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24 / 25 NOVEMBER Saint Joseph Parish Saint Francis deSales Parish |
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| NATIVITY BVM HIGH SCHOOL presents a "Gifts Just for Me" Christmas Bingo on Sunday, 9 December. Doors open at 11:00 a.m. Bingo at 1:00 p.m. Special Holiday admission price is $20.00. This includes twenty regular Bingo games, plus four specials and a complimentary chocolate fountain. Fabulous prizes available: Vera Bradley, Dooney & Bourke and Coach designer purses, Pandora bracelets, Troll beads, Chico watches, Spa treatments, cash prizes and so much more. Refreshments will be available for purchase. Call 385-1195 to reserve your tickets. |
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FOUL-SHOOTING COMPETITION Boys and girls, grades 5 to 8, are invited to participate in a foul-shooting competition in the Nativity BVM High School gym. The date is Saturday, 15 December. The time is 8:30 a.m. Registration is at 8:00 a.m. This event is sponsored by the Nativity Development Department. It is a preliminary competition. Finals will be held during future Nativity boys' and girls' home games. Bring a friend! If you have any questions or concerns, call Jennifer at 628-4004. |
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PLEASE PRAY FOR
a woman who died on Friday, 30 November. Catherine Nolan Lucas,
age 81, is the mother of St. Joseph parishioner Catherine Lucas
Whitney and the grandmother of six (current or former) members
of St. Joseph Parish: Allison Whitney Meredith; Lisa Whitney
Gallagher; John C. Whitney; Katherine Whitney Collier; Joseph
M. Whitney; Carolan M. Whitney. Eternal rest grant unto Catherine, O Lord, and let the perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. |
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Charles Roman Barbara Smalansky Snitzer Dylan M. Wilson None, as far as we know. Gregory A. Potts Jennifer L. Cory Dominic J. Maccarone Jr. Rose Corby Gagliardi |
Albert J. Piccioni Joseph A. Visalli Robert P. Bollerman Mary Bonadio Butera Maria Tucci Davenport Joseph Etherington Michael A. Luppino Richard V. Prestileo Jr. None, as far as we know. |
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HONOR ROLL David J. Chiplonia / 12th grade / Nativity BVM HS / First Honors Desiree Blum / 11th grade / Schuylkill Haven HS / Honors Jasmine Blum / 11th grade / Schuylkill Haven HS / Honors Dominic J. Chiplonia / 8th grade / All Saints / First Honors Alexander Koinski / 6th grade / All Saints / First Honors |
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WE ACKNOWLEDGE WITH GRATITUDE
the receipt of a contribution
to the StJosPar Memorial Fund from Lucille N. Moyer in memory
of Joanne Elizabeth Palko Bach. A SIMPLE PRAYER Dear God, please help the people who park in the driveway next to St. Francis deSales Church to remember to move ALL THE WAY UP, so as to allow others to park there as well! And, dear Lord, if they do not remember, would you please make their noses itch - or something like that - until they do remember? |
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FIRST FRIDAY Please pay attention to this announcement. |
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because, if a mother can kill her own child, what is left but for me to kill you and for you to kill me? There is nothing between!" Blessed Teresa of Calcutta |
| VERBUM SAT SAPIENTI: Sometimes we read in a newspaper that someone has been accused of some kind of wrongdoing. We do well at such times to avoid jumping to unwarranted conclusions. We do well to extend to others the courtesy and forbearance we hope would be extended to us in such circumstances. Let us exercise common sense and good judgment in all matters. We believe that, once the facts are laid out and candidly appraised, all will be well. Meanwhile, we pray for one another. |
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On page 3 of the Sat 1 Dec edition of the
Pottsville Republican, one reads as follows: |
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TRAVEL
NOTE If you are planning a family vacation in Sudan or some other Muslim country this coming Christmas season - or any other time for that matter - and if one of your little ones likes to carry a teddy bear with him or her for comfort while traveling, please make sure the teddy bear is not named "Muhammad". If the teddy bear is already named "Muhammad", please have his name legally changed before you leave. Better yet, leave the teddy bear at home. You never know about teddy bears. Sometimes they will turn on you if a stranger offers them honey. Even good teddy bears have been known to crack under pressure and snitch on their owners. |
| SANTA CLAUS will be at All Saints School on Friday, 7 Dec, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. There will be a photographer. You may have photos of the child and or of the family - with or without Santa. Prices for photos are very reasonable. Pictures will be delivered to the school next week. |
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The following item is taken from the 28 Nov 07 THUNDER / ENLIGHTNING, a call-and-tell-us-what's-on-your-mind feature of the Pottsville Republican & Herald. I wish to make an extended commentary on it. Frackville Comment |
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Bishop Cullen's mode of governance is much more consultative than imperial! He does
not act and has not been acting like an absolute monarch in this
