A Word from Our Pastor: Sept. 30

Dear St. Joseph’s Parish Family,

I’ve heard from numerous people in the parish that many are feeling a sense of anxiety and worry about the state of the Church. I too am worried about all that has been revealed this summer. The best way to handle that worry is to not place the weight of the whole Church, or even just the Church in America, on your shoulders. It is Christ who looks after the Church– fortunately our responsibility is much smaller! We must do what we can with what is in front of us. We must seek holiness and virtue in our lives and actions. We must seek to love those whom God has placed in our lives, and let Christ deal with what is beyond our control. Placing the weight of everything on our shoulders will only crush us.

Although we cannot fix everything ourselves, there is much we can do. We can pray for the wider Church, we can fast and undertake penance for the Church, and we can help our small corner of the Church thrive. I keep my focus on St. Joseph’s parish– on all of you who make up this parish. Let us keep each other and all the parish in our prayers, and seek to live a life of charity, and God’s grace will help all of us be the people God created us to be– to be saints.

Another question that has come up a lot concerns the small changes in the sanctuary. You may not have even noticed, but I did make some changes. I switched out the priest’s chair in the sanctuary simply because the older white one was terribly uncomfortable. I asked the other friars and all agreed that it was one of the most uncomfortable chairs they had ever sat in! A parishioner even told me that all the priests he’s ever seen sit in the chair always looked uncomfortable in it. That chair is not proportionated to human sizes, meaning that the backrest is so far back that to use it one’s legs don’t touch the ground. It also was unsteady, such that when one didn’t stay perfectly still it would rock from side to side, make a loud ‘clunk-clunk’ sound. So I switched it with the older celebrant’s chair that was in the sacristy.

I also placed a crucifix on the altar. I did this to remind myself what I am doing at Mass. It is easy when facing the congregation to subconsciously slip into performance mode. Most of the priest’s words during Mass are prayers to God. They are not words spoken to the congregation, but prayers made on behalf of the congregation. The crucifix helps me to stay focused on prayer rather than slipping into performance.

Also, I started to use a burse and chalice veil. These are the cloths placed over the chalice. They came with a new set of vestments we ordered and so I believe we should use them since we have them.

Finally, I’ve been working with contractors to repair the church building. You may have noticed the leak in the roof over the St. Joseph statue. It’s quickly growing– a bad sign. There are also issues with the roof, gutters, exterior paint, and many other instances of delayed maintenance. We’re working towards getting all of that taken care of.

God Bless!

Fr. Boniface Endorf, O.P.
Pastor