St. Katherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church

Archbishop Nelson Perez invites Catholics in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to join in a special six-day Lenten retreat presented online beginning Monday, March 30. He made the announcement Friday, March 27. 

“The Power of Faith and Hope in a Time of Uncertainty: A Virtual Lenten Retreat” will present a video segment at 7 p.m. on Monday and extending each night to Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week in the church.

The videos will be presented at that same time each night and posted to Archbishop Perez’s Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as the archdiocesan Vimeo channel, the archdiocesan website and CatholicPhilly.com.

Please read more about the retreat here on CatholicPhilly.com.

The public worship of Almighty God that takes place with the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy is the duty and privilege of the Church in all her members. The Coronavirusthe Mysteries of Christ for the glory of the Father and (COVID-19) challenges us to celebrate our sanctification with reasonable limitations and in cooperation with directives from government and health officials to stem the spread of the virus. 

With this in mind the following directives have been issued by Archbishop Perez:

• The suspension of all public Masses in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia remains in force until 
  further notice.
• There will be no public celebration of Palm Sunday or of the Sacred Paschal Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil.
• Easter Sunday Mass is not to be celebrated publicly.

Please note that Palm, a sacramental rich in power to remind us all of Christ’s victory over sin and death, will be Blessed in private on Palm Sunday and will be made available to the Faithful at a later date. It will not be distributed in any fashion on Palm Sunday. 

The Archbishop and all concerned with the good of the Church and the care of Souls realizes the great sorrow that comes from such actions. However, since we are a people of Hope who believe in the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead, we know that like Jesus, we will rise above this present situation and be more devoted to the practice of our faith. 

Our care for one another at this time demonstrates our belief in the words of Jesus in the 25th chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel, “Whatever you do for the least of your brothers (or sisters), that you do for me.” 

All events and/or gatherings scheduled in any of the St. Katherine of Siena parish buildings are cancelled. This includes parish, outside organizations
or individual events until a later notice is published.
When in doubt, call the Rectory 215-637-7548.

You may continue to read the bulletin by clicking on "Bulletin" above each week.

"Like" our Facebook page (to the right or below on a mobile device) to watch Archbishop Nelson Pérez's livestream of Sunday mass on Sundays at 11:00 a.m. each week

Read the latest from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia at CatholicPhilly.com

A Prayer for These Times
Jesus Christ, you traveled through  towns and villages
“curing every disease and illness.” At your command, the
sick were made well. Come to our aid now, in the midst of
the global spread of the coronavirus, that we may
experience your healing love.

Heal those who are sick with the virus. May they regain
their strength and health through quality medical care. Heal
us from our fear, which prevents nations from working
together and neighbors from helping one another. Heal us
from our pride, which can make us claim invulnerability to
a disease that knows no borders.

Jesus Christ, healer of all, stay by our side in this time of
uncertainty and sorrow.

Be with those who have died from the virus. May they be at
rest with you in your eternal peace. Be with the families of
those who are sick or have died. As they worry and grieve,
defend them from illness and despair. May they know your peace.

Be with the doctors, nurses, researchers and all medical
professionals who seek to heal and help those affected and
who put themselves at risk in the process. May they know
your protection and peace.

Be with the leaders of all nations. Give them the foresight
to act with charity and true concern for the well-being of the
people they are meant to serve. Give them the wisdom to
invest in long-term solutions that will help prepare for or
prevent future outbreaks. May they know your peace, as
they work together to achieve it on earth.

Whether we are home or abroad, surrounded by many
people suffering from this illness or only a few, Jesus
Christ, stay with us as we endure and mourn, persist and
prepare. In place of our anxiety, give us your peace.

Jesus Christ, heal us.

Archbishop Nelson Pérez released the following statement at 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17:

As the Archbishop of Philadelphia, my first priority is to ensure the health and welfare of those entrusted to the pastoral and temporal care of our Church. So, in light of the developing Coronavirus pandemic, a decision has been made to suspend the public celebration of all Masses in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia effective at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18th and until further notice.

Read the full announcement from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia here.

The following statement was released by Msgr. Daniel Kutys, Moderator of the Curia & Vicar General for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia:

“Effective immediately, and until further notice, Archbishop Pérez, in union with the Bishops of Pennsylvania, has dispensed the faithful of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass.

Despite the suspension of the obligation to attend Sunday Mass, all regularly scheduled masses will remain open to the public for those who wish to attend.