Welcome to the website of St. Joseph, Marion, Iowa. We are a Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of Dubuque with two thousand families. With the Eucharist as the source and font of our Catholic and parish life, our mission is to be disciples of Jesus who are fed by word and sacrament to love and to serve.

Formation in the Catholic faith is essential to our parish life. We follow the strong educational tradition of the Archdiocese of Dubuque with a vibrant Catholic school and youth faith formation (religious education) program and are part of the metro Catholic high school. We embrace an educational philosophy from womb to tomb, which includes an active adult education program.
 
I hope you find this website helpful to you whether you are a parishioner or an inquirer. It contains useful information that we hope will lead you to Christ, the Mass, and sacraments, and a desire to love and serve him.  Additionally, it will offer you an idea of who we are and what we desire to be by the grace of God.

Sincerely yours,

Fr. David O'Connor
Pastor
 

 

There are three spiritual practices that are the foundation for every Lent:  prayer, fasting and almsgiving.  To complement how you plan to observe Lent, each parishioner is invited to join the parish as we pray, fast and give alms together as a community.

ALMSGIVING
The pandemic and August derecho continues to impact the metro area.  Food and financial assistance is always appreciated by those who need it and especially now.  This Lent, join your parish almsgiving by giving food to the Churches of Marion Food Pantry and support Metro Catholic Outreach with your financial gifts.
 

FASTING AND PRAYER
Jesus always prayed to be in union with his Father and for his ministry.  We pray to love God and our neighbor.

Jesus fasted forty days in the desert and on other occasions.  We do so in imitation of him to draw closer to God, to be purified of our sinfulness and to be in service of others.  Prayer and fasting are a powerful duo.

This Lent, join your parish in prayer and fasting.  You are voluntarily invited to fast on each Friday of Lent.  The intention, the reason why and prayer request, for the fast that day is listed below.

February 26 - The Spirit drove Jesus into the desert (see Mark 1: 12-15).  Fast and pray for family life as it has especially been impacted by the pandemic and derecho. 
 

March 5- Jesus was transfigured on the holy mountain (see Mark 9:2-10).  Fast and pray for the flock to return to the parish, our holy mountain where we encounter God and our lives are changed.

March 12- Jesus drove the buyers and sellers from the Temple, his Father’s house (see John 2:13-25).  Fast and pary that the evil of corruption and sexual abuse be driven from the Catholic Church and that healing, forgiveness and reconciliation take its place.

March 19 - God so loved the world that he sent his son into the world not to condemn it, but to save it (see John 3:14-21).  Fast and pray for healing and unity in our nation.

March 26 - The grain of wheat must first die in order to bear fruit (see John 12: 20-33).  Pray and fast for all those who have died, especially because of the virus, remembering their families and friends who mourn their deaths.

April 2- Good Friday.   When Jesus breathed his last, the centurion said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (see Mark 14: 1-15: 47). Fast and pray for all those joining our Church at Easter because they see Christ as the Son of God.

 

SPECIAL PRAYER
During this Year of St. Joseph, part of your lenten prayer, especially on our parish days of fasting and prayer, and throughout the year, you are invited to the Litany of St. Joseph.  It is found here below.

The Archbishop has invited us to make a novena of nine months asking for St. Joseph’s intercession by praying the Litany to St. Joseph on the 19th of every month.  Click here for more information ( https://dbqarch.org/go-to-joseph ).
 

Litany to St. Joseph

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

God our Father in heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, pray for us.
St. Joseph, pray for us.
Noble son of the House of David, pray for us.
Light of the Patriarchs, pray for us.
Husband of the Mother of God, pray for us.
Guardian of the Virgin, pray for us.
Foster father of the Son of God, pray for us.
Faithful guardian of Christ, pray for us.
Head of the Holy Family, pray for us.
Joseph, chaste and just, pray for us.
Joseph, prudent and brave, pray for us.
Joseph, obedient and loyal, pray for us.
Pattern of patience, pray for us.
Lover of poverty, pray for us.
Model of workers, pray for us.
Example to parents, pray for us.
Guardian of virgins, pray for us.
Pillar of family life, pray for us.
Comfort of the troubled, pray for us.
Hope of the sick, pray for us.
Patron of the dying, pray for us.
Terror of evil spirits, pray for us.
Protector of the Church, pray for us.
 

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

God made him master of his household, and put him in charge of all that he owned.

Let us pray. O God, who in your inexpressible providence were pleased to choose Saint Joseph as spouse of the most holy Mother of your Son, grant, we pray, that we, who revere him as our protector on earth, may be worthy of his heavenly intercession. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

FAST ON FRIDAYS

Fasting guidleines:

Limits on food and drink for ages 18-59

Jesus went to the desert and fasted to get close to God
Fasting draws us closer to God
Fasting purifies our lives from sin and evil
Fasting can be dedicated for the purpose of another

It is not a self improvement exercise-
  It is other centered
  It is spiritually centered

It opens the path for God to enter our lives

When we deny ourselves something so important as food we open ourselves to God to have an avenue to work in us. 

We fast in light of and in relationship to God.

Jesus' fasting prepared him for an encounter with Satan. Satan was defeated. 

 

April 2020
 

Dear St. Joseph Parishioner:
 
            These are extraordinary times.  I hope and pray that you are safe and well.  The COVID-19 virus has wreaked its powerful effects on our lives.  I am concerned about you, your family, job and welfare.  The cessation of public Masses, and now even Easter Sunday Mass, has been hard on us, but it was imperative we did so out of charity and justice, to isolate ourselves and slow the spread of this dangerous virus.  It feels like we are in a desert now, and a Lent like we have never experienced before.  Yet, I believe that God will bring many graces from the evil of this virus.  Draw closely to him and pray.
 
