MASS SCHEDULE: 25 APRIL - 02 May 2010
SAINT JOSEPH CHURCH
GIRARDVILLE


Saturday, 24 April
Vigil of Sunday
05:30 pm — ANTHONY CATIZONE
by Mickey Catizone and family

Sunday, 25 April
4th Sunday of Easter
11:30 am — STEPHEN P. McCARTHY
by his wife, Joan

Monday, 26 April
Easter Weekday
08:00 am — FLO MODESTO
by Salvatore and Mary Modesto

Tuesday, 27 April
Easter Weekday
07:00 pm — God’s Blessings on ALL UNBORN CHILDREN
by Jerome and Marie Gilmartin

Wednesday, 28 April
St. Peter Chanel, priest, martyr; St. Louis Mary deMontfort, priest (OptMems)
08:00 am — God’s Blessings on LISA A. GONTIS
by Jim and Eva Gontis

Thursday, 29 April
St. Catherine of Siena, virgin, doctor (OblMem)
08:00 am — FRANCIS X. BOYLAN
by Eugene Zdiera and James Zdiera

Friday, 30 April
St. Pius V, pope (OptMem)
08:00 am — BERNADETTE D. GRADY
by Anne McLaughlin Jacavage and son, Ralph

Saturday, 01 May
St. Joseph the Worker (OptMem)
08:00 am — DECEASED: StJosPar Memorial Society
by the parish
Vigil of Sunday
05:30 pm — DAN and ANNA (Kerrigan) McCARTHY and STEPHEN McCARTHY
by Phil McCarthy

Sunday, 02 May
5th Sunday of Easter
11:30 am — DECEASED: CDA Court St. Cecilia #1529
by the CDA

 MASS SCHEDULE: 25 APRIL - 02 May 2010
SAINT Vincent dePAUL CHURCH
GIRARDVILLE

                      
Saturday, 24 April
Vigil of Sunday
04:00 pm — ROSEMARY KENNEY RIZZARDI
by the Rizzardi family

Sunday, 25 April
4th Sunday of Easter
08:30 am — WILLIAM and ANNA (KRICK) LABALAUKIS
by the Labie family

Monday, 26 April
Easter Weekday
07:00 pm — BLANCHE M. TUCCI
by Agnes Marmos and family

Tuesday, 27 April
Easter Weekday
08:00 am — ISABELLE PILCONIS KREVINAS
by Joseph and Theresa Gudonis

Wednesday, 28 April
St. Peter Chanel, priest, martyr; St. Louis Mary deMontfort, priest (OptMems)
07:00 pm — . ALPHONSE BALULIS
by Jim and Cindy Coyle

Thursday, 29 April
St. Catherine of Siena, virgin, doctor (OblMem)
07:00 pm — ROSE FESCO GRASSO
by Tiffany Gillis Newswanger

Saturday, 01 May
Vigil of Sunday
04:00 pm — RICHARD M. PETUSKY
by Michael and Margaret Yesalavage

Sunday, 02 May
5th Sunday of Easter
08:30 am — CHARLES M. KETUSKY
by Ann McAndrew and family

stjos/stvdp: 04.25.2010 - 01

Saint Joseph Parish
Receipts for parish purposes: $1,544.00 from the Sunday envelopes; $97.00 from the second collection (plate); $65.00 from the Dues envelopes; $120.00 from the Easter envelopes; $87.00 from the Building Maintenance envelopes; $149.00 from the loose. Total: $2,062.00
Receipts for non-parish purposes: — $0—
Analysis: When one deducts from the total of the receipts for parish purposes ($2,062.00) 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 $969.26 is available from this collection for operating the parish.
Saint Vincent dePaul Parish
Receipts for parish purposes: $928.00 from the Sunday envelopes; $97.00 from the second collection (plate); $35.00 from the Dues envelopes; $50.00 from the Building Maintenance envelopes; $108.00 from the loose. Total: $1,218.00.
Receipts for non-parish purposes: — $0—
Analysis: When one deducts from the total of the receipts for parish purposes ($1,218.00) 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 $515.29 is available from this collection for operating the parish.

