After returning from a recent trip to visit the Josephite seminarian program in Nigeria, Father Norvel said he was successful in finding a suitable residence for the expanding number of men training to serve in the African-American community as Josephites.

“Our formation residence in Nigeria is overflowing with men preparing to come to the United States for seminary. We needed to move to a larger space” Father Norvel reported.
In the last five years, the Josephites have ordained 27 new priests … and more priests are on the way.

Father Norvel said the new space is in Ibadan, Nigeria that is near to the Dominican seminary where the men are taking classes.

“The new space will provide living quarters for up to 35 men. It also will give them an opportunity for prayer and study as they continue their path to the priesthood as Josephites serving in African-American parishes, schools and special ministries,” Father Norvel noted.

And, the price is right. The cost to rent the new residence is $45,000 for five years, or $9,000 per year. “The cost is low and the reward will be high,” said Father Norvel.
He has asked Josephite donors to help with the cost of renting the new seminarian residence.

“We need financial help to ensure that a new generation of Josephites is ready to take on the pastoral responsibility of leading parishes and serving in African-American communities,” Father Norvel said. “After students complete a year at the St. Joseph the Worker House of Formation in Iperu-Remo, they will begin the second stage of their journey in this new complex located in Ibadan.”

Father Norvel also announced that Father Nixon Mullah, SSJ, who recently completed his studies in Rome, was appointed as rector of the formation program in Nigeria. “We extend our thanks to Father Francis Asomkase, SSJ, who served as the rector for the last eight months and to Father Henry Davis, SSJ, who served as the rector for three years,” Father Norvel said. “I am grateful that Father Nixon has accepted this new mission to lead our formation program in Nigeria.”

The Josephites are the only religious community serving exclusively in the African-American community.

Father Norvel said, “Thank you for your continuing prayers and for your support. Also, please pray for Father Mullah, as he begins his new position as rector, and all of the men who are preparing to become Josephites.”

On Monday, June 15, the Josephites gathered at St. Joseph Seminary in Washington, DC., for the first day of Josephite chapter.  Together, they welcomed newly-appointed Bishop Fernand Cheri, III as the principal celebrant, for the opening Mass.

Bishop Cheri, now an auxiliary Bishop of his hometown of New Orleans, spoke spiritedly of the Josephites’ mission. As a graduate of the Josephite high school, St. Augustine, Bishop Cheri encouraged the Josephites to review their involvement in the communities they serve and to address specific needs within the African-American community.

“I hope you never grow tired of the challenges facing you as Josephites,” Bishop Cheri said. “As a matter of fact, I’m counting on you.”

Bishop Cheri described how easy it is to be revengeful in today’s society, but that we must abandon the eye for an eye mentality by finding strength in a Merciful God who calls us to be merciful as well.

“If your brother strikes you, turn the other cheek,” Bishop Cheri said, quoting from scripture. “Because if you strike your brother back, he sees the worst of you in your reflection of him.  Now, he has compromised you! And you have failed to help your brother.”

After the service, Bishop Cheri spoke of the importance of his message to the Josephites in today’s society.

“The God who has given us life has called us to reflect his life his love in the world and we have to rise above the evil, so that we can find ways to heal and to forgive, not to punish,” Bishop Cheri said.

Community was a central topic in Bishop Cheri’s homily. During their meeting the Josephites will continue to discuss how best to serve the African American Community in the spirit of their protector, St. Joseph.

NEW ORLEANS — Sunday morning is a typical time to rejoice, but this time it was a celebration.

A landmark in the 7th Ward returned better than ever, and now it will serve as a cornerstone for this community once again. The old Corpus Christi School has been completely renovated and will serve as a community center.

“I believe that reducing blight in a community reduces crime and encourages commerce to thrive,” said New Orleans Councilman Jared Brosett.

Inside, before the celebration, a Mass was held where the archbishop said the new building should be a symbol of change for the community.

The area has dealt with a number of shootings in the last months with many of the victims being teenagers and men in their twenties.

The school was dealt a devastating blow after Hurricane Katrina brought several feet of flood waters to the building.

