Welcome to Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church invites you to visit our church at the corner of 3rd and Dorcas Streets in Lewistown, PA. Come in and attend Mass (see schedule), or view our Upcoming Events schedule and Parish Organizations for other ways to become involved.
Message from the Pastor
FALL INTO PLACE
They’re ba-a-a-ck. The kids, that is. Sacred Heart School is back in session as of Wednesday, August 31 with CCD (Sunday religious instruction) to follow Sunday, Sept. 18. I look forward to Shade and Jack’s Mountains being ablaze with fall colors. The school front porch and upper floor windows provide a great view of that panorama.
Our school enrollment is the best in recent memory with 88 children, K-5 grade. We are still basking in the joy of our state accreditation, obtained about a year ago, complimented now by “smart boards” and other up to date classroom technology.
My big bit for the school has been cooking those meals for our More Than An Auction fundraiser, which included auctioning off five dinners cooked by the pastor, for $1,300 each. I’ve cooked two over the summer, for eight people each, with three more to go. My last dinner was a first time effort with chicken marsala, and it got rave reviews, much to my joy and relief.
Another school activity I try to take on is manning our school information booth at the Juniata County Fair, Sept. 3-10. Evenings are the most active time and I like handing out our literature to young parents passing by with toddlers and babies in strollers. Those are prime prospects as future school families.
Fr. Fidelis is now in Nigeria and we just got an e-mail from him and he reports that everything is fine. This is his first visit home in four years. Although his father and mother have passed on, I am sure he is enjoying contact with other family and friends. We hope to see him come October.
So far we have three candidates and one catechumen (unbaptized) for RCIA, our instruction program for becoming Catholic, which meets 7 p.m. every Thursday in the parish office starting Sept.8 and goes until May. Any non-Catholics interested in exploring the Catholic Church should contact me for more information and for an initial interview.
Bible study begins 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6 and continues every Tuesday night in the parish office basement. We are doing the Great Bible Adventure series, with Bible teacher Jeff Cavins lecturing on DVD, and he is excellent. The Gospel of Matthew is the subject matter this time. Call the parish office, 242-2781, for registration, which costs $20.00.
Don’t forget our annual Eucharistic Devotions (Forty Hours), Sunday, Oct. 16 to Tuesday, Oct. 18, with my friend Deacon Gregory Amarante as guest preacher. As always, we have all-day adoration with a 7 p.m. service each night.
And so fall has finally fallen upon us and we rejoice in what God is doing here at Sacred Heart. We thank all parishioners involved in making this the great faith community that it is. Together, in God’s grace, let us keep up the good work.
Fr. Bill