“Our seminary is not closing!”  This was the opening statement that Bishop Timothy Senior, the rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, made as he addressed the priests of our archdiocese at a recent clergy conference.  I want you to hear this statement because I’m afraid that there are those who think the seminary is, indeed, closing.  There are currently 165 seminarians from 15 (arch)dioceses and five religious communities at our seminary preparing for the priesthood; 75 of them are preparing to become priests for our archdiocese.  So, it’s clear that […]

“Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” (Mt. 22: 21).  When some of the religious leaders try to trap Jesus with a question about whether or not to pay the Roman taxes, Jesus reminds his listeners that everything belongs to God; after all, he is the creator of the universe and gives us all that we have.  We read in the Bible that, after God had created the heavens and the earth, he planted a garden and placed man there to […]

“Go, make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt 28:19).  After Jesus overcame death by his Resurrection, he did not just return to heaven to sit at the right of the Father.  Before ascending to the Father, he commissioned those who had come to believe in him to make disciples, that is, others who would come to believe in the one, true God and his son, Jesus, who came to save us.  That is the ongoing mission of the Church; we are the […]

“The mission of Christ the redeemer, which is entrusted to the Church, is still very far from completion.  As the second millennium after Christ’s coming draws to an end, an overall view of the human race shows that this mission is still only beginning and that we must commit ourselves wholeheartedly to its service.  It is the Spirit who impels us to proclaim the great works of God: ‘For if I preach the Gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting.  For necessity is laid upon me.  Woe to me […]

It’s hard to believe that October is almost upon us!  And, we join with parishes throughout the country in observing Respect Life Month throughout October.  This year, we even anticipate it this weekend with our annual Run for Life at the Wilson Farm Park in support of A Baby’s Breath; you will find details about this run on flyers on the church doors.  And, Archbishop Charles Chaput will mark the beginning of Respect Life Month with a Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul this Sunday at […]

“Come, you who are blessed by my Father.  Inherit the kingdom prepared for you.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me. …As often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it for me” (Mt 25:34-36, 40).

For the past 61 years, Catholic Charities Appeal has provided assistance for over 10 million people throughout […]

“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 […]