St. Joseph Catholic Church
Served by the Blessed Sacrament Congregation!
Served by the Blessed Sacrament Congregation!
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.
With St. Joseph as our patron we offer our gift of self for the greater glory of God.
excerpt
St. Joseph Church Mission Statement
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
If you need communion brought to you in the pew, please notify the hospitality ministers upon arrival.
Saturdays
10:00 am - 11:00 am
or by appointment
*Please note: Confession schedule does not apply during some liturgical seasons.
Begins
Monday-Thursdays
at 11am
Fridays & Sundays at 4:00pm
Saturdays at 3:00pm
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
Novena Devotions
Tuesday, 6:00 p.m.
St. Joseph Church
Come join us every Tuesday praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Rosary, Consecration and Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help.
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!
Office: 808 935-1465
Monday - Friday: 9am to 1pm
26th Sunday Ordinary Time (A) - 2026
In the parable this Sunday a question is posed, “Which of the two did his father's will?” The answer is clear: the first son. But there is something else in this parable that we should not miss. The father calls both of them “my son.” The first son said no. The second son said yes but did not follow through. And yet neither one stopped being his son. The father's love was not withdrawn from either of them.
Sometimes we imagine our relationship with God as if His love were a reward for good behavior. We may think,“When I do what is right, God loves me. When I fail, God stops loving me.” We do not earn God's love by doing His will. We begin with His love.
But if the Father loves both, why does it matter what we do? Doing the Father's will is for the good of the son. The father sends his son into the vineyard not because he wants to use him, but because he wants him to participate in something good. God's commandments are not meant to take life away from us. They are meant to lead us toward life – to the fullness of life.
Gratefully the Gospel points out to us the presence of the third Son – Our Lord Jesus Christ. who was ready “to humble himself, becoming obedient to the point of death.”
Jesus is not only the Son who obeys. He is the Beloved Son. His obedience flows from knowing that He is loved. And this is important for us. We do not obey God so that He will love us. God loves us first. We obey because we are already loved.
1) to members:
- of the Franciscan Families of the First, Second and Third Orders Regular and Secular;
- of Institutes of Consecrated Life, Societies of Apostolic Life and public or private associations of the faithful, male and female, who observe the Rule of Saint Francis or are inspired by his spirituality or perpetuate his charism in any form;
From a human point of view, this seems careless. An experienced farmer would avoid wasting seed on places where it could never grow. But that is precisely the point. God is not stingy with His grace. He is extravagant with His love.
2) to all the faithful without distinction
who, with a heart detached from sin, participate in the Year of Saint Francis by visiting, in the form of a pilgrimage, any Franciscan conventual church or place of worship anywhere in the world dedicated to Saint Francis or connected to him for any reason, and there devoutly follow the Jubilee rites or spend at least a reasonable period of time in pious meditation and raise prayers to God so that, following the example of Saint Francis, feelings of Christian charity towards their neighbors and authentic vows of harmony and peace among peoples may spring forth in their hearts, concluding with the Our Father, the Creed and invocations to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Clare and all the Saints of the Franciscan Family.
The elderly, the sick and those who take care of them, and all those who are unable to leave their homes for serious reasons may also obtain a Plenary Indulgence, provided they detach themselves from any sin and intend to fulfil the three usual conditions as soon as possible, if they unite themselves spiritually to the jubilee celebrations of the Year of Saint Francis, offering to the Merciful God their prayers, the pains or sufferings of their lives.
The designated pilgrimage sites by Bishop Larry Silva in the Diocese of Honolulu are: Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa (Honolulu), St. Francis Church (Kalaupapa), Holy Trinity Church (Kuliouou), St. Rita Church (Nanakuli), Immaculate Conception Church (Lihue), Christ the King Church (Kahului), St. Damien Church (Kaunakakai), Sacred Hearts (Lanai), St. Michael the Archangel Church (Kailua-Kona), and St. Joseph Church (Hilo).
Beloved St. Joseph,
Patron of our Parish,
at the word of an angel,
you lovingly took Mary into your home.
As God’s humble servant, you welcomed Jesus as your own son and with Our Blessed Mother provided Our Lord with the warmth of a family.
We praise God and are grateful that as their faithful protector, you never hesitated to sacrifice for those entrusted to you.
Most watchful guardian of the Holy family, with confidence we likewise entrust our Parish and families to your loving care.
Teach us, as a Church, to listen attentively to God’s will and to carry it out with quiet courage and trust.
Help our parish to be a home of faith, where Christ is loved and adored, families are strengthened, and all who come find peace and belonging.
Help our homes to be places of prayer, where God is honored. Protect our children and the vulnerable; and assist and take care of those who toil to provide for their families.
Lord, remind us not to grow tired or weary in prayer. Renew our strength when we feel weak. Help us to rise again and again, knowing that praying for one another is both our responsibility and our privilege.
We trust that You hear us today. We trust that answers are on the way. We trust that this new year is held securely in Your hands.
St. Joseph, we thank you through the years that you have watched over us. Continue, we beg, to help us to find God in all that we do and pray that our parish may grow in holiness, unity, and charity, and always reflect the heart of Christ. Amen
St. Joseph, pray for us.
photo credit:Anna Weaver
New to the parish or need to update your registration download our SJ Registration Form print, fill-out and return. Mahalo!
The 200th Anniversary of Catholicism in Hawaii is a year-long celebration (July 2026 – July 2027) marking the day the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary arrived in Honolulu. This anniversary year is not only remembrance — it is an invitation: designed to honor the past 200 years of faith, strengthen the present community across every island, and inspire what comes next.
Contact Dcn. Charley Mapa and let him know of your interest and he will supply you with all of the information that you need to start this journey.
(808) 935-1465
(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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Heavenly Father,
We thank You for the gift of marriage and the love that unites us.
Bless us with patience, kindness, and understanding in all we do.
Help us to forgive quickly, speak gently, and serve one another with joy.
May our home be filled with peace, our hearts with faith, and our lives with the light of Your presence.
Guide us to grow together in holiness,so that our love reflects the love of Christ for His Church.
Through Christ our Lord,
Amen.
“Lord, I am not worthy to have you under my roof but only say the word and I shall be healed.”
You may either receive Holy Communion on your tongue or in the hand as allowed in the United States by decision of the American Bishops.
If one is receiving in the hand the following is normative: upon approaching the minister of the Host extend the hands in the middle of the chest. The left hand is extended, with the right hand under the left in support (left handed persons may wish to place the left hand under the right). In essence, a throne is formed in the sign of an X-cross to receive the Sacred Host. The response of “Amen” is given to the proclamation “The Body of Christ,” and the Host is received. The individual should then step to the side and receive the Host carefully and reverently in front of the altar before returning to your seat. It is unseemly to “pop” the Host into the mouth as one walks away. Remember “Who” you are receiving!
Please note that it is never acceptable to put out only one hand due to the danger of dropping the host. Those who do not have the easy use of both hands (or whose hands are not perfectly clean for whatever reason) should receive on the tongue.
“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”
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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”
