News

20 March 2023

March 20, 2023 |

Pray with us on the Solemnity of St. Joseph

Join us as we complete our novena

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph. We have been praying a novena in preparation for this day. Please join us in prayer:

Ant: Saint Joseph, our protector, pray for us.

V. Behold, the faithful and wise servant.

R. Whom the Lord has placed over His household.

V. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, at the beginnings of our salvation, when Blessed Mary conceived your Son and brought Him forth into the world, You placed them under Saint Joseph’s watchful care. May his prayers help Your Church to be an equally faithful guardian of Your mysteries, and a sign of Christ to all humanity. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen

The prayer is also available at this link.

We mourn alongside our brothers and sisters in Hermann

The following is a statement from the Most Reverend W. Shawn McKnight, Bishop of Jefferson City:

The Diocese of Jefferson City is mourning alongside our brothers and sisters in our community of Hermann, where an incomprehensible act of violence has killed one police officer and wounded another. Let us pray together and ask God to heal all those among us who are in pain from this tragedy. May we find the capacity to free our society from these acts of violence and fully protect the dignity of human life.

The statement is also available at this link.

Bishop to bless newly-cast bells for the Cathedral of St. Joseph

The sound of bells ringing the Angelus from a church belfry is a traditional Catholic call to prayer — and a reminder of our duty to proclaim God’s word to the ends of the earth. But when it came to the spiritual home of the Diocese of Jefferson City, our Cathedral of St. Joseph has always been noticeably silent.

However, that will soon change as five new bronze bells are blessed and installed in the cathedral on Tuesday, March 21. At 10 a.m., the Most Reverend W. Shawn McKnight, Bishop of Jefferson City, will bless the bells outside the cathedral.

Please note that since the blessing will happen on a working construction site, we are not able to invite the public. Video and photos of the blessing will be shared later that day.

The sound of bells ringing from the Cathedral of St. Joseph will be a first in its history. The cathedral opened in 1968 and was dedicated in 1974. While the original vision for the cathedral called for a bell tower, it was never built. The ongoing renovation and expansion of the cathedral provided an opportunity to finally fulfill this long-held dream. 

“I pray that these new bells will provide a daily reminder of our need as Catholics to proudly proclaim God’s word and live out his mercy as we go about our lives,” said Bishop McKnight. “Church bells are an ancient part of our Catholic tradition, and here at our Cathedral of St. Joseph the ringing of bells will be an exciting new tradition. Let the pure sound of these bells signify a time of rebirth, renewal and rededication to our Church and faith.”

Click here to learn more about the new cathedral bells — including the name of each bell.

Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri names Sister Kathleen Wegman, SSND as Interim Executive Director

Following the announcement of Dan Lester’s departure from Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri, and with the onset of a national search for Lester’s replacement, the agency’s Board of Directors has named Sister Kathleen Wegman, SSND as Interim Executive Director, effective April 7, 2023. Read the full announcement.

“Sister Kathleen is a trusted leader in our diocese and she has my full confidence as she begins her service as interim executive director,” said Bishop McKnight. “It is clear that there is a continued and growing need for works of charity and mercy in our region. As followers of Christ, we must wake up each morning ready to answer this call — both individually and by supporting the vital work being done by our Catholic Charities staff. As we search for the next executive director, I thank Sister Kathleen for her willingness to lead during this time and for continuing to demonstrate her strong spirit of service to those in need.”

See the job posting for the Executive Director position.

Easter Special Collection

Envelopes will be inserted in the March 31 issue of the Catholic Missourian

This Easter, the Diocese of Jefferson City is holding a special collection in support of retired priests and religious.

This important collection helps us give back to those who have dedicated their lives to sharing the good news of the Risen Christ. Donations given during this collection will support the Retirement Fund for Religious as well as retired priests in our diocese.

The diocese is providing special envelopes for this collection. They will be delivered to our faithful as an insert in the March 31 issue of the Catholic Missourian — however, parishioners aren’t required to use this envelope, they can use any Easter collection envelope.

