Saturday, 29 September
Vigil of Sunday
4:30 p.m. - ANTHONY J. LUPPINO (2nd anniversary)
by his wife, Mary, and family

Sunday, 30 September
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
7:45 a.m. - DOROTHY MILLER
by Jim and Marie Cairns and daughter, Angela
10:45 a.m. - RONI J. KEVY
by Kitty Owens DiCello

Monday, 01 October
St. Therese of the Child Jesus, virgin, doctor (OblMem)
12:05 p.m. - ARTHUR B. WHITNEY
by Michael and Catherine

Tuesday, 02 October
Guardian Angels (OblMem)
12:05 p.m. - God's Blessings on the WEIDNER FAMILY
by Sandy
7:00 p.m. - DONALD E. SHISSLER Sr.
by Mary, Joseph and John Krizno

Wednesday, 03 October
Weekday
12:05 p.m. - MARY TAMBURELLI HILBERT
by her brother / sister-in-law, Charles and Mary

Thursday, 04 October
St. Francis of Assisi, deacon, religious (OblMem)
12:05 p.m. - In gratitude towards and in honor of ST. FRANCIS of ASSISI
by R.P.
7:00 p.m. - In Thanksgiving FOR FAVORS RECEIVED
by Ed and Florence Kane

Friday, 05 October
Weekday
12:05 p.m. - God's Blessings on ANN BRESLIN PICCIONI
by Sandy
6:15 p.m. - ELIZABETH MANZO KRIZNO (anniversary of birth)
by her children: Joseph, Mary and John

Saturday, 06 October
St. Bruno, priest, religious; Bl. Marie-Rose Durocher, virgin (OblMems)
8:00 a.m. - Intentions of THIRD ORDER CARMELITES
by the TOC community
Vigil of Sunday
4:30 p.m. - ANNA TOLAN HARMAN
by her daughter, Mary Harman Luppino

Sunday, 07 October
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
7:45 a.m. - CHARLES A. DeSTEFANO
by John and Mary Podgurski
10:45 a.m. - FRANK OWENS (anniversary of birth)
by his sister, Kitty Owens DiCello

Saint Joseph Parish
$1,246.00 from the envelopes and $149.00 from the plate. Thank you.
When one deducts from the sum of these two figures, $1,395.00 the parish's weekly financial obligation to the Diocese, i.e. assessments, $410.08 plus the weekly premiums for property and liability insurance, $160.01, the sum of which is $570.09, plus its weekly obligation to All Saints School, $941.06 the sum total of which is $1,511.15, one sees that ($116.15) of this collection is available for operating the parish. This is a deficit!

Saint Francis deSales Parish
$110.00 from the envelopes and $58.35 from the plate. Thank you.
When one deducts from the sum of these two figures, $168.35 the parish's weekly financial obligation to the Diocese, i.e. assessments, $46.15 plus the weekly premiums for property and liability insurance, $60.67, the sum of which is $106.82, plus its weekly obligation to All Saints School, $188.21, the sum total of which is $295.03, one sees that ($126.68) of this collection is available for operating the parish. This is a deficit!

THE SANCTUARY LAMP at St. Joseph Church is offered, during the week of 30 September - 06 October, in loving memory of Fr. Rosario F. Sciarrone, D.D., at the request of his brother, Joseph C. Sciarrone, and family.

PLEASE PRAY FOR a gentleman who died today (Saturday, 29 Sept). Robert Lee Sweat Sr. is the husband of St. Joseph parishioner Theresa (Socko) Cescon Sweat. He was 61 years old. Our love and respect to Theresa on her loss. May God be kind and merciful to Robert and grant him eternal life

The following test was designed by the popular radio talk show host Dr. Laura. After taking this test, you'll quickly know whether your relationship has a good chance of growing into a long-lasting relationship, and maybe even marriage.
Answer each question with "yes" or "no." After taking the test, check your score results below. Afterwards, have your boyfriend/girlfriend take the test to see how you compare. Most importantly, be honest! Your future happiness depends on it.

1_____ Can you say there's no jealousy in your relationship?

2_____ Is your relationship free of drug and alcohol abuse?

3_____ Can you say that you never ask him / her to compromise his / her moral values and vice versa, that he / she never asks you to compromise your moral values?

