St. Joseph Catholic Church, Middletown, CA

08/31/2026

Our Grotto’s New Face

We are deeply grateful to Alex Moya of Rancho Supply Middletown, as well as Sonia & Jose Ramirez of Groundskeeping, for giving our Grotto a beautiful new face.
Special Thanks To:
Filemon Sanchez
Bernardo & Laura Rosales
Aram & Angelita Thuesen
Lourdes Cervantes
Servidores de María

08/28/2026

FEAST OF ST. AUGUSTINE

Have a very Blessed day as we celebrate the Feast of St Augustine.

Feast day Prayers by St Augustine of Hippo

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Breathe in me O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy.
Strengthen me O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy.
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. Amen.

Let Me Know Myself

Let me Know Myself Lord Jesus,
let me know myself and know You,
And desire nothing save only You.

Let me hate myself and love You.
Let me do everything for the sake of You.
Let me humble myself and exalt You.
Let me think of nothing except You.
Let me die to myself and live in You.
Let me accept whatever happens as from You.
Let me banish self and follow You,
And ever desire to follow You.
Let me fly from myself and take refuge in You, That I may deserve to be defended by You. Let me fear for myself, let me fear You, And let me be among those who are chosen by You. Let me distrust myself and put my trust in You. Let me be willing to obey for the sake of You.

Let me cling to nothing save only to You,
And let me be poor because of You.
Look upon me, that I may love You.
Call me that I may see You, and for ever enjoy You. Amen.

… St Augustine of Hippo, Pray for Us …

08/27/2026

FEAST OF ST. MONICA
Have a very Blessed Day as we celebrate the Feast of St Monica. Tomorrow we celebrate the Feast Day of her Son St Augustine of Hippo. May they continue to watch over us all. St Monica & St Augustine we ask that you guide all those who are far from the church so that they may grow in Love with our Lord.

We pray to our Lord for the same divine wisdom, faith, determination, hope and love which St. Monica had so that we may put all the means at our reach −prayer, sacraments and sacrifices−, without giving up on our loved ones in order to gain eternal salvation for them.

Feast Day Prayer
Litany of Saint Monica

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of Heaven,
have mercy on us.

God, the Son, Redeemer of the world,
have mercy on us.

God the Holy Spirit,
have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, one God,
have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, conceived without stain of original sin,
pray for us and for our children.

Holy Mary, glorious Mother of Jesus Christ,
pray for us and for our children.

St. Monica,
pray for us and for our children.

Model of wives,
pray for us and for our children.

You who converted your unbelieving husband, Mother of St. Augustine,
pray for us and for our children.

Strict and prudent teacher, guardian of your son in all his ways,
pray for us and for our children.

You who carefully watched over his conduct,
pray for us and for our children.

You who were sorely distressed at his erring from the right,
pray for us and for our children.

You who were untiring in your petitions for his soul’s safety,
pray for us and for our children.

You who still hoped on amid the bitterness of your heart and your floods of tears,
pray for us and for our children.

You who were filled with consolation upon his return to God,
pray for us and for our children.

You who died calmly after faithfully fulfilling your duties,
pray for us and for our children.

You who are the prayerful intercessor of all mothers who pray and weep as you did,
pray for us and for our children.

Preserve the innocence of our children,
we beseech you, St. Monica.

Protect them against the deceits of evil men,
we beseech you, St. Monica.

Protect them from the dangers of bad example,
we beseech you, St. Monica.

Watch over the movements of grace in their hearts.

Let the Christian virtues strike deep root in their hearts and bear much fruit.

Redouble your intercession for youth approaching manhood and womanhood.

Obtain for all in mortal sin true contrition and perfect conversion.

Obtain for all mothers to fulfill their duties steadily and perseveringly.

Commend all mothers to the protection
of the ever-blessed Virgin Mother of Our Lord.

Favorably incline the heart of your beloved son Augustine
to the salvation of our children.

St. Augustine, holy son of a saintly mother,
pray for us and for our children.

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,
spare us, O Lord!

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,
graciously hear us, O Lord!

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us, O Lord!

Pray for us, O holy St. Monica,
That we may be worthy of the promises of Christ.

Amen.

08/22/2026

The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Have a very Blessed day as we celebrate the Queenship of Mother Mary.

