Weekly Bulletin

MASS SCHEDULE: 13 - 20 SEPTEMBER 2009
SAINT JOSEPH CHURCH
GIRARDVILLE

Saturday, 12 September
Vigil of Sunday
05:30 pm — WALTER YURENKA
by his wife, Argia

Sunday, 13 September
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
11:30 am — JAMES O’DONNELL (25th anniversary)
by Margaret O’Donnell

Monday, 14 September
Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Fst)
08:00 am — LAURA DARRENKAMP
by the Weidner family

Wednesday, 16 September
St. Cornelius, pope, martyr and St. Cyprian, bishop, martyr (OblMem)
08:00 am — Living and Deceased: JEROME and ELIZABETH THURICK FAMILY
by Geraldine Kulick

Friday, 18 September
Weekday
08:00 am — CHARLIE MORAN
by Thomasina Moran

Saturday, 19 September
St. Januarius, bishop, martyr (OptMem)
08:00 am — IN THANKSGIVING TO GOD FOR THE GIFT OF ONE ANOTHER:
60th wedding anniversary
by Jim and Theresa Neary
Vigil of Sunday
05:30 pm — TOMEE LEIGH GOWER
by Aunt Jeanne

Sunday, 20 September
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
11:30 am — ANNE BRENNAN
by Joan McCarthy

MASS SCHEDULE: 13 - 20 SEPTEMBER 2009
SAINT Vincent dePAUL CHURCH
GIRARDVILLE

Saturday, 12 September
Vigil of Sunday
04:00 pm — JOSEPH CHIKOTAS
by Anna Chikotas

Sunday, 13 September
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
08:30 am — DECEASED: HOLY NAME SOCIETY
by the HNS

Tuesday, 15 September
Our Lady of Sorrows (OblMem)
08:00 am — STEVE CHUBA
by Peter and Violet Smolock

Thursday, 17 September
St. Robert Bellarmine, bishop, doctor (OptMem)
07:00 pm — KATHERINE BOGDEN
by the Cheddar family

Saturday, 19 September
Vigil of Sunday
04:00 pm — TED YACKERA
by Bernice Yackera

Sunday, 20 September
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
08:30 am — JAMES and ELEANOR CONNELL
by the Connell family

stjos/stvdp: 09.13.2009 - 01

COLLECTION TOTALS FROM LAST WEEKEND:
05 / 06 SEPTEMBER

Saint Joseph Parish:
Parish receipts: $1,113.00 from the Sunday envelopes; $84.00 from the second collection (plate); $325.00 from the Dues envelopes; $35.00 from the Summer Banks envelopes; $93.00 from the loose. Total: $1,650.00
Non-parish receipts: $-0-
Analysis: When one deducts from the total of the parish receipts ($1,650.00) 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 $557.26 is available from this collection for operating the parish.

Saint Vincent DePaul Parish:
Parish receipts: $1,426.00 from the Sunday envelopes; $370.00 from the Building Maintenance envelopes; $106.00 from the loose. Total: $1,902.00.
Non-parish receipts: $ 0 –
Analysis: When one deducts from the total of the parish receipts ($1,902.00) 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 $1,199.29 is available from this collection for operating the parish.

CONFESSION SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

Wednesday, 16 September
02:30 to 03:30 pm
St. Vincent dePaul Church

Thursday, 17 September
06:00 to 07:00 pm
St. Vincent dePaul Church

Friday, 18 September
06:30 to 07:30 pm
St. Joseph Chapel

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 — and I’ll do it with a smile!
In case you are the kind of person who is “nervous” about going to Confession because you are afraid that the priest will “holler at you”, please let me make you an iron-clad promise: If you tell me in Confession that you are the person whose sins are most responsible for the moral collapse of Western Civilization, I shall ask you if you are sorry. If you say that you are sorry, I shall ask you to say (or read) the Act of Contrition. I shall then absolve you of your sins and ask you to say the Memorare three times. If you don’t know the Memorare, I shall give you a free copy. I shall then say, “Go in peace and God bless you”. AMEN! That’s it! No muss, no fuss and, for sure, no hollering.

