system allows all parishes and schools to facilitate compliance with the Archdiocesan child protection requirements. It also allows you to register for multiple parishes or schools, which minimizes the amount of time and paperwork involved. We are asking all volunteers to complete Shield the Vulnerable at this time. Please go to our parish website, www.stjosephodenton.org, and follow the detailed instructions under "Child Protection" on this site. You will find links to all of the necessary forms needed, so just follow the detailed instructions. If you work with children or youth, please make sure that you select substantial contact with children. You may select no contact with children if that term describes your service. If you anticipate that you may be driving for the parish, select drivers with contact or the appropriate alternative. Those who have completed a STAND background check within the past five years you are not required to do the background check at this time, but you are still required to register. You will be required to do the background check and training at the time of your next criminal history screening (renewable every five years). If you don t know the date of your last background check, please contact Jim Mallon, our STAND coordinator via the parish office or email Jim at jmallon@stjosephodenton.org. Jim Mallon Children s Liturgy of the Word Children s Liturgy of the Word provides children ages 4 through 10 the opportunity to celebrate liturgy where the Word of God is proclaimed and explained at their level of understanding. The CLoW leaders proclaim the Word to the gathered children, using the Lectionary for Masses with Children, and offer a brief interactive reflection. In order to consistently provide this opportunity for our parish children, we need more leaders. Anyone interested in helping can e-mail Jennifer Gardiner at jennifer_gardiner@ymail.com. Michelle Chervenak
Looking Ahead September 26 Spaghetti Dinner 6 pm September 27 Faith Formation Sessions begin October 20 Confirmation Mass 7 pm November 9 Blood Drive Corrigan Hall, 2 7:30 pm November 14 Grieving at the Holidays presentation 10 am November 25 Thanksgiving Mass 7 pm November 25 (noon) - November 29 Offices closed for Thanksgiving holiday December 5 Christmas Craft Fair 9 am December 20 Lessons and Carols 5 pm Fr. James Kiesel Editor-in-Chief Deacon Dave Page Editor Michelle Chervenak Editor Marge McGugan Content & Layout Editor Online Giving Reminder Thank you for using Online Giving. Parishioners who use the service are pleased with how easy it is to set up and manage. If you have not yet signed up for Online Giving, please consider this option. It is very easy to use and requires no special knowledge other than how to access the internet. By using Online Giving, you are helping the parish to improve our operational efficiency. Please visit our St. Joseph website at www.stjosephodenton.org and click Online Giving. Sign up today! Any questions can be directed to Deb Harris at dharris@stjosephodenton.org 410-674-9238. Deb Harris Newsletter Staff Contributing Writers Joe Allen Mark Calambro Michelle Chervenak Gary Grey Deb Harris Katie Jenkins Cathy Klingler Chuck Klingler Jim Mallon Joanna Mallon Marge McGugan Diane Smith Lou Wilson