Six months until Christmas! Tomorrow, 24 June is the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. We just began the summer season, but the days are growing shorter. St. John the Baptist refers to this when he ponders about the relationship between himself and his cousin, Jesus: “He must increase while I must decrease.” Thus, the Solemnity of… Read More »The Beauty of Cousins
John Joseph Ellis, Jr. and four of his classmates were ordained as Permanent Deacons for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on Saturday, 8 June at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. The Rite of Ordination includes the promise of respect and obedience as well as the resolve to live a life of humble charity, steadfast faith, prayerfulness, and a… Read More »Congrats Deacon John Ellis Jr.
Graduation for our Notre Dame de Lourdes students will be this Wednesday evening with Mass at 6 p.m. Congratulations to our students and their families and best wishes as you embark on your secondary schools. Blessings to our administration, faculty and staff at Notre Dame de Lourdes School for the comprehensive lessons you impart to our young parishioners. Congratulations to… Read More »Graduation 2024!
The National Eucharistic Congress will be conducted at Indianapolis from 17 July through 21 July. The Congress is the highlight of the four-year National Eucharistic Revival which began in 2022. In preparation for the Congress a National Eucharistic Procession is underway. The Eucharistic Procession began earlier this month in four locations – California, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Texas. These processions began… Read More »Priorities for Next Generation Parish
Thank you all for your prayerful well-wishes, support, and encouragement for the 25th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood. Our liturgy of Pentecost on 18 May was a beautiful celebration of the advocacy of the Holy Spirit. Thank you to our deacons, lectors, music ministry, servers, sextons, church decorators, and rectory staff who made the occasion so special and… Read More »MDW ’24!
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.” The previous quote appears in the Shakesperean play As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII. I was on a bus trip to the Catholic Shrines… Read More »All the reasons to celebrate Father Joe!!
Blessings on this Mother’s Day weekend. May Our Lady intercede on behalf of all our mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, and all who play a maternal role in our lives. Enjoy this most special time with your family. The following was written by Pope Leo XIII (13th) on the Feast Day of the Birth of the Blessed Mother, 8 September 1892. The… Read More »Mothers!
Congratulations to our First Holy Communion Class, and welcome to the Table of Plenty as you receive the Bread of Life. These young parishioners have been diligently preparing for their first reception of the Most Blessed Sacrament and their reverent approach to the altar showcases their love and respect for Jesus, the Church, and the Most Holy Eucharist. Thank you… Read More »The Solemnity of the Ascension
Our First Communion Class will celebrate their retreat today, in a final preparation for their reception of their First Holy Communion on Saturday. They have already received the Sacrament of Penance as they have been preparing for this reception of the Bread of Life. Blessings upon them and their families as well as their catechists and teachers who have assisted… Read More »Our First
The Fourth Week of Easter is traditionally Vocation Awareness Sunday since the gospel reading for this Sunday carries the theme of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Shepherding is a call to leadership. It recognizes the responsibility of the shepherd for the welfare of others. For a religious vocation the shepherd focuses upon the spiritual welfare of those in his care.… Read More »Jesus as the Good Shepard