815 S 2nd St, Steelton, PA 17113
(717)985-1330
office@popsteelton.orgOur Knight of Columbus are sponsoring an “All You Can Eat Breakfast” on Sunday, July 28th from 9:00 am to 12 Noon in the Parish Center.”
The breakfast includes eggs, pancakes, sausage, bacon, hash browns, muffins, coffee and juice for $10.00.
Join us and bring the family, friends and neighbors. We hope to see you there.
Dear friends,
A tremendous thank you to all who helped to make our annual parish picnic a success. Despite the hot weather, we had a great turnout and a great time. Even though we had some food left over we were able to sell it the next day. In the end, it was truly a beautiful day of community and relaxation I am so thankful and proud of our parish for its commitment to celebrating culture and community.
This week we celebrate the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne. As usual, we will have our annual St. Anne’s Novena on Wednesday the 24rd, Thursday the 25th and Friday the 26th at 6:00 pm. Following the Novena on Friday evening everyone is welcome to join us in the Parish Center for a time of fellowship and light refreshments.
Once again, it is very good to see all of you again I really enjoyed my time away and was blessed to both see and hike the green hills and mountains of Scotland. There were so many beautiful castles and churches stretching back centuries into the past. While it was restful and refreshing, I am thankful to be back and look forward to all we have planned for the remainder of this summer and the coming fall. Hopefully, we’ll get a break from this weather soon enough. I wish I could have brought back some of the colder air for all of you but we can use this as an opportunity to offer up some suffering for the poor souls.
Please know of my prayers for all of you and kindly remember me in yours.
Fr. Arena
May the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus strengthen Catholics to stand up for the protection of very human life.
Lord Jesus, by the power of your Eucharistic Presence, help us to defend the life of very human person at every age. Transform our hearts to protect and cherish all whose lives are most vulnerable. for you are God, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.
Offer a Rosary, Fat from one meal today, offer some other sacrifice or prayer that you feel called to do for this month’s intention.
What Does It Mean To Be Catholic?
The Catholic Church was founded by Christ and his Apostles. There are four marks or characteristics of the Church, and we are reminded of them each time we pray the Nicene Creed at Mass.
One: Means all members are united as the Body of Christ, given life by the one Spirit. We acknowledge one Lord, one faith, one Baptism.
Holy: Means the Church is centered on God. It is Christ who, by his sacrifice, makes the Church holy.
Catholic: Means universal. The Church is for all times and all people. The Church is “the fullness” of the means of salvation”. (CCC830)
Apostolic: Means the Church is built on the foundation of the Apostles. We teach the doctrine of Jesus as it has been handed down through the apostles and their successors, the pope and bishops.
Each Catholic is called to full and active participation in the life of the Church and has the right and responsibility to:
1.) Attend Mass on Sundays and on Holy Days of Obligation.
2. Confess your sins, through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, a least once a year.
3. Receive the Eucharist.
4. Observe the days of fasting Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and abstinence on Ash Wednesday in Lent established by the Church.
5. Help to provide for the needs of the Church
Encountering Christ and being a witness to his love means we are called to live like Jesus and work for justice and peace in this world by living the 10 commandments, the Beatitudes, the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy and the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.
We are called to stand for the: Life and dignity of the Human Person, Call to Family, Community and Participation, Rights and Responsibilities of the Human Person, Option for the Poor and Vulnerable, Dignity of Work and Rights of workers, Solidarity of the Human Family, Care for God’s Creatures.
It was a little painted statue and stood a foot and a half high, was dressed in exquisite court dress, and cherished as an heirloom wedding gift. It came from Spain during an early spread of devotion to the Christ Child.
In the 17th century, a Spanish noblewoman named Isabel Manrique gave this little statue to her daughter Marie when Marie married a Czech noble. Marie gave it, in turn, to her own daughter Polyxena when the later married.
Polyxena treasured it for many years, but at last gifted it to the Carmelite monastery of Our Lady of Victory.
Shortly afterward the Czech kingdom was invaded by the Saxons, forcing the Carmelites to flee their monastery. The statue of the Christ Child, damaged and tattered was left behind in the ruins of the church.
Ten years later in 1638, a Carmelite priest found it. He took it to his church in Prague and displayed it by the altar.
Suddenly, as he knelt in prayer before it, the statue spoke, saying: “Have mercy on me and I will have mercy on you. Give Me My hands and I will give you peace. The more you honor Me the more I will bless you.”
After this, many miracles were reported to have been wrought through the statue and devotion to the Christ Child increased all the more.
Many saints, such as Therese of Lisieux and Francis of Assisi, were greatly devoted to the Infant Jesus. Nurture love for the Child Jesus in your own home.
