“Let us remember the past with gratitude, live in the present with enthusiasm, and look forward to the future with confidence.”
- St. John Paul II

On Sunday November 4th, Fr. Pastorius addressed the parish at all the Masses explaining the parish the challenges faces.  Fr. Pastorius, using the above quote from St. John Paul II outlined how we as a parish could address the challenges that lay ahead.  

Fr. Pastorius's Talk 

You have to fastforward to the 30 minute mark to hear Father's remarks

Fr. Pastorius's Letter to Parishioners

Let us therefore as a community remember the past with gratitude by... 

1. Realizing that St. Joseph parish has seen its times of crisis before and our ancestors succeeded to build up this wonderful parish.
2. By knowing that spending the time blaming the past or talking about the way things were will not help the future or even the present.
3. Finally in this week’s bulletin you will find some note cards labeled “Gratitude”.  I invited everyone to write down one or two things that you really love about St. Joseph’s parish and drop those papers in the collection basket in the weeks to come.

Let us live in the present with Enthusiasm by…

1. Our parish, PSR program, and school will have another great year filled with many activities.  Please make every effort to participate in these events. 
2. Come and join us each week for Mass on Sunday.  Better yet, invite someone to come with you.  If they had issues in the past or are struggling, know that Fr. Tim, Fr. Ricardo, and myself are willing to listen and our parish council and parish staff also desire to assist you as well.
3. Knowing that the challenges we face are both complicated and filled with emotional energy, Fr. Pastorius will be hosting a new series of listening sessions. 

Let us therefore look forward to the future together with confidence…

1. By having trust in God and the great things that He is doing in this parish by prayerfully considering increasing your Sunday offering knowing that any increase is appreciate but an increase of 2% would be extremely appreciative.  Larger donations will also not be turned down.  God is never outdone in generosity.
2. By having faith in each other, I have faith in all of you and I ask you to have faith and trust in me.  Please do not give into the temptation of gossiping and spreading fake news.
3. Finally by letting people know what a great and amazing parish we at St. Joseph have.  Invite a friend, a neighbor, a co-worker.  I give you all permission to brag about the great things going on here.