News

If you shop on Amazon.com or would like to try it, Saints Simon and Jude Church and School has been approved as a charity and The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible purchases. Simply log on to smile.amazon.com (not amazon.com). Enter your username and password. You are asked to select a charity and enter Saints Simon and Jude Church and School in the search box. Our parish name will come up. Just click select, then click start shopping. It's that easy and you will help support all the wonderful programs at SSJ. Thank you.

Many people have changed their phone, email or home addresses since they registered in the parish, so presently we have no way to contact you. Do you wonder why you aren’t notified when there are changes or special events or you do not receive information that is sent out to the parish? It may be because the contact information we have for you is not current. We hope to keep you connected and informed so you can explore ways to grow in your faith and be filled with God's blessings! CLICK the link to update your contact information. Thank you!

The prayerful support of the parish will envelop you. We ask you to fill out the section of the August 6 Church Bulletin and return to the Rectory OR click on the link and leave us your college address and email so that we may stay in touch with you.

Those folks who are feeling the loss of someone they loved are invited to our bereavement session on Wednesday evening, August 23 at 7:00 pm, in the Welcome Center. It helps to share stories and see how God is with us even in the times of sorrow.

Safe Environment Training Sessions - Protecting God’s Children - Saints Simon and Jude – The Meehan Center: Wednesday, August 23 @ 1:00 pm – Sign-in 12:45 pm; Wednesday, September 20 @ 6:00 pm – Sign-in 5:45 pm; Wednesday, November 8 @ 6:00 pm – Sign-in 5:45 pm. Registration is a must! Please go to: www.virtusonline.org or call 215.587.2466. For questions on clearances and certificates, contact Candy, SSJ Safe Environment Coordinator at csavarese@simonandjude.org or 610.696.3624

If you or someone you know is interested in discovering what it means to be Catholic then the RCIA process is for you. It begins with a time of Inquiry. There is no commitment on your part. It is a time for meeting other interested persons like yourself, having some of your questions answered, and – most especially – getting to know how Jesus Christ is working in your life. Our first meeting will be Tuesday evening, August 29th, at 7 pm, in the Meehan Center. Think about it. For further information, please email Sr. Mary Beth Coyle at smcoyle@simonandjude.org.

WASHINGTON—Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Bishop Frank Dewane of Venice, Florida, Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, are calling on all people of goodwill to join in prayer and unity today in response to the violent protest and deadly attack in Charlottesville, "As we learn more about the horrible events of yesterday, our prayer turns today, on the Lord's Day, to the people of Charlottesville who offered a counter example to the hate marching in the streets. Let us unite ourselves in the spirit of hope offered by the clergy, people of faith, and all people of good will who peacefully defended their city and country. We stand against the evil of racism, white supremacy and neo-nazism. We stand with our sisters and brothers united in the sacrifice of Jesus, by which love's victory over every form of evil is assured. At Mass, let us offer a special prayer of gratitude for the brave souls who sought to protect us from the violent ideology displayed yesterday. Let us especially remember those who lost their lives. Let us join their witness and stand against every form of oppression." STATEMENT OF ARCHBISHOP CHARLES J. CHAPUT, O.F.M. CAP. REGARDING RACIAL VIOLENCE IN CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA Racism is a poison of the soul. It’s the ugly, original sin of our country, an illness that has never fully healed. Blending it with the Nazi salute, the relic of a regime that murdered millions, compounds the obscenity. Thus the wave of public anger about white nationalist events in Charlottesville this weekend is well warranted. We especially need to pray for those injured in the violence. But we need more than pious public statements. If our anger today is just another mental virus displaced tomorrow by the next distraction or outrage we find in the media, nothing will change. Charlottesville matters. It’s a snapshot of our public unraveling into real hatreds brutally expressed; a collapse of restraint and mutual respect now taking place across the country. We need to keep the images of Charlottesville alive in our memories. If we want a different kind of country in the future, we need to start today with a conversion in our own hearts, and an insistence on the same in others. That may sound simple. But the history of our nation and its tortured attitudes toward race proves exactly the opposite. +Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. Archbishop of Philadelphia

With gratitude to God and to Archbishop Chaput, we are filled with joy that Father Thomas Dunleavy will be coming to serve as Parochial Vicar with the status of Senior Priest effective September 5, 2017. (Yes, this is the same Fr. Dunleavy who was assigned at SSJ in the late 1980's) It is also with a most grateful but heavy heart that we say farewell to Fr. Ronald Rossi who will be taking a well deserved sabbatical beginning in September 2017. We ask the Lord to help them carry on the work of Christ. Dear Lord, We ask that You give them this day the gift You gave Your chosen ones on the way to Emmaus: Your presence in their hearts, Your holiness in their souls, Your joy in their spirits. And let them see You face to face in the breaking of the Eucharistic bread. We pray to You, O Lord, through Mary the mother of all priests, for Your priests and for ours. Amen.

