St. Brendan Division #1 - AOH, Berks County, PA

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1 St. Brendan Division #1 - AOH, Berks County, PA Serving the Irish- American Community for 97 yrs. INCORPORATED NOVEMBER 7, RE-ORGANIZED FEBRUARY 16, 1979 Visit our Website Volume XXVI/Tóirt a Fiche a Sé - Issue #3/Eagrán a Trí Eanáir/Feabhra/Márta January/February/March 2016 OFFICERS CHAPLAIN Rev. Eugene Ritz PRESIDENT Kerry Williard VICE PRESIDENT Leonard J. Weckel RECORDING SECRETARY Open FINANCIAL SECRETARY Joseph G. McCarthy TREASURER John J. Dore, JR STANDING COMMITTEE Robert J. McHale MARSHALL Robert J. Devlin SENTINEL Timothy Brennan ORGANIZER John C. Mackey TRUSTEES James D. Caherly John J. McHale Joseph P. George PAST PRESIDENT Leonard J. Weckel NEWSLETTER EDITOR Joseph G. McCarthy PRESIDENT S MESSAGE It s a New Year, and I am excited about taking over the reins of President from Len Weckel. Many thanks to Len and Bryn for their efforts over the years to manage and support the goals and activities of our division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. I look forward to working with the newly elected officers to make this coming year very exciting and prosperous for our Division. I hope everyone had a Blessed Christmas and enjoyable holiday season. I wish all of you and your family a Happy and Prosperous New Year! This year should prove to be challenging and eventful. Our Division will be focused on two major goals: 1) New membership growth and 2) acquisition of financial resources to support our charitable programs. Our division has experienced minimal to zero member recruitment over the last three years. New members are vital to carry on with the traditional activities of the Division and to conduct the business of our organization. Also, with increased and active participative membership, many new and creative activities could be accomplished to enhance our name recognition in the community and share the traditions of the Irish culture. Secondly, in order to continue our current charitable programs, and support social activities for our membership, we need to find other avenues to raise monies to fund these activities. Also, we need the buy-in and participation by the current membership to make these efforts successful! Our first planned fundraising event will be a burger burn fundraiser to be staged at Sam s Club in March. The planning, organization, and success of this fundraiser must have total commitment and volunteerism from our membership. We will begin to start planning for the fundraiser after our first meeting in January. Also, in the month of January, we will running the monthly calendar lottery fundraiser. Hopefully, you purchased your calendars during December 2015 for this worthy cause. In March we will be participating in a St. Patrick Day parade. The Girardville parade has been a popular choice over the years. This is an annual event enjoyed by those who participate, and offers a time for those participants to meet members of other Divisions, and share our Irish culture. Also, in October, a long term goal will be to participate in the Long Beach parade. This bus trip has been enjoyed by membership over the years and a great event to participate.

2 Our annual charity activities such as the food baskets for the needy, soup kitchen at the Kennedy House, and educational scholarship award will be continued this year. Again member participation, and financial resources will be integral for success of these activities and charitable causes. Another event this summer in July, which should be viewed as a great opportunity for membership recruitment is the Irish Oyster Fest. It is anticipated that this will allow us to set up and maintain a table for recruitment purposes, and to discuss with potential members the benefits of becoming a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. In closing, I want to thank all members of our Division for having the confidence in me to be your President. Also, I look forward to working with the membership to make this a very successful and enjoyable year for our Division. Yours in Friendship, Unity, and Christian Charity Kerry Williard, President MEMBERSHIP All members are reminded that membership fees for 2016 are now being accepted. Dues remain at $25.00 per year. You can forward dues to: St. Brendan's Division #1 P.O. Box Reading, Pa Please make all checks payable to Berks Div. 1, AOH. For information on dues payments call Joe McCarthy at All inquiries will be held in strictest confidence. We ask all members to keep us informed of any changes in mailing addresses or phone numbers. We continue to get returns from