April 14, 2024
Dear Parish Family: As we continue in this Easter Season, here is a little story I came across. It’s called Easter Bunny’s Amazing Day. It…
April 16, 2023
Dear Parish Family: Let’s Keep Easter Going! Today we celebrate the Second Sunday of Easter – the last day in the Octave of Easter. Easter…
April 2, 2023
Dear Parish Family: In Jerusalem, an important stop for pilgrims is the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu. “Gallicantu” means “cock crow”. It is the…
April 21, 2024
Dear Parish Family: This Fourth Sunday of Easter is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. The gospel for Sunday Mass each year on this Sunday gives…
April 23, 2023
Dear Parish Family: Today’s Gospel puts us on the Road to Emmaus. The two disciples walking away from Jerusalem with confusion and disappointment encounter Jesus…
April 28, 2024
Dear Parish Family: As the saying goes, April showers bring May flowers. Flowers are used throughout the year to decorate our church and beautify our…
April 30, 2023
Dear Parish Family: This Fourth Sunday of Easter is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. The gospel for Sunday Mass each year on this Sunday gives…
April 7, 2024
Dear Parish Family: Let’s Keep Easter Going! Today we celebrate the Second Sunday of Easter – the last day in the Octave of Easter. Easter…
April 9, 2023
Dear Parish Family: Today we celebrate the most important day of our entire year: Easter Sunday—the day our Lord has made, and we are glad…
August 11, 2024
Dear Parish Family: This Thursday, (August 15) we will celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and commemorate the death of Mary and her…
August 13, 2023
Dear Parish Family: This Tuesday (August 15) we will celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and commemorate the death of Mary and her…
August 18, 2024
Dear Parish Family, As many students, teachers, and school personnel prepare to return to school over the next couple of weeks, there is always a…
August 20, 2023
Dear Parish Family, As many students, teachers, and school personnel prepare to return to school over the next couple of weeks, there is always a…
August 25, 2024
According to a recent study, 51% of unchurched Americans say the most effective way to get them to visit church would be through a personal invitation…
August 27, 2023
Dear Parish Family, Every member of our parish family is important, loved, and cherished. We realize that in a significant way when a member of…
August 4, 2024
Dear Parish Family: August is upon us! August is a month filled with some very special Saints’ days and feasts. Here are just a few…
August 6, 2023
Dear Parish Family: Summertime is a time for picnics. Often, it is also a time for family picnics that serve as family reunions. It’s a…
Christmas Mailing Help: DECEMBER 3
It’s that time of year again! We need volunteers to help with our Christmas Mailing on Tuesday, December 3, 2024 from 9:30 a.m. to 12…
December 1, 2024
Dear Parish Family, Happy New Year! No, it’s not January 1 yet. But today is the start of the new Christian Year. Today we celebrate…
December 10, 2023
Dear Parish Family, Advent keeps moving forward. We are now just two weeks away from Christmas. As we hurry and hustle, are busy and bustle,…
December 11, 2022
Dear Parish Family: Happy Gaudate Sunday! Guadate is the Latin for rejoice. We rejoice in a very special way today because we have reached the…
December 17, 2023
Dear Parish Family, Happy Gaudate Sunday! Guadate is the Latin word for rejoice. It is the special name that we give to the Third Sunday…
December 18, 2022
Dear Parish Family: We have reached the fourth and final week of Advent. I hope and pray that this season of joy and anticipation has…
December 24, 2023
Dear Parish Family, The angels proclaimed to the shepherds on the hillside a message: Glory to God in the highestand on earth peace to those…
December 25, 2022
Dear Sisters and Brothers: One of the most favorite of all Christmas Carols is Joy to the World. It reminds us that we have joy…
December 3, 2023
Dear Parish Family, The Advent Season prepares us for the coming of the Lord. While the days grow shorter and colder, we prepare for the…
January 1, 2023
Dear Parish Family: Happy and Holy New Year! It’s time to make New Year’s resolutions. Actually, that’s the easy part. The hard part as we all…
