Saint Joseph Parish: $1,009.00 from the Sunday envelopes; $121.00 from the second collection (plate); $90.00 from the Dues envelopes; $120.00 from the All Saints envelopes; $120.00 from the loose. Thank you.

Saint Vincent DePaul Parish: $1,084.00 from the Sunday envelopes; $90.00 from the second collection (plate); $212.00 from the World Mission Sunday envelopes; $70.00 from the loose. Thank you.

Date: Thursday, 6 November
Time: 10:00 am to 12:00 noon
Place: “A” Street School building.
All are welcome!
The Ladies’ Auxiliary of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (LAOH) is in charge of the distribution.
Coats for children and coats for adults.
Many different sizes and styles.

PLEASE NOTE!
(This is a coat note.)
Some persons are hard of hearing.
The vowels, they get just fine. It’s the consonants that present the problem.
This being the case, they might think they heard someone say that you can get a free goat if you go to the “A” Street School building in Girardville this coming Thursday.

WE SHARE THE MAIL
A friend of mine went to the rally in Pottsville on Monday, 27 October, at which Senator McCain spoke. Afterwards, he sent me this email. I think it is worth sharing. I am omitting the name of the sender.

Dear Father,
I just got back from the McCain speech. It wasn't too good. One thing made an impression on me. At Obama events you hear people chanting "Obama. Obama. Obama". Tonight, no one was chanting "McCain! McCain! McCain!". They were chanting "U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!"
I liked that. We'll see how things go.
XXXXX
***************************************************************************************
The following note came via the collection basket last weekend. I thought it was neat and worth sharing. I am omitting the name of the sender.

Dear Father:
Every Sunday my four grandchildren (ages 8, 9, 10 and 13 years old) argue about whose turn it is to put the envelope in the collection basket. Therefore, my son has been giving them each a dollar to put in, to keep peace.
Enclosed are some of the envelopes that weren’t put into the basket.
Thank you.
XXXXXXX
Frustrated Mom and Grandmom

Judgment Day is on its way. We cannot stop it. We don’t know when it will come, but just as surely as the sun rises daily, the Son of Man will come when we least expect.
Judgment Day is on its way. For many, this coming election may very well be judgment day, for this election will measure us. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells us in 10:32-33: "Everyone who acknowledges Me before others, I will acknowledge before My heavenly Father. But whoever denies Me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father."
Judgment Day is on its way. When my time comes, I will be measured by my Savior for the decisions I have made. I will either be acknowledged by Jesus or denied by Him in the presence of our heavenly Father. The question I need to ask myself is this: What kind of witness will I give to Him when I go into the voting booth this election day?
The decision I make in the voting booth will reflect my value system. If I value the good of the economy and my current lifestyle more than I do the right to life itself, then I am in trouble. Pope John Paul II, in his post-synodal apostolic exhortation Christifideles laici tells us: "Above all, the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights — for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture — is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination."
The right of our children to be protected from destruction is greater than my right to a thriving economy. I am living proof of this, since I am here because my parents believed this priority and lived it. My desire for a good economy cannot justify my voting to remove all current restrictions on abortion. My desire to end the war in Iraq cannot justify my voting to remove all current restrictions on abortion.
My parents got married about one year before the stock market crash of 1929, and yet they raised 15 children in the midst of the Great Depression. They had no money. My mother made her own wedding gown and her own bouquet of flowers. I have my parents’ wedding picture on the wall of my office, and I am reminded every day of the sacrifices they made for life.
We had no money, but we had each other! My parents were at home with us for three meals every day. We had plenty to eat because we raised almost all of our food. We seldom got new clothes, but we wore hand-me-downs, unless my mother would buy materials and make our clothes. We lived in poverty, but we learned the value of hard work. We had no running water or electricity. We had no TV, Internet or cell phone. Yet, we were very happy because we had life! We had each other! Today, all 15 children in my family of origin are most grateful for the sacrifices Mom and Dad made so that we could have life. Making sacrifices for each other brought us incredible joy and enhanced our dignity, because it gave us a chance to participate in serving each other!

In an article written by Pope John Paul I, printed in the current issue of Magnificat, the pope reflected on the life of Andrew Carnegie, who wrote: "I was born in poverty ... but I would not exchange the memories of my childhood with those of a millionaire’s children. What do they know of family joys, of the sweet figure of a mother who combines the duties of nurse, washerwoman, cook, teacher, angel and saint?" Does life get any better than this, when gifts of creativity, generosity and faith are nurtured in the midst of poverty? This is the abundant life on this earth, because it is fueled by faith and sacrifice! Perhaps this is not so much poverty as it is faith-filled luxury.

Judgment Day for us is on its way. Those 47 million children our nation destroyed are still living. We have destroyed their bodies, but their souls are still alive. When our Lord comes again, they may very well be there to judge us. Even worse, Jesus tells us that whatever we do to the least of our brethren, we do to Him. We would truly shudder if we heard the words, "I was in my mother’s womb but you took my life!"

It is quite possible that we might see these children, but, depending upon the choices we have made, we may very well be separated from them by a great chasm which cannot be crossed, much as the rich man who ignored Lazarus, the poor man, during his lifetime here on earth but was separated from him after death. The rich man was in flames, but Lazarus was in the bosom of his heavenly Father.

The Catholic Church teaches, in its Catechism, in the works of Pope John Paul II and in the writings of Pope Benedict XVI, that the issue of life is the most basic issue and must be given priority over the issue of the economy, the issue of war or any other issue. These same teachings inform us that when both candidates permit the right to abortion, but unequally so, we must chose to mitigate the evil by choosing the candidate who is less permissive of abortion.

