Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Prince of Peace Parish will have Mass with distribution of Ashes on Wednesday, February 18th at 7:00am, 9:00am and 6:00pm.
All are welcome to attend our services.
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Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Prince of Peace Parish will have Mass with distribution of Ashes on Wednesday, February 18th at 7:00am, 9:00am and 6:00pm.
All are welcome to attend our services.
Our Spaghetti on Second Dinner is scheduled for Sunday, February 22nd. from 11:30am to 2:00pm in the Parish Center of Prince of Peace Parish in Steelton.
The cost of the dinner is $15.00 which includes a tossed salad, homemade spaghetti/pasta, two large meatballs, two slices of Italian bread and a beverage of your choice.
You may contact our Parish Office at 717-985-1330 or email us at pop.parish@comcast.com for tickets or at the dinner.
Bring your friends and family to enjoy our delicious homemade “Spaghetti”
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary time
…your light must shine before others…Matthew 5:16
Once on a pilgrimage, I met a woman who had recently joined the Church. While we were standing in line to visit a holy site, I struck up a conversation. “So what made you want to be a Catholic?”, I asked. I’ll never forget her answer, “It was my boss”. she said. “He had a light in him. I wanted what he had.” I had to wonder: Do people see any light in me? Today’s readings challenge us all: “Your light must shine before others,” Isaiah wrote (Isaiah 58:8)
At Baptism, we (or our godparents) received a burning candle with the words, “Receive the light of Christ.”
Okay. We have it. But what have we done with it? Are we offering it, sharing it, spreading it around? (Tip: Listen to Isaiah today. He has some suggestions for us.)
Don’t take this gift for granted! There’s a big dark world out there, just waiting for us to set it ablaze.
Deacon Greg Kandra
Living Faith Daily Catholic Devotions
Deacon Kandra is an award winning author and jornalist. A popular retreat leader, he is also the creator of the blog, The Deacon’s Bench. (TheDeaconBench.com)
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.
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!
PRAYER FOR OUR DECEASED:
God Our Father, Your power brings us to birth, Your providence guides our lives, and by Your command we return to dust.
Lord, those, who die still live in Your presence, their lives change but do not end. I pray in hope for our families, relatives and friends and for all the dead know to you alone. In company with Christ, Who died and now lives, may they rejoice in Your kingdom, where all our tears are wiped away. Unite us together again in one family to sing your praise forever and ever. Amen.
May they rest in peace.