St. Joseph Catholic Church, Richardson TX

I love this church. It's a beautiful place to talk to God. I felt like he was listening to me. The last time I went was after work just to give thanks. However, as soon as I got out and into my car, something happened that made me open my eyes about something else that I hadn't even asked for.
"Thy will be done. " It may not be what you asked for, much less wanted, but in the end, only HE knows what's best for us.

Excellent holy place of worship. Fr. Stephen and the rest of the priests are great and work very hard, with several confession times available throughout the week. Thank you so much for your selfless dedication to your parishioners!

My daughter goes to school there wonderful teachers staff awesome curriculum

We attended and were members of this church for nearly 6 years. We were married here and 3 of our 4 children were baptized here. Being someone who came from a church that she was a member of since childhood I never thought I would find somewhere I could call home again. Well St. Joseph was just that for us, home. The community was so loving and amazing! We have recently moved and because of distance are no longer attending mass here but know that St Joseph will always hold a most special place in our hearts!

I have gone to this church for 2 years and overall like it; however, I do not think the Second Vatican Council's directives on the liturgy have been fully implemented in it yet, either in letter or in spirit. In an effort to bring about a greater worship experience, I will be detailing some of the finer points of the liturgy that could use improvement, as well as praising what has so far been implemented:

Sacrosanctum Concilium 116 states that "Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services" - by no means does this parish live up to the Sacred Councils directives. The most Gregorian chant I have heard is the Alleluia and Agnus Dei, and usually only on a weekday. The songs of the ordinary, as well as hymns, are totally devoid of the Vatican's precepts. By no means do I advocate that we get rid of a lot of the songs currently sung, no, but the fact that there is next to no Gregorian chant saddens me. How much "Pride of Place" exactly constitutes seems subjective, but I don't think anyone can place <5% as a reasonable interpretation of this liturgical canon. I do not exactly advocate for Latin Gregorian either, there is plenty of English Gregorian written out there that would not be such a stumbling block for many.

As far chanting goes, this parish is much better on this point. Fr. Jason, the ex-pastor, was phenomenal in this regard. Fr. Ingram and Fr. Joseph both chant significant portions of the Mass that are in accord with the ranking of Musicam Sacram, 29-31. However, many portions (30a and 30b) that are supposed to be chanted with priority over many other parts of the Mass are not done. Namely the call-and-response for both the intro rites (29a) and Gospel response (29b). Likewise the Prayers of the Faithful are not chanted, despite them having priority over even hymns (30c). I really enjoy the chanting of the preface, Great Doxology, mysterium fidei, and Lord's Prayer done thus far, but in my studies of the conciliar documents I can only conclude that this parish has not fully implemented Vatican II's constitution on the liturgy in these regards as well.

In short, and as supported by 2 documents from the Second Vatican Council, I feel as though a thorough examination should be done by the liturgical coordinators and clergy regarding the directives of the council - this will lead to a greater liturgical experience at St. Josephs, and a fuller implementation as to what the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council wanted, which is increasingly welcomed in these days as there is a growing need for pastoral accompaniment towards Catholics who seek to return to the musical patrimony of the Roman Rite.

I could write many more things, but I feel the issue of music, chanting, and a reexamination of Vatican II's liturgical documents tops the list. I pray that the proper implementation of many things I feel are out of place will bring a great surge of renewal to the St. Joseph parish community.

Thanks for reading!

In Christ,

St. Joseph parishioner.