Mass Times
Monday - Friday
8:00 am - 12 noon - 5:30 pm
Weekend Mass
Saturday
8:00 am - 12 noon - 4:00 pm
Sunday
8:00 am - 10:00 am - 12 noon
Holiday periods may affect these times
Confession Schedule at end of page
Sacramental Anointing of the Sick
The Sacramental Anointing of the Sick will be offered this Saturday, October 5, and on all First Saturdays after all three Masses
8 AM, 12 Noon and 4 PM
October Holy Hours
Human Trafficking
Tuesday, October 8
4 PM
Light a Devotional Candle
at the Shrine
If you are unable to visit the Shrine in person and would like to have a devotional candle lit, click on the image below.
Pope Francis calls for a Day of Prayer and Fasting for Peace in the World - October 7th
Pope Francis has called for a day of prayer and fasting for peace in the world today. He says, “In this dramatic hour of our history, while the winds of war and the fires of violence continue to devastate entire peoples and nations,” the Christian community is reminded of its call to "put itself at the service of humanity." bit.ly/FastingOct7 #
This Week's Message
from Fr. Amesse
October 6, 2024
Mission Sunday falls on October 20th. Pope Francis wants us to go out and invite people to the banquet of the Lord. The world offers at her banquet: consumerism, selfish comfort, the accumulation of wealth and individualism. What does God offer at the Supper of the Lamb? Joy, sharing, justice and fraternity in communion with God and with others.
We go out. We invite. Do we want to do this? We have so many other things to do. And, what if people refuse to come? Well, they turned down Jesus. But many said yes to Christ. And many will answer us in the affirmative.
The Pope wants all of us to go to the “crossroads.” This is where we meet people who either do not know Christ or have stopped to follow Him. Francis warns about a Church that “imprisons” Jesus: a Church that will not let Christ out. We must not do so. We must go out and invite.
And we do so not by pressuring coercing or proselytizing, but with closeness, compassion and tenderness, and in this way reflecting God’s own way of being and acting. The Lord’s table is filled with succulent food and with fine wines when God will destroy death forever. The kingdom of God is at hand.
At Vatican II we were taught, “The time for missionary activity extends between the 1st coming and the 2nd.” Mission Sunday is in 2 weeks. We are ready to be missionaries. We were commissioned at Baptism. We were strengthened at Confirmation. We are fed at the banquet each Sunday with Holy Communion.
I remember you at Mass!
Welcome Fr. O’Brien!
Fr. Conserva will be away until mid-October and so, Fr. Richard O’Brien will be assisting us with the noon Mass on weekdays – please make him feel welcome.
During this time, please note that weekday morning confessions will end at 11:45 am.
St. Francis of Assisi
Feast Day October 4
St. Francis of Assisi (1181 – 1226) left a life of luxury for a life devoted to Christianity after reportedly hearing the voice of God, who commanded him to rebuild the Christian church and live in poverty. He founded the men's Order of Friars Minor, the women's Order of St. Clare, the Third Order of St. Francis and the Custody of the Holy Land.
Born in 1181 in Italy, St. Francis of Assisi was renowned for drinking and partying as a youth. During a military expedition/battle between Assisi and Perugia, he was captured and imprisoned for ransom. He spent nearly a year in prison and began receiving visions from God. After his release from prison, St. Francis of Assisi claimed to have heard the voice of Christ, who told him to restore the Christian Church and live a life of poverty. As a result, St. Francis of Assisi abandoned his life of luxury and became a devotee of the Catholic faith.
Today, St. Francis of Assisi, known for his deep love of nature and animals, is the patron saint of the environment and animals. Each October, many animals are blessed on his feast day. ©LPi
Gift Shop/Bookstore Hours
Open first Sunday
October 6
9 AM - 1 PM
First Fridays at the Shrine
Next First Friday, November 1
Immediately following the 8:00 am Mass, we will pray the Rosary with reflections written by the Venerable Fulton J. Sheen.
Immediately after the Noon Mass to 5:15 we will have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Please keep First Fridays fervent here at the Shrine by spending some time with our Lord.
Shrine Gift Shop and Bookstore
Fine quality religious mementos to commemorate these milestone events
in the lives of loved ones are on display and available for your hands-on
consideration and purchase.
Visit us today!
Legion of Mary
at the Shrine
Meetings are held in the downstairs Conference Hall each week after the Sunday 12:00 noon Mass.
The Legion of Mary is a Marian movement founded in Ireland in the 1920’s. It is currently the largest apostolic organization of lay people in the Catholic Church.
Pope Francis’ October
Prayer Intention
We pray that the Church continue to sustain in all ways a Synodal lifestyle, as a sign of co-responsibility, promoting the participation, the communion and the mission shared among priests, religious and lay people.
Pure in Heart
Pure in Heart (young adults ages 18-35) meets at 7pm in the Shrine Conference Room on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month. The next session will be October 8th. Learn more
- 5:30 - Mass at the Shrine
- 6:15 - Social
- 7:00 - Meeting
In exile, you experienced living away from your country, culture, language, and environment. The Savior helped you to adapt, learn, and grow from every event.
St. Eugene de Mazenod, lead us to Jesus through the trials of life.
Downes Parking Garage Ticket Validation
- Available in the Gift Shop /Bookstore on Monday through Saturday from 9 am - 5 pm.
- Sunday street parking is always free
- Those attending the Saturday 4 pm Vigil Mass who park in the Downes Garage can still validate their ticket in the Gift Shop before Mass.
Praying with the Stained Glass Windows of
St. Joseph the Worker Shrine
Part I - The 100 Year+ Windows Series
Part II - The St. Joseph Windows
Ring the Bells of the Shrine
Everyday of the year, the “Bells of St. Joseph” ring-out God’s praise for all to hear!
Our Carillon can play Special Hymns of your choice any day of the year. At your request, our chimes will ring in honor of loved ones for the entire community to hear and prayerfully remember.Your offering of $20.00 will be greatly appreciated and will assist us in maintaining the Shrine and its ministries. Thank You!
Bell-ringing selections may be reserved for specific days & times throughout the year(s) in the Shrine Gift Shop/Bookstore.
St. Eugene de Mazenod’s Prayer to the Sorrowful Mother
O Lord, Almighty God, you endowed the Blessed Virgin Mary with the fullness of every gift and grace. By allowing her heart to be pierced with the deepest sorrow, you crowned her merit and placed her at the head of countless legions of martyrs who, for love of your Son Jesus Christ, have shed their blood. Through the painful martyrdom endured by this gentle Mother seeing her beloved Son dying as a Victim because of his love for us, grant us the grace to bear with fortitude the disappointments and setbacks in our life, and not to fear torment or death itself, when we are called to confess our faith in Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
Shrine Memorial Plaques
Since 1868, this holy place - dedicated to the honor of St. Joseph - has been a treasured oasis of prayer and serenity in the heart of the city of Lowell. For generations, many have found great solace and experienced healing and reconciliation for themselves and their families within this holy sanctuary.
In gratitude many have chosen to memorialize their loved ones by inscribing their names on the very walls of this grace-filled place. To inscribe the names of loved ones on our newly expanded Remembrance Wall, please make arrangements in the Gift Shop/Bookstore – at the same desk where Masses are registered.
Confession and Adoration
Confession
Mon - Friday
10:00 am - noon
4:30 pm - 5:15 pm
Saturday
10:00 am - 1:00 pm
First Wednesday of the month
Eucharistic Adoration
The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for adoration on -
Saturday after the noon Mass until the 4:00 pm Mass
First Fridays after the noon Mass until the 5:30 pm Mass
Gift Shop, Office and Museum Hours
Monday - Friday
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Rebecca Duda, Bulletin Editor
Jessica Rauseo, Business Office Manager
Gift Shop & Bookstore
Aurea Torres, Gift Shop Manager
Hours
Monday - Saturday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
First Sunday of each month 8:30 am - 1:30 pm
If for any reason you're still unable to visit the Shrine or Gift Shop and you'd like to book a Mass Intention request please call the Gift Shop Manager at 978-459-9522 x213 or email AureaTorres@stjosephshrine.org
Oblate Historical Museum
Brother Richard Cote, Museum Curator
Saturdays 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Sundays 8:30 am -1:15 pm
During Lent - Wednesday 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Say NO to Physician Assisted Suicide in Massachusetts
Learn more