Notifications

December 27, 2022

Our Family Christmas Convocation on Dec. 18 was a great success! Children from each of our eight grades participated. The Nativity Play was beautiful, and the carol sing-a-long was a lot of fun. Thank you to our catechists and members of the Parent Advisory Board, especially Denise Guanlao and Joe Palumbo who provided beverages, snacks and small gifts for the children. And thanks to Fr. Lito for the surprise special gifts of stuffed animals!

Tuesday night classes resume on Jan. 3, at 7 p.m. Sunday classes resume next Sunday, Jan. 8, following the 9 a.m. Children’s Liturgy. Saturday morning classes for our 8th Graders resume Jan. 28.

In 2023, our Children’s Liturgy will be held twice a month at the 9 a.m. Mass, and children will be invited up on the altar for an interactive homily. This month, the Children’s Liturgy will be on Jan. 8 & 22. Please mark your calendars. Wishing all our families a Happy & Blessed New Year!

June 24, 2022

A Parent Survey was emailed to all families this week. Please take a few minutes to fill it out. It will help with our planning for the fall. If you did not receive the survey, please Parish Catechetical Leader Clare Krakoviak at [email protected]. Thank you for your support!

April 26, 2022

Classes end the week of May 1.

We encourage our Religious Education families — and all interested St. Joseph parishioners — to attend our May Crowning at the 9:15 a.m. Mass on Sunday, May 8. Dressed in their First Communion attire, our 2nd & 3rd Graders will crown and honor with flowers the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. After Mass, light refreshments will be served in the Parish Center. It’s a great way to end our school year with prayer and fellowship!

March 29, 2022

It’s hard to believe, but we are already half-way through the season of Lent. The Religious Education Program is happy to announce that our annual Easter Egg Hunt will be held on Palm Sunday, April 10, at 1 p.m. on the grounds outside the Parish Center. This event takes the place of a regular class that day, and all our families are welcome to attend. We’ll have two separate areas for egg-hunting: one for pre-schoolers and Grades K & 1; and another for Grades 2 – 4. A brief prayer service, including the Divine Mercy Chaplet led by our 5^th Graders, will open the event, and light refreshments will be served. (In case of inclement weather, the Egg Hunt will be held in the classrooms of Glover Hall.)

This year, we’re also excited about a new a Lenten event we’re offering just for parents. On Sunday, April 3, from 10:15 – 11:15 a.m. in the Parish Center, we’ll be hosting a Small Group Reflection program on Repentance by examining the Old Testament book of Jonah. The session will occur at the same time as our Sunday morning Religious Education classes, so parents of those students can just stay in the Parish Center after their children head off to classes. Parents of the Tuesday and Saturday classes are also encouraged to join us. The session’s format will be to read the book of Jonah (we’ll provide the Bibles) and then reflect and respond to some discussion questions. This is a great opportunity to spend time together, reflecting on what God is calling us to do this Lent, in an informal, non-intimidating way! For your information, I’ve attached the leader’s guide and worksheet for the session to review. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

March 13, 2022

Classes for Sunday, March 13, 2022 are on. However, please bring your children directly to Glover Hall at 10:05 am. The Assembly in the Parish Center is cancelled. Dismissal is at the usual time of 11:20 am. Thank you for your flexibility. Please stay warm and safe!

March 4, 2022

We have received notice from the Archdiocese of Newark Catechetical OFfice that they are lifting the mask mandate for Religious Education programs as of Monday, March 7, 2022. As the West Orange School District is also lifting its mask mandate on that date, we will be lifting it at St. Joseph's as well. Parents may choose to continue to send their children to class in a mask, and our catechists and staff will be focused on making sure all students treat each other with respect and kindness whether they choose to wear a mask or not.

February 13, 2022

Classes for Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022 are on. However, please bring your children directly to Glover Hall at 10:05 am. The Assembly in the Parish Center is cancelled. Dismissal is at the usual time of 11:20 am. Thank you for your flexibility. Please stay warm and safe!

January 30, 2022

Classes for Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022 are cancelled due to frigid and icy conditions. You may receive an email from your child's catechist with assignments or activities that can be done during the week. Please stay warm and safe, and look forward to seeing you next week!

January 16, 2022

We return to in-person learning this week, continuing with our health and safety protocols in place. Sunday morning classes for Grades 1-4 convene in the Parish Center at 10 a.m., following the 9:15 a.m. Mass. Tuesday evening classes for Grades 5-7 meet on Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. in Glover Hall.

Please remember to submit the electronic Health Screening Forms each week prior to your child arriving at class. If your child exhibits any symptoms of illness, please keep your child home and contact the catechist about making up the work.

Our First Eucharist Parent Meeting has been rescheduled to next Sunday, Jan. 23, at 10 a.m. 8th Grade/Confirmation Prep resumes with a Parent & Student Meeting via Zoom on Wednesday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. In-person classes for Confirmation Prep begin on Saturday, Jan. 29 at 9:30 a.m. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact [email protected] or 973-669-8331.

