127 Liberty Street South, Bowmanville, Ontario  L1C 2P5

stjoeschurch.ca  |  [email protected]  |  Facebook  |  905-623-3233

Tuesday, December 22nd

6:15pm to 6:45pm - Reconciliation in the church

7:00pm - Daily Mass in the church



Wednesday, December 23rd

8:00am - Daily Mass in the church

for the soul of John Lyczakowski



Thursday, December 24th (Christmas Eve)

*** NO MORNING MASS ***

4:00pm - Christmas Mass in the church and online

for the souls of the deceased members of the Bartoli Family

5:30pm - Christmas Mass in the church and online

7:00pm - Christmas Mass in the church and online

8:30pm - Christmas Mass in the church and online

for the soul of Evelyn John

10:00pm - Christmas Mass in the church and online



SPECIAL NOTE FOR THOSE WHO RESERVED A SPOT FOR CHRISTMAS MASS:

Please arrive before Mass starts; reserved spaces will be made available to anyone once Mass begins. Reservations are honoured only till the start of Mass.



Friday, December 25th (Christmas Day)

12:00am - Christmas Mass in the church and online

for the special intentions of Pope Francis

10:00am - Christmas Mass in the church and online

for the deceased members of the Higgins and Considine Families

11:30am - Christmas Mass in the church and online

for the souls of Effie and Stephen Beshara



Saturday, December 26th

10:00am to 12:00pm - Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Confessions in the church

4:30pm - Sunday Mass online

for the soul of Peggy Goodchild-Smith



Sunday, December 27th (Holy Family)

9:00am - Sunday Mass online

10:00am to 12:00pm - Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Confessions in the church

11:00am - Sunday Mass online

7:00pm - Sunday Mass online

During the day:

One Mass will be privately celebrated for the soul of Joseph Corey

A second Mass will be celebrated for the deceased members of the Ruthard and Gillis Families



Monday, December 28th

Daily Mass in the church privately offered for the soul of Jim McPhee



Tuesday, December 29th

Daily Mass in the church privately offered for the special intention of Ana Lee Rubejes-Yu on her 50th birthday

Thursday, December 31st (New Year's Eve)

4:30pm - New Year's Mass online

for the people



Friday, January 1st (Feast of Mary, Mother of God & New Years)

10:00am - New Year's Mass online

for the soul of Georges and Anna Lemattre

11:00am to 1:00pm - Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Confessions in the church

Saturday, January 2nd

10:00am to 12:00pm - Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Confessions in the church

4:30pm - Sunday Mass online

for the soul of Annie Hughes

Sunday, January 3rd (Epiphany)

9:00am - Sunday Mass online

10:00am to 12:00pm - Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Confessions in the church

11:00am - Sunday Mass online

7:00pm - Sunday Mass online



During the day:

One Mass will be privately celebrated for the deceased members of Knights of Columbus Council 6361

A second Mass will be privately celebrated for the deceased members of the Castellas Family

A third Mass will be privately celebrated for the soul of Maria Sirianni

Thursday, January 7th

Daily Mass in the church privately offered for the people

Saturday, January 9th

10:00am to 12:00pm - Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Confessions in the church

4:30pm - Sunday Mass online

for the souls of Charles Coady & Doreen Reid

Sunday, January 10th (Baptism of Our Lord)

9:00am - Sunday Mass online

10:00am to 12:00pm - Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Confessions in the church

11:00am - Sunday Mass online

7:00pm - Sunday Mass online



During the day:

One Mass will be privately celebrated for the soul of Anna Proctor

Another Mass will be privately celebrated for the soul of Marguerite Rose Bacon

Except for those who have a medical exemption, all who join us for worship in person are required to wear a face covering over chin, nose and mouth while in the church.



At the request of the Ontario Bishops, all are now required to sign in with a name and phone number when entering the church for any celebration (including Sunday and daily Masses, Baptisms and Funerals). This information is kept for contacting tracing purposes only.

To accommodate more Christmas Masses, the schedule is a bit different this year:

Christmas Eve, December 24th at 4:00pm, 5:30pm, 7:00pm, 8:30pm and 10:00pm

Christmas midnight Mass on December 25th at 12:00am

Christmas Day, December 25th at 10:00am and 11:30am



Christmas Masses will also be streamed online!



