Valley Catholic Community

– serving the Butler and Conyngham valleys of Northeast Pennsylvania

Contents

• Home
• Contact Us
• Good Shepherd Golf Classic
• History of Good Shepherd Church
• History of St. John Bosco Church
• Parish Offices
• Mass Schedules
• Mass Intentions
• Worship
• Witness
• Stewardship
• Word
• Community and Service
• Wedding Policies
• Faith Formation
• Contact Faith Formation
• Youth Ministry
• Emergency Contact Information
• Downloads

Community and Service

Monthly Breakfast

Monthly Breakfast is held the 1st Sunday of every month in the Good Shepherd Parish Hall (basement). Adult meals are $6 and children's are $3. The menu includes eggs (any style), ham, bacon, sausage, home fries, toast, pancakes, coffee and orange juice. Serving time is from 8:00 AM until noon. Come break bread with your extended parish family!

Bingo

BINGO is held every Tuesday evening in the Good Shepherd Parish Hall. Doors open at 5:00 PM, and games start at 6:00 PM.

Valley Food Pantry

Valley Food Pantry — Remember in your charity those in need. Deposit your gifts of food or paper products in the boxes at the rear of the Church. Watch the bulletin for special requests. Be sure to check food products for expiration dates before donation. Thank you!

Soup Kitchen

Soup Kitchen — Join other parishioners the 3rd Wednesday of each month serving at the Salvation Army in Hazleton. Contact Judy Boesch at 788-2970 for more information and to volunteer.

Youth Ministry & Leadership Teams

Youth Ministry & Leadership Teams — High School Kids…want to be accepted and have a feeling of belonging??? Want to be Full members of the Parish Community?

Join one of our Leadership teams: Junior High LT, Outreach LT, Youth Task Force, Motivational Speaker.

There are many Leaders, some quiet and some not so quiet, we plan on bringing everyone’s gifts together to plan and organize events for, by, and with our High School students!

The Leadership Teams are comprised of a core group of High School students that will plan and organize various events and activities for the Youth of the Parish and community.

These activities and events will come from the students with the support of adults.

If you are interested in serving on a Leadership Team or have any questions, please contact Brian Williams, our Director of Youth Ministry, by phone at 570-788-1997, ext. 105 or by submitting a form that you can access by clicking here or clicking on the Contact Us link in the sidebar at the left side of this page. To learn more about us and events and activities that are being planned click on the Youth Ministry link in the sidebar on the left side of this page or simply click here.

Announcements & Events

Community

Bingo at Good Shepherd Church Hall…

every Tuesday evening. Doors open at 5:00 PM, games start at 6:00 PM. Food and refreshments are available. Free cake and coffee in a SMOKE-FREE environment. It's all paper, so bring your dabbers. Come relax and enjoy yourself while supporting your church. Hope to see you there! New Program! Regular games pay $100.

Thank You! Once again we offer a special “Thank You” to our breakfast crew for another successful parish breakfast. Also, we would like to thank our parishioners and friends who supported this special endeavor of our parish. See you next month!

Lenten Fish and Chips Dinner: Good Shepherd will have another Lenten Fish dinner on Friday March 26th in the parish hall. The menu will include 2 pieces of fresh fish, french fries, cole slaw, dessert, and drink. Tickets will once again be $8 for adults and $5 for children.

World Day of Prayer at Providence Place was enormously successful. As usual the women of Good Shepherd responded willingly with “hearts and hands and voices.” There are so many who deserve to be thanked. To those who attended, baked cookies, served, read from scripture, or were a part of the Music Ministry: THANKS & KUDOS for an outstanding fete! Thank you for bringing smiles to our friends at Providence Place. May God continue to bless you on your Lenten Journey. ~ Andrea

Young at Heart Annual St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon – Wednesday, March 17th, 12 Noon at Valley Country Club. Traditional Corned Beef & Cabbage is the fare – $16pp all inclusive. For more info and to register please call Ann Corazza 788-4676.