 CONFESSION SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

Wednesday, 28 April
02:30 to 03:30 pm
St. Vincent dePaul Church

Thursday, 29 April
06:00 to 07:00 pm
St. Vincent dePaul Church

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

You may call for an appointment if these times are not compatible with your schedule.

 EXPOSITION / ADORATION
OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT

Wednesday, 28 April
02:00 to 04:00 pm
St. Vincent dePaul Church

Friday, 30 April
06:00 to 08:00 pm
St. Joseph Chapel

REMEMBER THE POOR! We are always happy to accept donations of food for the poor! Please bring your donations of non-perishable food items (and other useful household products) to St. Vincent dePaul Rectory.

stjos/stvdp: 04.25.2010 - 02

I HAD A FLAT TIRE RECENTLY, WHICH NECESSITATED PURCHASING A REPLACEMENT. So, I went to the Sears Auto Center in the Schuylkill Mall. Completing the transaction, the clerk handed me a paper with the URL of a Sears website and suggested that I go on line in order to answer some questions about whether I was satisfied, quasi-satisfied or dissatisfied with my experience of shopping at Sears. He told me that, as an enticement for doing so, Sears would enter my name in a drawing for merchandise worth four thousand dollars. He told me that I had to answer the questions within seven days of the date of the purchase.
So a few days later, not wanting to lose my chance at winning such an estimable prize, I went online and answered the questions. The questionnaire was “purchase specific” and relatively easy to fill out. I was quite satisfied with the transaction and, being a friend of the working man, was happy for a chance to say complimentary things about the clerk and the garage mechanics, all of whom were thoroughly decent chaps.
Towards the end of the questionnaire, I was asked to identify my RACE (ethnicity). I chose the option “Caucasian”. Then my AGE GROUP. I checked off the option “over 65”. Then my GENDER. I would have anticipated only two options, but there were three! They were: Male / Female / Choose not to answer.
With quiet confidence, I checked “Male”.
Then I wondered: Why would anyone check off “choose not to answer”? What’s the big deal about identifying one’s Gender? I’ve never considered my membership in the Male Gender to be classified information — something that I would want to conceal from Sears or from anyone else. I’ve always been happy to be Male. On the other hand, if I were Female, I’m sure I’d be happy to be Female. I have high regard and the greatest of respect for both genders. Lord knows, we need them both!
I have relatives and friends in both genders. I am happy to say that I really lucked out in life, inasmuch as one of my parents (my father) was Male and my other parent (my mother) was Female. It worked out so well that way! It made for an interesting family life. My mother (who was the Female) never understood my father, and my father (who was the Male) never understood my mother. And that’s the way (in my humble opinion) God intended it to be! Marriage is supposed to be a challenge! G.K. Chesterton (who was married and spoke from experience) said that Males and Females are fundamentally irreconcilable and that, moreover, marriage is a duel to the death, a contest that no honorable man should refuse.
I read in the newspaper this past week that Larry King and his seventh wife are getting a divorce. The reason given is: irreconcilable differences! Of course they have irreconcilable differences! Larry is Male and his wife, as far as I know, is Female. What were they expecting?
I think it would be extremely boring to grow up in a home where both parents were the same gender and always understood one another. I found out as I was growing up that I rarely understood my mother but I always understood my father. I don’t mean to imply that I lacked affection for my mother. I loved her dearly, but I never understood her, nor did she ever understand me. God forbid that it would have been different! Come to think of it, my brother (now deceased) was Male and all three of my sisters (alive and well as far as I know) are Female. Nobody in my family ever considered his or her gender identity to be something they “chose not to answer”. I think the people who made up the questionnaire for Sears are suffering from an excess of political correctness. Long live the differentiation of genders!

