A Message from Father Peter

– August 29th 2021 – Extra, Extra Read All About It!

Our Sunday Bulletin especially in its new format is designed to grab and hold your attention so you can better retain its messages.

Do not forget our Parish Booster Club! Remember this not a part of an outside fundraiser. It is a tried-and-true Parish-based “Good Odds” program designed to generate funds for parish and local needs. Fifty dollars gets you membership for the entire fiscal year (Sept-Aug).  Please come aboard as you have in the past. 

We have already reached our goal in the Catholic Ministries Appeal; your generous spirit is undimmed!  Remember you can win again and again throughout the year! Very soon I will let you know the total raised for the church for the whole fiscal year! 

Thank you in advance for responding!

– August 22nd 2021 – The Youth Festival in Medjugorje

I’ve been looking for opportunities to share my thoughts with you about the Youth Festival in Medjugorje from which I just returned! Three members of our young adult program (Starfish Coffeehouse) participated; and I served as spiritual Guide for the entire group of 28 adults about half of which were young people (20’s and 30’s).

The beautiful thing about the festival is that it creates a “safe” environment (even if only for a week or so) for the young people to express their faith without embarrassment or challenge! Older people grew up in an environment that actively promoted Christian faith. So many of our young adults today come from family situations that do not, Catholic schools are educating a much smaller percentage of our catholic youth than a generation ago. The prevailing mood of the festival is Joy and Peace so needed by our youth.

The festival is a hopeful sign that your people are eager to grow in and share their faith. Our goal is to bring it at least 10 coffee house young adults to the festival next year. The Church now encourages visits and pilgrimage to Medjugorje while reminding people that the supernatural character of the reported events is still under review. Many conversions, vocations, healings and other miracles are frequently reported up to present day! Many people come to Medjugorje to go to confession often for the first time in years!  The spirituality of Medjugorje is balanced, solid and is in line with church teaching. By starting soon, we hope to have a dynamic group of our young people going next year, and joyfully celebrating God’s gifts of life and love.

– August 15th 2021 – Starfish Coffee House

Some weeks ago, six members of our young adult group (Starfish Coffee House) traveled with me to the section of North Philadelphia called Kensington, a very depressed area, to share for a day the street ministry of a Catholic young man (Michael Grogen). He is well known to our group, but it was the first time we went to help him. The conditions on some of the streets were appalling. The young people called it a “Third World Country”. I too, was blown away.  The whole area is filled with addicts and pushers. People in large numbers are lying down on sidewalks, in doorways and by fences stooping, bending over and immobile. Addicts heavily under the influence were trying to make their way about.  No one is there to really help. I could not discern any uniformed police or medical personnel. I did not expect to see anything like this in the USA. Much of this neighborhood seems to be virtually abandoned by businesses and normal renters or owners.  I don’t think there is any place quite out as bad in New York City! They seem to go to North Philadelphia from all parts of our country and abroad!

Our young adults gave out sandwiches, toiletries, and bottled water, rosaries and prayer cards, and some clothes. They offered to pray with people, sang hymns and conversed with anyone who would talk to them. They came home overwhelmed by the immensity of such open drug abuse and its devastating effects on body and soul! They all realize they had a very important personal spiritual experience. A priority for our group will be discussions to convince the rest of our members to go down. They came away shocked into an awareness of how much more believers should do. There were in fact some other area church groups there, but they were small in comparison with this immense population of addicts. 

We will keep you informed about future missions! Please keep all our addicted Brothers and Sisters in Christ in your prayers!

– August 8th 2021 – Fr. Farin of Cross Catholic International

Last weekend we hosted Fr. Paul Farin of Cross Catholic International who spoke of the work of this wonderful Catholic organization helping missionaries throughout the world.

I want to thank the great number of parishioners who responded so positively to his message and requested more information. As a faith community we profit spiritually in a profound way from the visit of a genuine missionary priest with a heart for his work and a soul full of God’s compassion and love. 

Please keep Cross Catholic International on your “database” and Fr Farin in your prayers! For more info. on Fr. Paul Farin, visit their ministry website at: www.crosscatholic.org.

– August 1st 2021 – The New Statue of St. Martin de Porres

Last week we dedicated the new statue and candle stand in honor of St. Martin de Porres in our church. It complements the statue and shrine of St. Anthony on the opposite side of the church.  

The statue was completely paid for by donors and the pedestal was constructed by Paul Sepp as an additional donation. We are grateful to all involved. 

In these days of tension between diverse racial groups I can think of no saint more than St Martin de Porres who embodies the virtues of tolerance and compassion, we so need today. 

By God’s grace he overcame many prejudiced attitudes and made a vast contribution to the church of his time!