Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Church

08/31/2026

Fr. Joseph's Column this week

You Were Made for Greatness, Not Just Comfort

In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus says something that does not sound comfortable at all: "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me." [Mt 16:24]. That is not comfort. That is a call to greatness.
As we begin Faith Formation this September, I want to take you back to your child's baptism. On that day, God planted something miraculous in their soul: the precious seed of supernatural faith. Pure gift. Pure grace. But a seed is not meant to remain a seed. It is meant to grow, take root, and bear fruit - if it is nurtured.
Jesus says it clearly: "Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" [Mt 19:14]. This is not a gentle suggestion. It is a loving command. Christ desires your children to know Him personally.

We know these years matter so much. Research from St. Mary's Press and CARA shows the median age young people step away from the Church is 13, and 74% make that decision between ages 10 and 20. This is not to frighten us, but to remind us: we are in the decisive window. God has entrusted these souls to us for such a time as this.
Why is it hard? Sometimes young hearts wrestle with teachings. Sometimes they feel unseen. For many families, travel sports pull us from Sunday Mass. Constant digital noise and a culture that says "faith can wait" make belief harder.

Jesus described this in the Parable of the Sower: "The birds came and ate it up" [Mt 13:4] when seed was left exposed. Today, those birds have new names - tournaments replacing Mass, the endless scroll, and the quiet lie that comfort equals happiness. But comfort alone can never satisfy the soul made for God.
As Pope Benedict XVI told young people: "The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness."
Our children were made for greatness - to know and love the living God.
We see what rich soil can do in Saints Louis and Zélie Martin. In a secularizing France, they refused to let the culture steal their children's faith. They cultivated it simply at home through prayer, work, and faithful Sunday Mass. God brought an incredible harvest - all five daughters gave their lives to God, including St. Thérèse, Doctor of the Church.

This is where your beautiful vocation shines. You are the first stewards of that seed. One day God will not ask us how much we achieved. He will ask in love: "How did you tend the precious seed I placed in your care?"

We do this together, as family and parish:
1. The Soil of the Parish: We promise to offer fertile ground through Mass, Confession, and joyful formation. Faith Formation begins in September; registration forms are at the end of the church and in the office. As St. John Bosco reminds us, "It is not enough to love the young; they must know that they are loved."

2. The Water and Sun of the Home: Nothing can replace your home. Three small habits help roots grow deep:
○ Pray together daily, even for two minutes;
○ Speak of God naturally at home;
○ Keep Sunday Mass as our joyful, non-negotiable encounter with Him.
As the Catechism teaches, "Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children in the faith" [CCC 2226] and "The family is the first school of prayer" [CCC 2688].
And to our whole parish family - grandparents, teens, and those who pray quietly in the pew - you matter immensely. Smile at our children. Learn their names. Pray for them. Let them see that faith is truly lived.

If you feel called to teach, to listen, to walk with a child in faith, please consider becoming a catechist. Contact the office. Your presence could be the light a child remembers forever.
Together, let us bring our children to Him - and never stand in their way.
May God bless you and your family,
Fr. Joseph Tuan Pham

08/30/2026

08/29/2026

Dear holy Parishioners,

We invite you to help spread the Word of God through our parish social media platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

Please feel free to share our posts with your family and friends. By doing so, we can reach thousands more people with the message of Christ, bringing faith, hope, and encouragement to those who need it most. In today's digital world, each of us can be a missionary wherever we are.

Thank you for helping us build up our parish community and share the Gospel with all.
May God bless you and your families.

08/26/2026

08/25/2026

"My dearest son, my first instruction is that you should love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your strength. Without this there is no salvation."

St. Louis, King of France (Feast Day - August 25th)
From his Spiritual Testament to his son
St. Louis, pray for us!

08/24/2026

Fr. Joseph's Column
August 23, 2026
When We Feel Nothing, God Is Still Working: The Discipline of Faith
Part II – The Divine Exchange

Last week we began with my friend's honest question: "Why do I have to go to Mass when I get nothing out of it?" We saw that love seeks presence. If Christ gave His life for us, surely we can give Him this one hour with a whole heart.

But my friend had a second question: "Okay Father, I come. But sometimes I feel nothing at Mass. Is that normal?"

In the Gospel, Jesus gives us the answer. In John 6, many disciples leave Him because His teaching on the Eucharist is hard. Peter stays and says, "Lord, to whom shall we go?" He doesn't stay because he feels inspired. He stays because he knows who Jesus is.

That is the other side of the mystery we began last week. If Part I was about what we bring to the altar, Part II is about what Christ does with it.