the post office as undeliverable as addressed, and it cost extra money to r . We also ask out members to recruit new members, which is the life-blood of our division. If you need assistance contact our organizer John Mackey or any officer. Applications are available on our website SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS St. Brendan's Division #1, Berks County advises ALL members that applications are now being accepted for our annual Daniel J. Flannery Scholarship Award for Applications can be requested in writing from our division President. Please mail all requests to: Ancient Order of Hibernians P. O. Box Reading, Pa The Scholarship Award is open to all children and/or grandchildren of members in good standing that will begin their freshman year in September To be eligible, candidates must be enrolled, or are planning to enroll, in a college or university whose curriculum is not in conflict with 2 the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and the A.O.H. in America. All applications must be received at the above address by Saturday March 17, 2015, and must include a brief essay on "What it means to be an Irish Catholic in today's society." REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS Prayers are requested for following person who have requested to be listed in our prayer list. Included in the list are members, family of members and members of the LAOH. They are: Deacon John Murphy, William Beam, Henry and Eleanor Trexler, Lee and Patricia Garrigan, Patricia Dore, Monica Dore, John and Mary Walsh, Leontine Groff, Hope McHale, Mary Collins, Julie Miller, John & Marilyn Mackey, Special prayers are asked for the following deceased members and their families: Tess O Connell, Elizabeth Mullen Creed, Mildred Nee, Martin McHale, Barbara Dore, Jean Morrison, and all the deceased members of the AOH- LAOH of Berks County. COMING EVENTS 01/08/16 General Membership Meeting 7:30pm Reading Elks Lodge Installation of Officers /25/16 March for Life, Washington D.C. 01/31/16 LAOH St. Brigid s Mass Alvernia College 9am 02/01/16 St. Brigid s Feast Day 02/10/16 Ash Wednesday Lent Begins 02/12/16 General Membership Meeting 7:30pm Reading Elks Lodge 02/16/16 37 th Anniversary Celebration St. Brendan s Div. #1-03/11/16 General Membership Meeting 7:30pm Reading Elks Lodge 03/17/16 HAPPY ST. PATRICK S DAY! 03/20/16 Palm Sunday 03/25/16 Good Friday 03/27/16 Easter Sunday 04/08/16 General Membership Meeting Reading Elks Lodge 7:30pm 04/23/16!00 th Anniversary Easter Rebellion 05/13/16 General Membership Meeting Reading Elks Lodge- 7:30pm 05/28/16 Ascension Thursday 05/08/16 Mother s Day 05/30/16 Memorial Day IRISH HISTORY ANNIVERSARY OF 1916 RISING As you may know, the National Ancient Order of Hibernians in America will celebrate the Centenary of the Easter Rising in New York City on April 23, 2016, with a Mass at

3 St. Patrick s Cathedral. A piped procession will follow from the cathedral to the plaza on Park Avenue where the office of the Consul General is located. There will be a reading of the Proclamation and speeches to commemorate the 100 year Anniversary. Please don t forget that those not in New York should plan to do some type of remembrance on Saturday April 23rd in their particular cities and states with a reading of the Proclamation preferably after a Mass or some type of appropriate celebration. Also we will be sending you a copy of the schedule of events that the Dublin Government has disseminated for their Centenary activities in Dublin for the months of March and April. In keeping with National Directions, St. Brendan s Division #1 is in the process of preparing and planning to commemorate the Easter Rebellion with our fellow Hibernians in Allentown. The planned activities are as follows: Sunday April 24, 2016 The Commemoration will begin with a Mass at Immaculate Conception Church in Allentown at 9am. The AOH and LAOH will be led into Mass by a Piper. After Mass there will be a buffet breakfast at the Columbian Home in Allentown, the home of the K of C & AOH in Allentown. Following breakfast, there will be a short reading of the history surrounding Easter Monday April 24, Shortly thereafter, there will be a program outside featuring, the Pledge of Allegiance, A Reading of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic as read by Padraig Pearse on the steps of the Post Office in Dublin, raising of the Irish Flag, singing of the Soldier Song, etc. Upon re-entering the Hall, a brief program will ensue featuring actors playing the part of the signers of the Proclamation, a brief history of each signer s part in the rebellion and the day he died. A