“This area was completely devastated, terribly so. I believe this dedication is truly a sign of hope for this area. It is also a sign of new life,” Archbishop Gregory Aymond said.

This school once served as an anchor for this community. Over a thousand kids a year were educated here.

The new center will have more than 50,000 square feet of space with multiple uses, such as a meeting place, computer lab and gymnasium.

The church partnered with several agencies, making it one of the largest centers of its kind in the city

“I have seen it right after Katrina, and to see it back better than before is really inspiring,” Christopher Bourgeau said

Now the new center will help breathe new life into the 7th Ward as it continues to rebuild after the storm.

The renovations were part of an $8 million grant from FEMA.

STATEMENT OF THE SOCIETY OF ST. JOSEPH OF THE SACRED HEART REGARDING THE TRAGEDY IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

The Josephites, at their general conference of 2015 held in Washington, D.C., expressed sympathy for the victims and deep regret for the racism that was manifested through the shooting that occurred last night at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

The Josephites, who have advanced the causes of the African-American Community for peace and justice for over 140 years, are devastated that such hatred could still make its presence known in 2015.

“We Josephites offer our sympathies to the families of the victims and to the members of Emmanuel AME Church,” Father Michael Thompson, Superior General, said. “The society will continue to pray for everyone affected by this tragedy and that God will turn hearts away from hatred and toward loving acceptance of all of God’s people.”

The St. Joseph Society of the Sacred Heart (the Josephites) is a congregation of priests and brothers whose exclusive mission is to the African-American community. Founded after the Civil War to minister to newly freed slaves, the organization has served the African American community since 1871. The Society serves in parishes and special ministries, spanning seven states and the District of Columbia.

Father Thompson, 57, a native of Port Arthur, Texas, had been serving as Vicar General since 2011. He is the 14th Superior General of the religious community, founded 144 years ago to minister to African Americans. His term runs for four years.

Ordained in 2004, Father Thompson was parochial vicar at Corpus Christi/Epiphany Church in New Orleans. Following Hurricane Katrina, Father Thompson assisted at the post-Katrina Recovery Office, which the Josephites had set up in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. At that time, he also served as pastor of Our Mother of Mercy Church in Beaumont, Texas. When the Recovery Office was closed, Father Thompson was appointed pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church in Baton Rouge. He moved to the Josephites’ generalate in Baltimore in 2011 when he was named Vicar General.

Father Thompson said, “It’s a great honor to have your brothers choose you to be their leader. I now have a deeper responsibility to care for the men and to guide them in their ministry.”

He said that he had not fully formed an agenda for his administration but he is reflecting on the history and charism of the Josephites. “After 142 years, we Josephites are still here fighting for justice, peace and dignity in our black Catholic communities,” he said, noting that he would be establishing a justice and peace committee in the near future.

He added, “I am really excited about the dedication of the Josephites who serve in ministry now and the men who are coming to join us. The excitement they have about continuing the mission of the Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart gets me rejuvenated.”

During the conference, two other members were selected for Josephite leadership. Father Roderick Coates was selected as vicar general. He is currently pastor of Corpus Christi/Epiphany Church in New Orleans. Father Thomas Frank, SSJ, 63, was reappointed as consultor general. He is currently pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Washington, D.C.

The St. Joseph Society of the Sacred Heart, (the Josephites) is a congregation of priests and brothers whose exclusive mission is to the African American community. Founded after the Civil War to minister to newly freed slaves, the organization has served the African American community since 1871. The Society serves in parishes and special ministries, spanning seven states and the District of Columbia.

Fr. Michael Thompson	Fr. Roderick Coates	Fr. Thomas Frank
Superior General	Vicar General	Consultor General

Three men took the next step on the path to a life of ministry as a Josephite.

At the St. Joseph Manor Chapel in Baltimore on Aug. 9, Dalmas Otieno Abuto, Fred Kaddu and Johnson Emeka Oodo celebrated their First Profession as a Josephite. During the homily, Father Michael Thompson, SSJ, the superior general, spoke about the newly professed Josephites taking courageous vows. He expressed the importance of choosing to be like Christ, supported by the spiritual sustenance of the Eucharist. “The peace and pinnacle of our faith is the Eucharist, our eternal banquet. It reconfigures us and gives us a relationship with Jesus Christ; something that is unshakable,”said Father Thompson.

