OMC Update December 4,  2020

Celebrating the Sacraments:

• First Friday Adoration with Vespers and Benediction - December 4:  Adoration 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM I Church.  Vespers and Benediction – 5:30 PM (in-person and Live Stream). Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube Channel
• Sunday Mass Livestream attendance ONLY: Saturday, 4:30 PM Vigil Mass and Sunday 9:00 AM Mass. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. Due of the increase cases of COVID-19, the “Safer at Home” restrictions issued by the City of Philadelphia requires us to limit our capacity at Mass to 5% of our maximum occupancy, which is 20 people.  Considering this requirement, the parish staff  has decided to offer ONLY  a livestream Mass on Saturday, 4:30 PM Vigil Mass and  9:00 AM on Sunday.  We believe that it is in the best interest of the health and safety of our parish community, our neighbors, and the common good, that we take extreme caution.  By not having in-person Mases on the weekends, we will not only witness our concern for doing what is “good” by supporting the requirements for houses of worship in the City of Philadelphia, but we will also not have to regulate the number in attendance at Mass (20), determining who could and could not attend.
• Reception of the Eucharist: We will offer an opportunity to receive Communion after the Saturday 4:30 PM Livestream Mass until 6:00 PM and the after the 9:00 AM Livestream Mass on Sunday, until 10:30 AM.  Please enter thru the main doors, wear a face covering, and use the hand sanitizer as you enter Church.
• Church Open:  The Church will be open for personal prayer and confessions on Sunday from 10:00 AM to 12 Noon, with confessions from 10:00 to 11:00 AM and on Wednesday, from 7:00 to 8:00 PM. With confessions available.
• Daily Mass: Presently, since the attendance at the Daily Mass (7:00 AM  Monday – Friday), is ordinarily below 20 people, we will continue to celebrate these Masses with in-person attendance unless the situation requires otherwise.  In addition, we will also livestream the Daily Mass.  
• Making a Spiritual Communion (Click HERE): If you are unable to join us for Mass, you are invited to make a spiritual Communion.
• Visual Mass Schedule for Children:  This manipulative can be used with young children to help them follow the Mass.  Simply print out to help your child move through the Mass and identify where we are in our prayer.  Whether virtual or in-person it can be a great help for our young parishioners and a wonderful teaching tool!   Click HERE for printout

 
The Annual Retirement Fund for Religious Collection: The collection will be help this weekend (Dec. 5-6) in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.  This appeal benefits 30,000 elderly Catholic sisters, brothers, and religious order priests (including the Sisters of St Joseph and the Oblates of St Francis de Sales) - women and men who have consecrated their lives to serving God and the Church.   Many religious communities struggle to provide for their aging members.  Vocations to religious life have diminished but lifespans have increased.  In thanksgiving for their faithful service, please join me in supporting the Religious Retirement Fund and in prayer for God’s blessing on our nation’s elderly consecrated religious.  Thank you!  Click HERE to donate
 
Christmas Masses: Thanks to all those who participated in the Christmas Mass Survey.  The information from the survey will assist us in planning for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Masses.  We are still monitoring the situation with the Safer at Home restrictions and the rise in COVID-19 infections before making a decision on the celebration of Masses on Christmas.
 
Walk of the Holy Family - Saturday, December 12, 2020 the walk begins at 4:30pm:  In the Spirit of Las Posadas you are invited to join a consortium of area congregations and your Chestnut Hill neighbors in a Christmas event that raises critical funds for the Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network’s (PIHN) work in preventing homelessness and rapidly housing displaced families.  .  Join us from Christ Ascension Lutheran Church to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church with numerous stops at businesses along Germantown Avenue. The walk is approx. 6/10 of a mile and is suitable for all ages. Walkers will wear masks and travel in small groups to maintain social distancing. Click HERE for information and to register for the walk.  

A Pastoral Message from Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez on the Occasion of the Season of Advent :This year, perhaps more than ever, we need Christmas and its promise of hope for a suffering humanity in the person of Jesus Christ. To fully understand and be ready to accept that profound gift on Christmas day, we must prepare our minds and hearts.If we embrace the Season of Advent fully, we will be ready for the Savior. Though our Advent experience may be far from typical this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this holy season can still be one of prayer and charity. At the Angelus this past weekend, Pope Francis said, “Advent is a continuous call to hope: it reminds us that God is present in history to lead it to its ultimate goal and to lead us to its fullness, which is the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Soon we will rejoice in celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus in Bethlehem, remembering the words of Saint Matthew, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, ‘God is with us.’” As we direct our lives more fully toward the Lord Jesus during these days of preparation, let us pray for and encourage one another in our efforts to be people of hope. +Most Reverend Nelson J. Pérez (Archbishop of Philadelphia)
  
OMC Virtual Ministry Fair – The Parish Pastoral Council invites you to participate in our annual Ministry Fair. Click HERE
 
OMC Stewardship Restoration Appeal:  As our Sunday Collection Restoration Appeal draws to a close, I thank everyone who offered their financial support.  Your response to our appeal  demonstrates our commitment to growing in our mission… to be the presence of Christ in our World. Your generosity will allow us to continue to fund our ministries (especially our new youth ministry program), to meet our operational expenses, and to provide care and support of those in need.  As we approach the end of our Appeal, I welcome parishioners to make a gift by returning your reply card or by giving online through the parish homepage.   Click HERE for information and to donate.  This Restoration Appeal will take the place of our annual fall Block Collection/Building Fund Appeal.
 