song book of Irish Rebel songs will be available and will include singing the Irish National Anthem and A Nation once Again. The Irish Lads will perform at the party planned to close the day s proceedings. EASTER REBELLION From The Road to Rebellion by Mike McCormack Many pacifists still put their hopes in Home Rule and John Redmond s Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) as an answer to Irish rights though they would still remain under the Crown. In June 1914, Redmond got control of the Volunteers by adding 25 new members to the governing 3 body. Meanwhile, as Ulster and Irish Volunteer forces grew, PM Asquith tried to compromise between John Redmond and Edward Carson over Home Rule, offering partition as a solution. Nationalists were outraged that the Bill they had fought for would not be implemented as passed. In August, Britain declared war on Germany and Asquith took advantage of the situation to stall the implementation of Home Rule until after the war. As the war dragged on, Asquith asked Redmond to offer the Irish Volunteers as recruits in a new British Army 16th Division. Believing it would support Home Rule, on 20 September Redmond publicly urged all Volunteers to enlist in the British Army; his action split the Volunteers. 150,000 Volunteers went with him into a new National Volunteer Force leaving about 12,000 men with the original Irish Volunteers men who would rather fight against the Brits than for them! Redmond s force eventually dwindled away as many joined the British Army and marched off to war and off the pages of Irish history. Britain s notoriously anti-irish Secretary of War, Lord Kitchner, used the 16th Division as cannon fodder at the Somme, Passchendaele and Ypres where they suffered more casualties than any other British Force. In fairness, those who joined believed that they were doing so for a better Ireland, but they were almost totally wiped out by Kitchner s deliberately callous assignments. In England it became obvious that the war would not be as brief as anticipated and Conservatives in Parliament attacked Asquith s policies. In May 1915, he was forced into a coalition government with anti-home Rule Conservatives. Tom Clarke stepped up plans for a rising appointing a Military Council consisting of MacDiarmada, Pearse, McDonagh, Ceannt and Plunkett. In June, Fenian Jeremiah O Donovan Rossa died in New York and Clarke cabled, Send his body home at once! A massive funeral, attended by thousands, heard Pearse s prophesy in one of the most famous eulogies in history, The fools, the fools, the fools; they have left us our Fenian dead and while Ireland holds these graves, Ireland unfree shall never be at peace! At the same time, James Connolly was becoming more belligerent, training his Citizen Army for street fighting. Clarke felt that something had to be done to avoid a premature strike by the Citizen Army which would upset IRB plans. On January 19, the IRB brought Connolly into a meeting that lasted 3 days. The Countess, thinking that the British had kidnaped him, almost started a rising without him. The IRB briefed Connolly on their plans for a rising and he was given a seat on the Military Council. He gladly promised the support of the Citizen Army whose training he accelerated upon his return. With the delay of Home Rule, possible partition, the Curragh Mutiny and the blatant bigotry against the 16th Division, it seemed as if Irish self-rule hopes had once

4 more been shattered. Anger seethed among the militants who knew what had to be done! On April 8, mobilization orders were published for an Easter Sunday Field Day, complete with practice maneuvers, to be attended by all members of the Irish Volunteers in full uniform with arms and a full supply of ammunition carried. On the Monday before Easter, the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, authored by Pearse and Connolly, was signed by six of the leaders (Plunkett signed later). On April 12, a report reached Chief Secretary Birell urging action. Birell wrote on it, is it practical to undertake disarmament and if so, under what limits? Eugene Smyth smuggled a document out of Dublin Castle marked SECRET ORDERS calling for the arrests of Irish Volunteer, Gaelic League and Sinn Fein leaders upon Birell s order. Plunkett sexed it up to make the action appear imminent and on Wednesday of Holy Week (April 19), Alderman Thomas Kelly read it to the Dublin Corporation. The Castle denied the document, but the Volunteers believed it. On Holy Thursday, Clarke showed the document to MacNeill, who had promised to support armed action in the right circumstance, and he agreed to lead the