Spring Fling Flea Market – April 24th: March is a perfect month for the ladies to clean out their jewelry boxes and for the guys to clean out their toolboxes and workshops. Please pack all unwanted items and donate them to our Church’s Spring Fling Flea Market. Drop off begins Sunday, April 18th after 2:00 PM and ends Friday, April 23rd at noon. YOUR TRASH IS SOMEONE ELSE’S TREASURE. Questions call Maureen 788-5296. TRICKY TRAYS: We are also in need of tricky tray donations. Please call Florie Lesko 788-3234, Alice Powell 788-3847, or the parish office. Items do not have to be wrapped up, we will do that for you. Thanks again.

Supporters of Boy Scout Troop 63 of St. Johns will be holding their 8th Annual Basket Bingo on April 11 at the Faith UCC Church. Prizes include Longaberger Baskets and some Vera Bradley Accessories; total value of the items is over $4000 - our buyers are excellent! Tickets are $20 each and no more than 200 will be sold. Contact Eric Jespersen at 788-4560 if you are interested.

Self Defense Workshop: At absolutely no charge to you, Tri-County Martial Arts will conduct an “Escape to Safety” workshop for the parishioners of St. John Bosco Church. This seminar will teach the simplest but highly effective self defense techniques to protect you and loved ones. This hands-on workshop is open to all ages and genders and all families are urged to attend. For more information contact TCMA at 708-7342 or contact Brain by calling 788-1997, ext. 205 or by submitting a form that you can access by clicking here or clicking on the Contact Us link in the sidebar at the left side of this page.

The Honey Hole Longbeards Chapter of the NWTF will hold it's Annual Hunting Heritage Banquet on Saturday, March 27, 2010 at Lobitz Safari Room, Hazleton, PA. Doors open at 5:00 PM, with Dinner at 6:30 PM. Food, refreshments, raffles, auctions and much more. For more information contact Mark Ferdinand at 788-6362.

Hospital Patients: Families with members in the hospitals are asked to notify the Parish office to ensure a visit from either Fr. Jack or Fr. McHugh.

Need Extra Money? The US Census will hire hundreds of employees in your area. Most jobs are where you live and pay $11 to $14 an hour plus mileage. Great for extra money. Hours are flexible and full-time or part-time. Please call our Scranton office directly at 570-903-6000 or 1-866-861-2010 to schedule yourself for a simple test of basic skills. Consult the website at 2010.census.gov for complete information and a practice test.

Sisters Study/Discussion Group meets on Tuesdays 10:00 AM at Conyngham Methodist Church, Main St. All denominations welcome. Questions?? Call Arlene 788-3643.

RSVP is actively looking for volunteers age 55 and older. You have a lifetime of experience – unique insights, wisdom, and talents to share. Whether you prefer to give just a little time or want to become deeply involved in a project, RSVP has volunteer opportunities available now. Call today, 570-822-1159, extension 3352.

Watch It On the Web: The Diocese of Scranton’s website has added video of certain programs broadcast by CTV: Catholic Television. The programs include the Daily Mass from St. Peter’s Cathedral, the monthly news program “Our Faith, Our Diocese” and other special programs aired on CTV. People in areas of the Diocese where CTV is not carried by their cable company or on a local television station can now watch these programs. Those who do receive CTV have the option of watching the programs at any time on the website. Viewing the videos requires a computer with a high-speed Internet connection (DSL or cable). A dial-up phone modem may not be sufficient to access the video transmission. To watch the videos, go to www.dioceseofscranton.org. Then see the “Watch Video” link on the homepage.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation®

For a sick child, sometimes the slightest diversion can go a very long way. The Make-A-Wish Foundation® has been in the business of amazing distractions — fulfilling wonderful, thrilling wishes — for 25 years. It is our hope that every child who qualifies for a wish has the opportunity to be a part of this kind of adventure.

