PREP Registration

We currently have five classes. The Archdiocese requires two years of religious instruction before the reception of a sacrament. When: PREP classes meet at Old St. Joe?s on Mondays from 3:40 to 4:40 from September through mid-May. Where: The children gather in and are dismissed from Barbelin Hall. Classes are held in the hall and in the various meeting rooms of the rectory. Download PREP application form here. If you are interested in becoming a PREP teacher, please contact the Coordinator of Religious...

OSJ’s Young Adult Community (YAC)

The Old Saint Joseph’s YAC (Young Adult Community) aims to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment for young adult Catholics interested in the enrichment of spirituality, social justice, and community in their lives.  The group meets every other Tuesday in the Irani House on the southwest corner of Willings Alley and Third (enter from the Alley). Please join us at our next gathering on June 14 at 7:30 PM. Please come and join us in reflection, community, food, and fellowship! Feel free to bring food & beverage of your choosing. For more info, contact...

Wines from Around the World – Outr...

Save the Date! OSJ Outreach Fundraiser! Wines from Around the World, featuring Moore Brother’s Wines and gourmet food from local Philadelphia restaurants. Date: Friday, Sept. 30, 2011 in Barbelin Hall from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. More information will be available as the date approaches.

Mission/Ministry Sunday: Sept. 18, 2011,...

MISSION/MINSTRY SUNDAY: September 18, 2011 Save the Date! We will be highlighting our Parish Ministries on Sunday September 18.  The annual Missioning Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 (combining the 9:30 and 11:30 Liturgies) followed by breakfast in Barbelin Hall prepared and served by OSJ Parish Life Committee. Representatives from all our Ministries will be on hand to meet you and discuss their mission and plans for the next year. After the 6:30 Liturgy, we will enjoy the monthly Courtyard Cookout and, again, all the Parish Ministries will be available to meet and...

Wernersville Overnight Retreat Reseravti...

Reservations due by Monday, Sept. 12 for the 26 Hours: Moving into Silence with God Retreat! This overnight retreat which will take place Sept. 24 & 25, 2011 invites you to an atmosphere of silence into God’s loving presence. If you have never experienced a silent retreat, this is a great opportunity to do so in the beautiful, natural surroundings at the Jesuit Center in Wernersville, PA.  Reservation forms are available in the back of the church or in the front office. For more info, please contact Vickie at vickietravaline@hotmail.com or (609) 405-0518. Hurry!...

PARISH COUNCIL Listening Session on Sunday, November 6! You are cordially invited to a Parish Council Listening Session on November 6 at 10:40 a.m. in the Library on the 3rd floor of the Rectory. Council members will be there to hear any thoughts, suggestions, concerns or questions you may have about our Parish.  Council will take note of your thoughts and bring them to their next meeting for discussion.

OUTREACH FUNDRAISER THANKS:  to all who supported our annual Wines Around the World event on Friday, September 30, which helps OSJ sponsor our Outreach program. Special thanks to the headliners – Moore Brothers Wine Company. Cooperage Wine and Whiskey Bar and Ristorante Panorama – for their superb wine, food and service, and to all of our wonderful vendors including Allan Domb Real Estate / Schlesinger’s Deli, Las Cazuelas Restaurant and Lounge, Chef’s Table Catering, Starbucks Coffee, Termini Brothers Bakery, Whole Foods Market, The Downtown Club, Famous 4th...

An Ignatian Advent Parish Mission, Dec. ...

Fr. Jim will preach at all the Sunday Masses on Dec. 10-11, 2011. And on Sunday afternoon (12/11) there will be 5:00 p.m. Vespers, “Heart Calls to Heart: Deepening Our Personal Relationship with Jesus”. Fr. Jim will also lead the parish (and friends) on Monday, 12/12 at 7:15 p.m. with an Advent Penance Service: “Meeting the Merciful Heart of Jesus”. And following on Tuesday at 7:15 p.m. Fr. Jim will close our parish mission with the Exposition & Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, “Take, Lord, Receive: Living a Eucharistic Life.” Each service, including...

Old St. Joseph’s Holiday Mass Sche...

CHRISTMAS EVE: 11:30am: Confessions & 12:05pm Daily Mass; Children’s Mass at 4:00pm; Mass at 6:30pm; Prelude, Organ & Choral Selections at 8:30pm; Mass at 9:00pm CHRISTMAS DAY: Mass at 7:30am; Prelude, Organ & Choral Selections at 10:00am; Mass at 10:30am; NOTE: There is no 6:30pm Mass on Christmas night. SOLEMNITY OF MARY: Sunday, January 1: Regular Sunday Mass Schedule

2012 HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE

Holy Thursday: April 5 Confessions: 11:30am to 12:30pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper: 7:30pm Compline: 11:00pm Good Friday: April 6 Stations of the Cross: 12:05pm Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion: 3:00pm Easter Vigil: Saturday, April 7 Mass at 7:30pm Easter Sunday: April 8 Masses at 7:30am, 9:30am, and 11:30am There is no 6:30pm Mass on Easter Sunday!