 K of C FUNDRAISER RECENT WINNERS

23 Jan — #596
Joe D
Mike H

06 Feb — #762
Trish M
Mike H

20 Feb — #552
Marie A
Mike H

20 Mar — #545
Kim E
Tom R
Frank D
John K

03 Apr — #958
CMD
Barbara B

stjos/stvdp: 04.25.2010- 03

SEXUAL ABUSE AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

The following is an excerpt from an article that ran recently in The Washington Times. The article dealt with several “myths” (untruths) about sexual abuse and Catholic clergy.
One of the “myths” (untruths) is the following:

Sexual abuse is more pervasive in the Catholic Church than in other institutions.

Sexual abuse of minors is not the province of the Catholic Church alone. About 4 percent of priests committed an act of sexual abuse on a minor between 1950 and 2002, according to a study being conducted by John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. That is roughly consistent with data on many similar professions.

An extensive 2007 investigation by the Associated Press showed that sexual abuse of children in U.S. schools was "widespread," and most of it was never reported or punished. And in Portland, Ore., last week, a jury reached a $1.4 million verdict against the Boy Scouts of America in a trial that showed that, since the 1920s, Scouts officials kept "perversion files" on suspected abusers but kept them secret.

"We don't see the Catholic Church as a hotbed of this or a place that has a bigger problem than anyone else," Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, told Newsweek. "I can tell you without hesitation that we have seen cases in many religious settings, from traveling evangelists to mainstream ministers to rabbis and others."

Part of the issue is that the Catholic Church is so tightly organized and keeps such meticulous records -- many of which have come to light voluntarily or through court orders -- that it can yield a fairly reliable portrait of its personnel and abuse over the decades. Other institutions, and most other religions, are more decentralized and harder to analyze or prosecute.

Still, it is hardly good news that the church appears to be no different from most other institutions in its incidence of abuse. Shouldn't the Catholic Church and other religious institutions hold to a higher standard?

stjos/stvdp: 04.25.2010 - 04

 38th ANNUAL LITHUANIAN FESTIVAL
A Lithuanian Celebration of Spring!
Catonsville Armory
130 Mellor Avenue, Catonsville MD
Commemorating the 600th anniversary of the historic Battle of Grunwald*
Traditional Crafts / Militaria Exhibit / National Folk Dances / Ethnic Foods / A Treat of Sight, Sound and Taste
Date: Saturday and Sunday, 22 /23 May
Time: 11:00 am to 06:00 pm

* In case you’re interested, the Battle of Grunwald, which took place in July of 1410, pitted the combined forces of the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Principality of Moldavia, together with assorted Tartars, Bohemians, Moravians, Ruthenians and Russians AGAINST the Teutonic Order (mostly Prussians and other Germans) and their allies. The Polish-Lithuanian-Moldavian alliance managed to beat the Teutons and I guess that’s worth celebrating, unless you happen to be a Teuton, in which case we respectfully suggest that it’s time to get over it! You win some, you lose some and some, well you know, are rained out. All is forgiven
IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD of Holy Rosary Cemetery, Frackville (which St. Joseph Parish, Girardville, inherited from the former Holy Rosary Parish, Mahanoy Plane) you might want to take a look at the stone wall on Vine Street, between Broad Mountain Avenue and Line Street.
Until very recently, a section of the wall was in extreme disrepair. It looked like the walls of Jericho after Joshua and his army had been there.
We made arrangements with a couple of master stonemasons to repair the wall. They have completed their work and we are happy with the outcome. I think the people who live in the neighborhood of the cemetery are happy to see the improvement.
NOTHING IS SADDER THAN A HOUSE that needs to be lived in. We recently rented St. Joseph Rectory out to a family (mother and five children, all of whom have become familiar faces in Girardville over the past year and a half). Our agreement with the family is that the parish will continue to have access to the Rectory for meetings and CCD and such other purposes as may arise and that, if and when circumstances change with the parishes, they will vacate the premises.
When I was pastor in Pottsville, I had an empty rectory in Mount Carbon. I rented it out to a series of three families, all of whom were satisfactory tenants. That rectory, now owned by St. Patrick Parish, continues to house the same tenants who occupied it when I left to come to Girardville.

