As you take the time to explore our website, you can draw a conclusion that we are a very active parish. Assumption BVM is a tight-knit family of faith, dedicated to our Blessed Mother, Mary. We are disciples of Jesus, who worship God and love our neighbor. As you get a “glimpse” of our many activities, I encourage and invite you to experience our family, and enhance our family by sharing your talents and gifts.
Reverend Mike Davis
2025 Mass Book Opened on November 6.
Call the Rectory during our business hours or e-mail nancyp.abvm@gmail.com to request Mass Intentions for 2025. For the week of November 6th, there will be a 3 Mass request limit per household. Additional Masses may be requested beginning November 11th.
Flame of Love Event
Father Mike is the National Spiritual director for the Flame of Love movement. There will be a Flame of Love event at our parish on Thursday evening, November 21 beginning with confession, the Rosary and special prayers at 6:30pm. There will be a Mass celebrated by Bishop Efren Esmilla at 7:30pm including sacramental anointing of the sick. The evening will conclude with a talk by Father Mike on the joy of the Flame of Love the Divine Wildfire. Come find out how this devotion has the power to blind Satan in these troubling times.
Thanksgiving and Love Tree Projects
We will begin our Thanksgiving Food Baskets and Love Tree projects soon. If you are or you know of a family in need, please call the Rectory at 215-357-1221 Ext 20. Information is kept confidential.
Assumption BVM has an initiative that will help raise funds for our neighbors in need: A clothing/shoe donation bin from the Thrifty Irishman is in the convent parking lot. Please gather any gently used clothing and drop it into the bin any time that is convenient for you.The Thrifty Irishman will donate $1,000 to our conference.
Our Holiday Craft Fair will take place on Saturday, November 23 from 8am to 2PM.
Vendors, secure your spot at the event by signing up by sending an email to scoutmaster.troop153g@gmail.com Vendor booth spaces are for sale with all proceeds going to benefit Troop 153 Scouts events and scholarships. Single Booth: $30 - (1) 6 ft space you can bring your own table (we have 10ft round tables to rent for $3, 6ft long for $5 and 10ft long for $10.00 extra) We provide 2 chairs per space (Electric is $5 extra and you must notify us asap). At the end of the fair we will collect any unwanted household items, clothes or shoes for donation. Email: Scoutmaster.troop153g@gmail.com for reservation of booth.
The Higher Shelf Book Club resumes its meetings on December 12th, from 1-2:30 pm in the ABVM rectory meeting room. We will be discussing Kristen Hannah's book The Women, published by Macmillan. We will take a holiday break and resume our regular meeting schedule January 9th; at that time, we will discuss Between Heaven and Mirth, by James Martin, SJ, published by Harper One. As a reminder, the club meets every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month from 1-2:30 pm. If you have any questions, please text Sharon Koob at 610-585-0212. Holiday Craft and Vendor Event Date: Saturday, November 23, 20
Happy 74th Anniversary, Assumption BVM Family of Faith! I am still elated by Bishop Senior's visit to celebrate the formal beginning of the yearlong celebrations to mark our 75th Anniversary on November 3, 2025 during the 11:00 am Mass! Bishop Joseph Coffey, formerly assigned as a seminarian during Father Devine's time here, will celebrate the formal end of our anniversary celebrations during the 11:00 am Mass on November 9, 2025. I thank all of you who came to the Mass on November 3; the full church is a testimony to your love for the parish. I thank the members of the 75th Anniversary Committee for the long hours of planning Dancing Through the Decades in October and all future events this year. Deacon Eric, Father Lenin Fernandez, (Chaplain of the Indian Latin Catholic Community), Margie Crooks, Kathy McLaughlin with our Choir, our Readers (how beautifully did Jisha from our Indian Latin Catholic Community proclaim the 2nd reading in Malayalam?), Ushers, Altar Servers, Hospitality Committee, my brother Knights of Columbus from the St. John Neumann Assembly #933 all contributed to a beautiful beginning as we will celebrate three quarters of a century as a Family of Faith on November 3, 2025! The Mass for the formal end of the yearlong celebrations is November 9, as November 3, 2025 is a Monday.
Peace, blessings and love to you! Father Mike
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As a vital collection for our local Church and the hundreds of thousands of our brothers and sisters who truly rely on the services provided by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, I thank you all who have already contributed. As of November 8th, our parish has contributed $23,835, or 59.27% of our goal of $40,213, and I thank you, as the overall contributions from our local Church thus far amount to 6.5 million dollars of the 10 million dollars goal. We all know the financial difficulties due to inflation, and the many charitable requests which we all receive; such appeals are stressful, especially for you on fixed incomes. On behalf of Archbishop Perez and the hundreds of thousands of our needy brothers and sisters who count on our local Church to help them, please make some contribution if you have not yet, and please remember every contribution is necessary and vital. Look for updates in the coming weeks to notice our parish progress in support of the Catholic Charities Appeal 2024. Envelopes will be in the book racks in the pews.
