Welcome to Holy Martyrs Roman Catholic Church in Oreland, Pennsylvania – Founded 1949” . . . one of the elders spoke up and said to me, “Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?” I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.” He said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” -Revelation 7:13-14

The Holy Martyrs of the Church of Rome – Our Patrons

pictured: The Christian Martyrs Last Prayer by Leon Gerome

As so many people have reflected, we have entered an unexpected Lenten Desert. Many people have spoken of renewed family prayer life in these days, while others are experiencing the sadness of isolation. Many of us, experiencing illness at this time are self-isolating in an abundance of caution, and charity.

Our church will be open daily from 8:00 – 9:00 am for PRIVATE Prayer, until further notice. If you have any symptoms, please do not come to the church. It has also been encouraging to see people stopping to rest and pray at our outdoor shrines. In all of this we are respectful of the abundance of the safety precautions including social distancing.

We will continue to provide on this page information and updates from the parish and the Archdiocese. There will also be provided reflections for the Lent and Easter Season. The parish also has several FACEBOOK pages which are continually updated.

There are also here links to many celebrations of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I continue to offer Mass privately each day. In accord with the directives of the Archdiocese in these difficult times, be assured that all scheduled Mass Intentions are being fulfilled, and Mass continues to be offered on Sundays for the People of the Parish.

Thank you to everyone who has checked in on my needs in these days, and thank you especially to everyone who has continued to support Holy Martyrs Church in these difficult days. Many people have made use of the e-giving link on this page.

Please see the new information below concerning the Virtual Lenten Retreat beginning Monday, March 30th, announced by Archbishop Nelson Perez. That evening, and on each of the following evenings leading up to Palm Sunday, a video will be posted to Archbishop Pérez’s Facebook page. At that same time each night, installments will be posted to his Instagram page as well as the Archdiocesan Vimeo Channel, the Archdiocesan website, and CatholicPhilly.com, the official digital news agency of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. More information at CatholicPhilly.com

Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez Announces The Launch Of
“The Power Of Faith And Hope In A Time Of Uncertainty: A Virtual Lenten Retreat”

The six-day online retreat program is part of the ongoing pastoral and temporal response of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to the COVID-19 pandemic and offers a means for the faithful to prepare spiritually for the approach of Holy Week.

Beginning Monday, March 30th I will share a video each night at 7:00 p.m. via my Facebook page. The series will extend to Palm Sunday and will include dynamic presenters from across our Archdiocese who will bring Catholic Families closer to Christ through scripture, reflection, and prayer. Six of the videos will be in English and American Sign Language and one will be in Spanish.

Please consider participating in this upcoming Lenten Video Retreat. Give this gift of hope to yourself. Christ is hope and through Him we’re a people of hope. I’m praying for you during this time of uncertainty.”

+Nelson J. Pérez
Archbishop of Philadelphia

Sunday Mass offered for the People of Holy Martyrs Church

Click on the picture to read the text from Pope Francis’ homily for the special ‘Urbi et Orbi’

“Teacher, do you not care if we perish?”

In his homily during the worldwide moment of prayer that Pope Francis led this evening, he reflected on how Coronavirus has united us in our common humanity, as brothers and sisters.

Click on the image below to register and begin using FORMED.

FORMED is the revolutionary digital platform that gives you access to video-based study programs, feature films, audio presentations, and eBooks from the Church’s foremost presenters . . . At the parish or on the go, FORMED allows you access to the Catholic Faith.

The Church will be open daily for private prayer – from 8:00am until 9:00 am. Please have every respect for the required Social Distancing of 6 feet and the Limitation of gatherings of NO MORE than TEN persons.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available on Saturdays from 3:30 – 4:00 pm on the Rectory Side Porch.

This will allow for the required Social Distancing as well as effective ventilation.

The Parish Office will remain closed until further notice due to illness. Please conduct parish business through email at holymartyrschurch@gmail.com or by phone 215-884-8575.

Thank you for your support and continued dedication in these challenging times.

Let us continue to pray for all those suffering as a result of the corona virus and all those working to halt the spread of this disease.

Our Lady, Health of the Sick, pray for us!

REFLECTION FOR THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT
March 29, 2020

The Resurrection and the Life By Nina Sophie Heereman, SSD
Ezekiel 37.12-14; Romans 8.8-11; John 11.1-45

“Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” (Lk 24.25-26). As he talks with the disciples on the road to Emmaus, Jesus speaks as though it were crystal clear that the entire mystery of his death and resurrection has been foretold by the Jewish Scriptures. But the two disciples, like many Christian readers throughout the ages, struggle to see how this could be so evident.