On August 22, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates a memorial in honor of the Queenship of Mary. This memorial is placed an octave, that is, eight days after celebrating Mary's Assumption into Heaven. The Queenship can be considered a prolongation of the celebration of the Assumption.

Pope Pius XII established this feast in 1954. But Mary’s queenship has roots in Scripture. At the Annunciation, Gabriel announced that Mary’s Son would receive the throne of David and rule forever. At the Visitation, Elizabeth calls Mary “mother of my Lord.” As in all the mysteries of Mary’s life, she is closely associated with Jesus: Her queenship is a share in Jesus’ kingship. We can also recall that in the Old Testament the mother of the king has great influence in court.

In the fourth century Saint Ephrem called Mary “Lady” and “Queen.” Later Church fathers and doctors continued to use the title. Hymns of the 11th to 13th centuries address Mary as queen: “Hail, Holy Queen,” “Hail, Queen of Heaven,” “Queen of Heaven.” The Dominican rosary and the Franciscan crown as well as numerous invocations in Mary’s litany celebrate her queenship.

In his 1954 encyclical To the Queen of Heaven, Pius XII points out that Mary deserves the title because she is Mother of God, because she is closely associated as the New Eve with Jesus’ redemptive work, because of her preeminent perfection, and because of her intercessory power.

Reflection

As Saint Paul suggests in Romans 8:28–30, God has predestined human beings from all eternity to share the image of his Son. All the more was Mary predestined to be the mother of Jesus. As Jesus was to be king of all creation, Mary, in dependence on Jesus, was to be queen. All other titles to queenship derive from this eternal intention of God. As Jesus exercised his kingship on earth by serving his Father and his fellow human beings, so did Mary exercise her queenship. As the glorified Jesus remains with us as our king till the end of time (Matthew 28:20), so does Mary, who was assumed into heaven and crowned queen of heaven and earth.

PRAYER

O Mary Immaculate Queen, look down upon this distressed and suffering world. You know our misery and our weakness. O you who art our Mother, saving us in the hour of peril, have compassion on us in these days of great and heavy trial.

Jesus has confided to you the treasure of His Grace, and through you He wills to grant us pardon and mercy. In these hours of anguish, therefore, your children come to you as their hope.

We recognise your Queenship and ardently desire your triumph. We need a Mother and a Mother's Heart. You are for us the luminous dawn which dissipates our darkness and points out the way to life. In your clemency obtain for us the courage and the confidence of which we have such need.

Most Holy and Adorable Trinity, You who crowned with glory in Heaven the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Savior, grant that all her children on earth may acknowledge her as their Sovereign Queen, that all hearts, homes, and nations may recognise her rights as Mother and as Queen. Amen.

MARY IMMACULATE QUEEN
Triumph and Reign!

08/20/2026

We remember on this day- The Visit of the Relic of St. Jude

The First Class Relic- The Arm of Saint Jude, The Apostle of the Impossible is in Saint Joseph Parish Middletown

08/19/2026

Youth Retreat- Life in Abundance- in Pictures

08/19/2026

Couples Retreat- Life in Abundance- in Pictures

08/15/2026

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Have a very Blessed Assumption of Mary Feast Day. Mother Mary always listens to us, she is always close to us, and being Mother of the Son, participates in the power of the Son and in his goodness. May we always entrust the whole of our lives to Mother Mary, who is not far from any one of us.
May Our Mother, our Queen in Heaven watch over you all and continue to intercede for us according to God's will.

Assumption of Our Lady Feast Day Prayer
written by Pope Pius X.

O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God and Mother of men.

We believe with all the fervor of our faith in your triumphal Assumption, both in body and soul, into heaven, where you are acclaimed as Queen by all the choirs of angels and all the legions of saints; and we unite with them to praise and bless the Lord who has exalted you above all other pure creatures, and to offer you the tribute of our devotion and our love.

We know that your gaze, which on earth watched over the humble and suffering humanity of Jesus, is filled in heaven with the vision of that Humanity glorified, and with the vision of Uncreated Wisdom; and that the joy of your soul in the direct contemplation of the adorable Trinity causes your heart to throb with overwhelming tenderness. And we, poor sinners, whose body weighs down the flight of the soul, beg you to purify our hearts, so that, while we remain here below, we may learn to see God, and God alone, in the beauties of His creatures.