In June our Good Works team completed our 4th home as a partner church. We look forward to starting home repairs for another homeowner in August. If you would like to join us, we work on the 3rd Saturday of each month from 8 am until about 4 pm. You can check out goodworksinc.org or call Annette Glaudel at 610-431-9566.

Enter into a new relationship. Share a free dinner with others, listen to dynamic teaching, and join in a small group discussion that will revitalize your faith. Too Busy? 7 weeks may change your life! Come and find out more at information night Thursday, September 14, 2017 at 7 pm in The Meehan Center, call Marty at 610-696-3624, or click on the link to learn more!

All are WELCOME to join us, regardless of ability! Our first meeting is Wednesday, September 6 at 7:00 pm in The Meehan Center We come together as a community to share ideas, prayer, patterns, life and laughter, while knitting & crocheting shawls, each including a patch pocket with a prayer for those in need. For questions, please call Sue at 610.431.3025. We also have patch pockets with prayers in a small container available in the Narthex.

Pinewood Derby, bottle rockets, camping events and trips! Doesn’t that sound like fun? Come join Cub Scout Pack 168 at our “Join Scouting Night” on September 14th from 6:00 to 8:00 PM in the school cafeteria. We would love to answer your questions about our exciting program held right here at SSJ! Please look for our table at “Back to School Night! CLICK THE LINK for more information!

There will be one priest hearing confessions at 8:00 a.m, and the same priest will say the 9:00 a.m. Mass; one priest will be hearing confessions at 4:00 p.m. and the same priest will say the 5:00 p.m. Vigil Mass. Time and again, we are most grateful for your support and understanding. Confession may also be arranged at the Rectory to meet your schedule.

This premier celebration of family, friends, and contemporary Catholic/Christian music is held at the Daylesford Abbey in Paoli. We have featured some of the top Christian contemporary artists including: Matt Maher, Brandon Heath, Sara Groves, Righteous B, Marie Miller, Audrey Assad, Ike Ndolo, Sidewalk Prophets, Teresa Peterson and more. Save the date! Click the link for more information.

Those folks who experience divorce need support, understanding, and moral as well as spiritual support. We will offer a monthly support group beginning Wednesday, October 4th, 7-8:30 pm, in the Welcome Center. If you know of anyone who could use support please invite them to join us.

Children's Liturgy of the Word will suspend for the summer beginning on June 18, 2017. It will resume on September 10, 2017. What a blessing it has been to the children of this parish. A tremendous THANK YOU to all the leaders and helpers that make this ministry possible! If you are interested in helping next year, please contact the Rectory Office at 610-696-3624. We encourage all families to attend Mass and read the scriptures all year long!

In honor of the 100th Anniversary of the Apparitions of Our Lady in Fatima, Portugal. Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap will consecrate the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to Our Lady of Fatima on Sunday, October 15, 2017 at the 11:00am Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia. All clergy, religious and lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia are invited to this momentous event in the life of our local Church. To learn more and find resources to spiritually prepare, visit: archphila.org/fatima.

Can you prepare and extra serving of your dinner and put it in a meal tin, then freeze it and bring it to the Aid for Friends freezer at church? You will be helping someone who is homebound and cannot prepare a meal for themselves. Meal tins are above the freezers behind the large wooden doors across from the rest rooms to the right of the main entrance of church. Please fill the tin with a protein, starch and vegetable. Cover it with tin foil and enclose the filled meal tin in the plastic bag provided. Freeze the meal at home and then return it to the freezer at church. Your simple act of kindness is greatly appreciated!! More information on Aid for Friends can be found at aidforfriends.org.

Saints Simon and Jude has been granted exclusive access to stream an episode from CATHOLICISM: The Pivotal Players directly on the parish website! Courtesy of a partnership between eCatholic and Bishop Robert Barron's Word on Fire ministry, you are encouraged to visit https://simonandjude.org/catholic-links to view the free hour-long film on St. Francis of Assisi. CATHOLICISM: The Pivotal Players is a multi-part film series that delves into the lives of figures who shaped the Church and changed the world. Check out the free episode today!

Join women from the greater Philadelphia area and across the country for the first-ever National Catholic Women’s Conference hosted by WINE: Women In the New Evangelization! Dynamic Catholic speakers Kelly Wahlquist, Teresa Tomeo, Kitty Cleveland and Sarah Christmyer will inspire you and musician Amanda Vernon will rejuvenate your spirit. The day will include time for Mass, Confession, prayer, rest, socializing, and shopping. Saturday, October 21, 2017, National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, Doylestown, PA. Special group rate available, so bring your friends! For more information & to register, visit wineconference.org. (Please note: Last year’s women’s conference sold out five weeks in advance, so register today!) CLICK THE ABOVE LINK FOR MORE INFORMATION!