Resurrection and the Return from Exile

The first reading for the fifth Sunday in Lent (Ezek 37.12-14) gives us a fine example of a prophetic text that could be readily understood as speaking not only about Christ’s death and resurrection, but also of our own. “I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel” (Ezek 37.12). Such is God’s explicit promise this Sunday through the mouth of the prophet. In Ezekiel’s time, God was addressing the people of Israel living in exile far away from their homeland. Serving the Babylonians as slaves, they felt buried alive. In fact, the Old Testament understands the destruction of the Temple and the deportation of the king and people to Babylon as Israel’s symbolic death. The drama of our first parents had repeated itself. Like them, Israel had been given a paradise of a land in which to enjoy abundant life in God’s presence in the Temple. There was just one condition: observance of God’s law, which is exactly what the people refused. Just as Adam and Eve, driven from the presence of God, had found themselves East of Eden, Israel, too, had been driven out of the Promised Land towards the East (see Genesis 3.24). Although physically alive in their exile, the people were spiritually dead. Their promised liberation and return to their own country was thus like a resurrection from their Babylonian tomb.

This promise seemed fulfilled when King Cyrus decreed the Jews’ return to Jerusalem (see Ezr 1.1-4). Nevertheless, Ezekiel clearly foresaw another resurrection, one of which the return from exile was but a powerful symbol. After all, it takes no outpouring of God’s Spirit to return to one’s homeland. Many other nations were ordered to do the same under Cyrus. Rather, Ezekiel sees the return to the Promised Land as symbolizing another, more fundamental resurrection that God will bring about through the gift of his own spirit. The return from exile stands for the very resurrection spoken of in the second reading and the Gospel: the resurrection of our mortal bodies by the power of the Holy Spirit, the definitive resurrection prefigured by the raising of Lazarus. In the previous chapter of Ezekiel, the gift of the spirit is depicted as a sprinkling with water that will cleanse Israel from all its sins and so create in them a new heart. The people will receive a new spirit, the prophet says, divinely empowering them to do what the human will wounded by sin cannot do: to follow God’s commandments and so fulfill the condition sine qua non for uninterrupted life in the Promised Land as God’s covenant people (see Ezek 36.25-28). This is the same Spirit we ourselves have received in baptism, the Spirit who conformed us to Christ’s death and resurrection (Rom 6.3) and cleansed us from original and personal sin. It is also the same Spirit who cleanses us anew in every sacrament we celebrate and every prayer we say.

The Resurrection and the Life

Jesus, who has come to restore all things, recapitulates the entire history of Israel in his own flesh. Reading the Scriptures with a mind not blinded by sin, and acting in the full possession of the Holy Spirit, he understands that Israel’s exile prefigured his own banishment from the land of the living in expiation for Israel’s sin. But in Israel’s return from exile, he also recognizes a prefiguration of his own return from the valley of death. Just as God forgave Israel after having expiated her sin in the Babylonian captivity, the Father will also bring Jesus back to life after having expiated humanity’s sin in his crucifixion. Jesus’ words, “this illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (Jn 11.4), therefore have a double meaning. Yes, Jesus will raise Lazarus from death and so be glorified as “the resurrection and the life.” But on a much deeper level, this provisional resurrection of Lazarus will lead to a more dramatic glorification of the Son of God, namely, the revelation of God’s glory in his death on the cross. Jesus knows perfectly well that the raising of Lazarus will lead to his own condemnation, as St. John powerfully asserts in the conclusion of this Sunday’s gospel (which the lectionary unfortunately cuts short). The resurrection of Lazarus seals the Sanhedrin’s decision to put Jesus to death, a decision which unwittingly testifies that Jesus, who indeed raised Lazarus, will raise all those who believe in him thanks to his death in their stead. In the unconsciously prophetic words of the High Priest Caiaphas, Jesus should die for the people of God “so that the whole nation may not perish” (Jn 11.50). The fruit of His death is the life promised to all who believe in him.

In restoring Lazarus to life, Jesus announces his own resurrection, while proving himself to be the author of life endowed with power and authority to give life to whomever he wishes. He is in the truest sense “the resurrection and the life” (Jn 11.25). But his resurrection, like the one he came to give us, is not a simple return to earthly life, as was the case with Lazarus. Lazarus, like all of us, would eventually die a second time (his tomb is found in Larnaca on Cyprus to this day). By contrast, Jesus’ resurrected body, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit (Ezek 37.14), is to die no more.

