LOCAL MINISTRIES

 

 

 

The primary ministry, or service, of the local Josephan community is prayer.

 

We concelebrate the Eucharist together from Monday to Saturday. We gather together for a daily community prayer in the afternoon.

 

We engage in 30 minutes of private meditation daily. We pray individually in our chapel at home as often as we wish during the day.

 

 

The legacy left us by our founder, St. Leonard Murialdo, calls us specifically to youth ministry.

 

Faithful to our identity, we serve the youth around us in a variety of ways.

 

The St. Leonard Youth Retreat Center offers teens and young adults a privileged place to explore their relationship with God and with the Church in the context of weekend or day retreats.

 

Members of the community teach, offer counseling to teens, lead extraordinary experiences such as pilgrimages or World Youth Days, direct summer camps and teen retreats…

 

 

The Fathers also assist local pastors in weekend liturgies, celebrations of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, visitation to the hospitalized or ill.

 

The local community is also a formation community: we offer guidance and discernment to those who are exploring a call to religious life or the priesthood.

 

THE ST. LEONARD DAY PICNIC

 

 

The Church Calendar officially lists the liturgical celebration of the Feast of St. Leonard Murialdo on May 18.

 

This is a day of rejoicing for all of us. The Feast of St. Leonard is not just a memory of the holiness of our Founder, but a moment to celebrate our identity as religious, as members of the Congregation of St. Joseph or of the wider St. Leonard Family.

 

In our religious community we celebrate “our day” on the Saturday closest to May 18 with a Picnic on our grounds.

 

The picnic begins with a coming together of friends, young and old, and gathering around the Pavilion area.

 

At 5:00 PM we celebrate the Eucharist at the outdoor Pavilion.

 

After Mass we share food from a pot-luck dinner, as well as memories and laughter. Children play games, teens challenge each other in competitions, willing adults play bocce or explore the grounds.

 

Sometimes the program continues into the night or the next morning with a special program for teens and young adults.

 

The St. Leonard Picnic welcomes anyone who is associated with the Congregation of St. Joseph or the St. Leonard Youth Retreat Center.

 

The April issue of the St. Leonard’s House Newsletter invites friends to the St. Leonard Picnic.

 

Community Members 2010-2011

 

 

 

Fr. Gaetano Menegatto, C.S.J.

 

Year of Birth:          1918

Place of Birth:        Torri di Quartesolo, (Vicenza) Italy

First Profession:      08-28-1935

Final Profession:    09-19-1940

Ordination:               09-19-1942

 

Fr. Lawrence Tosco, C.S.J.

 

Year of Birth:          1942

Place of Birth:        Pinerolo, (Torino) Italy

First Profession:      09-29-1959

Final Profession:    09-29-1965

Ordination:               06-27-1970

 

At present, our community hosts 2 brothers and one seminarian.

 

BROTHERS:

 

Antony Mon (India)

Jayaraj William (India)

 

SEMINARIAN

 

Alex Velez (USA)

 

THE VISION

 

 

The St. Leonard House is, first of all, the residence for the local members of Congregation of St. Joseph, also known as the “Fathers of St. Joseph”, or, less commonly, the “Josephan Fathers and Brothers”.

 

The St. Leonard House is also a Formation Community. Young men who are discerning a calling to religious life in the Congregation of St. Joseph reside here and explore their vocation under the guidance of a Spiritual mentor.

 

The St. Leonard Youth Retreat Center stands as an integral part of the local religious community residing at the St. Leonard House. The Center hosts youth retreats throughout the year, especially on weekends.

 

As members of the Congregation of St. Joseph we are inspired by the spirit of the Holy Family of Nazareth: prayerful living, simple lifestyle, quiet action, harmony in relationships.

 

As followers of St. Leonard, we live out his spiritual intuition and legacy: the firm and deep conviction that God loves us first and always, in a way only God can love: with infinite tenderness, with merciful compassion.

 

We continue the Mission that St. Leonard envisioned for our Congregation by dedicating our lives to the service of young people, especially those most at risk.

 

We serve the young people the Lord sends along our path in the way St. Leonard taught us: with extreme respect, establishing a real presence in their lives, believing in their goodness, challenging them to holiness of life, attuning their hearts to all that is beautiful, true and holy.

 

In the words of St. Leonard himself, we strive to be “friends, brothers and fathers” to our young people.