The three will continue their studies and service under the direction of the Josephite novice master, Father Joseph Doyle.

Oldest Josephite dies

Just two weeks shy of his 97th birthday, Josephite Father Joseph M. Calamari died on Aug. 21 at St. Joseph Manor, Baltimore. He was six weeks short of the 70th anniversary of his ordination as a priest, the first Josephite to reach that milestone.

Father Joe was born in Elmhust, Long Island, N.Y. on Sept. 5, 1918, to Louise Cecelia Calamari and Joseph Michael Calamari. He was educated in St. Bartholomew’s parish school in Elmhurst and graduated from Cathedral College High School in Brooklyn before entering the Josephite minor seminary in Newburgh, N.Y., in 1936.

After completing the novitiate and the program at St. Joseph Seminary in Washington, he was ordained in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, also in Washington, on October 10, 1945.

His first assignment as an associate at Corpus Christi Church in New Orleans was the beginning of 16 parochial positions he served in Josephite parishes, all in the South. In addition, he spent nine years in ministry on Long Island in the Bahamas when the Josephites ventured out of the country in the 1970’s and 80’s.

In addition to his priestly role, Father Calamari was known as “the Joe of all trades.” He was deft at blacksmith tasks while working with his father as a youth. He was skilled with the hammer and saw, was a stellar baseball coach and a certified dentist while in the Bahamas.

Father was officially retired to St. Joseph Manor in Baltimore when he was eighty, but several years later returned to the South for two terms as Parochial Vicar. In August of 2006, he began his final years of retirement until his passing. Father Calamari had three brothers and two sisters of whom Mrs. Therese C. Rogers survives.

His funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Joseph Manor on Aug. 27 with burial in New Cathedral Cemetery in Baltimore.

Father Atwood marks 55 years at St. Augustine High School

By Father Frank Hull, SSJ, Archivist
Fifty-five years at any job is remarkable. Fifty-five years as a teacher/librarian in the same school is a rare accomplishment. Father Wilbur Atwood, SSJ, has done it and looks forward to doing a few more years “if the Lord says the same.”

St. Augustine High School in New Orleans is the place where he loved teaching history to kids capable of enjoying it as well. “It has been a delightful experience,” he said.

A product of the “Greatest Generation,” Father Atwood lived through the depression and the World War II years before applying to study for the Josephite priesthood. Ordained in 1958, he was assigned to minister in Holy Family parish in Natchez, Mississippi, for just two years.  Then Sept. 1, 1960 found him on the staff of St. Augustine High School, the nine-year old Josephite adventure in educating young men in a sizeable black Catholic New Orleans community.

Segregation was the rule at the time and the atmosphere of the decade saw increasing efforts for voting rights, housing, employment and civil and religious rights. Father Atwood’s Civics classes were enlightened by local examples of a government off the track. The students got involved in voter registration and were pushed to enter city and state politics where graduates have made an impressive mark.

Father Atwood was happy to be part of the school’s role in breaking many local barriers.

The school faculty encouraged the students to go on to college and helped integrate some Ivy League institutions. A Time magazine article in the mid-’60s cited St. Augustine High School for its outstanding effort to make education a “masculine thing.” The three-column spread carried the heading “Separate & Superior.”

St. Augustine has begun its 65th academic year. The enrollment is the largest since Katrina’s blow and Father Atwood, at 87, will be there in the library, happy to do his part to “keep on keeping on.”

New pastor builds on legacy of DC parish

By David Andrews
Father Cornelius Kelechi Ejiogu, SSJ, grew up in Nigeria as the middle of seven children. Today, he’s serving God in the heart of the United States capital. It’s been a long journey for the young Josephite pastor.

With three brothers and three sisters, Father Cornelius was accustomed to being in close contact with people all the time. “I enjoyed having a lot of family. It’s part of the culture there, it’s part of who we are,” said Father Cornelius.

Growing up in a parish under the direction of the St. Patrick Fathers and influenced by the Legion of Mary, two international missionary organizations, Father Cornelius came to know the love and service of outreach programs.