But Christ hasn’t just promised to raise our mortal bodies to eternal life on the last day, as we firmly confess every Sunday in the Creed. Amazingly, he has already raised us to new life in our Baptism. In the baptismal waters, we were both buried with Christ and raised with him through faith in the working of the God who raised Jesus from the dead (see Col 2.12). This is why St. Paul says in the second reading: “if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you” (Rom 8.10-11). We live in a state of already and not yet: our bodies are still subject to mortality, because we still bear the effects of original sin as a penance. And yet, “by virtue of the Holy Spirit” whom we received in our baptism, we are united with Christ and therefore already “truly participate in the heavenly life of the risen Christ,” even though this life is “hidden with Christ in God” (see Col 3.1). As St. Paul says in another letter: “God has raised us up and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2.6). This is Jesus’ message to Martha and to us: “Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” (Jn 11.25-26).

Nina Sophie Heereman, SSD, is an Assistant Professor at St. Patrick’s Seminary and University, CA. She did her doctorate at the École Biblique in Jerusalem with a dissertation entitled, “Behold King Solomon. A Symbolic-Diachronic Reading of Song 3:6-11 and 4:12-5:1”

Teaching the Faith is a publication of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars. For information about membership or to donate, please visit our website.www.catholicscholars.org

The Daily Mass Readings are always available at the U.S. Bishops website www.usccb.org

Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez Announces The Suspension Of All Public Masses In The Archdiocese Of Philadelphia Effective At Noon March 18, 2020

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced that Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez has suspended all public Masses in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia effective at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18^th and until further notice.

Archbishop Pérez said, “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 for the time being.

All of us need to do our part to slow the spread of this illness. Like you, we are monitoring coronavirus developments and look forward to continuing our lives on a more normal basis.

While things may look and feel different during these uncertain times, I want to be very clear that the Catholic Church in Philadelphia is not closing down. It is not disappearing and it will not abandon you. Time and again as our history has proven the Church has risen to meet great challenges and provide a beacon of hope and light.

As your Shepherd, I promise that the Church remains steadfast and is prepared to walk with you and serve you. Neither the Church nor its charitable works will stop. God is always by our side. He never abandons us. I invite you to join me in prayerful solidarity for the intentions of the sick, suffering, and their caregivers as well as government and health officials. With God’s grace and blessing, we will navigate the difficult waters of this challenge as a united human family, for after all is said and done, we are people of Hope!”

Though public Masses are suspended in all churches in the Archdiocese, the right and need of the faithful to hear the Word of God and celebrate the Sacraments is not put aside. Pastors, along with all those who work with them, will be as attentive as possible to all the spiritual, pastoral, and charitable needs of the people they serve.

Priests will continue to offer the sacrifice of the Holy Mass during this period and to honor all requested Mass intentions.

Churches can remain open as a location for private prayer at the discretion of the pastor. Baptisms, Confessions, Marriages, and Funerals may take place as usual but with due regard for the limitation of participants and reasonable social distancing.

During these days the Parish Office may be open on a very limited basis. When possible, make every effort to conduct parish business through email or a telephone call. If you are not feeling well, please do not come to the parish office.

In conjunction with directives already in force in hospitals and institutions, all visits to the sick with Holy Communion, including in private homes, by priests, deacons, and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion are suspended. In such instances, only priests will be available to celebrate the Sacraments for those in immediate danger of death. In all circumstances, government and health agency directives for group size and social distancing are to be observed as the Archdiocese of Philadelphia strives to meet the pastoral and temporal needs of all those in need.

A live stream broadcast of the 11:00 a.m. Sunday Mass can be found on the Archdiocesan website and Archbishop Pérez’s Facebook page. This broadcast will continue each Sunday on an ongoing basis.

Additional information regarding opportunities for prayer and devotions are available on the Archdiocesan website. www.archphila.org

* * * * * * * *

Mass will be broadcast on TV or online via one of the following:

Channel 6, WPVI TV – ABC
Sunday mornings at 5:30 AM

Nativity of Our Lord Parish, Warminster PA
Livestream the 10 AM Sunday Mass – https://www.noolp.org/

National Catholic Broadcasting Channel
https://dailytvmass.com/daily-tv-mass/

EWTN – Daily Mass at 8 AM
https://www.ewtn.com/tv

From the Office for the New Evangelization:

Please find a compilation of spiritual support resources on the Archdiocese of Philadelphia website at archphila.org/resources
Join us for a nightly online Rosary for an end to the coronavirus at 8 PM. You can participate online, by phone or in spirit. Full details for joining in can be found at phillyevang.org/rosary.

