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

SCRIP

SCRIP is a gift card program to support St. Josephs Preschool with purchases you might already be making.

You can find the order form HERE

This is a perfect way to shop for gift cards for Christmas, or anytime, to help support our Preschool.

Christmas Eve 4:30pm—Children’s Mass

We invite our St. Joe’s children and youth to celebrate the birth of Jesus by participating in the choir for the 4:30pm Children’s Mass on Christmas Eve!

Practice times are:

For additional information contact:

Autumn Cattoor      217-697-6530 or Hannah Essex 217-697-9589

Attention High School Students and Adults

You  are invited to sing in the Christmas Choir for the 9:00pm Vigil Mass on Christmas Eve.

The rehearsal schedule is as follows:

Monday, December 2^nd—6:00-8:00pm

Thursday, December 5^th—7:15-8:30pm

Monday, December 9^th—6:45-8:30pm

Thursday, December 12^th—7:15-8:30pm

Monday, December 16^th—7:15-8:30pm

Thursday, December 19^th—7:00-8:30pm

Sunday, December 22^nd—3:00-6:00pm

2024 Breadline Sunday

There will be a special collection for St. John’s Breadline on November 23^rd & 24^th.  Please use the basket in the Gathering Space for your donation.

As the Christmas season approaches, it is time to start preparing for our 2024 ANGEL TREE.  As in previous years, a Christmas Tree will have ornaments with the wish list of a child or mother from M.E.R.C.Y. Community in Springfield.  The tree will be located in the gathering space beginning the weekend of November 23-24.  The gifts you purchase should be returned to the area by the main bathrooms NO LATER THAN NOON on Sunday, December 8^th.  Presents should not be wrapped.  Please securely attach the ornament from the tree to the bag containing the gifts so that it is delivered to the correct individual.  Contact Deb Fiedler, 217-414-6566, with any questions or concerns.  Thank you in advance for your generosity and willingness to create a brighter Christmas for those less fortunate. 

Book of the Dead

You are invited to enter the names of your deceased loved ones in the Book of the Dead. The book is located at the entrance of Chapel on the south side of the church.  These names will be prayed for at all of the Masses during the month of November, our month of remembrance.

The book of the dead will be removed from the Church after the Mass on Thanksgiving Day.  We asked that if you have a candle or a photo in the remembrance chapel, that you remove it by December 1.

Join us for Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on Monday, November 18th, from 6:00-7:00pm.

Join us for an afternoon of games on Tuesday, November 19^th, 12:30-3:30pm in Kollross Hall.  We will be offering card games, dice and board games.  You can bring a friend, learn a game, teach a game, or just sit, watch and visit.  Drinks will be provided. 

The next OWLS gathering will be on Friday, November 15^th at 5:30pm in Kollross Hall.  Sign up begins this weekend in the gathering space.  The entrée will be pulled pork.  Please remember to bring a side dish to share, and to wear your  name badge.  

The next TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) meeting is Sunday, November 17^th at 9:15am in the Resource Room.  All St. Joseph parishioners are welcome and encouraged to attend!

Our next gathering will be on Wednesday, November 20^th at 11:30am.  We will meet for lunch at Longhorn Steakhouse, 2451 Wabash, Springfield.

If you plan on joining us, please sign up in the Gathering Space until November 17^th.

If you have signed up to attend and find you cannot come, please contact Carol Lombardo at 214-514-8783 in order to give the restaurant an accurate reservation count. 

Thank You! 

Contributions from IRA Trustees and Brokerage Firms

If you are planning to make a contribution to the Capital Campaign or regular offertory collection, and the payment will come directly from your IRA Trustee or a Brokerage Firm, we ask that you please call the church office and tell Deb Howerton the amount so we can be watching for it. We have received some contributions from various sources that do not indicate the person(s) making the contribution. 

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. Judy Gartland and Mrs. Melody Clark.

More information and all forms can be found HERE

To learn more about our Preschool Fundraisers click HERE