Courses Available

Parent's and Catechists:

Please sign up by email if you want to take one of the following courses. Enrollment is low at this time and courses are at risk of being canceled.

Mariology at Holy Spirit Newport Saturday 1/3 and 1/10 from 9am to 2pm

• The Adult Learner will be able to:
  
  Discuss the basic teachings of the Church regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary. References will be made to the Church Fathers, various Papal documents, the Second Vatican Council, and the contributions of Pope John Paul II. 

The Pope, Vatican & Things Roman Saturday 1/17 and 1/24 Covington Latin School from 9am to 2pm

• Historical and contemporary elements of the Church of Rome, especially in the context of its role in the universal Catholic Church will be discussed with Reverend Raymond Enzweiler, Vice Rector of the Cathedral Parish, associate Professor at Thomas More College, and instructor for Adult Faith Formation and Catechists Certification/Accreditation Courses.

• Topics will include:
  • The Papacy
  • The Tomb of St. Peter
  • The Holy See and its dicasteries
  • Vatican City State
  • The major basilicas and churches with an aside on our Cathedral Basilica

For more info visit the Diocesan Website link below. At the bottom of the site there are instructions on how to register.  The cost for the class is $25. 

 

 http://home.catholicweb.com/covingtonreligioused/index.cfm/NewsItem?ID=366081&From=Home

If you have any additional questions feel free to let me know via email saintjosephpsr@gmail.com.

DECEMBER SCHEDULE

DEC 7  - Class, Reconciliation (2nd week of Advent)

Monday, December 8 - Immaculate Conception (Holy Day of Obligation)

DEC 14 - Class, Reconciliation (3rd Sunday of Advent)

DEC 21 - Class (4th Week of Advent)

Thursday, December 25 - Christmas (Holy Day of Obligation)

DEC 28 - No Class (Christmas Break)

Forty Hours Devotions - All are welcome (3rd and 8th Grade in Procession)

FORTY HOURS DEVOTIONS Friday, Nov. 14 - Sunday, Nov. 16

The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed in church on these days in between Masses.
Night prayer will be prayed at 10 PM on Friday & Saturday to close devotions for the day.
Forty Hours Devotions provides an opportunity for busy people who would welcome just a few
moments of quiet with the Lord. Don’t pass up this graced opportunity.

***FORTY HOURS DEVOTIONS SOLEMN CLOSING***

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2014

Please make an effort to join the parish at the Solemn Closing of Eucharistic Devotions
Rev. Harry Settle, will be the homilist. The procession will include our Confirmation candidates and last year’s First Communion class and representatives from Parish Organizations.The Closing of Eucharistic Devotions is a beautiful tradition of the Church and is made richer by the presence of a large number of parishioners. Sunday: Eucharistic Devotions with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament after the 11:30 AM Mass until Solemn Closing at 4:00 PM.

REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PARISH FOR

THE EUCHARISTIC PROCESSION

(Please assemble in the hall underneath church at 3:30 p.m.)

High School Servers

Third grade students

2015 Confirmation Class

Members of the Parish Council and Parish Board of Education

Representatives of Parish Scouting

Lectors and Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist

New Members of the Church (baptized/received Easter Vigil 2014)

First Reconciliation Parent Meeting on Tuesday, November 11th at 7:00 PM in Church

ST. JOSEPH CHURCH AND SCHOOL

4011 ALEXANDRIA PIKE

COLD SPRING, KY 41076

November 2014

Dear Parents of Children Anticipating First Reconciliation,

Jesus said:  “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.  No one can take them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.  The Father and I are one.”  - John 10:27-30.

The celebrations of the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Communion are swiftly approaching.  The sacraments are at the heart of Catholic life.  These are the primary ways that we, as Catholics, connect with God and receive His grace in our lives.  To celebrate the sacraments well, we need to be truly prepared for them.

Your children are preparing to receive the sacraments through religious education classes (either through our PSR program or through St. Joseph School).  But for the faith to be vocal in their lives, the preparation they receive in the classroom must be echoed and fostered by your instruction and by the witness of your faith.  As parents you are the first and primary teachers of faith, you help form a ‘domestic’ church within your home.  To assist you in preparing your children to receive these sacraments, as well as provide you with the logistical information that you need to know we will have our First Reconciliation Parent Meeting on Tuesday, November 11^th at 7:00 PM in Church.

