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15 / 16 DECEMBER Saint Joseph Parish Saint Francis deSales Parish |
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Sunday, 23 December 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. at St. Joseph's 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at St. Joseph's 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at St. Francis deSales' |
| THE SANCTUARY LAMP at St. Joseph Church is offered, during the week of 23 - 29 Dec, in loving memory of Anthony J. Luppino, at the request of his wife, Mary, and family. |
| THE LOURDES GROTTO CANDLE is offered, during the week of 23 - 29 Dec, in loving memory of Stephen Chalinsky, at the request of his family. |
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NO BIBLE STUDY
on Tuesday, 25 December. You probably guessed as much. NO 10:00 a.m. MASS at StFdS on Monday, 24 Dec or on Friday, 28 Dec. |
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Jamie L. Cavanaugh Mary L. Chipriano None, as far as we know. Braden Verhagen Grace Luppino Joy * Mary Jane Butera Reed |
Amanda C. Brahler Elizabeth Anne Cerullo Nicole M. Edwards Ervolino Jacob G. Gerace Raymond E. Hall Victoria E. Modesto Frances DeMatteo Weiss None, as far as we know. |
| * Mrs. Joy is a member of the exclusive Society of Saint Joseph Parish Nonagenarians. God willing, she will observe her 91st BD this Friday - on the Feast of the Holy Innocents. May God bless her and keep her in His Love. She is the widow of John S. Joy Sr. and the mother of John S. Joy Jr. and David G. Joy. |
| We have only one Saint Joseph Parish afghan / throw left to sell! When it's gone, they're gone! Maybe you are looking for a last-minute Christmas present. Maybe you would just like to have one for yourself. It could be a great conversation piece in years to come! Only forty dollars ($40.00)! It belongs to the first person who comes to the Rectory and purchases it. |
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Apples Oranges Single-packs of cereal Packages (six to a pack) of peanut-butter crackers and / or cheese and crackers These are distributed to homeless persons who utilize the various ARK HOUSE shelters in Pottsville. ARK HOUSE provides sleeping accommodations for people, so as to keep them from freezing in the winter weather. You can drop these items off at St. Joseph Rectory. |
| SAINT JOSEPH PARISHIONER Christine J. Chiplonia is a temporary guest at Manor Care Nursing Home. Her mother, Mary, wants us all to know. |
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MASS AT NURSING HOME The monthly Mass at the Schuylkill Center Nursing Home (located behind Good Samaritan Hospital) will be celebrated at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, 28 December. We are always happy when we see parishioners (and others) show up at the Mass. It is good for us to lend our support to the residents of the nursing home as we worship God in brotherly and sisterly union. |
| ADVICE TO THOSE WHO ARE INCLINED TO ACT MELANCHOLIC, EVEN DEPRESSED, AT CHRISTMAS TIME because they miss certain family members and friends who have died: Make up your mind that you won't get melancholy, let alone depressed. There is absolutely no point to it. It doesn't do you any good, nor does it do your family and friends any good and, by golly, it sure doesn't do your deceased family members or friends any good. You can control it. You have to want to control it. Remember that we all die, sooner or later and, if we play our cards right, we're going to be one heck of a lot better off after than before. So, just stop it right now! And we thank you for your support! |
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JAMIE LYNN SPEARS IS PREGNANT Is it a Bad Thing that she is pregnant? Apparently, some people think it is a Bad Thing that she is pregnant. That's why we pose the question. Is it a Bad Thing? Well, in pursuit of an answer to that question, let us analyze the situation. If Jamie Lynn is pregnant - you will forgive me for belaboring the obvious - it is reasonable to infer that she engaged in sexual intercourse with a man. This inference is supported by reliable reports that a 19-year-old young man named Casey Aldridge, who is referred to as Jamie Lynn's "boyfriend", is the father of the unborn child. No one has stepped forward to deny this inference. On the contrary, some persons close to the parties have stepped forward to confirm