The Catholic Company: Bite-Sized Faith
Spiritual Communion:
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
Dear Friends
Visit our Grotto at Prince of Peace Parish-Assumption of the BVM Church. Pray to our Blessed Mother for peace in our country and the world and ask her assistance to bring friends and families who are not practicing their faith to return to her son, Our Lord Jesus.
Our Blessed Virgin Mary Grotto is the Queen of Peace.
The Sign of the Cross and the Greeting tells us who we are as we gather to enter into the Mystery of Our Lord’s Death and Resurrection.
The Penitential Rite gives us the opportunity to acknowledge our sinfulness as we approach the Sacrifice of Christ that destroys sin and bring us back into a relationship with God.
The Gloria is a hymn that leads us to praise glorify, adore, thank and ask our Triune God for all we, His sons and daughter, need as we beg His mercy.
The Opening Prayer or “Collect” collects the intentions of the people assembled and presents them to God by the priest who stands in persona Christi (in the person of Christ).
In the Reading of the Old Testament we hear the story of God’s covenant with His chosen people Israel and the revelation of Himself that speaks of His mercy and desire for their salvation.
The Responsorial Psalm is the faithful’s response of praise and thanksgiving to God’s Word in the First Reading . It reminds us that we are not passive listeners to the Word; we are in a relationship of love with the Word of God.
The Second Reading from the New Testament tells us of God’s New and Eternal Covenant forged in the Blood of His Son who is the Word Made Flesh.
The Gospel is a proclamation of an event from the life of Our Savior. In the readings from Holy Scripture that are not taken from the Gospel, it is God who speaks to His people. But when the Gospel is proclaimed, it is specifically Christ Jesus, true God and true man, who speaks to us.
The Homily is a vital part of the liturgy of the Mass that explains the Holy Scriptures and instructs us in the Faith.
The Profession of Faith (the Nicene Creed) is the ancient formula of beliefs that unites the people assembled with the Universal Church of all ages in their expression of their Faith in Christ.
General Intercessions or Prayer of the Faithful offers prayers to God for the Church the world, and the need of people both living and dead.
The Preparation Rite is the offering of the bread and wine brought to His altar by the priest on behalf of the people of God assembled. The people participate in the offering by virtue of their baptism into the priestly people of God.
The Eucharistic Prayer makes present the Mystery of Our Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection. Christ’s Sacrifice of the Cross, His offering to the Faith of Himself for the salvation of the world is represented on the altar. At the words of consecration the bread and wine brought to the altar become the Body Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. The baptized are called to participate in the sacrifice of Christ that is made present through the ministry of the ordained priest.
The Our Father begins the Rite of Communion. We are faithful to Jesus’ command to pray in the words He taught us. The priest prays for deliverance from evil, peace, and freedom from anxiety as we wait for the coming of Christ Our Savior in glory. The priest extends a greeting of Christ’s peace to all present in the assembly. The faithful share a sign of peace with one another. The priest comingles a portion of the Sacred Host that he has broken in the chalice of the Precious Blood. The faithful sing the Agnus Dei. “Lamb of God You take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, grant us peace.”
Communion has arrived. The faithful go forward to receive His Sacred Body. This reception of the Holy Eucharist effects communion between the individual and God and among the individual members of the Body of Christ.
The priest then blesses the people in the name of the Holy Trinity and dismisses all to go forth to witness to Christ in the world.
No One is a mere spectator at Mass. All of the baptized are invited to participate in the sacred Mysteries by full, conscious and active participation. This participation is not limited to eternal expression. It must also be an external expression of faith and devotion. The mass is an awesome treasure! It is Christ’s work of salvation active in our midst!
June 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.” John 6: 54-55
On June 19th. of last year, a multiyear National Eucharistic Revival began in the dioceses across the United States. This revival is not another new program, but rather an intense, purposeful focus on the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist.
Recent studies have indicated an alarming trend that a small percentage of Catholics, possibly as low as 30%, truly believe that the Holy Eucharist is the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. This is a fundamental teaching of our faith. Without the Eucharist, the real Body of Christ, we cannot be the People, the Catholics, nor the Church that we are called to be.
We believe that “the Eucharistic is the source and summit of the Christian life. The other Sacraments and, indeed, all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist an are oriented toward it. For in the Blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch” (CCC, 1324)
Today, our society is plagued with fear, doubt, war, hatred, and an overall indifference to the sanctity of human life. There is desperate need to experience the love and truth of Christ. Now, more than ever before, we need this belief of the Eucharist celebrated with renewed vigor in our parishes, Catholic schools, apostolates, ministries and programs. The Revival aims to do just that. Clergy, religious, laity, apostolates, movements, parishes and Diocesan leadership will work together with one common goal – to celebrate our faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist that all might come to believe.
Throughout the Diocese of Harrisburg we are grateful to the many faithful who already commit themselves to Holy Mass and to Eucharistic Adoration. In a special way, I see the real love for our Eucharistic Lord alive in so many and invite you to join me in praying fervently for that love to fill the hearts of all Catholics.
