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WELCOME TO ST. JOSEPH'S
PARISH!!!
THANK YOU FOR VISITING OUR HOMEPAGE!!! For our registered
members, 'Thanks' for your generous support. The word
'register' does seem to be a rather cold word and does not
convey what we wish it to, namely, welcome. Registering in a
Church is more than signing up. It is the acknowledgement of
a mutual relationship that exists between us because we are
brothers and sisters who share the same faith and hope.
Unfortunately, we tend to forget our oneness and our need
for one another. Yet our heritage is founded on the fact
that God calls us to work together in establishing His
Kingdom. Your registration reminds me of that passage of
Scripture which says we are "God's chosen one's". So even
though there was no funfare when you registered, I want to
assure you that you are welcome and very much a part of our
mission to convey the "Good News".
I have asked a member of our hospitality committee to call
you in the near future to acquaint you with our Church, its
organizations, and our sincere desire that you feel at home
in St. Joseph's Church. I pray that you will find St.
Joseph's Church a place of peace and friendship, its people
gracious and kind.
I hope that you will introduce yourself to me some Sunday in
the near future so that we might become better acquainted
and that I might more personally welcome you.
May the Good Lord bless you and your family.
In the Lord,
Fr. Frank Damis Pastor
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"There exists within human society a right
to information about affairs which affect men
individually and collectively and according to the
circumstances of each !"
Fathers of the Second Vatican Council
Our Mission
The mission of the Catholic Church is to spread the
Gospel through contemporary means of communication.
Our mission is to perform this task by reporting the
news which affects Catholics in their everyday lives.
Some of that news is good and some is bad, but it is
what readers need to know in order to work for
salvation. They need to know that there are saints in
the making in the Church today and they need to know
that there are sinners too.
Our mission is to report fully, fairly and freely about
the involvement of the Church in the world today.
We also agree with the council document when it
continues, ``The proper exercise of this right demands
that the matter communicated always be true, and as
complete as charity and justice allow.''
To pursue this mission, to perform this ministry, our
Parish collaborates with our Diocese of New York, other
Catholic churches in United States and with others
around the world.
To look at our mission another way, we must reflect the
obligations reflected in our very name.
-- We must be Catholic, reporting on the works of the
Church in the modern world.
-- We must cover the news, which ultimately is the Good
News of Salvation.
-- We must be of service to the Church by engaging fully
in the essential ministry of communication.
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TITHING IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:
Tithing is mentioned more than forty times in
the Bible. Numerous Old Testament stories
recount how God asked that the first ten percent
of the land's produce be set aside as a sign of
gratitude for His goodness. The early Church had
no tithing system, but as it grew, so did its
material needs. Gradually, the Old Testament
model of tithing was adopted. A number of
Regional Church Councils and finally the
Councill of Trent made the tithe Church law.
A tithe is the first tenth of a wage earners
income. It's giving back to God something he
gave in the first place. Tithing is not any
tenth; it's the first tenth of one's income-
salary, dividends, interest- income from any
source.
Five percent of one's income is gven to God
through the Parish Church.The other 5% can be
used for Catholic School tuition, care of one's
parents, special collections and Diocesan
assessments or private charities. The spirit of
tithing, the most important part of the program
means giving to God. And it means giving to a
point of sacrifice, for the word sacrifice means
"to make holy". The spirit of tithing means not
caring what anyone else gives; it's spiritual
giving in every sense. What you give to God is
between you and God. The ideal tithe of 5% to
God's Church and 5% to other works can best be
explained by an example:
If your income from all sources before taxes
is $300 per week, the 5% Sunday Mass offering
would be $15. The other five 5% might go to
Parish School tuition, charity, and Diocesan
extra collections. Tithing is really very
logical. Everything we have comes from God, and
when we give back to Him the first tenth of our
earnings, we're saying to Him, "Thank you, Lord,
for all you have given me."
Most important for the tither, however, is
the spiritual effect. Tithing helps to establish
a proper sense of values. It helps us to
remember that God comes before everything else
and that everything we have comes from God.
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