Saturday, 25 November
Vigil of Christ the King
4:30 p.m. - WILLIAM HARMAN
by Anthony (+) and Mary Luppino

Sunday, 26 November
Solemnity of Christ the King
7:45 a.m. - CONCETTA DiLAZZARO
(1st anniversary)
by Harry and Rosa Lilley
10:45 a.m. - STEPHEN CHALINSKY
by Frank and Ann Marie Tranquillo and son, Aaron

Monday, 27 November
Weekday
12:05 p.m. - CHESTER E. SHANOSKIE
by Joseph and Marie Palerino

Tuesday, 28 November
Weekday
12:05 p.m. - ANDREW J. LUCAS
by Michael and Catherine Whitney
7:00 p.m. - LaVERNN A. WEISER
by Grace Luppino Joy and sons

Wednesday, 29 November
Weekday
12:05 p.m. - ELANORE TEGANO FOLINO
by her husband, Jack

Thursday, 30 November
St. Andrew, apostle (Fst)
12:05 p.m. - WILLIAM PROSS
by his wife, Gerry Ferraiolo Pross
7:00 p.m. - SALVATION OF SOULS
by Jerome and Marie Gilmartin

Friday, 01 December
Weekday
12:05 p.m. - ARTHUR B. WHITNEY
by Michael and Catherine Whitney
6:15 p.m. - KARL A. ZELLER
by Edward Goshaney

Saturday, 02 December
Weekday
8:00 a.m. - INTENTIONS: THIRD ORDER CARMELITES
by the TOC community
Vigil of Sunday
4:30 p.m. - MIM and BETTY
by Phyllis C. Kevy and Roni J. Kevy

Sunday, 03 December
1st Sunday of Advent
7:45 a.m. - DEBBIE XEDEAS BOHR
by Barbara Sciarrone Kasper and family
10:45 a.m. - DANIEL F. BARNES
(anniversary of birth)
by Mom and Ed

Saint Joseph Parish
$1,332.00 from the envelopes and $75.00 from the plate. Thank you.
When one deducts from the sum of these two figures, $1,407.00 the parish's weekly financial obligation to the Diocese, i.e. assessments, $358.85 plus the weekly premiums for property and liability insurance, $149.20, the sum of which is $508.05, plus its weekly obligation to All Saints School, $987.21, the sum total of which is $1,495.26, one sees that ($88.26) of this collection is available for operating the parish. This is a deficit!

Saint Francis deSales Parish
$99.00 from the envelopes and $43.65 from the plate. Thank you.
When one deducts from the sum of these two figures, $142.65 the parish's weekly financial obligation to the Diocese, i.e. assessments, $55.15 plus the weekly premiums for property and liability insurance, $56.72, the sum of which is $111.87, plus its weekly obligation to All Saints School, $197.44, the sum total of which is $309.31, one sees that ($166.66) of this collection is available for operating the parish. This is a deficit!

POSTLUDE:
THE CHIPPENDALES / PINE VIEW ACRES AFFAIR
On Friday evening (24 Nov), between 8:30 and 10:00 p.m., fourteen persons - eight women and six men - stood outside Pine View Acres in order to pray. We chose this unusual venue at which to pray because of the lewd entertainment that was being offered that evening at Pine View Acres. We wanted our prayer to be supplemented by our giving of public witness.

Nothing untoward happened. It was all very calm and peaceful - which is what I anticipated, but one never knows. The State Police sent a couple of representatives to keep an eye on things, so that no one's civil rights would be infringed.
This was very kind of them. Pine View Acres' private-property rights were not transgressed by those who assembled, nor was there any violation of the constitutional right to peaceful assembly of the fourteen participants.

There was one codger who voiced his displeasure at our protest in an audible way. He stopped his car in order to remind us rather forcefully (and snidely) about "priests and boys" and the dismal subject of child molestation in general. His implication was unmistakable: Who the hell do you Catholics think you are protesting what you call sexual immorality? Why don't you go clean up your own act first? These were not his exact words, but these words do convey his meaning rather accurately!

We made it a point to stonewall the gentleman. It would not have helped our cause to engage him in conversation on this matter.
However, there is something I would like to say in connection with the challenge offered by this gentleman. It is this: There are two kinds of sexual sin.

(a) There is sexual sin that is recognized as such at the time it is being committed and afterwards. It is accompanied by a sense of shame. Although it involves consent and is almost certainly mortally sinful, it does not arrive at the level of "sin against the Holy Ghost".
(b) There is sexual sin that is flaunted at the time it is being committed and afterwards. It is not accompanied by any sense of shame. Not only does it involve consent and not only is it mortally sinful, it also rises [sinks?] to the level of "sin against the Holy Ghost" because it is held up as normative.