Parishioners will be instructed to make checks out to their parish for this collection. Parishes can then deposit the proceeds locally — please do not send the envelopes directly to the Chancery. After Easter, parishes should then send one check to the diocese comprising the entire collection from that parish.

As we move forward with our diocesan-wide stewardship renewal, the Easter Special Collection will be one of just three annual special collections held in our parishes. The others are the Christmas special collection for our seminarians and infirm priests, and a collection in July in support of our missions.

Please click here to download sample talking points for our priests to use as they introduce this collection during upcoming Masses.

Catholic Missourian — March 17, 2023 issue now available

The latest issue of the Catholic Missourian is out now. Click here to read the March 17 issue online. We are always working on the next issue of our diocesan newspaper.

Parish Secretaries’ Workshop Videos Available

If you missed our last quarterly meeting on March 15, 2023, or you want to re-watch the sessions, they are now available on the diocesan website at this link: https://diojeffcity.org/secretary-workshop-videos/

Piano skills workshop for pastoral musicians

The Jefferson City chapter of the NPM is offering pastoral musicians a chance to enhance their piano skills during a workshop with Rick Reed. Reed has presented at national conventions and performed in several countries.

The workshop takes place 9 a.m. – noon on Saturday, April 15, at Sacred Heart School in Sedalia. Registration is $40 for NPM members and $50 for non-members, lunch is included. Class size is limited to 16, so register soon by emailing: jeffersoncitymo@npm.org.

Cathedral of St. Joseph Pipe Organ Presentation

All are invited to a presentation by John-Paul Buzard, Founder and President of the Buzard Organ Company and Fred Bahr, Tonal Director, at 6 pm on Thursday, March 23 in the Cathedral Undercroft. The organ builders will speak about the tonal philosophy of their company and the unique design and construction of Opus 49 which will be installed in the renovated cathedral.  This event is free and open to the public.

Camp Registration is in Full Swing

This summer we have a full month of camp with new options for Camp Lolek.

  • Camp Lolek Session 1 (Junior High Boys) May 29-June 2, 2023
  • Camp Lolek Session 2 (Junior High Girls) June 5-9, 2023
  • Camp Lolek Session 3 (Junior High Boys) June 11-13, 2023
  • Camp Lolek Session 4 (Junior High Girls) June 15-17, 2023
  • Camp Maccabee  (High School Young Men) June 19-24, 2023
  • Camp Siena (High School Young Women) June 25-30, 2023

Please help spread the word that Summer Camps registration is open. Flyers should be out soon!

For More information on Diocesan Summer Camps and to register click here: https://diojeffcity.org/youth-camps/

For Camps to be a success we need help from others:

For High Schoolers interested in Volunteering:

https://diojeffcity.org/camp-lolek-high-school-volunteers/

For Parishioners and Parents interested in Volunteering:
https://diojeffcity.org/adult-summer-camp-volunteers/

Account holders update

In April 2021, the Diocese of Jefferson City Fund began using Mateo software to track parish deposits and loans. Part of the functionality of the Mateo software is to generate monthly statements. Once a month is closed, statements are sent by email to all account holders. 

An additional feature of Mateo is the ability for account holders to log in and download their statements and view balances at their convenience. There is also the ability to run a summary report for any period. 

After the last meeting of the Diocese of Jefferson City Fund Trustees on January 26, it was determined to roll the functionality of account user access to all account holders. Each account will have the pastor or parish life collaborator assigned to the customer access for internal control purposes.

In addition, the pastor or parish administrator may assign an additional person to have access to the account in order to print statements and run reports. For example, the additional person could be the bookkeeper or finance council president who utilize the statements for parish reporting. 

Please use this address https://diojeffcity.org/finance-office-deposit-loan-statements-form/  to complete the form for your account by April 15. 

The Fund will send statements for February and March. Then, after May 5, each account holder will download the statements for April and following months as they become available. 

