saint josephs catholic church

Vigils Call for Humane Policies that Keep Families Together

“The families of migrants . . . should be able to find a homeland everywhere in the Church.” Pope John Paul II annual address on World Migration Day 1993

Contact: Kathy O’Leary, Pax Christi NJ, 973-610-1684

SUMMIT, NJ (September 17, 2009) - From Burlington to Bergen County, clergy, women religious, lay leaders and ordinary parishioners participated in one of eleven events in eight counties across New Jersey this past Tuesday as a part of the “We Are One Human Family” campaign designed to draw attention to the plight of immigrant and mixed immigration status families. The so called “children’s vigils” were held in support of children at risk of family separation because of immigration detentions or deportations. Vigils were held in Bridgeton, Dumont, Freehold, Hightstown, Jersey City, Highland Park, Keyport, Montclair, Morristown, and Newark The vigils were organized by NJ Advocates for Immigrant Detainees and co-sponsored by several Catholic groups including: Pax Christi NJ, Hudson Catholic Regional High School, Justice Ministry Office Mid-Atlantic Sisters of Mercy, Pax Christi Monmouth County, Sacred Heart Peace Community, Saint Anthony of Padua Social Justice Group, and the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chestnut Hill.

At many of the vigils, children spoke of the trauma of raids on their homes by armed immigration agents and the pain of separation from their parents. Pastor Ronald Cioffi of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Keyport, which was host to one of the vigils, spoke of the importance of making these stories known. "We shall make our voices heard for the unwanted among us. . . . We are bringing to the attention of our brothers and sisters — and our nation — the plight of the immigrant people.”

The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that 4 million children nationwide have at least one parent who is an illegal immigrant. There are others who live in families where one parent is a legal permanent resident who could run afoul of a complicated immigration system and be subject to detention or deportation under current laws and policies. According to a report from the Department of Homeland Security between 1998 and 2007, the United States conducted 2,199,138 alien removals, and 108,434 of those aliens were parents of U.S. citizen children

“What we want people to understand,” said Kathy O’Leary coordinator of Pax Christi NJ and one of the campaign organizers, “is that immigrant families are American families and that immigrant rights are human rights.”

In response to critics and assertions that undocumented immigrants should be punished, Marlene Lao-Collins director of social concerns for the New Jersey Catholic Conference said. "Some people feel (undocumented immigrants) jumped ahead of the line" by coming to the United States illegally. For people whose families are starving and the line isn't moving fast enough, they're going to do what they have to do."
http://www.catholic.org/prwire/headline. php?ID=7758

One might ask why isn't the Catholic Church sending food to Mexico ? Clearly the Church is saying it understands and realizes families are starving yet I have not read any where the about anybody starving in Mexico... With all the wealth the Catholic Church has there is no reason why they cannot start using those funds..Where is the Pope at pleading to world leaders about the crisis in Mexico and what are advocates of Mexico doing here to send food and supplies to Mexico ? It always seems about that instead of helping those countries they relocate them.

2009-09-17 15:30:29 by Maricopa County

St Josephs Catholic Church Brighton Midnight Mass 2009 Highlights. www.stjosephsbrighton.co.uk Contact Father John Inglis

If so, what miracles did he perform? Or was he before the 3 miracle requirement?

Absolutely


Everything we know about the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus comes from Scripture and that has seemed too little for those who made up legends about him.

We know he was a carpenter, a working man, for the skeptical Nazarenes ask about Jesus, "Is this not the carpenter's son?" (Matthew 13:55). He wasn't rich for when he took Jesus to the Temple to be circumcised and Mary to be purified he offered the sacrifice of two turtledoves or a pair of pigeons, allowed only for those who could not afford a lamb (Luke 2:24).

Despite his humble work and means, Joseph came from a royal lineage. Luke and Matthew disagree some about the details of Joseph's genealogy but they both mark his descent from David, the greatest king of Israel (Matthew 1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-38). Indeed the angel who first tells Joseph about Jesus greets him as "son of David," a royal title used also for Jesus.

We know Joseph was a compassionate, caring man. When he discovered Mary was pregnant after they had been betrothed, he knew the child was not his but was as yet unaware that she was carrying the Son of God. He planned to divorce Mary according to the law but he was concerned for her suffering and safety. He knew that women accused to adultery could be stoned to death, so he decided to divorce her quietly and not expose her to shame or cruelty (Matthew 1:19-25).

