Father Thomas R. Hoke Dies

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Father Thomas R. Hoke pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Spring Grove, died suddenly on Dec.14. He was 70 years old.

Father Hoke was born in Hanover on May 16, 1949, to the late Henry J. Hoke and Pauline C. (Schrader) Hoke. He attended St. Joseph Catholic School in Hanover and graduated from Delone Catholic High School in McSherrystown and earned a degree in Theology from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. He served as a deacon at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Lancaster.

On a Mission with Coffee

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Last November, with two master’s degrees in hand, Nicholas Higgins was planning to find a job as an industrial engineer in Florida.

Today, he’s in rural Newville, working to open a coffee shop to benefit the people of Honduras.

“I’ve had a total conversion. It is very clear that God has called me here,” Higgins said from behind a display counter, which will become the espresso bar and pastry case for his project, the San Jose Café.