Volunteers in a rising on Sunday. On Good Friday morning, Sir Roger Casement landed at Banna Strand in Co. Kerry from a German sub. He had arrived in advance of the expected arms shipment to convince MacNeill to cancel the rising since the shipment was less than promised. What he didn t know was that it was the IRB, not MacNeill, who were planning the rising. He was captured and the shipment was intercepted by the British who Devoy believed had been warned by the U.S. government. In fact, U.S Agents had earlier raided the German Embassy. On Holy Saturday, MacNeill learned of the failed shipment and realized that the Rising had been planned all the while Clarke had been seeking his approval. He denounced the Castle Document as a fraud, called off the Easter Sunday maneuvers and published a cancellation in the Sunday newspapers. At 8:00 AM on Easter Sunday morning, the Military Council met to debate the action to be taken. After much deliberation, they decided to ignore the cancellation and rise the following day Easter Monday. It was a bank holiday and most military would be out of the city at the Grand National races at Fairymount in Co. Meath. That night, the Pearse brothers and MacDonagh met at the AOH Hall on North Frederick Street and sent out couriers with new mobilization orders. They hoped that when the news got out, the rest of Ireland would rise, even though they would likely not reach Dublin in time to save them. They believed that, like themselves, the Gaelic Revival had inspired enough pride in their fellow Irish that they would join them in a fight for independence and they were willing to test that belief at the risk of their lives. On Easter Sunday, after sending out new mobilization notices from the Hibernian Hall to local Volunteer companies, Pearse ordered the Louth Volunteeres to 4 demolish a section of the Portleix railway to prevent troops from reaching Dublin. They also raided the Wolfhill RIC Barracks becoming the first to fire shots in the Rising. Meanwhile, 1000 copies of the Proclamation were printed in the basement of Liberty Hall as the Countess painted the words Irish Republic on a green flag that would fly over the GPO the following day next to the tricolor raised by Argentine-born Volunteer Eamon Bulfin. Bulfin had attended Pearse s school at St. Enda s and his sister would later marry Nobel Laureate Sean MacBride. As Easter Monday dawned, a smaller than normal group of Irish Volunteers, Citizen Army, Cumann na mban and Fianna heireann gathered at Liberty Hall. John J. Scollen, knew by the cancellation notice in Sunday=s paper that some- thing was afoot so he ordered his Hibernian Rifles to gather at the Hibernian Hall as well. Posts were assigned to each leader: the Four Courts to Ned Daly; Jacob=s Factory to Tom MacDonagh; Boland=s Mill to Eamon devalera; the South Dublin Union to Eamonn Ceannt; St. Stephen=s Green to Michael Mallin and Countess Markievicz; and the Mendicity Institute to Sean Heuston. They were to capture surrounding buildings as necessary and follow the battle plan laid out by Joseph Plunkett to prevent British troops from reaching the General Post Office (GPO) Headquarters. They hoped to hold out long enough for the world to pressure Britain to free Ireland since the excuse for WW1 was to free small nations. At noon on Easter Monday they marched into the streets of Dublin and onto the pages of Irish History. One of the men asked Connolly, Is the Citizen Army in the lead and Connolly replied, there is no longer a Citizen Army or Irish Volunteers, only the Army of the Irish Republic! For the first time since the invasion of Canada 49 years earlier, the Irish Republican Army was back in the field. The insurrection was to start with a bang as the Magazine Fort, a Phoenix Park storehouse of British munitions, was to be blown, but the men sent to blow it couldn t get into the locked storeroom so they blew the fort but the storeroom did not explode. At noon, Pearse, with Clarke and Connolly at his side, read the Proclamation of the Irish Republic to startled passers-by. There were a few cheers, but for the most part the people were simply astonished. Inside the GPO, men were filling mail bags with scraps and blocking the windows. They also used figures from the Wax Museum on Henry Street and thought it ironic that King George, Queen Mary and Lord Kitchner would stop incoming British bullets. That afternoon The O Rahilly, long opposed to a rising, drove up in his classic De Dion Bouton automobile loaded with rifles. To those surprised to see him he said, I ve helped to wind this clock, I ve come to hear it strike! Sadly, neither he nor his expensive auto would survive the rising. His car would be buried with the rubble from the

