Saint Joseph Parish:
Parish receipts: $1,071.00 from the Sunday envelopes; $128.00 from the second collection (plate); $16.00 from the Dues envelopes; $95.00 from the Summer Banks envelopes; $117.00 from the loose. Total: $1,427.00
Non-parish receipts: $-0-
Analysis: When one deducts from the total of the parish receipts ($1,427.00) 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 $334.26 is available from this collection for operating the parish.

Saint Vincent DePaul Parish:
Parish receipts: $915.00 from the Sunday envelopes; $102.00 from the second collection (plate); $61.00 from the loose. Total: $1,078.00.
Non-parish receipts: $ 0 –
Analysis: When one deducts from the total of the parish receipts ($1,078.00) 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 $375.29 is available from this collection for operating the parish.

Please note that, in addition to the times scheduled, the Sacrament of Penance (Confession) is available to anyone who requests it at almost any time. Just call the Rectory or tap Fr. Connolly on the shoulder and say, “I’d like to go to Confession”. I will do my best to accommodate your request.

Sirach 7, 27-28

This particular Scripture passage came to mind recently when a gentleman in the parish told me that he was born on 7 September. He noted, with a touch of humor, that 7 Sept is Labor Day this year. Not only that, but the day on which he was born was also Labor Day. We were in agreement that there was a certain appropriateness to being born on Labor Day.
Bottom line: Regardless of the day on which we were born, we would do well to remember with gratitude the birthpangs of our mothers. If they are deceased, we should pray for them. If they are still breathing air, we should be kind to them --- and pray for them too.

SUSAN MARIE ROMANOT,
a member of St. Joseph Parish, died on Thursday, 03 September.
Born on 04 September 1981, she died just one day prior to her 28th birthday. Her death was not anticipated.
Susan is the daughter of Gary E. and Rita (Shemonis) Romanot.
She has a brother: Gary J. Romanot.
She was baptized on 04 October 1981 by Fr. Gillespie in St. Joseph Church.
There will be a Mass of Christian Burial for Susan at St. Joseph Church at 11:00 am on Wednesday, 09 September. There will be a viewing from 8:30 to 10:30 am in the McDonald Funeral Home.
The interment will take place in the St. Joseph Parish Cemetery, Fountain Springs.
Whenever there is the death of a young person, our hearts go out to the bereaved parents and other family members.
This is a difficult time for the Romanot family. May our gracious God and Father sustain them in the time of their grief.

Eternal rest grant unto Susan, O Lord, and let the perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen

BISHOP JOSEPH E. MARTINO offered his resignation as Bishop of Scranton to Pope Benedict XVI this past June, although this fact was not made public at that time. The Pope has now accepted the offer of resignation and, so, Bishop Martino is now “the retired Bishop of Scranton”. This became official on Monday, 31 August. A news conference was held. Anyone who would like to see the conference in its entirety can do so by going to http://www.dioceseofscranton.org. Scroll down to the news conference and download it. It is worth watching. It takes about 39 minutes.
Along with many others who respect and admire Bishop Martino, I am sad to see him take leave. He is a good and holy man and has been a stalwart champion of the pro-life movement.
He said that his resignation was prompted by stress and insomnia. No one doubts that this is the truth. He had a tough row to hoe as Bishop of a diocese that, like our own Diocese of Allentown, has been undergoing consolidations and closures of parishes and schools. It has taken its toll on the Bishop.
I sometimes wonder how Bishop Cullen endured it all. He probably has a switch in his head that enables him to “just turn everything off” before going to bed at night. This is a wonderful switch to have. Apparently, Bishop Martino did not come equipped with such a turn-off switch.
All of us are born with certain temperaments. Apart from a few minor adjustments that it is possible to make, we are the way we are. Some persons are capable of enduring stressful situations and some are not. Some persons think nothing of diving off cliffs into deep water and swimming with sharks. For others, this is the stuff of bad dreams. Some persons can endure prolonged noise. Others cannot. We are not called upon to judge people for having temperaments that are different from our own and we do well not to do so.
Bishop Martino is a self-confessed bookworm. I think that, on the scale between extroversion and introversion, he leans considerably more toward the latter.
Julius Caesar (in the Shakespearean play of the same name) made this insightful observation in regard to Cassius (one of the conspirators and soon-to-be assassins):

Act I, Scene ii

(One reason I remember this line is that I played the role of Cassius when I was in college. I had a lean and hungry look about me in those days, but not anymore!)
Perhaps, when Pope Benedict is choosing a bishop to head a diocese where he foresees that there will be a need for the new bishop to break some eggs to make some omelets, he should cast his eyes around on those auxiliary bishops (or priests) who are “fat, sleek-headed men, and such as sleep o’nights”.
Bishop Martino is 63 years old — relatively young as bishops go. We hope and pray that, after he has had a chance to catch his breath and get some much needed rest, he will continue to render valuable service to the Church as pastor, teacher and bishop.
May God bless His good and faithful servant and keep him in His love.
We thank Bishop Martino for his selfless and courageous leadership

MARY HARKAWAY ENGLE,
a member of St. Vincent dePaul Parish, died on Sunday, 30 August.
Born on 19 March 1919, she was 90 years old.
She is one of seven children of the late Metro and Anna (Roback) Harkaway.
Her brothers and sisters are: Julia Harkaway Miller (deceased); Eva Harkaway Ruman (deceased); Nicholas Harkaway (deceased); John Harkaway (deceased); Stephen Harkaway (deceased); Olga Harkaway Rio.
She was baptized on 30 March 1919 by Fr. B. Zoldan at the St. John Greek Catholic Church, Maizeville.
Mary was married to Arthur D. Engle, who died in 1959.
Mary has three sons: Robert Henning (deceased); Ronald J. Henning; Arthur D. Engle.
She has two grandchildren: Ronald Henning and Colleen Engle Shearn.
She has two great-grandchildren: Nicole Henning and Ryan Henning.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Vincent dePaul Church on Wednesday, 2 September, at 11:00 am. There was a viewing in the church prior to the Mass. The interment took place in Christ Church Cemetery, Fountain Springs.

Eternal rest grant unto Mary, O Lord, and let the perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

           JOHN COUGHLIN                                                          BRIDGET KEENAGHAN COUGHLIN
         Born in Ireland in 1830                                                      Born in Ireland in 1830
         Emigrated to USA in 1849                                                 Emigrated to USA in 1845
         Married Bridget in 1852                                                    Married John in 1852
         Died in Girardville in 1884                                                Died in Shenandoah in 1906

In his declining days John Coughlin conveyed to his son, James J. Coughlin, a succinct statement of what he wanted to happen in regard to his funeral. James wrote down his father’s words. A handwritten copy of what James wrote down can be viewed on the website.

It might occur to the reader that, by saying “I want to be waked” and then saying, “I want no wake”, John was contradicting himself. But I think it is clear what he meant. What he meant to convey was that he wanted a low-budget, “no-frills” wake. In other words: Come in, take a look at me, say a prayer if you care to do so and, as appropriate, speak a word of comfort to my widow and children, but then go home. This is not “an Irish wake”. There will be no ham sandwiches and no free beer.

COMMENTARY: I don’t have the same level of humility or self-confidence that John Coughlin had. In making preliminary plans for my own wake, I would respectfully ask my next of kin to arrange for some food and drink, so that some people will be motivated to take the trouble to show up. As for pipes and tobacco, they can do as they please. If you smoke, just don’t blow any smoke in my face. You wouldn’t want to make me start coffin.