Liturgy is an integral part of our school life.

All students attend Mass at least once each week. All School Masses are celebrated twice monthly. Classes participate in the planning and assisting of these Masses.
 
A formal religion curriculum is written and followed for all grades. Classes emphasize Catholic doctrine, scripture and spiritual life. Daily prayer is said before classes begin, at lunch, and before dismissal.
 
Special Masses, Sacraments, and Devotions include:

• Parent and Grandparent Masses
• Penance services
• Living Rosary
• May Crowning
• Advent service
• Stations of the Cross during Lent
• Blessing of animals/pets (Kindergarteners and 8th graders)
• All Saints’ Mass (3rd graders dress as a selected patron saint)
• Living Stations re-enactment (performed by 5th graders for the school and parish)
• Mass of St. Jerome and special Bible ceremony (6th graders)
• Additionally, the Jr. High Drama Elective Class performs a “Passion Mime” during Holy Week.
• Grades K-5th perform in Christmas Pageant.

Religious instruction including special preparation for the reception of the sacraments is provided for the students in their daily curriculum.  Sacrament-focused retreats are held for 1st, 2nd and 8th graders.  All students participate in retreats during Holy Week.  Teaching stewardship is central to our Catholic identity.  All students are taught to be good stewards with their time, talent and treasure.
 

Our Service Program is designed to implement a deliberately structured service component at SJM that begins in Kindergarten and continues through Eighth grade.  By participating in and experiencing various service activities throughout their school years at St. Joe, our students awareness of the needs of others is greatly increased.  This program provides common language and shared experiences for our students and teachers that can be used as a basis for discussion in the classroom, among peers, and at home, regarding what it means to be the body of Christ.

 Some of our grade level service projects include:

• ECLC – Collects gently used/new books and stuffed animals for Ready to Learn. 
• Kindergarten - Make and send get well cards to parishioners who are sick.
• 1^st grade – Make craft kits for Shriners Hospital so that the patients may create their own

                        crafts and collect new coloring books, markers, crayons and small games for them
                        as well. 

• 2^nd grade - Make fleece blankets to be donated to Nurses for Newborns.

• 3^rd grade - Engage in a pen pal correspondence between the children and older parishioners

                        Nov-April, ending with BINGO social hour in the café following an 8:30 am Mass in
                        April.

• 4^th grade - Make sandwiches in November for the Winter Shelter Sandwich Program and

                        organize a book drive after the first of the year for St. Augustine’s School in
                        Wellston.

• 5^th grade - Organize a used shoe collection for Clean Water Mission to raise funds needed to

                        drill wells for water in various disadvantaged countries.

• 6^th grade - Engage in various “behind the scenes” service activities that involve sacramental

                        programs in our parish; help with diaper drive for Mary Queen of the Angels; help
                        with the junior high leaf raking project.

• 7^th grade - Partner with West County Care Center; students rotate to visit and help

                        orchestrate a bowling activity or games with the residents; 7 ^th graders also rake
                        leaves on the parish grounds in the fall. 

• 8^th grade - Beginning in September and ending in May, five to six students will partner with

                        the St. Joseph's’s Knights of Columbus to work at the Mother Teresa Soup Kitchen on
                        the 2 ^nd and 5 ^th Mondays of each month.  They will also rake leaves for elderly                              and parishioners in need in the fall.

Students also support various all-school and parish-wide services activities throughout the school year.  They CAN make a difference!