5 Rising at the railway end of Croke Park, the GAA athletic field and covered over. Later immortalized as Hill 16 it became perhaps one of the most famous sports terraces in the world. The four British Barracks: Marlborough, Richmond, Royal and Portobello were caught napping with only 100 soldiers on duty in each. The first British incursion into Dublin took place Monday afternoon as a group of mounted Lancers rode up O=Connell Street to clear the GPO; they were scattered by firing from the Post Office roof. The first thing the IRA did was to cut the telephone wires to prevent the British from calling for aid, but a Castle telephone exchange was secure and soon troops from Athlone, Templemore, Belfast and the Curragh were on their way. In order to get word out to the world, Joseph Plunkett sent a party of 7 men to the Wireless School of Telegraphy which had been shut down. They managed to repair a 1.5 Kilowatt transmitter and Dave Bourke, an experienced Marconi operator, began transmitting in Morse Code the message Irish Republic declared in Dublin... Irish troops have captured the City and are in full possession... the whole country is rising. Since early telegraphic communications were station to station, Marshal MacLuhan, philosopher of communication, considers this diffused message to be the world s first radio broadcast! One of the 7 men was the Dublin-born, Protestant patriot Arthur Shields, later an American movie star who would appear as the Protestant minister in the Quiet Man with his brother Barry Fitzgerald. John J. Scollan sent a message to Connolly that the Hibernian Rifles were ready to assist. Connolly replied saying he was glad of the assistance and at later sent orders to the Hibernian Rifles to proceed to the G.P.O. They were put under the command of The O Rahilly who ordered the group to break and barricade all the windows on the upper floors. One member P.J. Walsh was stationed at the telegraph station on the second floor since he had a good knowledge of Morse Code and was able to pose as a government agent sending out queries about the rising to the government station in an effort to obtain information. He received a few items of information which he reported to Plunket and Pearse. Connolly detailed Scollan to check reports of British troops in the area while other Hibernian Riflemen helped to construct barricades in the streets. On Easter Monday evening in the GPO, Pearse commissioned Jack Stanley proprietor of the Gaelic press to issue an official bulletin. Stanley seized O Keefe s Printworks on Halston Street and printed Irish War News, a four-page news sheet on Tuesday morning which had A STOP PRESS on the back page announcing the establishment of an Irish Republic. Although the Proclamation of the Irish Republic does not name the Hibernian Rifles as participants in the rising, Irish War News= lists them as part of the Dublin Division of the Army of the Republic. The surprising tranquility of the first day of the Irish Republic passed with little confrontation, but 5 that was about to end. On Tuesday morning, British General Lowe arrived with orders to put the rebellion down in any way possible. The British immediately cut all communication to the remainder of the country, isolating the patriots, and began to shell their positions. Gunboats sailed up the Liffey and bombarded the city. The heroic men of 1916 held off the British Army for five full days suffering only 56 casualties. Finally, Pearse to save the lives of his brave comrades in arms surrendered. True to expectations, the leaders were hastily sentenced to death. Starting on May 3, the noblest Irishmen of their age were lined up against a wall and shot. Pearse, Clarke, McDonagh, Plunkett, Micheal O Hanrahan, Willie Pearse, Ed Daly, Sean McBride, Eamonn Ceannt, Sean Heuston, Michael Mallin, Con Colbert, Sean McDermott, and finally on May 12, his stretcher propped up against a wall, the wounded James Connolly paid for his love of Roisin Dubh. The Easter Rising was a surprise to the majority of the Irish people, in fact, some were even angry at the destruction caused by the insurgents. However, the brutality with which the British put down the insurrection, and the hasty manner in which the leaders were executed angered them even more. It was then that the dream of the leaders came true, and the rest of Ireland did rise. They rose and carried the fight through the War of Independence, and in the end, they won a limited form of the independence that Ireland had sought for 800 years. MEETINGS Attendance at meetings has dropped