From the Pastor: May 13, 2012

As I think many of you know, I walk with a friend for an hour or so several mornings a week.  An all-around good and useful habit, it provides regular aerobic exercise to keep me healthy; and it also provides a chance for my friend and me to “solve the world’s problems.”  Lately, though, we have been noticing the intrusion of one of those problems into our walks themselves.  I refer to what I will call “noise pollution”…  As much as I enjoy living in center city – and I do enjoy it a great deal – there is no getting away from the fact that ambient noise...

HEY TEENS! Join us for a fun night on Sa...

Come to the Irani House for pizza & a movie with your OSJ friends. All teens ages 12-17 are invited for fun! Irani House: southwest corner of Willings Alley & Third (enter from the Alley).  Call Peg Harley at 267-738-3471 or send e-mail to pegharley451@gmail.com if you have any questions or would like further details.

No Parish Council Elections This Year

The Archdiocesan and national guidelines for Parish Pastoral Councils recommend that their membership be divided between elected members and members appointed by the Pastor. We had a large election last year; and currently the number of elected members in our Council outnumbers the appointed ones. Also, there are only two members rotating off at the end of this year (i.e., summer). Because of a concern to balance out the Council, and because of a strong desire in particular to insure that our two fastest growing constituencies (young families and young professionals) are...

320 Walnut St & Parking Lot Sold!

We received word from the Archdiocese that as of Tuesday, May 1, the building at 320 Walnut, along with “our” parking lot, are no longer the property of the Archdiocese. We were told to expect a call in the near future from Greg Webster on behalf of the developers who now own the property. We will apparently retain use of a few spaces. Timetables have yet to be clarified, as does the impact of pending renovation and construction work. We will keep you posted as we hear more. Meanwhile, ideas and suggestions for future parking solutions are welcome — feel...

From the Pastor: 5.6.12

With the trial of Msgr. Lynn figuring prominently in the “Inquirer” on a daily basis, and with news of the Vatican’s recent rebuke of American women religious, it is a difficult time to be a priest and pastor in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.  Over recent weeks, I have had painful conversations with a number of agonized parishioners (and other Catholic friends) who are searching their souls about whether or not they can remain formally affiliated with the Catholic Church as an institution while still preserving some sense of their own integrity.  I have had no...

Homily: Easter IV, April 29, 2012

Jesus had a pretty good track record when it comes to universal symbols and images.  Two millennia later, and half a world away from Israel, we still eat bread and we still drink wine.  And when he talks about salt and light, we still have no trouble following him.  But this shepherd thing – an occupation which, the people of Jesus’ time and place would have found as familiar as we do that of police officer or bus driver or teacher – is a bit of a reach for us modern big city dwellers. So let me start by saying that today’s Gospel reading – like every Gospel...

Homily: Easter Sunday Morning

“They did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.”  Now there’s a line for your Easter morning meditation; and it might even carry you through the whole of Easter Week.  But then, we can sort of empathize with these three confused disciples – Mary Magdelene, Peter, and “the other disciple whom Jesus loved,” traditionally understood to be John.  After all, this morning’s Inquirer ran a front-page story entitled “Debating the Resurrection.”  In that article, the Rev. Cindy Jarvis, pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut...

Blessing Ceremony for New Members: Please join us on Sunday, June 3, 2012 for a New Member Blessing Ceremony at the conclusion of the 9:30am, 11:30am and 6:30pm Masses. If they haven’t already, mentors from the Parish will contact those of you who have joined us over the past few months. Please join other parishioners for refreshments in Barbelin Hall following the ceremony. We would all like to meet you!

From the Pastor: 4.29.12

Yep.  I’m on my faith-Church-culture “kick” again.  I subscribe to an online Catholic headlines service (sponsored by Paulist Press) which provides me with access to a widely diverse collection of Catholic-related stories daily, Monday through Friday.  Think of it as a sort of electronic version of “Catholic Digest.”  On any given day, it can cover anything from Jim Martin, S.J.’s latest book to an official announcement from theVaticanSecretary of State.  It make for interesting reading, I assure you…  While almost all of the stories are noteworthy in...

From the Pastor: 4.22.12

Ideally, this column would have run LAST week; but “doubting” Thomas intervened.  Anyway, I hope you’ll agree that it is never too late for thanks and congratulations.  Just TWO weeks ago, we completed another memorable celebration of the Triduum and Easter; and many, many thanks and congratulations are in order.  First off, thanks to our liturgy planning and coordination group (Fr. Ed O’Donnell, S.J., Norm Gouin, Stephen Paesani, Luanne Balestrucci, Chuck Burke) for all of the advance work which they did by way of planning and preparation.  Stephen Paesani was...