June 12, 1953…

Father Hennnegan

Our Founding Pastor, Rev. Francis J. Hennegan

On May 22, 1953, the Archbishop of Philadelphia,  John O’Hara, announced the establishment of a new parish dedicated to Saint Joseph, the patron of the Universal Church, to be situated in Cheltenham Township in Montgomery County.  The new parish would be made up of parts of Holy Angels and Saint Helena in Philadelphia and Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Cheltenham.

At the same time as Archbishop O’Hara announced the establishment of Saint Joseph Parish, he also announced the appointment of the founding pastor, Rev. Francis J. Hennegan, then assistant pastor at Saint Gabriel Church in Philadelphia.  Father Hennegan would assume the arduous task of starting the new parish on Friday, June 12, 1953.

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Action Alert!

In April 2016, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed House Bill 1947. If this bill passes in the Senate, civil claims that are currently time-barred would be revived until the victim reaches age 50, but only if that abuse occurred in a non-profit setting.  Public schools and agencies would still be protected by sovereign immunity. Nonprofit and private organizations like Catholic parishes and schools could be sued for past cases, but not public schools.  The bill is scheduled to go to the Senate the week of June 13.

For information about the bill, click here.

To contact your state senator and governor,  click here.  The time to act is now!

Congratulations, Bishop-elect Deliman!

Msgr DelimanCongratulations and prayerful best wishes are extended to Msgr. Edward M. Deliman who has been named an Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia by Pope Francis.

Then-Father Deliman was Parochial Vicar (Assistant Pastor) of Saint Joseph Church, Cheltenham from June 1973 through June 1977 – his first assignment as a priest!

Archbishop Chaput will ordain Bishop-elect Deliman to the episcopacy on August 18, 2016 in the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.  Please pray for Bishop-elect Deliman as he prepares for his new responsibilities.

 

The Eucharist: Source and Summit of Mercy

Year-of-Mercy-English-CLEARAll great things, moments, and events have a source. Teams who win have a strong coach, fast cars have a powerful engine, and those who give have a big heart. The same holds true for us as disciples of Jesus Christ. We have a source, which is the Eucharist.

“The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’ The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.” (CCC 1324)

In this Year of Mercy, Pope Francis is inviting us to rekindle our relationship with the source of mercy. The Eucharist is what fuels our parishes, feeds our families, and comforts our hearts. This gift is the source and strength of our love and mercy to the poor, needy, and abandoned.

“Anyone who wishes to give love must also receive love as a gift. Certainly, as the Lord tells us, one can become a source from which rivers of living water flow (cf. Jn 7:37‐38). Yet to become such a source, one must constantly drink anew from the original source, which is Jesus Christ, from whose pierced heart flows the love of God (cf. Jn 19:34).” (Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est)

‐Fr. Jason Buck, Parochial Vicar, St. Andrew Parish, Newtown

How to Live It

  • Consider committing to 1 hour a week or 1 hour a month before the Blessed Sacrament.
  • Consider receiving the Eucharist more than once a week.
  • Bring a friend, relative, or coworker to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
  • Make a quick visit to the Blessed Sacrament during the week.

Quote from Catholic Tradition

“Do you allow yourselves to be gazed upon by the Lord? But how do you do this? You look at the tabernacle and you let yourselves be looked at . . . it is simple! ‘It is a bit boring; I fall asleep.’ Fall asleep then, sleep! He is still looking at you. But know for sure that he is looking at you!” ‐Pope Francis

“In the heart of Jesus, which was pierced, the kingdom of heaven and the land of earth are bound together. Here is for us the source of life. This heart is the heart of the Triune Divinity, and the center of all human hearts… It draws us to itself with secret power, it conceals us in itself in the Father’s bosom and floods us with the Holy Spirit. This heart, it beats for us in a small tabernacle where it remains mysteriously hidden in that still, white host.” ‐St. Edith Stein

June 19: International Buffet

28th Annual International BuffetSaint Joseph’s 28th Annual International Buffet will be held at Presentation B.V.M. Hall on Sunday, June 19, 2016 from 3pm to 6pm – less than three weeks from now!!

Please sign-up to help prepare a dish to represent your ethnic heritage.  Use the sign-up form at the end of this post.

Please purchase your tickets in advance:
$10 for adults; $5 for children over 6 years old; free for children under 6 years old!

Come join us for a wide variety of international cuisine,
fun, music, dancing and more!

SIGN-UP TO HELP WITH THE INTERNATIONAL BUFFET:

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Thank you for your response. ✨

 

 

May 30: Memorial Day

Memorial DayToday, May 30, 2016, is Memorial Day.  We remember the many brave men and women who have given their lives throughout the history of our great nation – those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect us from harm and to protect the freedoms we enjoy every day.

Mass will be celebrated at Saint Joseph Church today at 9:30am.