it. So, let us presume for the sake of this article in our parish bulletin that it is true. Okay, now where are we? Oh, yes. I remember. We were analyzing the contention some people have made that it is a Bad Thing that Jamie Lynn is pregnant. Well, it seems to me that, inasmuch as the conception of children is, by far, the point and purpose of sexual intercourse, then it seems to me that Jamie's Lynn's pregnancy is not a Bad Thing. On the contrary, it is a Good Thing. Why do I say this? I say this for the simple reason that God designed the interaction known as sexual intercourse in order that He might engage human beings in the marvelous work of producing new human beings. God prefers not to drop fully-formed human babies onto lily pads. Whether He ever actually considered the lily-pad option, I don't know for sure, but I doubt it very much. Now, in regard to sexual intercourse, we know that, even under the most honest of circumstances, new human beings do not always come about as a result. But, when a new human being does come about as a result, we say, "Hip, hip hooray!" If we are persons of faith, we say, "Praise the Lord!" |
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We do
so because human beings are great and wonderful and beautiful
and good. So, we deduce and we are confident that Jamie Lynn's baby is great and wonderful and beautiful and good. And we ask God to bless the child and to bring him or her safely to birth - and to the New Birth. But we still have to figure out why some people think it is a Bad Thing that Jamie Lynn is pregnant. Some people say that a girl who is only 16 years old should not allow herself to get pregnant. People who say this might have a legitimate point. Let us analyze what their point might be. However, before we do any more analyzing, we had better be clear about the fact that God has so designed the human body that, in almost all cases - at least I think so - by the time a girl is 16 years old, she is physically capable of conception and childbearing. Therefore, we had better be very, very, very careful before we make any bald assertions that 16-year-old girls should never allow themselves to be pregnant. We don't want to imply any criticism of the Creator, as if He didn't know what He was doing! [This might be an appropriate time to reflect on the fact that, when God the Most High took flesh in the womb of Mary, that the Virgin Mother was about 16 years old, give or take. So, we tread on dangerous territory when we issue non-nuanced prohibitions against teenage girls getting pregnant!] Well, let's get back to those persons who say that a 16-year-old girl should not allow herself to get pregnant. If they are saying that 16-year-old girls who are not married should not allow themselves to get pregnant, then we would be inclined to agree with them - at least on that very basic and fundamental assertion, although we would broaden the prohibition to include unmarried girls and women of all ages. We Catholics believe that pregnancy and childbearing should be within the context of marriage and that marriage is one man and one woman - exclusively and until death do them part, etc. |
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However, some of those persons
who say that 16-year-old girls should not allow themselves to
get pregnant are not bringing marriage into the equation at all. They are saying that there is nothing wrong with a 16-year-old girl being "sexually active" as long as that sexually active 16-year-old girl is "on the pill" and requires her partner to use condoms. And that is why some people think it is a Bad Thing that Jamie Lynn is pregnant! Do you see what we're saying here? Some people think that it was okay for Jamie Lynn and her boyfriend to have intercourse but that it was a Bad Thing for them not to practice contraception or, as they like to say, "to practice safe sex". On the contrary, we Catholics say that, while it was a Bad Thing for Jamie Lynn and Casey to have intercourse (inasmuch as they are not married), we give them credit for not violating the Natural Law, i.e. the law against artificial contraception, aka onanism, aka sodomy. Given the fact that Jamie Lynn and Casey went and had intercourse anyway, we say that it was a Good Thing that they did not practice contraception and it is a Good Thing that Jamie Lynn is pregnant. So, is it a Good Thing or a Bad Thing that Jamie Lynn is pregnant? Here is the answer: It is a Good Thing that she is pregnant. But is it a Good Thing or a Bad Thing that Jamie Lynn and Casey had intercourse outside of marriage? The answer is that it is a Bad Thing. However, if they have the fundamental psychological capacity for permanent and exclusive marriage, then I hope that they will marry one another. Sooner would be better than later. Marriage would be a Good Thing because it would provide security for Jamie Lynn and the baby and it would provide a context within which Casey could become a Man. While on the subject of becoming a Man, one might want to note the following: It is a Good Thing for a 19-year-old lad to be a Man, as opposed to being a Boy Who is a Legal Adult. A Boy Who is a Legal Adult has sexual intercourse with girls and women to whom he is not married. |
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A Man does not have sexual
intercourse with girls and women to whom he is not married. So, now let us summarize: May God bless Jamie Lynn and Casey and help them to Do the Right Thing and may God bless the baby. |
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St. Joseph Parish sold 650 calendars. St. Francis deSales Parish sold 38 calendars. Total number of calendars sold: 688. At $5.00 each, the gross revenue amounted to $3,440.00. Deduct from this the following: $1,950.00 in prizes; $70.00 in printing; $37.62 in postage. Total deductions: $2,057.62. Net revenue: $1,382.38. Divided between the two parishes in proportion to number of calendars sold by each: St. Joseph Parish (94.5%) earned $1,306.03. St. Francis deSales Parish (5.5%) earned $76.35. THANK YOU! Q: How would you use the word "benign" in a sentence? A: Benign is what you be after you be eight. |
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In memory of James A. Coyle Stephen Ferns and Lori Cipparone M/M Gerald Hardvall Joanne Palko Bach Stevie and Stephanie Garland |
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THE SEVEN "O" ANTIPHONS O Wisdom that comest out of the mouth of the
Most High, that reachest from one end to another, and orderest
all things mightily and sweetly, come to teach us the way of
prudence! I recommend that these titles and invocations of the Lord Jesus be read prayerfully and meditatively between now and Christmas or during the days after Christmas. |
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THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY ABOLISHES
THE DEATH PENALTY! A true Catholic opposes capital punishment. Here is the principle to which we subscribe: Every human life is sacred. The direct and intentional killing of any human person is grievously immoral, except for legitimate self defense and then only as a last resort. |
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A holyday of Obligation 4:30 p.m. - StJos 6:00 p.m. - StFdS Tues 25 Dec *12:00 mid - StJos 7:45 a.m. - StJos 9:15 a.m. - StFdS 10:45 a.m. - StJos 12:15 p.m. - StFdS *Q - What time is the Midnight Mass? A - The Midnight Mass will commence at twelve o'clock midnight - whence, you see, it has come to be known as "the Midnight Mass". One can know that it is twelve o'clock midnight when one looks outdoors and sees that it is dark (Sun not visible in sky) and then looks at an analogue clock and notes that the hour hand and the minute hand have overlapped and are pointing straight upwards. |
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SAINT FRANCIS deSALES CHURCH %20Jan%202007/abu076.gif){kind=small} Saturday, 22 DecemberVigil of Sunday 6:00 p.m. - DOMINIC J. D'ALESSANDRO Jr. by his parents Sunday, 23 DecemberFourth Sunday of Advent 9:15 a.m. - MIKE and CATHERINE DOMBROWNY by their daughter, Nancy 12:15 p.m. - CHILDREN OF THE WORLD by Shirley Losch Recla Monday, 24 DecemberVigil of Christmas 6:00 p.m. - BARBARA SWANTNER CESCON by her husband, Joseph, and children Tuesday, 25 DecemberChristmas: The Nativity of the Lord 9:15 a.m. - PAUL and CAMILLE TEGANO by their son-in-law, Jack 12:15 p.m. - WILLIAM J. McGOVERN Jr. by bequest Wednesday, 26 DecemberSt. Stephen, deacon, protomartyr (Fst) 10:00 a.m. - MARY LaSCALA TROILO, LOIS TROILO GARGANO and LOUISE TROILO ALATI by their daughters / sisters, Tina and Liz Saturday, 29 DecemberVigil of Holy Family 6:00 p.m. - God's Blessings on the WHITNEY FAMILY by Sandy Sunday, 30 DecemberHoly Family 9:15 a.m. - EDWARD W. MORAN by his great-grandchildren 12:15 p.m. - ANGELINE and GERALDINE FOLINO by their family |