Offering Prayers & Memorials for Loved Ones

It is a hallmark of Christianity that we should pray for one another—interceding to God on their behalf. We also have a long Tradition of praying for the deceased that comes right out of the Bible (cf 2 Maccabees 12:38-46 and 2 Timothy 1:15-18). The Catholic Church also teaches of the Communion of Saints, that is "the communion of all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are being purified, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one Church; and we believe that in this communion, the merciful love of God and his saints is always [attentive] to our prayers" (Catechism of the Catholic Church n.962).

In the economy of salvation the Faithful have an important role to play, not just in developing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, but in also leading others to that same relationship. The principal "currency" of this economy is prayer. Persuasive arguments and teaching may assist in people assenting to the reasonability of it all, but, in the end, the most efficacious means of supporting our brothers and sisters in Christ is through prayer and fasting. We ought to pray for our living brothers and sisters, but we should especially pray for those who have died as their current state does not afford them the ability to intercede on their own behalf.

Indeed, the dead we are taught, have already undergone an individual judgement. However, just as we could intercede for them in life—being still a living soul—we can also intercede for those still undergoing purification (e.g. in Purgatory). These intercessions cannot be understated and, unless canonized a saint, we cannot assume that anyone is in Heaven (or Hell for that matter). Therefore, our deceased loved ones are always in need of our prayers, the most powerful offering of which is in the Mass, which is the the prayer of the Church. Making offerings of any kind, however, on behalf of our loved ones (living or deceased) are excellent ways not only to memorialize them, but, in doing so, encourage additional prayers by the community on their behalf. 

Below is a calendar of our regular masses. Teal colored masses indicate that the particular mass is still available for reserving an intention. Gray masses indicated the name of the person for whom the mass is reserved. Each week we also publish these names with their requester and associated mass in our bulletin.

Type of mass intentions (which are accompanied by a card to give to the intended or their families) are as follows:

• Announced Masses - $20 – (what appears on the calendar below) the intended will be remembered at a single Mass on a specific date & time. Their name will be announced at the Mass, and will appear in the weekly bulletin “Mass Intentions” section the week prior to the Mass taking place. Beginning in 2025 the Saturday 5:00 PM Mass will be a collective intention. It is the same as any other announced Mass with the exception that there could be as many as 5 intentions announced for that Mass.
  
  
• Mass Guild Enrollment - $15 – the intended will be remembered as part of a group, at a Sunday Mass, for 4 consecutive weeks. Their name (and yours) will appear in a weekly bulletin once (usually the first week the intention becomes "active") in “Guild Mass Intentions” section on our Memorials Page.
  
  
• Purgatorial Society Enrollment - $15 – the intended will be remembered as part of a group, at a daily Mass (usually Monday at 7:00 AM), once a week, forever. The person's name is NOT mentioned at the Mass, nor is it listed in the bulletin. As implied by the name, this enrollment is not intended for living persons.

Request Mass Intention Online

Request Memorial Online

Options and pricing are as follows:

• Main Altar Flowers..............................$130.00 / two
        
• Blessed Mother’s Altar Flowers.....$90.00 / two
  
  
• St. Joseph’s Altar Flowers................$45.00
  
  
• Eucharistic Bread and Wine...........$25.00
  
  
• Sanctuary Lamp...................................$25.00
  
  
• Respect Life Rose..............................$10.00

As with the above calendar, teal indicates a memorial option is still available for the week. Memorials run from the Saturday 5pm mass through Saturday morning masses. In they calendar they appear as running from Saturday through Friday since the subsequent Saturday (on the calendar) kicks off the following week's memorials. Memorials offered for the week appear in gray each day of the week for which they are offered.

At St. Joseph Parish we have several memorial brick garden where paver stones can be engraved in memory or honor of loved ones. While anyone can memorialize bricks in any garden for any reason, our gardens have all been contructed with a certain recognition and patron in mind.

The first memorial garden is dedicated to Our Lady of Knock and is located on the south side of the church along the brick walkway. This garden was provided by the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Kevin Barry Division 3, Men's and Ladies'. You can read HERE about the apparition of Our Lady in Knock, Ireland. The statue, brick plaza, and memorial benches were all provided in recognition for the contributions of Irish

Americans to St. Joseph Parish and the wider Kings Park community.

Click HERE if you would like to memorialize a brick for the Our Lady of Knock Memorial Garden

Our second memorial garden honors St. Michael the Archangel. In 2021, we constructed an outdoor pavilion where our outdoor masses and other parish evens take place in the warmer months. Next to the pavilion is a statue of St. Michael, in the center of his own brick plaza. Bricks in the main area can be memorialized and, for a little more than the standard offering and while space remains, in the single row of bricks in front of the pavilion steps. St. Michael is the patron saint of police officers, and this garden honors all of those men and women who are or have been first responders and willingly sacrificed accordingly for their community.

Click HERE if you would like to memorialize a brick for the St. Michael Pavilion Memorial Garden

Our final memorial garden was constructed in 2023 as part of an Eagle Scout project by Kyle Wozniak. This garden is called St. Gabriel's Grotto and is meant to be a simple and tender place for parents of those who have lost children, whether preborn, youth, or adults. We ask for the special intercession of this messenger of God who greeted Mary with the news of the Annunciation to fill the hearts of grieving parents with hope and the solace of our Lord.

Click HERE if you would like to memorialize a brick for the St. Gabriel's Grotto Memorial Garden

In addition to the above, weekly memorials, there are many other ways to honor a loved one. Among them are the Our Lady of Knock and St. Michael Memorial Brick Gardens and donations toward parish renovations and upgrades. You may also dedicate liturgical items, such as books, altar cloths, ciboria, and vestments. All memorials will be acknowledged and can be offered for living or deceased individuals.

If you are interested in making a donation toward any of the above or would like to know more about these and other memorial opportunities, please contact the Parish Center at (631) 269-6635 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You may also stop by in person during normal hours to make arrangements.