We trust that your merciful eyes may deign to glance down upon our miseries and our sorrows, upon our struggles and our weaknesses; that your countenance may smile upon our joys and our victories; that you may hear the voice of Jesus saying to you of each one of us, as He once said to you of His beloved disciple: behold thy son.

And we who call upon you as our Mother, like John, take you as the guide, strength, and consolation of our mortal life. We are inspired by the certainty that your eyes which wept over the earth, watered by the Blood of Jesus, are yet turned toward this world, held in the clutch of wars, persecutions, and oppression of the just and the weak. And from the shadows of this vale of tears, we seek in your heavenly assistance and tender mercy comfort for our aching hearts and help in the trials of the Church and of our fatherland.

We believe, finally, that in the glory where you reign, clothed with the sun and crowned with the stars, you are, after Jesus, the joy and gladness of all the angels and of all the saints. And from this earth, over which we tread as pilgrims, comforted by our faith in the future resurrection, we look to you, our life, our sweetness, and our hope; draw us onward with the sweetness of your voice, that one day, after our exile, you may show us Jesus, the blessed Fruit of your womb.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary, Pray for us

Amen

08/14/2026

Feast of St. Maximillian Kolbe, Martyr

Have a very Blessed day as we celebrate the Feast of St Maximilian Kolbe. Priest, martyr, founder of the largest Franciscan community of his day, and recipient of a visitation of Our Lady herself when just a young man.

St. Maximilian Kolbe was born in Poland in 1894 and at about the age of 10 had a vision of the Virgin Mary. She offered him a white crown and a red crown, representing purity and martyrdom. He chose both, a foreshadowing of his life to come. In 1910, he joined the Conventual Franciscan Order. He was sent to study in Rome where founded the M.I. on October 16, 1917.

Ordained a priest in 1918, Father Maximilian returned to Poland and began his untiring missionary activity, starting a monthly magazine and establishing two evangelisation centers dedicated to the Immaculate Virgin: Niepokalanów, the “City of the Immaculata,” in Poland, and Mugenzai no Sono in Japan, and envisioned missionary centers worldwide. To better “win the world for Christ through the Immaculata,” the friars utilised the most modern techniques. St. Maximilian used short-wave radio and planned to build a motion picture studio.

In 1939, during WWII, at Niepokalanów he welcomed thousands of refugees, especially Jews. In 1941, St. Maximilian was arrested by the N***s and taken to the Auschwitz concentration camp.

At Auschwitz he was known discreetly to give his own food to other prisoners, even as his own health crumbled, to hear confessions and, in the face of stern prohibitions, to celebrate mass. It was late in July 1941 that a prisoner in his own block escaped, and now Kolbe stepped forward to make his sacrifice.

In the starvation cell six of the ten who had been selected died within two weeks. Kolbe was still fully conscious when, on the eve of the Assumption of Mary, 14th August 1941, he was killed by lethal injection.

St. Maximillian is the patron saint of families, prisoners, journalists, political prisoners, drug addicts, the pro-life movement and those with eating disorders.

St. John Paul II declared him to be “the patron saint of our difficult century.” The evils which made the twentieth century so difficult were not left behind as we moved into the twenty-first century.

Maximilian lived an extraordinary life. His love and devotion for Our Lady and his sure belief in her intercessory power and maternal care, saw him start the Militia Immaculata movement which encourages its members to consecrate themselves to Our Lady's Immaculate Heart. On this day, let us entrust ourselves to our dear Mother's special care and ask her to use us in crushing the head of the Enemy too, so as to bring about the Triumph of her Immaculate Heart in our own day.

Prayer

St. Maximilian, amidst the hate and lonely misery of Auschwitz, you brought love into the lives of fellow captives and sowed the seeds of hope amidst despair. You bore witness to the world by word and deed that "Love alone creates." Help me to become more like you. With the Church and Mary and you, may I proclaim that "Love alone creates." To the hungry and oppressed, the naked and homeless, the scorned and hated, the lonely and despairing, may I proclaim the power of Christ's love, which endures forever and ever.

Amen.

St Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us

Amen

08/13/2026