“There will be signs in the sun, the moon and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the wave. …And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud. …When these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand” (Lk 21:25ff).
With these words, our Lord helps to prepare us for his coming. As we begin a new liturgical year today, the First Sunday of Advent, allow me to […]
On this, the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year, the Church calls us to think of the end of our lives, our final judgment and our final destiny – the Kingdom of God. The apocalyptic vision that we hear in today’s first reading from the Book of Daniel sets the tone by speaking about the coming of a “Son of man” who receives dominion, glory and kingship over all peoples, nations, and languages who will serve him. The passage from the Book of Revelation that we hear today is […]
As we prepare to begin another liturgical year – Advent begins in two weeks – I want to introduce you to our new Parish Pastoral Plan. It may be hard to believe that it’s already five years since our last Pastoral Plan was initiated! But, after working closely with our Parish Pastoral Council over the past year, I am now happy to present to you our new Parish Pastoral Plan. After a careful review of our parish and its various purposes, organizations and initiatives, as well as an evaluation of […]
If you receive the Philadelphia Inquirer on Sunday, you most likely saw the front page article entitled “Failure at the Top” in last Sunday’s edition. This article, spread out over five pages, outlined how some bishops in our country have failed in their response to sexual misconduct among the clergy over the past few decades. It is a very disturbing account of mismanagement and disregard for the victims of this abuse. Again, I ask you to join me in praying for all of the victims, that they may find healing […]
Hope you are enjoying our long-awaited fall; it finally arrived.. And, Christmas is only eight weeks away! We have several parish initiatives that will allow you to give to those in need as you celebrate God’s great gift of his Son, Jesus. For those of you not familiar with them or who would benefit from a little refresher, allow me toexplain each of these excellent programs: Adopt-a-Family, Christmas Food Basket and Mercy Hospice Giving Tree.
Adopt-a-Family
For the past 26 years, a small group of parishioners have coordinated this program that makes […]
STEWARDSHIP – PARISH GIVING RECEPTIONS
this weekend
After the 5:00pm Mass and between the 9:30 and 11:30am Masses
Stewardship is what you do after you say “I believe!” If you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God who became the son of Mary to show us God’s love in person, then you are called to stewardship. Jesus taught us about God and God’s Kingdom. He taught us how to pray and worship God. He taught that the most important commandments were to love God and […]
Next Sunday, 21 October, I will celebrate the Sunday Mass at St. Martin de Porres, our sister parish. It is always a pleasure to take part in their lively celebration and I invite you to join me there! This year will be special because it is the 25th anniversary of this parish. Don’t be fooled, though; the parish has a long history – almost as long as ours. Allow me to explain. The church was originally called St. Columba, founded in 1895 (two years after our parish was founded) by […]
“Even the weakest and most vulnerable, the sick, the old, the unborn and the poor, are masterpieces of God’s creation, made in his own image, destined to live forever, and deserving of the utmost reverence and respect.”
Pope Francis’ Day for Life Greeting
With these words, Pope Francis has captured so well our Catholic understanding of human life and insistence that every person, from the moment of natural conception to natural death, receive the care he or she needs to live and thrive. Pope Francis has captured the world with his humility, […]
“The Second Vatican Council rightly proclaimed that the Eucharistic sacrifice is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life. …For the most holy Eucharist contains the Church’s entire spiritual wealth: Christ himself, our Passover and our living bread. Through his own flesh, now made living and life-giving by the Holy Spirit, he offers life to all.’ Consequently, the gaze of the Church is constantly turned to her Lord, present in the Sacrament of the Altar, in which she discovers the full manifestation of his boundless love.”
In this opening paragraph of […]
