Saint Joseph Catholic Church
29119 Point Lookout Road
P.O. Box 175
Morganza, Maryland 20660
Phone: 301-475-3293 Fax: 301-475-0491
E-Mail: stjosephmorganza@yahoo.com
Website: www.stjosephmorganza.org
Father Keith A. Woods, Pastor
Deacon James A. Somerville – Deacon John Walter Somerville
Saturday Evening Mass:
5:00 p.m.
Sunday Masses:
8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
Weekday Masses:
8:00 a.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday
Confessions:
4:00 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. Saturday
Baptisms:
Please call the Rectory to make arrangements. Parents must be practicing
Catholics in this Parish or able to provide a letter of permission from
the proper parish for Baptism here. Godparents, if not St. Joseph parishioners,
must provide a letter that they meet the requirements: a practicing Catholic, at
least 16 years old, have received Baptism, Confirmation, and First Communion
and, if married, in a marriage recognized by the Catholic Church. A baptized
non-Catholic may serve as a Christian witness.
Marriages:
Please call the Rectory at least six months in advance of the wedding
Sacrament of the Sick:
Those hospitalized or home-bound to receive the Sacraments, call the Rectory.
Rectory Office Hours
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Fridaay
From Father Woods
Hosanna!/Crucify Him!
Every year when we read the Passion on Palm Sunday, we are disturbed at having to shout out “Crucify
Him!” as one of the crowd’s responses. The Church, however, is very wise in having the congregation
speak the words of praise (“Hosanna”) and the words of condemnation (“Crucify Him!”) Many people
go through life alternating between these two acclamations in their relationship with God.
We’ve all heard it or maybe experienced it. When things are going well and all is right with the world,
it’s easy to praise God for all He’s done for us. Prayer comes easily, we maintain a positive attitude, and
our faith couldn’t be stronger. Then something goes wrong. The bottom drops out, we’re faced with a
challenge or something we don’t understand. We pray, but seem to get no response. Then comes the
“Crucify Him!” acclamation. People get angry with God because they didn’t get what they want. We
don’t understand why things are happening in our lives or why it’s not turning out the way we want.
Our prayers seem so reasonable, after all, so how could God possibly not answer them in the way we
want! Although we would never admit it out of respect, these are the moments when we shout from our
souls: Crucify Him! Just leave me alone, Lord. So we stop praying, stop going to Mass and blame God
for all our woes and troubles.
The crowd shouted “Hosanna” because Jesus had done something they found fantastic: He raised
Lazarus from the dead. This raises Jesus to the status of superstar. The people don’t hail Him because
they believe everything He’s been saying. A majority of them wouldn’t identify Him as the source of
eternal life. All they know is He’s a remarkable person Who does things they are in awe of.
What we find with both the “Hosanna” crowd and the “Crucify Him!” crowd is an abundance of
religious superficiality. There’s no depth of faith here. There’s no real attachment to the Person of
Jesus or belief in His saving mission. It’s completely caught up in “what can He do for me”. It’s the
shallowest religious existence … and sadly there’s still a lot of it going around today. Jesus is either
loved or despised not for Who He is objectively; He’s loved or despised because of how I think He’s
treated me. We insist on putting ourselves front and center when it comes to what we’re willing to
believe about God. This is sad.
Jesus came with one mission: to bring salvation to the whole world. He spent three years teaching and
working miracles so that people would become convinced of His identity and want to model their lives
on Him. Jesus wants people to live His Gospel so they can live holy lives here and join Him in heaven
in the life to come. Jesus put His Gospel into action through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. In
these events He embodied obedience, humility, perseverance, and true love for the Father. Jesus found
that in giving Himself completely in love, He gained everlasting, resurrected life. This is what’s in store
for you and me if we move beyond an emotional response to faith based on our own limited experiences.
This Holy Week should so convince us of the truth of Jesus’ message that we want to imitate Him by
giving ourselves completely to God and others, through thick and thin, for a lifetime. In this way the
“Hosannas” and “Crucify Him’s” give way to the perfect prayer: Amen. I believe.
Mass Intention for Holy Week and Easter Sunday
Monday
8:00 a.m.
Mary Rose & John Thompson
Tuesday
8:00 a.m.
Rosalie & Carol Holt
Wednesday
8:00 a.m.
Michel Sitko (Living)
Holy Thursday
7:00 p.m.
For Priests
Good Friday
No Mass
Holy Saturday
8:00 p.m.
Celebrant’s Intention
Easter Sunday
8:00 a.m.
Pro Populo
10:00 a.m.
