St. Francis de Sales Church

MASS SCHEDULE Sundays 7:00, 8:30, 10:00, and 11:30 AM Monday—Friday 8:30 AM (except Wednesday) First Fridays during school year 8:30 and 10:00 AM Saturday 8:30 AM Saturday Vigil 5:00 PM Holy Day Vigil 5:00 PM Holy Days 6:30 and 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM Confessions are Saturday at 4:30 PM and anytime by request. Summer Weekend Mass Schedule Mid-June and including Labor Day: Saturday 5:00 PM Sunday 7:00, 9:00, 11:00 AM

“Do not wish to be anything but what you are,

and try to be that perfectly.”

— St. Francis de Sales

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Scripture readings for next week:

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

Acts of the Apostles 14:21-27 Revelation 21:1-5a

John 13:31-33a

Adult Choir Nancy Brown 610.358.3112 Adult Education/RCIA Sr. Betty Kirk 610.459.0554 Marion Bennett 610.459.0554 Altar Society Phil D'Orazio 610.459.0635 PREP/CCD Sr. Betty Kirk 610.459.0554 Church Environment Barbara Jones 610.566.4149 CYO Paula Bonsall 610.517.6136 Eucharistic Ministers Tracy Boyle 610.566.8453 Finance Committee Fr. Okon 610.459.2203 Home & School Assn. Adrienne DelVacchio 610.494.5620 HOPE Cathy Hawes 610.627.0874 Ladies' Club Belle Miller 610.513.2920 Lectors Joanne Sunick 610.459.1996 Liturgy Committee Sr. Betty Kirk 610.459.0554 Parish Council Paul Quinn 610.565.7250 Web Master Arlene Petragnani 610.558.0588 Welcome Committee R. DiFebo 610.459.8971 Women's Prayer Group Sr. Betty Kirk 610.459.0554

Refer and Reflect

Directory of Parish Organizations

RECTORY 610.459.2203 35 New Road, Box 97, Lenni, PA 19052 Reverend Alan J. Okon, Pastor Deacon Paul A. Quinn Sr. Betty Kirk 610.459.0554 Parish Services Director Mrs. Marie McGonigal 610.459.2203 Administrative Assistant Tammy McDonald 610.459.2203 Communications Secretary Art Kahn, Business Manager CONVENT 610.459.2501 28 New Road, Aston, PA 19014 SCHOOL 610.459.0799 39 New Road, Aston, PA 19014 Mrs. Maryrose Hall, Principal

OUR WEEKLY OFFERING

April 10th, 2016

Sunday Collection = $ 4641.00

Mail In = $1670

E-Giving = $1496.00

Easter Collection = $825.00

Total Sunday = $8632.00

Parish Improvement = $1527.00

Thank You for your kindness and

generosity!

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APRIL 17th, 2016 FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

SATURDAY April 16 8:30 AM John A. Rinehart 5:00 PM Dr. Lawrence A. “Larry” Herbst SUNDAY April 17 7:00 AM William Mescante 8:30 AM Sam Weikel 10:00 AM Kristen Lee Commaroth 11:30 AM Carl Cook MONDAY April 18 8:30 AM Sam & Alice Weikel TUESDAY April 19 8:30 AM Communion Service WEDNESDAY April 20 8:30 AM Communion Service THURSDAY April 21 8:30 AM Communion Service FRIDAY April 22 8:30 AM Thomas Warfel SATURDAY April 23 8:30 AM Bernice Jane Shoop 5:00 PM William Joseph Dorsch SUNDAY April 24 7:00 AM Robby Dolbin 8:30 AM Mary (Mare) Hare 10:00 AM Frank Cotterall 11:30 AM Mary Ounan

EWTN News ~ Get program details at

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www.ewtn.com\channelfinder for station. Stay

up-to-date on everything that is EWTN. Sign up

for EWTN’s weekly e-mail newsletter now! To

sign up, go to www.ewtn.com.

