Programs & Events

Get Involved!

St Joseph’s Catholic Church encourages and needs members to get involved. There are many opportunities for service and fellowship. If you would like to get connected to one of these ministries or social groups, please contact the parish office or use our online form.

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Christian Faith Formation

Have an encounter with Jesus Christ

In 2020, Bishop Edward Rice said, we, as a diocese, have a shared vision, “to live our faith joyfully, as intentional disciples, leading everyone to a full life Jesus Christ.” Within this vision, he references three priorities:

  • Growth in holiness
  • Forming intentional disciples
  • Be sent out to witness.

Bishop Rice also spoke of evangelization by stating that “every parish activity should be facilitating an encounter with Jesus Christ”. All of St. Joseph’s education and formation programs are designed to assist our parishioners as they deepen their encounter with Jesus Christ.

Small Faith-Sharing Groups

Small groups of St. Joseph parishioners meet for six weekly sessions in the fall and six weekly sessions in the spring, following a tradition of fellowship that is thirty years old. These small groups gather for

While each group can develop its own style, in recent years most groups enjoyed the following “rhythm” that has proven successful:

  1. We focus the sessions on one of the programs on Formed.org (about 15 to 20 minutes in length).
  2. Following the presentation, the “life” of the small group develops as participants share their faith with one another. Questions are developed in advance that promote this kind of faith sharing.

Youth Group

Our Youth Group combines social activities for our teens along with weekly faith-education meetings. Past social activities have included bowling nights, movie nights, trips to 1984 arcade – as well as larger social activities where we met with other area Youth Groups events including a Square Dance and Holy Thursday church pilgrimage. Want to participate? Reach out to

    Family Formation (Parish Sunday School)

    Family Formation is our Parish “Sunday School” for the elementary ages. All parents of elementary-aged children (children who are not enrolled in a Catholic Elementary School, which by their nature already cover faith education) are encouraged to enroll their children in Family Formation.

    Our program meets once a month in person; kids meet with their own instructor, and parents/caregivers meet with their own instructor who will supply teaching materials for the rest of the month. Families then go through the supplied materials at their own pace throughout the rest of the month.

    When is the next in-person meeting? It usually happens the second Sunday of the month, 9:15 am in the St. Joseph Catholic Academy building.

    The curriculum leads our youth to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and discusses various themes of Catholic belief and practice in a manner appropriate for the developmental level of the students.

    For more information, reach out to Silvia Weil or Ron Yates.

    Liturgy Assistance

    There are lots of opportunities for you to help celebrate the Mass.

    Lector: Assist with reading the Mass readings and carry the Book of the Gospels into Mass when a deacon is not present. Teenagers and adults are welcome to volunteer! Reach out to our current lector trainer, Cyndi Berry.

    Altar Server: Assist the priest and/or deacon during Mass by carrying the cross and candles during the entrance procession, helping to prepare the Altar, holding the prayer book for the priest, and a number of other duties. Anyone who has already had First Communion is welcome to participate – we encourage Altar Servers of all ages. (We want adults too!)

    Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion: Assist the Pastor in distributing communion during Mass and/or take communion to the homebound. Must be a confirmed Catholic and a member of St. Joseph’s parish. Those wishing to take communion to the homebound should also be Virtus Certified. For more information on becoming an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, please reach out to our parish directly.

    Usher or Greeter: Some may view this as one of our lesser ministries, but being an Usher or Greeter is vitally important to our Parish. To many who attend, you are the face of St. Joseph Parish. Therefore, we need people who are up to the challenge of courteously meeting and greeting those who enter the church for Mass! Ushers and Greeters assist newcomers and visitors with information. Ushers also assist with seating people and taking up the collection, and may assist with locking the side door and minor security duties. Teenagers through adults may volunteer. For more information, please reach out to our parish directly.

    Cantor/Song Leader/Choir Member/Instrumentalist: As a cantor, song leader or choir member, you would lead congregation in singing, as well as singing the responsorial Psalm and various Mass parts. Instrumentalists (aka people who can play the organ, piano, or other instruments) are also, well, instrumental in creating the optimal faith-filled Please reach out for more information.

