November 30, 2023

Thursday of the XXXIII Week in Ordinary Time

St. Andrew, Apostle

It seems that I have been hacked again or more correctly, someone is trying to hack you using my name. I have never and will never contact you via email or text messaging requesting your assistance, a donation or any other possibility.

I have previously contacted Archdiocesan officials as well as the State Police Barracks in Media. The only thing to be done is to do nothing. Do not respond to the text or email. Ignore it!

Knights News

This weekend the members of our Knights of Columbus Council are taking orders for crab cakes. Stop by the table in the vestibule after Mass and place your order.

Penance Service

The annual Parish Advent Penance Services will be held on Tuesday December 19^th at 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM. There will be a number of priests present to help you prepare for the celebration of Christmas.

Church Decorating

         This year the 4^th Sunday of Advent is Christmas Eve. We will have to decorate the Church for Christmas before then. So this year we have to be busy about decorating well in advance of the official liturgical start of Christmas. We will decorate the Church on Thursday evening, December 21^st.

A huge thank you!

Thank you to all who contributed to the annual Thanksgiving Food Drive to benefit Mercy Neighborhood Ministries. Your goodness and generosity each year is testimony to the quality of your discipleship.

Calendars are in!

The 2024 Parish Calendars are in and can be picked up after Mass beginning this weekend. The difference with the calendars this year is that it is interactive. The series is called “Living Saints.” In order to fully appreciate what is available each month you will have to use the QR Code in the upper right-hand corner of the page on which the dates appear. Fixing your cell phone camera on that will take you to a brief write up on the saint that month. Our own Fr. Morrissey will be very happy to know that the first Saint identified is St. Francis DeSales.

Sunday Coffee

           This Sunday is the first Sunday of the Month and we will have coffee and cakes available after the 11:00. The goodies for this month's Coffee will be provided by those whose last names begin with N to Z.

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception

           She is the patroness of our country and it is a Holy Day of Obligation. The Mass schedule is 7:30 AM, 12:00 Noon (with Fr. Morrissey, OSFS) and the 7:00 PM

Parish Council Elections

           Please take a moment this weekend to vote for three new members of our Parish Pastoral Council. The Ballots and Ballot box will be on prominent display in the vestibule this weekend. Bios and photographs of the candidates are on display in the vestibule of the church.

Parish Council Nominees

Scripture Study: Same Day – New Time

Beginning with the New Year, the Thursday morning scripture study group will begin meeting at 10:00 AM rather than 9:00 AM.

St. Cornelius Literary Society

The next book to be read is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The next gathering to discuss this classic is this Sunday afternoon December 3^rd which is the First Sunday in Advent.

In October 1843, Charles Dickens ― heavily in debt and obligated to his publisher ― began work on a book to help supplement his family's meager income. That volume, A Christmas Carol, has long since become one of the most beloved stories in the English language. As much a part of the holiday season as holly, mistletoe, and evergreen wreaths, this perennial favorite continues to delight new readers and rekindle thoughts of charity and goodwill.

With its characters exhibiting many qualities ― as well as failures ― often ascribed to Dickens himself, the imaginative and entertaining tale relates Ebenezer Scrooge's eerie encounters with a series of spectral visitors. Journeying with them through Christmases past, present, and future, he is ultimately transformed from an arrogant, obstinate, and insensitive miser to a generous, warmhearted, and caring human being. Written by one of England's greatest and most popular novelists, A Christmas Carol has come to epitomize the true meaning of Christmas.

Loaves & Fishes

CHANGES FOR 2024

Starting in 2024 we will be moving our drop off donation day to Thursday mornings. 

Saint John’s will continue to pick up donations the first Thursday of the month and we will drive and drop off donations the third Thursday of the month. 

Knights of Columbus

The Knights of Columbus is an international Order of Catholic men who are called to lead with faith, protect our families, serve others and defend values in a busy changing world. The St Cornelius Council will be holding a membership drive after all Masses on the weekend of December 2nd & 3rd. The Knights will be available to answer any questions and the projects we support during the year. As a member of our Council you will find that membership brings Catholic men together in a powerful way.

You may join at any time by going to KofC.org/joinus on the web, enter our council #12391 and your information.