“We’d go to visit Legion of Mary members who couldn’t go to church, or who were sick in the hospital. It was an opportunity for evangelization,” said Father Cornelius.
This selfless upbringing made the transition to the Josephites simple and seamless.

Father Cornelius first heard of the Josephites when Josephite Father William Norvel came to Lagos, Nigeria for a recruiting trip. Inside the church, 3,000 attendees looked on as Father Norvel spoke of the need for African-American priests in the United States.

“He captured my imagination the way he talked about the struggles of slavery in the United States,” said Father Cornelius. “He was so particular in saying that our ‘brothers and sisters’ were taken from this land to the United States, and that now there’s a need to serve them as priests today.”

Father Cornelius was so moved by Father Norvel’s presentation that within a few months, he applied, was accepted and joined the Josephites. He entered the House of Formation in Nigeria in 2003.

Because he grew up in such a tight-knit family, it wasn’t easy to leave his home and move to another continent. “My mom was a little sad at first, but my father was fine. He told me he’d support me whatever I chose to do.  My mom definitely took a while to come around, but she’s been able to visit a few times,” said Father Cornelius.

After his year in the House of Formation, Father Cornelius studied at the St. Paul Major Seminary in Abuja, Nigeria, where he received his bachelor’s in science and philosophy in four years. From there, Father Cornelius moved to Washington, D.C., in 2008 before receiving a Master’s of Divinity and Master’s of Art and Theology in 2013 from St. Joseph’s Seminary. That same year, Father Cornelius was ordained.

Since his ordination in 2013, Father Cornelius has been the pastor of St. Luke parish in Washington, D.C.

“I’m basically starting my ministry, so there’s not too many accomplishments thus far,” Father Cornelius said. “I didn’t even know what I was going to face when I came to
St. Luke, so keeping St. Luke going with its effective structure is sort of an accomplishment.”

St. Luke, a modern brick church in Southeast Washington, D.C., is lined with warm stained glass panels, but the warmth of the parishioners is far more radiant.

“St. Luke’s is a passionate, committed and loving parish that really cherishes its outreach to the poor,” said Father Cornelius. “The parishioners go out of their way to serve those who are less privileged than themselves.”

The service to the community includes working with a food bank every month, operating a vacation bible camp each summer and collecting donations of clothes.

Father Cornelius said the U.S. Department of Justice even uses St. Luke’s hall next to the church for a program for those who have been incarcerated and are re-entering into society.

This program, which started because of St. Luke’s involvement with Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous goes hand in hand with the goals of the Josephites; to better serve the African-American community, said Father Cornelius.

“The Josephites are hospitable, kind and loving even to those who are considered troubled and the outcasts,” Father Cornelius said. “I hope that we continue to open the doors of our parish enough for them to feel welcome and come back to worship feeling uplifted.”

As if being a pastor of a parish isn’t already a full time job, Father Cornelius is also the academic dean of St. Joseph’s Seminary.

“With meetings and taking care of the parish, it’s a little hectic. There’s a lot of commitment in making sure you’re there for the seminarian students and keeping up to speed with, not only your own parish, but also with the demands of the Archdiocese of Washington,” Father Cornelius said.

The pastor continually promotes vocations, because he knows what it has done for him and what it can do for others. “Having seen the challenges of African Americans first -hand for the last seven years, I’ve come to appreciate more and more those men who came before us and did this work. In turn, I hope others will see the importance of service and join the Josephites’ mission.”

Josephite parish helps community heal

By Kyle Taylor
The buildings may no longer be burning, and the National Guard is no longer there, but what took place in Baltimore City recently has yet to be forgotten.

The healing process, however, has begun.

Baltimore was thrust into the international spotlight in late April following the funeral of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died while in police custody. An outbreak of unrest led to frustrations erupting in West Baltimore as stores were vandalized, looted or destroyed. The National Guard was soon activated.

Six officers were eventually indicted on charges connected to Gray’s death. While that appeased many, especially in light of the recent spate of African-American deaths at the hands of police officers making national headlines, it was only the beginning of addressing the needs to be met in Baltimore.