4_____ Do you appreciate and enjoy each other's family and friends?

5_____ Have you discussed your long-term goals for faith, family and career in detail?

6_____ Do you have complete confidence in each other?

7_____ Has experience shown him/her to always be truthful and open with you?

8_____ Does he/she always follow through on promises and commitments?

9_____ Do you talk openly and easily with each other about everything? (Including this test?)

10_____ Do you both listen carefully to one another and try to understand each other's point of view?

11_____ Do you practice the same faith by praying and going to church together regularly?

12_____ Do you both agree that marriage is forever?

13_____ Do you refrain from using manipulation or blackmail to get your own way?

14_____ Do you like spending time together doing different activities? (Not just watching TV, mall shopping or talking on the phone together. I recommend volunteering for church, charity and civic projects -- or joining school clubs, bands, debate teams or sports programs.)

15_____ When you have a disagreement or the going gets tough, do both of you respond respectfully with patience and understanding?

16_____ Have your family and friends told you they approve of your relationship -- that they feel it's making you a better person?

17_____ Do you limit your physical relationship to holding hands and simple kisses?

18_____ Have you seen each other during good times and bad? (Virtues shine during adversity. Never rush to marriage. You'll miss critical signs of good or bad character traits.)

19_____ Do you both stay away from pornographic magazines, videos, internet, etc.?

20_____ If your future spouse had a serious accident that maimed or disfigured him/her for life, would your love remain strong? Could your love survive without physical expression?

21_____ Do both of you dress, speak and act modestly?

22_____ Can you admit your own shortcomings and discuss them openly?

23_____ Are you both generous in making sacrifices for others?

24_____ Does your sweetheart already have the qualities needed to be a super spouse and a wonderful parent for your children?

25_____ Are you willing to give up power and let your loved one control some of the important decisions and circumstances? (True love means frequently surrendering your will to meet your loved one's needs and wishes without violating your moral values.)

Scoring
Give yourself one point for each "yes" answer and zero points for each "no" answer.
(Her score?____ His Score?____)
22 to 25 pts. "Solid as a Rock!". . . It's True Love! Congratulations on a very strong relationship.
19 to 21 pts. "Looking Good!". . . You're relationship has good potential. With a little work, you can become "Solid as a Rock."
15 to 18 pts. "Warning Signals!". . . It might be "Infatuation." Work on the "No's." Take the test again in 6 months and again in 12 months. Hopefully your scores will improve and your relationship will grow. If your relationship doesn't greatly improve within a year, you should consider ending it.
Below 15 pts. "Red Alert!". . . Sorry, this may be painful to hear, but it's probably time to say "goodbye." It's either blind infatuation or there are other serious problems. (If you're married and you scored below 15 points, don't give up -- get some good marriage counseling ASAP.)

Bonus Question
Are both of you committed to saving sex for marriage? If yes, add 2 points to your score.
Important Tip from Dr. Laura: "It's difficult to get an accurate reading from my Is it Love? test if you're sexually active. Sex is so powerful that it's often blinding before marriage. That's one of the reasons I say, 'Don't shack up!' If you're sexually active, my first recommendation is to stop having sex immediately. With sex out of the picture, it will be easier to see how each of you responds in the critical areas that build strong, healthy, lasting relationships. It's definitely challenging to save sex for marriage - but it's worth the wait and it helps assure a happier marriage. Go ahead - make the commitment. You'll be glad you waited!"

Saturday, 29 Sept, is the Feast of the ARCHANGELS MICHAEL, GABRIEL and RAPHAEL. Tuesday, 2 Oct, will be the Memorial of the Guardian Angels.
So, we have angels on our minds and we invite you to have the same!
First of all, let us understand a few basics, so that we have a context:
There are three kinds of persons that we know about: DIVINE, ANGELIC and HUMAN.
There are three (and only three) Divine Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The three Divine Persons are UNCREATED PURE SPIRIT PERSONS.
There are billions (we don't even have a ballpark figure!) of CREATED PURE SPIRIT PERSONS - commonly (although inexactly) called "angels".
Created pure spirit persons do not die, nor do they reproduce. There is a fixed number of pure spirit persons (whatever that number might be).
There are multiple billions of HUMAN PERSONS. All human persons are, of course, created. Although all human persons must die, no human person ever ceases to exist. All human persons will one day be given permanent bodies. Pure spirit persons (angels) do not have bodies. Contrary to what you may have heard or read from some sentimental (or New Age) source: No human person ever was, is now or ever will be an angel (pure spirit person).

