Fr. Trout's Letter on The New Carpenter

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, 

March 28 begins a new era for St. Joseph’s Parish as The Carpenter moves from a weekly to a monthly publication and is reformatted into a new design. Printed copies will be available at church or the parish office for those who prefer paper copies. These changes will allow us to provide at a glance a full month’s view of parish news and upcoming events. Producing the bulletin in-house will enable us to be better stewards of our resources by saving on printing costs and decreasing paper use.

All information currently in The Carpenter will be available in the online and paper formats: Mass intentions, Sunday Gospel reflections, Prayers for the Sick and other familiar sections. The new design will also enable us to provide timely, streamlined information and more details about Commissions and Ministries. Our desire is to communicate in the best possible ways using diverse means including the weekly eNewsletter, social media and the website.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated many changes already taking place incrementally in society and our parish. In the last few years, it has become clear that many parishioners now prefer the electronic means of communication. There has been increased online engagement through our weekly eNewsletter. After a redesign, subscriptions grew. We hope the redesigned Carpenter and a multi-faceted approach to communications will highlight for parishioners and others the great things happening at St. Joseph’s Parish. Today, providing the convenience and accessibility of digital formats is essential for evangelization.

I want to express my profound gratitude to Marie Tuohy who has served as editor of The Carpenter for the past 27 years. Her diligence, dedication and great work leave a lasting legacy to emulate as we move into this new era of communication for The Carpenter and the parish. Brandon Bowman, our Communications Coordinator, will be the editor of the newly formatted Carpenter.

Finally, I thank all of you for your ongoing support of St. Joseph’s Parish and assure you that as we develop our communication efforts, we will keep you informed. The Carpenter and our other communication formats support our ministries, services and liturgies. They also connect us to each other and tell our stories. In the World Communications Day Message for 2020, Pope Francis emphasized the importance of story telling: “I believe that, so as not to lose our bearings, we need to make our own the truth contained in good stories. Stories that build up, not tear down; stories that help us rediscover our roots and the strengths needed to move forward together. Amid the cacophony of voices and messages that surround us, we need a human story that can speak of ourselves and of the beauty all around us.”

Fr. John Trout