Please email Kathy Smith (financeks@diojeffcity.org) with any questions.

Share in bulletins, emails, social media, and websites

Help promote the upcoming cathedral rededication events

The Diocese of Jefferson City is planning a series of events on May 4, 5 and 7 to celebrate the rededication of our Cathedral of St. Joseph following the completion of a major renovation and expansion.

There will be ways for everyone in the diocese to participate, whether that’s watching a livestream of the rededication, attending a youth vigil or joining us at the Sunday open house.

We are providing a toolkit to help our parishes invite the faithful to share in this historic event. The first graphics in the toolkit invite your parishioners to attend the Sunday, May 7 open house, which will take place from 1-4 p.m. at the cathedral.

The toolkit includes graphics for bulletins and to use on social media. Graphics are available in both English and Spanish.

Click here to access the toolkit.

More resources and new graphics will be added in the coming weeks.

“As we once again open the doors to our cathedral, everyone is invited to experience the beauty of our Catholic faith — and we joyfully welcome home all who have been away. Let our worship in the Cathedral of St. Joseph bring greater glory to God and more fully enable us to lead souls to his mercy.”

Bishop W. Shawn McKnight

Click here to learn more about the renovation.

Quinceañera retreat information now available

Please post the following announcement for available Quineceañera retreats and post the graphics at the “Download Graphic” button below:
The 2023 Quinceanera Retreats are now available in the following parishes.  Please contact your parish Quinceanera Team or Deacon Castro at ecastro@diojeffcity.org or 573-680-3650 for more information.

Por favor publiquen el siguiente gráfico y anuncio de los retiros de Quinceañera disponibles:

Los Retiros de Quinceañeras 2023 ya están disponibles en las siguientes parroquias. Comuníquese con el Equipo de Quinceañeras de su parroquia o con el Diácono Enrique Castro a ecastro@diojeffcity.org o al 573-680-3650 para obtener más información.

William H. Simon and John L. Warack Scholarship Application Process is OPEN

We are pleased to announce the opening of the application process for the William H. (Bill) Simon Scholarship and the John L. Warack Scholarship, and we hope you will promote this opportunity to your parish families and use this information for a bulletin announcement.

Applications are accepted through March 31, 2023. These scholarships are available to high school seniors or current college students with financial needs who commit to practicing their faith. The John L. Warack Scholarship is specifically for a student attending the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Scholarship eligibility and applications are available at diojeffcity.org/scholarships. If you have any questions, please contact Jessica Hoogveld or Denise Barnes.

Our diocese is blessed to have families committed to the continuing education of our parish families. Please include the Simon and Warack families in your prayers.

Pregnancy Help Center of Central Missouri to host the Bubbles and Bounces 5K Walk/Run

The event will take place on Saturday, April 22, at Memorial Park in Jefferson City. View the flyer for more details.

Attention all engaged couples, MPFs and pastors:

2023 Pre-Cana Conference dates & locations:

  • June 17th @ Chancery Offices: 2207 W Main St, Jefferson City, MO 65109
  • September 23rd @ St. Thomas More Newman Center: 602 Turner Ave, Columbia, MO 65201

2023 Engaged Encounter dates & location are to be determined.

NCYC (National Catholic Youth Conference) Registration for Parishes is open. For more info and to register click here: https://diojeffcity.org/national-catholic-youth-conference/

Employment opportunities

The Diocese of Jefferson City seeks a Chief Financial Officer who can ensure consistency, transparency, and simplicity in the financialsystems of the parishes, schools and chancery. As a member of the Bishop’s cabinet, the CFO provides clear and timely communications of financial and other information throughout the diocese maintaining confidentiality where appropriate.

The CFO is responsible for providing, developing, and maintaining financial accountability standards and ethics for all diocesan entities in order to promote respect and trust among parishioners. The CFO directs, manages, and supervises the financial operations of the Chancery in conjunction with the Bishop and the members of the Corporate Board. The CFO manages the diocesan assets and advises management in financial operations. 

