St Joseph Roman Catholic Church

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05/27/2026

My Dear Parishioners,

This weekend we celebrate Trinity Sunday. We celebrate the fact that God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son so that we might have life through Him. We celebrate that our relationship that we have with Him is nothing less than a sharing in Divine Life.

The Blessed Trinity itself is a Supernatural Mystery. A “mystery” in the Church is something that is Divinely Revealed. So, a Supernatural Mystery is something that cannot be known by our reason alone but must be revealed to us by God.

God is the source of all truth and beauty, so the mysteries that He reveals to us cannot be contrary to reason. We, however, are limited in our understanding of these Supernatural Mysteries because of the limits of our intellects. We are also limited in our understanding because we are “fallen,” and our intellects are darkened by Original Sin. Thankfully, God reveals these mysteries to us and then gives us the Grace to enter into them. Thankfully, God gives us the Grace to share in the mystery of Truth, Who is His Son, Jesus.

To help us better understand and appreciate the Blessed Trinity, I decided to go “old school” this week. I have included Lesson 3 of the Baltimore Catechism on the Unity and Trinity of God. May you and your families have many blessings this week.

St. Joseph, Patron of the Church and our Patron, pray for us!

Fr. Michael J. Pawelko, Pastor

180. What does "unity," and what does "trinity"

mean?

"Unity" means being one, and "trinity" means three-fold or three in one.

181. Can we find an example to fully illustrate the mystery of the Blessed Trinity?

We cannot find an example to fully illustrate the mystery of the Blessed Trinity, because the mysteries of our holy religion are beyond comparison.

182. Is there but one God?

Yes; there is but one God.

183. Why can there be but one God?

There can be but one God because God, being supreme and infinite, cannot have an equal.

184. What does "supreme" mean?

"Supreme" means the highest in authority; also the most excellent or greatest possible in anything. Thus in all things God is supreme, and in the Church the Pope is supreme.

185. When are two persons said to be equal?

Two persons are said to be equal when one is in no way greater than or inferior to the other.

186. How many persons are there in God?

In God there are three Divine persons, really distinct, and equal in all things --the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

187. What do "divine" and "distinct" mean?

"Divine" means pertaining to God, and "distinct" means separate; that is, not confounded or mixed with any other thing.

188. Is the Father God?

The Father is God and the first Person of the Blessed Trinity.

189. Is the Son God?

The Son is God and the second Person of the Blessed Trinity.

190. Is the Holy Spirit God?

The Holy Spirit is God and the third Person of the Blessed Trinity.

191. Do "first," "second," and "third" with regard to the persons of the Blessed Trinity mean that one person existed before the other or that one is greater than the other?

"First," "second," and "third" with regard to the persons of the Blessed Trinity do not mean that one person was before the other or that one is greater than the other; for all the persons of the Trinity are eternal and equal in every respect. These numbers are used to mark the distinction between the persons, and they show the order in which the one proceeded from the other.

192. What do you mean by the Blessed Trinity?

By the Blessed Trinity I mean one God in three Divine Persons.

193. Are the three Divine Persons equal in all things?

The three Divine Persons are equal in all things.

194. Are the three Divine Persons one and the same God?

The three Divine Persons are one and the same God, having one and the same Divine nature and substance.

195. What do we mean by the "nature" and "substance" of a thing?

By the "nature" of a thing we mean the combination of all the qualities that make the thing what it is. By the "substance" of a thing we mean the part that never changes, and which cannot be changed without destroying the nature of the thing.

196. Can we fully understand how the three Divine Persons are one and the same God?

We cannot fully understand how the three Divine Persons are one and the same God, because this is a mystery.

197. What is a mystery?

A mystery is a truth which we cannot fully understand.

198. Is every truth which we cannot understand a mystery?

Every truth which we cannot understand is not a mystery; but every revealed truth which no one can understand is a mystery.

199. Should we believe truths which we cannot understand?

We should and often do believe truths which we cannot understand when we have proof of their existence.

200. Give an example of truths which all believe, though many do not understand them.

All believe that the earth is round and moving, though many do not understand it. All believe that a seed planted in the ground will produce a flower or tree often with more than a thousand other seeds equal to itself, though many cannot understand how this is done.

201. Why must a divine religion have mysteries?

A divine religion must have mysteries because it must have supernatural truths and God Himself must teach them. A religion that has only natural truths, such as man can know by reason alone, fully understand and teach, is only a human religion.