If you do, you may go to the head of the class.
If you don't, why not learn them now?
There are three ranks, each rank having three categories.
When we say "rank", we do not mean "rank" in the military sense of the word.
In the military, one can "work one's way up in the ranks". Lieutenants hope to become captains. Lieutenant Colonels hope to become full Colonels. It is not outside the realm of possibility that a Private could work his way up to General.
Not so with angels. Created pure spirits do not move either up or down in the ranks. They are created in a certain rank and remain forever in that rank.
So, rank really means a different order of being, not simply a job.

C O N T E M P L A T O R S
1 - SERAPHIM (plural for seraph) are "the fiery ones". They contemplate God in Himself and do so with maximum clarity. Therefore, they are capable of loving Him with the greatest intensity.
2 - CHERUBIM (plural for cherub) also contemplate God, but less in Himself and more in His providence.
3 - THRONES contemplate God, most especially in His judgments.
C O M M A N D E R S
4 - DOMINATIONS (also called DOMINIONS) command the pure spirit beings beneath them, i.e. the Virtues and Powers.
5 - VIRTUES are in charge of the physical universe: the various constellations, galaxies, stars, solar systems, planets, moons, and other celestial entities.
6 - POWERS are entrusted with what we humans might call "security operations", i.e. being on guard against and fighting against evil influences that might wish to upset the work of the Virtues.
W A R R I O R S
7 - PRINCIPALITIES care for various regions of the Earth: continents, nations, kingdoms and cities.
8 - ARCHANGELS carry God's messages to human beings. They carry gifts from God to humans and from humans to God.
9 - ANGELS are the guardian spirits of human beings. They pray for us and try to influence us towards what is good and away from what is evil.

The word "angel" comes from the Greek word meaning "messenger". It is commonly used to embrace all nine choirs of the created pure spirits.
However, this collective use is confusing. The word "angel" really refers to one particular rank of the created pure spirits. It would be better not to use the word "angel" to mean "all created pure spirits collectively" and to use it to refer exclusively to the lowest of the rankings of created pure spirits. Having said that, I admit that I shall probably continue to use it incorrectly in common speech, because it is much easier to say "angels" than it is to say "all created pure spirits collectively"! However, we would do well to keep the distinction in the back of our minds.

MY FAVORITE GREEN SHEET
Persons who did not attend Mass in their own parish churches last weekend were asked to fill out the diocesan survey sheets in whichever churches they happened to be, with the understanding that, if they put their own parish's name at the top of the page, the green sheet would be returned to the pastor of that parish.
So, on Friday, 27 Sept, we received in the mail, from the Synod Office, a packet of green sheets.
I found one green sheet that is my favorite of all the green sheets - i.e. of those that were filled out in StJos or StFdS on the weekend itself or of those received in the mail from the Synod office.
I realize that a pastor shouldn't play favorites.
However, I can't resist printing my favorite green sheet.
Here it is, absolutely complete, unedited, and uncommented upon - except for the comment (cf. above) that it is my favorite green sheet.

Parish: St. Joseph
Town: Pottsville

SECTION III
Please answer the following questions:
1. What is the most positive aspect of your parish?
Being one of the oldest Italian churches in city of Pottsville.

2. What can you do to improve your parish?
Do not wish to approve it.
Do not attend Mass at my parish because of pastor and resident priest who is not a priest of diocese of Allentoun. I refuse to go to Mass there to listen to homilies that have nothing to do with the Life of God & are very embarissing.

3. Other comments
To close St. Francis deSales in Mt. Carbon because there are only a hand full of people who attend Mass there & St. Joseph Parish is supporting them. What the church needs is a spiritual leader that attends to his own parishoners - not one that tries to get involved in community activities that are nothing but nonsense. The Parish status has been decreasing over the years and the only ones attending Mass are the older generation who are devoted or the younger ones that are brainwashed….

4. (Optional)
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