Saint Joseph's Catholic Church

04/05/2026

After the journey of the Triduum—
the table,
the Cross,
the tomb—
we now arrive at the empty grave.

This is the joy the Church has been waiting for—not just a moment, but a Mystery:
Jesus Christ has conquered sin and death.
Forever!

04/05/2026

In the Catholic Church, we don’t just remember this event.
We enter into it.
We are baptized into His death, and raised with Him to new life.
We light the Paschal fire. We sing the Exsultet. We renew our baptismal promises.
We rejoice not only with our lips, but with our liturgy—rich, ancient, alive.

For those who wondered why we lingered in the suffering…
Why we sat in silence…
Why we watched and waited through the Triduum—

This is why.

Because Easter isn’t just about a Sunday.
It’s about the victory of Christ, made present to us in every Mass, every Sacrament, every yes to His grace.

He is Risen—truly, body and soul.
And because He lives, there is hope for you.
For all who are searching, doubting, wandering—
Come to Christ. Come home.

🌿 “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.” (Psalm 118:24)

04/05/2026

✝️🕯️🙏🏼💐 EASTER SUNDAY 💐🙏🏼🕯️✝️

✝️ The Resurrection of the Lord 🪨
🌿 THE MASS OF EASTER DAY ☀️✝️

🐑Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed; let us then feast with joy in the Lord.
ALLELUIA ALLELUIA! ❤️

✝️ EASTER SUNDAY GOSPEL 📖
John 20:1-9

On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.
++++++++++++++++++++
✨ REFLECTION ✨

UNDERSTANDING THE RESURRECTION

On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” John 20:1–2

Have you ever misunderstood something, even when your intentions were good? We all experience moments when we act with love but still get things wrong. Even our good actions are rarely perfect.

On that first Easter morning, before the sun rose, Mary Magdalene offers an example of this. She got some things right—her love and devotion to Jesus were sincere—but she did not yet understand the full reality of what she witnessed. Though the other Gospels mention other women at the tomb, John highlights Mary. Saint Augustine suggests that this is because she was “undoubtedly the most fervent in love” with Christ.

When Mary Magdalene saw the stone rolled away, her love compelled her to act immediately. Saint John Chrysostom says she “ran to the disciples with all the speed of love.” Her fervor drove her to tell Simon Peter and John what she had seen, showing us how love urges us to seek God without delay.

Despite her deep love, Mary misunderstood the meaning of the empty tomb. Her emotional response—“They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him”—reveals her struggle to grasp the mystery unfolding before her. Like many of us, she was driven by emotion rather than a deeper trust in God.

Jesus was certainly not displeased with her misunderstanding, as Scripture identifies her in John 20:11–17 as the first to whom He appeared. When she encountered the risen Christ, she initially mistook Him for the gardener, indicating that her understanding of the Resurrection was still unfolding. Despite that, Jesus met her where she was and guided her toward deeper faith. This reminds us that our emotions, though good, must be purified by faith, allowing love to mature into greater trust and understanding.

Reflect today on Mary Magdalene’s experience on Easter morning. Like her, we are called to seek our Lord with fervor, even when our understanding is incomplete. And like her, we can trust that Jesus will meet us where we are, gently leading us into deeper faith. As we celebrate the Resurrection, pray that your love, with all its emotions, may be more fully purified by grace, so that you, too, will encounter Christ with renewed understanding and joy.

My resurrected Lord, I love You deeply but acknowledge that my love must be further purified by faith so that I will understand You and Your will more clearly. As I grow in understanding of the many divine mysteries You reveal to me, help my love to grow so that I may more perfectly imitate the pure love You desire of me. Jesus, I trust in You. AMEN. 🙏🏼

04/05/2026

Ditto! ✝️⛪☀️ 🌺

From Fr. Vinoy and all the staff at St Elizabeth Ann Seton...we wish you all a very blessed Easter! May the joy, peace and mercy of the risen Savior be with you each and every day! God bless! 🙏🏼 ✝️☀️🌷

03/15/2026

11:00 AM Mass is cancelled for Sunday, March 15th. Stay safe!

