Archdiocese of Philadelphia Consultation of the Clergy and Faithful
for the 2014 Synod of Bishops in Rome

Pope Francis has called for an Extraordinary Synod of Bishops in October 2014 on the theme, The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization. The General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, following a practice that typically anticipates every Synod, invites consultation on this topic to assist with its preparations.  A Preparatory Document has been issued by the Holy See to initiate this consultation along with a series of questions. Archbishop Chaput, in an effort to provide an opportunity for the clergy  and faithful of  the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to engage in this consultation in as wide a manner as possible has authorized  the use of this instrument for local participation.

The clergy and faithful are asked to read the complete Preparatory Document, or its summary, on the archdiocesan website and then answer any or all of the questions that follow by visiting:
http://archphila.org/synod2014/synod2014.php

For young adults in the parish (Ages 20-39), out next lunch will be this Sunday, October 6 – please meet us outside the back of the Church after 11:30 Mass. Our group has a full spectrum of singles, married, and young families with events to accommodate all. To RSVP or if you have any questions, please email youngadults@mdpparish.com.

The MDP Young Adults will be hosting a young adult social night on Friday, August 23 at the MDP Carnival! Catholic Young Adults from all over southeastern Pennsylvania will be joining us for a fun social evening! The carnival will provide a wonderful  backdrop with delicious food, fun rides, live music, and plenty of beer or wine for those interested.

The carnival runs from 6pm to 10pm. 333 Allendale Rd, King of Prussia, PA 19406

If you were not present at the 9:30 AM Mass on Sunday, July 7th then you missed the formal introduction of our new DRE, Lauren Joyce.  Lauren took the opportunity to share her thoughts regarding her new position:

“Hello, MDP!

First of all, I’d like to thank all of you who have been welcoming me so warmly to the parish and praying for me today and over the past weeks.  My transition into ministry has been greatly blessed by your kindness!

I’m thrilled to officially meet you this morning!  For over a decade I have been preparing personally and professionally for this day, and I’m so excited that all of that preparation has led to this moment.  I look forward to putting my training and past experiences to use in service of this parish community.

As your newly-installed Director of Catechetical Formation, I would like to offer you an invitation.  Faith formation takes many shapes, but one thing all faith formation has in common is that it comes from a choice to action.  Whether that is the choice of our parents to send us to PREP or the choice of an adult to study a new part of the faith, the Lord is continually inviting us to encounter Him in new ways, especially through opportunities of faith formation.  It falls to us to make the choice to action- to commit to new and fruitful routines and experience which will enhance our faith.  In the weeks and months ahead, I will be using Church bulletins, bulletin boards, emails, the MDP website, and any other means of communication Fr. Cioppi will allow me to highlight faith formation opportunities for all age groups in our parish and local area.  I invite you today to consider personally and as a family whether or not the Lord may be calling you to take advantage of these new experiences in the weeks and months ahead.

I simply have to add one more note: today’s Gospel reminded us to pray to God to send harvesters, for the harvest is abundant but the harvesters are few.  I know that when I was growing up, I heard this Gospel explained  almost exclusively in terms of religious vocations to the priestly and religious life.  While this is certainly important, Monsignor Murray was wise to remind us in his homily that the laity are also called to be “harvesters” of souls!  If you feel that God is calling you to be involved in being a “harvester” of hearts by sharing the Good News with our parish children, please contact me.  We are always in need of volunteers to help with our parish PREP program – truly a situation in which the harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few! 

And so I’ll close my little talk with a reminder to keep your ear to the ground and eye to the bulletin to see what my office is up to!  I look forward to serving this community faithfully, so that together we may grow ever-closer to our Lord.

I’ll see you at the Carnival!”

The Parish Staff took  a final picture before the day of distruction – a long time coming!

Look who had an opportunity for a photo!