“Stay with us,” we hear the two disciples of our Lord implore their unknown fellow traveler as they approach Emmaus.  We all know the story of these two disciples – how, after our Lord was crucified, they were on their way from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus.  They were talking about everything that had just happened to their beloved friend, Jesus, when he began to walk with them but, as we read in Luke’s gospel, “their eyes were prevented from recognizing him” (Lk 24:15).  We might ask, “how could […]

I’m sure you are aware of the great controversy swirling around in our country and in many other parts of the world over gender identity.  There is a small, but important, segment of society that struggles with it. And, our Lord, who calls us all into an intimate relationship with him and his heavenly Father, calls us to both generosity and truth as we address this issue.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia Office for Life and Family is sponsoring a workshop on Saturday, 7 September, here in our Parish Center, from 9:00am […]

On Thursday, we will join with the universal Church in celebrating the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, into heaven.  It is a Holy Day of Obligation and the principal feast day of the Blessed Mother, so I would like to offer you some reflections on it.

The commemoration of the death of Mary is known as the Assumption because of the tradition that, shortly after her death, Mary was raised up, body and soul, into heaven.  In the Eastern Church, it is called the Dormition, or the […]

“As the Father loves me, so also I love you.  Remain in my love.  If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” (Jn 15:9-11)

In the Gospel of John, we hear Jesus speak these words to his disciples at the Last Supper.  They speak powerfully of true love and true joy.  We are called to be […]

Have you ever wondered about the origin of the term “Christmas in July”?  Although there are many theories, one of the most reliable ones about its origin actually has Philadelphia roots.  The term gained national attention in 1940 with the release of the Hollywood movie comedy Christmas in July.  Around the same time, a pastor at the Calvary Baptist Church here in Philadelphia celebrated Christmas in July with carols and the sermon “Christmas Presents in July”.  He asked his congregation to bring gifts to be sent to missions worldwide.  Collecting these gifts […]

In case you haven’t noticed, Monsignor Carroll’s confessional has been dismantled.  No, he hasn’t ended his wonderful ministry of hearing confessions; you will notice that his name now hangs on the confessional across from his old one.  This dismantling is simply the first visible sign in our church of the great project we’ve begun: replacing our current pipe organ – which was never intended for church use and has been in poor repair for many years – with a new pipe organ built specifically for our church.  You may recall […]

“Jesus said to the crowds: “I am the living bread come down from heaven.  Whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.’” (Jn 6:51).  Last week, we explored the central mystery of the Church – the Blessed Trinity.  Today, as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (also known as Corpus Christi), I would like to explore with you another mystery of our faith – the transubstantiation of bread […]

Throughout the year, you are invited to support a wide variety of Catholic organizations and activities through our second collections.  The Catholic Charities Appeal, which is the most important collection each year, allows the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to serve thousands of people in the Archdiocese.  Every year, you are very generous in response to this appeal.  To provide guidance, the Archdiocese sets goals for each parish.  Last year, our parish goal was $152,390 and, once again, we exceeded our goal; we contributed $169,782!  Our goal this year (2018-19) remains the […]