ST. JOSEPH’S CHURCH

MOTHER CHURCH OF THE BERKSHIRES

ESTABLISHED 1849

Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Liturgical Celebrations

Saturday 4:00 PM

Sunday 9:00 AM

11:30 AM

Daily Mass 12:10 PM

RCIA Tuesdays, 6:30 PM

Holy Hour Monday-Friday, 11:00 AM

Daily Rosary Monday-Friday, 11:30 AM

Prayer Group 1st & 3rd Wednesday, 6:45 PM

The Staff

Msgr. Michael Shershanovich, Pastor

Rev. Geoffrey Deeker, CSS, Priest in Residence

Rev. Mr. Pasqual Baldasaro, Deacon

John Arasimowicz,

Coordinator of Youth Religious Education

e-Mail: stjosephccd@berkshire.rr.com

Michele Madden, Secretary

e-Mail: Michelemadden@berkshire.rr.com

Mrs. Patricia Momnie, Pastoral Minister

St. Joseph’s Parish Office

414 North Street. Pittsfield, MA 01201

Tel: (413) 445-5789

Fax: (413) 443-5466

Hours: Mon.-Fri.: 9:00 AM-1:00 PM

e-Mail: msgrmike@berkshire.rr.com

Web site: www.stjoepittsfield.com St. Joseph’s Cemetery

Mr. Paul Guillou, Superintendent

Nancy Nolan, Secretary

Tel: (413) 499-1317

Sacrament of Baptism:

All new parents are expected to complete a course of instruction.

Please consult the parish office for classes.

Sacrament of Reconciliation:

Saturdays, 3:00-3:45PM

Sacrament of Matrimony:

Couples should contact the parish office at least one year prior to the wedding.

New Parishioners should register at the parish office. We look forward to welcoming you to the

parish family and hope you will become involved with your time, talent and treasure.

Ministry to the Sick and Parishioners confined to home have visitations that are scheduled on a

regular basis. Please notify the parish office to make arrangements.

Religious Education Classes are held at St. Joseph’s High School following the 9:00 AM Mass

for all public school students, grades K-11, and parochial students preparing for Sacraments.

LECTORS & EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS D

Saturday 4 PM EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS: Marie Kotowicz, Mary Sukiennik, Joe Tournier, Kay Tournier,

Jim Armstrong & Jean Bostley LECTORS Sharyn Fresia & Cheryl Furtek

Sunday, 9 AM EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS: Bernadette Scapin, Lillian Trzepacz, Jeff Vincent,

Nancy Woitkoski, Joe Ryan & John Arasimowicz

LECTORS: Peggy Taylor & Sharon V

incent

Sunday, 11:30 AM EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS: J. Weatherwax, Michael Wood, P. McDonough, Joe Dahrouge,

Jim McNeice & Mary Huska

K I N D L Y S I L E N C E A L L P A G E R S & C E L L P H O N E S - T H A N K Y O U !

Saturday, August 29th

FRANK GUILLOU 4 PM

Requested Family

Sunday, August 30th

JOSEPH BLASIOLI 9 AM

Requested by Family

AULISI FAMLY 11:30 AM

Monday, August 31st

HENRY ANDRUS 12:10 PM

Requested by Yukie & Henry

Tuesday, September 1st

MARY JO PELLETIER 12:10 PM

Requested by Friend

Wednesday, September 2nd

CAROL McCABE 12:10 PM

Requested by McCabe Family

Thursday, September 3rd

SPECIAL INTENTION 12:10 PM

Friday, September 4th

PERINA CARLINO 12:10 PM

Requested by Robert

Saturday, September 5th

JOSEPH ELIAS First Anniversary 4 PM

Requested Family

Sunday, September 6th

LOU LITANO 9 AM

Requested by Jodi Poole & Vera Cartier

EDMUND J. HOSPOD 11:30 AM

Requested by Wife, Susan

Pope Francis Speaks to Families

You are Unique but Not Alone!

You, boys and girls, . . . Each one of you is the

unique fruit of love, you come from love and you

grow in love. You are unique but not alone! And the

fact of having brothers and sisters is good for you: the

sons and daughters of a large family are more capable

of fraternal communion even from early childhood.

In a world often marked by selfishness, a large family

is a school of solidarity and sharing; and this attitude

is to the benefit of society as a whole.

-Address to the Italian association

of large families,

December 28, 2014

The September meeting of the St. Anne Society will be on Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 6 p.m. in the Parish Center and features a Pot Luck supper. Members are asked to bring a favorite dish in any category of salad, main meal, or dessert. Consider having a written recipe available for members who wish to make your selec-tion themselves. Coffee, tea and water will be provided. There will be a short business meeting prior to the supper and any women of the parish are welcome to join the ladies for this feasting.

Sacrificial Offering last week: $5,661.00 Many thanks for your generosity!

A U G U S T 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

G L U TEN F REE HO ST S A VA I LAB LE T O T HO SE WH O CAN NO T T OL E RA TE G LUT EN .

P L EA SE NO TI F Y P RI E ST BE FO RE MA S S .

He summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand.

Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out

from within are what defile.” - Mk 7:14-15

ST. JOSEPH FESTIVAL OF SHARING ROOTS - SEPTEMBER

13TH from 12 noon—5 pm. Tag sale & crafts begin at 9 am on the grounds of St. Joseph Church. Prayers of the Faithful in many languages at the 11:30 am Mass. For all those who are interested in volunteering at this Festival, please contact Jeff Vincent. The committee is seeking the following dona-tions—Lottery tickets. Please place the ticket in an envelope marked “Sharing Roots” and place in the weekly collection basket. We are also col-lecting food for the Grocery Basket Raffle. Please leave the food in a bag la-beled “Sharing Roots” and leave in the Vestibule. For beverages we are ask-ing for donations of bottled water, Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Budweiser, Bud-weiser Light, and Red or White Wine. We are also seeking tag sale items! Please, no electrical items and no clothing. We are accepting monetary do-nations to offset the cost of this event. All donations are greatly appreciated!

St. Joseph Religious Education News

Let the little children come to me. (Mt. 19)

We will once again continue with the Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW) at the nine o’clock Mass beginning September 13th. Plan on being there with us to cele-brate and really hear God’s Word.

CCD Registration will be held next Sunday, September 6th in the Parish Center.

FIRST CLASS — CCD begins in 2 weeks, Sunday, September 13th.

ALL PARENTS/GUARDIANS/STUDENTS : You’ve Got Mail - Please watch your

mail for the fall calendar and registration form.

Did you know...CCD information can also be found on our website! Go to

www.stjoepittsfield.com

All Confirmation candidates MUST attend the MANDATORY CONFIRMATION RETREAT

Wednesday, September 30, 2015 4:45 PM to 9:15 PM

St. Joseph Parish Center Also, please save the date: This year’s Confirmation ceremony will be held on Sunday, OCTOBER 18, 2015, at the 11:30 AM

Mass.

St. Joseph Cemetery – Please remove all decorations on or before Labor

Day, Monday, Sept. 7th. New decorations are not allowed until Novem-

ber 1st. Cemetery gates will be locked at dusk beginning September 7

th.

OUR SECOND SCRIPTURE READING REMINDS US

THAT “EVERY WORTHWHILE GIFT, EVERY GENUINE

BENEFIT, COMES FROM GOD”. GOD’S GIFTS

SHOULD PROMPT OUR RESPONSIVE GRATITUDE,

WHICH SHOULD BE THE BASIS OF OUR DAILY

LIVES. IF YOU FEEL GOD IS OFFERING YOU THE

GIFT OF PRIESTHOOD AND YOU WISH TO RE-

SPOND GENEROUSLY, TRUSTING IN GOD, CALL FR.

GARY DAILEY AT 413-452-0816 OR EMAIL:

G.DAILEY@DIOSPRINGFIELD.ORG OR

WWW.MYVOCATION.COM

CYCLE B AUGUST 30, 2015

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

"Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from

within are what defile."

In the days of Jesus, this issue was about per-forming empty external rituals of cleanliness instead of purifying the heart. For most of us, the issue is probably a bit different. Our fixation on externals is not so much with religious prescriptions and practic-es; instead, our daily obsession tends to be with ap-pearances in general. In our media-saturated culture, we are extremely tuned in to how things look. We are trained to respond to current fashion trends in cloth-ing, hair, makeup, and accessories. Even bodies, cars, houses, and landscaping all fall into the realm of highly marketed images. The risk for us is to be so concerned with having the right "look" on the outside that we fail to consider what's happening on the in-side.

Life is about more than what we have or what we parade around for others to see. As human beings we are a unity of body and soul, and if we neglect our souls, then we are neglecting the fulfillment of our human nature. We need to make sure we are not like the Pharisees in today's reading who were too con-cerned with outside appearances. Jesus tells us in re-sponse to them that "from within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile." This list makes a good start-ing point for some personal meditation on our interi-or life. Let's ask ourselves, "Which of the behaviors on this list threaten to defile my soul?" Then, let's ask the Holy Spirit to help purify us of that spiritual ugliness so we can appear beautiful in the sight of God.

St. Joseph’s Church 20/20 Club: Week 16: Dorothy Ann Miller & Clare Foley

Week 17: Ken Sadlowski & Nellie Baran CONGRATULATIONS!

St. Joseph Festival of Sharing Roots for September 13, 2015, in-terview “For Your Information” on Pittsfield Cable TV, hosted by Pat Gormalley, interviewing Jack Lavi-olette was played on August 24. It’s also scheduled to be shown again on Monday, August 31 at 1:30 AM, 5 AM, 9:30 AM, 1 PM, 4:30 PM and 8 PM. ENJOY!!

You are invited to take part in a GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP— Learn about the grief process, talk about your own experiences, Understand how to cope with your losses, Find the way to move forward, discover where help, strength and resources are available, and establish personal goals. WHEN: Tuesdays from 4 to 5 PM, September 8th - October 13th. WHERE: Mo-ments House, Pittsfield, WHO: Chaplain Dennis Cas-tella. Please call (413) 442-0045 to register.

Readings for the Week of August 30, 2015 Sunday: Dt 4:1-2, 6-8/Jas 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27/Mk 7:1-

8, 14-15, 21-23

Monday: 1 Thes 4:13-18/Lk 4:16-30

Tuesday: 1 Thes 5:1-6, 9-11/Lk 4:31-37

Wednesday: Col 1:1-8/Lk 4:38-44

Thursday: Col 1:9-14/Lk 5:1-11

Friday: Col 1:15-20/Lk 5:33-39

Saturday: Col 1:21-23/Lk 6:1-5

Next Sunday: Is 35:4-7a/Jas 2:1-5/Mk 7:31-37

ROSARY — Please join us after

the 9 AM Mass in the South Chapel

next Sunday, Sept 6th

NEICH BED ZIE POCHWALONY JEZUS CHRYSTUS

ST. JOSEPH PRAYER LINE: 443 -1221