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A YEAR OF FAITH
Msgr. James Lyons
In his Apostolic Letter, Porta fidei, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI
has declared a Year of Faith beginning October 11, 2012, the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, and concluding on November 24, 2013,
the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King. This year is meant to be an occasion when we can gain an appreciation and greater understanding of our Catholic Faith through a deeper relationship with Our Lord. The year is an opportunity for us to have a renewed conversion to the Lord Jesus and a rediscovery of the faith by which we are to shape our lives.
Special points of
interest:
Message from Msgr. Lyons
Stewardship
Activities
Children as
Stewards
Shining
Lights
St. Joseph Catholic Church—5125 Grandview Road, Hanover, PA 17331
J O Y full News
October, 2012 Volume 2, Issue 4
In This Issue
Year of Faith
Treasure
Initiative
Results
SKY
Vacation Bible School
Shining
Lights:
Steven and
Angie Brown
Family
Fashion
Show
High-lights
Ministry
Fair Photos
Communicat
ions Survey
The Day of
the Dead
At St. Joseph Parish a special committee has been established to offer opportunities to enrich our faith lives.
Soon we will have a Novena on the nine days leading up to the celebration of the Blessed Mother under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12. St. Joseph Church has the honor of being the site for the diocesan wide celebration of this wonderful feast. We will make use of Fr. Robert
Barron’s series Catholicism in small group reflections. Fr. Lease and I have previewed this series and it is a great presentation of our Catholic Faith. I hope you can make time to see it in the coming year here at the parish. Our parish mission will be directed toward the goals of the Year of Faith. We will also be reaching out, by way of another special committee, to parishioners we do not regularly see on Sunday. They are members of the parish but are not coming to Mass regularly. (I am not referring to the homebound, but people who can physically make it to Mass.)
Please be attentive to the parish bulletin for announcements of the above events and many more that we are planning. For a fine summary
of the high points of the Year of Faith please see, on the parish website, Fr. James Lease’s homily preached at the
parish opening Mass of the Year of Faith.
PASTOR APPRECIATION DINNER—CCW HONORS
FR. JOSEPH GOTWALT
As they have for the past 13 years, members of the Parish Council
of Catholic Women hosted Fr. Gotwalt, for one last time, at its
annual pastor appreciation dinner. Thirty-five members enjoyed
dinner with our former pastor on August 20, at LaCucina restau-
rant. Fr. Gotwalt received a monetary gift from the group and an
original painting by artist and parishioner, Louise Miller.
Father told us of his travels and his plans for future trips. The even-
ing was filled with lively conversation, good food, and great service
from parishioner Steve Dobyski.
Second FUNDAMENTAL FASHIONS SHOW a Success
St. Joseph and St. Vincent Thrift Shops, together with Every Kids Kloset and Lau-
ren Mack & Co. Consignment Shop, provided fashions modeled by members of
both parishes on Sunday, September 16th. The clothing
was available for sale after
the show.
Emma Marie Trump
Diana Huertas
Grace Catlin
Aaron Catlin
Servant Joy Council
Msgr. James M. Lyons, Pastor
Stewardship Coordinator Mary Ann Williams
Servant Joy Council Members:
Jeffrey Evich
Lynne Laughman
Kelly Lynch
Rita Martin
Aida Pichardo
Michael Staub
Betty Svirsko
Matthew Warfield
Sub-committee Chairs
Spirituality & Prayer-Craig Redding
Communications-J. Lynn Miller
Stewardship Formation-Mary Ann Williams
Hospitality-John Gindlesberger
Evangelism-Ruth Young
Treasure-Tony Vaccare
Place label here
St. Joseph Parish Stewardship logo
Tel: 717-637-5236
Fax: 717-637-6615
Stewardship
A Way of Life
St. Joseph Catholic Church
5055 Grandview Road
Hanover, PA 17331-7826
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Upcoming Parish Events October
Gourmet Holiday Desserts Sale
Deadline to order - 11/11/12
November
3rd-Scrapbook/Stamp Crop
11th/12th - Christmas Bazaar
16th - Vera Bradley & Coach Purse
BINGO
3rd Sunday - Hospitality Commit-
tee’s Coffee & Donuts Social
30th-Family Game Night in Social
Hall
December
3rd-11th Miraculous Medal Novena
12th - Diocesan Our Lady of
Guadalupe Mass and Fiesta at St.
