Saints Simon and Jude Parish, Bethlehem

09/09/2026

👨‍🍳ONE WEEK IN AND $1,500 RAISED! 🥳

It has officially been one week since the 2026 Cooks with Collars campaign began, and we are incredibly grateful for the response!

Thanks to your generosity, Saints Simon and Jude has received:

💻 $1,435 in online donations
💵 $65 in cash donations this past weekend
🎉 $1,500 TOTAL raised in just our first week!

Even more exciting — we have already surpassed the Diocese’s initial $1,000 fundraising goal!

Of our online donations, $420 has been given anonymously. We are especially grateful to those who have chosen to support our parish quietly, along with everyone who has donated, shared our posts, watched Monsignor Baver’s video, and helped spread the word.

Every donation — large or small, online or in person — helps support the critical exterior masonry work needed at Saints Simon and Jude and helps preserve our beautiful parish home for years to come. ⛪️❤️

And we're only one week in!

If you haven't yet watched Monsignor Baver prepare his family's potato salad recipe, there's still plenty of time to join in the fun, cast your “vote” with a donation, and help Saints Simon and Jude in the 2026 Cooks with Collars campaign!

👨‍🍳🥔 Thank you for an incredible first week — let's keep it cooking!

https://p2p.onecause.com/cookswithcollars/ss-simon-and-jude-bethlehem

2026 Cooks with Collars

09/07/2026

🛠️ Laboring on Labor Day! 🇺🇸
We’ere putting in a little work behind the scenes getting this weekend’s NEW parish bulletin ready to go! 📰⛪
New software, a new look, and definitely a bit of a learning curve… 😅 We can’t wait for you to see it this weekend!
Happy Labor Day from Saints Simon and Jude! 🇺🇸

09/03/2026

📣 WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Saints Simon & Jude Parish is beginning an important Feasibility Study as we prayerfully consider several proposed projects and plan for the future of our parish.

In partnership with Our Sunday Visitor, we are asking our parish families to share their thoughts, priorities, and honest feedback. Your input will help determine whether and how we move forward with a potential capital campaign.

📬 Registered households will receive information in the mail outlining the proposed projects, along with a survey.

📝 Survey Sunday will be September 13. During Mass that weekend, families will be given a few minutes to complete the brief survey. You may also complete it at home and return it by mail or to the Parish Office.

📱 An online survey and QR code will also be available for those who prefer to respond electronically.

Most importantly, we want to hear from as many of our parishioners as possible. Every response matters, and all responses will be treated with confidentiality. We ask you to review the information, prayerfully consider the proposed projects, and share your honest thoughts with us.

This study is about listening to our parish community and discerning together how best to care for what has been entrusted to us while preparing Saints Simon & Jude for the future.

🙏 Please watch your mailbox—and please participate!

Thank you for your continued commitment to Saints Simon & Jude Parish. ❤️

09/01/2026

🥔👨‍🍳 COOKS WITH COLLARS 2026 IS HERE! 👨‍🍳🥔

The wait is over! Monsignor Baver is in the kitchen, and Saints Simon and Jude is officially part of this year’s Cooks with Collars!

This year, Monsignor is sharing a Baver family favorite — his family’s potato salad! 🥔❤️

But now we need YOUR help!

🎥 WATCH Monsignor’s video
🗳️ VOTE for Monsignor and Saints Simon and Jude with your donation
📲 SHARE this post with family and friends and help us spread the word!

Every vote helps support Saints Simon and Jude and the important work of preserving our beautiful parish home, including critical exterior masonry needs. ⛪

🥔 Who knew potato salad could help preserve a church? 😉

👇 WATCH, VOTE & SUPPORT SSJ HERE:
https://p2p.onecause.com/cookswithcollars/ss-simon-and-jude-bethlehem

Let’s show everyone what the Saints Simon and Jude parish family can do! ❤️⛪

&Jude

2026 Cooks with Collars

08/31/2026

🥔 TOMORROW’S THE DAY! 👨‍🍳

The 2026 Cooks with Collars campaign officially kicks off tomorrow, September 1 — and Saints Simon and Jude Parish is ready! 🎉

This year, Monsignor Baver is heading into the kitchen to share a very special recipe: his family’s potato salad! 🥔❤️

But Cooks with Collars is about much more than what’s cooking. It’s an opportunity to have a little fun, celebrate our parish community, and support the important work of preserving our beautiful parish home for generations to come. ⛪

👀 Be sure to check back TOMORROW when we’ll share Monsignor’s official Cooks with Collars video and all the details on how you can support Saints Simon and Jude by voting!