Parishes throughout the city have not sat idly during the ordeal. The day after the unrest, clergy from churches across the city met at Empowerment Temple Church in Northwest Baltimore to discuss the next steps in addressing the situation and the best way to move forward.

Josephite Father Ray Bomberger was one of more than 300 clergy who attended the meeting. As pastor of St. Peter Claver Catholic Church, Father Bomberger’s parish is located in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood where Gray lived. One of the bigger questions since the unrest has been “now what?” and his parish is doing its part to address the community’s needs.

“At Peter Claver, we’ve started a retreat program based on the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius,” Father Bomberger said. “We meet on Monday evenings. The whole purpose is to bring people peace within themselves in relationship to God with the effect that has with relationships to others, such as family and friends. We’ve had more than 40 people for three weeks now.

The purpose is to deepen an inner peace. It all begins with our relationship to God’s love and then all the way through the experience to a life of service for God.”

The retreat is a means of connecting with people in the community and their lives, Father Bomberger said. A 16-week experience, it is mostly members of the parish along with those in the neighborhood.

One benefit of the retreat is that it gives the parish an opportunity to interact directly with those in the community instead of merely having another meeting talking about things to come.

“With so many meetings and talk about what we’re going to do, the retreat experience is good in that they get centered on something really basic with people of faith,” Father Bomberger said.

One of those meetings was with Archbishop of Baltimore William Lori, who met with pastors on the west side of Baltimore asking what the Archdiocese can do to help. Father Bomberger described it as the “beginning of a conversation that will hopefully result in something positive.”

The churches in the neighborhood are not alone in their desire to help the community recover. Though not a program run through St. Peter Claver, the No Boundaries Coalition has been a presence in the area since the unrest. Father Bomberger credited the organization with supporting voter registration in the neighborhood, letting the residents know how their concerns and voices can be heard, and conducting interviews with residents regarding ways their relationship with police officers can be improved.

Catholic Charities is also involved with assisting with progress in the area. Bill McCarthy, executive director of Catholic Charities, is from West Baltimore and walked through the areas that were damaged during the violence the following day with Archbishop Lori. Mr. McCarthy said he understood the frustration of people in the neighborhood.

“To me it was almost at a tipping point, where you lose hope,” Mr. McCarthy said of what led to the violence that erupted that day. “When you lose hope, this is what happens.”

The organization is taking a look at additional and immediate needs to benefit the neighborhood he said. Catholic Charities provided services to residents of Sandtown even before the riots, Mr. McCarthy said, including a Head Start program, a housing program for residents who were homeless, healthcare services, including mental health and counseling, as well as bolstering the free food-pantries of churches in the community.

Mr. McCarthy said they are currently in discussions with other groups for other initiatives to be brought to the community, including Safe Streets, a community based problem resolution campaign aimed at curbing neighborhood violence, as well as a plan that will restore more than 200 housing units in the area. Restoring those neighborhood homes is long overdue he said.

“I remember the ’68 riots and the devastation that the city had,” Mr. McCarthy said, referencing events following Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. “What was the saddest part to me was as I walked around the neighborhood, a lot has not changed since ’68. Vacant houses are still there, damages that had been done back then still have not been rectified.”

One building that will be rebuilt is the CVS pharmacy that was destroyed during the looting. In a statement, CVS announced plans to rebuild the pharmacy that sustained heavy fire damage. “As we watched the events unfold in Baltimore over those weeks, our hearts turned from pain to the promise of what is ahead,” CVS President and CEO Larry Merlo said in a statement. “Our purpose as a company is helping people on their path to better health. There is no better way that we can fulfill that purpose than to reopen our doors and get back to serving the community.”

The CVS Health Foundation also made a $100,000 donation to the United Way of Central Maryland’s “Maryland Unites Fund” and the Baltimore community Foundation “Fund for Rebuilding Baltimore” to provide support for immediate and long term resources in West Baltimore communities.

St. Peter Claver is working on its own initiatives for youth in the community, said Father Bomberger, but stressed those plans are still in preliminary stages, and it will take time to come to fruition.

