RESPECT LIFE MONTH
It may be hard to believe, but October begins this week! Every October, the Catholic Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Month and we are called to consider more deeply why every human life is valuable and reflect on how to build a culture that protects life from conception to natural death. With such issues as abortion, in vitro fertilization and immigration among the most important and controversial topics being debated in preparation for the upcoming elections, this is certainly a providential moment for us to reflect on [...]
TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year B)
Opening Prayer: Mt 27:41-44 Wisdom 2: 12, 17 - 20 Welcome back, everyone, as we return to Bible Study/Faith Sharing in person and virtually. I hope you all had a great summer and that you and your families are well. Our God continues to remain with us and his plan for us continues to unfold, just as it has throughout the ages. We just need the wisdom, humility and courage to understand and accept it. This upcoming Sunday’s readings help us to do just that so let’s begin by [...]
CATECHETICAL SUNDAY
The Eucharist is a prophetic reminder that the human person is made for worship. (Making Catholic Schools Eucharistic) This weekend, we join with the Church throughout our nation and around the world in celebrating Catechetical Sunday. Those whom the community has designated to serve as catechists will be called forth at the 9:30am Mass to be commissioned for their ministry. And, I will ask God’s blessing on all parents who are present as well, praying that God may strengthen them in their resolve to share the precious gift of their [...]
FALL ACTIVITIES RESUME
FALL ACTIVITIES RESUME Now that Labor Day is behind us, the summer season comes to an end and all of our parish activities and organization will resume. Our school already began this past Wednesday, 6 September, PREP begins on Monday,16 September, and Wednesday, 18 September, and all the other parish organizations resume their full fall schedule over the next few weeks. It will be great to have the parish facilities become fully alive again! Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) As fall activities resume, I would like to [...]
BLACK AND INDIAN MISSION COLLECTION
Over the past several years, the local media has drawn a great deal of attention to the inequality in the quality of education offered in predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Not only does Philadelphia have the unfortunate distinction of having the highest poverty rate among the ten most populous cities in our country but its public education ranks among the worst, coming in 42nd of the 50 big cities in the U.S.A. This inequality in educational opportunity has a long history not only in Philadelphia but throughout our [...]
NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS: A REFLECTION
As we continue to hear on Sunday from the Gospel of John’s Bread of Life Discourse, I would like to offer some reflections on the Eucharist and its essential role in our salvation. These reflections are based on one of the inspiring presentations given during the recent National Eucharistic Congress. This presentation was offered by Sr. Josephine Garrett. She began by summing up the state of the world before and after Christ and the state of each of our souls before and after we are initiated into the Christian mysteries. [...]