I pray and trust that God is keeping you well even in adversity. You are in my prayers daily as I lift you up and ask God to continue to bless you. Your love is strong, your faith is even stronger. Praise be the Lord. Every Sunday 10:30 Mass is especially celebrated for school and church benefactors. I am looking forward to having time with my family in Ireland for few weeks beginning June 15. I like the cool weather, some movies, some golf, and lots of reading and family time. I am quite at peace while I am away because I know Fr. Frank and an excellent staff will do a great job while I am away. I often wonder whether I am needed here at all, but I’ll be back on July 15th.
                                  Fr. Somers

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Summer Liturgical Schedule
▸    There will be no Wednesday evening Mass in June, July, until August 18.
▸    Healing Mass will be discontinued in June, July, and August, until September 10.
▸    There is no 5:30 pm Sunday evening Mass in June and July, until August 15.

In January there will be some openings on:
•    the Pastoral Council
•    the Parish Finance Council
•    the School Advisory Board
If you wish to be included or you know someone who would, call us at 335-5251.

You Can Draft Your Donation
Did you know that you can bank draft your donation to the church every month? For information call Dick Clark at 335-5251.

Memorials… A great gift to the church
We appreciate all memorials and gifts to the church.
•    A gift of $60,000 was left to the church from the estate of the late Sara Rose. This enabled us to pay our bills and keep us current. We appreciate very much the generous gift from Sara Rose.
•    We received memorials to the church building fund in memory of Phillip Baptiste, Carl Wuestenhoefer, Ann Hightower, Mitch and Pat Abide, Helen Tuminello, Dan Gardiner, Walker Greenlee, Mark Dantone, Jimmy Lee.
•    We received memorials in memory of Nellie Mandolini to the Jason Mandolini Trust Fund from St. Joseph Church, the Knights of Columbus, Polly Luckett, Mickie Sandidge, Rob and Julice Curry, St. Joseph High School, Andrew and Cindy Abide, Ed and Mary Frances Shaw, Mosley Manufacturing, Rose Mary Mitchell.
•    We received Ministry of Care memorials in memory of Ann Hightower, Ann Daly, Jimmy Lee, Helen Tuminello, June Moore, Mark Dantone, Carrie LaBouve, Dorothy McAfee, Walker Greenlee
•    Memorials to the church Bereavement Fund in memory of Dr. W. D. McGraw and Dorothy McAfee.
•    Memorials to Fr. Gene Chatagnier Scholarship Fund in memory of Leo Schepens
We appreciate all memorials to our church and school and we thank all for thinking of us. They enable us to do very necessary work so we can serve God’s people better.

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Greater love than this no man hath…
    Jesus paid a great price for our sins. The crucifix is a vivid reminder of that. What great love Jesus showed and we did nothing to deserve it except commit sin.
    I want to wholeheartedly appreciate what Jesus has done for me and the price He paid for my sins. I never want to take this for granted.
    I want to respond in gratitude and in love to the best of my ability. I meditate on this often and I tell Him how grateful I am all the time.
    This gives me great hope and inspiration. And I don’t understand any of it. But I want to tell people about what He continues to do for me and how badly He wants all of us saved and in heaven. He said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.” It’s up to us to make the decision to come to Him and follow His Way.

St. Joseph Schools… Great Dividends for Life
Each year we share with the parish and community the many ways our schools make a difference in the lives of children and community. Our schools produce good, excellent education and formation in the Gospel. It’s real life education and it works. It’s not perfect any more than our families are but the dividends are great… for life.
For information on St. Joseph Jr/Sr High School    378-9711
For information on Our Lady of Lourdes 3-year-old and elementary    334-3287

Want to find out how the Kroger gift card works? Call Jenny Thompson at 335-8334.
Want to learn how easily the script card works, talk to Kathleen Mansour at 335-1412.
These are great ways to help our schools and our parish, at no cost to you.

