St. Joseph the Worker Feast Day Special Mass Celebration will be held on Saturday, May 1, 2021, 12 p.m., Word of God Church, Bishop David Zubik, Main Celebrant. Registration is required and opens on Saturday, April 17, 2021.
The registration link is: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/SJWFeastDayMass
Seating is limited on a first come, first serve basis until maximum capacity is reached. No exception can be made due to covid restrictions.

Wednesday, April 28 7 PM
Live-streamed on website too!
Word of God Church (Swissvale)
Presented by Fr. Michael Ackerman

Easter Vigil 2021
St. Joseph the Worker Parish
Pastor: Father Frank Almade
Celebrant: Fr. Jeremy Mohler
Concelebrants: Father Martin Barkin and Father Daniel Aboagye-Adjei
Deacons Herb Riley and Joe Dougherty Jeff McLaughlin, Diaconate candidate
Eric James Ross
Catechumen Eric was Baptized, Confirmed and received First Communion His sponsor is Mary Ellen Ross
Anthony John DelloStritto
Candidate Anthony completed his Sacraments of Initiation with Confirmation and First Communion His sponsor is Stephanie Spinelli
Eric and Anthony, their sponsors, our clergy and RCIA Team (composed of Cece Stack, Paul Osterman, Mike Matthysse, Jordan Clair, Brian Hall, Mary Diaddigo and Cheryl Kirkland) have been praying, learning and growing about our Catholic Faith for over a year in preparation for this Mass which brought them all fully into the Church. Although their journey with the RCIA team will soon be over, they are really just beginning their faith journey. Please continue to pray and encourage Anthony and Eric.

Thursday, April 15th after the 8 am Mass at Madonna del Castello, 2021 So. Braddock, Swissvale. Cleaning the pews and woodwork. Materials provided as needed. Join us for as little or as long as you can. Madonna Clean-up Coordinators, Marcia Murello and Kathy Wreath, will confirm details with participants. Registration required by noon, Tuesday, April 13th, by contacting Deacon Ron at 412.273.9122 or rdemblowski@sjwpitt.org. Please share the name(s) of the people participating, the ages of children involved, phone number, email if available, tools and supplies you can bring, questions. The St. Maurice clean-up is Saturday, May 22nd. Watch for the clean-up dates at other churches. Remember, St. Joseph was a Worker!

There is no need to register for an Easter Mass: Please recall that there is no obligation to attend. Please use prudence when deciding to attend in light of your health and vaccination status. The 8:30 PM and 10 AM Masses will be live-streamed.

March 12, 2021 - Stations of the Cross at St. Colman with the Bishop and Seminarians.

Virtual Ecumenical Lenten Service: "Writing on Our Hearts" Jeremiah 31:31-34. Airs Wednesday, March 17, 7pm Swissvale Ministerium Facebook page. Offerings benefit the Emergency Relief Fund.

If you were taking Communion to the homebound last March or are doing it now, please contact Deacon Ron at 412.273.9122 or rdemblowski@sjwpitt.org and give your name, contact information, and the name(s) and contact information of the people you were/are visiting. Also indicate if you plan to continue or not. Note, if you plan to continue, there is a short orientation that can be done by e/mail. If you would like to begin taking Communion to the Homebound or want Communion brought to you. Please contact Deacon Ron with your name and contact information. Deadline, noon on Friday, April 9th.

Saturday, March 27th at 9 am in St. Colman Church (100 Tri-Boro Ave., Turtle Creek). We will be wiping down pews, altars and stations. Lunch provided. Tools and materials provided as needed. Join us for as little or as long as you can. St. Colman Clean-up Coordinator, Sue Buchholz, will confirm details with participants. Registration required by noon, March 25th, by contacting Deacon Ron at 412.273.9112 or remblowski@sjwpitt.org. Please share the name(s) of the people participating, the ages of children involved, phone number, email if available, tools and supplies you can bring, questions. We plan to work at every church as coordinators volunteer. Currently, we need coordinators for Good Shepherd, Madonna, Sacred Heart, and Word of God. Please contact Deacon Ron for more information if you can consider serving as a coordinator. Watch for the clean-up dates at other churches. Remember, St. Joseph was a Worker!

