St Josephs is a Roman Catholic Parish located in Salmon Arm, British Columbia. We are part of the Diocese of Kamloops.
More than three hundred families are part of our parish community.Newcomers and visitors are always welcome to St. Joseph’s. At St. Joseph’s we are blessed to have excellent staff and volunteers dedicated to proclaiming the truth about God to the world. We offer a variety of opportunities to discover or deepen your relationship with God and to grow in knowledge of Him and His church. Our Pastor is Father George LaGrange, OMI.
July 15th, 2018
Last Week’s Collection: $6,020.35
Serra Club of Kamloops Diocese reflection question to Parents: #6.How will I discuss the call to ordained ministry or consecrated life with friends and parents who resist their children’s interest in either of these calls from God?
Father Raphael Kofi Donkor Boansi is coming to serve in the Diocese of Kamloops. Fr. Raphael is a priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra, Ghana. He was ordained on August 19, 2006. After his ordination he worked in three parishes before moving to New York in October of 2014. While in New York he took some courses at Fordham University and served as one of the parochial vicars at St. Raymond Church, Bronx, until the end of May 2018. We are very pleased to have Fr. Raphael join us.
2018 National Campus Life Network Symposium:
Date: August 16-19, 2018
Location: Best Western Plus, 5978 Glover Rd, Langley BC
Description: Every year, pro-life students from across Canada come together for three intensive days of pro-life apologetics, campus strategy and leadership training from experts in a diversity of fields. Started by students and for students, this is the only national conference of its kind, offering the resources, skills and connections students need to transform campus culture. Registration and more information: www.ncln.ca/symposium or contact us at info@ncln.ca
SUMMER OFFICE HOURS
Tuesday to Friday – 8:30 am to 1:00 pm
Closed on Mondays
There will be No Prayer Cenacle during the months of July and August. Please join us in September on Tuesday mornings after morning mass in Room C.
Adoration on Fridays
“Withdraw yourself from people and spend at least a quarter of an hour, or a half-hour, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Taste and see how sweet is the Lord, and you will learn from your own experience how many graces this will bring you.”
St. Alphonsus Ligouri
Come spend an hour with the Lord in the cool quiet of the Church on Fridays from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
2018 National Campus Life Network Symposium:
Date: August 16-19, 2018
Location: Best Western Plus, 5978 Glover Rd, Langley BC
Description: Every year, pro-life students from across Canada come together for three intensive days of pro-life apologetics, campus strategy and leadership training from experts in a diversity of fields. Started by students and for students, this is the only national conference of its kind, offering the resources, skills and connections students need to transform campus culture. Registration and more information: www.ncln.ca/symposium or contact us at info@ncln.ca
SUMMER MASS TIMES
SALMON ARM
Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday – 8:15 a.m.
Thursday – 7:00 p.m.
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Saturday – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday – 9:00 a.m.
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Adoration on Fridays 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Reconciliation
Thursday – 6:15 to 6:45 p.m.
Saturday – 4:00 to 4:30 p.m.
BLIND BAY
Sunday – 11:15 a.m.
SICAMOUS
Saturday – 2:30 p.m.
CELISTA
Saturday – 4:00 pm
(Served from Kamloops – until August 24)
SUMMER OFFICE HOURS
Tuesday to Friday – 8:30 am to 1:00 pm
Closed on Mondays
Here is a chart of annual website views . note the steady increase from 2013, anticipating 6,000 views this year!
St. Josephs parishioners in action!
Syrian refugees face life or death at home
Former head of Salmon Arm Refugee Coalition says Canada should be doing more
As the man who was at the helm of the Salmon Arm Refugee Coalition, Brian Ayotte has a unique view of the project that brought nine Syrian refugee families to Salmon Arm.
Mustafa Zakreet, the first Syrian to arrive, has been in the community for about two-and-a-half years, and the coalition, which coordinated the efforts, has completed its work.
Exhausting and rewarding is how Ayotte describes the past two years.
“I think, speaking on behalf of most of the volunteers, I think it was a little more work than people anticipated. They (the refugees) have experienced trauma, huge losses and they needed a lot of help and encouragement. It wasn’t so much raising the money, but accompanying them in this transition.
“Some cases, it was very easy, others it was difficult, but they have all made an amazing transition to Canadian culture.”
Ayotte says there’s a little fatigue on the part of volunteers but most want to keep at it.
“It’s even very rewarding. When you see the smile on the faces, particularly the children, and hear the thank-you from the parent, it’s pretty powerful.”
All the families are very motivated, he adds, doing their best to find work and be reponsible Canadians.
In his view, one of the most amazing things about the whole experience is the way people came together to support the Syrians.
“The coming together of the various groups in Salmon Arm was astounding,” he says, describing how he’s never seen a group of individuals, two Rotary clubs and 11 churches work on anything together like they did.
Nine sponsoring groups had at least 20 volunteers each.
“So you’re talking 200 people.”
The federal government required proof that the sponsoring groups were capable of raising the roughly $30,000 or more each family needed for sponsorships – meaning close to $300,000 was raised.
“So for a little town like this, that’s unbelievable.”
Ayotte says Shuswap Settlement Services has also been a huge support.
He has noticed that the federal government’s commitment to bringing in the refugees slowed substantially after the first 38,000 were admitted.
“I’d like to see Canada double the number of refugees. They have immigration quotas, but a lot are economic immigrants. If you show you have $300,000 to invest in a business, you go in a different line. I think we need some of that, yes, but we need to pay attention to those with the greatest need.”
And this need is the greatest.
“People are afraid of getting killed,” he emphasizes. “This is not people being afraid of getting diarrhea. This is people afraid of dying.”
Jean Chorzempa moved to S/A in 1998 after working in Creston BC for 18 years as a Special Resource director for School District # 8. She and her husband John had moved quite extensively , while he worked on pipelines, throughout the United States and Canada..During her travels she taught school in such places as Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Ohio & Alberta and she retired after 32 years in 1986. She has been a CWL member for 44 years, and has been a greeter and usher for St. Josephs , along with her friend Elisabeth Montgomery for many years. . Jean has 1 daughter here in S/A , 3 grand sons and 2 great grand daughters. You can say Hi to Jean at the 9 AM mass, . Thanks for all you do, Jean .
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS #7107
Our CWL store is located downstairs in the hall. It is managed by Johanna Coates & Tina Horsthuis for the CWL. Religious articles are sold at a reasonable price with the popular items being rosaries, cards & crucifixes. The store is open after Sunday mass, during the CWL bazaar and also the craft fair. Everyone is welcome to come in and have a look around!
Parish Contacts
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