January 3, 2022

Happy New Year! Unfortunately, we enter 2022 with a lot of uncertainty. COVID cases have continued to rise in West Orange during the holiday break. Given the policy set forth by the West Orange Board of Education for its return to school, St. Joseph Religious Education will temporarily move to virtual learning for the start of the 2022 school year.

For the Middle School classes scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 4 & 11, the catechists will be emailing parents reading assignments, worksheets and/or links to videos that students will be expected to complete and return to their catechists in lieu of in-person learning.

For Grades 1, 2, 3 & 4, the class scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 9 will also be a virtual learning session. Catechists will email parents assignments that they can help their children complete at home. Our expectation is to return to in-person learning on Sunday, Jan. 16.

Thank you for your flexibility. The health and safety of our students are our primary concern, and we keep all our families in our prayers.

Please look out for an email from your child's catechist within the next few days.

October 26, 2021

Due to Governor Murphy's Declaration of an Emergency and the closing of the West Orange Public Schools, Religious Education classes tonight, October 26, are cancelled.

Next week we are off for Election Day. So Tuesday night classes will not meet again until November 9, when Fr. Dominick will lead our "Teaching Mass." On that evening, please bring your children directly to the church by 7 p.m. All family members are welcome to stay for the Teaching Mass, which will conclude by 8:15 p.m.

October 21, 2021

Ever wondered what the different signs, symbols, and prayers at Mass mean and where they come from? On Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m., Father Dominick will hold a “Teaching Mass” in the church. He’ll explain the signs and symbols, as well as the Catholic understanding of the Eucharist as the center of our faith. The Teaching Mass will be held during the regular Tuesday evening class time, but all Religious Education students (K-9) and their families are welcome to attend this special event.

October 5, 2021

Parents of 2nd Graders, there will be a Parent/Student meeting on First Reconciliation this Sunday, Oct. 10, during the regular class time (10 - 11:20 a.m.) in the Parish Center. Fr. Jim White and his “friend” will be the special guests. All parents and students are required to attend.

September 8, 2021

The Office of the Superintendent of Schools invites all interested families to learn about Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of Newark by attending a High School Expo. The events are scheduled for 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. on the dates below:

Tuesday, 9/14 at St. Joseph the Carpenter School: 140 East 3rd Avenue, Roselle, NJ 07203
Tuesday, 9/21 at Visitation Academy in Paramus: 222 Farview Avenue, Paramus, NJ 07652
Wednesday, 9/22 at St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City: 144 Grand Street, Jersey City, NJ 07302
Thursday, 9/23at St. Michael School in Newark: 27 Crittenden Street, Newark, NJ 07104

Masks will be required at all locations. For additional event information and a list of the schools attending on each night, please visit: www.catholicschoolsnj.org/hs-expo

For a printable guide to the Cooperative Admissions Program (HSPT), please visit: www.catholicschoolsnj.org/hs-guide

To register for the COOP Exam, please visit: www.njcoopexam.org

For questions, please call 973.497.4260 or email [email protected].

August 14, 2021

The class schedule for 2021-22 is now posted to the parish website. The school year kicks off with a "Family Fun Day" on Catechetical Sunday, September 19, 2021, on the Parish Center grounds from 12:30 - 2:30 p.m. Click here for more information on the event. The 2021-22 schedule can be found here.

August 13, 2021

We are now accepting registrations for the 2021-22 school year. Families may register and pay online through the new parish website or download a form and pay the traditional way. The link to the Registration Page is here. Parents who registered by filling out the electronic form emailed to them last month do not need to fill out the online form again unless they desire to pay by credit or debit card. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the Religious Education Office: c[email protected] or 973-669-8331.

June 21, 2021

A Parent Survey was emailed to all families last week. Please take a few minutes to fill it out. It will help with our planning for the fall. If you did not receive the survey, please Parish Catechetical Leader Clare Krakoviak at [email protected]. Thank you for your support!

May 26, 2021

The Archdiocesan Catechetical Office has advised us to plan on resuming in-person instruction this Fall with protocols that follow the NJ Department of Education guidelines for social distancing, sanitary cleaning and wearing masks. Given the physical size and number of classrooms in Glover Hall, we are confident we can accommodate all our current students (and actually add a few more) by making a few modifications to those classrooms and possibly using the Parish Center for a class on Sunday mornings. Families that have concerns about returning to classroom learning due to COVID may be able to utilize a home-school option. While we may hold some parent meetings or gatherings virtually, we will not be offering regular class instruction via Zoom in the coming school year.

In September 2021, we will offer classes for Grades K - 4 on Sunday mornings following the 9:15 a.m. Mass; Grades 5 - 7 on Tuesday evenings at 7 - 8:15 p.m; and Grade 8/Confirmation Prep classes on Saturday mornings at 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. Please remember that the Archdiocesan policy requires two consecutive years of instruction to be eligible to receive the sacraments of First Eucharist and Confirmation.