Special thanks…
▸    to the RCIA Team for faithfully serving the RCIA all year round: Dr. Natha Booth, Liz Brooks, Mary Ann Barker, Dan and Lynn Hooker, Chariety Wright, Andrea Fisher, and Father Somers
▸    to the Knights of Columbus for cooking for the Men’s Prayer Breakfast and serving our parish so faithfully.
▸    to all who support our schools and parish
▸    to St. Vincent de Paul workers who serve the poor so generously every week
▸    to a faithful group who count the Offertory Collections on a weekly basis
▸    to our newsletter sorters, stuffers, and members
▸    St. Joseph School 122nd Graduation will be held on Thursday, May 27th, at the High School. Come, enjoy, and be proud.
▸    Scripture reminds us that every gift of God is given to us for the building of the church (1 Cor 12:7) and in turn to build the world. Use your gifts first in the church and together we will make the world a much better place. Praying and serving in His church is the best service we can do.
▸    Vacation Bible School will be held from June 14–18 from 5:30–7:30 p.m. at Lourdes School.

Let you light shine
So many churches and schools are closing around the country. Lots of prayer is needed. A great way to keep prayer alive is to light at least one candle per week for these and other prayer intentions. For just 50 cents your candle will burn for eight hours after you leave church as a memorial of your prayer intention. Your weekly candle may be lit for your own special intention or for someone who needs the special grace of faith, or hope, or love. Votive candles are also often lit in memory of a deceased loved one. All of our candles are real wax candles encased in glass containers. Each candle can be lit individually by you or one of our staff for your special intention. It’s a great prayer for eight hours.

We are building a new Field House at St. Joseph School. The cost is $360,000. We have $100,000 in savings and we get $42,000 per year in pledges. We can use a lot more help. If you would like to contribute or offer a named gift in the name of a loved one, please call Dick Clark (335-5251) or Ricky DeAngelo at 335-1941.

A Beautiful Gift of Faith…
    Our Catholic schools have been a very important part of our faith history here for 122 years and in our country since 1718. That means a tremendous amount of love, sacrifice, and generosity to make them possible and keep them going.
    The results have been tremendous for families and church. Our Catholic school provides the best education possible for any child and our children should not be deprived of such an opportunity to bless them for life. Our children need and deserve a Catholic school education that includes formation in their faith, as well as excellent academics.
    Special thanks to sponsors, benefactors, school and parish leaders, parents, faculties, parishioners and friends for making Catholic education such a special and beautiful gift to our children. May it continue long and serve well.
    Because of the economic struggle and difficult times, the schools will not raise tuition or fees this year, but strive to make it by tightening their belts and depending more on bazaars, fairs, etc.


Would someone reading your will be able to tell that you were a Christian?
    If there is any writing that would indicate what are the most important elements in our lives, it most certainly should be our Last Will and Testament.
    In it, we would naturally expect to find mentioned those people — related and unrelated — who for whatever reasons were the most significant people on earth to us, such as children, grandchildren, or other relatives or friends. We would likewise expect to find mentioned any institution or organization that was especially significant or important to us in some way.
    For a Christian it would seem certain that the Church and/or some of its related activities would meet the criteria. Without a will, the state determines “rightful” heirs and a lifetime of favorite charities are excluded. These facts are not frequently considered.
    And what about gifts of stock, real estate, or appreciated property? Did you know that a charitable trust or annuity can benefit your favorite charities, while YOU or a person of your choice can retain income for life?
    For information regarding Bequests or other Planned Gifts to your Parish, School, or other Catholic Institutions, please call Dick Clark at 335-5251.

Give While You Live
    A pastor tells about a very wealthy businessman who took him to his fancy club for lunch. While they were eating, the merchant began to tell the pastor why he could not come to worship on Sundays. Among his several businesses, he had one which collected a great deal of money each Saturday. It was necessary, he explained, for him to count the money each Sunday and get it ready to be banked the next day.
    The man went on to say that while he was not currently sending money to the church, upon his death the church would be a beneficiary of his estate.
    A couple of years later the man died. The church was not even mentioned in his will. His intention never became a reality. The pastor thought about the situation and came to the conclusion that he felt sorrier for the man than he did for the church. The church would go on living and serving while the man would miss the joy of seeing the good his money could have done for Christ and the world.
    Later the pastor penned the following words:
Give while you live
So you know where you sow
And can watch your stewardship grow
Into something beautiful for God.