Joseph Church
15th - Snowball Dance
28th - Family Game Night
SKY VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL - Everything is Possible with God
Months of planning and more than one hundred volunteers (otherwise known as SKY Pilots) made the 2012 parish vaca-
tion bible school a reality and provided 150 youth, pre-K to 6th grade, with a fun-filled, spiritual week this summer. A
different theme was established for each of the five days of SKY VBS, each one encouraging the students to “Trust
God”. Every day, the students were challenged to “sight God” e.g., in the smile of others, in the good manners others
display, etc. Various science activities educated the children about the sky and air related principles.
A surprise visit was made by the staff and helicopter of the Stat Med Evac service based in Pittsburgh, PA. The primary
function of Stat Med Evac is to provide air medical transport for patients with an injury or critical illness and is directed
by a consortium of hospitals which includes Altoona Regional Health System.
SKY MUSIC CREW
TUBE-A-LOONS ACTIVITY STAT MED EVAC HELICOPTER VISITS VBS
VBS KITCHEN CREW STUDENT “SKY PILOTS” EXAMINE HELICOPTER
SIGN UP FOR ELECTRONIC GIVING AND SAVE A TREE
Sign-up events are held on the weekend of the third Sunday of every month in the narthex of the
church. Please stop by with any questions you may have or to sign up. A voided check for the ac-
count you wish to debit is required.
NOW YOU CAN PRINT THE AUTHORIZATION FORM FROM THE PARISH WEB-
SITE. Go to: www.stjosephparishhanover.org and you will find the forms on the left sidebar of
the Home Page. Complete the authorization form, attach a voided check for your checking or state-
ment savings account, and mail to the Parish Administrative Center at: 5055 Grandview Road,
Hanover, PA 17331.
Save a tree—Sign up for Electronic Giving
GREETERS COMMITTEE
More Than a Smiling Face
As I greeted for the noon Mass a few weeks ago, a lovely woman stopped to tell me that her friend goes to another
Catholic church and she always asks her, "Are they as nice at your parish as they are at St. Joseph? Is there a smiling
face at the door to greet you? Do they keep you well-informed?" This was wonderful feedback about a ministry that
has been re-established at St. Joseph‟s over the past year or so. However, this comment also made me think.
When greeting at our parish, we are not just offering a smile and a polite reception. We are welcoming family,
friends, neighbors and strangers to the Supper of the Lamb. Just a short time after our word of welcome, Jesus, the
Lamb of God, joins us at the altar - Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity – a gift that we cannot even fully comprehend in
our human condition. As Greeters, we are honored to have the opportunity to welcome anyone who enters the church
to this most precious event.
So please know that our smiles come from the knowledge of what we are all about to encounter together. Our greet-
ings express the joy of having each of you in the midst of our community to celebrate with us. On behalf of all the
Greeters, I want to thank you for your support of the Greeter ministry. Please feel free to contact me at any time with
feedback or suggestions or to become a Greeter yourself.