202. Why does God require us to believe mysteries?

God requires us to believe mysteries that we may submit our understanding to Him.

203. By what form of prayer do we praise the Holy Trinity?

We praise the Holy Trinity by a form of prayer called the Doxology, which has come down to us almost from the time of the Apostles.

204. Say the Doxology.

The Doxology is: "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen."

05/27/2026

My Dear Parishioners,

This weekend, our nation and our Church invite us into two profound moments of remembrance: Pentecost Sunday, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles and gave birth to the Church, and Memorial Day, when we honor those who gave their lives in service to our country.

At first glance, these two commemorations may seem unrelated. Pentecost is rooted in the Blessed Trinity, in the promises made by Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and in our Holy Catholic faith. Memorial Day is rooted in civic life and in a sense of civic duty. However, they both have much in common. Both Pentecost and Memorial Day call to remember, to give thanks, to pray, to trust in Divine Providence, to hope, to champion justice, to conquer sin, and to live in the freedom we have been given.

On Pentecost, the Apostles were transformed. They had been fearful, hiding behind locked doors. Yet, when the Holy Spirit came upon them like a rushing wind and tongues of fire, they were filled with courage, truth, and love. They went out into the streets, proclaiming the Gospel in every language.

The Spirit’s gift was not just for their comfort and peace, although the Holy Spirit is known as the Comforter. The Gift of the Holy Spirit was for mission. The Holy Spirit gave them the freedom to live and speak the truth without fear, to give themselves completely for the love of Jesus and the love of souls. The Holy Spirit gave them the deepest kind of freedom: not simply the absence of constraint, but the ability to live fully for love of God and love of neighbor.

As St. Paul reminds us this weekend, these Gifts were not just for the Blessed Apostles and their Successors, but for the entire Church: Brothers and sisters: No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit (I Corinthians, Chapter 12).

So, through the power of the Holy Spirit first received in Baptism and renewed in Confirmation, we all have become “soldiers” of Christ, living our lives for love of God and love of neighbor. This then brings us to our civic observance of Memorial Day.

Memorial Day calls us to remember those who laid down their lives for our nation. They, too, acted out of a mission. Whether they had enlisted or were drafted, their mission was one rooted in love of country, in a sense of civic duty, in the defense of human dignity, and for the protection of the freedoms that we enjoy. Their sacrifice reminds us that freedom is never free. It is always the fruit of courage, selflessness, and a willingness to place the good of others above one’s own safety. In this way, their witness mirrors the Gospel truth: “Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).

As President Kennedy wrote: Whereas the high courage and the supreme sacrifice of Americans who gave their lives in battle have made it possible for our land to flourish under freedom and justice; and Whereas the ideals and patriotism of those who answered the call to service stand as an inspiration to every new generation of Americans; and Whereas the same principles and revolutionary beliefs for which our forbears fought and died are still at issue in the world and the challenge against them can be met only through the same qualities of courage, strength, and unflinching determination shown by our noble dead……. I, John F. Kennedy, President of the United States, do hereby urge the people of the United States to observe Memorial Day, by invoking the blessing of God on those who have died in defense of our country, and by praying for a new world of law where peace and justice shall prevail and a life of opportunity shall be assured for all (Memorial Day Proclamation, 1961).

The common theme of both our celebration of Pentecost and our observance of Memorial Day is remembrance. Our remembrance is also a living commitment; a living commitment to allow the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to help us never tire of overcoming evil and to help us always foster true freedom. Our remembrance is also a living commitment to be grateful; a living commitment to be grateful to God for His Goodness and grateful for those who gave all so that we may enjoy freedom. This weekend, as we give Praise and Thanksgiving for the Gift of the Holy Spirt, we shall pray for an increase of those beautiful gifts of the Holy Spirit on ourselves and our nation. This weekend, we will also lift up in prayer those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms and for our families.

Under the guidance of St. Joseph and by the power of the Holy Spirit, may we live as people who remember well. May we live as a people who honor the past by the way we live in the present. Moreover, may the Spirit of Pentecost give us the courage to use our freedom correctly, not for ourselves alone, but for the glory of God and the good of all.

St. Joseph, Patron of the Church, and our Patron, pray for us and our nation!

