As we celebrate Labor Day weekend, I hope you have all had time for some rest and relaxation.  Now, it’s time to return to full swing!  Our school begins this Wednesday, 4 September, PREP begins next Monday (9 September) and Wednesday (11 September), and all the other parish organizations resume their full fall schedule over the next few weeks.  It will be great to have the parish facilities become fully alive again!

Of course, the parish facilities have been rather lively all summer as we hosted various camps: Around the World and Across the USA for younger kids and Rising Stars and Basketball Camps for kids of all ages.  It was great to see so many of our children having so much fun as they developed their talents in such a variety of ways!

At the same time, we accomplished a number of projects throughout the parish facilities.  As you read last week, we resurfaced the gym floor and stripped and waxed the school floors.  We also converted Msgr. Carroll’s confessional into a space for an organ console and removed the old pipe organ from the choir loft as we began our preparations for the installation of our new pipe organ.  A temporary, digital organ has been installed, complements of Cunningham Piano, so we can continue to have both organ and piano accompaniment at our various liturgical celebrations.  The next step in this project is to prepare the cavities above the two doorways on either side of our Daily Mass chapel for the antiphonal pipes that will be installed there; they are an important addition that our new pipe organ will provide.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)

As fall activities resume, I would like to highlight the several excellent programs for faith formation for all of our adults.  One of them is called The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).  This is for adult Catholics who, for whatever reason, never received the Sacrament of Confirmation as well as any adult who is interested in joining the Catholic Church, or maybe just curious to learn more about it.  RCIA “is designed for adults who, after hearing the mystery of God proclaimed, consciously and freely seek the living God and enter the way of faith and conversion as the Holy Spirit opens their hearts.”[1]

Although this program is intended specifically for non-Catholics who are interested in learning more about the Catholic faith or adult Catholics who have not yet been confirmed, I would also like to invite any Catholics who would like to learn about their faith from an adult perspective.  Many of you have not had any formal education in your faith since you finished grade school or high school.  Some of the answers that you learned back then are not adequate for you today.  Why not give yourself the opportunity to learn about your faith in an adult environment, where you don’t just memorize the answers that will get you an “A” on a test, but are invited to delve deeply into the issues of your faith with fellow adults?  I will again be coordinating this program this year; it is scheduled to begin in early October.  Please contact me (610-688-4584 or halb@sks.org) to let me know of your interest to attend.

 

Bible Study and Faith Sharing

Another excellent way to deepen your faith is through the study of the Bible.  God reveals himself to us through the Bible today just as clearly as he did when it was first written but, just as it had to be understood correctly back then, it is important to understand it correctly today.  The Bible Study and Faith Sharing program will resume on Thursday, 12 September, in the parish center, from 9:00 to 10:30am.  The program has two parts.  For the first 45 minutes or so, I lead the participants through the Sacred Scripture from an historical perspective.  In the last 45 minutes, I offer an in-depth overview of the readings of the upcoming Sunday.  This helps us all prepare for the Sunday Eucharistic Celebration and make it much more meaningful, since we will already be familiar with the readings and the Church’s reason for selecting these readings for the particular Sunday.  And, since the Sunday readings present almost all of the New Testament in a three-year cycle, we will have the opportunity to comprehensively explore God’s revelation through his son, Jesus, and the early Christian community.

Anyone who is interested is welcome to come and learn about the Bible and share how it affects our lives as followers of Christ.  You don’t need any Scriptural background to attend, just an open heart to God’s Word.  You don’t have to attend every week, but are welcome whenever you can.  You don’t have to do anything to prepare for a session, although you are most welcome to do so.  I encourage participants to ask questions about the faith and offer their reflections throughout the sessions; that’s why the program is called Bible Study and Faith Sharing.  A strong, faith-filled community of about 30 people already attends these sessions, but there is always room for more!  Come join us, and bring your own Bible, so we can benefit from the various translations available to us today.

 

Walking with Purpose

We believe that men and women are created equal, both made in the image and likeness of God.  But, as part of God’s design, we are different in many ways.  One of them is in our spiritual development.  Walking with Purpose (WWP) is a Catholic Bible study program that aims to bring women to a deeper personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  It offers personal study and small group discussion that link everyday challenges and struggles with the solutions given to us through the teachings of Christ and the Catholic Church.  WWP endeavors to meet women where they are, giving them practical Biblical teaching that is consistent with Church doctrine and uses the Catechism of the Catholic Church as an additional resource.   Led by dedicated and well-trained parishioners, this program has, over the past five years, brought over 60 women in our parish together around the Bible, deepening their understanding of God’s Word and their love for Jesus.

WWP will begin on Tuesday, 17 September, in the parish center.  Each session begins at 9:15am and ends at 11:00am.  I encourage all women of the parish to prayerfully consider joining this excellent program.  If you have any questions or want to sign up, please contact Colleen Brady (ncbrady@comcast.net or 610-637-2569) or Maureen Reilly (cmkjmr@yahoo.com or 610-745-6320 or visit WWP online at www.walkingwithpurpose.com/location/st.katharine-of-siena for more information.

 

Evenings of Reflection for Men and Women

Last year, Fr. Scott Reilly, L.C., our weekend assistant, offered several evenings of reflection for the men of our parish.  They were so well received that Fr. Reilly will not only offer these evenings again for the men but will also offer evenings of reflection for the women of our parish.  The evenings will focus on the fruits of the Holy Spirit and will begin with Mass and dinner before thought-provoking reflections on the fruits of the Holy Spirit:  love, joy, peace, self-control, generosity, kindness and faithfulness.  These will begin in October; more information will be available in the Parish Bulletin in upcoming weeks.

 

Our Lord calls each of us ever closer to himself and into faithful community.  If you aren’t already attending any of these programs, I strongly encourage you to join in; I assure you, you will be richly rewarded!

[1] Taken from the introduction to the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults