St. Joseph Church, Hilo
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St. Joseph Catholic Church

Served by the Blessed Sacrament Congregation!

Blessed Sacrament logo SSS

"Happy is the soul that knows how to find Jesus in the Eucharist, and in the Eucharist all things!"

St. Peter Julian Eymard

Location:
43 Kapiolani St.
Hilo, Hawaii
Map

Office Hours:
Monday-Friday:
9am to 1pm
(except on holidays)

Phone (808) 935-1465
Emergency:
Fr. Poli: extention 131
Fr. Ferdie: extention 137

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With St. Joseph
as our patron
we offer our gift of self for the greater glory of God.



St. Joseph Church
Mission Statement
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Welcome

Aloha E Komo Mai!

Whether you are visiting or just moved to Hilo, our St. Joseph family welcomes and invites you to join with us and together grow our faith in God.

Refer below for Mass, Confession, and Prayer Times.

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Blessed Sacrament logo SSS

"Happy is the soul that knows how to find Jesus in the Eucharist, and in the Eucharist all things!"

St. Peter Julian Eymard

Mass Times

Eucharist

Saturday
7:00 am
Vigil 5:00 pm

Sunday
7:00 am, 9:00 am
11:45 am, 6:00 pm

Weekdays
M- F: 6:00 am
& 12:15 pm

Legal Holidays
7:00 am



Confession

Saturdays
10:00 am - 11:00 am
or by appointment

*Please note: Confession schedule does not apply during some liturgical seasons.


Blessed Sacrament

Prayer Times

Adoration of the
Blessed Sacrament

TEMPORARY SCHEDULE CHANGE PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THE AFTERNOON ADORATION WILL BE MOVED TO 11-12:00noon MONDAY-THURSDAY. WE APPRECIATE YOUR COOPERATION AND UNDERSTANDING.
M-F: 4:00 pm
Sat: 3:00 pm
Sun: 4:00 pm


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Come Pray the Liturgy of the Hours

Join us daily in the Mornings:
Immediately following the 6:00 am Morning Mass.

Afternoons:
Weekdays & Sundays
at 4:00 pm
Saturdays at 3:00 pm

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Mother of Perpetual Help Prayer Group

Come join our Novena devotions Tuesday, at St. Joseph Church 6:00p.m. (evening)

Come join us every Tuesday praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Rosary, Consecration and Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help.

Prayer For Priests

Gracious and loving God, we thank you for the gift of our priests. Through them, we experience your presence in the sacraments.

Help our priests to be strong in their vocation. Set their souls on fire with love for your people.

Grant them the wisdom, understanding, and strength they need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Inspire them with the vision of your Kingdom.

Give them the words they need to spread the Gospel. Allow them to experience joy in their ministry.

Help them to become instruments of your divine grace.

We ask this through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns as our Eternal Priest.

Amen.

https://www.usccb.org/prayers/prayer-priests

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Peace Prayer of Saint Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

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Sunday Reflection

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time – 2025

Persistent Prayer


Jesus tells us today about a widow who kept coming to a judge, asking for justice. The judge did not fear God or respect anyone — but because the widow refused to give up, he finally said, “I will give her justice so that she does not wear me out.”

Jesus uses this story to teach us the power of persistent prayer. But the message is deeper than “keep praying until you get what you want.” True persistence in prayer is not about changing God’s heart — it’s about shaping ours. The widow in the Gospel kept returning to the judge. In the same way, Jesus invites us to keep returning to God — not because God forgets, but because we need to get to know God better, as well as to know ourselves more deeply. God is not a judge who must be persuaded or pressured. God is not hard to convince. He is already loving, generous, and attentive. But sometimes, it is we who are not ready to receive what He wants to give.

Persistent prayer changes that. It transforms our desires, deepens our faith, and stretches our hearts to align with God’s will. When we pray over and over again, it may seem like nothing is happening. But something always is. Each time we come before God, we are being formed — taught to wait, to trust, to surrender. Persistent prayer changes that. It transforms our desires, deepens our faith, and stretches our hearts to align with God’s will. When we pray over and over again, it may seem like nothing is happening. But something always is. Each time we come before God, we are being formed — taught to wait, to trust, to surrender.

And in the end, that’s the greatest answer to every prayer: not that our circumstances are changed, but that we are changed.

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All Souls’ Day envelopes are now available at all entrances of the Church.

Please feel free to take one, fill out the names of your loved ones and drop into the collection basket the next time you come along with your donation. Envelopes will be collected and placed in the front of the altar like last year.

Order of Christian Initiation for Adults

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  • Are you interested in becoming a member of St. Joseph Church Catholic Faith Community? Do you know a family member or friend interested in a deeper relationship with God through the sacraments of Baptism, Conformation and Holy Eucharist?

  • OCIA is preparation for adults who have yet to be baptized. AND for baptized adults who wish to be in full communion with the Catholic Church through receiving the sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Eucharist.

  • OCIA Adult Faith Formation Classes meet in the rectory library every MONDAY evening at 6:00 PM. All adults seeking the sacraments of initiation and membership in the church are welcome.