EXPOSITION / ADORATION
OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT

Wednesday, 16 September
02:00 to 04:00 pm
St. Vincent dePaul Church

Friday, 18 September
06:00 to 08:00 pm
St. Joseph Chapel

stjos/stvdp: 09.13.2009 - 02

BISHOP JOHN O. BARRES will make a pastoral visit to Schuylkill County on Wednesday, 30 September. He will offer Mass in St. Patrick Church, 4th and Mahantongo Streets, Pottsville, at 7:00 pm.
All of the people of Schuylkill County are cordially invited and encouraged to attend. There are no tickets needed for admission. First come, first seated. After the Mass, there will be a reception with light refreshments in the Parish Center. The Bishop will be happy to greet those who come to the reception.
Parking will be available in the parish parking lots in front of and in back of the church. Additional parking will be available in the City Parking Garage at 2nd and Mahantongo Streets. Members of all parish choirs are invited to participate in the choir for the Mass. Please see your pastor for information.
P.S. --- If you would like to attend but don’t have transportation, call the Rectory. If you plan to attend and have room to take a passenger or two in your vehicle, please call the Rectory. Maybe we can arrange for some carpooling.

CCD MATTERS
(pun intended)

#1 — CCD classes will begin on Sunday, 27 September. Classes will start at 6:00 pm and end at 7:30 pm. They will be held (as they were last year) in St. Joseph Rectory and in the Sheridan Room (the meeting room at St. Joseph Church).
#2 — There will be a meeting of the CCD teachers in the Sheridan Room on Sunday, 20 September, at 6:00 pm.
#3 — At the present time, there are eighteen children signed up for CCD. Needless to say, there should be many more than eighteen. I presume that some parents have not gotten the message. So, I hereby appoint all of the members of StJosPar and StVdPPar to go out into the highways and the byways to notify parents that they should PLEASE call (or email) the Rectory to sign up their children. Kidnapping is illegal, but I must admit that kidnapping has occurred to me as a last resort for getting kids to CCD.
#4 — We will be using a different series of textbooks for CCD this year. The name of the series is “Faith and Life”. It is my opinion that these are the most reliable and orthodox series available. I shall make these books available to the teachers as soon as they arrive.

stjos/stvdp: 09.13.2009- 03

A REFLECTION ON CONGRESSMAN WILSON’S OUTBURST DURING PRESIDENT OBAMA’S SPEECH to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, 9 September.
Perhaps you listened to the speech on TV and were startled when you heard someone interrupt the President by shouting out, “You lie!”.
It soon came out that the ill-mannered disrupter was Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC).
This was an outrageous and totally unacceptable thing for him to do. It made me angry and sad.
As one who finds himself often in disagreement with President Obama’s policies, I want to make it clear that I condemn absolutely and without reservation the crude behavior of Mr. Wilson.
Fortunately for his own soul, Wilson apologized almost immediately — but the damage was done.
There is a principle that needs to be enunciated here and it is a principle that applies both in political matters and in ecclesiastical matters.
President Obama — whether we supported his election or opposed it and whether we support his proposed health-care insurance reform bill or oppose it — is unquestionably the one and only Chief Executive Officer of the United States government and will be until a successor president is inaugurated, whenever and whoever that might be. Even more importantly, he is the Constitutional Head of State. As such, he deserves the respect that accrues to his high office.
In the context of the Catholic Church, I make this observation: We have one and only one Pope who presides over the Universal Church. We have one and only one Bishop who presides over the Diocesan Church. We have one and only one Pastor who presides over any particular parish.
We may “like” and “agree with” the Pope or not. We may “like” and “agree with” the Bishop or not. We may “like” and “agree with” the Pastor or not.
But, come hell or high water, we always maintain respect and courtesy towards him and we refrain from uncivil and disrespectful behavior towards him.
In the long run, all of us, whether President or private citizen, whether clergyman or layperson, whether adult or child, will be judged on the basis of our day-by-day practical charity towards one another, especially when the “other” to whom we manifest such charity is someone with whom we disagree.
I reserve the right, as should every American citizen, to shout and scream and wave my arms and jump up and down if I disagree with President Obama or any President. I even reserve the right to say that I believe that the President is saying something that is not true. But it is rude, crude and uncultivated to interrupt a person when he has the podium. This is especially true when the podium is the speaker’s lectern at a joint session of Congress and when the person speaking is the President of the United States.

SIGNS OF THE TIMES
I saw the following sign posted on a utility pole when I was on vacation last month, driving on a highway in the vicinity of Baltimore:

CHILD CARE AVAILABLE
24 / 7
365 DAYS A YEAR!