Fr. Michael J. Pawelko, Pastor

05/15/2026

My Dear Parishioners,

As we enter the Seventh Week of Easter, we continue our journey through the First Letter of St. Peter. Some biblical scholars question whether St. Peter the Apostle was the actual author. I do accept, as fact, that the Letter was definitely written by St. Peter, the Prince of Apostles and our first Pope.

St. Peter most likely wrote the Letter from Rome, which he calls “Babylon.” “Babylon” was a code word for Early Christians for Pagan Rome. He probably composed the letter during the reign of Emperor Nero and then not too long before his own crucifixion.

The letter is directed to a persecuted Church. This was a Church being persecuted by Jews, who believed that Christians were a dangerous sect of heretics. This was a Church also being persecuted by pagan Romans, who treated Christians as scapegoats, blaming Christians for everything going wrong in the Roman Empire.

Since St. Peter was writing to believers, he did not see the need to write a theological treatise. He did however see the need to write a moral exhortation to his persecuted Church.

He was encouraging Christians who faced confiscation of property, imprisonment, torture, and death to hold fast to Christ and to true religion: Beloved: Rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let no one among you be made to suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as an intriguer. But whoever is made to suffer as a Christian should not be ashamed but glorify God because of the name (I Peter 4: 13-16).

He was also warning those who might feel tempted to fall back into old sinful ways not to do so, but to imitate Jesus Christ in Holiness: as He who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in your conduct (1Peter: 1:15).

His exhortation is important to us, as we face persecution from an increasingly secular world. Secularism is a philosophy that claims that it does not make determinations based on religion but based on the empirical sciences alone. Secularists so then “claim” to be “neutral” on the matter of religion.

Sadly, in practice, secularism is far from neutral on the matter of religion. On the contrary we have found out that secularism is outright hostile to true religion. The godless can never truly be at peace around the Godly. Thus, secularists who claim, in theory, not to discriminate on the basis of religion, do, in practice, discriminate against those who hold fast to true religion.

The persecution under secularists is not the physical persecution that we faced under Nero. No, it is a philosophical and intellectual persecution. Thus, it has been more subtle and yet just as evil. For instance, the whole issue of “gender identity,” along with many other challenges to traditional family values, comes from the secularist movement.

Moreover, faithful Christians in the workplace have found themselves being passed over for jobs and for promotions for simply remaining faithful Christians. Faithful Christian students have found themselves being ridiculed for their Christian beliefs and encouraged to abandon those beliefs. For workers and students, this persecution can be very intense in our colleges and universities around the country.

In the face of this new era of persecution, St. Peter calls us to always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence, and keep your conscience clear, so that when you are abused, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing right, if that should be God’s Will, then for doing wrong (I Peter 3: 15-17).

This is easier said than done, especially if our livelihood is in danger. It is also easier said than done when those closest to us have embraced secularism and have now become hostile to anyone holding true to our Catholic Faith.

Thankfully, we have the guidance of St. Peter, and we hold fast to our Faith. We hold fast to Christ not only for our sake and the sake of our souls, but for the sake of our persecutors and for the sake of their souls. For as long as we hold fast to our Catholic Faith, and in love, offer encouragement even to those who are now persecuting us, we have that opportunity to save their souls too. Let us never give up, but always do good, avoid evil, and continue to work for the Glory of God and for the salvation of souls: ours and theirs.

St. Joseph, Patron of the Church and our Patron, pray for us!

Fr. Michael J. Pawelko, Pastor

05/08/2026

My Dear Parishioners,

As I am writing this, I am sitting next to a picture of my own mother. Mom passed away in the summer of 2006. While we never completely get over the passing of a loved one, we do move on with life. Yet, even as we move on in life, we do hold fast to the memories of a loved one, and we honor their memory by copying their virtues and keeping them in prayer.

My mother, by the way, was Italian and of the “second generation” to be born here in America of the Capirose and Caranci families. She was one of four and grew up in Mater Dolorosa Parish in Philadelphia. Her family would later move to the Bensalem area and then to Bristol. She was baptized Carmela but preferred to be called “Kitty.” She was a private person with very strong opinions. Mom was a stay-at-home mom in her younger years and then worked as a nurse’s aide in her later years before retiring.

