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What are you looking forward to this summer? I am looking forward to watermelon! Summer fruits! BBQ's! Flip-Flops! Relaxing! Summer Breezes! Jasmine blooming! I get to read some books! Take some naps! Spend time with family! Spend time with God! (Why did I put God last, I ask myself?)
What are you looking forward to this summer? How do you see God fitting into your summer? Will He be part of your summer or just an add on?
Summer is a perfect time to continue building your relationship with God! For all of us! There are so many websites and ideas for you! See below for some ideas. I gave you lots of options! The point is to JUST DO IT!!! (It's like getting off the couch to exercise! There is a FIT bracelet -keeping track of our steps - where is our GOD bracelet? Keeping track of our prayers?)
I know it has taken me what seems like forever - to grow closer to God (Here are some of my excuses: I am from Missouri and you have to SHOW ME! - also, I am stubborn, not raised in any faith - my dad was abusive...the list goes on and on and on!!!)
But over time, I have gotten to know Him better through Christian music, through Scripture, through Mass, through prayer, through people who showed me what it was like to have God in their lives. Finally, I found myself including Him in my everyday life - not just at church on Sunday! (By the way -He was always there, even if I didn't notice or acknowledge Him) -
In every way, my life has gotten so much richer! Yes, I still have challenges, struggles and pain. But, I lean on my Friend, who is there for me, who strengthens me! My joys are brighter; my pain is lessened!
I know my God created me for a purpose. I still have not totally realized that purpose, but I figure it is unfolding before my eyes. The point is - every day I ask God to guide me and I follow where I feel He is leading me! I am powered by the Holy Spirit! I am fueled by the Love of God! I make mistakes and ask for forgiveness! I fall down, He helps me up!
Our God loves us beyond our wildest imagination. He desires a relationship with us in the deepest possible way! He will make a
way for us when we cannot see a way! He is with us - even if we don't think we have the time or think He is with us!
My suggestion for an easy way to include God in your life:
Every day - if you can just say a little prayer -
Lord, help me seek You today! Lord, help me see You today! Lord, help me be more like You today! He will surely answer your prayer! And VOILA! You will find yourself with a new BFF!
Blessings on a summer filled with God's amazing Grace, love and MERCY!!! Share it with all you meet!!!
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Jubilee Year of Mercy -
How have you experienced Mercy this past month?
God's mercy never ends! We reflect God, when we are merciful to ourselves and others!
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What can we do? Well, 2 things come to mind!
- First, let's take advantage of God's Great Mercy - by going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a family.
- Each Saturday from 4-4:45 we offer this beautiful Sacrament.
- 2nd - who are you angry with? Forgive them! It's what God asks of us during the Lord's Prayer:
- Forgive us our trespasses - as we forgive those who trespass against us!
- Free app: 365 days of mercy at www.osv.com/yom
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Prayer Groups and Meditation
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- Meditation every Tuesday at 7:00 p.m in the School Library. ALL ARE WELCOME! "Be Still And Know That I Am God" Newcomers please call Marie Mitchell (310) 490-4012 for directions.
- Tuesday- at 9am or Thursday - at 7pm Bible Study continues with Bible Study on Gospel of John in the Parish Life Center- All are welcome!
- Mom's Prayer and Fellowship group -
- Chris Serrano meets with women at her home once a month to study scripture and share faith! Please join them! Call Chris at 562-243-6959 for more information. To be held at St. Joseph- Parish Life Center
on Sundays at 4 pm First meeting to be held on February 21, 2016
(following dates to be determined by the group) See Flyer for more information
- RCIA News If you are thinking about being a Catholic or know someone who is, please call Sr. Eva at the parish office, 562- 594-4657.
Stephen Ministry News Now that St. Joseph has become an enrolled "Stephen Ministry Parish," training will commence for those who feel a call to provide one-to-one Christ-centered care to hurting people. A special invitation goes to all our bereavement group, especially those who wish to be involved in a weekly prayer support way. Call Sr. Eva for more information.