matter of the possible restructuring of the parishes of the Diocese
of Allentown. Whatever happens when all is said and done, let
no member of the diocese say that he was not invited to contribute
his thoughts. Au contraire! Therefore: It would not be wise, nor would it be fair, to start any kind of campaign for writing letters to the Bishop, telling him that he should not close a certain church because of "how much (that) church means" to the writer. Rather than write to the Bishop, communicate with your pastor and / or with your parish's regional reps AND READ THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES! In the case of St. Joseph Parish, the reps are Abe Barone and Patti Garland. In the case of St. Francis deSales Parish, the reps are Ellen King and Frank Boncore. If we look at page 3 of today's (Saturday, 1 Dec) Pottsville Republican, we see an article with this headline: 2009 plan: 9 fewer priests in county The article says: "…..the South Schuylkill priests serve 21,098 Catholics, according to diocesan statistics". One of the regions (Region #1) of South Schuylkill is the area currently served by six parishes, viz. St. Ambrose, St. Patrick, St. John the Baptist, St. Joseph, Mary Queen of Peace and St. Francis deSales. Seven priests are assigned to these six parishes. Currently, these seven are: Fr. Stone; Fr. Ha; Msgr. O'Connor; Fr. Medve; Fr. Loeper; Fr. Bambrick; Fr. Connolly. However, based on a ratio of one priest to approximately 2,400 laypersons, it seems that the diocese is really able to "afford" only five priests to this region. So, that will mean five priests for six parishes! But how can this be? Some parishes are so large that they need at least two priests (pastor and assistant). Moreover, it is not reasonable to have one priest serve two parishes indefinitely. What conclusions can be drawn? Is it possible that some parishes will have to be consolidated with others? It is not unlikely. We need to do the math and, if reality does not please us, we must not blame the Bishop! |
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YOU KNOW YOU'RE A REDNECK IF
…. you've ever used a bathtub as a punch bowl; you broke a toe when you dropped your belt buckle on it; you've ever worn flip-flops to a funeral home; you have visitation rights to a dog; you can't remember where your lawn mower is; you've ever flirted over a drive-thru window speaker. |
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CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS Eighth-grade parishioners attending Catholic, public or private elementary or middle school are invited to apply for a one-year $1,000 scholarship to attend one of the eight Catholic high schools of the Diocese of Allentown. Scholarships will be awarded on the basis of: academic achievement; involvement in extracurricular activities; service to school, parish and community; pastor, principal and teacher recommendations. Application forms are available at the parish office, school office or through the parish religious education program. Completed applications must be submitted to the student's school by 4 January 2008. |
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Tuesday, 04 December 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at St. Joseph's 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at St. Joseph's 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at St. Joseph's |
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HOW TO USE CONDOMS I came across an article about the use of condoms in India. I found it interesting and thought others might like to know about it. What I learned from this article is that there are morally licit (lawful) uses for condoms! We live and learn! You see, it's like this: For many years, there has been a concerted effort on the part of the Forces of Darkness - together with Planned Parenthood, the Democratic Party, the Rockefeller Foundation and assorted other Enemies of the Human Race - to keep the non-white population of the world from propagating its kind overly much. So, the Forces of Darkness - together with Planned Parenthood, the Democratic Party, the Rockefeller Foundation and assorted other Enemies of the Human Race - are always wanting to send condoms over to India. They send them to other places too, but mostly, it seems, to India. That's probably because there is a heavy concentration of Indians living in India, and Indians tend to have darker skin than most Norwegians. About 1.5 billion condoms have been sent to India by various agencies. Of these 1.5 billion, it is estimated that 891 million are intended for distribution without charge. Most of these 891 million condoms have been used by road contractors, who have found that, when they mix condoms with concrete and tar, they come up with a much smoother road surface than if they had used only concrete and tar. Here are some other ways Indians use condoms: (a) melted down for latex and made into toys; (b) dyed and sold as balloons; (c) used as water containers by villagers; (d) used by soldiers as gun-barrel covers to protect against dust; (e) used to provide extra waterproofing for houses. We should point out, lest anyone be in doubt, that all of these ways of using condoms are in conformity with the moral law of God. The Catholic Church has no problem with these ways of using condoms. |
