Wake Med Soccer Park in Cary

Listen to the Words of Saint Joseph in the Gospels

That’s a trick headline: there are no words spoken by Saint Joseph in the Gospels! As the saying goes, however, “actions speak louder than words.” His decisive actions were the result of dreams (recounted in Matthew 1 and 2). We revere Mary’s world-changing “yes,” but we remember that Joseph said “yes,” too. He had trust and confidence in God to act when he could not foresee the outcome. His four dreams were to wed Mary though she was pregnant, to flee Bethlehem for Egypt, that it was safe to return to Israel, and to go to Galilee rather than Judea. The Gospels indicate no resistance or question, only obedience for the good of his family. He was not mute. A devout father, he gathered the family to go to Temple, discussed Scriptures and led prayers, spoke as he taught Jesus his trade, prayed with others in the community, and had the mundane conversations typical of daily family life. Jesus listened to his Mother… as he did at the wedding at Cana… Joseph may have instructed him to do so many times, modeling respect of Mary for the young Jesus. Joseph was the first person conceived with original sin whom the newborn Jesus saw, and the first to hold the Holy Child. Today, we can hold Christ in our hearts and in the Eucharist. It is fitting that the Feast of Saint Joseph occurs during Lent. It is a time for reflection and resolution, for contemplation of how we can be more trusting and devoted in our faith, and to assess how we act with our families and others. As we remember Saint Joseph, pray for fathers, living and deceased, those good and those troubled, that they embrace the example of Saint Joseph in their families and with all those wholy on their judgments and actions.

Saint Joseph, Protector of the Holy Family, pray for us.

If you know our council by now, you know that our annual Lenten fish fry is very popular! This year, the days are Friday March 7 and Friday March 21! Come spend some time with your friends at your local parish and enjoy your community! Or you can pick it up in our drive-thru!

Order now using the link below. We hope to see you there!

Fish Fry Order Form

Remember the Feast of the Holy Spouses on January 23

A lesser-known centuries-old feast that celebrates the marriage of Saint Joseph and Mary is growing in recognition. The better-known one is the Feast of the Holy Family, usually celebrated on the Sunday after Christmas. This feast, however, brings focus on the promises made in the marriage covenant of Joseph and Mary. It was first observed in the late 1400s in some areas. The Oblates of Saint Joseph integrated it into their calendar in the 1880s. The reorganization of the Catholic liturgical calendar in 1961 removed the observance, but it returned in 1989. The Oblate website, holyspouses.org, has information about prayers for Mass, Liturgy of the Hours, and a Holy Spouses Rosary. Support of “the domestic church” is an essential mission of the Knights. The organization believes “How you live your faith in your councils, families, parishes and community has a ripple effect that changes the world… [and] deliberately chooses to live contrary to what seems like a Godless world and says, ‘In our home, council and parish, we choose to live our faith.’” On January 23, pray for families, engaged couples, and those contemplating marriage, especially those who find themselves in challenging situations. May the holy promises that Saint Joseph and Mary made inspire each of us to strive for devoted lives in the fullness of God’s grace.

Every year we hear news that honoring the birth of Jesus or using the word “Christmas” is being pushed from the public square. The Knights of Columbus works to counter those trends by promoting the true meaning of Christmas with its “Keep Christ in Christmas” efforts. They sponsor public service announcements, billboards, signs, posters and other media. The program did not originate with the Knights. It came to prominence in 1949 with the initiatives of the Milwaukee Archconfraternity of Christian Mothers, a Catholic women’s organization. Their slogan: “Put Christ in Christmas.” They recruited 200 merchants to display their signs in windows, including theater owners who put the phrase on marquees. The Knights took up the cause in the early 1960s. Today, Past Supreme Knight Carl Anderson reminded us: “In the midst of an increasingly materialistic and secular society, it is all too easy to lose sight of what Christmas really means. We give gifts to each other because it is the day on which we celebrate the ultimate gift: the Christ child, the savior of mankind. Even those who do not share the Christian faith can and do appreciate the message of peace and hope that this Christian holiday – holy day – brings to the world. It is a message that the world needs now more than ever.”

Your Knights Council wishes you a happy, healthy, and holy Christmas.

Is “Keep Christ in Christmas” a fight against “Xmas”? Yes, No, But So Much More

Many Catholics of the 1950s and 1960s remember the campaigns of “Keep Christ in Christmas.” These had special relevance in background of the Cold War, with great concerns about the atheism of Communist regimes in contrast to American religious freedoms. Others may remember it as a campaign against the use of “Xmas” rather than “Christmas.” The “X” was actually the first letter of the word “Christ” in Greek, so it was not always an attempt to diminish Christmas unless it was the harmful desire of the person who used it. Some used “Xmas” without malicious intent, thinking it was just another way of spelling the word. We see the “X” stand for Christ in Greek letters that look like “IXOYE” on bumper stickers and other signs. It is also in Catholic symbols. If you’ve ever noticed a P with an X through it, it’s actually the first two letters of “Christ” in Greek, pronounced “chi rho.” The X is the first, and the P is actually an R in the English alphabet. The first prominent use of this symbol was by the Emperor Constantine. The X in the symbol looks like a cross, a reminder of the crucifixion. But for us today, spelling out “Christ” reminds us of our Savior in the most intentional, plain, and precise way, ensuring the meaning of our words.

