 Living Our Faith Social Justice Ministry announces two trips to God’s Vineyard. Our first trip, on May 25th, will take us to the Interfaith Shelter for Homeless Families and Lourdeshouse
Maternity Home. We will tour the facilities and chat with some of the residents for a first-hand account of what these homes mean to them. We will carpool from St. Joan of Arc at 10:00 am. After the visit we will have time to share our experiences and enjoy light refreshments from the vineyards at St. Lucy’s Center at St. Joan of Arc. On June 28th, our second trip will take us to the Joshua House in the Allison Hill area of Harrisburg. This oasis for young children and teens provides hope and support for at-risk city youth through educational and vocational opportunities year round. Joshua House grads (now college students) are hired to run the Summer Learning Program that once gave them hope and support. Talk to these great role models and be inspired. We will also visit the Joshua Community Garden. This trip will leave St. Joan of Arc at 9:00 am. We will again share experiences after the trip and enjoy light refreshments from the vineyards. Please contact Anne Searer at asearer@comcast.net or 533-9636 by May 12th for more information and/or to reserve your spot for either or both trips.
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 Thank you for your support of our Parish team’s trip to Father Beiting Appalachian Mission Center the week of April 10th. Seven of us made this trip which included our Pastor, Fr. Al. We spent all four days working on a home for a family near Inez, Ky. We began our work by reinforcing and leveling floors. We added a drainage pipe in front of the home to retard the flow of water under
the house. We replaced three windows and reinforced the walls. We also replaced flooring where necessary, and replaced the kitchen counter and cabinets. Thanks to the generous response of our Parish, we were able to buy the three windows and build a 4 by 8 foot deck and stairs at their kitchen door. We were also able to repair or replace some of the electrical wiring. In addition, your financial support helped cover the cost of transportation and a few meals, which was very much appreciated. Our thanks must also include the staff at Father Beiting Appalachian Mission Center. They prioritize requests for help, assign the work to be done for each family and provide direction to the volunteers. The Mission Center also provides us with a place to stay while working on the homes of the poor in Eastern Kentucky. Thank you again for your generosity and support. May God Bless you! From the Diocese: Statement on the Health of Bishop Gainer Bishop Ronald Gainer was recently admitted to the hospital on Friday, April 22. He was not feeling well and doctors suggested routine tests and rest. It is expected that Bishop will be discharged from the hospital in the near future. We ask that you keep the Bishop in your prayers as he continues to recuperate. Wishes for Bishop's health can be made via comment on Facebook at Diocese of Harrisburg or sent to him at 4800 Union Deposit Road, Harrisburg, PA 17111-3710. Bishop Gainer was appointed the eleventh Bishop of Harrisburg by his Holiness Pope Francis on January 24, 2014. He was installed as Bishop of Harrisburg on March 19, 2014.   National Volunteer Appreciation week was April 10th through 16th. We celebrated by mailing cards to our treasured volunteers and inviting them to attend one of two Masses where the intention being offered was for the generous volunteers of our parish community.
You may be curious as to why volunteers are so important to us. Without the generosity of the dedicated parishioners who volunteer and give the gift of their time on a regular basis, our parish would not be able to offer all that it does. The Priests and parish staff are humbled and appreciative to witness those who selflessly continue to give their time and talents to our church. A gift of time truly allows us to extend our resources to their absolute fullest potential. At the end of our lives, the talk will likely be about the depth and expression of our generosity. How did we live and give for God and for others? In this way, what we keep forever is only what we give during our lifetime - and the spirit with which we give it. This certainly doesn’t pertain only to monetary giving. Stewards see that all they have in life is a gift, including their time & talents. They are freed to give with joy and find God’s peace and purpose in their generosity. Real generosity requires real sacrifice in proportion to our blessings. If you are not already offering your time to the parish in some capacity, we ask you to prayerfully consider getting involved in a parish ministry or offering your services in another way that could benefit our parish community. Everyone has something to offer, no matter how small you may feel it is. If you are struggling to determine what your gifts are, we would be happy to discuss with you what opportunities may fit you. We challenge you to ask yourself how you can become a more generous person in the ways that will matter most in this world and for all of eternity.  Congratulations to our pastor, Fr. Al, who will observe his 25th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood. Fr. Al will celebrate the noon Mass on May 15th (Pentecost) and following the service, our parish will honor him with a reception in the cafeteria. Please plan to join us for a light lunch.
 Preparations have officially began for this year's 42nd SJA Festival!!!! If you haven't already, mark your calendars for June 16th, 17th & 18th!!!
You can follow the Festival's Facebook page or visit the festival website for updates and details.  Troop 108 Boy Scouts will be selling Apple dumplings outside St. Joan of Arc Church Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1 after every mass.
 The May Procession which is scheduled for Sunday, May 1 at 1:30, will begin in the Church with prayers. We will then process around the block praying the Rosary and ending at the Grotto. All are invited to participate.
The First Holy Communicants are encouraged to participate in the Procession. Please wear your First Holy Communion outfit and meet in the school at 1:00.  Due to First Holy Communion this Saturday, there will be NO 9AM Mass on April 30. Congratulations and may God bless our second graders who will receive Jesus’ Body & Blood for the first time.
 Just a few words on some of the projects we started here in the parish. The renovations in the house we bought behind the convent for the sisters is almost completely finished. It looks great! A special thanks to Matt, our maintenance man, who did a large part of the renovation; the Knights of Columbus who helped do some work in the house; and all those on our clean-up day who helped to move furnishings into the convent. This past week Mother Beatrix, the Superior General of the Daughters of Our Lady of Mercy, was making a visit from Italy and toured the house with other Sisters from the motherhouse in New Jersey. They were very appreciative of the work we have done and are happy that our Sisters here in Hershey have this new, lovely home! (And our own Sisters Eileen, Joanne, and Salvatoris are very grateful too!)
After the Sisters move in completely, we will be looking at the present convent and what needs to be done to renovate it into parish meeting space and offices. All good things! I will keep you up-to-date on all that is happening. And if you have any questions and/or suggestions, I am all ears! Father Al |
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