Saint Joseph Parish: $1,152.00 from the Sunday envelopes; $89.00 from the second collection (plate); $342.00 from the Dues envelopes; $168.00 from the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception envelopes; $65.00 from the Christmas Flowers envelopes; $77.00 from the loose. Thank you.

Saint Vincent DePaul Parish: $953.00 from the Sunday envelopes; $85.00 from the second collection (plate); $35.00 from the Christmas Flowers envelopes; $264.00 from the Building Maintenance envelopes; $198.00 from the loose. Thank you.

WE SHARE THE MAIL

12/09/08
Fr. Connolly:
Attended your beautiful Mass on Dec 8th for the Immaculate Conception.
I help Fr. Lofton distribute Communion and I lector when the regular lector is not available at Seton Manor Sunday Mass.
Noticing a Sunday missal in the pew, I took the liberty of removing one. I did not notice the label to not remove the missals from the church, until I got home.
While in church I placed a $5.00 bill in my church collection envelope to help cover the cost of the missal.
Please advise if I need to return the missal.
William E. Byrne
Girardville

13 Dec 08
Dear Mr. Byrne:
Unfortunately, despite the fact that you are a much admired and well respected member of St. Joseph Parish and despite the fact that you put a five-dollar bill into an envelope in order to pay for the missal, I feel it is my duty to inform you that an officer of the law (perhaps two or three of them) will be showing up at your doorstep sometime soon in order to put the cuffs on you and take you away for grand theft. I hope they will not show up on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. I would hate to see a fine gentleman like you spending Christmas in jail. It’s hard to find a bondsman who is willing to go out on Christmas to get somebody out of the pokey.
You see, I inserted microchips under the labels. These microchips adhere to the missal even if the label is removed. As soon as you removed the missal from St. Joseph Church, the transponder in my bedroom went off and identified the house to which the missal had been taken: 377 West Main Street, Girardville PA. Right away I knew it was you! So, I called the Girardville Police Department and let them know. They said they would dispatch an officer as soon as they could find one — hopefully before the end of the year.
Please don’t let your feelings be hurt, Mr. Byrne. I mean you no personal offense whatsoever! I hold you in high regard, as do your many friends and neighbors. I’m just doing my duty as God gives me the light to see my duty!
Very truly yours,
Fr. Edward B. Connolly

P.S. – Please ignore what I just wrote. From time to time I go out of my mind. When that happens, I’m not responsible for what I say or write.
Now that I’m back in my right mind, please know that you are more than welcome to the missal and, to tell you the truth, I owe you two dollars because you overpaid. I’ll tell you what: Give me another dollar and you can take another missal and then we’ll be square! You can give that extra missal to someone as a Christmas present.

WE SHARE THE MAIL - continued
The following email is edited to include only that part that I think might be of interest for the bulletin. It is from a friend of mine whose wife had just recently given birth to their fourth child. I’ll refrain from giving the sender’s name.
Dear Fr. Connolly:
……………………………… In other matters, (wife’s name) is recovering slowly. She is not in the best of moods. I have no explanation for this other than that no two pregnancies are the same. She was somewhat upset by some mean comments people made to her in the hospital about having four children. She was crying when I went up to visit the other day and asking me how people could talk like that with the baby lying right there in the room.
Now here's the kicker. These were comments from family members --- some of them (on my side) nominal Catholics and some (on her side) Evangelical type Christians.
This asking couples if they're “finished" and talking about things being "snipped" and saying that "if one gets it done it's only fair that both have it done" — well, what the hell is THAT all about? Where does that come from?
Thanks for listening to me rant.
XXXX

