FOOD COLLECTION
The Knights of Columbus will be collecting      non-perishable foods and personal care items    before each mass this weekend, April 27 & 28 for the Hershey Food Bank. Please remember we also accept monetary donations and all checks should be made to the Hershey Food Bank. Donations  received by check are tax deductible.
 
Food Collection dates for the rest of the year are on the following weekends: April 28, May 26, June 30, July 28, August 25, September 29, and October 27.
 

TRIP TO SHRINE OF ST. JOHN NEUMANN IN PHILADELPHIA
Sister Eileen is taking a group of students in grades 7 & 8 to the shrine of St. John Neumann in Philadelphia on Thursday, May 16 from 8:15 am - 4:30 pm. There are 10 seats available for parishioners. The cost is $23 (covers cost of the bus). St. John Neumann’s “favorite cure” is cancer. After a 12:15 pm Mass, a blessing is given to everyone with the relic of St. John Neumann. If you have or have had cancer, the priest will give you a special blessing. Contact Sister Eileen.
iSr. Eileen: sreileen@stjoanhershey.org
 
DINNER FOR DOLLARS
Primanti Bros. is hosting Dinner for Dollars (10%) every day, all day, now through May 31. Show your Primanti Bros. Hometown Edge team card (or a picture of it) when you dine. We are Team F.
 
Au Bon Lieu Bistro will host Dinner for Dollars (20%) on Mondays for the rest of the year!
 
Flyers are available at the back of the church and in the school office.

If you remember, last week for Easter the meteorologists were calling for rain all weekend long.  That which had hit the Midwest and the South was supposed to head our way and deluge us in heavy rains.  What happened was that we had some of the most beautiful Spring weather for the Holy Triduum that we have seen in years.  We were not expecting it but that is what we received!
 
The same is true with God’s mercy.  We do not expect it but the mercy of God is showered upon us in ways that fill us with joy and, hopefully, with gratitude! This Divine Mercy Sunday, we are reminded that we are loved with a kind of love that only God is capable of, and His mercy is offered to all who call upon His name!  All we have to do is ask for it.  Even the most         tentative knock on God’s door along with the words “I am sorry” and the door flies open and the mercy of God overwhelms us. What we celebrate this day (and everyday of our lives) is that “even when we were  sinners,” Jesus suffered and died for us and shares with us His great gift of mercy.
 
If you have known the mercy of God, share it with others.  Share it with those who have hurt you (even if they are long dead).  Share it with this broken world of ours.  Share it with those who do not expect it (and with those who probably don’t deserve it!). “What you have been given, so you should give.”  We have been blessed with mercy, the forgiveness of our sins.  May we share this mercy with others!
 

CCW ANNUAL CONVENTION
The Harrisburg Diocese CCW will hold the 94th Annual Convention on May 11 from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm at the Diocesan Center. Principal Celebrant and Homilist is Vicar General Very Reverend David Danneker. The keynote speaker is dynamic Catholic speaker Megan Murphy on the New Evangelization. Lunch is provided and there are afternoon break out sessions. The cost is $12.50 and reservations must be made by April 15.
iJulie Groh: sjaccwpres@gmail.com
 
CCW ANNUAL RETREAT
The Harrisburg Diocesan Council of Catholic Women will hold its 9th Annual Retreat on the beautiful campus of Mt. St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, MD from June 14-16. The retreat master for this year is Father Bill Garrott, O. P. and his topic is “The Widescreen Life.” Contact Barbara for a registration form.
iBarbara McCarthy: franbarbmc@aol.com
 

Thank you to all whom have pledged to this year’s campaign. If you have not yet made a contribution, we invite you to do so today. In order to reach our parish goal, we need the full support of our parishioners. Funding from this initiative supports important Diocesan ministries and services. Every dollar raised over our goal will be kept in our parish. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

• Parish Goal: $255,900
• Total Pledges: $198,365
• Pledges Needed: $57,535 

​Today we begin Holy Week. It is called “holy”       because Christians throughout the world remember and celebrate the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and it is in these life-changing events that we enter into a life of holiness. I encourage all of you to participate in the liturgies of Holy Week: Palm      Sunday, Tenebrae, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, the Good Friday liturgies, the Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday Masses. By entering into the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus (the Paschal Mysteries), we encounter sacramentally the Lord who loved us so much that he died for our sins and rose from the dead to open the gates of heaven to those who believe in him. This is my favorite time of the liturgical year (even a little more than Christmas)    because there is such richness and intensity during this holiest week of the year. Join us this week as we    celebrate the mystery of our Faith!