APRIL 17th, 2016 Identity theft”. It’s a pair of words that were never put together as a crime until there were credit cards and computers. But it’s an element of modern life with lots of victims. If you’ve never been one of those, you would not know how scary and upsetting such theft can be. It brings on a very intrusive correction process in its wake, and a re-sidual fear that stays with you for a while. Some-thing akin to that happens when Satan leads us into losing our spiritual identity as members of Christ’s flock. When Our Lord identified Himself as the Good Shepherd, He took on a title with rich meaning for the people of His time. It takes some effort on our part to appreciate that today. We might think in-stead of titles like “Good father and family man”, or a “CEO with a heart.” What we must appreciate is the fact that by baptism we became as connected to Christ as a herd of sheep was to their shepherd in those bygone days. That is the heart of our Christian identity. Just as we have to keep track of our online pur-chases and monitor our credit cards, so we have to be on guard against all of Satan’s attempts to steal our spiritual identity. One of them is over familiarity in our faith practices. We have been told in so many homilies and referred to in so many retreats and religious publications that we are “the Good Shepherd’s flock” that it has no impact. We tend to view it as a cliche. Our practice of the faith could become rote. So we skip Mass almost casu-ally, or let too much time intervene between con-fession, and so forth. In those early day of the Church, when merely being a Christian was daring and dangerous, there was nothing cliche about it. Your identity marked you for martyrdom if you were found out. It was so serious a matter that the early Christians were very guarded as to whom they would trust. All of this leads us back to the obligation we all have to keep the main thing as the main thing in our lives. That translates into keeping God as “numero uno” in our lives and everything else ranked lower. The Easter miracle we are celebrating this sea-son has to be understood as more than a personal triumph for Jesus, although that is true enough. But it is our victory too. Our basis for hope. Our motivation for the struggle it is these days to remain loyal members of the “flock.” Our Christian identity is not safe from theft just because we declare it. We can forfeit it by sin and in that way rob ourselves. But we have been giv-en our faith and the sacraments to help us in the effort to prevent that from happening by striving each day to live better than we did the day before. Then, when the number of our days runs out, we will be glad for the struggle. We will have arrived at that great day when we will stand outside heaven’s gate and hear Jesus say, “I recognize you. Please come in.” Reflection by, Rev. Leonard N. Peterson

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Retreat for Girls Malvern Retreat House is holding a re-treat for girls in 3rd through 8th grade on Sunday, May 15 from 1pm to 4pm. The retreat theme of "Just As You Are" will celebrate the dignity and beauty of being created as a daughter of a loving and merciful God. The retreat will be directed by Jeannine Peters, who has a back-ground in adoption advocacy, education and faith formation. The cost is $20 per student and includes snacks. Please visit malvernretreat.com or call 610-644-0400 for more information.

Chosen Fathers: A Retreat for Fathers of Chil-dren with Disabilities: Saturday, April 30, 2016 at St. Charles Seminary. The Office for Life and Family and the Office for Persons with Disabili-ties will host a retreat for fathers and grandfa-thers of children with disabilities. The retreat will be led by Doug Keck, a Chosen Father, who is the president of EWTN and an award winning TV/Radio host. To register online go to www.opdarchphilly.org . For more infor-mation call 215-587-3530 or email mcullinan@archphila.org .

World Youth Day Scholarship Opportunity:

Help a youth from our parish travel to World

Youth Day this Summer. An opportunity has been

offered to a youth from our parish to attend this

amazing event with other Catholic youth/youth

adults around the world. In order to make this

happen, we are asking for your support. The

Charitable Exchange, the company offering this

opportunity, is offering to match any donations

dollar for dollar. Please be assured that 100% of

all contributions are being used for this oppor-

tunity. The TCE supports many charitable organ-

izations that you may be familiar with. Please go

to: http:\\www.charitableexchange.org and look

for Phila. Parishes and proceed to make your

contribution. Please help our parish participate

in this wonderful opportunity.

CCD NEWS;

On May 1st the children from the CCD/Prep Pro-

gram will have their May Procession and Gradu-

ation during the 11:30 a.m. Mass. We ask pa-

rishioners, who usually attend this Mass and

who do not have children in the CCD Program ,

to plan to attend another Mass, if at all possible.

There will be close to 200 children and their par-

ents in attendance at this Mass. Thank you for

your understanding and cooperation.

Holy Family Regional Catholic School

Did you know that Holy Family Regional Cath-

olic School offers a high quality education root-

ed in the Catholic faith to students in grades

Pre-3 through 8th?

Did you know that Holy Family has a technology

program where students in grades 1-4 are 1:1

with iPads and students in grades 5-8 are 1:1

with Chrome Books?

Did you know that students at Holy Family not

only receive instruction in Religion, Math, ELA,

Social Studies and Science but also receive

Spanish instruction once a week for students in

grades 1-4 and twice a week for students in

grades 5-8?

Did you know that students receive instruction

in Physical Education, Art, Music and Technolo-

gy weekly?

Did you know that Holy Family graduates have

been awarded over $200,000 in academic high

school scholarships since opening in 2012?