off lately and we are looking for ways to encourage you, the members, to come back and participate in the operation of your division. Realizing that many have commitments, such as sporting events or family commitments, which may prevent you from attending the meetings at 7:30pm. Our meetings usually are over within an hour unless something serious must be taken care of. ST. BRENDAN S DIVISION #1 37 TH ANNIVERSARY On February 16, 2016, St. Brendan s Division #1 will observe the 37 th anniversary of our re-organization. A celebration fitting the occasion is being planned and a committee has been appointed to aid in that planning. INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS The President of the Berks County Board AOH will be in attendance on Friday January 08, 2016 to install the newly elected officers for the coming year. The meeting will convene at 7:30pm and will include an installation of Officers at the conclusion of the meeting. All officers and members are asked to attend. If you are an elected

6 Division Officer and cannot attend, we ask that you contact Financial Secretary Joe McCarthy at NEWSLETTER We are well into our 26 th year of publishing our newsletter, and once again we remind our members and friends that the sole intent of our newsletter is to keep you informed on the comings and goings of our division. When possible, we also try to keep you abreast of what is happening in our immediate area and in Ireland. The articles published within are meant to be informative and as accurate as possible. We direct you to the list of supporters on the last page of our newsletter. Thanks to their support our newsletter is made possible. If you would like to join our list of supporters for the first time, our rates remain the same $12 for patron ads, and $50 for business card ads. HIBERNIAN OF THE YEAR 2015/16 degree. He spent the next two years teaching with Volunteers for Educational and Social Services, an organization sponsored by the Texas Catholic Conference. This is where he met his wife Debbie who was also a teacher with VESS was an eventful year for him since he returned to Pennsylvania, got married and began working for the Social Security Administration. He worked for Social Security until 2009 when he retired as the manager of the Pottsville office. After retiring he took a part time job as a security guard at the Berks County Court House, but he still has time for plenty of golf and for following the Philadelphia Eagles. He and his wife Debbie, raised five children: John Patrick, Daniel, Sarah, Michael and Rachel. When the children were growing up, he helped with Northwest Athletic Association, CYO, and the Boy Scouts. It gives us great pleasure to present this year s award to an outstanding Hibernian, Joseph P. George AOH-LAOH NATIONAL CONVENTION All systems are go for, what is hoped, one of the greatest national conventions of all time. So mark your calendars to be in Atlantic City from July11, 2016 July 14, 2016, The convention will be Harrah s Five Star Resort that offers so much more than any other property in Atlantic City. Please visit Room reservations can be booked thru this site and the entire convention and mass schedule will be available for review. (l-r) Debbie George, Joseph George and Len Weckel This year s Hibernian of the Year is no stranger to the members of St. Brendan s Division #1. He has played an active role in division activities and held many offices within the division and Berks County Board since he first joined our order in March Among the many offices he has held since 2006, have been Charities & Missions, Vice-President, President, Trustee and County Board Recording Secretary. In addition to his AOH activities, his faith is a big part of his life. He served as a Lector, Eucharistic Minister and parish council member of St. Margaret s Church. He is a staunch Catholic High School Booster, since his graduation in Our awardee was born October 6, 1952 at Reading Hospital. He grew up in Reading and attended St. Joseph Parochial School and Central Catholic High School. In 1974, he graduated from Kutztown State College with a teaching LAOH NEWS On Saturday 9, 2016, the Berks LAOH will celebrate their Little Christmas starting at 2pm. Once again Maureen Caherly will host the event at her home. For any lady planning on attending please call Maureen at to let her know what covered dish you will bring. For those interested, a studio near Alvernia College is offering lessons in Tai Chi. If interested call Maryanne for details. LAOH ST. BRIGID MASS This year s Mass celebrated by Fr. Bowman will once again be held at the Chapel at Alvernia College on Sunday January 31, 2016 at 9am. Following Mass there will be brunch held catered by the Sisters of the Bernadine Convent, All are invited to attend both the Mass and the brunch to follow, however the LAOH would like to know how many to expect. Please call Maureen Caherly at if you plan on attending. 6

