Our Mother of
Good Counsel

Saturday – February 1 – Youth Group Members are invited to join the IHN for dinner at 6:00pm. We will have dinner and conversation with them and then spend some time playing with them before they retire for the evening. Drop off at 6:00pm and pick up at 8:30pm. You must rsvp to kcarey@omgcparish.net. Friday – February 21 – Movie Night. Join us for a movie in the Social Center. Popcorn, soda, and movie lite snacks will be available. Start time – 7:00pm. Movie to be determined. 

Thank you to all who have volunteered your time, energy and hospitality to the families who will be joining us today, January 26, here in the parish for the week. We ask your prayers for the families in particular, but also that their time with us will be a safe, healthy and profitable one for these families who are temporarily without homes.
Important IHN Phone Numbers: Because of our phone system here in the parish, it is important that you know the numbers to call if you are trying to reach someone helping with the IHN families during the week of January 26 – February -2. These numbers will be necessary to have whenever the Parish Office is closed or after 5:00 p.m. on work days this week. Parish Phone – 610-525-0147 – Ext 255 (Social Center – school) IHN Direct Line – 610-525-1727 

The OMGC ChristLife team will begin our third Discovering Christ program on Thursday evening, February 6. This is a wonderful opportunity to come together to praise God, to hear the Gospel proclaimed in simplicity and clarity, to experience the love of Christ, and to build community with other parish members. We will have an optional explanation session on the evening of Thursday, January 23 at 7 PM in the Social Center.

Click HERE for more information.  

On the first Tuesday of every month, there is a group of parishioners who meet to share their faith experiences by reflecting on the Sunday Gospel. It helps to prepare for the Sunday Liturgy, strengthens our Faith, and helps build up the community. All are welcome at any time. The next gathering is Tuesday, February 4 from 1 to 2:30p.m. The meetings take place in the Parish Center/Church Office building. 

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul will be using the services of GreenDrop to support their clothing drive. Look for the GreenDrop truck in the church parking lot (near our dumpsters) where an attendant will be available to assist you with your donations. Please place your donations of usable men’s women’s and children’s clothing in plastic bags or boxes. Household items such as: kitchenware, games/toys, small appliances under 50 pounds, electronics, sporting goods, books, CDs and videos are also accepted. Unfortunately, furniture, large appliances, TVs or computer monitors cannot be accepted. For a full list of acceptable items, visit www.gogreendrop.com.

Our Mother of Good Counsel will hold our 

Roof Thank-you Gala 

on Friday evening, February 7, starting at 7 PM in the Gym.

Please click HERE for details and to sign up.  

The Parish Council will hold its next meeting on Monday, February 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the Parish Center. Parishioners are always welcome and encouraged to attend these monthly meetings. If you plan to do so, please call the Parish Office at 610- 525-0147 and Michelle will notify Fr. Liam until a new President of the Council has been elected.

Twice a month on the first and third Tuesdays of the month parishioners gather together in the social center to pray, read and discuss the writings of St. Augustine. Augustine continues to help people on their spiritual journey. All are welcomed to come. Our next meeting is Tuesday, February 4 at 7 PM.

Food Needs for IHN: If you can donate any of the following food items for our guests when they arrive on Sunday, January 26, please put them in the food box at the entrance of the church next Sunday. Please note that the Food Needs have been simplified and include the food items that the families need for breakfasts and lunches.
Juice boxes, Microwave mac and cheese, Cereal, Soup, Cookies, Peanut butter crackers, Fruit snacks.
 

The Mass Intention Book for 6:30 AM Masses during the summer months is now open. To schedule a Mass intention, please contact the Parish Office at 610-525-0147.

Father Liam or another staff person endeavors to send out a newsletter by email once a week. Usually Thursday evenings, but sometimes a day or so before or after. If you’re not getting it, please sign up on our parish website: www.omgcparish.org. Scroll down to the bottom and click on the eNEWSLETTER sign-up.

People feeling ill should avoid receiving Communion from the chalice. Ministers of Holy Communion should wash their hands before Mass begins or use an alcohol based anti-bacterial solution before distributing Communion.

An advertising company wants to install two digital billboards in our neighborhood.  One of them is planned for the roof of the building that housed Amkor Karate, which is diagonally across Lancaster Avenue from our parking lot - directly across from the Acme.  Click here for an article about the issue.  I am among those who fear that this would harm the quality of life in the neighborhoods surrounding our church.  Here is an online petition that’s being circulated, asking the judge presiding over the hearings to deny the request of the advertising company. 

Fr. Liam 
 

If you need a ride to the doctor, shopping, etc., call Sr. Anne at 610-525-0147 ext. 234.

The Spiritual Reading Group began its monthly meetings again on Friday, January 3, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. in the Parish Center/Church Office building. At this first gathering of the new year, we began reading a new book put out by Liturgical Press, entitled Oscar Romero: Love Must Win Out. This biography of a people’s saint (recently canonized on October 4, 2018) traces the events leading up to the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero at a chapel altar in San Salvador and the reverberations of that day in El Salvador and beyond. This in-depth look at Archbishop Romero, the pastor-defender of the poor and great witness of the faith, offers a prism through which to view a Catholic understanding of liberation and how to be a church of the poor, for the poor, as Pope Francis calls us to be. Copies of the book are available for those who still wish to join this monthly reading group. If you are interested, please contact Sr. Anne Woodeshick at 610-525-0147 (ext. 234) or email her at www.awoodeshick@omgcparish.net. Our next gathering will take place on Friday, February 7 from 10:00-11:30 a.m. 

The Catholic Charities Appeal is the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s single most important annual fundraising initiative, and they are counting on your support. Poverty, hunger and homelessness remain serious challenges to our community. Please look deeply within your heart to help reach the goal of $12.5 million, as we strive to bring the gift of hope to our brothers and sisters in need. 

We have someone at our parish who cares for the plants and flowers located in front and around the Blessed Mother statue  at the side door of the Church. Please do NOT add any additional water to the plants or flowers; the extra water is killing them. Thank you.