Mom loved TV, especially her cop shows. Her other loves were Sinatra, house cleaning, doing laundry, black coffee, burnt toast, hot dogs grilled to a crisp, and she especially loved her ci******es. She hated cooking, and it showed. She loved the Blessed Mother, the Rosary, and the Miraculous Medal, and she of course loved her family. Sadly, her love of ci******es did cut short her life. She was only 75 when she passed away. If she was still alive, Mom would have been 95 on March 2.

As we remember our biological mothers, we also have the opportunity to remember our “spiritual mothers.” St. John Paul II teaches that all women are called to be spiritual mothers:

Here’s a wonderful attribute of your feminine genius: All women are called to spiritual motherhood. By virtue of being created feminine, the genius behind God’s design of you, body and soul, inherently equips you for motherhood. All women have the gift of maternity, and it is lived in two ways: physical motherhood and spiritual motherhood. Physical mothers come to mind most obviously. They birth and raise their own biological children, or raise children as adoptive mothers, stepmothers, or foster mothers. Spiritual motherhood means nurturing the spiritual, moral, emotional, and cultural life in others. Not all women give birth to children, yet all women are called to exercise a spiritual maternity in the world — giving care and nurture to others through their own maternal gift. (And, of course, spiritual mothering should be part of every physical mother’s care!)… St. John Paul II describes the universal vocation of all women, not just women who bear children. God entrusts all women, by reason of their femininity — their design — to care for humanity. Maternal care, in a spiritual way, is not limited to childcare, but should be active in all phases of a woman’s life. Spiritual mothering doesn’t smother or infantilize teens or adults but loves and serves them according to the needs of the person one is caring for. It brings a motherly touch to our human relationships, and to our work —especially the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. (Pat Gohen, Catholic Digest, Spiritual Mothers—Like You, September 21, 2013)

At the altar this weekend, I will be remembering all of our mothers, living and deceased, as well I will be remembering both our biological mothers and our spiritual mothers, as I remember my own mother. May God continue to richly reward all mothers for their sacrifices on our behalf. And we wish all of our mothers, a very Happy Mothers’ Day.

This weekend we see the Blessed Apostles, Saints Peter and John, administering the Sacrament of Confirmation. Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

The sacredtextsguide.com website explains the significance of this event: What does Acts 8:14–17 mean? Acts 8:14–17 describes Peter and John traveling to Samaria to pray for and lay hands on newly baptized believers so they could receive the Holy Spirit. The passage establishes that while baptism is genuine and necessary, the fullness of the Spirit's indwelling comes through apostolic laying on of hands as a distinct sacramental act completing Christian initiation. Key Insight: Confirmation is not the end of religious education—it is apostolic commissioning, the moment the Church breathes the Spirit into you for mission.

Acts 8:15 — Prayer Preceding the Gift On arriving, Peter and John do not immediately impose hands. They first pray. This order

— prayer, then sacramental gesture — is theologically significant. It signals that the Holy Spirit is not commanded by human will but implored from the Father, consistent with Jesus's promise that "the Father in heaven [will] give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him" (Luke 11:13). The prayer is not private but liturgical and communal, performed in the presence of the assembled Samaritan believers. The object of the prayer is explicitly stated: hina labōsin Pneuma Hagion — "that they might receive the Holy Spirit." This phrase presupposes that the Spirit is a distinct, identifiable gift, a person who "comes upon" believers in a perceptible and transformative way.

Acts 8:16 — The Distinction Between Baptism and the Spirit's Conferral This verse is exegetically pivotal: "for as yet he had fallen on none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of Christ Jesus." Luke's explanatory gar (for) introduces a careful distinction. These believers were genuinely, validly baptized — Luke does not question the baptisms Philip performed. Yet something specific remained outstanding: the Spirit had not yet "fallen" (epipeptōkos) upon them. The verb epipiptō is the same Luke uses at Pentecost (Acts 11:15) and in the household of Cornelius (Acts 10:44), carrying the sense of a dramatic, decisive descending. This verse definitively rules out collapsing Confirmation into Baptism as if the two were identical in every respect. Baptism regenerates; the laying on of hands in confirmation bestows the fullness of the Spirit for witness and mission — a pneumatological "completion" of initiation. The phrase "in the name of Christ Jesus" recalls the Petrine formula of Acts 2:38, affirming that the Samaritan baptisms were doctrinally orthodox — the deficiency is not in their baptism's validity but in their initiation's completeness.