The priest I was traveling with made the observation that this is very convenient indeed.
All you would have to do is take your newborn child from the maternity ward, drive him to the 24 / 7 / 365 Daycare facility, give the attendants your name and a phone number where you can be reached, drop him off and drive away. Somewhere around the kid’s 18th birthday, you should drive by to introduce yourself. Maybe, at that time, you could take him home for a sandwich and a glass of milk before driving him to his apartment. It would probably cost you a bundle to keep him in daycare all those years. But, if you could afford, it would sure save a lot of aggravation.

stjos/stvdp: 09.13.2009 - 04

AMONG THE PLETHORA OF ARTICLES WRITTEN on the topic of the resignation of Bishop Martino as Bishop of Scranton, I found the following on page 27 of the 29 August 09 edition of THE CITIZENS’ VOICE, a Luzerne County newspaper. I type it out here exactly as it appears:

“Catholic and pro-life: In several statements, interviews and pastoral letters, Martino says he will not tolerate any politician who claims to be both Catholic and pro-life. He says he would ‘very, very seriously consider’ denying Holy Communion to them or any such person.”

Gee, that’s peculiar!
I could have sworn that Bishop Martino is an ardent pro-lifer!
If he is not, then we have all been significantly misinformed!

ACCORDING TO THE MARRIAGE REGISTER of St. Joseph Parish, a man named JAMES F. NEARY, son of James and Rosella (Steinhalber) Neary, married a woman named TERESA J. MALEY, daughter of Charles and Helen (Fitzgerald) Maley, at St. Joseph Church, Girardville, on 17 September 1949. The priest who officiated was Fr. John M. Walsh. The witnesses were Edward Campbell and Helen Maley.
The astute reader, doing the math, will arrive at the conclusion that Jim and Teresa Neary will be observing the 60th anniversary of that blessed event on Thursday of this week!
With respect and affection and in the name of both of our parishes, I tip my biretta to Mr. and Mrs. Neary and ask God to continue to give them life, health and strength, both physical and spiritual.
It is apparent to all who know them that they continue to love one another. It is even apparent that they are in love with one another. Don’t ask me to distinguish “love one another” from “in love with one another”. If you don’t know, I decline to explain it.
Jim and Teresa have a son, Mark C. Neary, plus three granddaughters: Kellyann, Chrissy and Katie.
Sixty in Roman numerals is LX. That’s fifty — plus a kiss for good measure.
Ad multos annos, dear Mr. and Mrs. Neary!

THERE ARE SOME SORROWFUL MOTHERS in Girardville. Needless to say, there are some sorrowful fathers too. I am referring to those persons in our community who have experienced — some recently, some a good many years ago — the death of a child, either a young child or an adult child. Some have died of “natural causes”; some have died in accidents; some have died in military service; some have died as a result of unwise choices they made. And, of course, there are those children who were stillborn or were miscarried.

Tuesday, 15 September, is the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows.

At 03:00 pm that day, I shall be in St. Vincent dePaul Church in order to make the Stations of the Cross for the happy repose of the souls of all of our children who have died and for the peace of mind and the comfort of their sorrowful mothers and fathers.
Anyone who wants to join me is most welcome. It shouldn’t take more than a half hour.