            We’re still a parish during this pandemic, and need God and one another more than ever.  Even though scattered because of social isolation, we can stay together in these ways:
 

• Through our parish Mass on our YouTube channel. (www.youtube.com/c/StJosephCatholicChurchMarion) and website (https://stjoesmarion.org/).
• Our Facebook page which can be found here (https://www.facebook.com/stjoesmarion/).
• By being prayer warriors.  See (https://stjoesmarion.org/prayers) for your toolkit.
• By consulting the parish website on a regular basis (https://stjoesmarion.org/).  The bulletin can be found there as well.
• If you don’t have a computer or use other electronic devices, please call the office (377-4869) to receive a copy of the bulletin in the mail.
• By checking on one another by a video platform, email or a phone call.

 
Your financial support of the parish is just as important right now.  With no public Masses, we don’t have a reliable income stream and we need it to keep operating.  Here’s how you can help:
 

• Please continue to use your budget envelope.  You can mail it to the office (1790 14^th St.; Marion, IA 52302).
• Continue to or start giving online (https://stjoesmarion.org/give).
• Use ACH as a means of regular support of the parish.

 
Fun Days is a major annual parish event that occurs the first weekend in June.  Unfortunately, it will not occur in June this year due to the uncertainty surrounding the Coronavirus.  Discussion will be had regarding whether to have a modified event later in the year.  You already received raffle tickets in the mail, which coincidentally arrived when the COVID-19 crisis first presented itself.  While the timing wasn’t intentional, we still plan to conduct the raffle if only to allow it to be another source of income for the parish.
 
The Faith in Our Future Committee, which was formed to lead the parish to a building project and capital campaign, has paused to consider the feasibility of continuing or suspending its work pending the resolution of the COVID-19 crisis and the stabilization of the economy.  That decision will also be made soon.
 
Finally, let us invoke the intercession of our great patron, St. Joseph, Protector of the Church, the Blessed Mother, and St. Raphael, our archdiocesan patron, to deliver us from the pandemic, to help the sick to recover, to assist our health care professionals and those researching treatment, a vaccine and a cure, and for the repose of the dead.  Be safe and well.  Let us know if we can help you.  God will see us through.
 
Sincerely yours in Christ,

(Rev.) David H. O’Connor
Pastor
 

March 22, 2020

We Are Living—in an extraordinary time with unprecedented measures being taken to protect our nation from the ravages of the Coronavirus and to flatten the infection rate.
 
We are the Father’s sons and daughters and he will care for his children.  We place our faith and trust in him. We are Christ’s baptized faithful.  As such, I hereby commission you as prayer warriors.
 
Here’s what your commission means:                                  

1. Trust in the Power of the Cross

 
Jesus spoke of the cross as the way that he draws all people unto himself.  The cross is healing for those who look upon it.  Christ’s cross helps us to carry our own crosses.  It is through the cross that Christ saved us.
 

2. Holy Mass 

 
We will begin broadcasting weekend Mass on Saturday, March 21 ^st, 4:30 PM.  Daily Mass will be broadcast as well.  While the Archbishop has dispensed your obligation to attend Sunday Mass, we offer it to our community as a means of worship and keeping us together as a parish family.
 
Even though you will not be receiving Holy Communion, make a spiritual communion during the Mass and at communion time.
 

• For Sunday Mass, go to our parish webpage:  https://stjoesmarion.org
• For the Sunday and daily Mass readings please see:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/index.cfm
• Daily Mass will be broadcast on the parish YouTube channel:  www.youtube.com/c/StJosephCatholicChurchMarion
• The Mass Schedule
  • Saturdays at 4:30 PM
  • Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 AM, Wednesdays at 8:15 AM

 

3. Pray

 
Pray for the recovery of those infected by the virus, their families and friends.  Pray for our health care workers, all those caring for the sick, and those racing to find treatment for the virus, a vaccine and a cure.  Pray for our country and the recovery of our economy, our businesses, employees, and those who may have no pay check or job.  Pray for our Church and parish, and those who labor in the vineyard, among them the clergy, religious and the laity.  Pray for your own intentions.
 
Pray as individuals and a family.
 

4.  Use Your Prayer Kit

 
Here is what I commend to you to do every day which we can all do together as a parish:
 

• In the morning, pray the Most Holy Rosary.  The intercession of our Blessed Mother is powerful. Please visit this website to learn how to pray The Rosary:  https://www.ewtn.com/legacy/devotionals/prayers/rosary/how_to.htm

• In the afternoon, pray this prayer asking for the intercession of St. Joseph, the Universal Patron of the Church and our beloved parish patron

   

• In the evening, ask for the intercession of St. Raphael, the patron of our archdiocese and of healing.   Glorious Archangel St. Raphael, great prince of the heavenly court, you are illustrious for your gifts of wisdom and grace. You are a guide of those who journey by land or sea or air, consoler of the afflicted, and refuge of sinners.  I beg you, assist me in all my needs and in all the sufferings of this life, as once you helped the young Tobias on his travels. Because you are the “medicine of God” I humbly pray you to heal the many infirmities of my soul and the ills that afflict my body. I especially ask of you the favor (here mention your special intention), and the great grace of purity to prepare me to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 
Prayer will see us though.