We know Joseph was man of faith, obedient to whatever God asked of him without knowing the outcome. When the angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him the truth about the child Mary was carrying, Joseph immediately and without question or concern for gossip, took Mary as his wife. When the angel came again to tell him that his family was in danger, he immediately left everything he owned, all his family and friends, and fled to a strange country with his young wife and the baby. He waited in Egypt without question until the angel told him it was safe to go back (Matthew 2:13-23).

We know Joseph loved Jesus. His one concern was for the safety of this child entrusted to him. Not only did he leave his home to protect Jesus, but upon his return settled in the obscure town of Nazareth out of fear for his life. When Jesus stayed in the Temple we are told Joseph (along with Mary) searched with great anxiety for three days for him (Luke 2:48). We also know that Joseph treated Jesus as his own son for over and over the people of Nazareth say of Jesus, "Is this not the son of Joseph?" (Luke 4:22)

We know Joseph respected God. He followed God's commands in handling the situation with Mary and going to Jerusalem to have Jesus circumcised and Mary purified after Jesus' birth. We are told that he took his family to Jerusalem every year for Passover, something that could not have been easy for a working man.

Since Joseph does not appear in Jesus' public life, at his death, or resurrection, many historians believe Joseph probably had died before Jesus entered public ministry.

Joseph is the patron of the dying because, assuming he died before Jesus' public life, he died with Jesus and Mary close to him, the way we all would like to leave this earth.

Joseph is also patron of the universal Church, fathers, carpenters, and social justice.

We celebrate two feast days for Joseph: March 19 for Joseph the Husband of Mary and May 1 for Joseph the Worker.

There is much we wish we could know about Joseph -- where and when he was born, how he spent his days, when and how he died. But Scripture has left us with the most important knowledge: who he was -- "a righteous man" (Matthew 1:18).

In His Footsteps:
Joseph was foster father to Jesus. There are many children separated from families and parents who need foster parents. Please consider contacting your local Catholic Charities or Division of Family Services about becoming a foster parent.

2008-03-26 13:58:40 by Aragon Tass

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Matthew 1:24-25 It is clear that she had done it with him "After Jesus Was Born".(AKA Joseph isn't the biological father of jesus,for Jesus is son of God).

I was raised baptist. and was taught that she did have children AC --- however my curiosity in the catholic beliefs. and now i've got my self stuck in a really tiny parking space.-- when jesus returns to nazareth it says that he was greeted by his brothers and sisters. my catholic bible says in the notes that the word brother and sister could mean cousin in hebrew... but if that were true, wouldn't they have Just said cousin like the did when Mary "Went to visit he COUSIN?" that always weighs on my mind.

2008-12-17 11:42:24 by Kopczyk

Price: $12.99

The Catholic Church honors Mother Mary and the Saints. The world believes that they actually worship them and accuse them for Idol worship.

The Mormon Church honors Profit Joseph Smith. The world accuses them of worshiping him and call the Mormon Church a cult.

Both churches believe in the Father / Son / Holy Spirit as the foundation they belief.

We honor our father, mother, teachers, superiors, government, etc. Does it mean we worship them?

Why is "HONOR" mistaken for "WORSHIP"?

First, I have a lot of Catholic friends, and I admire their religion.

The Catholic Church prays to Mother Mary and the Saints. Mormons do not pray to Joseph Smith. Mormons pray to the Father in the name of the Son, just as instructed by the Savior in the New Testament.

There is no Mormon Church. Mormon is a nickname given to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and sometime splinter groups off the LDS church call themselves Mormons. Rather than beatify certain members of our faith, all members are called saints. Saints is just a term used to call Christian members who are trying to be like Christ.

The world accuses Mormons of worshipping Joseph Smith. However, we do not.

Yes, both Churches believe in the Father/Son/Holy Spirit. However, Mormons believe that the three are separate entities; and the Father and the Son have a body, while the holy ghost does not.

There's other similiarities between the two. I admire the faith of Catholics, and I've always been fascinated with the Catholic religion.

2007-09-05 21:01:23 by Neophyte

1) Which Church? The Catholic Church or the Mormon Church?

2) Which church is the true church and which is the counterfeit church?

3) Which church holds the true priesthood? Which church holds the keys promised to St. Peter?

4) Which church has been more consistent in its teachings over the years and which church has willy nilly changed its doctrines?

5) Which church teaches the true nature of God?

6) Which church has true miracles wrought by the hand of God?

7) Which church's scriptures are true. Is it the Bible given to us by the Catholic Church or the Book of Mormon given to us by the LDS church?