At every Mass, Christ's once-for-all sacrifice on the Cross is made present on the altar. As St. John Vianney said, "All the good works in the world are not equal to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, because it is the work of God." We do not add to His perfect sacrifice. We are invited to place our small, imperfect lives upon the paten next to it - our joys, our exhaustion, our work, our sorrows - so that He can transform them. The Fathers called this the admirable exchange: He takes what is ours and gives us what is His.

In the Eucharist, He gives Himself completely - Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity - so that He may enter every part of our lives. As the Preface prays, "You have no need of our praise, yet our desire to thank you is itself your gift." We do not come to chase a feeling. We come to deepen a relationship.

And that relationship is often quiet and hidden.

You may have sat through the Eucharistic Prayer thinking more about the grocery list, the bills, or the pain in your knee than the mystery on the altar. The parent with a toddler on the hip watching the clock, the farmer coming in tired from the morning work, the widow sitting in a pew that now feels too big - you are not alone, and you are not failing.

During my years in the seminary, I once told my spiritual mentor, "Father, sometimes I feel nothing at Mass. What should I do?" He answered simply, "I do not care what you feel. If you remain faithful and come to Mass, you are doing well. It is not about you. Do not let your emotions rule your faith."

His words were freeing. Archbishop Fulton Sheen called ours a "sensate age," where we measure everything by how it makes us feel. If we only act when we feel inspired, we become servants of our emotions. The saints teach us something different. Dryness in prayer is normal - it is how God purifies our love so that we seek not the consolation of God, but the God of consolation.

A bishop once told this parable: An elderly man came to Mass faithfully every Sunday for many years. After his wife died and his children moved away, he became homebound and lonely. One Sunday, a young man began to visit him. The visits continued every week and soon became the old man's greatest joy.

As death approached, the old man asked, "My friend, you have come every Sunday. Who are you?" The young man smiled and replied, "For many years you came to meet Me at Mass. Now I come to meet you and bring you home."

At that moment, the old man understood his quiet fidelity had never gone unnoticed.

This is the heart of the Mass: remaining faithful to the One who is always faithful to us. When we stop asking, "What do I get from this?" and begin asking with Peter, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" - the Mass becomes the place where heaven touches earth, Christ feeds us with the Bread of Life, and our hearts are slowly formed in humility, fidelity, and love.

Even when we feel nothing, God is still working.

May God bless us all,

Fr. Joseph Tuan Pham

08/23/2026

📢 Important Announcement!

The parish will now be live-streaming through our new official page:
St. Joseph Catholic Church Greenwich New York�https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563658559499

Our current page, Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, will be discontinued in a couple of weeks.
We kindly ask all parishioners and friends to follow our new page to stay updated on parish news, events, live streams, and important communications.
Thank you for your understanding, support, and cooperation. May God bless you!

Church

08/23/2026

Church

08/21/2026

Memorial of Saint Pius X, the Pope of the Eucharist.
John 21:15-17

Today, we celebrate the Memorial of St. Pius X, one of the great Popes in the history of the Church.

He accomplished many important things: he reformed sacred music, defended the faith against modernism, and began the work that eventually led to the Code of Canon Law.

But if you ask, "What is St. Pius X remembered for most?"

The answer is simple:

He is the Pope of the Eucharist.

Before St. Pius X, many Catholics received Holy Communion very rarely. Some thought: "I am not holy enough to receive Jesus."

Pius X said, "No. That's backwards. You don't come because you are holy. You come to BECOME holy."

He encouraged frequent, even daily, Holy Communion and lowered the age for First Communion to about seven years old. He wanted children to encounter Jesus in the Eucharist as early as possible.

That is why St. Pius X is also known as the patron of First Communicants.

For him, the message was clear: If we truly love Jesus, we cannot be indifferent to the Eucharist.

And today's Gospel gives us the perfect question.

Jesus asks Peter: "Do you love me?" (John 21:15-17)

Jesus asks us the same question.

Not simply: "Do you go to Mass?"

But deeper: "Do you love Me?" "Do you love Me in the Eucharist?"

If we truly do, it should change us in three simple ways:

1. Come hungry.
Don't come to Mass simply out of habit. Come because you desire Jesus. Come with a heart that says, "Lord, I need You."

2. Stay a little longer.
After Mass, spend five quiet minutes thanking Jesus. If you can, spend an hour with Him in Eucharistic Adoration. Sometimes the greatest prayer is simply being with Him.

3. Become what you receive.
The Eucharist sends us back into the world to love. Feed His sheep with greater patience, forgiveness, kindness, and compassion.

Peter finally says: "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you."

Can we say the same today?

St. Pius X, Pope of the Eucharist, pray for us. Help us to love Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament more deeply, receive Him more faithfully, and become more like Him every day.

Jesus, in the Eucharist, I trust in You.