On Thursday of this week, we welcome Bishop Keith Chylinski, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, as the celebrant for the Sacrament of Confirmation for 36 of our PREP and Notre Dame de Lourdes students. We thank our teachers, catechists, and all who have guided our students for this deepening of their baptismal grace and for preparing them to receive the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Blessings to our Confirmandi, their sponsors, parents, and families.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray. O God, who have taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that in the same Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
We also continue our prayers for our catechumens who this weekend will celebrate the Rite of Election at the Cathedral. Blessings to them and to their catechists and sponsors.
This weekend – 21/22 February – is the In-pew weekend of the Catholic Charities Appeal of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The Catholic Charities Appeal is the primary financial source for social services, special education resources, assistance to mission parishes, support for retired and infirmed priests, as well as programs that sustain and nourish life and family. Our Parish goal is $50,000.
“The Catholic Charities Appeal (CCA) of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, as described by Archbishop Perez, drives our mission to love and care for others in the likeness of Jesus. It supports and sustains more than 100 vital charitable ministries and programs that bring Christ’s love to those in need. They touch every corner of the five-county metropolitan area of the archdiocese. The CCA provides food, shelter, education, and care, bringing tangible hope to those most in need.
This year, I invite you to join me in Giving Hope to All. Hope flows from Christ’s gift of Himself in the Eucharist. Your support of CCA today becomes one such act, a sacred way of extending His care to individuals seeking the compassion of the Church.”
Materials for the Catholic Charities Appeal are located at both Our Lady of Peace and at Notre Dame de Lourdes. The webite of the appeal: catholicchurchofphila.org/appeal provides more information about Catholic Charities and offers on-line options for your generous support. The pledge cards in the Church, as well as the posters and brochures, contain a QR code for donation access as well.
The season of Lent encourages the practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. These are three vital ways to enrich our spirituality during these forty days and to offer efficacious work to those in need of advocacy. Thank you for your most generous response to the Catholic Charities Appeal and for the many ways that you have responded and continue to respond to those most in need of God’s mercy and remembrance. And we pray…
Heavenly Father, you give us your Son as the fount of all hope. May He inspire us in Giving Hope to All with the aid of your Holy Spirit. Through acts of service and love, may we support those growing in faith, promote the gift of Catholic education, care with gratitude for our retired and infirmed priests, bring joy to the sorrowful, and share Christ’s light and hope with all who are in need. Strengthen us to follow Christ, who came not to be served but to serve all with compassion. By our generosity and witness, may your Church shine with joy and peace. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
First Sunday of Lent Readings and reflection questions (Cycle A) – 22 February 2026
Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7 – Do you like gardening? What do you like about gardening? What do you dislike about gardening? What fruits and vegetables have you grown? Why do they taste better than the selection from the produce aisle? / What is true about the serpent’s statements? What are the half-truths?
Responsorial Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17 –R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned. – In what ways does this psalm describe the Sacrament of Penance? In what ways do you feel cleansed after receiving the grace of the Sacrament? / What is steadfastness? Is your spirit steadfast?
Romans 5:12-19 – What is Original Sin? What are its effects? / Where in your life do you need an abundance of grace? How can you obtain it?
Matthew 4:1-11 – What is fasting? Why was Jesus fasting? Why is fasting an important discipline for Lent? / In what areas of your life does the devil tempt you? What / Who gives you the strength to resist temptations?