Dear XXXX:
A few weeks ago I would have said that people who make comments like that should be boiled in oil, but that it would be unwise to do so because a barrel of oil was up to $143.00.
However, now that oil prices have plummeted to about $47.00 per barrel, I think it’s reasonable to revisit that proposal.
Pope John Paul II wasn’t just whistling Dixie when he told us that we were living in the Culture of Death.
Recently I attended a wedding reception in New York State. I found myself seated at a table with some very sociable and friendly people. There was a married couple seated next to me. They were in their seventies. In the course of the conversation, I asked them how many children they had. They said that they had nine children. I congratulated them and said how wonderful it is that they have nine children. Then I asked them how many grandchildren they had. They said that they had nine grandchildren. We just sort of let it go at that. Hardly needs commentary, does it?
EBC

Here is the story. Last week, Demand exceeded Supply. This week, it’s the other way around. Supply exceeds Demand. How did that happen? We’re glad you asked! Originally, I had ordered 400 missals. We received 200. I called to inquire as to why we received only 200, inasmuch as we had ordered 400. I was told not to worry, that the balance of the order would be here “next week”. Well, it didn’t arrive “next week”. But it did arrive the week after “next week” — which is to say this week. But it wasn’t the balance of 200 that arrived. It was 400 that arrived. Can I explain it? No, I can’t explain it! That means we have received a total of 600 missals. Most of these we are labeling and distributing in the pews for people to use, free of charge. The others are for sale. We encourage you to buy a missal or two or three. We are charging only three dollars ($3.00). Why only $3.00? Because we are out of our minds, that’s why! “Crazy Eddie” they call us! So, take advantage of the special price. Buy some missals for stocking stuffers! Special price for quantity buyers: Twenty missals for sixty dollars! If you want to buy a missal, stop at St. Vincent dePaul Rectory.
This is a limited time offer.

MARY E. WEIDNER,
age 7, a daughter of Drew R. and Lisa (Faline) Weidner, will make her First Holy Communion today (Sunday) during the 11:30 am Mass at St. Joseph Parish.
It is a great joy to welcome this beautiful girl to her first reception of the Lord’s Body and Blood. She is exceptionally well prepared. She never misses Mass on Sunday and has attended Mass on weekdays countless times. She loves Jesus and His Blessed Mother with all her heart.
During the Mass, prior to her reception of the Eucharist, Fr. Connolly will ask Mary to answer the following question:

We are confident that Mary will answer it correctly — unless she gets stage fright or the cat gets her tongue or some such thing!

Would YOUR child be able to answer that question?
Come to think of it: Would YOU be able to answer it?

“Many politicians, like much of the American public, seem to be unaware that abortion and euthanasia are serious violations of the inalienable right to life. These are not just 'Church' issues but are governed by the natural law of God, which is binding upon all human beings. The right to life is the most fundamental of all rights, since a person deprived of life has no other rights.”

Avery Cardinal Dulles

Avery Dulles died on Friday, 12 December, at the age of 90.
He was one of the greatest persons I ever met.
Certainly, he was one of the most brilliant persons I ever knew in my life.
And, although we tread on dangerous grounds when we speculate about holiness, I would venture to say that he was a man of profound holiness.
I came to know him when I was a student in Boston College and he was one of my teachers.
I knew even then that I was rubbing elbows with greatness.
Some years later, I happened to run into him on the campus of Catholic University in Washington, DC. He was out taking a walk with Fr. Joseph Zalotay, another great teacher of mine. We chatted briefly.
A couple of years ago, I drove up to Scranton in order to attend a lecture he was giving. Afterwards, we spoke a few personal words to one another.
That was the last time I saw him.

As a man grows older, he thinks about “fathers”.
I am growing older.
I think about my own father.
And I think about other men --- older men --- whose paths have intersected mine and who have done me good.
Almost all of them are dead now.
Avery Dulles was one of the few who were still among the living.
Now Avery is gone.
A light has gone out.
I look forward to a reunion someday with these many good fathers — my own father first and then the other fathers who have taught me by word and example how to be a man and how to be passionate for the truth and how to love God with all my heart, mind, soul and strength.
Fathers like Avery Dulles.
May he rest in peace and may he be raised up in splendor on the last day.