stjos/stvdp: 09.13.2009 -05

A FEW THOUGHTS ABOUT TWO GIRLS

One of the girls is fifteen years old.
Her name is Starlet Garrido.
The other girl is eleven years old.
Her name is Angel Garrido.
The mother of these two girls is Jaycee Lee Dugard.
The name of their biological father is Philip Garrido.
The facts, as far as we know them, are well publicized.
Let me recite them for you briefly:
On 10 June 1991, when Jaycee was 11 years old, she was kidnapped at a school-bus stop.
On 26 August 2009, now 29 years old, Jaycee was discovered living in Philip Garrido’s backyard in Antioch CA, together with Starlet and Angel.
To everyone’s astonishment, she had been there the whole time!
She was the captive of the man who had kidnapped her.
Philip Garrido was about 40 years old when he kidnapped Jaycee.
He is 58 years old at the present time.
When Jaycee was (about) 13 years old, she became pregnant with Starlet.
When Jaycee was (about) 17 years old, she became pregnant with Angel.
Now think about what you would say if someone were to ask you if it would be morally permissible (i.e. “okay with God”) to perform an abortion on a 17-year-old girl who was pregnant by virtue of a statutory rape carried out on her by a 46-year-old man who had abducted her?
And what about the morality of an abortion on a 13-year-old girl who was pregnant by virtue of a statutory rape carried out on her by a 42-year-old man who had abducted her?
Are you inclined to say, “Well, I’m generally against abortion but, in cases like these, I would be in favor.”
Most people probably would.
If that is what you say (and I hope you don’t), then you are in favor of killing Starlet and Angel.
Point to be made: To claim the right to kill a person inside the womb is to be in favor of killing that same person outside the womb.
Are you in favor of killing Starlet and Angel now, i.e. at their current ages?
I’m sure you are not. (At least, I hope you are not!)
Then please understand why the Catholic Church, which speaks for God, says that a child conceived as a result of rape has the same right to life as a child conceived in sacramental marriage.
Someone who does not think logically will say that, by teaching this, the Catholic Church is insensitive to women.
Oh my! Would the Catholic Church be more sensitive to women by endorsing the execution of the two young women referred to above, viz. Starlet and Angel?
God bless these two human beings. May their lives turn out to be beautiful and happy. And the same for Jaycee! May she somehow or other recover from it all!
And may God deal with Philip Corrido as He sees fit.

stjos/stvdp: 09.13.2009 - 06

I RECEIVED A PIECE OF JUNK E-MAIL from a clothing manufacturer recently. Lord knows how I got on their list. I opened the link. Among the items being offered for sale is this tee-shirt. The name of the company is OBEY. So, the company is killing two birds with one stone: (a) providing an attractive message for parents to hold in front of their kids and (b) giving themselves some not-so-sly free advertising. You might wish to purchase several dozen of these tee shirts to hand out as gifts to parents and grandparents and also to teachers, babysitters and all who work with children. It might save them from the need to shout. All they need do is point towards their tee shirt. You can find this shirt at www.obeyclothing.com

WHILE ON THE SUBJECT OF TEE SHIRTS: I shared Route 61 with four bikers for a good ten miles this past Sunday. We varied our relative positions: they were sometimes behind me, sometimes next to me, sometimes ahead of me. No particular problem. They drove sensibly and so did I.
On second thought, there was one problem. Let’s call it the problem of risking eternal damnation — which is just about the biggest problem there can possibly be. One of the bikers was wearing a tee shirt that was grotesquely pornographic. I presume he was trying to project the image of a macho man, while, at the same time, trying to assure himself that he was such. I would think that the bike alone would provide sufficient in the way of projection and assurance, but maybe this particular lad has higher levels of insecurity than most bikers do. I said a prayer for him. He was in an especially precarious position. Taking a motorcycle out on the highway is unquestionably a high-risk activity.
During my years as a full-time hospital chaplain (1974-81), I administered last rites in the ER to at least fifteen motorcyclists, some of whom were bleeding profusely from the eyes and ears. I remember one administration of the last rites in particular. The doctor who was Chief of the ER determined that a certain biker had an infectious disease. So, he required me, as a precaution, to accept a needle in my derriere because I had gotten blood on my hands from giving the poor guy the anointing. These are sad and unpleasant memories.
I don’t recommend taking motorcycles out on the highway, but I tend to be a libertarian in such matters. Therefore, I support a biker’s constitutional right to risk his life, if he so chooses.
But there is one thing I highly recommend to all bikers (especially to bikers who might be members of my parishes). It is this: If you want to risk your earthly life for the thrill of biking on the highway, that’s your business, not mine. Have fun! But I highly recommend that you make certain that you are in the state of grace before you take your bike out on the open road. Have some concern for your eternal life. So, for God’s sake, please don’t wear any pornographic tee shirts while you are out biking. That’s like throwing the finger to God and daring Him to hurl you into the fiery pit.
I don’t care how macho you might think you are. Hell is a high price to pay for pumping up one’s ego.