02/20/2026

THE 14 STATIONS OF THE CROSS WITH PRAYERS ✝️

🙏🏼 Opening Prayer -
O Lord Jesus Christ, our adorable Savior, we now contemplate Your sacred Passion. Help us to understand that the sufferings of our lives are a continuation of Your Passion. Give us strength to carry our crosses in the spirit with which You carried Yours. Amen.

Station 1 –
Jesus Is Condemned to Death
🙏🏼 We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.✝️

Leaving the house of Caiaphas, where He had been blasphemed, and the house of Herod, where He had been mocked, Jesus is dragged before Pilate. His back is torn with scourges and His head crowned with thorns. He who will judge the living and the dead is Himself condemned to a disgraceful death.

🙏🏼 Prayer -
It was for us that You suffered, O Blessed Jesus. It was for our sins that You were condemned to die. Grant that we may detest our sins from the bottom of our hearts and obtain Your mercy and pardon through true repentance.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Leader: Have mercy on us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy on us.

Station 2 – Jesus Carries His Cross
🙏🏼We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.✝️

A heavy cross is laid upon the bruised shoulders of Jesus. He receives it with meekness and love, for it is the instrument by which He will redeem the world and accomplish the mission given to Him by His Heavenly Father.

🙏🏼 Prayer -
O Jesus, grant us, by virtue of Your Cross, to embrace with patience and cheerful submission the difficulties of our lives. May we always be ready to take up our cross and follow You.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Leader: Have mercy on us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy on us.

Station 3 – Jesus Falls the First Time
🙏🏼We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.✝️

Bowed down under the weight of the Cross, Jesus begins His journey to Calvary amid mockery and insults. Exhausted from His agony in the garden and weakened by scourging, His strength fails Him, and He falls to the ground.

🙏🏼 Prayer -
O Jesus, who bore the heavy burden of the Cross for our sins and fell beneath its weight, may the thought of Your suffering keep us watchful and save us from falling into sin.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Leader: Have mercy on us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy on us.

Station 4 – Jesus Meets His Blessed Mother
🙏🏼We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.✝️

Still carrying His Cross and wounded from His fall, Jesus meets His loving Mother. What sorrow filled her heart as she looked upon her suffering Son, and what compassion filled His Sacred Heart for her.

🙏🏼 Prayer -
O Jesus, by the compassion You felt for Your Mother, have compassion on us and grant us a share in her intercession. O Mary, most afflicted Mother, pray for us that, through the sufferings of your Son, we may be delivered from eternal death.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Leader: Have mercy on us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy on us.

Station 5 – Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross
🙏🏼We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.✝️

As Jesus grows weaker and struggles to continue, the soldiers seize Simon of Cyrene and compel him to help carry the Cross. What began as a forced task becomes a privilege through the grace of sharing in Christ’s suffering.

🙏🏼 Prayer -
O Lord Jesus, may we willingly help carry the crosses of others. May we glory in nothing but Your Cross, and never shrink from suffering for Your name.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Leader: Have mercy on us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy on us.

Station 6 – Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
🙏🏼We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.✝️

Moved with compassion, Veronica makes her way through the crowd and wipes the face of Jesus, covered in blood and sweat. In return, the image of His Sacred Face is left upon her cloth.

🙏🏼 Prayer -
O Jesus, may the contemplation of Your suffering fill us with compassion and deeper love. Imprint Your image upon our hearts and transform us into Your likeness.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Leader: Have mercy on us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy on us.

Station 7 – Jesus Falls the Second Time
🙏🏼We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.✝️

Weakened by pain and loss of blood, Jesus falls a second time beneath the Cross.

🙏🏼 Prayer -
O Jesus, how often we fall into sin. By Your second fall, give us the grace to rise again and remain faithful to You.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Leader: Have mercy on us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy on us.

