Our Mother of Consolation Catholic Church in Philadelphia, PA

Growing our Faith, Building our Community

Parish Mission Prayer
Nourished by the Word and Eucharist, we, the members of Our Mother of Consolation Parish, strive to create a vital, welcoming Catholic faith community that embraces each person. Acknowledging our blessings and supporting one another, we humbly serve the needs of God’s people and work to be the presence of Christ in our world.

Feasibility Study Online Survey

A few weeks ago, we began a Pre-Campaign Study to determine the interest level of our parishioners and school families for a proposed Capital Campaign. Since then, our consulting firm, Ruotolo Associates, Inc., has conducted over 35 personal interviews and one focus group. Thus far, all of our participants have been open and candid. The next part of the study is an online survey which is being sent to all of our registered families.

We would like to invite you to participate in the survey. The results of this study are essential in determining how we will proceed with the campaign, and your involvement in this planning process will be greatly appreciated.

Please complete the survey by Friday, November 3rd. And be assured all answers to your questions will be sent directly to Ruotolo Associates and held in the strictest confidence.

Click here to complete the survey.

Thank you!

A challenging and critically important oped piece for all to read

Kudos to a young senior at Notre Dame for addressing the scourge that impacts our society and church today, pornography. We applaud his courage and thank him for allowing us to share his story on our homepage. Click here. Like so many addictions, this disease does not discriminate. It can ruin so many relationships, especially with our God, spouse, family and friends. The statistics are overwhelming and the introduction to pornography gets younger every year.

OMC at CHC: see our new video featuring our students at Chestnut Hill College

Click here to see our five minute video of the OMC student life at the college.

Sean-Tamba Matthew Featured in Catholic Philly

Click here to read a nice article on our own Sean Matthew
and his service to God, family, and community.

The Eucharistic Revival: Parish Phase

The National Eucharistic Revival began last year. The "parish phase" commenced on the Feast of Corpus Christi, June 11, 2023. Being displaced from our church, we were prohibited from having a traditional Corpus Christi procession. In its place, we distributed Bp. Robert Barron's book This is My Body for your enjoyment and enrichment. In the Fall, we will arrange opportunities to discuss the book either live or through Zoom (or both). In the Spring, we will read Fr. Ronald Rolheiser's Our One Great Act of Fidelity: Waiting for Christ in the Eucharist. Throughout the year, parishioners are invited to share their short reflections on the Eucharist for possible inclusion in our bulletin and/or this website (roughly 250 words with a title). Click here to see the website for the National Eucharistic Revival's containing a short video, the outline of the revival, and other pertinent materials.

New Doctors of the Church Series: St. Francis de Sales

Click here to view a wonderful documentary on St. Francis de Sales. One of the contributors is Fr. Tom Dailey, OSFS (a classmate) who has lectured here at OMC and is on the faculty at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary as the inaugural John Cardinal Foley Chair of Homiletics & Social Communication in 2017.

Let There Be Peace in Cité Soleil (Haiti)

Fr. Tom Hagan, OSFS, who has preached at OMC over the years, has been serving in the poorest slum in Haiti for so many years. His ministry, Hands Together, feeds and educates thousands daily. Tom lives the Gospel so radically and powerfully. He has recently brokered a peace agreement between leaders of rival gangs, so that they may forge a better future for all. Among other things the agreement states, "We promise our loving God to work hard to end violence, to bring peace to all people." Click here to read this amazing peace and please pray that this peace may last. Click here for some coverage from Channel 6.

Grateful Hearts

The OMC Parish and School Community are so thankful for the generous outreach to our school's fire recovery effort. The prayers and support of so many have allowed our students to transition well into their temporary home at Chestnut Hill College. We have begun the "rebuilding process" and soon hope to see work beginning.

A Month with St. Francis de Sales

The Oblates are launching a new reflection series! A Month with a Salesian Saint featuring Saint Francis de Sales is a 30-day brief email reflection series. These short reflections, delivered right to the participant's inbox, take only two minutes to read and help to bring the gentle, humble wisdom of Saint Francis de Sales into daily life! Click here to subscribe.

Catholic Charities Appeal 2023: Giving Hope to All

This year's Catholic Charities Appeal began with the In-Pew Weekend of May 13-14. Many thanks to Suzanne Laurito for inspiring us to help the plight of others.. Click here to view the annual appeal's video featuring Archbishop Pérez and many beneficiaries of your support for the over 180 programs conducted by Catholic Charities. Our parish goal is $78,762. This is the same as last year. Let's see if we can reach it and help others in need, so that we may continue to be the presence of Christ in the world. Archbishop Pérez notes that "Your gift will feed the hungry, help keep after school programs open, provide pregnancy support for women, educate individuals with physical and intellectual disabilities, support our mission parishes, help care for our retired clergy and so much more." Every little bit helps. Click here to donate. Make sure to include OMC as your parish affiliation.

Parish Goal: $78,762 Total Gifts: 128 Present Amount: $57,069 Percentage of Goal: 72.46% (updated 9/15/2023)

Parish Mission Recorded: Tools for Living Today Well

Click here to view the parish mission held on the Feast of St. Francis de Sales. Here are two articles that complemented the talk.
Preparation of the Day
Present Moment
Salesian Spirituality: Everyday Holiness

Parish Planning

The Parish Pastoral Council, with help from the Finance Council, is tasked with carrying out the Parish Pastoral Plan 2021-2026 that also incorporates the findings from the Disciple Maker Index and input from the many "listening sessions" of the Synod on Synodality. We have placed all three documents here for your consideration. Please let us know your feelings and how you can help make these a lived experience.

Parish Pastoral Plan Disciple Maker Index Condensed Report
Synod on Synodality (three-page report) Synod on Synodality (summary statements)

MOMS MEET UP is a monthly WWMN gathering at 9 AM on the first Thursday of each month. All Moms are invited to meet at the Market at the Fareway, which is behind the Chestnut Hill Hotel, for mom-to-mom conversation and a cup of your favorite brew. Contact [email protected].

WWMN is also working with The Cenacle at the Padre Pio Center - A community-based family center supporting pregnant women, new parents, caregivers, and families in Frankford, Philadelphia. Here is their current wishlist if you would like to contribute.

Learn more about this ministry by clicking the image above.