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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: [email protected]
Priest in Residence - Rev. Geoffrey Deeker, CSS
Most. Rev. Timothy McDonnell in Residence
Coordinator of Youth Religious Education John Arasimowicz
e-mail:[email protected]
Secretary - Michele Madden e-mail: [email protected]
Pastoral Minister-Mrs. Patricia Momnie
Superintendent - Garret Wood Office Manager-Nancy Nolan-Tel: (413) 499-1317
Website: www.stjoecem.com e-mail: [email protected]
ST. JOSEPH’S PARISH
THE STAFF
ST. JOSEPH’S CEMETERY
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
St. Joseph’s
Mother Church of the
Berkshires Established 1849
EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS Sat., Jan. 18th
4:00 PM Sun., Jan. 19th
9:00 AM Sun., Jan. 19th
11:30 AM Sr. Jean Bostley Lillian Trzepacz Anne Dunham Sheila Bouquet Jeff Vincent Charles Knappe Joe Bourquard Sharon Vincent Jeff Gerard
LECTORS Tom Daly John Quallen Glenna Gerard
Juliette Ekouah Donna Quallen Robert Bouquet
MASS FOR THE UNBORN The Knights of Columbus Bishop Conaty Assembly
#395 and Msgr. Eugene F. Marshall Knights of Columbus Council #103 is sponsoring an 11:30 AM Mass for the Unborn on Sunday, January 26, 2018 at St. Joseph Church, Pittsfield. Followed by a March for Life from the Church around St. Joseph High School to the Parish Center (weather permitting), then a light reception in the Parish Center. All are
welcome to join us for this worthy event supporting all Life.
CHICKEN PARMESAN DINNER Sat., Feb. 8th at 4:45 PM to 6:00 PM, at St.
Joseph’s Parish Center. Takeout is available at 5:30 PM. All proceeds go to the Knights of
Columbus Christian Relief Fund. Limited tickets at the door if available, kindly pick up tickets early at St. Joseph Rectory. Donation; Adults $15.00, Children 5 to 12 years old $10.00.
Fundraise for the Adopt-a-Parish Initiative to help a Pastor and his Parishioners reestablish a Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq. Persecuted
Christians have faced genocide and were forced to flee their homes. The Knights of Columbus is
responding with the Knights of Columbus Christian Relief Fund, which directs 100% of all donations to benefit persecuted Christians. Your
Prayers for their Pastor and Parishioners and donations are requested to help them in their
struggle to reestablish their Catholic Church. The Knights of Columbus Council #103, God Bless
you for caring.
INFORMATIONAL MEETING AUSTRIA & SWITZERLAND
We will be holding an informational meeting on Jan. 26th at 2:00 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Church in
the North Chapel. Please join us.
~ Sept. 27th to Oct. 6, 2020 ~ Sites include Vienna, Salzburg, Lucerne, Zurich and more.
Price is $2950 double
occupancy. Additional $495 for
single room. Includes airfare,
taxes, most meals.
TWELFTH NIGHT DOOR PRIZE WINNERS Lottery Tree – Jack Laviolette
Patriots Fan Basket – Cindy Iwanowicz Hilton Garden Inn One Night Stay – Ron Rousseau
Dermatology Center Treatment – Rick Salatino Manger Scene – Elizabeth Rogers
Warm & Cozy Basket – Brian Walter Patrick’s Pub Gift Certificate – Betty Gingras
Monteleone Rugs – Jayne Shogry / Joseph Gingras Candle Basket – Julie Salatino
Peachy’s Wine Basket – Joann Stechmann Savory Basket – John Sinopoli
Oasis Hair Design Certificate – Pat Durkee
CONGRATULATIONS!
PAINT AND SIP Sat. Feb. 23rd at 1:30 at St. Joseph’s
Parish Center, Pittsfield~$35 includes all painting materials,
professional instructions, wine, light snacks. To reserve please call
Michelle at 413-205-8346 or go online to https://berkshirepaintandsip.squarespace.com/deliveries/sun-223-130pm-open-to-the-public-starry-night-pittsfield-
ma. Don’t miss your opportunity to create your own painting of “Starry Night” by Van
Gogh on a 16x20 canvas. Proceeds go to benefit St.
Joseph’s Church.
