Saint Joseph Parish:
Parish receipts: $1,014.00 from the Sunday envelopes; $118.00 from the second collection (plate); $50.00 from the Dues envelopes; $210.00 from the Block Collection envelopes; $122.00 from the loose. Total: $1,514.00
Non-parish receipts: $-0-
Analysis: When one deducts from the total of the parish receipts ($1,514.00) our weekly financial obligation to the Diocese, i.e. assessments ($290.08), plus our weekly premium for property and casualty insurance ($444.49), plus our weekly subsidy to Trinity Academy ($358.17), the sum total of which is $1,092.74, one sees that $421.26 is available from this collection for operating the parish.


Saint Vincent DePaul Parish:
Parish receipts: $1,140.00 from the Sunday envelopes; $53.00 from the second collection (plate);$25.00 from the Building Maintenance envelopes; $470.00 from the Fuel envelopes; $58.00 from the loose. Total: $1,746.00.
Non-parish receipts: $114.00 from the Peter’s Pence envelopes.
Analysis: When one deducts from the total of the parish receipts ($1,746.00) our weekly financial obligation to the Diocese, i.e. assessments ($183.92), plus our weekly premium for property and casualty insurance ($267.81), plus our weekly subsidy to Trinity Academy ($250.98), the sum total of which is $702.71, one sees that $1,043.29 is available from this collection for operating the parish.

We are adding an extra hour of Exposition and Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament this week in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary (07 Oct).
See page two of this bulletin.
We strongly encourage everyone to come to St. Vincent dePaul Church to pray the Rosary at some point between 5:00 and 8:00 pm.
Come when you can. Leave when you must.
If you have any problems in your family — and I’d be surprised if you have no problems at all in your family — you should bring them to Jesus through his Holy Mother.
I GUARANTEE YOU: Something good will happen in your family if you come and pray the Rosary in front of the Blessed Sacrament. This guarantee is good for any day of the year, but most especially so on the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

TWO TIDBITS FROM THE RECENT SOCIAL GATHERING of Schuylkill County Priests with Bishop Barres (Wednesday, 30 Sept, at St. Patrick’s, prior to the Mass):

#1 — While looking around at my fellow priests it occurred to me that we are a very mature group of men — not a bunch of kids. At one point, as I was making small talk with Fr. Sedar. I said to him, “Did you know that Fr. Essig and you are the only two priests in the County with both (a) full heads of hair and (b) hair that still retains its original youthful hue?” Fr. Sedar said, “Actually, I’m the only one. Fr. Essig dyes his hair.” I was stunned when I heard this. I never suspected! I pass it on for what it is worth. Please note that I do not vouch for the accuracy of this allegation.
#2 — At the supper, we priests sat at round tables that accommodated six persons. There were no assigned seats. We sat wherever we happened to sit. I sat with a motley trio: Fr. Lofton, Fr. Maletz and Msgr. Glosser. (There were two empty places at that table.) However, Fr. Edmund M. Brennan wound up sitting at the same table with (a) His Excellency, BISHOP BARRES and (b) HisVicar Foraneship, MSGR. O’CONNOR — plus three other highly distinguished priests! How he managed to pull that off, I’ll never know. I was sitting near that table and was straining to hear the conversation that the Bishop and Fr. Brennan were making, but I couldn’t pick up anything. Later, I asked Fr. Brennan what he and the Bishop were talking about. He said that it would have been over my head.

• To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.
• Those persons who are the hardest to love are the same persons who need it the most.
• Follow peace with all men, and holiness.
• As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
• Hating someone is drinking poison and expecting the other person to die from it.
• If we could read the secret history of our enemies we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering                 enough to disarm all hostility.
• Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
• Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.
• Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. But whoever loves his         brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.
• Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him."
• The hatred you are carrying for them is a live coal in your heart - far more damaging to yourself than to them.
• Stupid persons never forgive. Wise persons do.
• But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive you your trespasses.
• For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you yours.
• Sometimes it helps to think of how others have forgiven under incredible circumstances. Ask friends for         support and examples to motivate you toward forgiveness.
• Forgiveness is a choice. When you say, "I can't forgive that person," what you're really saying is, "I'm         choosing not to forgive that person." If you say it the second way instead, you'll find yourself forgiving soon.

ALMOST EVERYONE IN THE GIRARDVILLE AREA IS AWARE OF FIVE-YEAR OLD BRYCE BELFIORE. Bryce is a member of St. Joseph Parish. He is the son of Robert W. and Regina (Gatter) Belfiore.
On 1 July 2009, Bryce (age 4 at the time, although he has since turned 5) was seated in a child-safety seat in a car that was involved in a collision. Thank God, his life was saved! However, the injuries he suffered required that his lower body be encased in a plaster cast that rendered him immobile from his waist to his feet.
Bryce has had a long and arduous recuperation. It is not easy to be five years old, full of vim and vigor, and so utterly restricted. All he was able to do was lie on his back and receive whatever comfort or distraction his mother, father, grandmother and sundry visitors could provide.
Now there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
On 1 October, Bryce was taken to Hershey Medical Center to have his cast removed!!
Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, free at last!
Now begins stage two of the recuperation.
We expect that Bryce will be allowed to start walking again in about two weeks.
We hope and pray that all will go well with him and that, before a whole lot of time goes by, he will be healthy and strong — as good as new, if possible.
More trips to Hershey will be necessary.
While there, Bryce’s parents stay at the Ronald McDonald House. Regina asked me to “say a few kind words” about this facility and to recommend to parishioners that they think about making some contributions to it.
I asked Regina to write her own letter for me to put into the bulletin.
Here it is:

Dear Father Connolly,
Hi! It is so hard for me to write something like this because I am so overcome with emotions that I seem to write a book. So this is what I have written, if you can in any way help to make it better please feel free to do so.
Dear Friends,
It hasn't been easy dealing with dealing with things lately but knowing I have friends and by friends I also mean new ones that I have made after the accident definitely helps. From your prayers, to the kind way you spoke to Bryce, to the words of encouragement, to the gifts, you've gone way and beyond the typical meaning of "friend.”
As I sit here and type this, looking back to July 1st, I think WOW, how fast everything can change. And believe me, it has been hard but it also made me stronger and brought back my faith.
So, October 1st we will be back at Hershey. Bryce will be getting his cast removed. I am scared, nervous, anxious, happy, overwhelmed, etc.
We will be staying at The Ronald McDonald house that night. They are so wonderful, I cannot even describe it. They are collecting glossy magazines to raise money for the things needed to run the house. They also accept travel-sized health and beauty products along with things children may need or want to make their stay less hectic. They accept coloring books, crayons, stuffed animals, games, paper, blankets, etc. So I would love to go into the House with an amazing amount of things. The nine nights we spent there were great, such a huge load of our shoulders.
I just want the chance to help and give back.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You've already helped in ways I can't express.
Regina Belfiore

If anyone wants to donate any of the items mentioned in this letter, you may do so by dropping them off at the Belfiore home or at St. Vincent dePaul Rectory. They will be donated in Bryce’s name.