“There’s still a lot of frustration because there’s so much uncertainty – the roots of the problems are still there, but there is a sense that there is a greater awareness and it’s not being swept under the rug or ignored anymore,” Father Bomberger said. “I think people are more hopeful because there’s been a lot of discussion. There’s a sense that there’s still a lot of questions, but maybe there’s some light at the end of the tunnel. It’s only been a few weeks since everything happened, but it’s been years and years that this has been stewing, so it’s probably going to take an equal amount of time to get it together. Hopefully sooner than that, but it’s going to take some time.”

Father Ray Bomberger, SSJ, is the pastor and Father Joseph DelVecchio, SSJ,  is the associate pastor of  St. Peter Claver.

Leaders of African American parishes from around the country gathered for the second annual “Pastoring in Black Parishes” conference.

Held in Crystal City, Virginia November 9-12, the conference featured panel discussions to help African American parish leaders through times of diversity, struggle and triumph.

“You’re sitting down with those who have served as you are serving, and you’re learning things you don’t really have time to learn in a textbook environment. You’re getting their life experiences and you’re getting it first hand,” said Anthony Johnson a, member of the 2016 Deaconate program.

For the first time, this year’s conference included women who have leadership roles in parishes.

Millicent Hawkins, a member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, spoke about her work to advance the canonization of the Venerable Henriette Delille, who founded the Sisters of the Holy Family and whose work is reflected in black parishes today.

“What the Holy Family Sisters like on every occasion is for every organization across the country to get to know who Henriette Delille is, her cause, and continue to pray for the work of the Holy Family Sisters,” said Ms. Hawkins.

Father Freddy Washington, a member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, was the moderator of the conference and spoke of the importance of pastors connecting with their parishioners.

“When you preach, you have to preach with the bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. Somehow you have to bring together what the scripture is saying and what the present day reality is,” said Father Washington, CSSp.

The conference, organized by the Josephite Pastoral Center, concluded with a Mass and celebration before the attendees returned to their parishes and communities to apply what they learned.

“Don’t make it a maybe, make it a must check it out. I don’t care if you’re working in the black Catholic community for 25 years like I have, or you just started last week, This pastoring workshop is such a great opportunity to see the great gifts that God has given us, and the great plethora of people who are serving in the ministries,” said Father Anthony Bozeman, S.S.J.

Celebrate the season of Advent as we count down the days to Christmas with our online Advent Calendar!

Open a door every day beginning with the first Sunday of Advent on November 29th. Each day has a special surprise that reflects the scripture readings for the day along with a photo or video clip.

We hope that the Josephite Advent Calendar will enlighten your path as we journey to the celebration of Christ’s birth on December 25th.

To view the online Advent calendar, click here!

Be sure to check back every day during the Advent season.

When Pope Francis canonized Junipero Serra on Sept. 23 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., many Josephites, from seminarians to the Superior General, were privileged to attend and concelebrate the Mass with him.

This was very appropriate because the new saint and Pope Francis had something in common – a special devotion to St. Joseph. “Junipero” was the name taken by Miguel Jose (Michael Joseph) Serra when he made his religious profession as a Franciscan in 1731.

After his ordination about seven or eight years later, he made it a practice to celebrate a Votive Mass of St. Joseph every Wednesday when it was permitted liturgically. During his life as a Franciscan missionary in Mexico and California, he often called upon St. Joseph in time of need.

Such was the case when he began his missionary labors in San Diego in 1770 and the Franciscan friars and Spanish soldiers ran out of food.

Commander de Portola gave orders to return to Mexico City, but Father Junipero proposed a novena to St. Joseph instead. On March 19, the Feast of St. Joseph, the ship, “San Antonio,” loaded with supplies, was spotted in the bay and Mission San Diego was saved. Today, it is one of the most beautiful cities in California.

Just like St. Junipero Serra, Pope Francis has had a devotion to St. Joseph throughout his life. “He has been a support and an inspiration. He is the one I go to whenever I am “in a fix,” Pope Francis told a gathering at St. Patrick parish in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 24.

He continued, “Joseph was someone who asked questions. But first and foremost, he was a man of faith. Faith gave Joseph the power to find light just at the moment when everything seemed dark. Faith sustained him amid the troubles of life. Thanks to faith, Joseph was able to press forward when everything seemed to be holding him back.”