December 31, 2023
Dear Parish Family, This Sunday we will look back and look forward. New Year’s is a time for us to remember what has been and…
December 4, 2022
Dear Parish Family: Growing up we play games like Hide and Seek, I Spy with My Little Eye, and Where’s Waldo. They are aimed at…
February 11, 2024
Dear Sisters and Brothers: Lent begins on February 14. Ash Wednesday coinciding with Valentine’s Day this year provides an important insight. Lent is a time…
February 12, 2023
Dear Parish Family: At the end of the Super Bowl 57 tonight, either the Philadelphia Eagles or the Kansas City Chiefs will be awarded the…
February 18, 2024
Dear Sisters and Brothers: The word Lent comes from an old English word that means springtime. The Latin adverb lente means slowly. So as a vocabulary word,…
February 19, 2023
Dear Parish Family: In just a few days, we will set out on our annual pilgrimage to Easter. ASH WEDNESDAY (February 22) begins THE HOLY SEASON OF…
February 25, 2024
Dear Sisters and Brothers: As we continue our Lenten Journey of the Heart to Keep Jesus in the Center, today’s readings help us focus in…
February 26, 2023
Dear Parish Family: Lent is here! The prayer, fasting, and almsgiving have begun! It is important for us not to approach these Lenten practices as…
February 4, 2024
Dear Parish Family, The next few years will be filled with anniversaries. Anniversaries are milestones, they are opportunities to look back on how far we’ve…
February 5, 2023
Dear Parish Family: Last week we looked at the different mysteries of our Faith to which each month is dedicated. This week, here’s a look…
Fourth Sunday of Advent: Cycle A
December 18, 2022. Love: Saying Yes Together We know Saint Joseph as a good and just Man. Saint Matthew calls him a righteous man. Joseph was…
First Sunday of Advent: Cycle A
November 27, 2022. When a mother is expecting a baby, a hospital bag is usually packed. All the things that the mom will need in…
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A
January 29, 2023. Saint Augustine. Great Teacher, Greatest Mind, Great Influence. When asked to name the three most important virtues, Saint Augustine gave an interesting…
January 15, 2023
Dear Parish Family: We are now in the liturgical season of Ordinary Time, the longest season of the Church’s liturgical year. Ordinary Time usually begins…
January 14, 2024
Dear Parish Family, We are now in the liturgical season of Ordinary Time, the longest season of the Church’s liturgical year. Ordinary Time usually begins…
January 22, 2023
Dear Parish Family: Monday, January 23, 2023 is the Feast Day of one of the newest American Saints: Saint Marianne Cope of Molokai. Born in…
January 21, 2024
Dear Parish Family, Thank you for all the prayers and good wishes you shared during my recent medical procedure. Everything went well and I am…
January 29, 2023
Dear Parish Family: Wait! What happened to January? How is it possible that we are beginning the month of February? Did you know that each…
January 28, 2024
Dear Parish Family, Candles play an important role in the Catholic Church and their origins go back centuries. In Judaism, a perpetual light was kept…
January 8, 2023
Dear Parish Family: Happy Epiphany! Today we celebrate the manifestation of the Baby Jesus to the world by the star and the three kings who…
January 7, 2024
Dear Parish Family, Happy Epiphany! Today we celebrate the manifestation of the Baby Jesus to the world by the star and the three kings who…
Jingle-Bell Run FTK
Inviting everyone, all families and friends… Mark your calendars: December 7, 2024 is the Jingle Bell Run. Please join Trinity High School Mini-THON in the fight against childhood cancer! All proceeds…
Journey of Mary and Joseph
Use the figurines of Joseph and Mary from your Nativity set and move them around the house during Advent to remember their Journey from Nazareth…
July 14, 2024
Dear Parish Family: The National Eucharistic Revival continues here in the United States. A big moment of this three year process is the National Eucharistic…
July 16, 2023
Dear Parish Family: This Parish Year of National Eucharistic Revival in the U.S. coincides with a special anniversary for the Universal Church. December 4, 2023…
July 2, 2023
Dear Parish Family: This Tuesday is Independence Day. The Fourth of July is a time for us to remember and honor the “Founding Fathers” of…
July 21, 20214
Dear Parish Family: The Season of Fall officially begins at the Autumnal Equinox when the Sun is exactly above the Equator and day and night are of equal length.…
July 23, 2023
Dear Parish Family: Tuesday, July 25, is the Feast of Saint James the Apostle. James was the big brother of John the Apostle. He was the…
July 28, 2024
Dear Parish Family: In October 1979, Pope (now Saint) John Paul II made a papal pilgrimage to the U.S.A. It included stops in the North…
July 30, 2023
Dear Parish Family, In just a few days the month of August will be upon us. August is a month filled with some very special…
July 7, 2024
Dear Parish Family: I hope that everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July! Hopefully, this summer is providing everyone some time for relaxation and rejuvenation.…
July 9, 2023
Dear Parish Family: It’s hard to believe that we are just about to reach the halfway point of summer. Hopefully, this summer is providing everyone…
June 11, 2023
Dear Parish Family: Today is Corpus Christi Sunday! Today we celebrate in a very special way the gift of Jesus’ Body and Blood, really, permanently,…
June 16, 2024
Dear Parish Family, Happy Father’s Day! Today we honor all our fathers – those living and those deceased, those fathers who have lost a child,…
June 18, 2023
Dear Parish Family: Happy Father’s Day! Today we honor all our fathers – those living and those deceased, those fathers who have lost a child,…
June 2, 2024
Dear Parish Family: Today we celebrate Trinity Sunday as we honor one God in three Divine Persons. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are a…
June 23, 2024
Dear Parish Family, We welcome Father Dominic Azagbor, OP to Good Shepherd as our Parochial Vicar. We are delighted to have Father Dominic with us…
June 25, 2023
Dear Parish Family: A million thanks to everyone who made this year’s Vacation Bible Camp an absolute success!!! Our “campers” looked more eager and excited…
June 30, 2024
Dear Parish Family, It’s hard to believe that this week begins July!! July 1 marks the halfway point through the calendar year and the start…
June 4, 2023
Dear Parish Family: Today we celebrate Trinity Sunday as we honor one God in three Divine Persons. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are a…
June 9, 2024
Dear Parish Family, Thursday, June 13, is the Feast Day of Saint Anthony of Padua. One of the most famous disciples of Saint Francis of Assisi,…
March 10, 2024
Dear Parish Family: Today we begin our Annual Solemn Forty Hours Eucharistic Devotions. The exact origin of the Forty Hours Devotion is not completely known.…
March 12, 2023
Dear Parish Family: Next Sunday (March 19) we will begin our Annual Solemn Forty Hours Eucharistic Devotions. This is our first one since the COVID…
March 17, 2024
Dear Parish Family: Today begins a special part of Lent known as Passiontide. It is the last two weeks before Easter. Passiontide is all about…
March 19, 2023
Dear Parish Family: As we celebrate our Solemn Forty Hours Eucharistic Devotions this week, here is the Litany of the Holy Eucharist. May these Forty…
March 24, 2024
Dear Parish Family: In Jerusalem, an important stop for pilgrims is the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu. “Gallicantu” means “cock crow”. It is the…
March 26, 2023
Dear Parish Family: Today begins a special part of Lent known as Passiontide. It is the last two weeks before Easter. Passiontide is all about…
March 3, 2024
Dear Sisters and Brothers: We learn in the Acts of the Apostles 4:32-35: All the believers were one in heart and mind. They shared everything…
March 31, 2024
Dear Parish Family: Today we celebrate the most important day of our entire year: Easter Sunday – the day our Lord has made, and we…
March 5, 2023
Dear Parish Family: Lent is a time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving – not just to go through the motions – but to bring us…
Mary, the Mother of God
January 1, 2023. New Year’s Eve Looking Forward Looking Back Mary, the Mother of God Through the eyes of a mother. What did Mary see? …
May 12, 2024
Dear Parish Family: Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers of our parish! As we celebrate this special holiday, we remember all our mothers…
May 14, 2023
Dear Parish Family: Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers of our parish! As we celebrate this special holiday, we remember all our mothers…