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Retreats
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 CURSILLO Weekend Retreat - So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away: behold new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
Men and Women of St. Joseph Parish -
Is your heart on fire for Christ? Is it filled with the Holy Spirit? Or is your heart like a candle in the wind, flickering and barely alive? If you want to experience what the disciples felt on the day of Pentecost, then give yourself the gift of a Cursillo and light your heart on fire!
The next Cursillo weekend begin July 14 (Men), and and July 28 (Women).
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St. Joseph Book Club -
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We will be reading "Same Kind of Different As Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together" by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. They will be available for $15 each.
The books are on sale in the Parish Life Center.
We will have our discussion on July 27 in the PLC.
Everyone is Welcome!
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Retreats
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 Marriage Encounter Weekend
Husbands, give your wife a special gift! Plan a weekend just for the two of you! Enrich your marriage by attending a Marriage Encounter Weekend . Weekends fill up quickly, so we encourage signups . Apply online at www.ilovemyspouse.net or contact Sarah & Jacob Flores, 562-923-7335, or Ginny & Boon Hazboun, 562-861-7562.
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Come and See
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 How you can share your gifts with St. Joseph Faith Formation! We need lots of different gifts - from teaching (all age groups) to hospitality to child care!
Come and See what the needs are and how you can help! We value whatever you have to give at this time!
Thursday, June 16th at 7pm in the Parish Hall.
For more information, contact Nancy Longo, Sr. Eva or Marc Leon
in the Parish Life Center
(562)598-0519 |
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Esther Ministry
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 ESTHER MINISTRY - We are fortunate in Long Beach to have a wonderful task force dedicated to the cause of eliminating human trafficking in our area, as well as bringing about awareness and education on this devastating crime against humanity.
Los Angeles has one of the highest rates of human trafficking of any city in the US. Churches across LA are coming together to do something about it.The Faith Initiative to Abolish Trafficking (FIAT) is a gathering of churches who have been called to fight human trafficking in LA. FIAT meets quarterly with members of the Southern CA faith community to share what others are doing in their respective churches to fight trafficking. FIAT hosts powerful workshops, where participants can be trained to be speakers and outreach advocates, learn how to raise awareness and more.We are very fortunate that the next gathering is in Long Beach on July 23rd at 9 AM at Grace Brethren in Long Beach. We urge any of you who are interested to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. Several of us will be attending and it would be great to have a good turn out by our Ministry.Admission is free. Register at: http://www.care18.org/fiat/fiat-july-2016/
There will be amazing speakers to inspire and motivate as well as practical workshops to equip you to bring awareness and prevention to your community.
For more information or to be added to our contact list, you may email Marianna Wescott at: [email protected].
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We welcome all young adults, ages 18-39, to join the Long Beach Catholic Young Adults, a ministry serving Long Beach parishes. LBCYA seeks to reinvigorate the Catholic young adult ministry in faith and love of Jesus Christ through service, spiritual development, and social fellowship.
 
Monthly Young Adult Mass & Fellowship at St. Bartholomew
Save the date! Monthly Young Adult Mass!
The next 3rd Sunday Monthly Mass is June 19, 2016 at 5:30pm at St. Bartholomew. More information please contact Kelsey at [email protected]
g. Dinner Follows!
Ongoing Events for Young Adults through Christus Ministries
- "Bridging Young Adults and the Church"
http://www.christusministries.org
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Email: christusministries.org. Christus Offers the following:
- Weekend Retreats
- Conversations & Prayer
- Leadership Training
- Service & Justice
- Faith Formation
- Amazing Fellowship with other young adults
Please feel free to submit prayer intentions through the
prayer box on the
website.
Contact Information
Please feel free to contact us at anytime, we are here to serve and don't forget to like us on Facebook!
or contact Jason Pillon at [email protected].
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Multi-Parish Adult Faith Opportunities!
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have gathered together to share our calendars for Adult Faith Formation Opportunities with you, our parishioners and neighboring parishes.
