Catholic Relief Services Annual Collection
“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25:40). Next weekend, we will join with all parishes throughout the country in taking up the annual collection for Catholic Relief Services. Founded 76 years ago by the Catholic Bishops of the United States to serve World War II survivors in Europe - many of whom had lost everything in the war - it has since then expanded significantly in size and scope of work. With a staff of [...]
THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD
Happy New Year! I hope you have enjoyed this marvelous festive season as we celebrated once again the birth of our Savior at Christmas as well as the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph last Sunday. Gathering together with family and friends is certainly a wonderful way to commemorate our Lord joining our human family so that we could become once again worthy to be part of God’s family! The Christmas season ends with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord next Sunday. As we [...]
Solemnity of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
“As long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the Lord.” (1 Samuel 1:28). As we continue our celebration of the Christmas Octave on this feast of The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, this Sunday we hear readings at Mass that are about just that: family - accented by dedication to the Lord, and faith and trust in God with an openness to His will. In our first reading from 1 Samuel, we hear Hannah, the mother of Samuel, dedicate her only son, whom she bore [...]
IN PREPARATION FOR CHRISTMAS
Christmas is just two days away and we all get an early peak at the beautiful Christmas decorations in our church today. But, you will notice that the two Christmas trees – one at the St. Joseph Shrine and one in the baptistery – that had been filled with 575 tags for women’s and children’s gifts at Mercy Hospice – are gone; so are all the tags! Over the past few weeks, so many of you have so generously taken the tags and returned with gifts for these needy women [...]
An Unwanted Touch of Red in Our Midst or A Board of Limited Jurisdiction
The Christmas season is filled with red and green; they are festive colors that mark the season! As you read last week’s and this week’s Parish Bulletin, however, you may notice some unwelcome red as you see that our expenses exceeded our income. This is the second time in this fiscal year that we have found ourselves operating in the red. It’s the first time since I’ve been your pastor that we’ve been in the red so early in the fiscal year. Usually, we don’t get to this situation until [...]
Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale and VoxAmaDeus Ensemble
As this special season gets underway, all the stores are filled with Christmas music to put us in the right spirit. You might not even notice the music since you’re so busy concentrating on buying all of the necessary food and gifts for Christmas. But, the music often tells the story of this season and helps us capture its true spirit. So, I invite you to come for an evening of Christmas music presented by either the Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale this coming Friday, 14 December, beginning at 8:00pm, [...]