Today, the virtue of faith enables the Josephites to honor their commitment to protect human life, marriage and the family. We “go to Joseph” for assistance in winning the battle against Satan and his legions who are out to destroy these three God-given gifts.

Pope Francis calls upon all Catholics to be missionaries – not necessarily in the same way as St. Junipero Serra, but missionaries to married couples, Christian families and the protectors of human life.

Someone has said that we Catholics have been catechized, but not evangelized. Thus, evangelization is our missionary task at home and to the whole world.

St. Junipero Serra, pray for us.
Father Joseph Doyle, SSJ, is director of novices for the Josephites.

Superior General, Father Michael Thompson, SSJ, and the rest of the Josephites wish you a very merry and blessed Christmas season.

Please watch the video above for a special Christmas message from the superior general.

STATEMENT OF THE SOCIETY OF ST. JOSEPH OF THE SACRED HEART REGARDING THE TRAGEDY IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

The Josephites, at their general conference of 2015 held in Washington, D.C., expressed sympathy for the victims and deep regret for the racism that was manifested through the shooting that occurred last night at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

The Josephites, who have advanced the causes of the African-American Community for peace and justice for over 140 years, are devastated that such hatred could still make its presence known in 2015.

“We Josephites offer our sympathies to the families of the victims and to the members of Emmanuel AME Church,” Father Michael Thompson, Superior General, said. “The society will continue to pray for everyone affected by this tragedy and that God will turn hearts away from hatred and toward loving acceptance of all of God’s people.”

The St. Joseph Society of the Sacred Heart (the Josephites) is a congregation of priests and brothers whose exclusive mission is to the African-American community. Founded after the Civil War to minister to newly freed slaves, the organization has served the African American community since 1871. The Society serves in parishes and special ministries, spanning seven states and the District of Columbia.

Father Bartholomew Endslow, SSJ
1921-2016

Father Bartholomew Endslow, the eldest priest of the Josephite community at 94, died at St. Joseph’s Manor in Baltimore on Jan. 6, 2016. He had been formally retired from 65 years of priestly ministry in October of 2014 and suffered from several months of illness.

Father Endslow was the second of four children born to William and Katherine Sullivan Endslow in Peabody, Massachusetts, on April 17, 1921. He was baptized in St. John’s church there and attended local public schools before entering Epiphany Apostolic College, the Josephite minor seminary in Newburgh, New York, in 1940.

He completed his studies there and, after his year of novitiate, continued his studies at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Washington, D.C, and was ordained a priest on June 7, 1949, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Father Endslow was first assigned as a pastoral associate at Incarnation parish in Washington while completing his studies for a Master’s Degree in Education at the Catholic University. He was then placed on the faculty of Epiphany College for the next 13 years.

He returned to pastoral ministry as pastor of Holy Redeemer Church in San Antonio in 1964. But two years later, he was appointed rector of the minor seminary in Newburgh. He returned to parish ministry after four years when appointed pastor of Our Mother of Mercy parish in Washington. Four years of that seven-year assignment, he also served as the director of the Josephite Baltimore-Washington Area.

Then followed eight-year terms each at St. Francis Xavier, a city parish in Houston, and at the rural setting of Immaculate Conception parish in Lebeau, Louisiana. In 1998, Father Endslow was sent to the Gulf Coast parish of Our Lady of Mercy in Pass Christian, Mississippi. While there he experienced the impact of Hurricane Katrina. While already 84, he lived for two years in a small trailer park directing the rebuilding of his parish plant and serving his displaced congregation.

In October of 2014, after a ministry of 65 years, he retired from active service. He peacefully succumbed to a recent illness.

Father Endslow is survived by his sister, Catherine Manning of Peabody, Massachusetts. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at St. Joseph Manor at 911 W. Lake Avenue, Baltimore, on Monday, Jan. 11 at 11 a.m., with a prior viewing from 9 to 10:50 a.m.. Burial will be in New Cathedral Cemetery.

40 Day Journey through Lent

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In this Year of Mercy, the Holy Father in Rome opened the “Holy Doors” at St. Peter’s Basilica and called for “spiritual doors” to be opened around the world.