May God bless you today and always,
Contributed by Ann Snyder snydermtn@gmail.com 717-235-7960
The Day of the Dead—El Día de los Muertos
Mexico represents various legends, customs and traditions that are part of the identity of any Mexican person throughout its territory. Several of these traditions and customs will have been passed from generation to generation. Many are from pre-Hispanic times and some disappear with the passage of cultures in Mexico. Others are encouraged - the Feast Day of the Dead was taken very seriously by the Aztec culture. With the arrival of the Spaniards and Christianity, a great mix that makes the celebration unique in the world, El Día de los Muertos is celebrated by our Catholic Church on November 2nd in Mexico. It is common to see that from early
time, people go to the cemeteries where their loved ones were buried carrying bouquets of flowers including the well-known flower of Cempoatxochitl, also known as the “dead flower”. As it is Mexican tradition, on this day an offering of dishes that was the deceased’s preference late in life is dis-played on an altar. We may see delicious skulls made from sugar and chocolate, squash in brown sugar, the deli-cious pan de muerto, tequila - everything that was enjoyable to the disappeared person who comes back in those days to enjoy the living. The offerings of the Day of the Dead are an environment unique and mystical - see lighted candles, the smell of the smoke of incense and dead flower - hear the bells of the churches announcing the arrival of the souls. Celebrate our traditions! Article contributed by Aida Pichardo
TREASURE INITIATIVE OFF TO A GOOD START
For five weeks in September and October, parishioners at St. Joseph Church heard messages on the truth that our treas-
ure here on earth is a gift from God and that giving of our treasure is our gift of thanks to Him for the many blessings we
receive every day. The Treasure Initiative was the third segment of the Stewardship Initiative that began in the parish in
2010. The first two years of the initiative focused on Stewardship of Time and Stewardship of Talent and resulted in the
establishment of numerous new ministries and committees. Most importantly, hundreds of ministry volunteer opportun
ities were filled by those parishioners who embraced the message of stewardship.
Msgr. James Lyons explained during a homily titled Our Vision As a Parish on the first weekend of the initiative:
“As part of our Stewardship of Treasure program we have a chance to look at ourselves and see not only who we are but
where we are headed. Several years ago Fr. Gotwalt decided to have a Stewardship program for the parish. The idea
behind stewardship is giving back to God a portion of the many gifts He has given us. Our time, talent and treasure are
categories that let us see God‟s gifts in our lives. We have reached the point in our stewardship program where we begin
to look at our treasure, how we have been blessed with whatever level of material wealth we have.”
More than one half of the registered families who regularly attend mass at St. Joseph Church responded to the initiative.
More than 40% of those families committed to increasing their financial support of the parish. As explained during the
Treasure Initiative, the current budget prepared last spring projected a considerable deficit for the parish for the
2012/2013 fiscal year. Therefore, it is most important that the intentions to increase contributions expressed during the
initiative are fulfilled by everyone.
Congratulations to the New Parents
Baptisms- July 1, 2012 to September 30, 2012
Emily Hernandez-Cordova Genesis Diney Villaverde-Cruz
Mallory Lynn Gantz Ximena Isabel Rodriguez
Arialys Ivette Villanueva Antonia Joan Kane
Brayan Axel Morales Spencer Alan Hamberger
Ella Marie O‟Brien Adonay Miranda
Fran Mendez Barajas Emily Rosas
Jazmin Rosas Mason Carl Conover
Brynn Grace Myers Molly Rae Myers
Allyson Karina Cordova Paizley Rae Scharf
Ronnie William Thoman Ray Clell Thoman III
Dulce Alba Espinosa Jose Orlando Colotl-Ocotoxtle
Joanna Colotl-Ocotoxtle Brian Colotl-Ocotoxtle
Ashly Renteria-Gonzalez Giancarlo Valencia-Bernal
Avalyn Grace Maurer Benjamin Michael Arnold
Best Wishes to the Recently Married
Marriages-July 1, 2012 to September 30, 2012
Christopher Gilbert & Kandice Arnold
Rick Hoffheins & Jeana Biondo
Thomas Yosick & Doris Evans
Dejan Rados & Karem Haya
Trent Hohf & Abby Sunbury
In Memoriam
Deaths-July 1, 2012 to September 30, 2012
Travce Wagner Dolores Evans
Audrey Fink Benjamin Young
Evelyn Kellenberger John “Jack” Henry
Harold Sanders Raymond Cleary
Joseph Sipling Betty L. Smith
STUDENTS IN SERVICE
Throughout the summer months the 8th grade
class of Saint Joseph School provided over
550 hours of service to St. Joseph Parish, the
Hanover community, and to their families.
Students gave generously of their time and
talent in a variety of ways.
