OSJ EVENTS

For our Calendar of Meetings and Happenings

please click on the following link:

OSJ Calendar: September - December, 2010

Week of August 30, 2010:

Thursday, Sept. 2: 5pm: Wedding reh: Anderson & Galloway; 7pm: Turkish Dinners

Friday, Sept. 3: 5pm: Wedding: Anderson & Galloway; 7pm: Wedding reh: McMahon & Dwyer; Turkish Dinners

Saturday, Sept. 4: 3:30pm: Wedding: McMahon & Dwyer; Turkish Dinners

Sunday, Sept. 5: 12:30pm: Augustine Fellowship Mtg.

Week of September 6, 2010:

Monday, Sept. 6: Labor Day! Rectory offices closed; Confessions from 11:30am til noon; Mass at 12:05pm

Tuesday, Sept. 7: Outreach Reopens!

Thursday, Sept. 9: 7pm: RCIA

Friday, Sept. 10: 5pm: Wedding reh: Diederich & Durant; 6:30pm: CLIA retreat

Saturday, Sept. 11: 9:30am: CLIA retreat; 3:30pm: Wedding: Diederich & Durant

Sunday, Sept. 12: 9:30am: CLIA retreat; 12:30pm: Augustine Fellowship Mtg; 7:30pm: First Sunday Cookout

SAVE THE DATES!

The Inter-Faith Committee is sponsoring three dinners on three successive nights at 7 p.m., September 2,3 and 4 in collaboration with the Turkish Dialogue Forum. These dinners will break the all-day fast that Muslims observe during the holy month of Ramadan. Come enjoy Turkish cuisine with our Islamic sisters and brothers and learn more about the holy days of Ramadan. Contact Lou Oschmann at 267-872-0568 or louosch@gmail.com if you have questions or want to volunteer to help. There is no fee for this event.

The Adult Education meets on the second Sunday of each month in the Drexel Parlor. The next meeting will be on September 19 at 1PM in the rectory. We will discuss our mission in light of the book by Neil Parent, “A Concise Guide to Adult Faith Formation. If you would like to join our group please contact Bill Culleton at wcully@comcast.net or 215.545.3846 for more information.

HOLD THE DATE! Starting Tuesday, September 21, 2010, our own Stephen Paesani will lead a discussion of the Catholic Catechism, using Bishop Donald W. Wuerl's The Catholic Way: Faith for Living Today . Books are available through Amazon.com. To register for the series and/or to have the parish order you a copy of the book, please contact Eric German at the parish office germane@oldstjoseph.org. If you have questions about the series, contact Stephen Paesani at umbriacano@verizon.net .

SAVE THE DATE: October 5, 2010 at 7 PM OSJ will host John Allen, Vatican correspondent and senior reporter for the National Catholic Reporter. Mr. Allen's latest book is The Future Church: How Ten Trends Are Revolutionizing the Catholic Church. A “book club” will be held at OSJ to discuss this work before and after Mr. Allen's presentation – dates to be announced. If you are interested in attending the book club meetings, email johntrumbore@aol.com . This event is sponsored by the Social Justice and Adult Education Committees, in conjunction with St. Joseph's University.

OSJ Outreach Fundraiser! Wines from Around the World, featuring Moore Brother's Wines and gourmet food from local Philadelphia restaurants. Date: Friday, Sept. 24, 2010 in Barbelin Hall from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. For more information, call Outreach Director, Kristine Jaeger at 215.923.2381.

Attention parents of children who are going into grades 1 through 5 in a non-Catholic school: There will be a meeting for parents of children who will be in PREP (formerly CCD) next year on Thursday, May 20, at 7:00 pm in the parish hall. PREP provides religious formation, including preparation for the sacraments of First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation. A child must have two years of instruction before receiving a sacrament. At the meeting we will exchange ideas and plans for the year ahead and we will also ask you to register your child(ren) for next year so that we can use the summer to plan adequately. If your family will be new to PREP next year, please contact Christine Szczepanowski, Coordinator of Religious Education, at 215-923-1733 x102, 267-250-3049 (cell), or prep@oldstjoseph.org for further information.

A reminder to all that the Sacrament of the Sick is administered on the first Saturday of every month as part of the 12:05 Mass. All who have a serious illness or who are expecting serious surgery in the upcoming month are invited to receive this Sacrament. One doesn't always have the sacramental services of the Church at a non-Catholic hospital; or a priest may not be available should an emergency arise, so receiving the sacrament ahead of time is always well-advised. Priests can be available to minister to the homebound at pre-arranged times; please advise your family and friends to be proactive in this regard.

If you have a concern… The Parish Council represents the parishioners of the parish and offers advice and counsel to the Pastor in an advisory capacity. This interface allows the Council to share with the Pastor issues and concerns that might not otherwise surface and be resolved. Should you have a concern that you would like discussed, please send your issue/complaint to Rick Breslin, Council Chair, at Breslinr@email.chop.edu, or to any other member of the Council as listed in the Parish bulletin.

PARISH LIBRARY

The Parish Library is open during regular rectory hours and all are welcome to make use of its large and interesting collection. To view the entire library collection, please click on the links: OSJ Library List May 2009

PROTECTING GOD'S CHILDREN

It is obviously of the utmost importance that as a parish faith community, we exercise due diligence to insure a safe environment for minors here at Old St. Joseph's. To that end, our pastor, Fr. Dan, has sent his annual letter to the Parish Pastoral Council assuring them that the Jesuit clergy and the parish staff and volunteers who work with children on a regular basis continue to be in full compliance with the Archdiocesan Safe Environment Program. This means that all involved have a current criminal background check and a current child abuse clearance on file and have attended the Archdiocese's Protecting God's Children training program. In addition, all Jesuits in residence at Old St. Joseph's remain in full compliance with Maryland Province requirements, which include additional background checks and safe environment training. Fr. Dan thanks the Council for their continuing vigilance on behalf of our children, including their request that the pastor report to them in writing each year regarding our compliance with these prudent and necessary measures. We all share responsibility for the care and protection of our children.

PRAYER & SPIRITUALITY

Feeling a desire to pray more? You may wish to join a small group of parishioners for an hour of quiet prayer in the presence of the Eucharist in the OSJ house chapel (2nd floor of the rectory) on the third Thursday of every month from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM. For more information, contact Cornelia Farrell or the parish office at 215.923.1733.