January 19th – NO CLASS January 26th – Regular classes for K-
9 February 2nd – Regular classes K-9. Souper Bowl Sunday collection at 9:00am Sunday Mass (grades 7-9)
St. Joseph Cemetery in Pittsfield, MA is looking to hire a new part-time Administrative
Assistant to oversee the cemetery office. Candidates should have strong
experience in office work and be skilled in bookkeeping, record keeping and computers, especially Word and Excel. Candidates must be able to work effectively with the public, be
organized, self-directed and understand budgets. This is a 25 hour a week position, 5 days, 5 hours a day. Please email a resume to St. Joseph Cemetery at [email protected]
SACRIFICIAL GIVING $5102~Thank you
Thank you to all who helped take down the church decorations. It was a real tribute to St.
Joseph’s parishioners who always come forward when needed. It was finished in record time.
St. Joseph Parish was founded in 1849 in a small wooden church on Melville Street as the first Catholic Church in Berkshire County. As the immigrants grew, the parish
needed a larger building. In 1864, the parish purchased a piece of the historic Maplewood property that was a
military cantonment facility during the Revolutionary War. Construction began in 1864 and was completed by 1866, with the first Mass celebrated on Christmas Day. This
year (2019), we celebrate the 170th anniversary of our parish. Over the years, the interior has remained the same
as the original. Aside from the addition of electrical lighting, the stained glass windows above the main altar are dedicated to Our Lord, the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph.
The two side altars were dedicated to Our Lady and St. Joseph. It has had the distinction of being the only street-level church in the United States without steps. The blue limestone exterior is in the light Gothic architectural style
with appropriate windows and arches. The two side chapels (now referred to as the North and South Chapels)were able to open up into the sacristy and the main portion
of the church behind the main altar which has a base of Caen stone and supports a 16-ft. Italian marble slab. It was also consecrated as a church and must always be used for only religious purposes. When the church was built from 1864-1866, it was the largest public building in the county
and it has been referred to as the Mother Church of the Berkshires. Most of the other churches in the city came from St. Joseph, which is the only consecrated church in
the city, with this event on Thanksgiving Day in 1889. As the years progressed, there was the need for more churches and some ethnic parishes were started as immigrants from various countries came to Pittsfield to work in the factories and mills. A priest was assigned to the old St. Joseph on Melville Street, being St. Jean Baptiste which later was
replaced in 1897 by Notre Dame du Bon Conseil, a French parish which was closed in 2004 due to a decline in
population. Another church, St. Charles, opened in 1894 on Briggs Avenue and the upper portion was completed in 1897. Immaculate Conception was formed by the Polish people in 1913 which later expanded and became Holy Family Church on Seymour Street (closed in 2008). St. Mary Morningstar was founded on Plunkett Street in the
Morningside section of the city in 1915 (closed 2008). St. Mark originated on Onota Street in 1913 and moved to a newer church in 1931. Mount Carmel was an offshoot for
the Italian families after using the North Chapel for Masses. They built a church on Fenn Street beginning with Masses
in the basement and then building the upper structure in 1916 (closed 2008). Sacred Heart Mission on Elm Street
was founded from St. Joseph in 1919. St. Teresa Church on South Street was started in 1926 (closed 2008). Two additional communities were added to the city: All
Souls’ (Mission of Mount Carmel) in the Lakewood section in 1945-46 (closed 2008) and St. Francis Xavier in the Allendale section of the city from St. Mary’s Parish in
1969 (closed 2008). Various buildings have been constructed for the parish throughout the years. There was
an elementary school built in the 1890’s as well as an academy building around the same time which was the
start of the Elms College which later moved to Chicopee.
The grammar school continued until the 1970’s and the academy building was mainly used as a convent and assorted other uses until it was demolished around 2015. There was a new high school (St. Joseph High School) built in 1942 which closed in 2017. With the specter of closing of the high school, lack of modern accessibility, and concern for outreach programs and religious education, there was a need to build a parish center which opened in 2010. It houses the Religious Education program, the Food Pantry, Sharing Roots kitchen for a monthly prepared meal for the elderly, various parish breakfasts and dinners as well as festivals and bake sales plus the annual fundraiser, the Polish Picnic (from Holy Family). Throughout the years, there have been changes in the church building as the confessionals, once in the chapels, were moved to the rear of the church in 1966 with a modern updating of the interior with a wooden altar and pulpit, removal of many statues, news pews and carpeting throughout. Over the years as well, there has been painting of the ceiling and walls as needed and maintenance to the interior and exterior of the building. The Rectory had an addition built to the front in the 1940 and is a large building providing residence for a pastor and two retired clergy presently. The cemetery was founded in 1853 on Peck’s Road in Pittsfield. This cemetery is for all Catholic burials in the city and is used by all parishes. Over the years, additional land has been secured and newer sections added. The St. Michael’s Mausoleum was built in 2002 and a columbarium to St. Francis and St. Clare were added in shortly thereafter. The upper section was started in the 1970’s. At the present time, there is a capital campaign to improve drainage and the road system. Pastors of the parish include the following: Father Bernard O’Cavanaugh, 1845-1852, Father Patrick Cuddihy 1852-1857, Father Edward Purcell, 1857-1891, Father Terrance Smith, 1891-1900, Father James Boyle, 1900-1913, Monsignor Bernard S. Conaty, 1913-1940, Father Charles Foley, 1940-1963, Father Thomas Curran, 1963-1970, Monsignor Paul Riedl, 1970-1990 Father David Farland, 1990-1993, and Monsignor Michael Shershanovich, 1993-present. Over the years there were also many assistant pastors, priests in residence, and deacons in our parish and we thank them for their service. We also thank all the good people of St. Joseph for the last 170 years and look forward to many more years of faith formation from our beautiful church in the city of Pittsfield.