Feel free to find the opportunities that interest you and fit into your schedule.
Father's Day Reflection - St. Bartholomew's on Friday, June 17 with Deacon Shane Cuda. Light Dinner from 6-7pm and Reflection from 7-8:30pm. In the Social Hall! All Men are Welcome!
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Introducing... St. Joseph Social Club
Your host: St. Joseph Senior Group
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 1st & 3rd Mondays from 11:00 am - 2:30 pm. -
Parish Hall - Bring a Friend!
St. Joseph Social Club Hosted by the
St. Joseph Senior Group
Next meeting will be June 6, 11:30-2:30.
The St. Joseph Alpha K class will be singing for us at
11:30. Please plan to get to the meeting a little early so
you don't miss any of it. Games and lunch will follow the
program. Bring a friend along to meet our Senior Group.
- Join now for a fun 2016 $10 a year,
- Come for a fun time with friends.
- Bring a friend along to meet our Senior Group.
- All regular meetings: 11:30 to 2:30.
- Bring your brown bag lunch. Drinks & dessert provided. Free bakery items to members. Join us for fun and games, including Bingo, Poker, Mexican Train, Sequence, Bridge and much more. For information call: Marilyn North 562-429-8891.
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Social Media for St. Joseph Religious Education
and St. Joseph Youth
Ministry - Let's Share Faith!
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Religious Education Social Media:
Websites: St. Joseph Religious Education Website link:
http://www.stjosephlb.org/religious-education/
It's really for all adults - Let's share faith together - keep connected the other 167 hours a week! |
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There's an App for that!
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What if we treated our Bibles like we treat our cell phones?
You Can! It's on your Smart Phone! Either IOS or Android!
Check it out! Download the App for Free!
Laudate! two versions of the Bible - New American, Douay-Rheims.
Laudate also has Daily Mass Readings, Liturgy of the Hours, Order of the Mass, Calendar with daily readings, Rosary and Chaplet, How to go to Confession, Stations of the Cross, Basic Catholic Prayers,Latin Prayers, Catechism, Catholic Media, EWTN & Vatican Documents. Everything you wanted to know about being Catholic but were afraid to ASK! You are now smarter than a 5th Grader!!!
We are 1/2 way through Year of Mercy - Check out:
365 Days to Mercy from Our Sunday Visitor on Google Play or Itunes. It's FREE
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Web Resources for Adults
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I have created a new webpage just for Adult Faith Formation - It has articles, videos, and other websites to learn more about your faith...check it out!
Is Your Faith Stale? Does the Catholic Faith confuse you? Are you bored? Check out this website:
Want some help Integrating your Faith with your everyday life?
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY
Articles about
Marriage and family
- (Balancing Family and Work, Stages of Marriage, Marriage Resources, Try a 5-point Tune-Up for your Marriage)
GREAT Christian MUSIC in the CAR!
KFSH 95.9 FM is a great station and you never have to worry about what is going to be said!
FAMILY FRIENDLY! Great Christmas Songs about JESUS!
AIR1 - 90.3 FM is another Christian Station in LA. Enjoy!
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Faith Formation Office
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| We are here to serve you! Monday-Friday - 8:30-3:30pm -
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Michelle Johnson
Administrative Assistant |
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Nancy Longo
Director of
Faith Formation |
If you need to reach us - email us at:
[email protected] or leave a message at (562)598-0519 - We will get back to you as soon as possible! It is always best to call before you drop by - to make sure we are there! |
St. Joseph Faith Formation Department is here to empower and support Adults and families in their ministry to form and teach their children about God and the Catholic faith.
This is a life-long process that includes us as adults, too! We never stop learning and growing in our faith!
If you have any questions or needs that we can help you with, please feel free to email us or call us! We are here to serve you!
May God bless you with His abundant Love, Peace and Joy as we grow more like Him every day during our journey of faith!
Nancy Longo
Director of Faith Formation
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