May 19, 2024
Dear Parish Family: Happy and Blessed Pentecost! 50 days ago we celebrated the great feast of Easter—the day of the Lord’s Resurrection. Today, we celebrate…
May 26, 2024
Dear Parish Family: Happy Memorial Day! Memorial Day is our nation’s solemn reminder that freedom is never free. It is a moment for us to…
May 28, 2023
Dear Parish Family: If you mention that you’re praying a novena, you’ll probably get a mixed bag of reactions from friends and family. Some may…
May 5, 2024
Dear Parish Family: It is a centuries-old custom for Catholics to dedicate the month of May to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The month of May…
May 7, 2023
Dear Parish Family: It is a centuries-old custom of Catholics to dedicate the month of May to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The month of May…
November 10, 2024
Dear Parish Family, November is the month of giving thanks and is an important opportunity to stop and remember all that we have to be…
October 9, 2022
Dear Parish Family: Every October, all the priests “on mission/in active ministry” of the Diocese of Harrisburg are required to attend our annual Diocesan Priests…
November 12, 2023
Dear Parish Family, November is the month of giving thanks. Thanksgiving is an important opportunity for all of us to stop and remember all that…
November 13, 2022
Dear Parish Family: I hope that everyone is enjoying Veteran’s Day Weekend. We remember all veterans, but in a special way the veterans of our…
November 17, 2024
Dear Parish Family, November 22 is the Feast Day of Saint Cecilia. Cecilia lived in the second century of Christianity and is believed to have…
November 19, 2023
Dear Parish Family, Thursday is Thanksgiving Day. The very important act of giving thanks is at the center of who we are as Catholic Christians. The Eucharist—the…
November 20, 2022
Dear Parish Family: Today is the Solemnity of Christ the King. This feast is celebrated on the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year. Next Sunday is…
November 24, 2024
Dear Parish Family, Today is the Solemnity of Christ the King. This feast is celebrated on the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year. Next Sunday is…
November 26, 2023
Dear Parish Family, Today is the Solemnity of Christ the King. This feast is celebrated on the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year. Next Sunday is…
November 27, 2022
Dear Parish Family: Happy New Year! No, it’s not January 1 yet. But today is the start of the new Christian Year. Today we celebrate…
November 3, 2024
Dear Parish Family: This week is National Vocations Awareness Week. Celebrated November 3-9, 2024, this annual week is dedicated to promoting vocations to the priesthood, diaconate,…
November 5, 2023
Dear Parish Family, November is a special month in the life of the Church. We remember our beloved dead in a very deliberate and particular…
October 2, 2022
Dear Parish Family: This Friday, October 7, is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Pope Saint Pius V established this feast in 1573. The…
November 6, 2022
Dear Parish Family: November is a special month in the life of the Church. We remember our beloved dead in a very deliberate and particular…
October 1, 2023
Dear Parish Family, What happened to September? Wasn’t it just Labor Day? I hope that September was a good month for everyone and that the…
October 13, 2024
Dear Parish Family: We are blessed with two special opportunities to attend a spiritual retreat right here at Good Shepherd this Fall! These one-day Saturday…
October 15, 2023
Dear Parish Family, This week has been filled with horrific news and images from Israel. Sometimes there are no words to express what we see…
October 16, 2022
Dear Parish Family: One of the many gifts of living in our part of the country (and really the world) is that we are able…
October 20, 2024
Dear Parish Family: As we have been announcing, Good Shepherd, along with all the parishes in the Diocese of Harrisburg, is taking part in an…
October 22, 2023
Dear Parish Family, In this time of harvest, these words of Jesus have special meaning: The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore…
October 23, 2022
Dear Parish Family: Often in His public ministry, Jesus took time away to pray and just “be” with the Father. Jesus invites and encourages His…
