Blessings to our administrators, faculty, staff, and students of our Notre Dame de Lourdes School which opens its 66th year on Wednesday 3 September. Recently, Archbishop Perez met with the administrators, and faculty of our Archdiocesan High Schools and Elementary Schools. These sessions were designed to celebrate the commencement of another academic year but also to acknowledge the commitment of Catholic educators who assist our parents and guardians with the grace of instilling the Catholic faith in our youth.
We pray for all administrators and teachers in our Archdiocesan High Schools, and Elementary Schools, that through their faith in Jesus Christ, our hope, our light, and our joy, they may witness boldly to Him in word and deed for the glory of God and the benefit of their students. Lord, hear our prayer. – Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Blessings for this Labor Day weekend. I hope that you had a most pleasant summer season.
Creator God, thank you for providing us with the gift to share our talents. Bestow upon our community, our nation, and our world the fortitude to provide work for all which is decent and fair. Make us faithful stewards of your creation to enhance the human dignity of our global family. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit now and forever. Amen. – The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
At his General Audience of Wednesday 4 June 2025, Pope Leo addressed the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard with these words.
“The tireless master, who wants at all costs to give value to the life of every one of us, goes out near the end of the day. The laborers who had remained in the marketplace had probably given up all hope of employment. That day came to nothing. Nevertheless, someone still believed in them. What point is there to take on laborers only for the last hour of the working day? And yet, even when it seems we are able to do little in life, it is always worthwhile. There is always the possibility to find meaning, because God loves our life.”
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, OCIA – formerly RCIA, is the catechetical program that welcomes non-Catholics into a relationship with Catholicism. The program is designed for:
- Baptized Catholics who seek to become fully initiated into the Catholic faith through the reception of First Eucharist and Confirmation
- Baptized non-Catholic Christians who are seeking to become members of the Catholic faith
- The non-baptized who desire to become members of the Catholic faith
More information about the OCIA program will be forthcoming. Please feel free to contact the Rectory with any questions.
The Parish Bereavement team is in the process of contacting family members of the recently deceased. This outreach is to extend an invitation to the bereavement sessions that occur annually in the Autumn. This bereavement outreach provides the opportunity to celebrate the life of our loved ones, acknowledge your personal adjustments, heal emotional and spiritual scars, and embrace the promise of everlasting life.
In this Jubilee Year we are reminded that we are indeed “Pilgrims of Hope.” We are pilgrims who trust in the words of St. Paul that “our true home is in heaven.” (Philippians 3:20) Additionally, we embrace the virtue of hope in our God who “saves those who hope in him” (Daniel 13:60). More information about these gatherings will be forthcoming. “My brothers and sisters, we believe that all the ties of friendship and affection which knit us as one throughout our lives do not unravel with death.” – Order of Christian Funerals p. 27
Additionally, a Mass of Remembrance will be celebrated for the recently deceased (October 2024 through September 2025) of our parish on Sunday 2 November at 11:30 Mass. Invitations will be forthcoming. Monthly Masses are celebrated for our beloved deceased who are enrolled in the parish’s Memorial Society. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.