Judgment Day for us is on its way. I may deny it. I may pretend that it is still far away, I may deny that my actions are sinful, but that will not change God’s judgment of me.
The deepest problem with many of our Catholics is that they have become so accustomed to rationalizing away a life of sinful actions, they seem to be on cruise control, heading in the wrong direction. "If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts."

My goal is not to engage you in some political party way but to engage you with our Savior and His teachings. We need to constantly challenge our accustomed behaviors in the light of the Gospel. We may say that we are following our consciences, but are we informing our consciences with the truth about these issues? Cardinal George Pell of Australia has said that we must follow truth and our consciences, but be steeped in truth so that our consciences be rightly formed.

Perhaps having to face these issues during this coming election can turn out to be a grace that truly awakens our need to learn more about the teachings of the Catholic Church, and then to use the Sacrament of Reconciliation so that we can receive His mercy and bring our behavior into conformity with the mind and heart of Christ. It is not too late to admit our sinfulness and turn to the Lord in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. When we do this, both we and the heavens will be filled with joy!

Judgment Day is on its way. Pray your way into conformity with the teachings of Christ and His Church. Pray the family Rosary daily between now and Election Day so that you may not only make the right choice but also have the courage to discuss these issues with others who may have been misled by our materialistic culture. Include the candidates in your prayer intentions. It is my hope that our discussions will bring all of us to our knees to seek help from above.

Bishop Robert J. Hermann
Administrator
Archdiocese of Saint Louis

The following appeared in the nationally syndicated “Dear Abby” feature of 29 Oct 08.
MOM WORKS TO PICK UP PIECES AFTER AFFAIR SHATTERS HER FAMILY
DEAR ABBY:
A few months ago I discovered that my partner of 14 years, "Curt," had been sleeping with my 20-year-old son, "Troy's," girlfriend, "Jenna." Our family is crushed at the betrayal; Curt crossed so many boundaries. We have a daughter together, and she considered Jenna her sister.
I hurt for myself as well as my son, who can't believe that the man who helped raise him would do this to him. Jenna admits that the affair is half her fault. She had been sending Curt provocative photos of herself. Troy has forgiven her. When he told her he was still willing to work on their relationship, she ended it with Curt.
I have kicked my former partner out of the house. No one wants anything to do with him or Jenna. However, I told Troy I would support his desire to repair his relationship with her. I feel I owe it to him after what his "stepfather" did. My problem is, I'm having trouble actually doing it.
I am so conflicted! The holidays are nearly here and so is Troy's birthday. While I would like to accept Jenna for my son's sake, I hate her for having so little respect for me and my feelings that she'd have sex with the man I loved. -- TORN AND HURT IN ILLINOIS

DEAR TORN AND HURT:
Your feelings are valid. You were betrayed by your partner and your son's girlfriend. While you may, at some point, be able to "forgive" Jenna and accept her back into your life, the promise you made to your son was premature. Rebuilding trust will take time, and everyone needs to be able to talk their feelings out. It would be better to do this with the help of a licensed family therapist who can mediate and guide you through the process. (It will be a process.) Also, as much as your son may love this young woman, he should plan a long engagement and lots of premarital counseling before he finally ties the knot -- if he does at all.
ABBY

The following is an alternate reply. This reply did not appear in the newspaper.
DEAR TORN AND HURT:
Okay, I know exactly what the problem is and I know exactly what you need to do. If my advice doesn’t seem relevant to you, trust me. It is more relevant than you can possibly know.
Please understand that I have no desire whatsoever to insult you or Curt or Jenna or Troy. However, I do need to tell you the truth. Sometimes the truth seems harsh, but the important thing is that it is the truth. The truth is this: Curt and Jenna and you are deeply immersed in mortal sin and are very much in danger of falling headlong into Hell. It is highly likely that Troy is also deeply in mortal sin and in danger of going to Hell, but I don’t have enough information to say that for sure.
Here is what I suggest you do: Before you do anything else, go into a room where you will have privacy, kneel down and say the Act of Contrition. Beg God to forgive you for your fourteen years of fornication (maybe adultery) with Curt and for the bad example to the kids. Then call Troy into the room and ask him to make the Act of Contrition. Then call your local Catholic church to find out the confession schedule. Then use your motherly persuasion to get Troy to go with you to church for confession. If the two of you are not already Catholics, talk to the priest about what you have to do to convert to the Catholic Faith. Of course, you should include your daughter in this “familial movement towards God”. I presume that she is still a child, so it should not be too difficult.
I am, of course, interested in the salvation of Curt and Jenna as well. However, I would need to deal with them separately from you. I do not suggest that you try to reach out to Curt. Let someone else do that. You need to be as free from him as possible. I say much the same in regard to Jenna. There is no prospect of any kind of reconciliation between Jenna and Troy. They will have to go their separate paths. Do not try to bring Troy and Jenna back together. I am 99% certain that their relationship has been damaged beyond repair, by which I mean that there is little or no likelihood that they could ever enter a successful marriage.
However, they must still be included in your prayers and in your concern for them in Christ Jesus. You might want to ask the parish priest to contact them, to invite them to come in for “conversation”. Then leave them to the Lord and see what develops.
GIRARDVILLE PRIEST

Whenever you feel too “caught up” in the things of this world, you might want to pause and say this prayer.
One of the benefits of prayer is PERSPECTIVE.
Many persons lack PERSPECTIVE.
For such unfortunate persons, everything is a big deal!
Let us ask the Lord for the gift of PERSPECTIVE.
Let us separate big deals from little deals from no deals at all, if you know what I mean — and if you don’t, well, that’s no big deal.

St. Thomas More