“Keep Christ in Christmas” emphasizes that Christmas is our celebration of new life that redeems us and elevates our purpose to God individually, with our families, and our neighbors. How the Knights of Columbus became involved in “Keep Christ in Christmas” is our next installment.

Thank-you to all those who supported the 2024 Coats for Kids event on Sunday, November 10th. With your help, support, and contributions we provided 258 new coats to children from pre-school to teen.

212 coats were given away on Sunday leaving 10 toddler size coats to be donated to Catholic Parish Outreach and 36 child and teen coats donated to the Boys and Girls Club of Wake Forest. Also, dozens of donated scarves and hats were given to the families who attended the event.

A total of 37 volunteers supported the event and we had a number of donors of coats and cash who make the event possible. Our Parish staff also participated in promoting the event through various media.

Our Parish and Knights of Columbus council are truly blessed and we thank-you for your charity.

We have just donated $1,000 to our local Tri-Area Ministry Food Pantry. It will go to serving the food insecure in our Wake Forest community! 

Our council meets up at the church every third Saturday and delivers food from Tri-Area Ministry to the elderly and shut-ins in the area. We are always looking for volunteers to help us deliver! To learn more, visit our TAM page here, and use the signup genius link to let us know you're coming!

If you enjoy soccer and would like to compete in our annual shootout, please RSVP using this link! RSVP Signup

The shootout will take place September 15th from 3pm - 5pm.

Boys and girls ages 9-14 will compete by kicking into the net. Points will be given depending on the location of the goal. Top scorers will win prizes as well as be allowed to compete at the state level. It's free, so come on down and enjoy the fun with us!

Blessed Father Michael J. McGivney, Pray for Us

Father McGivney was a humble parish priest in Connecticut. At age 29, he founded of the Knights of Columbus. He was beatified on October 31, 2020, in his home Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut. In the apostolic letter read at the beatification Mass, Pope Francis noted that his zeal for the proclamation of the Gospel and generous concern for the needs of his brothers and sisters made him an outstanding witness of Christian solidarity and fraternal assistance.

Father McGivney died just two days past his 38^th birthday in the midst of a flu pandemic. He is the third-youngest American to be proclaimed as saint or blessed. Today, he stands as a model for both priests and laypeople, having lived a life of heroic virtue devoted to the people of God, and as the founder of a lay organization that has grown to more than 2 million members worldwide. Knights have always prayed for his assistance in employment and challenging medical situations. For more information and prayers for Father McGivney’s intercession and canonization, please visit www.afathermcgivney.org

Pray for Priests, Past, Present, and Future

The Knights of Columbus is steadfast in support of vocations, inspired by its founder, Blessed Father Michael McGivney. The patron saint of parish priests is St. John Vianney, also known as “The Curé d’Ars.” This legendary priest of a small town in France attracted thousands for Mass. Travelers would wait hours for the sacrament of confession with him. His priestly devotion inspires priests and seminarians because of the physical and other hardships he endured in his ministry. His feast day is a good time to pray for the priests who have said Mass for us, administered the sacraments to us, encouraged us and offered solace in troubling times throughout our lives and those of our families. Modern communications makes it easier than ever to tell those priests who helped us that we pray for them and that we have gratitude for their vocations.

Remember also to pray for priests who might be troubled or facing personal challenges, and those whose assignments may put them in physical danger. Media often portray priests in negative circumstances, rarely showing the simple good works of priests offered without fanfare every day, or the heroic work of missionaries in distant lands. We need our priests to pray for us, and priests need us to pray for them. Wish all of our priests, past and present, a Happy St. John Vianney Day on August 4.

There is a statue of St. John Vianney in our Church near the right rear entrance.

The date of observance has changed over the years. In the 1970s, it was returned to August 4, the date of his death. It has been also observed on August 9 (1950s) and August 8 (1960s).

A big round of applause to our heavenly helpers at the Brown Bag Ministry for hitting a major milestone! Last Saturday's Brown Bag events at the 5 Triangle sites (St. Catherine, St. Eugene, St. Andrews, St. Francis and St Patrick) marked a whopping 2 million sandwiches made since the ministry's inception. Let's raise our sandwiches to this epic achievement!

To join in this amazing ministry, visit our ministry page where you can also signup to help!