  • For those who desire to study for Sacraments, but are unable to attend because of work, we have added a class time for Monday mornings at 10:30am in the Library. Contact Deacon Charley for more information at (808)935-1465.

The Sacrament of Confirmation

  • The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) states, "Baptism, the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Confirmation constitute the sacraments of Christian Initiation, whose unity must be safeguarded. The reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of Baptismal Grace" (CCC1285). "Every Baptized person not yet Confirmed can and should receive the Sacrament of Confirmation and Eucharist, Baptism is certainly valid and efficacious, but Christian initiation remains incomplete." (CCC 1306)
  • Many faithful Catholic adults grew up when Confirmation was not offered until their middle or high school years. Some were not aware that Confirmation was available for them and so they were never Confirmed. If you are a baptized adult who has not yet been confirmed please contact Deacon Charley at the rectory office call 935-1465 for more information on recieving the sacrament of Confirmation.


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Dear Parents, Godparents and Grandparents, of our children 7-12 years of age, Religious Education classes for the kids continues. If your child has received Baptism, First Holy Communion and Confirmation, we have continuing education for them to keep forming in their Faith. Bring your kids. If your child has not received Baptism, First Holy Communion or Confirmation, our classes will prepare your child for those Sacraments. Now is the time. Classes are on Sundays after the 9am Mass at 10:15am. You can register your child there. Class is in the church hall or the Conference Room. We are looking forward to helping your child grow in Our Faith! See you there!

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Calling all Teens!

Our Religious Education for Teens continues. If you have received all of your Sacraments, yet want to continue to study and enjoy the company of your peers, please join us to add to the learning experience. If you are not Catholic and have not received your Sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation, here is your chance to come to complete that part of your Spiritual growth. Remember, if you ever want to be a Godparent, you must be a Confirmed Catholic! Classes are the usual time, 10:15 am, right after the 9 am Mass on Sunday. Come to class this Sunday to register. See you there!

Are You Registered?

New to the parish or need to update your registration download our
SJ Registration Form
print, fill-out and return. Mahalo!





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Pope Leo XIV asks everyone to pray the rosary for peace.

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Baptism Preparation:

(Infants to children 7 years of age)

Welina ‘oe! Welcome Families!

Congratulations on the birth of your child and your decision to have your child baptized in the Catholic Church. We welcome you and your child as well as your godparents to our parish. Please call the rectory office to sign up for the next Baptism Preparation Class.
(808) 935-1465.


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Marriage Matters

–because spouses are equal partners.

“Firmly established by the Lord, the unity of marriage will radiate from the equal personal dignity of wife and husband, a dignity acknowledged by mutual and total love.”


Second Vatican Council
Gaudium et Spes (Joy and Hope, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World), 49

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Notice regarding Mass Intentions

Arrangements for Mass Intentions need to be done through the front office. We want to ensure that we are listing your prayer requests exactly as you would like it. Mahalo!


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Pray for Vocations

Almighty and eternal God, in your unfailing love you provide ministers for your Church. We pray for those whom you call to serve the Church as priests.


Inspire in them a generous response. Grant them courage and vision to serve your people May their lives and service call your people to respond to the presence of your Spirit among us that, faithful to the Gospel and hope of Jesus the Christ, we may: announce glad tidings to the poor proclaim liberty to captives, set prisoners free and renew the face of the earth.



Blessed Sacrament Discernment
Clergy, Consecrated Life & Vocations
Vocations Article


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The Jubilee Prayer

Father in heaven, may the faith you have given us in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom.

May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel. May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole Cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, when, with the powers of Evil vanquished, your glory will shine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope,
a yearning for the treasures of heaven. May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth. To you our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise for ever.
Amen.


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“Even the weakest and most vulnerable, the sick, the old, the unborn and the poor, are masterpieces of God’s creation,
made in his own image, destined to live forever, and deserving of the utmost reverence and respect.”

USCCB Respect Life flyer quoting Pope Francis’“Day for Life Greeting”
© 2013 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

“When we meet Jesus in the Eucharist, this encounter has the power to change us.

The Eucharist has the power to transform the depths of our hearts and the heart of our culture.

United to the power of his Eucharistic Presence, may we work to ensure that each person has life—and has it in abundance.”

USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities Respect Life Reflection:
“I Came So That They Might Have Life”

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“Through the Incarnation and birth of Christ,
God reveals to us the dignity of all human life.

Human life, as a gift of God, is sacred and inviolable.

The Son of God has united himself with every human being and desires for us to share eternal life with him…

Each of us is made in the image and likeness of God, and we reflect his glory in the world.”

USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities
The Gospel of Life: A Brief Summary”


“Lord, I am not worthy to have you under my roof but only say the word and I shall be healed.”

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How to Reverently
Receive Holy Communion


Those who receive Communion may receive either in the hand or on the tongue, and the decision should be that of the individual receiving, not of the person distributing Communion.

If Communion is received in the hand, the hands should first of all be clean. If one is right handed the left hand should rest upon the right. The host will then be laid in the palm of the left hand and then taken by the right hand to the mouth. If one is left-handed this is reversed. It is not appropriate to reach out with the fingers and take the host from the person distributing.