Fr. Alex

devotees outside the carpenter's shop

The Carpenter’s Shop

Liturgical Services in St. Joseph the Worker Community continues while the construction of the roof trusses is on-going. Yesterday (Sept 15, 2010) the novena to our Lady of Perpetual Help was held in a room at the basement of St. Joseph the Worker Church. It was the first time we held our Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help including the celebration of the Holy Mass. Fr. Alex of PACEM presided over our first Holy Mass in the basement. We shall be gathering again this Friday in the same place for our Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The room at the basement of St. Joseph the Worker Church was a multi-purpose room where we hold our regular meetings and it also where we received our visitors during important occasions in our community. But for now, it will be used for our novenas and devotions. One member suggested that we give a name to this room. I suggested that since St. Joseph is known as a carpenter from Nazareth, we shall call it “The Carpenter’s Shop”.

This coming Sunday because of the volume of faithful going to the Holy Mass, it will not be held at the Carpenter’s Shop. Instead it will be held at the Basketball Court. We thank the officers of our subdivision for allowing us to use the basketball court temporarily every Sunday until the completion of the roof trusses of St. Joseph the Worker Church and hopefully, the roofing.

We start the 4th Phase of construction of SJWC

at the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Mary and Child reading the Word-Michael D. O'brien

September 8, 2010 is a special day for us because it is the Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary and it became more meaningfull for the St. Joseph the Worker Community because it is the start of construction for the 4th phase - which is the installation of roof frame (steel trusses). This phase is the most expensive so far in the development of the construction. After arduous effort to raise funds and thru the intercession of Mother Mary and St. Joseph, we are starting once more to a new phase in our construction. Yes, it took us three (3) long years before we able to raise enough fund and continue our construction but we learned so much while patiently working, praying and hoping to reach this stage of the construction.

Our gratitude to all who have helped and participated in this noble endeavor to build a place worship we call St. Joseph the Worker Church. May the good and merciful God continue to guide us in our effort to finish this stage through the intercession of St. Joseph - our patron saint and Mother Mary who is celebrating her birthday.

Holy Mass for the elderly and the sick

Last August 28, 2010, the St. Joseph the Worker Community (SJWC) held the Mass for the Elderly and the Sick. This is a yearly activity, in which we gather the elderly and the sick in our community who could not come for Sunday Mass regularly because of advanced age or ailment. We invite and encourage their family to bring them to the church to receive the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick and to receive Holy Communion.

The objective of course of this event is to provide the elderly and the sick opportunity to come to the Church at least once a year to receive the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick and to receive Holy Communion.

Again, I would like to thank the members of the SJWC who participated in this event. We would like to thank Fr. Nolly C. Buco, JCD, our parish priest for his blessing and support. Our gratitude to Fr. Rhing Malbog, SVD for presiding the Holy Mass and the Anointing of Holy Oil for the elderly and the sick. Fr. Rhing is our former parish priest. Although he was given a new assignment as missionary of the SVD, he still finds time to help in the different communities of our parish during Sundays and activities like this one.

And most of all, we would like to thank our loving and merciful God for giving us once again the opportunity to serve Him.

"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'' Matthew 25:40