414 North Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201 Tel: (413) 445-5789//Fax: (413) 443-5466 Hours: Mon.-Fri.: 9:00 AM-1:00 PM

Website: www.stjoepittsfield.com

Pastor - Msgr. Michael Shershanovich e-mail: msgrmike@berkshire.rr.com

Priest in Residence - Rev. Geoffrey Deeker, CSS

Most. Rev. Timothy McDonnell in Residence

Coordinator of Youth Religious Education John Arasimowicz

e-mail:johnaccd@gmail.com

Secretary - Michele Madden e-mail: Michelemadden@berkshire.rr.com

Pastoral Minister-Mrs. Patricia Momnie

Superintendent - Jay Meehan Office Manager-Nancy Nolan-Tel: (413) 499-1317

Website: www.stjoecem.com e-mail: stjoecem@verizon.net

ST. JOSEPH’S PARISH

THE STAFF

ST. JOSEPH’S CEMETERY

St. Joseph’s-Mother Church of the Berkshires

MASS SCHEDULE Saturday-4:00 PM—Sunday-9:00 & 11:30 AM

Daily Mass-12:10 PM—Holiday Mass-9:00

AM

RCIA-Wed. 6:30 PM

Holy Hour —Monday - Friday 11:00 AM Prayer Group —1st & 3rd Wed. 6:45 PM

Rosary —Monday - Friday 11:30 AM

PRAYER LINE 413-443-1221

Remember on Dec. 2nd at 6:00 p.m. we begin our Advent Series of evening prayer and

speakers program in the South Chapel and North Chapel at St. Joseph Church. Put it in

your book/tablet!

ICELAND JUNE 12-20, 2019

Join Msgr. Mike for a magical experience in

Iceland. From volcanoes, mountains, fjords, and

geothermal baths to hot springs and glaciers, this

will be a very special adventure. For more information, to reserve your spot and view the

full itinerary visit www.johnpaultours.com/iceland2019

Package price $2990.00 Full Payment deadline: Feb. 12, 2019

GIVING TREE Will there still be tags on the Giving Tree next week?

Your willingness to participate will

guarantee the success of the project. The

size of the package is not important; what

matters is your Christmas kindness.

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF

THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION

MASS IS AT 12:10 PM ON SAT., DEC.

8TH.

This Holy Day Mass is in addition to the

usual Mass commitment on Sat. at 4:00 and Sun. at

9:00 and 11:30. There is also a mass

at St. Charles on Fri. Dec. 7th at 5:30 for the Holy Day obligation.

SACRIFICIAL GIVING $5102

Thank you for your generosity!

Dear Parish Family, Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the

many expressions of love and appreciation shown to me last weekend. I keep telling the Bishop that I am the luckiest priest in the diocese. 25 years at

St Joseph’s is the best thing that has ever happened to me. THANK YOU...Msgr. Mike

December 2nd-Class for grades K-9– Christmas Party.

December 9th– Class for Grades K-9. December 16th-Pageant at 9:00 a.m. Mass. In lieu of class, all students and their families are asked to attend. Grade 10—Meet in the Parish Center 5:00

to 8:00 p.m.

The Food Pantry acknowledges all who helped us reach our goal of 1200 gravy packets. You are

commended and thank you again. The Food Pantry thanks the following for

contributions during the Thanksgiving season: UNICO with many boxes of food from a drive held

in Boston which was picked up there and brought to us, an anonymous woman who donated many boxes

of food from a food drive she held, Dr. George, a parishioner and dentist who holds a food drive

annually at his office for our pantry, The Knights of Columbus who donated children's winter jackets to

be distributed, the Children's Extravaganza Program which held a program at the Colonial and donated many boxes of food from their collection at

the door, the Children's Center of the Boys' and Girls' Club of Pittsfield whose youngsters donated

bags of food for those in need, and finally, to ALL of our parishioners and friends who donated money to

the pantry for the holidays as well as those who weekly drop off donations at the doors of the

church. May you be blessed as we have blessed us with your generosity!

ST. JOSEPH’S CHURCH December 2, 2018

EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS Sat., Dec. 1st

4:00 PM Sun., Dec. 2nd

9:00 AM Sun., Dec. 2nd

11:30 AM Joe Bourquard Joe Ryan Mike McClusky

Michael Collins Ron Sayers Sharon McClusky Barbara Dalo Bernadette Scapin Anne Dunham Paula Dodds Lillian Trzepacz J. Weatherwax Josie Daviau Jeff Vincent Michael Wood

Nina Mastrangelo Judy Sayers Pat Momnie Sharon Vincent

LECTORS Jim Armstrong Bob Cancilla Paul Mays Sr. Jean Bostley Donna Quallen Anna Stack

The Mary Verdi Christmas Show is coming to town in Dalton! Tickets are $10 and sold at the door only. Doors will open 30 minutes before show time. Bring the entire family.

St. Agnes Church, Dalton, MA Fri. December 7th at 7 p.m. The show will feature the students from each school, Mary

Verdi and her band, The Dalton Ballet Dancers, the Rudolf Steiner Presto Strings

and of course Santa! See you there.

CRAFT FAIR December 7th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Laurel Lake Assisted Living, 600 Laurel Street, Lee, MA. Several vendors will be set up

in the lobby. Baked goods and food for sale, 50/50 raffle. If anyone would like to rent a table for the day it is $20.00. If we provide the table

it is $25.00. Contact Sherry Pease at (413) 243-4747 x 1039

ST. MARY'S, CHESHIRE for a two day Christmas event in their parish hall located at

159 Church St. in Cheshire. On Saturday, December 1st from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m and

Sunday, December 2nd with live bidding auction in the hall. Doors open at 9:00 a.m. with registration beginning at 10:00. The

auction will begin promptly at 11:00. For more information, please visit the parish website at saintmaryscatholic.org, call 413-743-2110, or

email office@saintmaryscatholic.org.