Did you know that Holy Family Regional Catholic

School is accepting registrations for the 2016-

17 school year now?

To schedule a visit to see for yourself call 610-

494-0147.

Visit our website at holyfamilyastion.org for

more information.

Page 5 - 105 St. Francis de Sales

SFDS Acme & Giant Gift Cards

The Gift Card Program will remain in place, as we transition to a new Catholic School Education model. Cards are available after the Vigil and Sun-day Masses and at the Rectory during the week. If no one is selling cards, please stop in the Sacristy and Mr. Bradley will help with your card re-quest. This program will continue to support the needs of our parish. Thank you for your support.

Ladies Club News

The ladies club next meeting will be held on , MONDAY May 2nd, 2016 at 7 pm.,

In the Father Walsh Center. All Ladies are Welcome to attend..

The Ladies are busy acquiring prizes for the An-nul June Tombola. If you are interested in donat-ing a prize, please call Tammy McDonald @ 610-818-8223 or drop it off at the rectory. We greatly

appreciate your support and generosity.

One Can One Meal

If you are able to donate any of the following

food items, please bring them to the FWC, to

which ever mass you attend, on the weekend of

April 16th & 17th, 2016. The items will be given

to the Mother Katherine Drexel Center in Ches-

ter.

Canned Stew Spaghetti Sauce Boxed Pasta

Large Cans of Soup Spam Boxes of Cereal

Cans of Tuna Fish Canned Chili

Thank You for your support of this request.

L a d i e s C l u b M e m o r i a l M a s s

The Ladies club would like to invite Parish-

ioners to share in their 34th annual Memorial

Mass to honor deceased ladies of our Parish.

The Mass will take place on Saturday, May

14th, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. and will be celebrated

by Father Okon. Coffee, tea and light refresh-

ments will be served in the Father Walsh Cen-

ter following the Mass. Please plan to join us

for this beautiful event to honor the ladies who

have given of their time and talents to serve

our Parish for many years.

First Communicants On May 7, 2016, our second grade parishioners will

receive their First Holy Communion. This weekend

we will have a name card for each of them in a basket

placed in front of the altar. Please consider taking

one of these names and praying for him/her. If you

would like to send the child a note or card, please

address the envelope to the child, c/o Sister Betty.

You can drop the card in the Collection Basket or at

the Rectory any time before May 7th. Thank you ~ It

is a blessing for the parents to know that you are

praying for their child and the children love to hear

from the parishioners.

Brothers of Borromeo Conference Saturday, June 4th

9:00AM – 2:30PM

$25 per person By May 20th. To Register, Call 610-667-5778

St. Charles Borromeo Seminary

Open to all 6th – 8th grade Boys. Cage Match / Dodge Ball

Bulldog Classic Golf Outing

The SFDS Home and School Association is

hosting it’s annual Bulldog Classic Golf Outing

on May 9, 2016 at Rock Manner Golf Course in

Wilmington, DE. Tickets are $120.00 each and

include a light lunch, golf, cart, and dinner.

Contact the H & S Association at home-

andschool@sfdschurch.org to register or for

more information.

“I can do all things through

Christ who strengthens Me”

Philippians 4:13

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Life Lines

Crisis Pregnancy Hotline 610.626.4006

Pro-Life Union of Delaware County

610.789.LIFE

www.prolifedelco.org

A Baby’s Breath

484.580.6436

24hr hotline

484.571.5540

www.ababysbreath.org

Mother’s Home

610.583.HOME

www.mothershome.org

Delaware County Pregnancy Center

www.dcpchester.org

Rachel’s Vineyard Ministries

1.877.HOPE4ME

(Post-abortion healing)

www.rachelsvineyard.org

Mother’s Day Cards

Cards will be available next weekend, April 23rd & 24th, 2016, at the doors of the Church for Mother’s Day, which is Sunday May 8th, 2016. The names on the envelopes will be

remembered at all Masses during the month of May. If you wish to remember your Mother, please take a card and fill out the information

on the outside of the envelope and put it in the collection or drop it off at the Rectory.

2016 Extraordinary Jubilee

Year of Mercy

Archdiocesan Pilgrimage

All are Welcome to participate

Holy Mary, Queen & Mother of Mercy

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate

Conception, Washington, DC

Program begins at noon and includes confessions, pro-

cession and crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the

holy Rosary, and concludes with a Solemn Mass at 3:00

PM. Archbishop Charles Chaput,O.F.M. celebrant and

homilist.