SAVE THE DATE!!

The Brandywine Pops Orchestra will present a free concert Monday, December 4^th, 7:00 p.m. in the Parish Life Center. The Pops Orchestra consists of 56 musicians from the local area. An entertaining program of Christmas and Holiday music will be presented. We hope to see you there!

Giving Tree Message

The 2023 Saint Cornelius “Giving Tree" continues to extend its branches to reach those in need this Christmas season. This ministry benefits hundreds who need assistance.

Every registered parish family should have received a letter detailing this year’s Giving Tree ministry along with an envelope to return gift cards. If you did not receive a letter, extras are available behind the Giving Tree in the narthex. We are predominantly asking for Gift Cards (please write the dollar amount of the gift card directly on the gift card). And the 150 gift tags asking for specific gifts for St. Thomas Aquinas have all been claimed – Thank You. More details regarding the charities we’re supporting can be found in the weekly bulletin and in the Giving Tree letter.

All gift cards must be dropped off at Church or the PLC by Sunday, December 10th to allow time for delivery to the recipients. If purchasing a new gift as indicated on the gift tag, put the item in a gift bag (please do not wrap the gift), attach the tag securely to the gift bag, and place the gift under the Giving Tree by December 10^th.

It is through our charitable actions that we create a legacy that inspires others, for it is more of a blessing to give than to receive. Thank You for your Generosity! God Bless You and Your Families this Christmas Season!

If you have any questions or are interested in volunteering for this ministry please contact Mary Allen at 484-432-5098 (cell) or email maryballen16@verizon.net. 

The Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary

           Joyous Mysteries of the Rosary aims to facilitate an experience where participants can encounter, contemplate and discuss the key mysteries in the life of Jesus Christ as contained within the Rosary. The Rosary is simultaneously a contemplative prayer, a spiritual weapon and a catechetical tool. The goal is for each participant to encounter the person of Jesus Christ in the episodes, discussions and in their personal prayer. In doing so, Our Lord will teach them the art of Christian living as well as the art of Christian prayer.

We will gather each Saturday morning from December 2, 2023 - January 27, 2024, with a break from December 23 to December 30 and resume on January 6. Our agenda each Saturday morning will follow the schedule below

• 9:00 am Gathering, Food and Fellowship
• 9:30 am Video
• 10:00 am Discussion and Prayer
• 10:30 am Closing

Join us for this enriching experience.

Diamond’s Daily Devotions

           When I taught High School, back before the earth cooled, a phenomenon then known as Channel One was introduced to schools across the country. Remember this is way before the use of Internet Communications. The company installed television sets in each classroom and would provide a news update appropriate for a teenage audience. In reality it was a venue for advertising products that appealed to that age group. The benefit to the school was TV monitors in each classroom which we could use for education and communications throughout the school. It was really handy on Back to School Nights. Rather than corral everyone into the auditorium, a recording by the administration could be prepared to run at appropriate times.

           I was Studies Director at Cardinal Dougherty in Philadelphia and had to address the parents. The faculty member who led the effort called me “One Take Diamond” because of my ability to speak with clarity and brevity. I think it has something to do with being Irish and having kissed that famous monument in Ireland which promises the gift of eloquence. On occasion I am not sure if it is eloquence or blarney.

           At the beginning of the Covid experience (I don’t know how else to refer to it.) I began making a daily video presentation and posting it on our parish web site. Alliteration abundantly appeals to me (See?) And with help from David Bauer’s daughter came up with the clever name for it marked with brevity and a catchy title. Hence, my Triple D, and I don’t mean Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Each weekday except Tuesday, which I try to hold as day off, I post a brief reflection on that day’s scripture reading from the daily Mass Liturgy of the Word. I use different venues on our campus and with the advent of winter weather I will be looking for a suitable location indoors. The post it on our web site usually lasts less than 5 minutes.

           I don’t really know how many views it gets and I don’t ask if the viewer “likes” it and I don’t think I want to find out if they like me. I mention it here as an invitation to use it as a means of reflection. A brief stop on your busy day to hear about God, think about Scripture and pray about something or someone that needs your prayers.

Faithfully,

Msgr. Diamond