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THE TWO- COW THEORY OF ECONOMICS by William Vaca Bovine, PhD As Catholics, we are interested in fostering economic justice in the world. This requires, as a minimum, an elementary knowledge of Economics. Economics, the dreary science, is not an easy subject to master. But, to whet your appetite, we run by you the following information. Compacted into the space of two bulletin pages is at least three-college-credits worth of Economics. We call it The Two-Cow Theory of Economics. We are indebted to Mary Rose Burns for bringing it to our attention. CHRISTIANITY You have two cows. Your neighbor has no cows. You keep one cow and give one to your neighbor. EUROPEAN SOCIALISM You have two cows. Your neighbor has no cows. The government takes one of your cows and gives it to your neighbor. USA UNDER CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICANS You have two cows. Your neighbor has no cows. You say, "So what?" USA UNDER LIBERAL DEMOCRATS You have two cows. Your neighbor has no cows. You feel guilty. You vote politicians into office who impose a cow tax. This obliges you to sell one cow so as to be able to pay the tax on the other cow. The people you voted into office then use that tax money to buy a cow to give to your neighbor. Now he can pay the cow tax too! COMMUNISM You have two cows. Comrade Neighbor has no cows. Glorious Leader confiscates both of your cows and gives them to People's Commune. After you are released from Re-education Camp, Glorious Leader gives you and Comrade Neighbor a weekly allowance of free milk. You are grateful to Glorious Leader and sing his praises: (a) for the free milk and (b) for not having you shot. FASCISM You have two cows. Your neighbor has no cows. The government seizes both of your cows and sells you the milk. You join the Underground to get revenge. You learn how to poison the milk and how to make bombs to blow up the cows and the government. AMERICAN SOCIALISM You have two cows. Your government finds out that some people in other countries have no cows. The government taxes you to the point where you have to sell both of your cows, so that the government can send free milk to the people in other countries. AMERICAN CAPITALISM You have two cows. Your neighbor has no cows. You sell one of the cows and, with the money, buy a bull. Now you start up a herd of cows. Now you have plenty of milk, which you sell to your neighbor at the market price. |
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AMERICAN-STYLE BUREAUCRACY You have two cows. The government buys them both from you at a price too good to turn down. In order to keep up the market price of milk, the government shoots one of the cows and milks the other. Then it pours this milk down the drain. AN AMERICAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You sell one and force the other to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when the cow drops dead. A FRENCH CORPORATION You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows. A JAPANESE CORPORATION You have two cows. You redesign your cows so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times as much milk. A GERMAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You re-engineer them so that they live for 100 years, eat once a month and milk themselves. AN ITALIAN CORPORATION You have two cows but you don't know where they are. You break for lunch. A RUSSIAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You count them and learn you have five cows. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. You count them again and learn you have twelve cows. You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka. A MEXICAN CORPORATION You think you have two cows, but you don't know what a cow looks like. You take a siesta. A SWISS CORPORATION You have 5,000 cows, none of which belongs to you. You charge others for storage. A BRAZILIAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You enter into a partnership with an American corporation. Soon you have 1,000 cows and the American corporation declares bankruptcy. AN INDIAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You worship them. A TALIBAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You turn them loose in the Afghan countryside and they both die. You blame the godless American infidels. |
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of THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY Mass Schedule Friday, 7 Dec 4:30 p.m. - StJos 6:00 p.m. - StFdS 7:45 a.m. - StJos 9:15 a.m. - StFdS 10:45 a.m. - StJos 12:15 p.m. - StFdS PLEASE NOTE |
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SAINT FRANCIS deSALES CHURCH %20Jan%202007/abu076.gif){kind=small} Saturday, 01 DecemberVigil of Sunday 6:00 p.m. - DOMENICA ["Mamie"] DeMATTEO LaSELVA by the Rinaldo family Sunday, 02 DecemberFirst Sunday of Advent 9:15 a.m. - God's Blessings on SISTER MARY RAYMOND, OP by her sister, Carolyn 12:15 p.m. - WILLIAM E. BRENNAN by his brother, Vincent, and his sister, Anne Monday, 03 DecemberSt. Francis Xavier, priest (OblMem) 10:00 a.m. - Ad metanoiam: FRANK and SHEILA FALINE by their daughter, Lisa Wednesday, 05 DecemberAdvent Weekday 10:00 a.m. - EDWARD J. MADY by his wife, Loretta, and family Friday, 07 DecemberVigil of Immaculate Conception 6:00 p.m. - FRANCIS D. TUCCI by Joseph T. Cescon and family Saturday, 08 DecemberImmaculate Conception of the BVM (Sol) 9:15 a.m. - Rev. JOHN L. ONDIC by EBC 12:15 p.m. - PARISHIONERS: StJosPar / StFdSPar by EBC Vigil of Sunday 6:00 p.m. - DOMENICA ["Mamie"] DeMATTEO LaSELVA by Tony and Gayle Sleva Sunday, 09 DecemberSecond Sunday of Advent 9:15 a.m. - FRED YUENGLING Sr. by Nancy Dombrowny Haag |