TWELFTH NIGHT FESTIVAL Tickets are on sale now at the Rectory for the

annual Twelfth Night Festival planned for Saturday, January 5, 2019 at 4 p.m. at St. Joseph Church followed with dinner at the

Parish Center. The St. Ann Children’s Choir will sing prelude Christmas music in the church starting at 3:40. Tickets are limited and we strongly urge you to purchase tickets early.

Msgr. Eugene F. Marshall Knights of Columbus Council #103, Christmas Party December 15,

2018, at the Italian-American Club, Newell St., Pittsfield, members, family and friends are

welcome. Cocktails 5 PM, Dinner 6 PM. Food choices are roast beef, baked stuffed chicken and baked stuffed scrod, $30.00 per person, for tickets contact Jack Laviolette 464-6009 by December 8, 2018. Kindly bring a toiletry for Soldier On, soap, shaver, shaving cream, toothpaste, tooth brush,

deodorant, socks, T shirts, shorts, etc.

ST. ANNE CHRISTMAS TEA The St. Anne Society will have its annual

Christmas Tea on Saturday, December 8th beginning at 2 p.m. in the Parish Center. Don

Coudert will entertain us with Christmas music and sing along. Following the tea and delicious

treats, the group will process into the 4:00 Mass as part of the entrance procession. Any interested women are welcome to

attend as guests. Members are

reminded to try to attend the Holy Hour on

December 12th. Our prayer will be for an increase in

vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

Did you know.... That Gerry Dahrouge and

Patty Masiero recently received the Pope Pius X awards for teaching religious education in

our parish? Congratulations to both of you and a special thank you for your efforts throughout the

years. You have been a beacon of faith for our youngsters and we are grateful for all they

do! Thank you both so much

DECEMBER 02, 2018 1ST SUNDAY IN ADVENT

Tribulation. Wildfires. Tsunamis. Moral corruption. Disease. War. We tend to associate these things with

the end times, and perhaps for good reason! In today's Gospel, Jesus says: "People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world."

Not exactly putting us in the Christmas spirit, is it? During Advent, we anticipate a celebration of

Christ's first coming. There is a quiet stillness about our waiting, or at least we try to encourage that in

ourselves. Perhaps we have an Advent devotional or we take time to pray together as a family around the Advent wreath. But Jesus did not come only once into history. During Advent, we remember that he will come again. You may remember the rapture

craze in the early 2000s, when a series of books and movies envisioned a future where Jesus was coming

soon and all the true believers had been whisked away. Everyone else had one more chance to repent before things really went to hell...literally, in this

case! But is that what Jesus is talking about here? The truth is, we don't know what Jesus' Second

Coming will be like. The actual return of Christ - though sudden and perhaps frightening to some - should not frighten us. Despite all the stories we

may have heard about the apocalypse, the advice of Jesus is not to hang our heads or cower in fear. "Stand erect and raise your heads because your

redemption is at hand." In a certain sense, we are already living in the end times. We already

encounter great tribulation. We all find it easy to get distracted or discouraged in the grind of daily life. Today's Gospel reminds us that vigilance for God's

presence is needed now.

READINGS FOR THE WEEK OF DEC. 2, 2018 Sunday: Jer 33:14-16/Ps 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14

[1b]/1 Thes 3:12—4:2/Lk 21:25-28, 34-36 Monday: Is 2:1-5/Ps 122:1-2, 3-4b, 4cd-5, 6-7, 8-

9/Mt 8:5-11 Tuesday: Is 11:1-10/Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17 [cf.

7]/Lk 10:21-24 Wednesday: Is 25:6-10a/Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 [6cd]/

Mt 15:29-37 Thursday: Is 26:1-6/Ps 118:1 and 8-9, 19-21, 25-

27a [26a]/Mt 7:21, 24-27 Friday: Is 29:17-24/Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14 [1a]/Mt 9:27-31 Saturday: Gn 3:9-15, 20/Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

[1]/Eph 1:3-6, 11-12/Lk 1:26-38 Next Sunday: Bar 5:1-9/Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6 [3]/

Phil 1:4-6, 8-11/Lk 3:1-6

Saturday, December 1st Linda Collins Requested by Jack & Rita Laviolette

4:00 PM

Sunday, December 2nd Michael DeMott Requested by Family

Carol Keresytes Requested by Paul & Tammy Guillou

9:00 AM

11:30 AM

Monday, December 3rd Kurazo Tamoura Requested by Family

12:10 PM

Tuesday, December 4th Elizabeth J. Putnam-Birthday Remembrance Requested by Nieces & Nephews

12:10 PM

Wednesday, December 5th For the Parish

12:10 PM

Thursday, December 6th Andrea, Andrew, Mikayla, Nathaniel (living) & Stacia (deceased)

12:10 PM

Friday, December 7th Jonathan Hurd Requested by Pat Momnie

12:10 PM

Saturday, December 8th Mondy John Garcia Requested by Victoria Rooney

Louis & Mabel Gagnon—Jackie Scott—Rita & Joseph DeAngelis Requested by Family

12:10 PM

4:00 PM

Sunday, December 9th Carmen Giannopolo Requested by Family

Thomas & Dorothy Janes Requested by Family

9:00 AM

11:30 AM