LAST WEEK I found a copy of THE WATCHTOWER in the door of St. Joseph Rectory. Do you know what THE WATCHTOWER is? It is a magazine published by the sect known as THE JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES. I have read copies of this magazine many times. (There is another magazine published by the JW organization. It is called AWAKE!)
The fact that this magazine was in the door of the Rectory makes me suspect that copies were placed in the doors or mailboxes of other households in Girardville. Maybe you received one.
A few facts about the Jehovah’s Witnesses might be in order: (a) They do not believe in the Holy Trinity; (b) They do not believe that Jesus Christ is God; (c) They believe, strangely enough, that Jesus Christ is the Archangel Michael; (d) They were originated in 1870 in Pittsburgh (PA) by Charles Taze Russell and were officially incorporated in 1884; (e) They predicted that the end of the world would be in 1914; (f) When it didn’t end in 1914, they said it would end in 1925; (g) When it didn’t end in 1925, they said it would end in 1975; (h) When it didn’t end in 1975, they said no one could say for sure when it would end; (i) They forbid blood transfusions; (j) They forbid military service, voting and saluting the American flag; (k) Jehovah’s Witnesses are undoubtedly sincere in their beliefs and we should treat them with kindness if and when they visit us; (l) We should invite them to become Catholics (lots of luck!).

stjos/stvdp: 09.13.2009 - 07

WHO ARE THESE SISTERS AND WHY ARE THEY SO HAPPY?
These three Sisters (left to right) are Mother Christina Christie, Sister Mary Joan Walker and Sister Emily Ann Lindsey. They are members of a community in Catonsville (suburb of Baltimore, MD) known as the All Saints Sisters of the Poor.
The community consists altogether of twelve nuns. All of them were members of the Episcopal Church until Thursday, 03 September 2009. On that day, these three, together with seven other members of the community, entered into full communion with the Catholic Church. The two who did not enter into full communion have agreed to stay on with their ten fellow Sisters and to try to “work it out” as they go along. The Archbishop of Baltimore, the Most Reverend Edwin F. O’Brien, received the ten Sisters into full communion, gave them the Sacrament of Confirmation and, of course, First Holy Communion. We welcome these Sisters, both individually and as a community, into full membership in the Catholic Church, which is the Mystical Body of Christ.
The Reverend Warren Tanghe, an Episcopal priest, had been serving as chaplain for the Sisters. He has declared his intention to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church within a short time and his desire to be ordained as a Catholic priest. We wish him well as he journeys towards the fullness.
Someone might wonder why Archbishop O’Brien gave the Sisters the Sacrament of Confirmation and why we refer to the Sisters as having received their First Holy Communion. Someone might ask, “Had they not long ago been confirmed in the Episcopal Church and had they not already been receiving Holy Communion all along?” The theological fact is this: There is no valid priesthood nor episcopacy in the Episcopal Church, nor in any Protestant denomination. Because there is no valid priesthood nor episcopacy, there is no valid Eucharist nor Confirmation. The only sacraments that can be valid in any Protestant denomination (including Episcopalianism) are Baptism and Matrimony, (although Protestants, generally speaking, do not regard Matrimony to be a sacrament).
Someone who reads what I have just written might say, “Well, that’s just his opinion!” I say, “No it is not my opinion, nor is it my opinion, nor is it just my opinion. It is the teaching of the Catholic Church”.
Question: Well, isn’t this an arrogant teaching?
Answer: Accusing the Catholic Church of being “arrogant” is a time-worn attempt to evade the issue. It is a ploy, a device used to stall for time.
Question: Does the Catholic Church teach that She is the one-and-only Church instituted by Jesus Christ for the salvation of the human race?
Answer: Yes.
Question: But didn’t Jesus Christ institute (found) the Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Baptist and UCC and other churches as well as the Catholic Church?
Answer: No. They were instituted (founded) by malcontent Catholics, who were subsequently excommunicated.
Question: Does this mean that the Catholic Church thinks that Christians who are not Catholic are going to Hell?
Answer: No! But don’t you see that that is a nasty question? It is another attempt to avoid facing the historical facts. God judges every human being on the basis of his / her conformity to the truth as God has given him / her the light to see the truth. Some persons, due to no fault of their own, do not become Catholic Christians in their earthly lifetime. Not to worry! God will see to it that they arrive at the fullness of the Truth before He receives them into full communion.
Question: Are you saying that everyone in Heaven is a Catholic?
Answer: Yes, but not all were Catholics during their earthly lives. Those who were not did a kind of post-mortem RCIA.

stjos/stvdp: 09.13.2009 - 08

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