St. Joseph Marello Catholic Church

7200 Auburn-Folsom Road

Are you new to St. Joseph Marello Catholic Church? Welcome!
Please download a Parish Registration Form by CLICKING HERE (or pick one up at the Welcome Table in the vestibule of the church).

Are you interested in becoming Catholic? Please visit our Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults page.

GIVING HAS NEVER BEEN SO EASY!
CLICK HERE TO ENROLL
Questions? Please CLICK HERE for more information
or watch the video directly below.

As a parish we are all part of the family of the Oblates of St. Joseph. To draw closer during this Year of St. Joseph, please visit the Oblates' Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/osjusa
as well as their Province website at Province website at www.osjusa.org.
Praised be Jesus Christ!

Livestream at 5 pm Saturday at https://www.youtube.com/saintjosephmarellocatholicchurch
and posted afterward.

The Eventbrite link for the 10:30 AM Sunday 1/17 Mass will go "live" on Thursday, January 14 at 7 am. 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1030-outdoor-mass-january-17-tickets-136346190125

Digital Missal for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

The 5 pm Mass on Saturday will be
live-streamed and then available thereafter.
Please note that the 10:30 Mass is the only one open to the public.

8AM Daily Mass will also be posted on our YouTube channel by 9am: 
https://www.youtube.com/saintjosephmarellocatholicchurch   

Thank you to all who have registered, but PLEASE CHECK IN EVEN IF YOU HAVE A RESERVATION. This information will be needed in the event of the need for contact tracing. Thank you for your continued patience!

 A reminder about online resources for Mass:
1) https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/daily-readings.
2) http://www.catholictv.org
3) https://thedailymass.com/mass/

You are invited to a Virtual Special Event on Tuesday, January 19, 2021 from 2:00-5:00 p.m.  during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The theme for the event is Abide in my love and you shall bear much fruit (cf. John 15:1-17).  This event is sponsored by the North State Ecumenical Conference, and has the support of Bishop Jaime Soto.  It will feature the following:

• A rendition of Lift Every Voice and Sing by a Virtual Ecumenical Choir
• A Panel Discussion with several Christian faith leaders, who will address Racism in the Church
• A Worship Prayer Service led by Christian faith leaders (including Bishop Jaime Soto), with Bishop Minerva Carcaño of the United Methodist Church, California Nevada Conference, as the Homilist

Here is the Web Link you can use for the Virtual Special Event on January 19th:

            https://www.scd.org/wpcu2021

There is no charge for this event.  If you are interested or have questions, please contact Deacon Dennis Gorsuch, NSEC Chair, at (916) 984-8550, or E-mail: dennisgorsuch@comcast.net
 

We are planning a September 2021 Marian Pilgrimage to Fatima, Lourdes, and Barcelona, with an add-on trip to Medjugorje. Flyers are available in the Parish office – see Georgette. The coordinators are Jann O’Neill (408) 966-4808 and Dave Whitman (916) 215-7928. Father Phil will be the Spiritual Director. Please give us a call if you have questions.

The holidays always seem to get here faster than we’re ready for them, no matter how early we start planning. If the logistics of seeing family and friends isn’t hard enough, there is the food preparation, the gift purchases, and home decorations to wear us down. The day after Thanksgiving seems to be an automatic flip into the Christmas season--this year maybe even sooner than normal.

We ache for the joy of the season and are eager to enter into it quickly. But in the midst of the holiday hustle and bustle, it is easy to forget the Reason for the Season and that some of that time should be spent in a spirit of waiting and anticipation of the One Who is to come.

Stephen’s background
I grew up in a non-denominational Evangelical congregation, where there were regular Bible studies and Scripture-packed sermons. Around Christmas, there was an increase in church services, carols sung, and his particular church would light Advent candles as Christmas drew near. The emphasis was on the birth of Jesus Christ.
After embracing the fullness of the Faith, I really appreciated that there was a penitential tone to the season of Advent (including the Sacrament of Reconciliation) as it also helped point to His Second Coming, which we are also called to look towards during this season. It sets the stage well for Epiphany and, later, Lent and Easter.

Laurel’s background
From the time I was about 7 years old, my family began to live the Catholic Faith in earnest. The season of Advent was a time of preparing for the birthday of a Baby in Bethlehem. Every Baby Jesus would be hidden in the tea cupboard, not to make an appearance in the manger scene until the day of His birth. (Turns out, as a child, Stephen liked to steal the Baby Jesus from his family creche scenes too, as he felt that it wasn’t time for Him to be there--He wasn’t born yet!) Mary would ride her donkey across the room with Joseph, and the Wise Men would have an even longer journey as they didn’t arrive until Epiphany. We would spend extra time at the dinner table on Sundays, lighting the Advent candles and praying together. And there was always a (mostly) friendly competition over who could add the most “hay” to Baby Jesus’ manger with his/her good deeds throughout the days leading up to His birth, so He would have a soft place to lay His head upon His arrival.

As a Couple and as a Family

Now, as a married couple, we have sought to meld some our previously held traditions with some new ones. As part of our effort to make it a slow and sacred Advent, our decorating unfolds throughout the season. We, typically, put our tree up around the first Sunday of Advent, but it will hold the lights first for a few days before the ornaments start coming out of the boxes. Our children have enjoyed an Advent calendar that depicts the scene at Bethlehem by adding one piece a day throughout the month of December, culminating with Baby Jesus and Star on the eve of Christmas. We like to take a few minutes each day, both as individuals and as a family, to read an Advent-themed devotional and pray. Often, these are accompanied by a recommended act of service which we try to accomplish together. As we educate at home, we put a pause on some of our regular studies. We use that added time to read books that share stories of the season and do activities that help prepare our home, minds, and hearts for Christmas.

The Church provides us such a richness of beauty in celebrating each Liturgical Season. It helps recall people’s minds and hearts to what (or, really, Who) truly matters, to pull us away from the frenzy of lifeless materialism that the world entices us towards. During the season of Advent, it points us towards the truth that Jesus Christ was born and that He will come again in glory.

We invite you to enter into the beauty of this season of Advent alongside the Church this year, perhaps in a deeper way than you have before. Remember the Tiny Babe, Who longs for a heart to heart, and make space for Him in this hectic season, slowing down to welcome Him into your heart and homes as we walk through Advent to Christmas.