As we continue the Diocesan phase of this Revival, we encourage you to frequent our website, www.hbgdiocese.org/eucharist, and visit our app (MyParishApp -Diocese of Harrisburg) for the latest information on our Revival activities. We will be updating these platforms throughout the year, including ways you can be involved in this important work.
Together, let us respond to Christ’s invitation and open our hearts to Him, present in the Most Holy Eucharist. United in faith and invoking the intercession of Mary, the Mother of the Eucharist, let us pray this Eucharistic Revival bears fruit for the glory of God.
Confessions are scheduled every Saturday in our Parish Church from 3 pm to 3:30 pm. Our Saturday Vigil Mass at 4:00 pm and Sunday Mass at 8:30 am and 10:30 am will be celebrated in our Parish Church and the doors will open 1/2 hour prior to the start of Mass.
Mass will be live streamed every Sunday morning at 10:30 am on our Facebook page, MyParish App and on our webpage (popsteelton.org). For those of you who do not have a computer, you may listen to the Mass on your phone by calling the below toll free number: 1-855-635-1965
You may tune your radio station to 90.7 FM and listen to the Mass in your car in the back parking lot. You would need to come into our Parish Church to receive the Holy Eucharist.
Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen. Alleluia!
LITURGICAL SERVICES AND PARISH ACTIVITIES 2024:
July 26: Saints Joachim and Ann. Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary
July 26: Novena to St. Ann at 6:00 pm. Reception to follow in Parish Center.
July 27: Vigil Mass at 4:00 pm-Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 28: Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Mass at 8:30 and 10:30 am
July 28: Knights of Columbus “All You Can Eat Breakfast” from 9 am to 12 noon
July 29: No Morning Mass
July 30: Saint Peter Chrysologus
July 30: Morning Mass at 7:00 am
July 31: Saint Ignatius of Loyola
July 31: Morning Mass at 7:00 am
August 1: St. Alphonsus Liguori
August 1: Morning Mass at 7:00 am
August 2: Sts. Eusebius of Vercelli, St. Peter Julian Eymard
August 2: Morning Mass at 7:00 am
August 3: Vigil Mass 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time at 4:00 pm
August 4: 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Mass at 8:30 and 10:30 am
August 5: The Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Minor
August 5: No Mass
August 6: The Transfiguration of the Lord
August 6: Morning Mass at 7:00 am
August 6: National Night Out Highspire Memorial Park 6 pm to 8 pm
August 6: Knights of Columbus Meeting at 7:00 pm in Parish Office
August 7: St. Sixtus II, Pope & Companions
August 7: Morning Mass at 7:00 am
August 8: St. Dominic
August 8: Morning Mass at 7:00 am
August 9: St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
August 9: Altar Server Night Out with Fr. Arena: Challenge Family Fun Center 6-8 pm. Mini Golf and Bowling
August 10: Vigil Mass 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time at 4:00 pm
August 11: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Mass at 8:30 and 10:30 am
August 12: St. Jane Frances de Chantal
August 12: No Morning Mass
August 13: Sts. Pontian and Hippolytus
August 13: Morning Mass at 7:00 am
August 14: St. Maximillian Kolbe
August 14: Morning Mass at 7:00 am
August 14: Vigil Mass Assumption of the BVM at 5:30 pm
August 15: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Mass at 9 am and 6 pm
August 16: St. Stephen of Hungary
August 16: Morning Mass at 7:00 am
August 17: Vigil Mass 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time at 4:00 pm
August 18: 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Mass at 8:30 and 10:30 am
August 19: St. John Eudes
August 19: No Morning Mass
August 20: St. Bernard
August 20: Morning Mass at 7:00 am
August 21: St. Pius X, Pope
August 21: Morning Mass at 7:00 am
August 22: The Queenship of The Blessed Virgin Mary
August 22: Morning Mass at 7:00 am
August 23: St. Rose of Lima
August 23: Morning Mass at 7:00 am
August 24: St. Bartholomew
August 24: Vigil Mass 21st. Sunday in Ordinary Time at 4:00 pm: Mission CoOp Weekend-Fr. Raja
August 25: 21st. Sunday in Ordinary Time: Mass at 8:30 and 10:30 am: Mission CoOp Weekend-Fr. Raja
August 26: No Morning Mass
August 27: St. Monica
August 27: Morning Mass at 7:00 am
August 28: St. Augustine
August 28: Morning Mass at 7:00 am
August 29: The Passion of St. John the Baptist
August 29: Morning Mass at 7:00 am
August 30: Morning Mass at 7:00 am
August 31: Vigil Mass 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time at 4:00 pm
September 1: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time: Mass at 8:30 and 10:30 am
September 2: Labor Day-National Holiday-Office Closed
September 2: Morning Mass at 9:00 am