Although we have all been immensely shocked and saddened - to say the least - at stories about priests who have molested boys, I would have to say this: I have never heard that any priest who was guilty of such depraved sin has ever claimed that what he did was not shameful. I have never heard of any priest who has not conceded that what he did was immeasurably sinful. Because of this, we attribute such sin more to "the flesh" than to "the spirit". In no way do we minimize the horror of such sin, but at the same time we try to see it in context. If not repented, it entitles one to eternal damnation. But the shame that accompanies it carries with it the hope of repentance.

What the management of Pine View Acres has done is far more seriously sinful than what we commonly think of us "a sexual sin". What the management of Pine View Acres has done is enter into the realm of "sin against the Holy Ghost". For the sake of filthy money, they have brought lewd dancers into the community in order to corrupt those who are weak and stupid.

It would be better for them if a millstone were to be tied around their necks and they were to be thrown into the depths of the sea.

As I mentioned in my letter of 16 November to Pine View Acres, it is my intention never to set foot inside their restaurant again for any purpose whatsoever - unless it be to give someone the last rites! I encourage all members of St. Joseph Parish and St. Francis deSales Parish - and all who read this bulletin - to refrain from patronizing Pine View Acres ever again.

This would include attendance at private dinners held there, e.g. wedding rehearsal dinners, funeral luncheons, etc. This "boycott" would cease only if there were a change of ownership or if the current ownership would send a letter in which they would apologize for sponsoring the Chippendales show and guarantee that they will not do so again.

A letter stating that they are "sorry that we were offended" would not count as an apology!

SAINT JOSEPH PARISH WAS FOUNDED IN 1906. How much do you know about life in 1906? Here are some facts that might interest you.
The average life expectancy in the USA was 47.
A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.
There was a total of 8,000 cars in the USA, and a total of 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee: Each of these states was more heavily populated than California.
With a mere 1.4 million people, California ranked #21 in population among the states of the Union.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
The average wage in the USA was 22 cents per hour.
The average worker in the USA made between $200 and $400 per year.
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year; a dentist, $2,500 per year; a veterinarian, between $1,500 and $4,000 per year; a mechanical engineer, about $5,000 per year.
More than ninety-five percent of all births in the USA took place at home.
Ninety percent of all physicians (doctors) in the USA had no college education. Instead, they had attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as "sub-standard."
Sugar cost four cents a pound; Eggs, fourteen cents a dozen; Coffee, fifteen cents a pound.
Most women washed their hair only once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering their country for any reason.
The five leading causes of death in the U.S. were: #1 - Pneumonia and influenza; #2 - tuberculosis; #3, diarrhea; #4 - heart disease; #5 - stroke
The American flag had 45 stars. [Arizona , Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.]
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was 30.
The following items had not yet been invented: crossword puzzles; canned beer; iced tea.
Nobody celebrated Mother's Day, because there was no Mother's Day!
Same with Father's Day!
Two out of every ten adults in the USA couldn't read or write.
Only Six percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."
Eighteen percent of households in the USA had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in 1906 in the entire USA.

If so, please consider purchasing a ticket to support the athletic programs at Nativity BVM High School!
Only 555 tickets are available for sale.
Odds of winning the first prize of $20,000 are 1 / 555.
Second prizes will be $100.00 for every 15 tickets sold.
For more information or to purchase a ticket, call Sue Eckley at 622-6694 or Sharon Modesto at 628-9070.
At present, there are about 100 tickets left.
The date of the drawing is 7 Dec 06 - during half time of the Golden Girls basketball game.

PS - Do you know what would be a great idea? Why not buy a ticket in the name of St. Joseph Parish or St. Francis deSales Parish? What a boon it would be to either of the parishes to pick up $20,000! And, whether or not either of the parishes wins, the kids at Nativity win!

As Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, it gives me great pleasure to congratulate St. Joseph Catholic Church of Pottsville on the occasion of its one-hundredth anniversary.
Since 1906, this church has been dedicated to its congregation and the people of Pottsville and surrounding communities, and has demonstrated faithful service to God, providing wise counsel and insight to the teachings of Jesus Christ.
As the oldest Catholic church in Schuylkill County, it has been a beacon of God's teachings for one hundred blessed years. Under the prayerful leadership and love of St. Joseph Catholic Church, the fabric of the community has strengthened and the surrounding region has grown and thrived.
This church's distinctive accomplishments reflect great credit upon itself as well as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is appropriate that I share the words of Jesus Christ, who said,

On behalf of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, I would like to thank and commend St. Joseph's for all of its hard work.
Congratulations on a century of service and may your continue to find success in the future.

(signed)
Catherine Baker Knoll
Lieutenant Governor

Note: I am grateful to Lieutenant Governor Knoll for her good wishes. I congratulate her on her recent re-election to the Office of Lieutenant Governor. Mrs. Knoll is a pro-life Democrat. She is a strong and gentle woman. May God grant her good health, strength and wisdom as she continues to serve the people of Pennsylvania. [EBC]