Think About The Many Rich Blessings
My Dear Parishioners,
As our nation prepares to celebrate its birthday, we are called to think about the many rich blessings we enjoy as citizens of this great country. I think of the many ways that God has blessed us and I believe our first response must be one of thanksgiving to Him. He is the source of all good and we need to acknowledge His goodness in our lives. As you are celebrating this holiday with family and friends, it is appropriate and fitting to honor God first. You can start your celebration by coming to our 8:00 a.m. morning Mass. The Eucharist is an act of thanksgiving. We are also grateful to all those who work to make our country great and especially to those who have given their lives while in service to our nation. In a special way we remember all those who work to protect our citizens such as those who work in police, fire, emergency, and armed forces. St. Joseph was picked by God to be the protector of Jesus and Mary and so our parish, in a special way, honors those who protect us.
This weekend we are collecting your non- perishable food donations for our annual Manna Food Drive. Thank you for your generous support in the past. A special thank you to our dedicated volunteers who transport the food not only this week but every month for our monthly food collection. Their support is vital to our commitment to feed the hungry. Our food is taken to the Coordinating Council of Health and Welfare, which supplies the Warminster Food Cupboard located at 75 Downey Drive in Warminster. They continue to tell me that St. Joseph is one of the largest contributors of food and they are very grateful for our support. This Manna Food Drive is especially important because it helps to stock their shelves during the summer months when donations typically are at their lowest because of summer vacations. The Food Bank is sponsoring a fundraiser on Saturday, July 29th at the Blue Bar in Warminster, 119 York Road from 7:00 p.m. to midnight. They will have 4 live bands, 50/50 chances, and they will be collecting food.
I also want to thank again some parishioners for helping to beautify our property. Mr. and Mrs. John and Marie Kolimaga again purchased flowers for our planters. I have received multiple compliments on them. Not only did they purchase the plants, Marie took the time to plant them for us as well. I know that this is not an easy task. Thank you to all those who help contribute to making St. Joseph a welcoming presence.
As we are in the midst of vacation season, I thought a reminder might be helpful. While it is proper and right to take a vacation from our usual routines of work or school, we should not take a vacation from God. To find a Mass when traveling, a useful website is, www.masstimes.org. You can input a city or zip code and it will list all the nearby churches and their Mass times. I have used it and it is very convenient. I also want to thank you for remembering to support your parish whether staying home or enjoying some vacation. One way to do that is by signing up to make your regular weekly donation online. It is very easy, just go to our parish website and click on the “Online Giving” button.
God Bless You!
Fr. Bordonaro