Parish celebration of Forty Hours

My Dear Parishioners,

This week we welcome Fr. Pio Mandato as our homilist for our Parish celebration of Forty Hours. Fr. Pio is a Franciscan priest who received his first holy communion  rom St. Padre Pio before coming to the USA. He is known for his preaching about St. Padre Pio and the Eucharist. Our church will expose the Blessed Sacrament on the altar after the regular Masses on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, starting today. We will celebrate Evening Prayer and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at 7:00 p.m. each of these three nights. Priests will be available for confession starting at 6:00 p.m. each night. You can use these three days as a type of “mini-retreat.” Please sign up for an hour on the sheets at the exits of the church. The Blessed Sacrament should not be unattended. Schedule some time to make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament during the day or early evening and pray. You can use the time to pray a rosary, or do some reading of scripture, or meditate about your life, or simply be present to God in whatever way inspires you. Just invite the Lord into your mind and heart and tell Him what is going on with you, or just rest in His presence. On Tuesday, a healing prayer service with the opportunity to be blessed with the glove of St. Padre Pio will follow Evening Prayer. Please note that we will not have the regular Monday Night Rosary on the 17^th.

Please consider purchasing your tickets to our 100^th Anniversary Parish Banquet at the Spring Mill Manor on Friday, October 21^st. We really need your support to help make this celebration a success and we need to get an accurate count of those attending. You can purchase tickets after Sunday Masses, at the rectory, or on our parish website. Please note that you will not be able to purchase tickets the day of the banquet at the door.

Next week we will celebrate World Mission Sunday on October 23, 2022. Archbishop Pérez has asked that we communicate the following letter in preparation for the Collection.

God Bless you,
Fr. Bordonaro

October, 2022

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

On October 23rd, we will join Catholics around the world to celebrate World Mission Sunday to highlight and support the Missions of the Church.

This year’s theme is “You shall be My Witnesses.” (Acts 1: 8) Pope Francis has used this theme to call every Christian to bear witness to Christ, to participate in a Mission of universal evangelization, and to seek strength and guidance from the Holy Spirit.

Since its beginning in 1822, the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, one of the Pontifical Mission Societies, has provided millions of dollars to support new and growing Churches in the United States alone. Your prayers and generous support today sustain priests, religious, and lay pastoral leaders in 1,111 Mission dioceses in Asia, Africa, and the Pacific Islands as well as parts of Latin America and Europe. This support is essential to their vital work among some of the poorest communities to proclaim the Gospel, build the Church, and serve a variety of temporal needs.

Blessed Pauline Jaricot began this work 200 years ago at the young age of seventeen. Pope Francis reminds us, “She accepted God’s inspiration to establish a network of prayer and collection for missionaries so that the faithful could actively participate in the mission ‘to the ends of the earth.’” Her vision would lead to World Mission Sunday, which helps the Pope support Missionary activity.

When you contribute to the World Mission Sunday collection, you make it possible for the Holy Father to provide for the formation of our seminarians and religious men and women. You assist in building the schools and orphanages that care for children in places few visit. Missionaries can build churches in areas with scarce resources, buy food and the bare essentials that make it possible to proclaim the Gospel and celebrate the Sacraments.

I personally encourage your generosity on World Mission Sunday and share my gratitude for your openhearted response on this special day. While your prayers remain your greatest gift, your financial support is life-giving to our brothers and sisters in the world’s most vulnerable communities. It enables missionaries to work and witness to Christ, as it enables each one of us to be the Lord’s witnesses.

Gratefully yours in Christ,

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