Live stream Mass from the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia at 11am on Sundays – click on the above picture.

Keep up with the news at:

Archbishop Perez’s spiritual message during pandemic

Archbishop Perez’s message to school students of the archdiocese

Archbishop Perez’s message to archdiocesan employees

Until further notice, Priests and Extraordinary Ministers of Communion will not be conducting hospital or parishioner home visits.

You can watch the Mass on TV or online via one of the following:

Channel 6, WPVI TV – ABC
Sunday mornings at 5:30 AM

Nativity of Our Lord Parish, Warminster PA
Livestream the 10 AM Sunday Mass – https://www.noolp.org/

National Catholic Broadcasting Channel
https://dailytvmass.com/daily-tv-mass/

EWTN – Daily Mass at 8 AM
https://www.ewtn.com/tv

The Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul will livestream the 11 am Mass on Sunday at www.archphila.org

If you are unable to attend Mass in person you can make a spiritual Communion.

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament.
I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.

Click on the image below to register and begin using FORMED.

The Veil Removed

The Veil Removed is a short film that reveals the coming together of heaven and earth at Mass,

as seen by saints and mystics, revealed by scripture and in the catechism of the Catholic Church.

Click on the picture above

On Sunday, March 1, at the Rite of Election at the Cathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, Archbishop Nelson Perez welcomed Tran Nguyen of our parish, and all those preparing to receive the Sacraments of Initiation; Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist.

Pictured above is Loc Li, Tran Nguyen, the Elect of our parish, Archbishop Nelson J. Perez, and Terry Melanson, R.C.I.A coordinator of Holy Martyrs Church.

Please keep Tran in your prayers, that she will continue to be strengthened by God’s love and learn to know and follow Christ faithfully in His Holy Catholic Church.

Learning to Experience God at Mass – Fr. Scott Borgman

Click on the picture to go to St. Francis Inn Ministries in Kensington

CATHOLIC CHARITIES APPEAL 2020

The Veil Removed

The Veil Removed is a short film that reveals the coming together of heaven and earth at Mass,

as seen by saints and mystics, revealed by scripture and in the catechism of the Catholic Church.

Click on the picture above

O Mary Conceived without Sin, Pray for us who have recourse to Thee.

Thank you for your generosity to the

SECOND COLLECTION FOR OUR CONTINUING RESTORATION and IMPROVEMENTS

As always your kindness is greatly appreciated.

God bless you.

For information on planning a Baptism at Holy Martyrs Church click this link

The Sacred Role of Godparents

click on the picture to view video

For more information on choosing a Godparent for Baptism click this link

Keep up with the news at

Click on the image below to register and begin using FORMED.

Going Beyond Teen Chastity

Theology of the Body for Teens: Middle School Edition is a dynamic faith formation program for teens and pre-teens. It goes beyond traditional chastity programs by connecting the two hottest topics on the planet—God and sex—and discussing them in a language sixth through eighth graders can understand.

Using a great mix of stories, real-life examples, activities, prayers, and references to the culture that teens understand, the Middle School Edition answers the questions middle school students have about their own bodies, issues on sexual morality, and how they were uniquely created for greatness

Theology of the Body for Teens: Middle School Edition is an exciting and dynamic program based on Pope John Paul II’s revolutionary Theology of the Body being offered to middle school students. This program will give students the answers and the tools they need to successfully and safely navigate through life. Contact Tom Hasty at tomhenny@hotmail.com or (215) 450-6334 for more information.

Classes will be held on Sunday nights from 6pm – 7:30pm for 8 weeks starting 9/29.

There will be a parent session at 6pm, 9/22

Cost: free!

Click here for registration form:Theology of the Body Registration Form

Sponsored by the Santa Maria Council of the Knights of Columbus.

A Message From the

OFFICE OF THE NEW EVANGELIZATION

Reviving Confession

HOW TO ATTEND HOLY MASS LIKE A SAINT

Click on the picture to play

How Father Jason Kulczynski Became Known as the ‘Relic Priest’

Holy Martyrs Respect Life Committee

Meetings on the Third Wednesday of the Month at 6:00pm

Click on the picture to hear a recap of the opening talk of the evening on Aim High on Radio Maria.

Follow Holy Martyrs Respect Life on FACEBOOK

HOLY MARTYRS SWEATSHIRTS – $20.00
AND HOLY MARTYRS HOODIES – $25.00
Click on the picture of the shirts to go to the ONLINE ORDER FORM

VETERANS OF THE ARMED SERVICES MEMORIAL

Visit the “News & Events” page for additional pictures.

