Every year since the fateful Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973 legalizing abortion in our country, we have been called to reflect on the Gospel mandate to protect human life from conception to natural death.  Although Roe v. Wade has been finally overturned, the struggle to end abortion in our country continues.  So many people – including those claiming to be practicing Catholics – have bought into the lie about a woman’s rights over the child in her womb and are working to overturn the effects of the […]

As Christmas comes to an end with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord – which we celebrated this past Monday – we begin what the Church calls Ordinary Time.  It is called “ordinary” because the weeks are numbered in order – 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.  It is time – usually 33 weeks – ordered by God’s grace in between the sacred seasons of Advent and Christmas, Lent and Easter.  The priest wears green vestments.  Our church’s Christmas decorations have come down and we all have returned to a […]

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt 28:19-20).  The last words of Jesus recorded in both Matthew’s and Mark’s gospels included the clear command to go to the ends of the earth and proclaim his gospel – the good news of our salvation through him.  Since then, the Church has engaged in this important work and we are blessed to respond to […]

“The Lord bless you and keep you!  The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!  The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!” (Numbers 6:24-26)  As we come to the end of our celebration of the Octave of Christmas and begin a New Year with the celebration of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, my heart is filled with joy and thanks as I celebrate this Christmas Octave with you once again here at St. Katharine of Siena Parish!  What a generous Christmas […]

You will notice that the two Christmas trees that had been filled with almost 300 tags for women’s and children’s gifts at Mercy Hospice are gone – so are all the tags!  Over the past few weeks, so many of you have so generously taken the tags and returned with gifts for these needy women and children whom you will probably never meet; in their name, I want to thank you!  Let me also thank those of you who filled the school cafeteria last Saturday with gifts and food baskets […]

This Thursday we will join with the universal Church in celebrating the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  It is under this title that Mary is Principal Patroness of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia as well as the Patroness of the United States of America, Spain, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  It is a holy day of obligation and we will celebrate Mass at 6:00pm on Wednesday evening as well as at 6:30, 8:00am, 12:10 and 7:00pm.

What does this title given to Mary mean […]