In recent years there has been talk about the importance of attending Sunday Mass each week, especially as a family.  Sunday Mass is the centerpiece of Catholic life.  The Church teaches that we have a very serious obligation to attend Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation.  This obligation is so serious, that it is a grave (i.e., mortal) sin to miss Mass on these days without a serious reason.  Please keep in mind that children who are not attending Sunday Mass are not adequately prepared to receive the sacraments.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call Mr. Fischer, the Coordinator of Religious Education at 240-8207 or call Mrs. Holzmacher, the Principal at 441-2025.  We look forward to seeing you.

Sincerely,

The Second Grade Catechists

Download this App

If you have a smartphone there is a catholic app that I highly recommend you download. It's free, and it has so many useful tools within. The name of the app is LAUDATE.

As I was hosting the Old and New Testament today they mentioned this app that I have been using for about a year now. I then realized I never passed on this to my PSR families.

Not only download this app, but make sure it is on your homepage. It will be a constant reminder to pray. We use this app for when we say our prayers as a family at night. It has a list of catholic prayers such as; family prayer, evening prayer, etc.. These are just a few we use at home.

There is also a link to the saint of the day to incorporate our theme for the year. So you can build your family life prayer asking with your own. There are meditations and as I mentioned many other great catholic resources.

This app is amazing and I have felt our spiritual journey as a family and personally strengthen. May God Bless you as we partner together to build our relationship with Him.

November Schedule

NOVEMBER 2 - CLASS

NOVEMBER 9 - CLASS

NOVEMBER 11 - PARENT FIRST RECONCILIATION MEETING 7PM CHURCH

NOVEMBER 16 - CLASS
Closing of Forty Hours 4PM CHURCH

NOVEMBER 23 - CLASS

NOVEMBER 30 - NO CLASS, THANKSGIVING BREAK

Parent First Reconciliation Meeting

There had been an update to the original schedule for this meeting. There IS NOT a meeting this Tuesday.

The correct date is Tuesday, November 11th at 7pm in the church.

An email had been sent to all PSR parents and a reminder will be sent home on November 9th.

Saints Alive, Partying with the Saints!

Saints Alive is an opportunity for our families to pick a saint, learn more about them, and choose which one to be as. For the second year in a row our Parish School of Religion has hosted it.

Some of the activities were; guessing game, musical saints, bowling with the saints, pin the halo on the saint to just name a few.

So think about what you will be next year, we hope to see you join in the fun.

Winners of the guessing game. 

What's a party without a pinata?

St. Joseph, St. Paul, St. Cecilia, St. Philomena

Fishing with the apostles.

St. Isidore the farmer (pumpkins), Our lady of Mt. Carmel (carmel) and St. Francis (animal crackers). Guess how many in each jar.

Pin the halo on St. Joseph.

St. Joseph and St. Philomena

Schedule Change - Safe Environment

Parents,

The Safe Environment training was scheduled for next Sunday and the following. We are in the process of rescheduling. Once we have a date set with the resources available I will provide an update.

Prior to the training we will have further information. All children must be trained every year as mandated by the diocese. There is a list of approved resources. So even though your child may have received this at their school they cannot miss.

When this is scheduled and date confirmed please make every effort to be here. All that miss will require a makeup session. If you have any questions you can find more info on the diocese website under Safe Environment or reach out to me.

Thank you for partnering with us to bring your children in faith and keeping them safe.

Mission Sunday

Each decade of that World Mission Rosary calls to mind an area where the Church continues her evangelizing mission: 

green for the forests and grasslands of Africa; 

blue for the ocean surrounding the islands of the Pacific; 

white symbolizing Europe, the seat of the Holy Father, 

shepherd of the world; 

red calling to mind the fire of faith that brought 

missionaries to the Americas 

and yellow, the morning light of the East, for Asia. 

Saint's Alive

PARTYING WITH THE SAINTS

We have been learning about the Saints all year and how they are not only our role models but our everyday hero’s as well.  This will be our 2^nd year partying with the saints and we are opening it up to the St. Joseph School as well.  There are a lot of great ideas on how to dress like a saint online, so keep it simple.  We are looking forward to having some fun.

Sunday, October 26

12:30 – 2:30pm

Memorial Hall

If you are interested in seeing how you can help please contact Kari Fischer @ 859-250-4305 or email saintjosephpsr@gmail.com

Confirmation Meeting, October 16, 2014

DATE: October 2014
TO: Eighth Grade Parents
FROM: Mr. Steven Fischer, Mrs. Melissa Holzmacher, Mrs. Peggy Eilerman, Mrs. Kari Fischer

RE: Confirmation Meeting, October 16, 2014

At this time in their lives your son/daughter is being offered the opportunity to choose to participate in the sacrament of Confirmation and its preparation. God’s love and Holy Spirit are always freely given, but need to be freely accepted by us. The choice is ours to let God into our lives. So, too, our young people need to want this opportunity that the Church offers them.

Therefore, on Thursday, October 16, 2014, an important meeting for you, your child, and his/her sponsor will be held in Church at 7:00 pm to examine and explain the various aspects of Confirmation, which completes and initiates one into fuller membership in the Catholic Church.

Sponsors for Confirmation must be at least sixteen years old and be confirmed in the Catholic faith. The Sponsor need not be a member of the same sex as the person to be confirmed. A Baptismal Godparent is the most appropriate and logical choice for a Sponsor for Confirmation, as this sacrament completes and “confirms” the promises made at Baptism. (Parents may not be sponsors.) Sponsor forms from the St. Joseph School students are due in the school office by Friday, October 3.

A new Confirmation name may or may not be chosen. The Baptismal name would be most suitable, again since Confirmation completes Baptism. However, if a student is interested in a particular saint, a new name may be chosen for the Sacrament of Confirmation.

The Enrollment Ceremony will take place at the 9:30 am Mass on Sunday, October 19th. All those requesting the sacrament of Confirmation will be seated in the front of Church. After the homily they will be asked to make their commitment to prepare well for the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation. They will be presented as Candidates for Confirmation. Parents and sponsors are invited and encouraged to attend.

Bishop Foys will come to St. Joseph Church to confirm our young people on Monday, February 9, 2014, at 7:00 pm. On Sunday, February 8, 2014 we will have a rehearsal in the church following the 11:30 Mass for all candidates and their sponsors.

A retreat will be held at St. Joseph Heights in Park Hills on the day of Confirmation from 8:30 – 1:30 pm. More information will come on this later.

Thank you for your acceptance of and participation in this preparation of your child for this sacrament. Your on-going guidance of your child in his/her faith formation is most important.

SEPTEMBER CALENDAR

September 7     CLASS
                            2nd and 5th Bible Ceremony

September 14   CLASS
                            New Parent Orientation
                            (Library)

September 21   PSR OPENING MASS
(PLEASE ARRIVE AT 9:15AM IN CHURCH, SEATS WILL BE RESERVED)

September 28   CLASS
                            3rd Grade SCAPULARS

AUGUST CALENDAR

August 10          Open House - LIBRARY
                           9:30am - 11:00am

August 17          First Day of Class
                          
August 24          Class

August 31          No Class - LABOR DAY

PSR OPEN HOUSE 10AUG14

WHY SHOULD YOUR CHILD ATTEND PSR?

• Do you have a child attending a public or non-catholic private school between Kindergarten and 8th grade?
• Does your child plan on receiving a sacrament next year?
• Does your child attend Covington Latin or Villa and is of age to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation?
• Do you want your children to continue the faith traditions that have been passed onto you by our Catholic family

** If you answered yes to any of these questions then your child needs to attend PSR! **

PSR OPEN HOUSE/Registration

August 10, 2014

9:30AM – 11:00AM

Library

If you would like more information or to register a new student ahead of time

call (859) 240-8207 or E-Mail saintjosephpsr@gmail.com

 

Classes start August 17th, and are held Sunday mornings from 9:30 am – 11 am.

Kindergarten - 8th Grade

Are you being called to be on the Board of Catholic Education?

Dear Parent(s), Guardian(s) and Catechists:

Our Board of Education is in need of nominees to fulfill some openings this coming year. Even though we are blessed to have a School in our Parish, the Board of Catholic Education encompasses the faith beyond the school. We have Adult Faith Formation, PSR, Youth Ministry this fall, etc...

As you can imagine with a parish this large we have many opportunities to get involved. We would like to have representation from our Parish School of Religion at these meetings. Below is some information that is located on our web about the board. If interested please let me know ASAP so that I may provide your information to the appropriate party. It is a commitment, and they meet once a month. Depending on projects or committees it may involve more time as well. It is very rewarding and you can really see behind the scenes how much effort goes into play to keep the faith alive during all stages in our Catholic life.