If you would like to include the name of a Veteran of the Armed Services, living or deceased, or make a donation please contact the Church Office at 215-884-8575. Thank you.

Thank you to our donors and volunteers . . .

and to our Veterans.

For information about the

Traditional Latin Mass in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia

The Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite

www.latinmassphila.org

Tuesday, 19 March 2019 – 7:00 pm Missa Cantata on the Feast of St. Joseph

SUNG MASS in the Traditional Latin Rite
19 March 2019 – 7:00 pm

Celebrant: Rev. Jason Kulczynski
Pastor of Holy Martyrs Catholic Church

Homilist: Rev. Carl Gismondi, FSSP
Pastor of St. Mary Church, Conshohocken

with the Schola Cantorum Philadelphiensis

www.latinmassphila.org

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

Click on the image for more information

Brian Holdsworth on Reverence at the Sacred Liturgy

It’s an amazing fact that we can carry on with the day to day affairs of our lives without giving a second thought to the immensity of our universe and the incomprehensible forces that explode and contract within it.

CATHOLIC HERALD

Allowing children to skip Mass is like letting them not brush their teeth, theologian tells parents

Click to link to the article

How to Receive the Eucharist

An Instructional Video provided by the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon

Grotto in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary

We wish to thank Sean O’Brien who built and donated the new Grotto in honor of the Blessed Virgin, in memory of his mother, Savilla O’Brien, and in honor of all mothers who overcome many obstacles for the good of their families.

For information on GOOD SHEPHERD REGIONAL SCHOOL go to our News and Events page.

CATHOLIC RADIO

Click on the images to listen online.

Relevant Radio 640AM

Domestic Church Media

Online at radiomaria.us

The Office of Youth and Young Adults for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia exists to reveal the real person of Jesus, to help people discover their identity in Him, and to assure everyone that they belong in His Church.

Click below to check out their new website:

Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary

Please pray for all seminarians as they study and continue on their journey to the priesthood.

Visit http://heedthecall.org/poster/ for information about our Seminarians.

Visit the News & Events page for more information about the

Blessed Virgin Mary Shrine and the St. Joseph Shrine

Thank you to our generous benefactors, craftsmen, volunteers, and Donors.

If you would like to make a donation toward this installation in memory of, or in honor of, a loved one, please contact the Parish Office

Holy Martyrs is the home of the Martin Saints Classical Catholic High School

An Independant Private Catholic School in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia

Listen theInterview about the new school with Deacon Christopher Roberts on Aim High on Radio Maria HERE

Our Lady, Queen of Martyrs, Pray for us

Traditional Latin Mass – April 5, 2017

The Faithful Traveler on EWTN . . .

For Information click on the picture.

Exposition of Sacred Relics

On All Saints Day at Holy Martyrs and other locations

Over 100 relics of the Lord and the Saints were on display on March 29, 2017.

Students from Regina Luminis Academy visit the Exposition of Relics

Included in the collection is a relic of the Cross of our Lord, relics from Mount Calvary and the Birthplace of our Lord. Also included are relics of the Cloak of St. Joseph, St. John the Baptist, St. Philomena, St. Francis, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Charles Borromeo, St. John Neumann, St. Katharine Drexel, St. (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta, St. John Paul II, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, St. Damian of Molokai, St. Therese, Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, Servant of God Fr. Walter Ciszek, and many others.

Archdiocese of Philadelphia – Launch of Project Rachel

Healing for those who suffer from the pain of Abortion

Click to view the Press Conference

View the Video of Holy Martyrs Church Groundbreaking Ceremony

The Study of the Sacred Scriptures

Fr. Peter Damian (2)

Listen to Father Peter Damian on Aim High, on Radio Maria:

Introduction to the Study of Sacred Scripture – Part I

The Study of Sacred Scripture – Part 2

Sacred Scripture – Part 3

Sacred Scripture – Part 4

Sacred Scripture – Part 5

Sincere thanks to Archbishop Charles Chaput for allowing us to bring the Altar on which Pope Francis offered Mass on the Parkway in Philadelphia in September 2015 to Holy Martyrs Catholic Church in Oreland, Pa.

Click on the image above for images of moving the Altar to our church.

Vocation Videos Produced by Joyful Films

View more films at www.joyfulfilms.com

Visit the Office for Vocations to the Priesthood of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia at

www.heedthecall.org

Father Stephen DeLacy, Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, describes the new vocation Initiative of the Archdiocese titled, Called by Name, in the following video