Until then… who’s ready to see what Monsignor is cooking? 👨‍🍳🥔

08/27/2026

Today, August 27, the Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Monica. 🙏

Saint Monica knew what it meant to pray for someone she loved deeply.

For years, she prayed faithfully for her son, Augustine—through uncertainty, disappointment, and circumstances she could not change herself. She never stopped loving him. She never stopped hoping. And most importantly, she never stopped praying.

In time, Monica witnessed the answer to those many years of prayer: Augustine embraced the Catholic faith and would become a bishop, a Doctor of the Church, and one of Christianity’s greatest saints. Tomorrow, the Church celebrates his feast day.

Saint Monica’s story remains a beautiful reminder for us today: never underestimate what God can do with a prayer offered faithfully and persistently.

Perhaps there is someone on your heart today—a child, grandchild, spouse, sibling, friend, or someone whose name only you and God know.

Entrust them to the Lord through the intercession of Saint Monica. Even when we cannot see what God is doing in another person’s life, we can continue to pray, continue to love, and continue to hope. ❤️

Saint Monica, pray for us—and pray for all those we carry in our hearts.

The Diocese of Allentown is also marking today’s feast with a special Mass and celebration. Please see the attached flyer for additional information.

08/25/2026

☀️2nd Annual Summer Splash Picnic☀️

What a wonderful afternoon of food, fun, fellowship, and community! Thank you to everyone who joined us for our 2nd Annual Parish “Summer Splash” Picnic. We were blessed to see an increase in attendance over last year and hope everyone enjoyed the food, games, and most importantly the opportunity to spend time with fellow parishioners, family, and friends. ❤️

A special thank you to all of the committee members who helped make the day possible:
Kathy Bossert, Pat Price, Mary Worobey, Anna Marie German, Sue McGouldrick, Anet Villani, Nancy Wilk, Patty & Dave Williams, Mary Ann Hartzell, Anne Wiskoski, Patty Hartney, Yolanda Bermudez, Lucyna Ganssle, and Carol & Mike Machain. 👏

🍔 🌭 A special thanks as well to Monsignor Baver, Stephanie Fistner, and David Krauss for generously providing the main meats for the picnic. 🍗🍗

🥗🍰 Lastly, thank you to everyone who brought side dishes and desserts to share. Your generosity helped provide quite the spread for everyone to enjoy!

 we are also grateful to everyone who stayed to lend a hand with cleanup and to all those who helped behind the scenes. It truly takes many helping hands to make an event like this a success.  🙏

📸 Be sure to take a look through the photos attached to this post for some highlights from this years picnic. We’re already looking forward to making an even bigger splash next summer! ☀️💦

08/24/2026

📢 Something new is coming to Saints Simon & Jude! ✨

You may notice a fresh new look coming soon (September) to our weekly parish bulletin! As we transition to new bulletin software, we’re taking the opportunity to update and refresh the way our parish news, announcements, schedules, and important information are presented each week. 📰

While the look may be changing the bulletin will continue to be your weekly source for all that’s happening in the life of our parish community.

👀 Stay tuned — our newly redesigned bulletin is coming soon! 📖

We can’t wait to share it with you! ⛪✨

08/16/2026

🥘 We’re Cooking with Collars! 👨‍🍳⛪

We’re excited to announce that Saints Simon and Jude Parish - for the first time - is participating in the Diocese of Allentown’s Cooks with Collars campaign!

This year, Monsignor Baver 👨‍🍳 is heading into the kitchen to prepare a special recipe close to home: his family’s potato salad! 🥔

Cooks with Collars brings together priests and parishes from across the Diocese for some fun in the kitchen while raising much-needed funds for our local parish communities.

🏗️ Funds raised for Saints Simon and Jude this year will help support critical exterior masonry repairs to our beautiful church, helping us preserve this sacred place for generations to come.

📅 The 2026 Cooks with Collars campaign officially goes live September 1!

More information will be coming soon about how you can watch Monsignor Baver’s cooking video and support Saints Simon and Jude by voting with your donation.

For now, mark your calendars for September 1—and get ready to see if Monsignor’s family potato salad lives up to the hype! 🥔😋