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 98 yrs. INCORPORATED NOVEMBER 7, RE-ORGANIZED FEBRUARY 16, 1979 Visit our Website Volume XXVI/Tóirt a Fiche a Sé - Issue #4/Eagrán a Ceathair Aibreán/Bealtine/Meitheamh April/May/June 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 I hope everyone had a fabulous St. Patrick s Day and celebrated the day for its true meaning of honoring St. Patrick and his good deeds for the Irish, and sharing and remembering with family and friends the Irish traditions and cultural aspects past down from our ancestors. Also, I want to wish everyone a Happy Easter holiday and hope everyone is enjoying the signs of an early Spring. Last Saturday, several members of our Division marched in the Girardville St. Patrick s Day parade, and had a great day participating in the Irish celebration. Many thanks to the members of the Jack Kehoe Division 1 for their hospitality to us before the parade. During the next quarter our division will be very busy with both fundraising and charitable activities. In order to make these events successful, we need a lot of member participation and support to reach our objectives for each event. Our first Burger Burn fundraising event will occur on April 9th and be held at Sam s Club in Temple. This should be a great day of team work grilling hamburgers and hot dogs, and a day of fun and social interaction among members. Important things needed are a truck to haul grills, food donations and two grills to cook the burgers and dogs. Anyone who can help with this request, please call me. Also, we need lots of members to help with cooking and serving the food for sale. If you can help and did not sign up at the last meeting, please give me a call. Bob McIntyre and his band The Wild Geese have graciously volunteered to play music during the Burger Burn. The Daniel Flannery Scholarship 2016 Award applications were due on March 17th. This award is given to a deserving student who has the best essay on What It Means to be an Irish Catholic in Today s Society. Len Weckel is planning our annual soup kitchen at the Kennedy House. The date of this charitable event is June 25th and 26th. Len needs volunteers for this weekend event, so contact him directly to sign-up. Also, the Celtic Fling at the Renaissance Faire will be coordinated by Tim Brennan, and he needs volunteers for this two-day event being held the same weekend, June 25th and June 26th. Contact Tim if you would like to volunteer for the Celtic Fling. Lastly, the 100th Anniversary of the Easter rebellion is upon us and many celebrations in the area will be staged on April 24th. A huge celebration is being held in Philadelphia- Independence Hall, and the Allentown event is tentative as of this date. On this day, please remember those Irish men and women who sacrificed for their dream of a Free Ireland! Kerry Williard, President

2 ST. BRENDAN FUNDRAISER Plans are underway for our April fundraiser to be held at Sam s Club on April 9, We will be selling hot dogs and hamburgers and soft drinks outside the store from 10:00am until 3:30pm. President Kerry Williard is coordinating this event and he is in need of volunteers to work two hour shifts. This particular Saturday is the two weeks after Easter and as usual Sam s Club will be busy, a great opportunity to sell product. Unfortunately, right now we don t have enough volunteers to pull this off. We need at least 10 people working a minimum 2 hour shifts or longer. So I am putting out the call for donations and volunteers to make this fundraiser a success. Also if anyone has a gas grill, pop up tent or tables, we can use them. Otherwise I have to rent these items. Donation of cut up onions for hot dogs and hamburgers, hamburger patties, hot dogs or soda would also be appreciated, as well as rolls, cheese slices, paper supplies water, soda, ice coolers utensils etc. Cash donations accepted in lieu of merchandise donations. Kerry can be contacted at the following Phone , or shamokin71@aol.com 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 our 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 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, Donna Dillon, Pat Carroll, and all family members an d member who are in need of prayers. Special prayers are asked for the following deceased members and their families: Tess O Connell, Elizabeth Mullen Creed, Mildred Nee, Martin McHale, Barbara Dore, 2 Jean Morrison, Steve Robinson and all the deceased members of the AOH-LAOH of Berks County. COMING EVENTS 04/08/16 General Membership Meeting Reading Elks Lodge 7:30pm 04/09/16 Burger Burn at Sam s Club 8am-5pm 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 06/10/16 General Membership Meeting Reading Elks Lodge 7:30pm 06/14/16 Flag Day 06/19/16 Father s Day 06/24-25/16 Kennedy House 9am-1pm both days 07/04/16 Independence Day 07/08/16 General Membership Meeting Reading Elks Lodge 7:30pm 08/12.16 General Membership Meeting Reading Elks Lodge 7:30pm 08/20/16 Our Lady of Knock Mass 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 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. Our original plans were to join with our brothers in Allentown, but plans are still in flux at time of mailing of this newsletter. We will keep you up to date as plans are finalized.

3 WOMEN OF THE EASTER REBELLION On Saturday, April 29, 1916, after leaving the burning GPO for their substitute Moore Street HQ, Pádraic Pearse said that, when the history of this fight would be written, the foremost page in the annals should be given to the women of Dublin who had taken their place in the fight for the establishment of the republic. He also told the women that their presence had inspired the men whose heroism, wonderful though it was, paled before the devotion and duty of the women of Cumann na mban and he prayed that God would give them the strength to carry on the fight. Just who were these Irish Amazons that Pearse thought of so highly? They were just a group of Irish women, but they were far from ordinary. On Easter Sunday, 1900, 15 women met in the Celtic Literary Society Rooms in Dublin. With the exception of anti-british activist, Maud Gonne, they were all working girls with not much to give Ireland but willing hearts and determination. They met to present an inscribed blackthorn stick to Arthur Griffith, who had thrashed a newspaper editor for maligning Maud. The meeting turned to planning a Patriotic Children s Treat in opposition to the Children s Treat in the Phoenix Park which had been planned as part of Queen Victoria s April visit to Dublin. More than 50 women joined the committee and after soliciting funds from the general public, a parade of 30,000 children was followed by a picnic and nationalist speeches. The funds left over were used to establish Inghinidhe na héireann (Daughters of Ireland) as a permanent organization. Maud Gonne was elected President; Vice-Presidents were Alice Furlong, Jenny Wyse Power, Annie Egan, and Anna Johnston (Ethna Carbery) and among the founders were Helena Maloney, Sinead O Flanagan (later wife of Éamon de Valera), actors Máire Quinn, Molly and Sara Allgood, physician Kathleen Lynn and Mary Macken. Later members included Mary MacSwiney, Máire Nic Shiubhlaigh, Margaret Buckley, Ella Young, Máire Gill, Rosamond Jacob, Hannah Sheehy, and Alice Milligan, as well as many working-class women. When Maud was away Helena Moloney effectively ran it from 1903 onwards. Helena established a newspaper Bean na héireann (Women of Ireland), of which she became the editor in 1908 advocating militancy, separatism, and feminism. She also recruited Constance (Countess by her marriage to a Polish Count) Markievicz into the organization and with her, became a founding members of Na Fianna heireann (an Irish scout movement). In 1913, a number of women held a meeting in Wynn s Hotel, Dublin, to discuss forming an organization for women who would work with the recently formed Irish Volunteers. It was to be called Cumann na mban (Council of Women). The primary aims were to advance the cause of Irish liberty and to organize Irishwomen in the furtherance of this object, to assist in arming and equipping a body of Irish men for the defence of Ireland and to form a fund for these 3 purposes, The Defence of Ireland Fund. On April 2 nd 1914, a meeting led by Kathleen Lane-O Kelly (née Shannahan) marked the foundation of Cumann na mban as they absorbed Inghinidhe na héireann and became an auxiliary of the Irish Volunteers. Their constitution contained explicit references to the use of force by arms if necessary. On 23 April 1916, when the Military Council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood finalized arrangements for the Easter Rising, it integrated Cumann na mban, along with the Irish Volunteers, the Hibernian Rifles and the Irish Citizen Army into the Army of the Irish Republic. Patrick Pearse was appointed overall Commandant-General and James Connolly made Commandant-General of the Dublin Division. On the day of the Rising, Cumann na mban members, including Winifred Carney who arrived armed with both a revolver and a typewriter, entered the GPO with their male compatriots. By nightfall, Cumann na mban women were in all the major strongholds except for Boland s Mill and the South Dublin Union. They worked as Red Cross nurses, couriers, gathered intelligence on scouting expeditions and carried arms across the city to insurgent strongholds. Countess Markievicz, during the opening phase of the hostilities, shot a policeman in the head near St Stephen s Green. Later she, along with Mary Hyland and Lily Kempson, was among a force twelve who raided Trinity College and found fifty rifles. Helena Moloney was among the soldiers who attacked Dublin Castle where she worked with the wounded. A number of Cumann na mban members died in the Rising, including Margaretta Keogh who was shot dead outside the South Dublin Union. At the Four Courts they helped to organize the evacuation at the surrender and destroy incriminating papers. At the GPO on Friday, Connolly ordered the ladies to leave and they reluctantly did so except for Winifred Carney, Julia Grennan and Elizabeth O Farrell. The following day when the leaders decided to negotiate surrender, Pearse asked Cumann na mban member Elizabeth O Farrell to act as a go-between with the British which she succeeded in doing. Under British supervision she brought Pearse s surrender order to all the garrisons still fighting across the city. At the end, more than 70 women were arrested and many were imprisoned in Kilmainham; all but 12 had been released by 8 May. Revitalized after the Rising, Cumann na mban took a leading role in popularizing the memory of the 1916 leaders, organizing prisoner relief agencies under Kathleen Daly Clarke (Tom Clarke s widow) and later in opposing conscription and canvassing for Sinn Féin in the 1918 general election, in which Countess Markievicz was elected Teachta Dála (TD) member of Dáil Éireann. Jailed at the time, she later became the Minister for Labor of the Irish Republic from 1919 to During the War of Independence, Cumann na mban remained active, hiding arms, providing safe houses for volunteers, helping to run

4 the Dáil Courts and local authorities and in the publishing of the official newspaper of the Irish Republic. In the Irish elections of May 1921, Markievicz was joined by fellow Cumann na mban members Mary MacSwiney, Dr. Ada English and Kathleen Clarke as TDs. These are the women that Padraic Pearse praised so highly for their devotion and duty and long may their memory be enshrined with those of the men of Easter week. COUNTESS OF IRISH FREEDOM Constance Gore-Booth was born into a well-to-do Anglo- Irish family on Feb. 4, 1868 in London. Her father had a large estate in Co. Sligo where she moved in the circles of the Protestant Ascendancy growing up as a noted horsewoman and a crack shot as well as a beautiful young woman. Yet, she couldn t help comparing her life to the lives of the poor dispossessed Irish families who surrounded her father s estate. Even when she later married into wealth and privilege, she never forgot the plight of the common Irish. She studied art and in 1898, attended the Julian School in Paris. It was there she met Count Casimir Markievicz from a wealthy Polish family. Even though he was Catholic, they were married on Sept. 29, Constance Gore-Booth was now the Countess Markievicz. In 1903 they moved to Dublin where she began to make an impression as a landscape artist. She and Casimir founded the United Arts Club in 1905 but she soon tired of this life. Nature should provide me with something to live for, something to die for, she said. Then in 1906 she found that something. She rented a cottage in the Dublin hills formerly rented by poet, Pádraic Colum. He had left old copies of revolutionary publications like The Peasant and Sinn Féin there. Reading these, Constance found the cause to inspire her life. In 1908 she became active in nationalist politics, joining Sinn Féin and Maud Gonne s women s group, Inghinidhe na héireann founded to support Irish and boycott British goods. She went to England in 1908 and stood for election against a young man named Winston Churchill. She lost and returned to Ireland where she founded Fianna Éireann in 1909, an organization similar to the boy scouts, but focusing on military drill and the use of firearms. Pádraic Pearse would later say that without Fianna Éireann, the Volunteers of 1913 would not have arisen. By 1911 she was an executive member of both Inghinidhe and Sinn Féin. She was jailed for the first time for demonstrating against the visit of King George V to Ireland. She also involved herself in the labor unrest of the time, running a soup kitchen during the Great Dublin Lockout of union workers in 1913 and supporting labor leaders James Larkin and James Connolly. Her activity took a toll on her marriage and Casimir left for the Balkans and joined the Imperial Russian cavalry during WWI. 4 As the war began, Constance was in the center of the nationalist activity in Dublin which exploded in the Easter Rising. Most women in the movement participated as nurses or by running messages through the streets; not the Countess! As part of Connolly s Citizen Army, she was second in command to Michael Mallin at St. Stephen s Green, supervised the erection of barricades and was in the middle of the fighting. Driven from the Green, they occupied the College of Surgeons and held it until ordered to surrender by James Connolly after the rising. The Countess kissed her automatic pistol before handing it over. The English officer who took their surrender was a distant relative of hers and he offered to drive her to jail. No offence, old feller, she said, but I much prefer to tag along with my own. At her court martial she told the court, I did what was right and I stand by it. She was taken to Kilmainham jail where she sat in her cell listening to the volleys of the firing squads as her comrades were murdered. She too had been sentenced to death, but General Maxwell commuted this to life in prison on account of the prisoner s sex. She told the officer who brought her the news, I do wish your lot had the decency to shoot me. Moved by the faith of her comrades, she vowed to become a Catholic and when released in the General Amnesty of 1917, she kept her promise and became a Catholic. The fire within her had not been extinguished by the tragic events of 1916, and she continued the struggle. In 1918 she was jailed by the Brits during a phony German Plot, aimed at breaking anti-conscription forces in Ireland. While in prison, she became the first woman elected to the British Parliament, running as a Sinn Féin candidate. She refused to take the oath of allegiance to the King and was denied her seat, but when the first Dáil Éireann was formed two months later, she was appointed the first Minister of Labor and went on the run. She was jailed twice during the War of Independence and was released to attend the Treaty debates. When the Irish Civil War broke out she was once more involved in the fighting, helping to defend Moran s Hotel in Dublin. Later she toured the US raising funds for the Republican cause. After the Civil War she regained her seat in the Dáil, but her politics ran her afoul of the Free State government and she was jailed again. Along with 92 other women prisoners, she went on hunger strike and was released after a month. She joined Eamon de Valera s Fianna Fáil party in 1926 and was elected as one of its candidates in However, a month later she became sick. She had given away the last of her wealth and died in a public ward among the poor where she wanted to be. It may have been appendicitis, but many said it was simply overwork. She could have lived a life of leisure, insulated from the trials and tribulations of the common man, but she gave it all up and searching for history s heroes, they should be told the

5 story of Constance Gore-Booth, she was truly the Countess of Irish freedom. Intentionally risked her life for the people she came to love and respect. When her body was taken to the Republican plot at Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, for burial, as many as 300,000 people turned out on the streets to bid her farewell. At her graveside, Eamon de Valera gave the eulogy. As the 100 th anniversary of the Easter Rising approaches and people are 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. 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. 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 LADY OF KNOCK MASS Plans are underway for this year s observance of the feast of Our Lady of Knock, Irelands only Queen. Although we have been invited to return to St. John De LaSalle parish in Mohnton on Saturday August 20 at 4Pm Mass, we are also looking into arrangements at the McGlinn Chapel at the Bernadine Convent at Alvernia University for Sunday August 21 in the morning. More will be passed on as plans are finalized. MOTHER S DAY 2016 is for the million things she gave me, means only that she's growing old, is for the tears she shed to save me, is for her heart of purest gold; is for her eyes, with love-light shining, means right, and right she'll always be, Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER," A word that means the world to me. --Howard Johnson The first known observance of Mother's Day in America occurred in Albion, Michigan on the second Sunday of May It was the actions of an Albion Pioneer woman, Juliet Calhoun Blakeley, that set Mother's Day in motion. Two days before her 59th birthday on May 11, 1877, three young men, all sons of staunch temperance advocates, were found drunk on the streets of Albion's business district. They had been the victims of anti-temperance shenanigans. One of the young men was the son of the pastor of the local Methodist Episcopal Church. On Sunday (Mrs. Blakeley's birthday) the pastor was so distraught that he had to leave the pulpit before the services were concluded. Mrs. Blakeley, sitting near the front, stepped to the pulpit to take over the remainder of the service and called other mothers to join her. Mrs. Blakeley's sons, Charles C. and Moses A. were travelling salesmen. They were so moved by her gesture that they vowed to return to Albion every year to mark their mother's birthday anniversary and to pay tribute to her. In addition, the two brothers made it a practice to urge business associates and those they met on the road to honor their mothers accordingly on the second Sunday of May. In 1908 a movement to set aside a special day each year to honor mothers nationally was intensified, largely through the efforts of Miss Anna Jarvis, a Philadelphia clubwoman. It was through her campaigning that in years after the original observance in Albion - Congress passed a resolution designating the second Sunday 5

6 REMEMBER FLAG DAY JUNE 14, 2016 Each year on June 14, we celebrate the birthday of the Stars and Stripes, which came into being on June 14, At that time, the Second Continental Congress authorized a new flag to symbolize the new Nation, the United States of America. Although Flag Day is not celebrated as a Federal holiday, Americans everywhere continue to honor the history and heritage it represents. The Stars and Stripes, the official National symbol of the United States of America was authorized by congress on Saturday of June 14, 1777 it was the fifth item of the days agenda for the Second Continental congress is session in Philadelphia. The entry in the journal of the Continental Congress Vol. VIII, 1777 reads Resolved that the flag of the thirteen United States Be Thirteen stripes alternate red and white: that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation. There is no official assignment of meaning or symbolism to the colors of the flag. However, Charles Thomson, secretary of the Continental Congress, in describing the Great Seal, related its colors to those of the flag. According to Thomson, "White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valor, and Blue... vigilance, perseverance & justice." So the Red and White stripes of 13 represent the link to the original ground of 13 states on which the nation has been built up. And the stars, representing the union of now 50 states, have been laid on the blue canton to bind all of them with the bond of vigilance, perseverance and justice. The Stars and Stripes first flew in a Flag Day celebration in Hartford, Connecticut in 1861, during the first summer of the Civil War. By the mid 1890's the observance of Flag Day on June 14 was a popular event. Mayors and governors began to issue proclamations in their jurisdictions to celebrate this event. In the years to follow, public sentiment for a national Flag Day observance greatly intensified. Numerous patriotic societies and veteran s groups became identified with the Flag Day movement. Since their main objective was to stimulate patriotism among the young, schools were the first to become involved in flag activities. In 1916 President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation calling for a nationwide observance of Flag Day on June 14. It was not until August 3, 1949 that Congress made this day a permanent observance by resolving, "That the 14th day of June of each year is hereby designated as Flag Day. President Harry Truman signed the measure into law. 6 FATHER S DAY JUNE 19, 2016 Father's Day, contrary to popular misconception, was not established as a holiday in order to help greeting card manufacturers sell more cards. In fact, when a "Father's Day" was first proposed there were no Father's Day cards! Mrs. John B. Dodd, of Washington, first proposed the idea of a "father's day" in Mrs. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. William Smart, a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife (Mrs. Dodd's mother) died in childbirth with their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn, and his other five children by himself, on a rural farm in eastern Washington State. It was after Mrs. Dodd became an adult that she realized the strength and selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. The first Father's Day was observed on June 19, 1910 in Spokane Washington. In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father's Day. Finally, in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day. Father's Day has become a day to not only honor your father, but all men who act as a father figure. Stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, and adult male friends are all honored on Father's Day. What Makes a Dad? God took the strength of a mountain, The majesty of a tree, The warmth of a summer sun, The calm of a quiet sea, The generous soul of nature, The comforting arm of night, The wisdom of the ages, The power of the eagle's flight, The joy of a morning in spring, The faith of a mustard seed, The patience of eternity, The depth of a family need, Then God combined these qualities, When there was nothing more to add, He knew His masterpiece was complete, And so, He called it... Dad KENNEDY HOUSE-SOUP KITCHEN We will once again operate the soup kitchen the weekend of June 25 & 26, Volunteers needed. Likewise, we will man a table at the Renaissance Faire in Lancaster Co. and volunteers are needed there as well. If you can assist, please call Kerry at ST. PATRICK S DAY PARADE St. Brendan s Div. #1 participated in the Girardville St. Patrick s Day parade on Saturday March 19th. The participants were President Kerry Williard, Vice President

7 Len Weckel, Treasurer John Dore, Acting Recording Secretary Mulligan and his granddaughter Jim Caherly, Thomas Healey and wife Carol and Dennis Kalelilynn. Although Len didn't play soccer while attending Muhlenberg High School, his sons drew him to the sport while attending grade school in Massachusetts. There he began coaching their youth teams, and the sport has been a part of his life ever since. "I saw so much passion from the kids and adults," he said. "We have people playing from 6 years old to an over-50 divisions, and they allow me to continue my passion." Since he never played - except for a brief period in an over-30 league - he found refereeing to be a way he could be a part of the actual game. Last year the PIAA honored him for 32 years of service as a referee. While retired at the varsity level, Weckel, 71, still takes the field to call JV and junior high games. CONGRATULATIONS PERCEPTIONS OF IRELAND If you were to say Irish, what does that conjure up in your mind? Do you think green, in all its forty shades? Do you see Ireland's grandeur, with the mist and the sunlight creating magnificent, scenic and picturesque landscapes? Perhaps it's the lakes, the rivers or the glens, or maybe the meadows sweeping up a mountainside. How about the poets, legends and superstitions, or the crafts, sport, wit, and pride, or the gift of the gab. Are these part of your thought processes? In all likelihood, a thatched roof is what you think of first. Len Weckel receives his Soccer Association Hall of Fame award from Jim Bollinger, president of the Eastern Pennsylvania EPSA. Immediate Past President of St. Brendan s Div. #1, Len Weckel of Blandon was recently inducted into the Eastern Pennsylvania Soccer Association Hall of Fame for his work with amateur soccer in Berks County and the surrounding area for more than three decades. He was a part of the second induction class along with four others; the first class a year ago had 19 members to commemorate 100 years of amateur soccer in the state. Serving as president of the Eastern Pennsylvania Amateur Soccer League since 1989, Weckel oversees the only U.S. Soccer-affiliated adult league in the county. 7 If you had the good fortune to view the island while flying over it, a spectacular painting captivates your senses, which cannot be reproduced by palette and brush. That picture will remain with you forever. The Emerald Isle is a profusion of beauty. There is a certain injustice to choose one area of splendor over all the others. However, the mountains with their jagged elegance and craggy grace will not leave you wanting. Feast your eyes on these majestic and palatial rock formations and allow yourself to dream. In County Kerry, in the Dingle Peninsula, you will find the vastness of Slea Head. Off the coast, on the Skellig Islands, the monastic settlement affords a breathtaking experience. These are panoramic displays of artistic composition. In County Clare, imposing and steep O'Brien's Tower at the Cliffs of Moher, seems to tempt the observer with these words: 'Climb me if you care'. Then there are the Aran Islands, Donegal, Connemara, Cork, The Rock of Cashel and Lakes of Killarney. In County Down, the spectacular Mountains of Mourne, and yes, they do sweep down to the sea. In County Tipperary, survey the Galty Mountains and the rural architecture of the Glen of Aherlow. There are many more beautifully named mountains, and there is more to Ireland too. Please go and see for yourself.

8 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 advise. APRIL MAY JUNE 7 th Sean McFadden 5 th James M. Scott 9 th Gerard T. O Neil 12 th Edward M. Collins 5 th Dennis McDonough 10 th Rory J. Caherly 15 th Thomas P. Healey 12 th Patrick J. McCauley 11 th Robert J. Devlin 18 th James J. Lowe 17 th Shay S. Caherly 12 th Daniel O Boyle 25 th Joseph G. McCarthy 23 rd John F. Gainey 19 th Ryan Katzenmoyer 26 th Deacon John Murphy 29 th William R. Beam 21 st Henry J. Mullen, SR 29 th Timothy P. Dore 23 rd Michael J. Leonard 29 th Paul L. Sommers 29 th Sean P. O Brien 8

9 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 of SHAMROCK FARMS STORAGE 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 2015 CELTIC FLING Once again, St. Brendan s Div. #1 will have an informational booth at the 2016 Celtic fling at Renaissance Faire in Lancaster County the weekend of June 25-26, This will be our eighth year participating in this event, which has proven to be a very valuable tool in promoting the Irish happenings in Berks County, including the AOH-LAOH Brother Tim Brennan and his family coordinate this event and volunteer s to attend our promotional booth are greatly needed. If you can help for a few hours on the dates mentioned, please call President Kerry Williard. For information on this event, or to volunteer your services contact Tim Brennan PATRONS Fr. William Campion 04/17 (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 John Mackey 01/18 Henry Mullen Sr. 8/16 Rita Mullen 2/17 Mary Jo Mullen 2/17 Len & Bryn Weckel 03/17 Rita Mullen Wise 08/16 9