Heavenly Father,
On this Memorial Day,
we pray for those who courageously laid down
their lives for the cause of freedom.
May the example of their sacrifice
inspire in us the selfless love of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Bless the families of our fallen troops,
and fill their homes and their lives with your strength and peace.
In union with people of goodwill of every nation,
embolden us to answer the call to work for peace and justice,
and thus, seek an end to violence and conflict around the globe.
We pray through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

May 29: Corpus Christi

Corpus ChristiToday, Sunday, May 29, 2016, is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus (Corpus Christi).

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

1407 The Eucharist is the heart and the summit of the Church’s life, for in it Christ associates his Church and all her members with his sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving offered once for all on the cross to his Father; by this sacrifice he pours out the graces of salvation on his Body which is the Church.

May 22: Divine Mercy 101 Video

This Sunday, May 22, we will show Divine Mercy 101 with Father Chris Alar, MIC.  The video will be shown in the Parish Community Room immediately following the 10 am Mass.

Deepen Your Understanding of Divine Mercy
Divine Mercy is the urgent message of hope for our world. Learn the powerful devotion and graces associated with it in this dynamic DVD presentation with Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, filmed live at the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
Divine Mercy 101 provides a clear and consice overview of Divine Mercy and the role and mission of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), the apostle of Divine Mercy whom St. John Paul II called “a gift of God to our time.”
Those who are new to Divine Mercy as well as those looking to achieve an advanced level of knowledge will find this presentation ideal. The instructional format makes it perfect for religious education classes, prayer groups, and individuals.
Jesus told St. Faustina, “Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy.”

The Good Samaritan

Our 3rd and 4th grade CCD students, under the direction of their catechist Mr. Carmelo Jacinto, recently produced a two minute video on The Good Samaritan.  Please take a moment to revisit this familiar story with an important message:

Happy Mother’s Day!

We wish all the moms in our Saint Joseph Parish family a very happy Mother’s Day!

Loving God, as a mother gives life and nourishment to her children, so You watch over Your Church. Bless these women, that they may be strengthened as Christian mothers. Let the example of their faith and love shine forth. Grant that we, their sons and daughters, may honor them always with a spirit of profound respect.

 

Book of Blessings
by Prepared by International Commission on English in the Liturgy
A Joint Commission of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences,
The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota, 1989

Mary, the Mother of Mercy

Year-of-Mercy-English-CLEARHave you ever found it difficult to forgive? If so, turn to Mary, the Mother of Mercy. She is the Mother of God whose “mercy endures forever” (Ps 118:1), the Mother of Jesus who prayed, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34). She is our surest help when we struggle with feelings of resentment or the desire to “get even.” For did not she, of all people, have reason to feel resentment, to desire revenge, to despise those who betrayed and abandoned her Son? Did not she have reason to wish for revenge against the hypocrisy of religious leaders who twisted the truth of His words and the goodness of His mighty deeds to justify his condemnation as a charlatan deserving death? And, did not she have reason to wish for vengeance against the cowardice of Pilate, the cruelty of his executioners, and the mockery of the bystanders who scornfully laughed at her beloved Son stripped naked dying helplessly on the cross? Indeed, she had every reason to cry out to God asking for vengeance against the perpetrators of such barbarous cruelty! But, no, she did not. She forgave. She witnessed Jesus asking His Father to forgive.

So let us pray the “Hail, Holy Queen” every day during this Holy Year of Mercy, asking Mary, the Mother of Mercy, to help us be merciful when we feel the desire for revenge or for “getting even.” May Mary, the Mother of Mercy be “our life, our sweetness, and our hope” as we learn how “blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy.” (Mt 5:7).

–Sr. Annette Pelletier, IHM, Prof. of Theology, Immaculata University

How to Live It

Read the story of Immaculee Ilibagiza. In her book, Left To Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, she recounts how she survived the Rwandan genocide and was brought to forgive those who murdered her family through the prayer of the Rosary, especially the Sorrowful Mysteries. Then, consider taking up the Rosary and asking Our Lady to help you forgive those who have injured you.

Quote from Catholic Tradition

“Seek refuge in Mary because she is the city of refuge. We know that Moses set up three cities of refuge for anyone who inadvertently killed his neighbor. Now the Lord has established a refuge of mercy, Mary, even for those who deliberately commit evil. Mary provides shelter and strength for the sinner.” ‐Saint Anthony of Padua “Even while living in the world, the heart of Mary was so filled with motherly tenderness and compassion for men that no‐one ever suffered so much for their own pains, as Mary suffered for the pains of her children.” ‐Saint Jerome, Father and Doctor of the Church

Ascension Thursday Mass Schedule

Ascension Dosso_Dossi_022

This Thursday, May 5, is the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, a Holy Day of Obligation.

The Mass schedule at Saint Joseph Church will be as follows:
Wednesday (Vigil) – 7:30pm
Thursday – 9:30am.

The Mass schedule at our twin parish, Presentation BVM Church, will be as follows:
Thursday – 6:30am and 7:30pm.

…When they had gathered together they asked him,
“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons
that the Father has established by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.”
When he had said this, as they were looking on,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
They said, “Men of Galilee,
why are you standing there looking at the sky?
This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven
will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”
Acts of the Apostles 1:6-11