Baptism
Reconciliation and First Communion
Confirmation
Matrimony
Holy Orders
Anointing of the Sick
Receiving Communion at Home
Call the parish office at440-522-9670 to schedule your child's baptism. Parents must be active in one of our parishes and attend the required Baptismal Preparation Class. (See below) This class is a part of our parish co-op program and is offered every month at one of our area churches.
NOTE: Letters of recommendation (sponsor letter) to act as a sponsor for the Sacrament of Baptism can only be issued to registered and participating parishioners. For someone to be a sponsor or godparent, they must be at least 16 years of age, and actively practicing in the Catholic faith. They must have received the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation and if married, the marriage must be valid in accordance with the Catholic Church.
These classes are a requirement for the parents preparing for the Baptism of their children. Classes rotate at St. Peter, (Lorain) St. Joseph (Amherst) and St. Vincent DePaul (Elyria) churches. The Baptism takes place at St. Joseph or Nativity Church.
Contact St. Joseph Parish Offices at 440-988-2848 to register or for more details.
Ministry Leader: Laura Lamb
St. Joseph Parish & Nativity of the BVM Parish will be using a program from Dynamic Catholic called Blessed to prepare children (2nd graders) for the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. Blessed is an animated series that engages children and helps them understand the importance of these two sacraments in their lives.
Visit: https://dynamiccatholic.com/blessed for more information on this program and to sign up for the parent component.
Parent participation in the process is required and all parents are expected to attend the parent sessions for both First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. Parents are the first teachers of their children, and these sessions are meant to help parents teach their child about these very important sacraments. The role of the parish is to support you in this mission, and we do that by using this engaging program.
Our Confirmation Program involves parental involvement as well as sponsor involvement in order for the Sacrament to have meaning and an impact on the students. It is a two year preparation program for grades 7 and 8 at St. Joseph Parish School as well as for our Parish School of Religion (PSR) students.
In the second year of formation the students will have the opportunity to display acts of service and to research and write about the saint that they will choose for their namesake in the Sacrament. Students in both 7th and 8th grade also have the opportunity to participate in the Holy Ground Youth Group meetings and acvtivities. These opportunities are designed to help the students deepen their faith and understanding of what we are called to as people of the Catholic faith.
Please direct any questions regarding Confirmation to the PSR Principal, Mrs. Angie Eads at 440-988-4244 ext. 247 or by email at angela.eads@sjs-amherst.org
Diocesan policy requires a six-month period of preparation before marriage. A couple is to contact the pastor to arrange for a particular date and program of preparation before any date will be finalized. Attendance at one of the pre-marriage preparation programs and a compatibility evaluation are required. Please call the Parish Office for further information.
Contact the Parish Office at 440-988-2848
The sacrament of anointing of the sick began as a ritual of healing. Over time the emphasis shifted to the forgiveness of sins on the deathbed, when such forgiveness would be the final preparation for heaven. The Second Vatican Council returned the original meaning to the sacrament by emphasizing that it is not only for those who are at the point of death, but for anyone who is seriously ill, including mental or spiritual illness. It also helped move the Anointing away from a private service and back toward a community-based one.
Today we are all aware that tensions, fear and anxiety about the future affect not only our mind but our body as well. These illnesses can be serious. They can move us to ask for the healing touch of Christ in the Sacrament of Anointing. Persons with the disease of alcoholism or persons suffering from other addictions can be anointed. Also, those who suffer from various mental disorders, or for those with anxiety before surgery are situations in which Christ’s power can be invoked in the sacrament. In these cases, the person does not have to wait until the illness is so grave that he or she is in the hospital or institutionalized to celebrate the sacrament.
Please call for this sacramental anointing before the situation becomes too critical. If you have a prearranged surgery and would like to be strengthened by this sacramental anointing of the Church, please call the pastor at 440-988-2848 to arrange a time convenient to you (even possibly after one of the Masses).
If hospitalized, please notify the Parish office to request visitation. Under the new HIPPA confidentiality law, hospitals are no longer permitted to notify parishes of parishioner’s presence in the hospital. Be sure to alert the intake persons that you are Catholic, and the Pastoral Care office will see that a chaplain stops by to see you in the hospital.
Humble yourself and you will find favor with God. - (Luke 14: 1, 7-14)
Are you being called to be a priest or deacon, brother or sister?
Humbly ask the Lord.
Interested in either the Priesthood, Diaconate, Sisterhood or Religious Life? Please consider serving the Church as a priest, deacon, religious sister or brother. For more information contact Father Tim O'Connor or you may also visit the Cleveland Diocese Vocations website.
Communion is scheduled for one or two Sundays/month to be brought to those who are homebound, hospitalized or in a nursing home. To receive Communion at home for either yourself or a loved one, please contact the following:
For Nativity: Joe Siekeres 440-965-4001, jsiekeres@zoominternet.net
For St. Joseph: The parish office at 440-988-2848