The full job listing is available at this link: diojeffcity.org/cfo

To apply, please email your resume to Brent Morton, Vice President, Catholic Recruiter Associates: Brent@CatholicRecruiter.com

St. Joseph Church in Palmyra, Missouri, is accepting applications for a DRE/Youth Minister. Key responsibilities include:

  • Responsible for assisting the pastor in the responsibility for the Catholic faith formation for parish youth and adults
  • Implements the Bishop’s confirmation preparation policy
  • Organizes, schedules and oversees religious education in the parish
  • Administers a formation program for catechists that leads to certification and tracks completion
  • In cooperation with Diocesan Director of Religious Education and Youth Minister, orders approved textbooks, liturgy materials and other works that complement the religious education efforts of the parish
  • Provides resources and programs for adult formation
  • Working with the pastor, the director will assess the needs of parish youth and organize volunteers to help meet their needs

Bachelor’s degree in theology or religious education is preferred.

This position is flexible and may be offered at either a part-time or full-time status. Group insurance benefits are available for full-time employees (30 hours a week). The pastor is also open to the possibility of two part-time candidates. If you are interested in the position, please apply on Indeed.com or send your resume directly to Fr. Alex Gabriel, St. Joseph Parish, 400 S. Lane St, Palmyra, MO 63461.

A Director of Youth Ministry is sought to create and direct an environment which leads the youth from Newman and Sacred Heart Parishes into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and the Church in coordination with youth ministry staff at Our Lady of Lourdes through tri-parish high school and middle school youth groups. Click here for more details.

The Diocese of Jefferson City is seeking a skilled and dynamic Executive Director to promote the work and mission of Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri. Under the direction of the Board of Directors, this role provides leadership and program support, ensures fiscal responsibility, and represents the agency with partner organizations, parishes, and communities across the diocese. Strong candidates are mission-minded, understanding that all leadership responsibilities are performed in concert with the agency’s vision and Catholic social and moral teaching.

Catholic Charities responds to the needs of people in 38 counties regardless of faith, culture, or situation. This includes services in mental health, food security, health and nutrition education, Hispanic community support, disaster preparation and response, family reunification through immigration legal services, and resettlement of refugees. For more information, visit cccnmo.diojeffcity.org.

Catholic Charities offers a competitive compensation and benefit package, including medical, dental, vision, FSA, matching 403(b) retirement plan plus paid vacation and holidays. Applicants are encouraged to apply through our posting on Indeed.com or you can send your resume to hrdir@diojeffcity.org.

Holy Family Parish in Hannibal is seeking a Director of Religious Education and Youth Minister. Key responsibilities include:

  • Assist the pastor in the responsibility for the Catholic faith formation for parish youth and adults
  • Implements the Bishop’s confirmation preparation policy
  • Organizes, schedules and oversees religious education in the parish
  • Administers a formation program for catechists that leads to certification and tracks completion
  • In cooperation with Diocesan Director of Religious Education and Youth Minister, orders approved textbooks, liturgy materials and other works that complement the religious education efforts of the parish
  • Provides resources and programs for adult formation

A Bachelor’s degree in theology or religious education is preferred. The pastor is willing to consider either one (1) full-time candidate or possibly two (2) part-time individuals. Resumes can be sent directly to Fr. Alex Gabriel, Holy Family Parish, 218 S. Maple Avenue, Hannibal, MO 63401 or applicants can apply on Indeed.com.

We are now hiring for summer missionaries! These are paid summer jobs for graduating seniors in high school through college age. Please help spread the word and personally invite young adults that may be a great missionary. To access social media, bulletin and flyer please click here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1aOiwUhL3qlNGa8M62MrWVpP6x8dP40K0?usp=sharing

St. Andrew Catholic School in Tipton has an opening for a junior high science and literature teacher.  Part-time science and/or literature would be acceptable.  All interested persons can contact the principal, Kara Higgins, at khiggins@saintandrewpirates.com.