Researched material was taken from Catholic Pittsfield and Berkshire by Katherine F. Mullaney, parish publications and various clippings on file at the Berkshire Athenaeum in Pittsfield, MA.
1907
READINGS FOR THE WEEK OF JAN. 19, 2020
Sunday: Is 49:3, 5-6/Ps 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10 [8a, 9a]/1 Cor 1:1-3/Jn 1:29-34
Monday: 1 Sm 15:16-23/Ps 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23 [23b]/Mk 2:18-22
Tuesday: 1 Sm 16:1-13/Ps 89:20, 21-22, 27-28 [21a]/Mk 2:23-28
Wednesday: 1 Sm 17:32-33, 37, 40-51/Ps 144:1b, 2, 9-10 [1]/Mk 3:1-6
Thursday: 1 Sm 18:6-9; 19:1-7/Ps 56:2-3, 9-10a, 10b-11, 12-13 [5b]/Mk 3:7-12
Friday: 1 Sm 24:3-21/Ps 57:2, 3-4, 6 and 11 [2a]/Mk 3:13-19
Saturday: Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9:1-22/Ps 117:1bc, 2 [Mk 16:15]/Mk 16:15-18
Saturday, January 18th Elizabeth Gonzales Requested by Daughter, Mary
4:00 PM
Sunday, January 19th Forgotten Souls Maureen E. Murphy-20th Anniversary Requested by Family __________________________
Sanctuary Candle Leon Arace
Requested by Family
9:00 AM
11:30 AM
Monday, January 20th Monica Oboyski Requested by Pat Trzcinka
12:10 PM
Tuesday, January 21st Special Intention
12:10 PM
Wednesday, January 22nd For the Parish & the Unborn
12:10 PM
Thursday, January 23rd Martin Phelps Requested by Jack Mazzeo
12:10 PM
Friday, January 24th Special Intention Requested by Family
12:10 PM
Saturday, January 25th Carl & Pat Peaslee Requested by Bill & Roseann Sturgeon
4:00 PM
Sunday, January 26th Marie Walz Requested by Walt and Ann Menard
For the Parishioners
9:00 AM
11:30 AM
2ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
JANUARY 19, 2020
On the cusp of fame, power, or influence, would you turn it down? Today’s Gospel again features
John the Baptist. Controversial but popular, John has gathered quite a group of followers. He has disciples. People come from near and far to be baptized by him. Pharisees and government leaders are drawn to his preaching. If John was
another man, a lesser man, he would have claimed his own greatness. Instead, John the
Baptist is a witness to humility. “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God … he is the one of whom I said, “A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of
me.”… the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known.’”
Rather than point to himself, John points to Christ. John could have grasped at what he had
accumulated. He could have seen Jesus as a Messianic competitor. Instead, John knows who he is. He knows his place as forerunner. Because
John knows who Jesus is. “I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.” A life of
humility, a life for others, can be challenging to live. So much of our culture is built around
achievement and individualism. We can justify it, too, in pursuit of “greater goods” and higher
ideals. In the process, however, we might miss our own participation in the kingdom of God.
John, for all of his humility, was not an afterthought. In another Gospel passage, Jesus
calls him “the greatest prophet,” even the greatest of men. Why? Because he fulfills the
mission given to him by God: to announce the coming of the Messiah. We too are prophets and forerunners. Our witness to the Gospel is meant
to point people to Jesus. Consider your own mission this week. To whom are you called to announce the good news of the Son of God?
