St. Joseph Catholic Church

Parish office closed for STAY HOME order. But you can still reach us.
25 Mar 2020
The mandatory STAY HOME Mandate has started and the parish office is now closed, however you can still reach Susan on her Cell at 360.961.9374 or via this email address bookkeeping@stjosephferndale.org
Mass Intentions during Coronavirus Pandemic
23 Mar 2020
Father Thumbi celebrates the Holy Mass privately every day. The Catholic Church has a long tradition of offering Masses for prayer intentions and for the souls of the faithful. Many people offer a Mass intention for the repose of the soul of a loved one, but it’s also common to request a Mass in thanksgiving to our Lord, for health and blessing or special intentions. Intentions can even be offered for someone on their birthday, anniversary, or wedding day. Whatever your intention may be, Father Thumbi will be pleased to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for your intention. … [Read more…]
How to Support your parish during the Coronavirus pandemic
13 Mar 2020
As many around the world struggle with the Coronavirus, Our Tri-Parish community (St. Joseph, St. Anne, and St. Joachim) has not been immune to the effects caused by these recent events. Yesterday’s directive from Archbishop Etienne to suspend all Masses and activities, was an important step in helping slow the spread of the virus. This decision was not taken lightly. It was made from concern for the common good and care of the vulnerable in our community. This important step will seriously impact our weekly collection. Like most parishes, 90% of our revenue comes from the generous support of our … [Read more…]

Sunday Gospel reflections: Active spectators April 3, 2020
‘Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test.’ (Matthew 26:41) We are beginning the most spiritually moving and powerful week of the Church year. To me, this week has always felt different. During the rest of the year, we are fully engaged in the Christian message. But this week, I feel like a […]
Living with Christ
Daily Gospel reflections: Surrendering to God April 3, 2020
Lord, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer. (Psalm 18:3) Spiritual combats are a certainty of life. We skirmish with disenchantment, discouragement, and darkness; battle with our desires for prestige, popularity, and power; and may even wage war against feelings of low self-esteem and subsequent doubts about God’s unconditional love. Today the psalmist reassures us that […]
Living with Christ
Tuesday of the First Week of Lent April 3, 2020
Tuesday of the First Week of Lent Readings: Isaiah 55:10-11 Psalms 34:4-5, 6-7, 16-17, 18-19 Matthew 6:7-15 The post Tuesday of the First Week of Lent appeared first on Catholic Digest.
Catholic Digest
Was it worth it? April 2, 2020
This is the tale of two holy lives and two … not so holy ones. Sts. Theodulus and Agathopodes (died 303, feast day April 5) were members of the clergy in the church at Thessalonica (aka Salonica) in Greece. The bustling city was part of the Roman Empire, under the dominion of the unholy Emperor […]
Susie Lloyd
Daily Gospel reflections: Trusting God’s promise to us April 2, 2020
Both Abraham and Jesus stepped out in faith when God called. Abraham left his homeland and everything that was familiar, trusting that God would bring him safely to his journey’s end, wherever that might be. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus surrendered his life into the Father’s hands. We, too, are called to trust God, […]
Living with Christ

Coping with unemployment: ‘Be not afraid’ March 31, 2020
The Catholic Church has always extolled the virtue and dignity of work. Popes have written about it. Catholic social teaching explains the theological foundation of it. We even have a patron saint for workers in St. Joseph. So what are we to think when we suddenly find ourselves out of work? This is a difficult question […]
Aaron T. Martin
‘Love begins at home’ March 30, 2020
In 1977 my mom and dad took me and my younger sister to see the original Star Wars movie on the big screen at Cortana Mall in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which housed a new theater that had just opened a few months earlier. I was almost 7 years old. The only crystal-clear memory I have of that […]
Jeff Young
Expressing anger appropriately in our modern age March 30, 2020
Whenever an injustice befalls us, it’s natural for anger to surface. Think of the times you have experienced betrayal, deception, or some type of misunderstanding. It’s not an emotion we’re comfortable with, especially as Catholic Christians, because we’re conditioned to believe (falsely) the sunny spirituality of “everything happens for a reason” and “look at the […]
Jeannie Ewing
The power of our presence to one another February 5, 2020
Here we go again, I thought to myself as I entered the care facility to visit “Margaret,” the woman to whom I was assigned to visit as a volunteer with a local hospice organization. I drew a breath, said a quick prayer, knocked on the door, and walked a few steps into her room. I […]
Steve Givens
A Catholic response to suicide January 29, 2020
The severity of the suicide epidemic in the United States is a public health issue. What causes it, how to understand it, and how to prevent it has become a more common conversation, and yet suicide still remains a complex, sensitive, and difficult issue. While increased research attention has been given to suicide during the […]
Laura Lewis