7 ELECTION OF OFFICERS 2016 The following officers have been elected to serve over the coming year. Listed below please find a complete listing of your Officers, their addresses and contact information for your use. We ask that you maintain this list and use it only for contact with our Officers for the transaction of AOH business. ELECTED OFFICERS - PLEASE SAVE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE CHAPLAIN - REV. EUGENE RITZ TRUSTEE JOHN J. McHALE (1yr) 420 Holland St. St. John The Baptist DeLaSalleChurch 4205 Fifth Ave., Temple, Pa Shillington, PA patrickpatton33@yahoo.com Phone jammieplez@aol.com PRESIDENT- KERRY WILLIARD TRUSTEE - JOSEPH P. GEORGE (2yrs) 814 Redwood Ave. Wyomissing, PA N. 5 TH St. Reading Pa Phone shamokin71@aol.com phone josephgeorge52@comcast.net VICE-PRESIDENT LEONARD WECKEL TRUSTEE - JAMES D.CAHERLY (3yrs) 570 Guldin Rd. Blandon, PA Cleveland Ave. Wyomissing, Pa Phone BRYNLEN@aol.com Phone jdcaherly@aol.com RECORDING SECRETARY Open ORGANIZER - JOHN C. MACKEY FINANCIAL.SECRETARY - JOSEPH G. McCARTHY 512 Belmont Ave. Reading, Pa Elmer Circle Reading, Pa Phone marilynmackey@gmail.com jgmccjr@hotmail.com CHARITIES/MISSIONS -JOSEPH P. GEORGE TREASURER JOHN J. DORE, JR. 910 N. 5 TH St. Reading, Pa Chestnut St. Reading, PA Phone joegeorge52@verizon.net grandpajackie@gmail.com CATHOLIC ACTION/PRO-LIFE - HENRY J. MULLEN STANDING COMMITTEE - ROBERT J. McHALE 47 Philadelphia Drive, Wernersville, PA Orchard Place Bernville, Pa Phone mullnh@aol.com Phone rjmchale@aol.com FREEDOM FOR ALL IRELAND JAMES D.CAHERLY MARSHAL - ROBERT J. DEVLIN 1530 Cleveland Ave. Wyomissing, Pa Park Rd. Apt DD103, Wyomissing, PA Phone jdcaherly@aol.com Phone POLITICAL EDUCATION - ROBERT J. McHALE SENTINEL TIMOTHY J. BRENNAN 14 Orchard Place Bernville, Pa Parkside Dr., Narvon, PA Phone rjmchale@aol.com Phone SICK/BEREAVEMENT COMM. DENNIS MULLIGAN tbrennan@honeybrookcabinets.com 828 HMPDEN BLVD. Reading, Pa BIRTHDAY GREETINGS The names of members who are celebrating birthdays during the next three months are listed below. We have acquired the Information from our membership applications, so if there are any corrections or errors please advice. JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH 1 ST Joseph A. Fleming 15 th Dennis P. Mulligan 4 th John D. Purcell 3 rd Joseph P. Riley 18 th William J. Cardiff 7 th Fr. Joseph T. Whalen 7 th John C. Mackey 27 th Michael McHale 8 th Michael B. Riley 8 th Fr. John Gibbons III 10 th Christopher L. Costello 14 th Patrick K. Moss 12 th James A. Doyle 15 th Robert M. Flanagan 14 th Kevin R. McHale 17 th Craig Wolf 14 th Shawn P. Dillon 17 th Thomas Franey JR 23 rd Dennis L. O Brien 24 th John G. Shuff 25 th Brian McHale 28 th Michael H. Moore 26 th William C. Carroll 30 th Edmund A. Ettinger 31 st Jon Muldowney 7

8 SUPPORTERS OF ST. BRENDAN'S NEWSLETTER Thanks to the support of the following patrons and advertisers, our newsletter is possible. Your continued support of our advertisers will be greatly appreciated C o m p l i m e n t s O f SHAMROCK FARMS STORAGE On behalf of the officers and members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians of Berks County, we extend our heartfelt wish for a Blessed and Joyous Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. MICHAEL H. MOORE mikehmoore@comcast.net 120 OLD STATE ROAD C o m p l i m e n t s Of Attorney Robert D. Katzenmoyer Serving all of your legal needs READING, PA Your business card Ad Could be placed here for just $50 per year For information call Or send info to jgmccjr@comcast.net PATRONS Fr. William Campion 04/16 (St. Brendan's 1st Chaplain) Timothy J. Brennan 2/16 James Caherly 01/17 Shay Caherly 01/17 Rory Caherly 01/17 Robert Devlin 02/16 Clare P. Flannery 04/17 Richard Flannery 01/17 J. Phillip Gallagher, 06/16 James Gilmartin 12/16 Alice Henry-L.A.O.H. PA. Past President 12/16 Joseph & Bernice McCarthy 08/16 John J. McHale 12/16 Henry Mullen Sr. 8/16 Rita Mullen 2/16 Mary Jo Mullen 2/16 Len & Bryn Weckel 03/17 Rita Mullen Wise 08/16 FROM ALL OF US, TO ALL OF YOU! Beannachtaí na Nollaig agus Athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh go léir! Bí áthasach agus grámhar i do cheiliúradh! (The Blessings of Christmas and A Happy New Year to all of you! Celebrate with love and joy!) FROM THE MEMBERS AND OFFICERS OF ST. BRENDAN S DIVISION #1 BERKS CO. AOH 8