Our community is excited to participate alongside all parishes, missions and Catholic centers in the Archdiocese to strengthen and renew our Church for the future. Please continue reading to learn how this campaign will benefit us.
I trust you are being blessed and doing well. I am writing about a very important matter concerning both our local Church and our parish. Our Archbishop has initiated a capital campaign for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Called to Renew will benefit our communitites by strengthening parishes, including ours, as well as serving the vulnerable, supporting priestly vocations, and investing in the faith of future generations.
As a family of God, we are called to be one with each other at all times. We are called to support our parish, community of faith, and to help parishes in need. In his second letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul writes, “For according to their means, I can testify, and beyond their means, spontaneously, they begged us insistently for the favor of taking part in the service to the holy ones, and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and to us through the will of God” (2 Cor 8:3-5).
We have many needs at St. Joseph the Worker. When we gather in our church to celebrate Mass and other liturgical functions, the sound system and lighting are inadequate. We also lack space for fellowship, which is important to any community.
With your cooperation, we will be able to address these areas for not only our parish, but for parishes in need as well. I ask that you pray about your gift to this campaign and discuss making a difference in our Church with your family. I thank you in advance for your help in this campaign, and may God bless you and your family.
Pledged over 5 years for the Called to Renew Campaign.
Our Parish Receives
$610,000
To renew our parish and strengthen ministries.
Parish Needs
Covered Gathering Space
Fostering the building of community is very important to us at St. Joseph the Worker Parish. Designing an updated and covered space, utilizing our existing outdoor gathering area adjacent to our church will allow parishioners to gather and socialize after mass. We experienced the blessing of the covered school pavilion during the time our church building was not available at the beginning of the pandemic. A covered area will provide shade and allow us to hold ministry fairs, etc. without having to walk over to the hall. Let the lessons we learned from the past help us to foster a greater community in the future.
Sound System
Hearing the Word of God proclaimed is an essential part of any liturgy as this helps us on our journey of faith. The beautiful music enhances our liturgy. Wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t have to ask, “What did the lector say?” or “What did Father say?” Imagine hearing every nuance and harmony in the songs. This can be accomplished. Our sound system has served us well for many years, but like all things, it must be upgraded to keep up with the new sound systems that are constantly being improved. Your sounds systems at home and in your cars are so much better than they were 20 years ago. You can hear the difference. We can experience a great difference in church as well with an upgraded sound system.
Lighting
The Psalmist tells us, “Your Word is a lamp for my feet, and a light on my path”. For all of us, the light should shine brightly in our lives, why not in our church? Lighting technology has improved over the years. We no longer use 300-watt bulbs in order to have bright light in our church. We installed 60 new LED bulbs, but we would like to take advantage of the brilliance and efficiency of the new generation of LED bulbs. This will require re-wiring every socket in the church. Not only will this be energy efficient but think of the possibilities of being able to design lighting effects for our liturgies, especially our Christmas and Easter masses. What an impact this would have on our art and environment.
A Bold Plan of Renewal
We — the Catholic faithful — are the agents of renewal for Church and society. I am grateful for this opportunity to walk alongside clergy and parishioners in strengthening our parishes and ministries, the heart of our Archdiocese.