We are happy to announce that the Adorno Fathers will be celebrating 75 years of their presence at Saint Joseph Parish in Lodi. The Most Reverend Thomas Donato will officiate at a solemn Mass on December 30, 2011 at 7:00 pm in order to give thanks to God for His blessings. It was on December 30, 1936 that Father Michael DeAngelis, CRM reported to Saint Joseph as pastor. Many events will take place during the year and will be announced in future issues of this newsletter.

Even though within the life of the Church the span of 75 years is a very short time, in the life of the Borough of Lodi, and especially within the Catholic community of Saint Joseph, these years are many and worthy of being remembered and celebrated. These years point to the building up of a parish community almost from its beginning, the sacrifice of so many religious and lay people, of pastoral activities of all kinds, of the joy of building, along with many sacrifices, a beautiful and functional parish church and rectory. Over the years, Saint Joseph church has been a home for our parishioners: here their children were baptized and confirmed, here we said goodbye to our beloved deceased in the hope of the resurrection, here couples have been blessed by our priests as they began to form Christian families, here religious professions and ordinations to the Adorno Fathers have taken place. The people of the parish of St. Joseph in Lodi will celebrate this anniversary as a commitment for the future with the Adorno Fathers. We take Christ’s words to his disciples very seriously “You are the light of the world”. We pray that the presence of the Catholic community of Lodi along with the Adorno Fathers, will continue to bring the light of Christ to others.

His Grace, Most Reverend John Joseph Myers, Archbishop of Newark, recently wrote to the parishioners and Adorno Fathers of St. Joseph in Lodi that “The celebration of almost eight decades of sharing the charism of a religious community, and of proclaiming and living the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is a welcome opportunity for any Catholic community, but it is especially so for one within this great Archdiocese. We always have been a local Church of diverse people with rich faith traditions, welcoming the stranger and seeking to incorporate their many faith experiences into the larger Church. I am sure that during this time of celebration you are discovering many inspirational stories about the ministry of the Clerics Regular Minor among you through the years. It is my hope that the experiences of your early parishioners, and of the special gifts that the Adorno Fathers have brought, will spur the people of St. Joseph Church to be a shining example of a Catholic Christian community that embraces all with fervor and devotion, and encourages evangelization”.

Let us pray that God will continue to bless the Adorno Fathers and the parish of Saint Joseph with an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

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