Station 8 – Jesus Consoles the Women of Jerusalem
🙏🏼We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.✝️

Seeing Jesus suffer, the women of Jerusalem weep for Him. Jesus turns to them and says, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me; weep for yourselves and for your children.”

🙏🏼 Prayer -
O Jesus, teach us true sorrow for our sins. May our repentance be sincere, and may we never reject Your love.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Leader: Have mercy on us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy on us.

Station 9 – Jesus Falls the Third Time
🙏🏼We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.✝️

Near the summit of Calvary, Jesus’ strength fails Him once more, and He falls for the third time.

🙏🏼 Prayer -
O Jesus, by Your third fall, forgive our repeated sins and help us persevere in grace until the end.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Leader: Have mercy on us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy on us.

Station 10 – Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
🙏🏼We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.✝️

Arriving at Golgotha, Jesus is stripped of His garments and mocked before the crowd.

🙏🏼 Prayer -
O Jesus, strip us of pride and selfishness. Make us humble like You so that we may share in Your glory.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Leader: Have mercy on us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy on us.

Station 11 – Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross
🙏🏼We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.✝️

The Cross is laid upon the ground, and Jesus is stretched upon it. With love and forgiveness, He allows Himself to be nailed to the Cross.

🙏🏼 Prayer -
O Jesus, nailed to the Cross, fasten our hearts to Yours so that we may remain united with You always.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Leader: Have mercy on us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy on us.

Station 12 – Jesus Dies on the Cross
🙏🏼We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.✝️

For three hours, Jesus hangs upon the Cross. In His suffering, He forgives His enemies, promises heaven to the good thief, and entrusts His Mother to His beloved disciple. His mission of love is accomplished. He bows His head and gives up His Spirit.

🙏🏼 Prayer -
O Jesus, we embrace Your saving Cross, on which You died to give us eternal life. Help us to accept our own crosses with love.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Leader: Have mercy on us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy on us.

Station 13 – Jesus Is Taken Down from the Cross
🙏🏼We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.✝️

After His death, Jesus is taken down from the Cross and placed in the arms of His sorrowful Mother.

🙏🏼 Prayer -
O Mary, Mother of Jesus, by your sorrow, help us remain faithful to your Son. Through His death and Resurrection, we have become your children. Pray for us.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Leader: Have mercy on us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy on us.

Station 14 – Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb
🙏🏼We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.✝️

The body of Jesus is placed in the tomb, and the stone is sealed. His suffering is over, and the promise of Resurrection awaits.

🙏🏼 Prayer -
Lord Jesus, Your suffering is over. Sin and death have been conquered. I am Yours. Be the King of my heart. I surrender myself to Your holy will. May Your Kingdom come.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Leader: Have mercy on us, O Lord.
All: Have mercy on us.

🙏🏼 Concluding Prayer ,🙏🏼
Heavenly Father, we have contemplated Your Son, Jesus, on His Way of the Cross. We accept our own crosses in union with Him, trusting that they will lead us to the joy of the Resurrection. We thank You for this gift of faith.
For the intentions of the Holy Father:
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
AMEN

02/20/2026

6:00 PM Stations of the Cross and Mass have been cancelled. See you Sunday!

02/18/2026

Ash Wednesday Mass at St. Joe's is cancelled due to hazardous conditions. Stay safe!

02/02/2026

✝️ MONDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
PRESENTATION OF THE LORD

"A light of revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel."

TODAY'S GOSPEL 📖
Luke 2:22-40

When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:

“Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
-and you yourself a sword will pierce-
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
There was also a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
✨ REFLECTION ✨

HUMILITY LEADS TO GLORY

When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,” and to offer the sacrifice of “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,” in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord. Luke 2:22–24

The Presentation of the Lord reveals two beautiful paradoxes: the purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the ritual redemption of Jesus, her firstborn Son. Both actions follow the Law of Moses, yet each unveils a deeper mystery about Christ and His Mother, offering us a mystery to enter and an example to follow.

