St. Joseph, Pillar of Families (NW-7 No More!)

The votes are in for the Patron of our Family of Parishes... We will now be known as the St. Joseph, Pillar of Families Parishes! St. Joseph, Pillar of Families was the winner at all of our parishes. I hope to have the overall vote number to you next week. This is a wonderful moment for our Family, and it is an opportunity for us to grow in unity and love for each other, especially since our patron is one whom St. John XIII declared as the patron of the Church universal. This was because of the role that St. Joseph played as the foster father of Jesus Christ, Our Lord. St. Joseph is a loving and caring presence in the Holy Family and so he will be for us. I have already asked St. Joseph to watch and guard you, my children. Please ask for his intercession that I may be an imitator of him. St. Joseph, Pillar of Families, Pray for Us! I would encourage all families to include that invocation (“St. Joseph, Pillar of Families, Pray for us”) to the end of your meal prayers and other times of prayer.

I hope that we all can continue to move forward as a Family of Parishes. In comparison to many Families in the archdiocese, we have shown a high level of collaboration. For that, I am deeply grateful to all of you. Please continue to include our Family of Parishes (St. Joseph, Pillar of Families Parishes) in your daily prayers. We are doing very well as a Family and that is because of all of you.

PLEASE complete the Disciple Maker Index Survey, if you have not already. There should be QR codes in your pews and in your bulletin, which bring you to the survey by turning on your phone’s camera and putting the QR code in the camera’s frame. A link will appear, and then you tap that, and you are in business. You can also use the hyperlink that has been shared on the parish website under NEWS, Facebook, and via Flocknote. This survey is not open-ended, but it will help give us a snapshot of where we are excelling and where are falling short as a parish. This will help us to do pastoral planning that will help to overcome these weaknesses.

Please note that the St. Philomena Chapel at Sacred Heart will be undergoing renovations to help make the space soundproof beginning February 13. This means that St. Philomena will not be open for prayer while under construction. You will still be able to pray in the body of the church at Sacred Heart. I know that many people across the St. Joseph, Pillar of Families Parishes go to the St. Philomena Chapel for private prayer (which is wonderful and beautiful for me to observe). So, I want all of you to be aware that construction will be taking place.

As you know, the Eucharist is very important to me, to all of your priests, and to you. This coming week there will be the Blessed Carlos Acutis Eucharistic Festival at the Holy Face of Jesus Family of Parishes (previously the Petersburg Parishes). It will take place at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wapakoneta. There is a whole list of events the week of January 30-February 5. You can check out the Petersburg Parishes website to learn more.

Thank you to everyone who contributed in any way to the process of naming our Family of Parishes. So many people chipped in to help and I am extraordinarily grateful for all of you. Remember, you are a beloved child of God.

Peace in Christ,

Fr. Jarred Kohn