Contact the parish office for more information.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RESERVE NOW! St Francis de Sales , along with Our

Lady of Charity , has reserved a bus for

this Pilgrimage, which will depart from

Our Lady Of Charity Church at 8:30 a.m.

Since seating is limited, reservations will

be on a first come, first serve basis. The

cost of the trip and meal is $35.00 per

person. You will stop for the meal, when

you depart from the Basilica. Please con-

tact the Rectory , for more information or

to reserve your seat(s) via email: sfdsrec-

tory@aol.com or by calling

(610)459-2203.

Let’s fill the Basilica as the sons

and daughters of Mary!

Chosen Fathers: A Retreat for Fathers of Children with

Disabilities: Saturday, April 30, 2016 at St. Charles Seminary,

the Office for Life and Family and the Office for Per-sons with Disabilities will host a retreat for fathers and grandfathers of children with disabilities. The

retreat will be led by Doug Keck, a Chosen Fa-ther, who is the president of EWTN and an award

winning TV/Radio host. To register online go to www.opdarchphilly.org . For more information

call 215-587-3530 or email mcullinan@archphila.org .

MOTHERS’ HOME 2016 SPRING FUNDRAISERS

Mothers’ Home will hold our 5th annual Bowl-A-Thon on

Saturday, April 30, 2016 at Sproul Lanes, 745 S. Sproul

Road, Springfield. Lanes are open from 3:00PM-5:00PM

and 6:00PM-8:00PM. Cost is $150 per lane which includes

shoe rental; 2 hours of bowling; private lane; 2 pizzas and

soda. There will be arts and crafts for children during the

3 P M s e s s i o n .

A 50-50 will be held during both time slots. Sponsor

e v e n t o r r e s e r v e l a n e s a t

www.mothershome.myevent.com or send a check to

Mothers’ Home at 51 N. Mac Dade Blvd., Darby,

PA 19023. Attn: Bowl-A-Thon. Or Call 610-6220632.

Page 7 - 105 St. Francis de Sales

Parish Office Hours

The Parish Office is open for business Mon-

day through Friday 8:30AM to 4:30PM.

Weeknights and Saturdays are by appoint-

ment only. Please refer elsewhere in the

bulletin for holiday hours.

Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick

and Holy Communion

Please call the Parish Office at 610.459.2203 to

schedule an appointment for the Anointing of

the Sick. Every effort will be made to celebrate

the Sacrament of the Sick within 48 hours of it

being requested. Please call the Parish Office

to request a visit from an Extra Ordinary

Minister of Holy Communion to receive the Holy

Eucharist on Sunday mornings.

Funeral Arrangements

We are very sorry for the loss of your loved one.

To make funeral arrangements, please first

meet with your Funeral Director to discuss your

wishes and their availability. The Funeral

Director will contact our Parish Office to

coordinate the date and time of the funeral.

Once the funeral has been scheduled, Fr. Okon

will call you to schedule a time to meet and plan

the Liturgy.

Parish Registration Welcome to our family of St. Francis de Sales.

We are happy to welcome new members in to

our community. We invite you to be a vital part

of our family and hope you will support your

parish with your prayers, your presence and

your talents. Please contact the Parish Office at

610.459.2203 to make arrangements for

registration. If you move out of our parish, or

have changed your phone number, please

contact the Parish Office so we can update our

data base.

Sacrament of Baptism Congratulations on the birth of your child. The

Sacrament of Baptism is normally administered

after the 11:30 AM Mass on Sunday. Pre-Jordan

class for the parents is required prior to the

scheduling of the Baptism. Parents can attend

the class before the baby is born. Pre-Jordan

class is held on the second Tuesday of each

month at 7:00 PM. Please contact the Parish

Office at 610.459.2203 to register for the Pre-

Jordan class. To schedule a Baptism, please

have already obtained the certificates of

eligibility and then contact the Parish Office at

least two weeks in advance.

Certificates of Eligibility Congratulations on being asked to be a sponsor

at either a Baptism or a Confirmation. You have

been asked to be a witness to, and role model of,

your Catholic faith. A sponsor is a Roman

Catholic who has received the Sacraments of

Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation, is an

active registered member of his or her parish, at

least 16 years of age, and if married is in a

Sacramental Marriage. Please contact the

Parish Office at 610.459.2203 to request a

certificate.

Sacrament of Reconciliation The Sacrament of Reconciliation is celebrated

each Saturday afternoon from 4:30 to 5:00, or by

appointment.