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 […]

“I have told you this while I am with you.  The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you. (Jn. 14:26)

As we prepare to come to the end of the Easter season once again with the celebration of Pentecost Sunday next week, I would like to offer some reflections on the importance of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church and in each of our lives.  If you have been paying […]

Last weekend and this weekend, (at the 5:00pm and 9:30am Masses), 85 of our young parishioners received our Lord in Holy Communion for the first time!  This is a very important event in their faith lives as they now join with the rest of the believing community in participating fully in the Celebration of the Eucharist.  As the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains so well:

The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.”  The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are […]

As we continue the celebration of the joyous Easter season, we are reminded once again about the essential missionary nature of the Church.  In today’s Gospel, we hear the risen Lord call Peter to “feed my lambs” and “tend my sheep.”  This is the essential work of the Church – to care for the flock Jesus has entrusted to us.  We are all aware of the need for continuing this work even today, which includes constant missionary outreach.  But ordinarily, when we think of the Mission Church, we think of […]