Next Meeting - The next monthly meeting will be held on Monday, April 2, 2007 at 7 p.m. in the FOP Hall, 1336 Spring Garden Street. Following our meeting, we will be hosting the District Three Meeting. Food and refreshments will be served. The following candidates for judicial office have asked to speak to our members and will be in attendance at the April Meeting:

Honorable Paul Panepinto, Candidate for Pennsylvania Supreme Court
Honorable Seamus McCaffery – Candidate for Supreme Court
Michael Erdos(former Chief - District Attorney’s Office) -Candidate for Common Pleas Court

Congratulations - To Immediate Past President, Joseph Spera who is Custodes Pacis’ Most Deserving Member for 2007.

District #3 OSIA Most Deserving Member Banquet - The Most Deserving Member of each Lodge in District #3 will be honored at Colleen’s on Friday, April 20th at 5:30 p.m. The cost is $60 per person, $30 for members, which includes dinner and open bar. Please contact Maurizio DeLisi.

Scholarship Committee - The Scholarship application deadline has passed. The scholarship committee is currently reviewing the scholarship applications and will announce this year’s winners at the April Meeting.

April Lottery Tickets - Tickets for the 2007 April Lottery Fundraiser are still available. Tickets cost $5. If the PA Nighttime Daily Number matches your ticket number, you will win $50 on a weekday and $100 on a weekend. Earnings from this fundraiser go exclusively to the Scholarship Program. If you would like to reserve a specific number, or would like to become a seller, please contact any lodge officer before the meeting.

Grand Lodge Lottery Fund - Tickets for the Grand Lodge Lottery Fund are now available. Tickets are $100 each and the Grand Prize is $50,000. Please contact Maurizio DeLisi.

Ethnic Banquets and Other Events- The following organizations will be holding their 2007 banquet/event. The Lodge will purchase up to ten (10) tickets if members express interest, and the charge to members is half price. Please contact Maurizio DeLisi to reserve tickets.

Sacred Heart League – 76th Annual Communion Breakfast, Sunday April 22, 2007. Mass 9:30am, Basilica of SS Peter and Paul, followed by breakfast at the FOP Hall. Tickets are $15 per person, $7.50 for members.

Hellenic American Law Enforcement Society (H.A.L.E.S.) – 26th Annual Dinner/Dance Friday, May 18, 2007, from 7 to midnight, at the Waterfall Banquet Hall, 2015 South Water Street, Philadelphia, PA. Tickets are $50 per person, $25.00 for members.

The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #5
11th Annual Survivors Benefit, at Finnegan’s Wake on Saturday, May 19, 2007 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 3rd and Spring Garden Streets. $20 per person in advance and $25 per person at the door includes food, draft beer, wine, soda, and $1.00 well liquor drinks. You MUST be 21 years of age to attend. The lodge will purchase up to 10 tickets at and sell them to members for $10. Proceeds benefit the “Philadelphia F.O.P. Police Survivors Fund” for the families of our officers who were killed or died in the line-of-duty.

Memorial Trips to Harrisburg, PA and Washington D.C. – The FOP Lodge 5 is sponsoring trips to Harrisburg on May 7, 2007 and to Washington, D.C. on May 15, 2007. Seats are limited. Please contact Maurizio DeLisi for more information or if you are interested in attending.

International German American Police Assoc. - 31st Anniversary Banquet will be held on Saturday May 19, 2007, at Cannstatter Volkfest Verein , 9130 Academy Road. $55 per person, $27.50 per person for members. Cocktails begin at 7 p.m. followed by dinner at 8 p.m

SHOMRIN – 70th Annual Dinner Dance, Wednesday, June 6, 2007, 6:30 PM, Har Zion Temple, 1500 Hagys Ford Road, Penn Valley, PA. Person of the Year – Jimmy Binns. Humanitarian Awardees, Bob and Shelby Ford. Tickets are $60 per person, $30 for members

Good and Welfare –
We extend our sincerest sympathies to the family of family of charter member, Theodore Franchetti. Theodore passed away on February 1, 2007. His wife Rose Ciotta-Franchetti passed away on March 17, 2007.
Get Well Wishes are extended to Pete Micciche is recovering from recent surgery.
Congratulations! It’s a Boy! - Congratulations to Brother Michael Gagliardi and his wife Shannan on the birth of their son Leonardo Gagliardi. Little Leo is a heavy weight at 9lbs 13oz. Congratulations also go out to Brother Nazarino Gagliardi(the beaming grandfather) and Brother Francis Gagliardi(the proud uncle).

If any member becomes aware of another member’s promotion, retirement, good fortune, misfortune, illness, or death, please let us know.

Financial Secretary’s Corner – Contact Rita Rastelli, for any problems related to membership. All 2007 dues notices have been mailed. If you have not yet paid your dues, please remit a check in the amount of $48, or call to find out your balance. Please send all address changes to the Financial Secretary at the Lodge address or e-mail: info@custodespacis.org. DROP Participants: Annual DROP participants and those planning to retire please don’t let your membership with Custodes Pacis lapse; fill out a Retired Pension Payroll Deduction card prior to retiring. You can obtain a card by contacting Rita Rastelli. Membership Cards – Have been mailed. If you did not receive yours please contact the Financial Secretary.

Your E-Mail Address is wanted - . Please help us keep costs down by sending your email address. We promise to protect your email address and will only use it to send out news related to Custodes Pacis Lodge.

Thank God for Italians
A Greek and Italian were sitting in a Starbuck’s one day discussing who had the superior culture.
Over triple lattes the Greek guy says, “Well, we have the Parthenon.”
Arching his eyebrows, the Italian replies, “We have the Coliseum.” The Greek retorts, “We Greeks gave birth to advanced mathematics”
The Italian, nodding agreement, says, “But we built the Roman Empire.”
And so on and so on until the Greek comes up with what he thinks will end the discussion. With a flourish of finality he says, “We invented sex!”
The Italian replies, “That is true, but it was the Italians who introduced it to women.”

Group Trip to Italy
Brother Ray Saggese is looking for members who may be interested in a group trip to Italy. He is currently looking at several tours for a possible trip in 2008. If you are interested please send the lodge an email via this website.