Patrick Wayne Reisinger
*** Please note – There is no 6:00 p.m. Mass on Easter Sunday
Mass Schedules for April 17th and April 20th
Extraordinary Ministers
Holy Thursday – 7:00 p.m.
George Brown
Lectors
Altar Servers
Billy Benjamin
Please See
Henrietta Gross – Regular Readings
Thelma Strickland – Narrator of the Passion
the Sign-Up Sheets
Good Friday – 7:00 p.m.
Holy Saturday – 8:00 p.m.
Dale Delahay
Gladys Long
Thelma Strickland
in the Sacristy
Sarah Richardson
Sign-up Sheets
Billy Benjamin
in the Sacristy
Easter Sunday – 8:00 a.m.
Wayne Mast & George Brown
Easter Sunday – 10:00 a.m.
Paul Howe & Henrietta Gross
Offertory for Sunday, April 6, 2014 - $5,197.00.
Thank you for your generosity.
April Building & Repair Collection - $1,500.00.
Holy Week Collections – the Holy Thursday collection will be for the Blessed John Paul II Seminary.
Good Friday’s collection is for the benefit of the Shrines in the Holy Land.
Easter Sunday Collections – On Easter Sunday, the first collection will be the regular Sunday
collection. The second collection will be the Easter Collection which is for the benefit of the Parish.
Lenten Coin Folders – don’t forget to return your Lenten Coin Folders for the benefit of our Saint
Vincent de Paul Society sometime before Easter.
Mass Intentions – If you would like to have a Mass offered for someone, please contact the Rectory.
Mass Cards are also available to send to the person or family for whom the Mass is being offered.
Please pray for those who are sick in our parish especially Peggy Abell, Gladys Barber, Robbie Bailey,
Rosalie Abell, Thomas Leroy Thompson, Sarah Custer, Bernadette Herbert, Larry Taborek, Francis
Thompson, and James Nelson. (Immediate family members may place names on our sick list. Names
will be listed for 3 weeks but may be repeated by contacting the Rectory.)
St. Joseph’s Cemetery – Grass cutting season began on the 1st of April.
Donations are being accepted to help with the expense of the grass cutting.
Please send your donations to St. Joseph Cemetery Fund, P.O. Box 175,
Morganza, Maryland 20660.
PLEASE NOTE: There should be no decorations (other than flowers) or
monuments placed on the graves at St. Joseph Cemetery. These not only get
in the way of grass cutting but can also be a liability to people visiting the
graveyard. Much of the ground is unstable and visitors could be injured if an
item should fall on them. Any large items (ie. benches, large statues,
birdbaths, etc.) remaining in the cemetery after 30 April 2014 will be
removed. Shrubbery and trees may not be planted near monuments as their
roots damage the foundation of the headstones. If you have friends, relatives
or neighbors who have loved ones buried in the cemetery but do not attend
Saint Joseph’s Church, please inform them of the cemetery regulations. The
intention is to keep everyone who visits our cemetery safe and to keep the
graves neat and clean. If you have any questions concerning the
appropriateness of items placed in the cemetery, please call Catholic
Cemeteries at 301-475-5005.
Outdoor Stations of the Cross – at Queen of Peace Cemetery on Good Friday at Noon. All are welcome
to participate. For more information or directions, please call the Catholic Cemeteries at 301-475-5005.
Mass Attendance – it seems the Church is a bit more crowded lately for Sunday Mass – especially at 6
p.m. Isn’t it wonderful! We hope we are of service to those moving into new housing in the area and to
the great people of the Seventh District with the reduction of Masses there. Each week we’re printing
more bulletins and ordering more hosts to consecrate. We thank the Lord for each person who assists at
Mass in our Parish – we’re so happy to have you all!
Mother Catherine Spalding School News: Come join us for Living Stations on Holy Thursday, April
1th, beginning at 9 a.m. in the school gymnasium. It is tradition that our 8th grade class offers a
reflection and reenactment of Jesus’ Way of the Cross. This is a very moving and special way to
prepare for the beginning of the Easter Triduum.
 MCSS Shadow Day: April 14, 15, and 16. Please join us and visit our classes. Your child is
welcome to stay and spend the day with our children and follow our curriculum. Pre-K and
Kindergarten parents are also invited to spend time in the classroom.
Vacation Bible School 2014 – Both children and adults always enjoy our St. Joseph Parish Bible
School. We are again looking for volunteers for this summer’s program. Vacation Bible School will be
held July 21st to July 25th from 6 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. If you would like to volunteer to help, please contact
the Rectory Office.
