St. Joseph the Worker

Parish Giving

MISSION STATEMENT

VIBRANT & ACTIVE
We are a Roman Catholic faith family in Chatham Illinois committed to proclaiming the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We live our faith with our words and through our actions.  Nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, we seek to become a place of mercy and hope where everyone is welcomed, loved and respected.

Parish Pastoral Council

The role of the St. Joseph the Worker Parish Pastoral Council members is to serve the pastor, provide channels of communication and cooperation to the pastor, staff and members of the parish, and provide support to the pastoral work of the parish.   By working together in community we grow in faith and fellowship.

If you have questions, concerns or requests about St. Joseph the Worker Church, your parish stewardship or activity committee, or as a parishioner, you are encouraged to contact the Pastoral Council Chairperson, or Vice-Chairperson.   

Chairperson, Pat Kornfeld,  kornfeld.pat@comcast.net

Vice-Chairperson, Debbie Shawgo,  debbieshawgo@gmail.com

BULLETINS

There will not be an 8:30am Mass on Monday, September 15^th or on Tuesday, September 16^th. 

 In addition, we will not have Holy Hour on Monday, September 15^th.

Due to ongoing  construction at the parish complex, our Afternoon of Games on Wednesday will be moved to the Chatham Library until further notice.  We will begin at 11:30am on September 17^th, and continue to offer card games, dice and board games.  You can bring a friend, learn a game, teach a game, or just sit, watch and visit.  Enter the library through the bookstore entrance.

Catechetical Sunday Blessing

September 20^th, during the 4:30pm Mass at our Parish Picnic, we will be honoring the dedicated men, women and youth of our Parish who have willingly stepped forward to offer their time and talent as Catechists, whether in our Faith Formation program, or in one of our many other parish ministries.  Please plan to attend for the blessing if you are in one of these roles or to show your support and appreciation. We are very grateful to these parishioners who have stepped forward to share their love of our Catholic faith and traditions with our parish.

The next TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) meeting is Sunday, September 21^st at 9:15am in the Resource Room.  All St. Joseph parishioners are welcome and encouraged to attend!

Our next gathering will be on Wednesday, September 24^th at 11:30am.  We will meet for lunch at:

Laguna Brava, 2466 Wabash, Springfield

If you plan on joining us, please sign up in the Gathering Space by September 21^st. 

If you have signed up to attend and find you cannot come, please contact Jodi Kos at 217-622-3715 or Mary Lynn Yates at 618-315-2975 in order to give the restaurant an accurate reservation count.  Thank You! 

SCRIP Fundraising Program

SCRIP is just another name for gift cards.  Our preschool purchases gift cards from Great Lakes Scrip (a clearing house offering hundreds of different gift cards) at a discount of 1.5-20% depending on the business.  Gift cards are sold to you at face value.  Orders are placed on the 1^st of each month, or more often depending on the number of orders received.  Please consider using this program.   You can find the order form HERE

The Preschool will be hosting a Krispy Kreme fundraiser on Saturday, September 20^th at the Mass in the Grass and on Sunday, September 21^st. Glazed donuts by the dozen, and vouchers for a dozen at a later time, will be available after mass on Saturday and on Sunday after both Masses, after Faith Formation, and by drive up on the Preschool side of the complex between 8am and noon or until sold out. The cost for either a dozen donuts or a voucher is $15.00.  

OWLS will not meet during the month of September due to ongoing construction.

Due to the uncertainty of construction completion in the kitchen, O’Hara Hall and Kollross Hall, the

Mostaccioli Dinner is canceled

this year.  We look forward to having it again next year.  

Support St. Joseph the Worker Parish with time, talent, treasure and a Google review! 

Your good review might be the vehicle to entice others to come and experience our friendly and welcoming worship environment.  Discipleship is in action when we share our thoughts about why we choose to worship at St. Joseph the Worker Church. If you write reviews for your favorite restaurant or other service provider, why not write a review for your church.   Spread the good word! 

To write a review:

1. Sign in to your Google Account.
2. Search for St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church.
3. Find the Reviews Section.
4. Click “Write a Review.”
5. Rate and Write: Choose your star rating (1-5 stars) and write your review in the text box.  Be honest and specific.
6. Submit. Once you’re satisfied, click “post” to publish your review. 

Please check-in at the office before entering the building during work hours.  We need to know who is in the building in case of an emergency.

Knights of Columbus 4179 News

If you are interested in joining the Knights of Columbus, please contact: Sean Fink at 217-415-1147. 

Baptism Preparation Classes

Parents who would like to have their child baptized at St. Joseph the Worker are required to attend a preparation class. The next class will be on October 9^th at 6:30pm.

To sign up for a class or to make alternate arrangements, call the church office at 217-483-3772.

Thanks to Cindy Essex for helping our new parents prepare to raise the next generation of the faithful.

Rosary Group

St. Joe’s Rosary Group Prayer Session is available to all parishioners who want to praise and worship God, to pray for St. Joseph the Worker Church, family, friends and loved ones or to intercede for others.  We start praying the Rosary on Zoom at 4:15pm and finish all prayers around 5:10pm.  You can join through the Zoom Meeting ID: 509 233 2302  Passcode: Prayer, or you can call Pam Branham at 217-652-0246 for more details. 

Important News for Parents!!!

The Cry Room, or Quiet Room, in church is there for a very worthwhile purpose.  It is for a child who may be restless, crying, etc.  This space enables the child and parent to still be able to hear the Mass, yet not disturb the people around them in the main church proper.  But, this space is limited in size and in the number of people able to be accommodated.  Therefore, please do not use this space for any other purpose than stated above.  It is not a space for multi-members of a family to reside during Mass.  This limits other people from using the room.  Thanks for understanding. 

One of the beautiful ways we can keep a deceased loved one’s memory alive is through having a memorial set up at the time of their death.  A very nice example of such a memorial would be to have one for St. Joseph the Worker Parish.  People would then have the opportunity to designate SJW for a memorial gift.  At the time of a loved one’s passing, please consider having our parish as one of the memorial options. 

Please Note

If you are over the age of 21, are still living with your parents, and are gainfully employed, you should register as a member of the parish instead of continuing to be a part of your parent’s household.  This will make our records more accurate.

St. Joseph the Worker Preschool offers a 4/5 year old class that meets on M/W/F from 9:00am - 11:30am and a 3 year old class that meets on T/Th from 9:00am - 11:30am. Mrs.Jackie Viste is the Preschool teacher and provides fun, faith-based enriching activities to all of our students. She is assisted by her aides, parish members  Mrs. Melody Clark.

More information and all forms can be found HERE

To learn more about our Preschool Fundraisers click HERE