Sacred Heart School

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Sacred Heart of Jesus

Roman Catholic Church

3rd & North Dorcas Streets

Lewistown, PA

Office and Mailing Address:

Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus, while before your face I humbly kneel, and with burning soul pray and beseech you to fix deep in my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope and charity, true contrition for my sins, and a firm purpose of amendment, while I contemplate with great love and tender pity your five wounds, pondering over them within me, calling to mind the words which David, your prophet, said of you, my good Jesus: "They have pierced my hands and my feet; they have numbered all my bones"

Sacred Heart Parish - Mission Statement
We are the Catholic community in Mifflin County, a reflection of God's love for the world. We support each other by reaching out to those in need, fostering the beliefs and Tradition of the Universal Church, and educating our youth in knowledge and faith. We live our faith through Word and Sacrament, prayer and action, commitment of time and talent, tithing, and using our resources to honor Christ and respect all human life. By doing so, we strive to bring all people into Jesus' Sacred Heart, uniting us by living the life He exemplified.
- adopted by Parish Council, December 27, 2004

FALL HAS FALLEN
The reds and yellows are respendent along the Juniata River, in Big Valley, and throughout the Mifflin County countryside that I love so much. Jack's Mountain and Shade Mountain are splashed with color. From my rectory second floor windows I can also see the rolling pastures along Back Maitlin Road, above the Geisinger Clinic, and those grasslands and fields have been painted with the autumn brush as well.
While we enjoy the scenery, we also get into the busy time of year at the parish. Sacred Heart School is back in session, of course, and the children rally in the cafeteria every weekday morning for prayer and announcements before reporting to class. The faculty meets together for a short prayer service every Wednesday morning before their teaching duties begin.
In August and September, I cooked my two dinners to fulfill my pledges for the big More Than An Auction fundraising event last March. Remember, one of the items auctioned off was the privilege of sitting down to dinner cooked by the pastor. Toward the end, two couples carried out a bidding war against one another for the honor, which was nice, since it jacked the price up to over $1,000. After all, the money goes to a good cause: our parish school.
The auctioneer kept jacking up the number of people around the table, from 7 all the way up to 10, in order to keep the bid war going. I groaned inside. I had never in my life dinner cooked for 10 people. Neither am I a gourmet cook, like the former pastor, Fr. Bateman, who started this tradition. I'm a fry-a-steak, shove a chicken breast in the oven kind of guy.
After the 2nd family dropped out of the bidding and the winners emerged victorious, a parishioner approached me with a novel idea: Approach the runners-up and offer to cook for their group as well, if they would agree to pay the school the amount they bid (also above $1,000). They agreed and now I had two dinners to cook, 10 people each. Joy, joy.
Long story short: They both went great. For the first one, in August, I cooked prime rib of beef. I even made my own gravy from scratch. For the second one, in September, I could say that my goose was cooked. Literally. In honor of upcoming Goose Day (Sept. 29th), I cooked a roast goose and two chickens. I made my own stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy. And for dessert I baked my first cake, ever - from a mix. But I made the vanilla butter cream icing from scratch.
Both dinners were a blast. There was a lot of food and a lot of laughter around the table. I was a bit stretched but each time, I had ladies in the kitchen, helping me to serve and get things onto the table. I couldn't have done it without them. But, believe me, I did the heavy lifting in the cooking department.
On Goose Day itself, I gave a short talk to a local Chamber of Commerce luncheon group about St. Michael the Archangel, whose feast day is Sept. 29th. Rental and credit accounts were often settled on the archangel's day in merry olde England. Since geese are in their prime in late September (so says a brochure on the subject ), it was customary to serve goose Sept. 29th for good luck and protection. I informed the group of St. Michael's battle with the devil-dragon, as recorded in in Rev. 12, making him the patron of police, military and other protectors. And, yes, we also had roast goose at the luncheon.
Other than that, it's been business as usual at the parish. Our Scripture study has started on Tuesday nights 7 p.m. in the rectory office. Show up any time if you want a great introduction to the history of the Bible. Our 7 p.m. Thursday classes for those coming into the Faith are also well underway. Along with the fall leaves, we display our own colors here at Sacred Heart, with our varied personalities and talents. Come to church, join a committee or group, get involved and enjoy the autumn show of colors.

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Last updated on Sunday, October 3, 2010 4:22 PM