2014 Annual Jubilarian Mass – Cardinal Donald Wuerl will celebrate the annual Jubilarian Mass
honoring couples married 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 and 51+ years on Sunday, June 15, 2014 at 2 p.m. at the
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Please call the Rectory Office to register
by Monday, April 14th.
Experience the Holy Land Near Home – Experience Calvary, Christ’s burial and the Resurrection at
the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land. The historic monastery includes full-size replicas of the
Grotto of Gethsemane, anointing stone and tomb of Christ. On Good Friday, an outdoor Way of the
Cross will be held at 3 p.m. and the Burial of Christ at 7:30 p.m. The monastery is at 1400 Quincy
Street, NE, Washington, D.C. Information 202-526-6800 and myfranciscan.com.
The Care Net Pregnancy Center will hold training for those interested in volunteering as a Client
Advocate on April 29th, May 1st, 6th, 8th, 13th, and 15th. We are offering morning classes at the Calvert
County Center on those dates from 9:30 to 12:30. Evening classes will be offered at the Lexington Park
Center from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. For more information call 410-326-6866 or 301-475-5333.
DC Padres – A unique baseball team consisting entirely of Catholic Priests and Seminarians called the
DC Padres will be playing the St. Mary’s Ryken Knights in a 7 inning game of fast pitch hardball on
Sunday, April 27th at the Regency Furniture Stadium (Home of the Blue Crabs). The Blue Crabs play at
2 p.m. and the Knights and Padres will take the field afterwards around 4:30-5 p.m. Tickets are $5 each
and are good for both games. One ticket per flyer. Tickets may also be purchased in advance by use of
a promotional code that may be obtained on the DC Padres website: www.dcpadres.com.
23rd Annual Festival & Dinner at Immaculate Conception Parish in Mechanicsville on Sunday, May 4th,
Noon until 5 p.m. Featuring: Southern Maryland Fried Chicken, Ham, Crab Balls. The cost is $20 for
adults and Drive-Thru Carryouts, $7 for children (ages 6-12) and Children under 6 eat free! They will
also have Big Raffle, 50/50, Bake Table, White Elephant Table, Plant Table, Bingo and more. For more
information, call the Immaculate Conception Rectory at 301-884-3123.
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month – Parents, guardians and other adults who care for
children face constant challenges in trying to help keep children safe. The Archdiocese of Washington
has a series of guides on the archdiocesan child protection policy, safety tips, internet safety,
cyberbulling, sexting, healthy teen relationships and bullying. Please visit the Office of Child and Youth
Protection page on the archdiocese’s website, www.adw.org, and click on the “Child Protection” tab.
Please plan to stop by the Church on Holy Thursday night to make a visit to the Blessed
Sacrament at the Altar of Repose. There is a beautiful custom of visiting 3 churches on
Holy Thursday – continue that custom with your family and make Holy Thursday an
evening of prayer as you visit the different altars! Most churches are open until 11 p.m. or
Midnight.
Holy Week 2014
This is a week to spend in Church with the Church. It’s Holy Week.
Throughout these days events of the end of Jesus’ life, His death and His resurrection are recalled and
celebrated. The least we can do is walk these days with Jesus and relearn and rediscover the power and
the hope that His offer of eternal life and salvation, freedom from sin and friendship with God all make
possible.
Spend this week wisely. It’s more important than meetings or sports or shopping. Make time for the
ceremonies at Church. Make time for daily prayer. Make time for a good Confession before Easter.
Monday of Holy Week –
Mass at 8:00 a.m.
Tuesday of Holy Week –
Mass at 8:00 a.m.
Wednesday of Holy Week – Mass at 8:00 a.m.
Confessions from 11:00 a.m. to Noon and from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
The Sacred Triduum
Holy Thursday
Solemn Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7:00 p.m.
The Collection taken up at this Mass will benefit the Blessed John Paul II Seminary.
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at the Repository until 11:00 p.m.
Good Friday
Stations of the Cross at 3:00 p.m.
Confessions will be heard following Stations
Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion and Holy Communion at 7:00 p.m.
Good Friday is a Day of Fast and Abstinence – Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59 are bound to
the law of fasting – one full meal and two lesser meals on this day. The law of abstinence from meat
binds all those 14 years of age and older.
Holy Saturday
Confessions from 11:00 a.m. until Noon
Solemn Mass of the Easter Vigil at 8:00 p.m.
(Please note that there are no afternoon Confessions or 5:00 p.m. Mass on this day)
Easter Sunday
Masses at 8:00 a.m. & 10:00 a.m.
(Please note there will be no 6:00 p.m. Mass on Easter)
The Rectory Office will be closed on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday.