Sacred Heart Parish, Lafayette Avenue, Palmerton, celebrates weekend Mass at 5 p.m. on Saturday and 9:30 a.m. Sunday, following all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Allentown Diocesan directives.

Daily Mass, Monday through Friday, is celebrated at noon. The church remains open after daily Mass until 3 p.m. for private prayer. Sunday 9:30 a.m. Mass is livestreamed on Facebook for all who are unable to join us in person.

Seating capacity continues to be limited to 160 worshippers at each Mass. Wearing a face mask and safe distancing is required.

The Sacrament of Confession continues to be offered by appointment only. Please call the rectory office to schedule. All other parish and diocesan news can be found at www.shcpalmerton.org.

Please note: Effective May 1, the following COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted by the Bishop.

No calling to reserve seating for weekend Mass unless there is a special event and is requested at that time.

Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers and two altar servers may return to their service on the altar following all CDC guidelines; Holy Communion will return to its original time in the liturgy; hymnal books will be placed back in the pews.

The cry room is reopened; the pamphlet education rack is once again available.

Note: Seating capacity, social distancing and wearing face masks continues to be required.

We congratulate our eighth-grade parishioner, Delaney Erickson, who was selected as a $1,000 scholarship recipient. Delaney will attend Marian high school in the fall.

Today, Father Bill celebrates the Sacrament of First Holy Communion for the following eight children: Garrett Buck, Sophia Cornmesser, Adalyn Gulla, Aylexia Gulla, Sophia Hedes, Luke Machalik, Abigail Marques and Isabella Marques. Our prayer is that each one will stay close to Jesus in the Eucharist.

The parish welcomes Thomas Garr as a newly registered parishioner.

This week we celebrate the Fifth Sunday of Easter. The Gospel uses the analogy of the vine and the branches to show us the importance of bearing good fruit as long as we attach our lives to Christ. We continue to celebrate the Easter Season until Pentecost Sunday.

Part-time job opportunity for a Director of Religious Program to begin July 1. If interested in learning more about this position, please call Father Campion at: 610-826-2335.

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.