First Sunday Of Lent February 22, 2015

Hello,

As I have mentioned before in this column, over the next four years the archdiocese is using the book “The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic” as a theme for each of the next four years for the diocese, with this year’s sign being Prayer. The parish is doing two things to help us share in this focus during Lent. The first is that we have bought 150 copies of the book (they were only $3 a copy) for parishioners. If they all go we will get more, we will see what the interest is.

The second thing is that since we are focusing on the sign of prayer this year, I thought I would spend each week through Lent just mentioning a different aspect of prayer mentioned in the book. The first one is what you might call a bit of a selfish reason to improve our prayer life, when we are spiritually healthy, we are happy. This isn’t because everything is perfect and God is listening to all of my prayers and forcing the world to be exactly the way I want things to be, although that sounds kind of motivating too. But rather we know there is still sin in the world, and I even contribute to it at times, but I can still be joyful about life. If we require everything to go exactly how we want it to be happy I don’t think we are going to be happy. Instead we need to recognize the great gifts we have been given and be grateful for them instead of letting all the things that are not exactly as we would like to control us. Think of the times in your life when you have been happiest. It isn’t because everything has been perfect for you then, but rather that what we are so conscious of the good things that the bad ones don’t overwhelm us.

It is easy when you look at it the other way around, when we are upset. The fact that someone changed lanes ahead of us and it will take us 10 more seconds to get home isn’t that big of a deal, but sometimes it can really get us angry. Or you are upset about something and your child or spouse does something we don’t care for and we snap at them. Now if those same things happened when we had just won a lottery or found out we didn’t have cancer we probably would barely notice them and they wouldn’t change our attitude. Think of when you are in a really good relationship with someone, when you are in love, it doesn’t require everything else to go our way to make us happy. If you are spiritually healthy, have a good prayer life, a good relationship with God, know that you love God and that God loves you, you should be happy, you should be joyful.

Joyful, happy, I thought this was Lent? It is. In Ash Wednesday’s Gospel it said, “When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.” (MT 6:16) We know we have sinned, that we need to repent, that we need to change, but also that God loves us.

Peace,

Fr. Nick January 2015 MONTH YEAR TO DATE Actual Budget Variance Actual Budget Variance

Income 47,161.13 56,119.00 (8,957.87) 390,436.31 406,428.00 (15,991.69) Expense 54,856.60 60,169.11 (5,312.51) 369,755.06 413,954.30 (44,199.24) Net Income (7,695.47) (4,050.11) (3,645.36) 20,681.25 (7,526.30) 28,207.55 (deficit)

Notes From The Pastor's Pen

Sunday, March 1 Second Sunday of Lent

7:30 am Natalie Price

9:00 am Frances Nouss

11:00 am St Joseph Parishioners

Saturday, Feb. 28

8:00 am Margaret Kurrus

5:00 pm Marge Haley

Friday, Feb. 27

6:30 am Jack & Patsy Rowan

12:00 pm William Kiburz

Thursday, Feb. 26 8:00 am

Francis Flynn & Family

12:00 pm Gert O’Neill

Wednesday, Feb. 25

6:30 am Helene Schweitzer

12:00 pm

Rita Maloney

Tuesday, Feb. 24

8:00 am Poor Souls

12:00 pm Kathy Freeberg

Monday, Feb. 23

6:30 am Victor N. Shalhoob

12:00 pm Jack & Shirley Murphy

Mass Intentions

We Pray For Our Loved Ones

May God provide health and comfort to:

Diane Foster Olive Hagen Jeanne Sutton John Menousek Joan Rice Dave Rowan Layne Knight LaJuana Hinch Sam Hardy Catherine Mullins Charles Collins Larry Stewart, III Robyn Street John Saner Voelker Eugene Shalhoob Joy Fischer Barbara Lindsay Maria Guehlstorf Patrick Hale Angela Color Drenna Muldoon Shirley Toon Clifford Parr Mary Jane Zoernig

Sr. Eleanor Madelyn Ibeling Michael Phelps

Communion to the Sick or

Homebound We are happy to bring communion to those confined to their homes. Please contact the Parish Office for arrangements.

Anointing of the Sick

If you or a loved one seeks the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, contact the Parish Office to make arrangements.

www.stjosephclayton.org

Make, track, and schedule parish donations directly from your computer.

Just log onto our website www.stjospehclayton.org

and follow the link.www.stjosephclayton.org

A Peek at the Week Ahead Monday, February 23 5:15 pm PSR, School 7:00 pm Priest, Prophet, King program, Madonna Rm 7 pm High School PSR. Centennial Rm 7:30 pm Choir, Church

Wednesday, February 25 1:00 pm Priest, Prophet, King program, Centennial Rm

Friday, February 27 7:00 pm Stations of the Cross, Church

Sunday, March 1 9:30 am PSR, School 11:00 am CLW, Centennial Rm

READINGS FOR THE WEEK

Monday: Lv 19:1-2, 11-18; Ps 19:8-10, 15; Mt 25:31-46 Tuesday: Is 55:10-11; Ps 34:4-7, 16-19; Mt 6:7-15 Wednesday: Jon 3:1-10; Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19; Lk 11:29-32 Thursday: Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25; Ps 138:1-3, 7c-8; Mt 7:7-12 Friday: Ez 18:21-28; Ps 130:1-8; Mt 5:20-26 Saturday: Dt 26:16-19; Ps 119:1-2, 4-5, 7- 8; Mt 5:43-48 Sunday: Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18;

Ps 116:10, 15-19; Rom 8:31b-34; Mk 9:2-10

Rest In Peace

Let us pray for all of our deceased parishioners, relatives, benefactors and friends. We remember all of our loved ones who have gone before us and pray that they are celebrating with our Lord in heaven.

