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

We will not have Adoration on Friday, November 7^th and there will not be an 8:30am Mass.   There will be a Funeral Mass at 11:30am for Joanna Bucci.

WE NEED YOU!

Our parish needs YOUR time and talent so that our liturgies, activities, etc., are able to be carried out properly and efficiently.  Listen to God’s call to be of service to our parish.

 Fill out a Discipleship & Stewardship Sign-Up Sheet.   

Join us for the Rosary at 5:30pm on Monday, November 10^th, followed by daily Mass at 6:00pm.

The Parish Office will be closed on Tuesday, November 11^th, for Veterans Day.

We recently learned that our parish secretary, Sue Coombe, will be retiring at the end of December.  We wish her much happiness in this new chapter of her life.

Her retirement leaves us now looking for a new person to fill this position.  Starting next Monday, November 17^th, we will be listing the position description on Indeed.com.

We ask that anyone wanting to apply to please use Indeed.com

to do so.  If you know of someone who might be interested, we ask that you please refer them to this website as well.

QUESTIONS????

You may have questions about our Catholic faith, Jesus Christ, faith in general, spirituality, religious topics, etc.  Father Joe is ready with some answers, continuing the Questions/Answers sessions of last year.  He has a list of topics, but bring your own inquiries, too.  There are 2 sessions remianing, November 11^th, and 18^th.  We will meet meet in the Church from 6:00-7:00pm. 

  Parish Book the Dead

The Book of the Dead is located in the Holy Family Chapel.  You are invited to write the names of your deceased loved ones on its pages. The book will be displayed throughout the month of November, which is dedicated to all of the deceased.

Please pray for the parishioners listed below who died from November 1, 2024 to October 31, 2025. May they continue to enjoy the eternal life of heaven.

As the Christmas season approaches, it is time to start preparing for our 2025 ANGEL TREE.  As in previous years, a Christmas Tree, located in the gathering space, will have ornaments with the wish list of a child or parent from M.E.R.C.Y. Community in Springfield.  The tree will be available the weekend of November 22-23.  The gifts you purchase should be returned to the area by the main bathrooms, NO LATER THAN NOON on Sunday, December 14^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.

The next TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) meeting is Sunday, November 16^th at 9:15am in the Resource Room. All St. Joseph parishioners are welcome and encouraged to attend!

Our next Afternoon of Games will be held on November 19^th, starting at 11:30am at the Chatham Library.  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.  Enter the library through the bookstore entrance.

Widows & Widowers

Our next gathering will be on Wednesday, November 19^th at 11:30am.  We will meet for lunch at:

Engrained Brewing Company

1120 W Lincolnshire, Springfield

If you plan on joining us, please sign up in the Gathering Space by November 16^th. 

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! 

OWLS will not meet during the month of November.

SCRIP Fundraising Program

It’s time to start thinking about Christmas Gifts!

Why not purchase gifts cards through SCRIP!  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.  In fact, you can purchase Visa Gift Cards without an additional fee!  Orders are placed on the 1^st and the 15^th of November and December.  Please consider supporting this program and doing your Christmas shopping early.   You can find the order form HERE

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  

Membership Drive - December 6^th and 7^th.

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

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 and Mrs. Dana Moomey.

More information and all forms can be found HERE