As October begins, the church’s five-week «Season of Creation» comes to an end. Season of Creation, which runs from Sept. 1 to Oct. 4, is dedicated to increased prayer and action in caring for the planet, our common home.
Here at the parish, our concluding events are back-to-back outdoor Masses, 15 hours apart, Sunday-Monday October 2-3.
On Sunday evening, October 2, at 6pm, we’re again offering a special bilingual outdoor Mass and inviting folks to bring their family pets for a special blessing of animals during the Mass. The readings and prayers will all be from the normal Sunday offerings, e.g. the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, so no need to attend two Masses that weekend.
The next morning, Monday, October 3, we are back outside at 9am, with yet another bilingual outdoor Mass, although it will be the last one outside the church for 2022. (We still have 2 scheduled Masses in November at our parish cemetery.) The Mass will be our annual «Green» Mass, celebrating creation one day ahead of the church’s feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron of creation.
As we move through October, our next special stop is Wednesday October 5, where at the 7pm Mass our parish society of Divine Mercy will celebrate the October 5 feast of St. Faustina. All are welcome.
At noon on Saturday, October 15, St. Joseph will participate in a national «Rosary Rally,» with a recitation of the rosary in the church.
Later that same day, we have canceled our regular afternoon confessions and evening Vigil Masses. Instead, the only event in the evening of October 15 will be a special 6:15pm bilingual Mass celebrating the priestly ministries of Fathers John Pringle and Marco Caceres. Again, this Mass will feature the readings and prayers of the regularly-scheduled liturgies for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
On Sunday afternoon, October 16 at 4pm, a six-week ecumenical series begins with the church communities of Bound Brook. The theme of the series is gratitude and will be based at the Bound Brook Presbyterian Church. The first week, October 16, features a borough «Prayer walk,» and culminates November 20 with our town’s Thanksgiving Service. More details soon.