stjos/stvdp: 04.25.2010 - 05

PETER JOHN PIKITUS,
fourth child (second son) of John M. and Helen F. (DeAngelo) Pikitus, will be baptized today (Sunday, 25 April) at St. Joseph Church.
This little boy, born once in the order of nature, will be born a second time in the order of grace.
He will receive the incomparable dignity of being known henceforth as a son of God the Father, a brother of God the Son and a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
His ultimate destiny is Heaven.
By baptism with water and the Holy Spirit, little Peter John will be cleansed of the original sin and will receive the assurance of the forgiveness of whatever sins in human weakness he might possibly commit, as long as he repents and turns back to God.
He will be the recipient of tender-hearted love from God all the days of his life.
We are grateful to John and Helen for opening themselves up to this child and we give thanks to God for giving them this further testimony of His divine favor.
Children are, indeed, a gift from God.
May Peter John bring joy to his parents, brother and sisters and to all the community. Most of all, may he bring joy to God His Creator.
Welcome to the Catholic Church, dear Peter John!
SPENCER ANDREW PRESTILEO,
third child (third son) of Jason D. and Jill A. (Thorn) Prestileo, was baptized last Sunday (18 April) at St. Joseph Church.
A member of St. John the Baptist Parish (Pottsville), Spencer was baptized here in Girardville with permission from his pastor, Fr. Loeper.
[The child’s father, Jason, was one of the altar boys at Fr. Connolly’s former parish, St. Joseph, Pottsville. Jason has turned out to be a good man and a good Catholic, for which we praise the Lord! God has given him an excellent wife, to be a thorn in his side and to keep him on the right path.]
Spencer Andrew was washed clean of the stain of Adam’s sin. He was given the grace of justification, together with an initial grace of sanctification.
He is called to be one of the holy ones, living his life in obedience to God and always conscious of the fact that he has loving access to God in and through Jesus Christ.
May God bless Spencer Andrew and may the Holy Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, always regard him as her dear son. Welcome to the Catholic Church, dear Spencer Andrew! May you bring great blessings to all your family!

 stjos/stvdp: 04.25.2010 - 06

GARY JOSEPH ROMANOT,
a member of St. Joseph Parish, died on Tuesday, 20 April.
Born on 11 April 1973, he was 37 years old. He died in a single-vehicle accident on Route 54. It appears that his death was instantaneous.
Gary is the son of the Joseph E. and Rita (Shemonis) Romanot.
He is the brother of Susan Marie Romanot, who died on 03 September 2009.
Gary was baptized on 06 May 1973 at St. George Church, Shenandoah.
He received his First Holy Communion on 03 May 1981 at St. Joseph Church, Girardville.
The Mass of Christian Burial for Gary was celebrated on Saturday, 24 April, at 11:00 am in St. Joseph Church.
Prior to the Mass, there was a viewing at the McDonald Funeral Home.
The interment took place in St. Joseph Parish Cemetery, Fountain Springs.
In the course of less than eight months, Gary and Rita Romanot have had to endure what anyone would call “well more than their share” of pain and grief.
We beg the Lord to sustain them and to fortify both their love and trust in one another and their love and trust in God.
Eternal rest grant unto Gary, O Lord, and let the perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
PILGRIMAGE TO THE BLUE ARMY SHRINE, WASHINGTON NJ
Date: Friday, 14 May 2010
Sponsor: St. Michael the Archangel Parish Ladies Guild
Details: Bus will leave from in front of St. Michael Parish Center at 07:45 am. Return home after a late lunch at the Olive Garden in Easton.
Price: $45.00 per person, which includes transportation, donation to Shrine and lunch.
Contact: Mary Sninski at 544-3046.
Deadline: 30 April
ORIGINAL ITALIAN SPAGHETTI DINNER with Salad Bar
Date and Time: Sunday, 23 May from 11:00 am to 04:00 pm
Place: St. Matthew Parish Center, 120 Oak Street, Minersville
Price: $7.00 adult/ $4.00 child
Contacts: Helene O’Connor (544-5302) and Mary Strenkoski (544-9062)

stjos/stvdp: 04.25.2010 - 07

 

                      stjos/stvdp: 04.25.2010 - 08                      

        

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