Order forms will be in our Parish Bulletin starting the weekend of April 11 through the weekend of May 2. The order deadline is May 7. We will be offering for flats and ½ flats (32 & 16 flowers respectively) of 13 different varieties of flowers in several colors, 4.5” potted Geraniums in 4 colors, and hanging baskets. Order forms may be submitted by mail to the Parish office or putting them in the collection basket on Sunday.  The sale is sponsored by the Catholic Daughters of America and the Knights of Columbus to benefit the Parish and the sponsoring organizations."

An updated list of all Parish Lenten Activities are listed here

40 Days for Life Began on Ash Wednesday and ends on Sunday, March 28th. Our parish is invited to unite with Christian churches in the Pittsburgh area to pray and fast to end abortion. Our parishes will also stand in peaceful prayer vigil at the Planned Parenthood abortion clinic 933 Liberty Avenue on Saturday, March 27, from 11 am to 1 pm. Join us for all or part of the time. If you cannot join us physically, please support us with your prayers. You may also participate on any day between now and March 28th. There are information flyers in the literature racks and tables.. To sign up or for questions: Deacon Ron, 412.273.9122 or rdemblowski@sjwpitt.org.

St. Joseph the Worker Parish is seeking a full-time, salaried Pastoral Associate to collaborate with the Pastor, Clergy, Staff and Parishioners to achieve a common parish vision and action, as well as serve and develop pastoral activities and apostolates. The Pastoral Associate works with the Director of Faith Formation, Coordinator of Youth Ministry and Music Director and reports to the Pastor. Please send resume and three references to Deacon Ron Demblowski, 2001 Ardmore Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15221. rdemblowski@sjwpitt.org 412.273.9122 by April 15, 2021.

The Knights of Columbus Councils of St. Joseph The Worker Parish are sponsoring a "40 Cans for Lent" food drive in all the churches of St. Joseph the Worker Parish. The premise of "40 Cans for Lent" is to have the members of our parish community donate a can a day for the 40 days of Lent. No donation amount is too small! Acceptable items for donation include nonperishable cans and boxes of food. Please make sure the items are unexpired. Containers for the food are located in the main church entrances. The drive will continue thru Palm Sunday, March 28th. Beneficiaries will include various food pantries located in the parish. In addition to supplying the various food pantries, the Knights will donate $500.00 to Father Dan's parish in Africa, our "sister" parish. Please help us help the less fortunate through your donation to "40 Cans for Lent."

Many thanks to all parishioners who have made a donation to the St. Joseph the Worker Christmas Flower Fund. These donations help to defray cost for flowers in the churches for the Christmas Season. May our beloved dead rest in the peace of Jesus Christ.

The Feast of the Epiphany has, for centuries, been a traditional time for Christian families to bless their homes. This tradition likely came about because the Three Wise Men visited the home that the Holy Family had established in Bethlehem. Due to COVID-19 this year a home visit is not possible. However, Deacon Herb has created a video recording of the Blessing of Homes that you can view in your own home as a blessing. Click on this announcement for the video blessing and accompanying prayer.

Happy New Year ChristLife attendees! We had an amazing Holy Spirit Retreat in March. We hope that you are continuing to keep Christ's presence in your heart and share the love of Christ with others! For now, our sessions are still on hold until we can meet in person. Our hope is that you and your families are doing well and staying safe. Trust that ChristLife WILL CONTINUE at our Parish! May God bless you and your families and may 2021 be better for us all.

Religious Education at St. Joseph the Worker Parish will follow the Diocese of Pittsburgh's guidelines and continue remote learning for the month of January 2021. Catechists are preparing lessons that will be sent home to families via email by next week.  Students will also be taking part in Zoom sessions with their teachers and peers. The 8th grade NET Confirmation Retreat will occur in person on Friday, January 22, 2021. If families have not received their child's lessons by January 12 or if you have any questions about remote learning, please contact Mrs. Kirkland at 412-351-6710. It is our hope to return to in person classes on Tuesday, February 2 and Sunday, February 7, 2021.

Please join the Virtual Choir of St Joseph the Worker Parish, the Good Shepherd Ringers and Radiant Strings for A Virtual Service of Lessons and Carols, on Sunday, December 20 at 7:00pm. This 45 minute long pre-recorded YouTube Premiere video features readings from scripture, interspersed with choral music, recorded separately by our singers and musicians in their homes, then compiled together to create beautiful music. This Lessons and Carols Service also features a virtual tour of all eight of the churches that comprise SJW Parish.

You may click this link to view : https://youtu.be/EelWUYjkWbE or click on this announcement.