Sacred Heart Parish, Lafayette Avenue, Palmerton, will celebrate weekend Masses on Saturday at 5 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Sunday’s Mass will be livestreamed on the parish Facebook page.

The celebrant and homilist this weekend will be Father Leo Maletz, pastor emeritus of St. Matthew the Evangelist, Minersville.

Note: The dispensation for nonattendance at Mass has been lifted effective Aug. 15. All Catholics, without a significant reason, are obliged to Sunday worship. We look forward to having all our parish families return. Most COVID-19 restrictions in the diocese have been lifted except for sharing the cup during the Eucharist and offering the sign of peace.

This weekend the church celebrates the Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time. The first reading tells of Joshua confronting the Tribe of Israel for deserting their covenant with Yahweh. We are called to reflect on our lives to see if there are times we too have forgotten the covenant relationship we entered into with God on the day of our Baptism.

St. John Neumann faculty returns to school this week to prepare for the new school year. The first day of “in school” is scheduled for Aug. 30. New registrations are being accepted.

Call the school at 610-826-2354.

Volunteer sign-up sheets to work in the kitchen or stand at the Palmerton Festival are located at the entrances to the church. Please take a moment to sign up this weekend before or after Mass.

We are pleased to announce the upcoming marriage of Owen Miller and Susan Missal on Aug. 28. Our prayers and best wishes are extended for a long, holy and happy marriage.

Best wishes are also extended to all our young parishioners and educators as they return to school for a new academic year. May you grow in wisdom and grace.

Father Bill continues to ask for prayers, through the intercession of Father Walter Ciszek whose cause for canonization to Sainthood is under study, that God will bless us with a cure for COVID-19 and restore the physical, spiritual, emotional and financial health to our global family.