All reservable seats for Christmas and Christmas Eve Masses are booked. There are still several spots at every Mass available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Come early to get one of these!



SPECIAL NOTE FOR THOSE WHO RESERVED A SPOT FOR CHRISTMAS MASS: Please arrive before Mass starts; reserved spaces will be made available to anyone once Mass begins. Reservations are honoured only till the start of Mass.

Beginning at 12:01am on December 26th, all areas of the Province of Ontario move into the grey 'lockdown' level. This is expected to last for at least four weeks and will have some impacts on our parish. Here's what you can expect at St. Joseph Church during this time:

Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals can be celebrated but only ten people, including the Celebrant, can be in attendance. Parents are still able to prepare for the baptism of their child. Preparation is done online at whatever pace parents set. After preparing, parents can contact the parish priest to set a date.

All publicly celebrated Masses (weekday, weekend and Sunday) are suspended. However, our priests will continue to celebrate Mass and will honour already arranged Mass intentions. Those who have already arranged for a Mass intention are welcome to reschedule their Mass intention if they so wish. Email the office to make such arrangements. Sunday Mass will continue to be streamed online at the regular Mass times.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will be available on Saturdays and Sundays between 10am and noon in the church. However, only 10 people will be permitted in the church at one time. Concurrently, a priest will be available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Adoration.

The parish office is closed. Feel free to call and leave a message, but messages will be checked only infrequently. Email to the office is checked more regularly. Mass Intentions can be arranged online. Priests can be reached by email or phone. Arrange a phone call with a priest if you wish.

All in person activities, meetings and groups are suspended. Groups may meet or arrange activities online. The essential service of the Food Bank will continue to operate.

Sacramental Preparation for Baptism, First Reconciliation, First Communion and Confirmation continues to take place online.

those who have died, especially...

Jim Johann, Annie Ward Hughes,
Mauricio Luis Almedia, Valerian & Lethisia Gomes, 
Violet & Robert D'Souza, Ben,

Reynol Miranda, Anthony Kattikaran,

Kirthi Mohan, Kavya's Mom,

Shravan's Mom, Bharathi Aunty,

C D'Souza, Carol O'Rourke,
Yvonne McDonough, Cormac Kerin,
Joseph Zerafa, Tracy Kitchen & Joyce Gadd



and those who are sick, especially...

Edrean Rubejes, Ann Maas,
Mia Ward, Peggy Burt,
Pat Coles, Brian Wihlidal,
Shane Richard, Gail Lorraine,
Shea Kerin & Samantha Healey



Jesus, Our Lord, we ask you to have mercy on all who are sick. Give them your strength and love and help them carry this cross with faith. May their sufferings be one with yours, overcome the power of evil and lead others to our Father in Heaven. Lord Jesus, hear our prayer, for you are Lord forever and ever. Amen.

Have a name to add to this list?

Dear friends in Christ,



We have heard for many weeks now that Christmas this year will be a little different because of the pandemic. That is true, as we will be less mobile, cautious about gathering, and doing more socializing online. Things will certainly be different as our parishes celebrate the Lord’s Nativity - capacity restrictions and safety precautions will mean lower key liturgies.

Still, we would do well to focus on the things that will not change this Christmas, and for people of faith they are the eternal truths that always resound in our hearts: that God’s Word became flesh to dwell among us; that Bethlehem speaks of God’s unbounded love for his people; that our faith brings us tidings of comfort and joy; and that trust in God, illustrated in the humble faith of Mary and Joseph, will never lead us astray.

In this unusual Christmas of 2020, I pray that you may still experience the traditional and customary joys that mark this season of faith. May God bless you richly this Christmas and may you know peace and good health in the New Year.



Yours in Christ,

+Most. Rev. Daniel Miehm, Bishop of Peterborough

Each week, our priests open the Good News for us through the message of the homily. Both the transcript and a recording of these homilies are available for reflection right from the website:

To help all keep informed about what's happening in nearby churches, The Diocese of Peterborough publishes a quarterly magazine called The Catholic Herald.

Regular offerings for our parish can be put in the mail slot of the parish office.



See more ways to support our parish at give.stjoeschurch.ca!