Our biggest challenge is finding children who are eligible for a wish. Any child between the ages of 2 ½ to under 18, who has a life-threatening medical condition, may be referred to our organization. Life-threatening conditions that typically qualify include, but are not limited to — types of cancer, cardiomyopathy, cystic fibrosis, Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy, and transplants. Children with more chronic or life-altering conditions such as autism, cerebral palsy, diabetes, mental retardation or a psychological disorder typically WILL NOT qualify unless the condition is coupled with a life-threatening complication.

Referring a child takes only minutes, but the memories of a wish last a lifetime. If you know of a child who may qualify, please: Call us at (800) 676-WISH, email us at email@wishworld.org, or visit us online at www.wishgreaterpa.org and click on “Refer a Child.”

Pennsylvania Marriage Protection Amendment

The Pennsylvania Legislature is considering an amendment to the state constitution to protect marriage. The amendment will define marriage as the union between one man and one woman, and will prevent civil unions, which are in effect the same as marriage. Your state representative and state senator need to hear from you that marriage matters. Log on to www.pacatholic.org to send a message telling your legislators to support the marriage amendment, and check out www.youranswermatters.org for more ideas about how you can get involved in the effort to protect and preserve marriage.

Service

Natural Family Planning

Natural Family Planning is a way of life, a way of love. To hear about the benefits of Natural Family Planning, call diocesan-approved instructors Eric & Bernadette Jespersen at 788-4560.

To learn more about Natural Family Planning, visit the Diocesan web site:
Natural Family Planning HomePage.

Valley Food Pantry Needs for Easter

From Good Shepherd: 60 cans of gravy, and from St. John Bosco: Coffee. Both are needed by March 21st. Also small amounts of Easter Candy are needed.

Meals on Wheels drivers are needed for February and March to deliver meals in the Valley. If you are interested in this very rewarding volunteer work, call Phyllis Liotta at 788-2346.

Maylath Valley Health Systems is looking for Volunteers to join our Hospice team. A volunteer is a companion to be a listener, provide encouragement and reassurance, or simply hold a hand. Consider giving the gift of time to the terminally ill and their families in need of friendly support. Call Tina Potestio RN, Director of Hospice at (570) 708-2929 to learn more about becoming part of our team.

American Legion Post #795: Recently discharged from Active Duty in the Military?  Get involved in helping the community and veterans by joining Post 795 of the American Legion. Call 788-5335 for details.

Hazleton Area Fibromyalgia Support Group meets the first Wednesday of every month from 6-8:00 PM @ Faith United Church of Christ, Faith Dr, just off the airport beltway, behind Independence Toyota. These meetings are for those afflicted as well as their families. For more info please contact Jane Bartol 459-1587 or Alice Powell 788-3847.

The Office for Parish Life/Resource Center, 400 Wyoming Avenue, Scranton has a variety of resources and media for your spiritual development and catechetical needs. Topics such as Sacraments, Saints, Social Justice, Respect Life, Morality, Liturgy, Prayer, Respect Life, and Family Life, are found in a variety of media are directed to all age levels. The center is available to, parishioners from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM., M – F, 207-2284, fax 207-2204, online at www.dioceseofscranton.org.

Diakon, a private, non-profit organization dedicated to helping our neighbors through acts of service, is in need of our help. Through its Volunteer Home Care program, Diakon is looking to increase its presence in our Valley by identifying those in need of its services, and those that may volunteer in providing the services. It would include things like: providing short-term assistance with household chores; transportation to medical appointments; or simply companionship of a caring person. If you know of anyone in need of services, or if you would like to volunteer, you may contact Diakon VHC at 1-888-660-2566 or e-mail erthrash@ptd.net for a response. Informational pamphlets are also available at St. John Bosco on the table in the back of the church. Pre-registration is required. Call 1-800-324-1851.

© 2010, Good Shepherd Church and St. John Bosco Church. All rights reserved.