WELCOME TO REVEREND MONSIGNOR FRANCIS W. BEACH
As we announced last week via Flocknote and at the Sunday Masses, we are happy to introduce Rev. Msgr. Francis W. Beach, who is currently the pastor of St. Jude Parish in Chalfont, PA, and has been assigned as a senior priest to our parish, effective on 20 June. Msgr. Beach graduated from Roman Catholic High School in 1967 and was ordained a priest in 1976. He has had a wide variety of assignments throughout his 46 years of priesthood. His first appointment was as a parochial vicar at St. [...]
SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER (Year C)
Please note that this will be my last commentary until September; have a great summer! John 14:23 - 29 Last Sunday, we heard the prologue to John’s Last Supper Discourses, in which the new commandment – to love one another – was introduced. This Sunday, we hear a portion of the first Last Supper Discourse. It appears to be a continuation of last week’s presentation on love. As you will see in your footnote, most scholars consider the section of 13:31 – 17:26 to be Johannine compositions, modeled on farewell [...]
THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD
As they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.” (Acts 1:10-11) This Thursday, we will celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension [...]
SIGN OF PEACE RESUMES AT MASS and EUCHARISTIC REVIVAL
A recent update from the Archdiocesan Office for Divine Worship notified all parishes that the invitation to offer the sign of peace during the Communion Rite of the Mass may resume. It is another important moment in the Eucharistic celebration and I would like to offer some information about it as we resume its practice. It is intended to be a liturgical action when we offer the peace that Jesus offers us all. It is not the moment for us to say “hello” to friends and neighbors; we do that [...]
FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER (Year C)
John 10:27 - 30 This Sunday, we hear a portion of the beautiful, symbolic presentation of Jesus known as the Good Shepherd. Of course, we do not hear Jesus refer to himself in these terms this Sunday; that happens earlier (cf. 10:14). The verses we hear on Sunday are part of his discourse against the Pharisees. The good shepherd discourse continues the theme of attack on the Pharisees that ends John 9. We will recall the account of the man born blind whom Jesus cured. In this account, we see [...]
CONGRATULATIONS FIRST COMMUNION CLASS and HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
CONGRATULATIONS FIRST COMMUNION CLASS! Last weekend and this weekend, (at the 5:00pm and 9:30am Masses), 86 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 [...]