St. Joseph Catholic Church

Father Rob's Weekly Column

September 19, 2021

Dear Parish Family,
One of the things I enjoy doing in my free time is reading good Catholic poetry.  When I was at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, in Emmitsburg, a group of us seminarians started a poetry group that met a couple of times per semester.  We would each find an inspiring Catholic poem and bring it with us to dinner at some nearby restaurant.  While we were enjoying our meal, we would each go around and share our respective poems and talk about why we chose it.  It was always so interesting to hear everyone’s insights and the connections made to different aspects of our faith.  Sometimes we would be there for three hours or more talking.  Often times we would leave a poem for the waiter or waitress and they were always so gracious.  It was an amazing experience and so edifying and uplifting in our faith journeys.  I highly encourage it.  

As we enter into the beauty of the season of fall, I’d like to share one of my favorite poems about nature with you.  The author is Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889).  Hopkins was an English poet and Jesuit priest and is known as one of the leading Catholic poets of the 19th century.  Two of main themes were nature and religion.  He is considered to be among the leading Victorian poets and influenced other 20th century poets such as T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, W.H. Auden, and countless others.  See what you think! 

God’s Grandeur

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like to ooze of oil
Crushed.  Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell:  the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings!

Faithfully, in Christ,
Father Rob

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To request a Mass for your friends and family please come by the parish office during office hours or send us your request by mail. When sending in a request, please mail to St. Joseph Church, 11007 Montgomery Rd, Beltsville, MD 20705 and include:

• The name of the person you would like the Mass offered for (please notate if they are living or deceased)
• If you’d like the first available Mass, or Mass offered on a particular date (the Mass intention book fills up quickly)
• Your Name
• Your Phone number
• Your Email
• Mass stipend (suggested donation is $10)
• The address where you would like the Mass card mailed.

We will contact you to confirm your request.

Mass & Confession Times

Holy Mass

Saturday:        8:00am (1st Saturdays only)
                             5:00pm Vigil
Sunday:           8:30am & 11:00am 
Monday:          8:00am 
Tuesday:          No Mass
Wednesday:   8:00am;  2:15 pm (School Mass)
Thursday:       8:00am 
Friday:               8:00am  followed by Eucharistic Holy Hour at 8:45 am

All Masses listed take place in the church and all are live streamed on Zoom, except for First Saturdays at 8:00 am.  To gain access to the Zoom link, please sign up for Flocknote emails (below)

Parish Bulletin

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If you are new to the area and would like to become a parishioner, please register here.  If you are interested in becoming Catholic or if you are in need of pastoral care, please feel free to email me at:  frrob@stjosephbeltsville.org   

Updated Safety Protocols

 Safety Protocols for Our
In-Person Masses

Confessions 

All confessions take place in the confessionals
Saturdays:  8:30 - 10:00am 
 

Eucharistic Adoration

Fridays:  8:45 - 9:45 am (Virtual Zoom Eucharistic Holy Hour)
Immediately follows Holy Mass at 8:00 am
 

Contact Us

St. Joseph Catholic Church
11007 Montgomery Road
Beltsville, MD 20705
301-937-7183

Office Hours

Upcoming Events at St. Joseph's

Saturday 10/2
- Prayer Apostolate of Mary Immaculate at 8:00 am (Church)
- Dedication of the Joan C. Sheehan Memorial Food Pantry at the 5:00 pm Vigil Mass (Church)
Sunday 10/3
- Hospitality Sunday after 8:30 & 11:00 am Masses (School)
Monday 10/4
- Walking with Purpose Women's Bible Study at 9:00 am (Church)
- Blessing of the Pets at 2:30 pm (Rectory Driveway)
- Walking with Purpose Women's Bible Study at 7:00 pm (Zoom)
Wednesday 10/6
- Book Discussion Group at 9:00 am (Zoom)
Thursday 10/7
- Walking Rosary & Ice Cream Social at 7:00 pm (Church & School)
Saturday 10/9
- Men's Prayer & Breakfast with Fr. Rob at 7:00 am (Church)
- Blingo at 7:00 pm (School)
Thursday 10/14
- RCIA Begins at 7:00 pm (School)
Friday 10/15
- Parish Movie Night at 7:00 pm (School)