First, we ponder the Blessed Virgin Mary’s purification. The Law stated that a woman who gave birth to a son needed ritual purification (cf. Leviticus 12). Yet Mary, being immaculately conceived and preserved entirely from all stain of sin, had no need for purification. Nevertheless, she fulfilled the Law, setting before us a model of perfect humility and obedience. Knowing her own interior purity, she could have objected, but she did not, because she valued obedience to God’s law above her own justification. She teaches us that true holiness embraces humble submission over self-assertion. Humility, in its beauty and holiness, always conquers pride’s selfishness and self-elevation. Our Blessed Mother knew and lived that.

The second paradox is found in Jesus’ presentation. The Law required every firstborn son to be presented to the Lord and redeemed in remembrance of the Passover (cf. Exodus 13; Numbers 3 and 18). Yet Jesus is the eternal Son of God, the true High Priest and Spotless Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. He needed no redemption, for He is God Himself. Still, Christ was presented in the Temple so that we might be presented with Him to the Father. In His humility, He united Himself to our human nature—without sin—so that we might be truly consecrated to God through Him. Again, virtue wins out, as Christ invites us to share in His humility.

The Presentation also foreshadows the other ways Jesus would redeem us through His human life. In His Baptism, though sinless, He submits to a rite of repentance so we might be sanctified through baptism ourselves. In His Passion, though innocent, He suffers for us, paying our debt—a debt we must humbly admit that we cannot repay on our own. In His Resurrection, His humility is crowned with eternal glory, opening the way for us to share in His divine life—if we humble ourselves with Him.

Like our Blessed Mother, we are called to submit obediently to God’s will, rejecting the pride that tempts us to think we are above certain duties or sacrifices. True holiness embraces sacrifice freely out of love, rather than seeking exemption from it. Even undeserved hardships bear fruit when endured with Christ. True holiness also perceives the beauty of joyful obedience to God’s will, rather than asserting our own.

Like Jesus, we are called to offer ourselves completely to the Father. As Jesus was ritually offered in the Temple, we must see ourselves in that offering. He was offered for us. By uniting ourselves with Him in His humility, we are redeemed through His offering to the Father. We become children in the Son, received by the Father who accepted Christ’s perfect offering. In Him, our offering becomes perfect, and we find our eternal home with the Father.

Reflect today on the hidden ways God invites you to imitate these paradoxes. Are there areas where you resist humble obedience, preferring your own will over God’s? Are there sacrifices you are tempted to avoid, forgetting that true love embraces the Cross? Offer yourself to the Father with Mary’s obedience and Christ’s perfect humility so that your life, like theirs, may become a pure offering of love.

Most humble Lord, You were obedient to the Father’s will in all things. From the mystery of Your Incarnation, to Your humble birth in a cave, Your ritual presentation and redemption in the Temple, and Your sacrificial Death and Resurrection, You acted with perfect holiness, humility, and obedience. Please draw me into Your life—into Your Presentation to the Father, Your Death, and Your Resurrection. Live within me, dear Lord, so that I may live in You, sharing in the glory You desire to bestow. Jesus, I trust in You.
AMEN 🙏🏼

11/17/2025

Mark your calendars...

07/10/2025

Please join us in welcoming Father Vinoy, or Father V.P., to our parish! In addition to serving in Bark River, Father Vinoy will be our pastor here in Foster City.

We pray along with our brothers and sisters in Bark River that our time together may be one of learning and growth in the faith and that we may walk together in love of God and one another!

On behalf of St Elizabeth Ann Seton we would like to joyfully welcome Fr. Vinoy (Fr VP) to our parish and we are blessed to have you join us as our new spiritual leader and parish priest! As you begin your parish ministry in Bark River, please know that you will be in our prayers! We look forward to growing in faith together, learning from your wisdom and walking alongside you in service to God and one another.
May your time with us be filled with grace, support and warmth from our community! Welcome and may God bless your mission abundantly! 🙏✝️❤️🏠