Board of Cathlic Education Mission Statement

The purpose of the Education Committee is to promote, recommend, and evaluate parish-related education programs, particularly religious education programs, for all members of the parish including the parish school.
Membership Information

Membership – The total membership of the Education Committee shall be a minimum of 13 members and shall include:

The pastor and/or the associate pastor
The school principal
The Director of Religious Education (DRE) at the parish
A teacher representative
9 lay members elected by the parishioners

A President, Vice President, Secretary shall constitute the officers of the Education Committee. The President of the Education Committee must attend Parish Council meetings. The term of office for the elected lay members of the Education Committee shall be three years, with one-third of the members being elected each year. Terms shall begin on the first of June of the first year and expire on the thirty-first of May of the third year. Officers shall be elected yearly.

Have a wonderful Summer Break!

I want to once again thank the parent(s) and guardian(s) that have allowed us to partner with you to teach the faith to our youth. It's hard to believe that the school year has ended. This year has been a success. We introduced Saint's Alive, started a foundation for our youth ministry program, revamped our confirmation prep, had multiple service projects including Operation Rice Bowl and we couldn't have done this without your support.

We have some amazing catechist's that teach the faith and I want to especially thank Amy Racke for her years of service in the program. As many of you know, Amy will not be returning next year as she focuses on her family. She will be deeply missed and we will continue to pray for her and her family. Thank you AMY, you are an amazing catechist and our program has been blessed to have you over the years.

I want to once again recognize those families that made sacrifices to ensure their child was here each Sunday.

Those that had GOOD ATTENDANCE for the year missing 3 or less are:

1st Grade - Gabrielle, Emily, and Harrison
2nd Grade - Chance, Lillian, Kaylee, Kaleb, Ella
3rd Grade - Brianna and Brandon
4th grade - Logan and Joey
5th Grade - Sophia, Corey,and Nathaniel
6th Grade - Anna Vaught
7th Grade - Brandon and Shelby
8th Grade - Nick and Clarissa

Those with PERFECT ATTENDANCE:
1st Grade - Zack
5th Grade - Wyatt and Grace
7th Grade - Natalie

At this time it looks like we may have filled both the 3rd Grade and 6th Grade Catechist needs for next year. Again, my goal is to have a catechist and aide in each grade, especially the younger grades. If you are interested please let me know. All volunteers must be virtus trained and those that are going to teach the faith must work towards their certification as well. It is an amazing calling that I have been blessed with going on 15 years.

PSR CLOSING - MAY 18th

Our Closing will be held this Sunday, May 18th.

We will start our celebration at the 9:30 AM Mass. We will have the children sit with their class in the front row on Joseph's side like we have done earlier this year. (PEWS will be reserved)

Then after mass we will meet in Memorial Hall for the certificates and awards for Perfect and Good Attendance.

We will provide the drinks and paper products.

We ask that each family bring fruit, donuts, etc.... to share.

Thank you again for all your support and partnership in bringing the faith to our youth.

May Crowning - May 12th 7PM Church

May Crowning will be celebrated on Monday, May 12 at 7:00 pm and will begin in church. Weather permitting we will process to the grotto. Please join us for this beautiful devotion to Mary.

First Communicants wear their First Communion clothes. We ask that students be here at 6:50 in the pew with a potted plant. All grade levels are encouraged to attend and sit in the pew that is labeled with their grade. This will be for PSR and the school.

First Communicants will walk first in the procession. Some of the 8th graders from the school will crown Mary and have speaking parts.

PSR made Channel 9 News

Thank you once again for your support in Operation Rice Bowl. I am so proud of our PSR students and for your families that support them in their faith formation.


St. Joseph religion school program raises money for Catholic Relief Services

Enjoy a night out while helping the Family Nurturing Center this Wednesday - April 30th.

The Family Nurturing Center trains our children in the safe environment.
While the Women's Crisis Center has stopped training due to lack of funds,
the Family Nurturing Center has been steadfast in providing this service to
us.  They have a fundraiser once a year to help cover the cost.  This year
the fundraiser is Wednesday, April 30
Each buyer must take a certificate to any City Barbecue and present the
certificate with payment.  25% of the cost will go to The Family Nurturing
Center.  The certificate must be presented.  Certificates may be downloaded
from the front page of www.covingtondiocese.org
THANKS!

PSR CANCELED

PSR is CANCELED today, Sunday, March 2, 2014 due to the icy conditions that are developing outside. Stay home and stay safe! We'll try again next week!!

PSR CANCELLED 2/16/14

PSR will be cancelled today! With the snow emergency and the untreated roads I don't want to chance any accidents. We will see you next week!

Masses of course are still going on, please take your time and attend a mass that will be safe to travel with your family.