October 27, 2024
Dear Parish Family: November starts this week. We know that November is the month we remember our Faithful Departed in a very special way. November…
September 25, 2022
Dear Parish Family: So we have reached the last week of September! What happened? Wasn’t it just Labor Day? I hope that September has been…
October 29, 2023
Dear Parish Family, It’s hard to believe that November starts this week. We know that November is the month we remember our Faithful Departed in…
October 30, 2022
Dear Parish Family:It’s hard to believe that November starts this week. We know that November is the month we remember our Faithful Departed in a…
October 6, 2024
Dear Parish Family: This fall, Good Shepherd Parish, along with all the parishes in the Diocese of Harrisburg, will conduct a parish survey on discipleship…
October 8, 2023
Dear Parish Family, Next weekend, we are blessed to host the Blessed Carlo Acutis International Eucharistic Miracle Exhibit right here at Good Shepherd. What is…
Oplatki Christmas Wafer
Oplatki is a Catholic Christmas tradition celebrated in Poland, Lithuania, Moravia, and Slovakia and has spread to other parts of the world. The custom is traditionally observed on December 24.…
Pilgrimage to Rome
FEBRUARY 12, 2025 – FEBRUARY 20, 2025. Visits to the Seven Pilgrim Churches that Grant the Special Jubilee Plenary Indulgence The Catacombs • Papal Blessing…
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A
January 15, 2023. At every Sunday Mass, the second reading is from one of the New Testament epistles – letters from the apostles to a…
Second Sunday of Advent: Cycle A
December 4, 2022. Growing up we play games like Hide and Seek, I Spy with My Little Eye, and Where’s Waldo. They are aimed at…
September 1, 2024
Dear Parish Family: As we observe Labor Day this Monday, it is a great opportunity for us to reflect on the gift and dignity of…
September 10, 2023
Dear Parish Family, There are moments in history that make a significant impact on our lives. Many have the distinction of us knowing exactly where…
September 15, 2024
Dear Parish Family: The third Sunday of September each year is celebrated as Catechetical Sunday to acknowledge and thank all catechists. Catechesis comes from a Greek word…
September 17, 2023
Dear Parish Family, The third Sunday of September each year is celebrated as Catechetical Sunday to acknowledge and thank all catechists. Catechesis comes from a Greek word that means…
September 22, 2024
Dear Parish Family: Drum roll please … Our new boiler will be installed this week just in time for the autumn weather. It will be…
September 24, 2023
Dear Parish Family, So a time has come … Bryan Pritchard has announced his plan to retire on December 8, 2023. Bryan has been invaluable to Good…
September 29, 2024
Dear Parish Family: What happened to September? Wasn’t it just Labor Day? I hope that September was a good month for everyone and that the…
September 3, 2023
Dear Parish Family, As we observe Labor Day this Monday, it is a great opportunity for us to reflect on the gift and dignity of…
September 8, 2024
Dear Parish Family: Pilgrimages are an important tradition and practice in our faith. For millennia, the People of God have journeyed to different holy places,…
Sneak Peek at Advent and Christmas
NOVEMBER 26 Angel Tree Tags Available NOVEMBER 30 Advent Wreath Assembly Workshop 10:00 a.m. DECEMBER 1 First Sunday of Advent DECEMBER 4 Wreath Sale Pick-Up…
THE ADVENT WREATH: Bringing Church Home
During Advent and Christmas, decorated evergreen wreaths hang in windows and on doors everywhere. It’s also common to see a special wreath with four candles…
The Epiphany
January 6, 2023. Today – the Epiphany of our Lord – is a celebration of the manifestation of the Lord. Jesus being revealed to the…
The Living Nativity
Friday • December 20, 2024 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Church Parking Lot The Good Shepherd Living Nativity has become a beloved tradition for our…
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A
January 22, 2023. The arrest of John the Baptist, mentioned at the beginning of today’s Gospel, was a pivotal moment for Jesus. It was the…
Third Sunday of Advent: Cycle A
December 11, 2022. Guadate is Latin for rejoice. On this Gaudate Sunday we rejoice because we have reached the halfway point of our Advent Journey. …