Sunday Offerings Feb. 14-15, 2015 Sunday Envelopes $3,879.00 Loose 937.64 Online Giving 511.00

Holy Day 0.00 Weekday noon Masses 308.54 Total for week $5,636.18 YTD Budget 364,177.38 YTD Actual 332,499.43 YTD Operating Surplus/Deficit (31,677.95)

On the flyer for the Priest, Prophet, King program, the end date for our Monday session is incorrect. The session will end on MARCH 30th NOT April 30th! I am so sorry for any confusion this caused.

Wedding Banns

Banns I

Morgan Feuerhahn & James Barry

Please pray for them as they begin their life together.

Stations of The Cross We will pray The Stations of the Cross together each Friday during Lent at 7:00 p.m. in the Church. Please join us!

Sunday Worship Feb 28-Mar 1,

2015

5:00 pm

Altar Servers Damien & Ingrid Stahl

Lectors

Bebe Kennedy

Ministers of Communion

Barb Gill Chris Gill

Deacon Del

7:30 am

Altar Servers Jackson Gardner

Lectors

Greg Browne

Ministers of Communion Betty Torno

Frank Hackmann Patrick Nields

9:00 am

Altar Servers Patrick Nields

Lectors

Joe Dickmann

Ministers of Communion John Gillis Roy Blair

Terry Carmack

11:00 am

Altar Servers Kateri & Claudia Gutting

Lectors

Carolyn Dickmann Rosemary Pickle

Ministers of Communion

Roger Drone Julie Gerwitz Linda Orso

To become a minister call 726-1221.

MARCH MADNESS COMES TO ST. JOSEPH ST. VINCENT DE PAUL!

What better way to enjoy the college basketball season than by donating goods to the SVdP Food Pantry! Of course, donations are ALWAYS welcome, but during this special March Madness event, you have the added bonus of having the opportunity to pick the winner of the NCAA championship game! (Or at least who you would LIKE to see win. With enough donations and the accompany-ing prayers, who knows what could happen? Go, you Fairfield University Stags! Mira-cles do happen!) We make it easy - no need to fill out a bracket with all those annoying decisions to make, round by round – just donate canned goods or other pantry items, and tell us which school you choose to win the tournament. ANY college team can win this competition – show your pride, and back your team! Or just pick a team based on their colors, or your favorite mascot. No need to wait on Vegas or any oddsmakers – just pick your favorite school, and you are guaranteed to be a winner, just for the fact you donated to the St Joseph Pantry! As you donate to the food pantry, merely attach a note to your bag of donated items telling us which team gets your “points.” Larger cans/protein items are “3-pointers,” “regular” cans net 2 pts, and smaller items one point each. Soaps and shampoo, paper products also score big!

“ALL ‘NET’!!” Note that every shot you take at our SVdP canned goods baskets” (located at the church entrances) is guaranteed to be perfect – 100% of the donations go directly to helping those in need. Remember, the more shots you take, the more go in! Results will be posted, and bragging rights available. So help your favorite college “win”! Show your alum/school spirit, and outscore those bums from your rival schools! We won’t limit ourselves to 64 teams, whether in the NCAA or not – any school can win!

Vote early and vote often! Please donate! WARNING: Please be sure to attach a note to your donations. Rumor has it that a certain gang of leprechauns plan to claim all “non-designated” donations for the University of Notre Dame! Go, Irish!

Compassionate Connections A Harp Concert by Amy Camie

Sunday, March 29, 2015, 2:00--3:30 P.M. at Mercy Center, Frontenac.

$5 in advance / $10 cash at the door. A special invitation is extended to those of you who care for others.

Come relax, receive, and renew your spirit in this loving and sacred space. More information at www.mercycenterstl.org

New Billboards Share Message of Peace

Peace. Our greater St. Louis region needs it now more than ever. As Catholics, we know that true peace can be found through Christ and so very soon you will begin seeing billboards from the Archdiocese of St. Louis going up around the metro area with a simple message: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace…” Through divine providence this message was chosen even before the recent unrest in our commu-nity. We encourage you to keep a lookout for these billboards and share the message with your friends and family.

Synod on the Family – XIV Ordinary General Assembly In October, the Church’s next Ordinary Synod of Bishops, “The Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and the Contemporary World,” will resume the work begun at last year’s Extraordinary Synod. The bishops have created a preparatory document containing 46 questions on family life from the faithful. If you would like to view the document and answer the questions to be submitted to the Vatican, please visit www.archstl.org/family-synod-2015. If you do not have internet access, but would like to submit answers, please contact the parish office and we will provide you with a document and instructions for submission. All answers must be submitted before March 1.

40 Days for Life St. Joseph's will be joining dozens of other parishes and organizations around the St. Louis area by participat-ing in the spring 40 Days for Life campaign. Informational tables will be available after Mass next weekend.

In the book “The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic”, Matthew Kelly says that most Catholics have never been taught how to develop a daily routine of prayer. Here’s what he suggests:

The Prayer Process

1) Gratitude — Thank God for whatever you are grateful for today. 2) Awareness — Talk to God about the past 24 hours. What went well and not so well? What did you learn? 3) Significant Moments — Identify something you experienced today and explore what God might be saying to

you through that event or person. 4) Peace — Ask God to forgive you for any wrongdoing and fill you with peace.

5) Freedom — Speak to God about how He is inviting you to change your life for the better. 6) Others — Pray for others and ask God to bless and guide them.

7) Pray the "Our Father."