8) Which church belongs to Jesus and which church belongs to Satan?

9) Which church is being led by divine inspiration/revelation?

10) Which founder was more virtuous? St. Peter? or Joseph Smith?

11) Which church should I join? The One Holy Apostolic and Catholic Church or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?




Lots of historical and scriptural evidence would be nice.

Thank You.
This is a serious question folks. I'm feel disenfranchised with Protestantism. I need a physical, visible church of unity. I know the Lord created only ONE church, not 33,000 churches. I also know the Lord created a priesthood, so that leaves me with the only two churches claiming to have a priesthood: the Mormons and the Catholics.

1) Which Church? The Catholic Church or the Mormon Church?
The Catholic Church was founded by Jesus on Peter. See Matthew 16:18

2) Which church is the true church and which is the counterfeit church?
I believe that the Catholic Church is the true church because Jesus had spoken “Whoever listens to you listens to me and whoever rejects you rejects me.” See Mathew 18:18
If Mormons reject the Catholic Church, then they reject Jesus.

3) Which church holds the true priesthood? Which church holds the keys promised to St. Peter?
Mathew 16:18-19 The keys given to Peter. Through apostolic succession the keys were passed on to the successors of St. Peter. The apostolic succession began with Acts 1:21-26 when the Apostles ordained Mathew in replacement of Judas. If there is no apostolic succession the Church ceased to exist after the last apostle, John.

4) Which church has been more consistent in its teachings over the years and which church has willy nilly changed its doctrines?
The Catholic Church had fought numerous heresies and had been consistent in her teachings by reaffirming early Church Doctrines making them Church Dogmas. These Church Doctrines and Church Dogmas have not been changed ever since. Doctrines of Mormonism had been changing while some ceased to be preached. Take for example the doctrine of polygamy. Joseph Smith got revelation in July 1843 regarding polygamy and commanded practice of polygamy but in that same year, October 1843 he was preaching against polygamy (Doc. & Cov. 132; and History of the Church Vol. 6, page 46, or Teachings of the Prophet, page 324).

5) Which church teaches the true nature of God?
God is a divine being. There is only ONE God therefore there is only ONE Devine being. The Catholic Church teaches that God is Three Persons sharing One Divine Being, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The Mormons teach that God is three distinct Divine Beings. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, meaning, a plurality of Gods.

6) Which church has true miracles wrought by the hand of God?
The first miracle of the Church by the power of the Holy Spirit was performed by the first Pope, St. Peter when he cured a crippled beggar. See Acts 3:1-9. St. Peter even raised a dead person to life see Acts 9:36-42. Did the first LDS Prophet Joseph Smith perform the same miracles?

7) Which church's scriptures are true. Is it the Bible given to us by the Catholic Church or the Book of Mormon given to us by the LDS church?
The Bible is a collection of writings by different people through the help of the holy spirit. The Catholic Church decided on the canon of scriptures which book belongs in the Bible. The Church never changed any of these writings. The Book of Mormon was translated word by word by the power of the Holy Spirit through Joseph Smith. However, there had been over 3000 changes to this translation by the Holy Spirit excluding punctuation changes.

8) Which church belongs to Jesus and which church belongs to Satan?
Paul reminds the Galatians in Gal 1:6-8 “I am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking the one who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel. But there are some who are disturbing you and wish to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel other than the one that we preached to you, let that one be accursed!”
How did Joseph Smith started LDS? An angel appeared to him and revealed him some gospel. Satan is an angel.

9) Which church is being led by divine inspiration/revelation?
Divine inspiration can both be from God and from the devil. Jesus has always been with the Catholic Church since it is his body. He presents himself in the Holy Eucharist. The devil himself confirmed this and revealed the truth. See the exorcism of Nicola Aubrey in this URL http://olrl.org/stories/exorcism.shtml Did the devil reveal that Mormonism is true?

10) Which founder was more virtuous? St. Peter? or Joseph Smith?
According to history and tradition St. Peter welcomed his fate and even ask to be crucified upside down. Joseph Smith on the other hand tried to escape by leaping from the window where he was shot dead in the attempt see (Doctrine and Covenants 135:1). He even called out for help to his mason brethrens in a code language “O Lord My God”

11) Which church should I join? The One Holy Apostolic and Catholic Church or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?
I will follow the path set by God down to Man and not the path set by man up to God. The Catholic Church was founded by Jesus. He opens the doorway to heaven for us. He instituted the sacraments as a way of participating in him through him with his Father as the family of God.