Christmas Season Ends This Week

My Dear Parishioners,

The Christmas season ends this week. Today we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, which is the manifestation of the Lord’s glory to all the nations, and then on Monday we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord and then Tuesday we begin the period known as Ordinary Time. While we have to say goodbye to the Christmas decorations and the Nativity scene, we will try to keep the poinsettias going for as long as possible. By the way, I want to thank Carla Venditti and Karen Baranowski for watering and maintaining the flowers. They truly made our celebrations a fitting tribute to the Glory of God. Your “Christmas Flower envelopes” with your intentions written on them have been in our Nativity scene since Christmas. Thank you for supporting the Christmas decorations through these donations. As part of the light of Christ’s glory shining out to all the nations, we celebrate 2 members of our community who look forward to joining us in a sacramental way this Easter. Mr. Joseph Sciscio and Mr. Mike Farley will be completing their initiation in our faith. Please pray for them.

Next week our young people will be celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the very first time. Please keep them in your prayers as they come to experience the love and mercy of the Lord Jesus. Hopefully, we will see this as a reminder that we all need to stay close to the Lord, and that whenever we have placed an obstacle in our relationship with God, He gives us the opportunity to have that obstacle removed.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Mrs. Cathy Cain who has served as our Parish Director of Religious Education for the past 20 years. She has asked to step back from her responsibilities in this area. While we are certainly grateful for her long service and acknowledge a much deserved rest, we are also happy that she is not going anywhere and is willing to help out when needed. I also want to let you know that we have hired Mr. James Ness as our Coordinator of Religious Education. Most of our CCD parents have already met him and he is excited to pass on the faith.

Archbishop Pérez has asked that the following letter be communicated this weekend.

May God Bless You in the New Year,
Fr. Bordonaro

January 2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Fulfilling the Church’s mission of mercy and the Gospel’s call to be instruments of God’s pure love, The Catholic Relief Services (CRS) collection funds Catholic agencies working to assist our brothers and sisters around the world who suffer from extreme hardships.

In providing humanitarian aid, resettling displaced individuals and families, and advocating on behalf of victims of atrocities like human trafficking, the organizations supported by the CRS collection, serve based on the core belief that every individual is an equal heir of Christ’s love and care.

The annual Catholic Relief Services collection challenges American Catholics to put their faith into action and to see “Jesus in disguise” in the faces of the poor, the marginalized, and the stranger by supporting ongoing efforts to respond to their needs. The funds collected are essential to the sustainability of vital Catholic charitable ministries that save lives and promote their sacred dignity.

The collection will be taken up in the parishes throughout our local Church during the weekend of January 13-14, 2024. We have always responded very generously to this annual collection, and I ask you to do so again this year.

I am grateful to you for recognizing the face of Christ in those who cannot help themselves and for your compassion. Please be assured of my prayers for you and your intentions. May God bless you abundantly.

Sincerely in Christ,

+Most Reverend Nelson J. Pérez,
D.D. Archbishop of Philadelphia