The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated on December 8th, is always a Holy Day of Obligation in the United States. When December 8th falls on a Sunday, the Second Sunday of Advent, its observance is transferred to Monday, December 9th, which is the case this year. This past October 2024, the Holy See clarified that both the observance of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and the obligation to assist at Holy Mass are transferred to Monday, December 9th.
Archbishop Nelson Perez, upon consultation on the matter and in accord with Canon 87-1, dispenses from the obligation to assist at Holy Mass on Monday, December 9th, 2024. This dispensation is not to minimize the importance of this Solemnity in the life of the clergy and faithful. In fact, Mary, under this title, is the Patroness of the country. Rather, the Archbishop grants this dispensation due to the shortness of time to instruct on this change in observance, with recognition that most calendars are in place without out the possibility to properly observe the obligation and, most of all, to ease the consciences of the faithful. The Archbishop encourages parishes, institutions and religious communities to observe the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception as fully as possible; scheduling the additional celebration of Holy Mass for the benefit and convenience of the faithful, as well as, encouraging those who will not be assisting at Holy Mass to pray the Holy Rosary or some other devotion in honor of the Blessed Mother. Schools in session on December 9th are encouraged to arrange for the celebration of Holy Mass. Pastors, especially, are asked to publish this notice about the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception in print and on social media. Since this dispensation is not universal throughout the United States, it is important to note for the faithful that this is the pastoral decision of the Archbishop for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
In response to Pope Francis's call to the Catholic Church around the world, parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will begin the local observance of the Jubilee Year 2025, with the theme Pilgrims of Hope. All are invited to participate in events of the Holy Year in their homes, in their local parishes, at shrines throughout the region, and at the Mother Church of the Archdiocese - the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.
Most Reverend Nelson J. Perez, Archbishop of Philadelphia, will celebrate the opening of the Jubilee Year with Mass on Holy Family Sunday, December 29, 2024 at 11:00 am at the Cathedral. That celebration of the holy Eucharist will mark the culmination of a pilgrimage of families traveling from throughout the region to the Cathedral. The Mass will be broadcast via live streaming video at https://vimeo.com/event/2470138.
The Jubilee Year 2025 will be marked by four pillars in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia:
Pilgrimage: All will be invited to take part in a prayerful journey from Philadelphia to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.; to shrines located throughout the Archdiocese; and, circumstances permitting, to make a pilgrimage to the church of their baptism.
Eucharist: An effort to rejuvenate the celebration of 40 Hours devotion is planned, including the celebration of this Eucharistic devotion in one parish on a weekly basis.
Penance: Certain churches and shrines in the Archdiocese will be identified for the reception of the Sacrament of Penance, in satisfaction for obtaining an indulgence. The gift of an indulgence provides the faithful - through the sacraments and good works -the remission of any punishment due to their sins upon death. Missionaries of Mercy priests will be key participants for hearing confessions. These eleven priests in the Archdiocese have been commissioned by Pope Francis to emphasize the duty shared by all priests to hear confessions and preach on behalf of and promote the Sacrament of Reconciliation. They are a visible expression of the mercy of God.
Observance: The 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea will be observed in 2025. The first ecumenical council of the Church, called in 325, developed the core statement of doctrinal beliefs held by Catholic, Orthodox and most Protestant Christians and known today as the Nicene Creed. It affirmed the equality of the Son (Jesus) with God the Father as being of one substance. Accordingly, a local ecumenical service with Eastern Rite churches will be planned for the spring.
The goal of the Jubilee Year 2025 is to offer pilgrims in their own local area opportunities for reconciliation, indulgences, and prayerful opportunities to receive the sacraments, strengthen their relationship with Jesus Christ, and enrich their lifelong faith journey.
As Pope Francis stated in his letter announcing this Jubilee Year, We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision. The forthcoming Jubilee can contribute greatly to restoring a climate of hope and trust as a prelude to the renewal and rebirth that we so urgently desire. Resources and information on upcoming events for the Jubilee Year 2025 in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia may be found here: https://archphila.org/holyyear/
Help promote the true meaning of Christmas by entering our poster contest. Posters should reflect the theme Keep Christ in Christmas and contain original images and the slogan. The contest is open to all children of grade school age, from kindergarten to the 8th grade, and prizes will be awarded in several categories. Entry forms and poster paper will be available from the PREP office and the church rectory office. All posters must be returned by December 16, 2024. For more information, contact Rich Spencer, 267 242-4968 spencers51@verizon.net Sponsored by The Regina Mundi Council #4052, Knights of Columbus.
Regular Mass
Schedule
Saturday Vigil
5:00pm
Sunday Masses
8:00 am
11:00 am
Daily Mass
Mon - Fri
8:30 am
Holy Days
6:30 am
10:00 am
7:00 pm
Holidays
9:00 am