Acts 8:17 — The Laying on of Hands and the Reception of the Spirit "Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit." The Greek epetithoun is an imperfect, suggesting the gesture was performed individually, person by person — a personal, deliberate act. The result is immediate and real: elambanon Pneuma Hagion — they received the Holy Spirit. This is not metaphor. Simon Magus, witnessing it from outside, could observe something taking place (v. 18), implying a perceptible manifestation, likely similar to what had occurred at Pentecost and in Cornelius's house. The laying on of hands (cheirotonia in its broader sense, epithesis tōn cheirōn here) is one of the most ancient gestures of blessing and commissioning in Scripture, rooted in the Hebrew semikah — the transfer of authority, blessing, or identity by physical touch (cf. Num 27:18–23; Deut 34:9). Here it becomes the specific sacramental instrument through which apostolic authority mediates the gift of the Spirit.

I hope that you enjoyed this explanation, and we thank the scholars at “sacredtextsguide” for their work and their insights.

Thursday, May 14 is Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord. As we come together on this Holy Day of Obligation, we recall the historical fact that forty days after the Resurrection, Our Blessed Savior Ascended into Heaven. As the Preface prayer for this Liturgy teaches us: He ascended, not to distance Himself from our lowly state, but that we, His members, might be confident of following where He, our Head and Founders, has gone before. Thus, the Feast of the Ascension is really a celebration of the gift of our Catholic Faith that alone keeps us in the Communion of Saints and on the path of Heaven.

This year, all Masses will be on the Feast Day itself at 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, and 7:00 PM.

As we lift up our mothers in prayer, let us continue to thank God, through His Son, Our Redeemer Jesus Christ, for all of the good gifts He continues to bestow on us, especially the gift of Confirmation and the gift of His Holy Spirit.

Mary, Mother of God, pray for us! St. Joseph, Spouse of Mary and our Patron, pray for us!

Fr. Michael J. Pawelko, Pastor

05/06/2026

My Dear Parishioners,

We are entering the beautiful month of May. Trees continue to fill out and plants continue to flower. Days are getting longer, and hopefully warmer. Frost warnings are thankfully giving way to planting season. New life is everywhere. It is such a joyful time of year.

This joyful time of year is a fitting time to celebrate the beautiful gifts that God bestows upon us. In a special way in May, we focus on the beautiful gift of life. It is fitting then that we honor our mothers in May, who carried us in our wombs. It is fitting that we honor the Holy Mother of God, Mary, who carried Jesus in her womb. It is fitting that we honor all human life as a precious gift of God.

We will be honoring our moms next weekend with a special blessing at each Mass and a little gift for Mom to take home. We also have that opportunity to lift up our mothers in prayer, whether living or dead, and ask for God’s continued blessings on them.

Next weekend we will also honor the Holy Mother of God with a May Crowning at our 4:00 Vigil Mass and our 11:30 Sunday Mass. At those masses, we will all have the opportunity to consecrate ourselves to Blessed Mother and to ask for her continued intercession for ourselves and our families.

We will also be praying for life throughout the month of May. We are saddened by the recent Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court (Allegheny Reproductive Health Center v. Pennsylvania Department of Human Services) decision allowing for the use of taxpayer funds for abortions. This court decision is a reminder that we can never become complacent, but must always be vigilant. As St. Peter warns, the devil is like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

The devil seems to especially love abortion. The devil loves abortion because it is a direct violation of God’s Fifth Commandment. The devil loves abortion because abortion is a direct rejection of one of God’s most beautiful gifts to us, the gift of life. The devil loves abortion because it is a sin the causes only sadness and never joy.

So, the devil seduces and tempts with words like “choice.” The devil seduces with lies, such as telling women that they must take “ownership” of their bodies instead of entrusting their bodies to God and His Divine Plan. The devil seduces society into thinking that abortion is an acceptable “remedy” for a mistake. The devil seduces by convincing society babies are an obstacle to happiness instead of a source of happiness.

Yet, there is always hope and the devil never has the last word. As we celebrate mothers in general, the Mother of God in particular, and the beautiful gift of life, let us continue to lay siege to Heaven for mothers, for families, for right religion, and for the dignity of life from conception to natural death.

I am including a Litany of Life that you may want to join me in praying this month of May.

Most Holy Mother of God, pray for us!

St. Joseph, Foster Father of Jesus and Spouse of Mary, pray for us!

Fr. Michael J Pawelko, Pastor

05/06/2026

Don’t forget to register to register! Games, snacks and raffles.