    Liturgy Committee / Decoration:  The pastor works with this committee and individuals in planning the calendar of Masses for the parish, organized around the Roman Catholic Liturgical calendar. We plan and provide the liturgical environment such as decorating with flowers, banners, and seasonal items. Liturgy education is a part of each meeting. There are six meetings a year on weekday afternoons.

    Administrative

    There are opportunities to assist the office staff of St. Joseph Church.

    Office Assistance: Answer the telephone, assist with mailings, bulletin stuffing, etc.

    Money Counting: Assist with counting the Sunday collection.

    Event Coordination: Assist the staff with coordination of special events, such as the Christmas giving tree, Thanksgiving & Christmas food baskets, parish picnic, and other parish-wide social events.

    Photography: Assist with photography of church grounds and special events.

    Technology: Assist with computer and web-related needs.

    Repair & Maintenance: This crew meets on the 1st Wednesday of the month at 7 pm. Their “work day” is the 3rd Saturday of the month.

    Finance Council: Members are appointed by the pastor to assist with the planning and administration of the parish finances.

    Pastoral Council: Members of this council are nominated by the current council and elected by the congregation of the parish to serve in the planning and administration of the parish as a whole. Meetings are typically held on the first Thursday of the month at 6 pm in the Parish Hall.

    Prayer

    Eucharistic Adoration: Spend time adoring the Blessed Sacrament. For access to the Adoration Chapel or to sign up for a specific time to adore, reach out to Rose.

    Prayer Hotline: An email/phone tree for prayer needs of the parish and its members. To send in a request for the prayer hotline (or to request to be one of the prayer chain participants) reach out to us.

    Rosary Leader: Assist with leading group rosaries before Masses, on special occasions, and on a regular basis. For more information, reach out.

    Oblates of St. Benedict: Individuals who have made a formal private promise to follow the Rule of St Benedict in their private lives. Reach out to Cyndi for more information.

    Companions of Mary: Individuals who meet regularly to learn and devote themselves more deeply to the Blessed Mother through prayer and relationship. For more information, reach out to Betty, or just show up at one of our weekly meetings in the Parish Hall Library on Fridays mornings after Mass (roughly 9:30).

    Outreach

    The geographical boundaries for St. Joseph’s parish are roughly from Chestnut north to the Greene County line, and from Boonville west to the Greene County line. While many of our parishioners live in other parts of the city, the boundaries specify in a special way the people we are called to serve in our community.

    The Parish Outreach Committee meets quarterly to address our progress in implementing outreach and support strategies. For more information, reach out to donemge@stjosephspmo.org.

    Prison Ministry

    Deacon (emeritus) Mat Fletcher coordinates a team of volunteers who serve those incarcerated in the Greene County Jail.

    Food Pantry

    Our parish food pantry (located at 1114 N. Main Avenue, Springfield) is open on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thanks to Ozarks Food Harvest for their generous support.

    Please provide two forms of ID and a piece of mail with your current address.

    Want to volunteer? Please contact admin@stjosephspmo.org for more info.

    Individual Assistance

    The parish receives numerous requests for assistance.  Because of the generosity of our parishioners, we try to help as we can.  Springfield has numerous agencies that provide a wide array of services to those in need. Wherever possible, we refer requests to these agencies. 

    Bereavement Ministry

    This group, coordinated by Deacon (emeritus) Matt Fletcher, reaches out to those who have recently experienced a loss.

    Fellowship Groups

    • 50+ Group
    • Families
    • Youth
    • Women
    • Men
    • Maintenance
    • Skilled Work: plumbing, painting, electrical, carpentry
    • Grounds: lawn care, snow removal
    • Gardening: watering, weeding & planting
    • Cleaning: general cleaning of church, office, hall
    • Church Laundry: including the washing of purificators. Learn more
    • Quilters Group: meet in the parish hall library on Tuesdays from 1 pm to 3 pm

    Meet Our Staff

    St. Joseph’s Catholic Church is a community of Christians operated by a large number of volunteers and a small, dedicated staff.

    Staff