Weekend of January 30 - 31

Dear Friends,

We begin today Catholic Schools Week. This annual observance is a good opportunity for us to give thanks to God for the existence of our Catholic schools, especially here in our Archdiocese, which enabled so many of us to receive our grounding in the faith. We are also reminded of the many sacrifices parents and guardians make, many right here in our own parish, to send their children to Catholic school and, thus, to provide them with the best of a faith-based education. Catholic Schools Week also provides us a chance to give thanks to God for our own Blessed Trinity Catholic School. Ms. Linda Milewski, our Principal, and our dedicated faculty and staff provide a wonderful place of learning for our children. Our enrollment is very stable, even, thank God, in this time of pandemic, and, in light of the fact that in so many places Catholic school enrollments are diminishing, we give thanks to God for this rich grace! We are blessed in having one of the finest schools in our Archdiocese, and this fact is recognized by many professionals, including our own archdiocesan Office of Catholic Education. God is good! Our 12:00 Mass this Sunday is the official kick-off to Catholic Schools Week, and is a good opportunity for us, as a parish family, to celebrate the important gift of Catholic education.

 

This Tuesday, February 2^nd, we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also known as Candlemas. On this fortieth day after Christmas, we celebrate the event of Mary and Joseph bringing the Child Jesus to the temple so that he could be presented, according to the Law of Moses. It was on this occasion that the ancient Simeon took Jesus in his arms and proclaimed him the “Light of revelation to the nations and the glory of [God’s] people, Israel.” At the 8:30 Mass on Tuesday, as part of the liturgy, we will bless the candles that will be used in church and in the sacred liturgy for the coming year. Blessed candles will also be available for you to take home with you that day. If you have any candles at home, especially that you use for prayer or for the celebration of the sacraments, please bring them with you to church on Tuesday to be blessed. I cordially invite everyone to join us for the Solemn Candlemas Mass on Tuesday at 8:30 (this liturgy will be live-streamed).

 

Next weekend we will be welcoming the Little Sisters of the Poor, who will be visiting us to make their annual appeal. I remind you of the great work the Little Sisters do in serving the elderly at Holy Family Home in West Philadelphia. The sisters perform their great ministry worldwide, without any financial assistance from the government. They depend solely on the providence of God and the generosity of good people like ourselves. I ask you, as always, to be attentive to the sisters’ message and to be as generous as you possibly can.

 

Because this coming Wednesday is the Memorial of Saint Blaise, Bishop and Martyr, who is the patron of those suffering from ailments of the throat, we will be blessing throats at the 8:30 Mass on Wednesday as well as at all the Masses next weekend.

Know that you and those you love are daily remembered in my Mass and my prayers.

 

Love and prayers,

Father Olivere