In the parish, they were altar serving, working
at the parish picnic, helping with Vacation
Bible School, and assisting Mrs. White and
Agustin with cleaning and organizing projects
in the church and the classrooms. Around
town, these students could be found volunteer-
ing at Hanover Hall, St. Joseph Thrift Shop,
the YMCA summer camp programs, the PAL
Lunch program, the Delone carnival, New
Hope Ministries, assisting with scout projects
and soccer programs, helping with the open-
ing of a restaurant, and even washing buses at
Delone Catholic High School. Many hours were also given to their families by completing additional household
chores, babysitting, doing yard work, and walking dogs. These students are wonderful examples of stewardship and
what it means to “be doers of the Word”.
MINISTRY FAIR HELD
After all masses on the weekend of September 22nd/23rd, more than fifty
parish ministries filled the social hall with displays outlining the work they
do in the parish and community. The fair provided an opportunity for
parishioners to explore the various ministries and select those that match
their God-given talents and skills. In addition to learning about the various
parish ministries, attendees were provided with refreshments made by the
parish Busy Bakers Committee and free giveaways donated by Random
House Co. and Hanover Direct. A new feature of this year‟s fair was a
Treasure Hunt for the children and youth designed to educate them about
the parish ministries and the joy of using their talents for the benefit of oth-
ers. Each participant received a prize as he or she finished the hunt.
The door prize, a $100 grocery store gift
card, was won by parishioner, Lorraine
Struss.
Elise Knobloch, daughter of Wil-
liam and Josie Knobloch, guessed
the correct number (114) of can-
dies in a jar provided by the
Servant Joy Council at the fair.
St. Joseph Communications Committee
Please take a few minutes to complete the following survey to help us better serve you. Drop the survey in the collection basket or mail to: St. Joseph Church, 5055 Grandview Road, Hanover, PA 17331 1. What information do you find most valuable and seek out the most from the parish? (Check all that apply) ___Community Outreach opportunities ___Special Events (concerts, breakfasts, etc) ___Mass Intentions/Daily Readings ___St. Joseph’s Athletic/Sports schedules ___Mass Times/Parish calendar ___St. Joseph’s School Information ___Sacramental Information ___Thrift Shop hours/information ___Parish financial information ___Volunteer opportunities ___Parish committee activities and reports ___Hispanic community ___Religious Education Information __ Other (please explain) 2. How do you currently seek out this information? (Check all that apply) ___Website ___Mass announcements ___Newsletter ___Word of mouth ___Weekly Mass bulletin ___Email ___Phone call to the parish office ___Facebook ___Mailings ___Phone blast ___Other (Please explain) 3. How would you like to receive future parish information? Please rank your top three choices with (1) being first, (2) being second, and (3) being third. ___Website ___Mass announcements ___Newsletter ___Word of mouth ___Weekly Mass bulletin ___Email ___Phone call to the parish office ___Facebook ___Mailings ___Phone blast
___Other (please explain)
Please fill out portion below if interested in participating in email blasts.
Please PRINT clearly
NAME: ______________________________________________________________________________
EMAIL Address: _______________________________________________________________________
This survey can be found on the parish website Communications Committee page. www.stjosephparishhanover.org
So much is happening at St. Joseph Parish and opportunities for parishioners to contribute time and talents continue
to grow. If you are looking for a parish activity that matches your skills and/or interests, consider these. Check off
those of interest and mail or drop off this form to the parish office or drop in the Offertory collection.
_____ Children’s Stewardship Formation Coordinator The most important element of a parish stewardship program is providing stewardship formation to children and youth.
They are the future of the parish and there is only a short window of opportunity to form their minds to live their lives
as grateful people who give back to God for the many blessings they receive. We are in need of a person who will de-
velop a stewardship formation program that will involve incorporating stewardship lessons into the religious curricula
of St. Joseph Parochial School and the St. Joseph School of Religious Instruction (SRI) as well as creating other for-
mation strategies that would be implemented at Mass, in the home, or in the community. The coordinator may recruit
others to assist with this work. If you have time and talent you are willing to contribute, God will bless you abundantly
for your work.
