A message from the administrator

August 1, 2004

Dear Parishioners & Friends of Saint Joseph Church,
Three months have now passed since I became your parochial administrator in May of this year. Despite some negative rumors which were circulating in the beginning, that the parish would be closed nothing of the sort has happened. Nothing of the sort will happen either, or it will be over my dead body! I am delighted that things are coming along so nicely. The floors in the church have been beautifully waxed. The benches have all been washed. The St. Anthony bell in the steeple has been tended to. We have new candle racks in church and soon will have new candles that will improve our cost efficiency. The yards are coming along nicely. The bulletin is going to a modernized method of preparation. The office work has now all been transferred to Sweetest Heart of Mary Rectory allowing us to serve you better and more efficiently. And a survey of all parishioners has been prepared and sent out. I think we've achieved a great deal and that we are on the right track.

Census Forms
I do want to stress how important it is to return your census forms. All parish data is being loaded onto a new computer program. We will be loading only the information we receive from the census. So everyone who wants to be officially considered a parishioner must return a completed census form. Please don't procrastinate in doing this as we are trying to move quickly in setting up new records. Either mail it in or put it in the Sunday collection basket. I know some people do not like the idea of being counted or letting other organizations, even their own parish church know even the basics about themselves, but as I wrote in the letter that accompanied the census form, NOW IS THE TIME for every St. Joseph parishioner to "stand up" and be counted! We simply must have an accurate and up-to-date count of our parishioners to serve you properly and make the best plans for the parish's future.
[Download a census form here.]

Maintenance
I am sorry to say that we lost our maintenance man last week. He was originally working only 10 hours a week. When I increased his work to 20 hours a week he found that he just could not manage. My plan is to find a 40-hour-a-week maintenance man who can really keep the place in top-notch condition. I believe I may have found one. He will begin tomorrow. His name is Mr. Thomas Crachiollo. He has recently worked as head of maintenance at St. Florian Church in Hamtramck. He is ready to go and very enthusiastic about the position. Look for real improvements around the church soon!

Parish Cookout
Next Sunday is already our Parish Cookout & Ice Cream Social! Every parishioner should make every effort to attend and even bring someone with them! I am really looking forward to informally socializing with many of our parishioners. This event is a fund raiser because we really need to increase our weekly income if we want to stay financially sound. There are going to have to be more fund raising events planned for the parish if we wish to continue to operate at the level we are currently. Sunday's event requires the helping hands of many so please pitch in. I expect many guests from Sweetest Heart of Mary and St. Josaphat Parishes. This is our turn to be hospitable and show off our church. I am frequently surprised to hear how many folks at Sweetest Heart of Mary and St. Josaphat have never been to St. Joseph (and vice-versa!). I want to thank all who have worked so hard planning this event. I know you love your parish and want to see it grow. I feel the same way and am certain many people will return to our parish and join us as new parishioners if we continue to work together harmoniously and to grow. Hospitality is a key factor in this necessary growth.

German
Everyone I speak with in the Metro-Detroit area always comments on St. Joseph as THE German parish. And of course historically speaking this is true. But I would like to see us move more and more in a "German direction." This does not mean displacing Latin-lovers or other prominent ethnic groups in the parish like the Italians, Irish or even the Polish! Still I think we must accentuate the ethnic background of those who founded and built our church. It is true that we have the only regularly scheduled Mass in German around, but I do not think this is enough, and I feel as if those who attend and support the German Mass would take stronger leadership role in the parish we could all benefit by "learning to be more German" for the good of the parish. This ethnic flavor should permeate both the liturgical and social life of the parish. Of course this doesn't mean that the other ethnic groups in our parish cannot organize their cultural events too! We need a stronger social life in this parish so that we do not become just a group of Catholic people who occupy the benches of an old church in Detroit for an hour on Sunday and then go their separate ways without another thought about the other people who were present at Mass with us. This is the challenge of building a healthy parish. Are you up to it? I feel ready and am sure we can do it.

See You at the Picnic Next Sunday!

Reverend Mark A. Borkowski
Parochial Administrator

FrmarkB@aol.com