OMC Youth Ministry Update: In light of the “Safer at Home” regulations, all youth ministry activities are cancelled through January 2020.  Please stay tuned for virtual youth opportunities

• All teens in grades 8-12 are invited to our parish youth events.  Click HERE for our Teen Ministry Page, updates and teen gospel reflection.
• OMC Cub Pack 1855 – Click HERE for the latest Wolf Pack Newsletter

 
Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary 33rd Annual Christmas Concert  - Sunday, December 6 - 2:00 p.m.  Due to the current COVID-19 restrictions the concert will be streamed live in place of an audience-based performance. Following the initial streaming broadcast, the recorded version of the concert will remain available for viewing through the end of the year. The thirty-minute concert will include seven instrumental selections plus a Christmas medley of songs performed by three of the seminary’s Scholas, named after Saint Ambrose, Saint Benedict, and Saint Chrysogonus. Musical accompaniment and solos are provided by several current and alumni seminarians as well as faculty.  A highlight of the performance will be the singing of Biebl’s famous seven-part Ave Maria by 23 seminarians in virtual choir.   Click HERE to attend.
 
Parish Offices:  The parish office is open Monday thru Friday – 9 AM to 4 PM on a restricted basis.   Please call (215-247-0430) or email ([email protected])  Mary Cassidy for Mass intentions, certificates,  letters, etc., which can be mailed or pick-up.  We ask only 1 person be in the office at a time,  that you wear a face covering when in the office and limit your stay to 10 minutes.  The food pantry is  available, call St Vincent de Paul Society  (215-240-0430 - Ext 5) to arrange for food pickup.

​ Faith Formation Opportunities:

The Institute for Christian Formation: The Archdiocese of Philadelphia is launching The Institute for Christian Formation at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary on January 21, 2021 as a non-credit/non-degree program which will award a certificate upon completion of all sessions.   This program is meeting the requests of an archdiocesan-wide survey which took place in 2017 to inquire about levels of interest in faith enrichment and graduate studies in Theology.   The survey results were impressive in that the respondents expressed a desire for spiritual formation programs and both non-degree and graduate degree programs leading to an encounter with Jesus Christ. Click HERE  for more information.
          
“EC Next Step”: Grow closer to God one step at a time!  This is an innovative discipleship tool which offers individuals an opportunity to deepen their spirituality and call to discipleship through short modules which include input, short videos, questions and reflections on various topics.  It is FREE and available to anyone through our parish Reach More subscription.  To learn more and/or to sign visit ecnextstep.com.  
 
Revive Courses: An opportunity to grow in our Baptismal Call to leadership! The Archdiocese of Philadelphia is grateful to partner with Revive Parishes, an organization that provides online ministry training for parish leaders taught by the best and most experienced Catholic ministry practitioners in the country.  WE ARE ALL PARISH LEADERS by virtual of our Baptism.  Revive provides individuals with a way to enrich their own ministry in our world and in our parish so that they can more effectively care for others and “be the presence of Christ in our world.”  To learn more and to start of FREE course visit: archphila.org/revive.
 
Service Opportunities: 
 
2020 Catholic Charities Appeal:  The 2020 CCA ends this month. We need your help to reach out goal!  To date we have reached 85% ($66,777) of our goal ($78,762) from 182 gifts.  Once again, we call on your generosity through a monetary donation, through prayer, and through service to achieve this year’s CCA goal.  If you have already contributed to this year’s appeal……THANK YOU!!  If you have not had the opportunity to contribute, please click HERE  to make your donation.  

OMC Hat, Glove, Sock & Scarf Collection:  Saturday, December 5 thru  Sunday, December 13.  The Peace and Justice Committee will be collecting adult sizes for area shelters and other projects helping those in need.  We have also received requests for: children’s socks for border asylum camps, and for children’s gloves/socks for local needs. Bring donations to the Parish Office or drop them off in the bin  on the Oblate Residence porch.  Clean, gently used items welcome. 
 
OMC Online Giving Tree:  Thanks to all those who took a tag from our Online Giving Tree.  Please remember to return all unwrapped gifts to the parish office by December 4!!
 
OMC Food Pantry:  We are still collecting food for our sisters and brothers in need. You may leave your bags of non-perishable food items on the rectory porch whenever convenient.  If you need food, or know of someone in need of food, please call the parish office 215-247-0430, press 7 when the auto-attendant service answers, and leave a message in the St. Vincent de Paul voice mail box. Thanks again, for helping us to meet the needs of our neighbors during this time of uncertainty and to our St Vincent de Paul Society for coordinating our efforts.
 
Caring for Friends – CFF (formerly Aid for Friends):  Meals are still needed. You can drop off your frozen meals at the parish or a volunteer can pick them up from your home; please contact  me to make arrangements.  If you are interested in becoming involved as a volunteer cook, click HERE for information. This is a great opportunity for families to do service at home and to assist those in need.  Laura McKenna, our OMC CFF coordinator, can assist you with getting you started. Click HERE to email Laura.