Doors are so important as we go through our lives. We enter and exit doors every day, crossing threshold after threshold. Doors are inviting as well as for security. In this Year of Mercy, the Holy Father in Rome as well as many places around the world opened “Holy Doors.” Pope Francis has called on Catholics everywhere to use this Jubilee Year of Mercy to “open wide” the doors of our hearts in forgiveness and love. “When we go through that door, it is good to remember that we must also open wide the doors of our heart,” said Francis to his weekly audience in St. Peter’s Square. There are 36 bible verses about doors.

We are all familiar with the iconic picture of Jesus standing at the door knocking waiting to be let in, as there is no handle on the exterior. The original painting by William Holman Holt around 1902 has been popularized in many different art expressions. It was his intention to be an allegorical illustration of the verse from Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice, and opens the door, I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with Me.”

Jesus Christ knocks, but as you well know, he cannot break open the door. Because of our free will, it lies in our hands to decide whether or not we accept his invitation. His promise is fulfilled immediately when the door of our heart is opened. The great blessing of the open door for us is that we know that the Lord continues to invite us into his life and love. The verse in Revelation 3:20 is Christ-centered, as he is the doorway, the narrow gate.

St. Joseph the Worker

Novena to St. Joseph

Glorious St. Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, to you do we come to ask your powerful intercession in obtaining from the merciful Heart of Jesus all the helps and graces that we need for our spiritual and temporal welfare, and in particular the grace of a happy death and the special favor we now implore (Mention it).

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, we know with confidence that your prayers on our behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God and that God will grant us whatever is for His greater glory and for our greatest good.

V. Glorious St. Joseph through your love of Jesus Christ and for the glory of His name, R. Hear our prayers and ask God to grant our petitions.

Let us Pray:

Glorious St. Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for us pure, humble, and charitable hearts and perfect conformity to the will of God. Be our guide, father and model through life so that we may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.

Dear St. Joseph, foster father of our Lord Jesus Christ, true spouse of the Virgin Mother of God, pray for us.

Daily Prayer to St. Joseph

My beloved St. Joseph, adopt me as your child. Take charge of my salvation. Watch over me night and day. Preserve me from occasions of sin. Obtain for me purity of body and soul and the spirit of true prayer. Win for me a spirit of sacrifice, humility, and self-denial. Obtain for me a burning love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and tender love for Mary, my Mother. St. Joseph, be with me in life; be with me in death and obtain for me a favorable judgment from Jesus. Amen.

Memorare

Remember – O most pure spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, my protector, St. Joseph – that no one ever turned to you for your protection, implored your help, or sought mediation without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come into your presence and fervently recommend myself to your care and protection. Most loving foster-father of my Redeemer, hear the petition of your humble client. Amen.

Petition to St. Joseph

In faithful imitation of Jesus and Mary, I place myself and all my concerns under your care and protection, St. Joseph. Instruct me in every doubt, comfort me in each affliction, and defend and protect me in time of danger. Watch over me at all times, but especially at that last hour of my life on earth so that with you I may praise the Adorable Trinity forever. Amen.

Two Prayers for Workers

O God, the creator of all things, who formed the law of labor for the human race, graciously grant that by merits and patronage of St. Joseph, we may do the work You assign us and earn the reward You promise. Through our Lord, Jesus.

Lord God, You have created all things, and imposed on man the necessity of work. Grant that, following Joseph’s example, and under his protection, we may accomplish the works You give us and obtain the rewards You promise. This we ask through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayer for Protection

St. Joseph, you are the faithful protector of and intercessor for all who love and venerate you. I have special confidence in you, for you are all-powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. I humbly invoke you and commend myself with all who are dear to me to your protection and intercession. Do not abandon me or them during life, and assist me and them when we die. Amen.

Prayer for a Happy Death

Blessed Joseph, you yielded your last breath in the embrace of Jesus and Mary. When death closes my career, come, Holy Father, with Jesus and Mary, to aid me, and obtain for me the only solace which I ask at that hour-to die encircled by their holy arms. Living and dying, I commend my soul into your sacred hands, O Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Amen.