_____ Parish Webmaster This position works closely with the parish staff and parish leaders to ensure the website is monitored, improved, up-
dated and that it addresses the needs of current and prospective parishioners. The website software is user friendly and
requires basic computer skills. It is the job of the webmaster to maintain the site so that it remains a valuable resource
for the parish and its members.
_____ Communications Committee The chairperson for this committee, Lynn Miller, is looking for interested parishioners willing to work on this commit-
tee to develop and carry out parish-wide communications strategies.
I am interested in the activity checked above. Please contact me. (Drop this form in the Sunday collection basket.)
Name_________________________ Phone No.___________ E-mail Address_______________________________
TIME AND TALENT OPPORTUNITIES
At St. Joseph Parish
HELP WANTED—Exceptional Benefits (Blessings) Provided
LAY WITNESSES GIVE INSPIRATIONAL MESSAGES DURING PARISH “TREASURE INITIATIVE”
Emily Weaver (left) and Josie Knobloch (right), both members of the St. Joseph Treasure Committee, gave lay witness
accounts of personal experiences that led them to a life of Stewardship during the recent Treasure Initiative. A key ele-
ment of stewardship education is the testimonies presented to the parish by individuals whose hearts and lives have
changed as a result of stewardship.
Stewardship is a part of the internal change of
heart or conversion process we know so well from
the Scriptures - stories of men and women who
became compelled to put their faith into action.
Emily and Josie volunteered to present their sto-
ries to inspire other St. Joseph parishioners to
“give back”, as they have chosen to do, to God,
the parish, and the Church by sharing their Time,
Talent, and Treasure with others for the many
blessings they receive each day.
The Hospitality Corner
Hospitality — The Cornerstone of Stewardship
You’ve had the experience, haven’t you, of coming into a room full of strangers, all of whom seem to already know each other? Most people feel dismay as they look around, trying to figure out where they should go and what they should do. What a wonderful feeling it is when someone comes over, speaks to you and welcomes you, and then leads you over to meet other people. In the well known scripture passage of Matthew 25:35, Jesus states “When I was a stranger, you welcomed me”. Jesus is teaching us that whenever we welcome the stranger, we welcome Christ himself. That is why the first mark of a stewardship parish is hospitality. Being friendly is one of the first ways we can be Christ-like to-ward others. But are we a welcoming parish? St. Joseph, just like many modern Catholic parishes, is large, with over 2,700 families, and six Masses each weekend. As a result, we may not know who is a visitor and who is a parishioner. So to avoid possibly offending a fellow parishioner, do we opt not to greet someone we do not know? To create a sense of community, we need to be sure to smile and greet others as you enter and exit the Church. For Chris-tians, the presence of hospitality can mean the difference between calling others “guests” and “strangers.” Guests are welcomed with open arms and warm smiles. Strangers aren’t. Guests feel the genuine love present in a hearty “Welcome”! Strangers don’t. Guests often return for second or third visits. Strangers don’t. At St. Joseph’s, do we find ourselves surrounded by guests, or burdened by strangers? The same person may be treated as a guest at the church down the road, and as a stranger here. When a stranger visits our parish, we need to welcome them as a guest. Who knows, maybe one day they’ll pay us a second visit!
TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE REACHES OUT
Friday afternoon, October 5th, my husband received a phone call from a medical student at the
Lebanon VA Hospital who introduced herself as, Laura, and explained that one of their pa-
tients, a resident of Hanover, was suffering from terminal cancer. The patient‟s wife, Eva. is
non-ambulatory and has no relatives or neighbors to transport her from Hanover to the hospital
in Lebanon to visit her husband. Laura and a social worker at the hospital began an internet
search in hopes of finding a way to get Eva to Lebanon. Their search lead them to our parish
website and to our Transportation Committee. They immediately called the chairman of the St.
Joseph Transportation Committee, Michael Pagnanelli, for possible assistance. The social worker explained there was
no telling how much longer the patient would live. Both he and his wife are Catholic, but are not affiliated with St.
