The conclave to elect a new Pope of the Catholic Church consisting of 133 cardinals from 70 different countries from around the world has reached a 2/3 majority vote. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, born in Chicago, Illinois, USA is our new Pope Leo XIV, the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church. This monumental event was symbolized by white smoke billowing from St. Peter's Basilica's Sistine Chapel on the second day of the conclave, May 8, 2025. We rejoice and pray for Pope Leo XIV!

POPE FRANCIS Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025. Let us pray for the repose of his soul and for the goodness he brought into the world.

The Parish Center exterior bells have been restored and will gloriously be heard beginning Easter Sunday! The bells will then ring five minutes before every weekend Mass as a call to worship.

An additional 70+ starving children will not go hungry this year due to the wonderful financial support received for the NW Feed My Starving Children Mobile Pack in February. Many parishioners volunteered at the event and together, we raised over $7,500! Thank you!

St. Joseph's parishioner Lauren Bakke recently was published and on-air with The Catholic Spirit and Relevant Radio. Lauren shares her spiritual journey and how faith brought her back to the church.

Find out how St. Joseph sparked the light for millions of people in our area through our ongoing community partnership with PRISM. We thank Father Blane Barr and Martha Jane Gates for their vision and determination to help others. Click the picture to read the article! The Catholic Spirit Jan/2025

The flame of hope, peace and love that has burned for over 1000 years has arrived in MN from Bethlehem! The Peace Light will be on display at the Parish Center, Saturday, December 7 after the 4:30pm Mass and throughout the Advent and Christmas seasons.

If you would like to contribute financially to relief and recovery efforts for those impacted by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, you may make a cash or check contribution payable to St. Joseph Parish or donate online by clicking the blue Catholic Charities USA icon.

We invite you to journey with others who are interested in growing in faith and love of Jesus, and want to come into full communion with the Catholic Church. Contact Cole at [email protected] Meetings start in October!”

Our church is seeking professional team members to fill various roles. We are currently recruiting for Director of Youth Faith Formation (Middle and High School), Administrative Professional, and Noah's Ark Childcare Provider. Click the link to see position descriptions and apply.

We are so excited to announce Karin Barrett as our new Director of Liturgy and Music at St. Joseph Catholic Community. Karin joins us with a wealth of experience is a great addition to our staff. Karin is transitioning out of her current position as well as working with our staff now until she becomes full time on April 15. Read more at www.stjosephparish.com/barrett

A trip of a lifetime! Enjoy a pilgrimage to Southern Italy and Rome with Fr. Michael. He has led several trips so you will enjoy a spiritual and inspirational tour! For more information and to register, visit: www.stjosephparish.com/pilgrimage. 

As we embrace the new beginnings of a new year, let us hold deep our faith in the Lord who will be with us each step of the way. Happy New Year!

As we experience the season of Advent let us reflect on these words from William G. Storey to shape our practices and our expectations: "Advent is both a beginning and an end, an alpha and an omega of the church's year of grace. Too often considered merely a season of preparation for the annual commemoration of Christ's birth, this rich and many-layered season is actually designed to prepare the Christian for the glorious possibilities of the Parousia. It is a season of longing and expectation." "COME LORD JESUS" (Revelation 22:30).

Fall Greetings! We have some exciting new and returning event opportunities for our parishioners coming up: Youth Faith Formation, MOMS Group, Becoming Catholic, Hospitality Sunday, Choir Practice, Book Clubs, The Chosen Bible Study, Fare for All, 50+ Singles, Grief Groups and many other small group activities. Browse the website for more information!

Lent is closely associated with the transition from winter to spring. The word lent comes from the anglo-saxon word for springtime, lencten. It describes the gradual lengthening of daylight. Lent evolved around the theme of baptism which, from at least the 3rd century, had been associated with the Easter Vigil. Adults who are part of the OCIA process, who have never been baptized are baptized at the vigil. Let us pray for all those around the world preparing to receive the Easter sacraments. There are many opportunities to renew our Baptismal commitment during Lent. I invite you to participate in some of these: regular attendance at Mass, The Sacrament of Reconciliation, joining a renew group, adoration, prayer at home, and acts of charity. As we look forward to the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord, May we all experience the depth of Christ’s love and mercy. Fr Terry

With God as our Leader, may we be prepared to live another year under His guidance. Do not be afraid to face life, let God show you the correct path to become triumphant and thus become a better person. Life is not life without God by our side, embrace Him this year, open your hearts to others, be kind to yourself and your family, friends, and neighbors.

We invite you to celebrate the Advent and Christmas seasons with SJCC at both the Parish Center and Historic Little Church! Visit www.stjosephparish.com/advent-christmas and don't miss our Children's Christmas Choir singing for the 3:30 PM Christmas Eve Mass - they will add JOY and delight to your day!

Words From Father Terry: This year as we celebrate the Feast of Thanksgiving, we will likely have fewer people gathered around the table. The pandemic has caused us to do things differently this year. He words “thank you” can still be a part of our Thanksgiving holiday. This year, more than ever we need to put on an attitude of gratitude, especially when we may find many reasons not to be grateful. The longer I live the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will influence our relationships, our jobs, and our prayer life. There are many things that we cannot change, but we can decide to find reasons for gratitude despite all the negatives. This Thanksgiving I hope we as a community of faith will continue to live in gratitude to God and in gratitude for family and friends. I am grateful for all of you, and so I say, “Thank you.”

We are so proud of all our Class of 2020 Graduating High School, College and other Program Seniors!  We know that this was not the year-end that you were so looking forward to.  St. Joseph wants to honor you for your hard work and dedication over your high school and college years.  It is truly an accomplishment and we want to celebrate YOU!  Please send us a photo (non-professional) of yourself to https://bit.ly/SJCCGradPic by May 25 that we will include in a tribute to you and all the other graduating seniors!