04/24/2026

My Dear Parishioners,

This week our responsorial psalm is the beloved Psalm 23. Psalm 23 is a “Psalm of David” and is believed to have been composed by King David early in his reign, around 1000BC.

The image of the shepherd was a very familiar one in the ancient world, and King David himself shepherded sheep as recorded in the First Book of Samuel. This means that he had first hand knowledge of caring for sheep. He would later become the King of Israel, and yet he did not claim to be the true shepherd of Israel. No, he very clearly stated that God was the true shepherd of Israel.

This could be an act of humility because King David had received many blessings from the Lord. God called him to be the new King of Israel and then delivered him from the persecution of King Saul. God also forgave him for his sins of adultery. God also provided wise counsels-the prophets Samuel, Nathan, and Gad.

In the Psalm, King David celebrates just how close God was to him and the care God provided for him. For us Catholics, the Psalm is a celebration of Jesus, who is the True Shepherd. The Psalm also is a celebration of the Divine Gifts that we receive through Jesus, through His Church, and through the Sacraments that He instituted. Let us look at these hidden meanings of the Psalm:

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. Jesus is the good shepherd who already knows the longing of our hearts: I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me (John 10:14), and For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes (Rev. 7: 17).
In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. Jesus releases our souls from bo***ge of sin through the Sacrament of Baptism and then allows us to receive many helps from Heaven: For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, deluded, slaves to various desires and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful ourselves and hating one another. But when the kindness and generous love of God Our Savior appeared, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy; He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit whom He richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ Our Savior, so that we might be justified by His grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life. (Titus 3: 3-7).
He guides me in right paths for his name's sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side. Jesus has promised to be always with us, and He fulfills that promise through His Catholic Church and through the Sacraments: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matt 28: 19-20). Jesus moreover sends us His own Blessed Mother to help us journey through this sometimes dark and scary world: Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, hail our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us O Holy Mother of God, that we may be worthy of the promises of Christ.
With your rod and your staff that give me courage. We can say that the rod and the staff are the Commandments and the Beatitudes, that help keep us on the right Similarly, we can say that the rod and staff are whole of the Sacred Scriptures and the teachings of the Saints on how to live the Scriptures. The rod and staff can also represent the good Catholics that God has placed in our own lives that help keeps us on the path to Heaven. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father. (Matthew 5: 14-16)
You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Along with Baptism, the Psalm foreshadows the other Sacraments of Initiation: the Most Holy Eucharist and the Sacrament of Confirmation. The Most Holy Eucharist most especially is called the “Sacrament of Sacraments,” and we are most thankful that Jesus continues to make the Most Holy Eucharist available for us weekly, or even daily, in the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. In the Most Holy Eucharist, He very concretely makes Himself present to us: Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. In the Most Holy Eucharist, He makes our cups overflow with this beautiful promise: Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. (John 6: 47-51).
Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come. While not promising us a worry free or a pain free life, Jesus offers us a broader perspective, that the sufferings and the sacrifices in this life are nothing compared to the rewards to come: Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,* and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light. (Matthew 11: 28-30).

I hope that you find inspiration in this little reflection on Psalm

23.

In the Easter Season, many pray a beautiful little prayer to our Blessed Mother Mary called the Regina Caeli (Queen of Heaven prayer). It is a request to Mary to help us in experiencing the full joy of the Resurrection. The prayer in English and in Latin goes like this:

Queen of Heaven

Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia.
For He whom you did merit to bear, alleluia.
Has risen, as he said, alleluia.
Pray for us to God, alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.
For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.

Let us pray. O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Regina Caeli

Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia.
Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia.
Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia.
Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.
Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, alleluia.
Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia.

Oremus. Deus, qui per resurrectionem Filii tui, Domini nostri Iesu Christi, mundum laetificare dignatus es: praesta, quaesumus; ut per eius Genetricem Virginem Mariam, perpetuae capiamus gaudia vitae. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Whether we pray this in English or Latin, may the intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God help us to experience the joys of the Resurrection in this life and to see Jesus face to face in the beautiful life to come.

St. Joseph, Patron of the Church and our Patron, pray for us! St. Mary Magdalene, Apostle to the Apostles, pray for us!

Address

1795 Columbia Avenue
Warrington, PA
18976

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4pm
Tuesday 9am - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 4pm

Telephone

+12156723020

Website

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