Joseph Parish. Michael and his wife, Donna who is co-chair of the Transportation Committee, said “Our hearts told us
to begin calling the members of our committee in hopes of finding a willing volunteer to transport Eva to see her hus-
band. We decided to confirm with the parish Stewardship Coordinator that it was OK for us to proceed. We were so
grateful that the parish supported our decision to serve this person, even though she was not a member of our parish.”
Donna stated, “The following morning I began my search for a volunteer. Who do I call first, God? Do I start at the
top of the list, middle or end? The first call-no answer, the second call, Mary Ann Bixler answered. After explaining
my unique request, she replied, „I'm a cancer survivor and yes I would love to help.‟ She also explained that she had
been looking for some way to serve and she thinks she just found it! Mrs. Bixler contacted Eva, the patient‟s wife, and
made plans to drive her to Lebanon, Pa. on Monday morning. Not an easy task! On Monday morning Mrs. Bixler and
her husband waited an hour and a half, while Eva got herself ready. Eva suffers from dementia and got the arrange-
ments confused thinking the visit was set for the next day. God bless Mr. and Mrs. Bixler! They spent the entire day
with Eva. After taking her to the VA hospital, they even treated her to dinner at a restaurant on the way home. This
week I followed up with Laura, to see if we could provide any further assistance to Eva. She informed me that Eva‟s
husband passed away a few days after his wife's visit. Thank God she was able to see her husband before his passing,
”We are the light of the world, may our light shine before all, that they may see the good that we do, and give glory to God.”
STEVEN AND ANGIE BROWN FAMILY
Born and raised in Hanover and lifelong members of our Parish, Angie and Steve Brown are the parents of three boys,
Joshua and Christopher (12) and Andrew (5). During the 12 years Steve served in the Army, he and Angie lived, for a
time, in Missouri and in Germany, where their twins were born. Steve currently commutes to his job with the Army
Corps of Engineers in Baltimore, and the family again resides in Hanover among family and friends. While all families
face challenges of one sort or other, Angie and Steve deal with the special challenges of Autism.
Autism is a brain disorder that typically affects a person's ability to communicate, form relationships with others, and
respond appropriately to the environment. Some people with autism are relatively high-functioning, with speech and
intelligence intact. Others are mentally retarded, non-verbal, or have serious language delays. For some, autism makes
them seem closed off and shut down; others seem locked into repetitive behaviors and rigid patterns of thinking.
By age two, Josh and Chris were diagnosed as autistic, severely impaired in cognition, social interaction, and communi-
cation, and mentally retarded. Andrew is mildly affected by deficits in sensory processing and social challenges, and is
diagnosed as having a pervasive developmental disorder. Steve explains that Andrew is expected to lead a typical life,
while his brothers will need lifelong care.
The family is involved in an on-site therapeutic program for children and adolescents (ages 2-20) with an Autism Spec-
trum Disorder called the Amazing Kids Club at Adams-Hanover Counseling Services. The Friends of Amazing Kids
(FOAK) is an organization led by parent volunteers who support families by creating opportunities in which they can
socialize and share experiences. The group focuses on families‟ needs, fundraising for service providers serving the
special needs community, and education for families and the community.
Steve and Angie are grateful for the acceptance the boys have received from Stacey White, Helen Henry and all the SRI
teachers who include the boys in all program activities; the Special Ministers of the Eucharist who show consideration
in giving the older boys small pieces of the Sacred Host at Mass; and the boys‟ grandparents, especially Steve‟s mother
and stepfather, Marg and Bill Kuhn, who assist the boys in participating at Mass by bringing up the offertory gifts.
While it is difficult to remain anonymous with twins affected by such a pervasive disorder, Steve and Angie hope their
family‟s attendance at Mass opens the hearts of others and promotes a community of acceptance and patience. Steve
adds that autism has changed their lives forever, but that “life isn‟t about waiting for the storm to pass. It‟s about learn-
ing to dance in the rain.” Autism is our “storm” and our family, friends and church are teaching us to “dance.”
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