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.”