Dear friends in Christ,
When our parish took the disciple maker index next year, one area of note was that many parishioners had a desire to grow more in their faith through talks, retreats, and other means. Another area of growth for the parish was in the area of forming our young parishioners and their families as a community of faith. In that light, I’d like to announce two exciting initiatives.
First, beginning the Thursday, September 9th at 7pm, I will begin leading a series called Introduction to Catholicism. People interested in becoming Catholic will be a part of this group, but it will also be open to everyone, whether lifelong Catholics, those recently returning to the faith after some time, or anyone else who wants to know what we believe and why. There is no cost for this, but I would ask that you register in advance. Please e-mail me (fr.eric.banecker@desalesphilly.com) or call the rectory for more information and to sign up.
In addition, I am happy to announce the arrival of Patricia Mallinson DeBonis as our part-time Family Faith Formation Coordinator. She and her husband A.J. recently re-located to Philadelphia with their three young children. In her role, Patti will organize special family Masses and activities for our young parishioners and their families throughout the year. She will also spend her first year getting to know our parish families and preparing for the launch of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a Montessori-based model of religious formation for children. I am very excited about this initiative, which we aim to have in place this time next year.
Welcome Patti! On Sunday August 28th, parish families will be able to learn more about this exciting initiative at the 10:15am Mass, followed by a social.
May God be Blessed!
–Father Eric Banecker