2017 11-19 I Give Thanks for our Faith Community at Saint Brigid
From our pastor Father Neil Herlihy This Thursday we celebrate Thanksgiving Day. We are invited to pause and reflect in a special way to give thanks for the many blessings the Lord has bestowed on us. As we enjoy our Thanksgiving Day meal, we are prayerfully invited to reflect on our blessings and share…
2017 11-05 All Saints and All Souls Day
From our pastor Father Neil Herlihy On Wednesday, November 1st, we celebrated All Saints Day. Our Church recognizes All Saints Day as a Holy Day of Obligation which reflects its great significance. We remember in a very special way on this day the many saints who have come before us, holy men and women…
2017 07-16 The Knights of Columbus Promotes and Defends the Teachings of the Catholic Church
From our pastor Father Neil Herlihy For many years the fraternal organization, the Knights of Columbus, has done so much to promote and defend the teachings of the Catholic Church. The Knights stress the importance of the family, and articulate and defend the rights of the unborn, the sanctity of the marriage bond, and…
2017 07-23 At Saint Brigid, We Are Truly Appreciative of the Work of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society
From our pastor Father Neil Herlihy Saint Leo the Great is quoted as saying that “any time is the right time for charity. Where God finds charity with its loving concern, there He recognizes the reflection of His own Fatherly care.” This call for charity is also reflected in the Book of the Prophet…
2017 07-30 Through your Generosity, Saint Brigid Benefits Directly From the Annual Appeal
From our pastor Father Neil Herlihy At this time we are in the midst of the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal for 2017. During the month of July, the Archdiocese has sent reminder notices urging parishioners to support the Appeal. A substantial portion of the Appeal provides for the funding for our Archdiocese Vocation program. Through…
2017 08-06 A Family that Prays Together Stays Together
From our pastor Father Neil Herlihy Many families have recently returned from summer vacations and their children will soon be starting school again, and will be settling into a certain routine. This may be a good time to remind families of the need for daily prayer in the midst of their busy lives. Our…
2017 04-09 The Penance Service and the Sacrament of Reconciliation
From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy During this season of Lent, in order to provide an additional opportunity for repentance, we will have a Penance Service at Saint Brigid this Monday at 7:00 pm. At the Penance Service, we will have the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation,…
2017 08-13 Mary, Our Lady of the Assumption, Pray for Us.
From our pastor Father Neil Herlihy This Tuesday we celebrate the feast of the Assumption of Mary. Our Catechism states that “the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the…
2017 02-05 Welcome our New Deacon Ron Leidenfrost
From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy The Roman Catholic Church provides opportunities for men to serve as Permanent Deacons. Most of these men are married or widowed, and they are ordained as ministers usually after a rigorous period of five years of training and formation. One of our parishioners, Ron Leidenfrost, was ordained as…
2017 01-29 The Feast Day of our Patroness St. Brigid of Kildare
From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy On Wednesday, February 1st, we celebrate the Feast day of Saint Brigid, the patron saint of our Parish. She was an Irish Christian nun and joins Saint Patrick as one of the patron saints of Ireland. She is traditionally associated with the Cross of Saint Brigid. This cross…
2017 01-22 Bear Witness to the Value and Sacredness of All Human Life
From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy The most basic gift from God that we all share is the gift of life. It is the foundation that upon which rests all the other wonderful gifts the Lord has given us. This Monday morning Archbishop Gregory will focus on the gift of life as he celebrates…
2017 01-15 Honor the Legacy of Dr. King and Strive for Christian Unity
From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy This weekend as a nation we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for his work in promoting the dignity of the human person regardless of skin color. On Saturday, Archbishop Gregory celebrated a special Mass in honor of Dr. King at the Shrine of the…
2017 01-08 On this Feast of the Epiphany, Heed the Words of Pope Francis
From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy As the New Year continues, we celebrate this Sunday the great feast of the Epiphany. Catholic Columnist, Dr. Thomas Williams reported on comments made by Pope Francis which highlighted the importance of this feast. He stated that as Our Holy Father reflected on this day, he “underscored the…
2017 01-01 Mary, the Holy Mother God and our New Year Spiritual Renewal
From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy As we know our Christmas Season continues, and this past Friday we celebrated the feast of the Holy Family, the family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, the family that makes this Season possible. Our Holy Father Pope Francis has a great love for the family unit. He has…
2016 12-25 My Hope for All This Christmas
From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy As we know, at Christmas, we welcome the Christ Child as Jesus “Emmanuel” comes to us. He has come not only to save us. He has also come to teach us. He has come to teach us how to live, to teach us how to serve, and to…
2016 12-18 Our Advent Journey Continues, Penance Service Mon., December 19th
From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy This Sunday in a very special way we remember in our prayers our beloved former Pastor, Monsignor Paul Reynolds who died on this day six years ago. We were reminded in his obituary that he devoted his attention to the spiritual lives of parishioners, seeking to renew and…
2016 12-11 Follow the Example of Our Lady of Guadalupe This Advent Season
From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy This Monday we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This feast is celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm throughout the Americas. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of the United States, Mexico and all of the Americas, as well as the protector of the unborn….
2016 12-04 The Catholic Tradition of the Advent Wreath and The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy As we know, a new Church Year has commenced as we have entered the season of Advent. It was heartwarming to see many of our parishioners and friends participating in our Advent Mission this past week. Many indicated that Fr. Higgins’ message of discipleship has helped them to more…
2016 11-27 The Season of Advent and Parish Mission with Fr. Brian Higgins
From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy As we know, Advent is a special time in the Church year as we prepare for the coming of the Lord. Advent holds out the hope and desire to see the light of Christ shine through the darkness of our world. Our Holy Father Pope Francis focused on the…
2016 11-20 We Thank God for Blessings Recieved
From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy November 20th, 2016 This Sunday we celebrate the feast of Christ the King as we approach the end of the liturgical year of our Church. We remember in a special way what Christ means to us, and what Christ did for us. We also give thanks for…
2016 11-13 We Honor our Veterans
From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy This past Friday we celebrated Veterans Day. At this time we remember our men and women who served in the military and who sacrificed so much thorough their dedicated commitment to our country. Many of our Veterans served in Vietnam or in other foreign lands, or here in the…
2016 11-06 Forming Consciences in Faithful Citizenship
From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy Pope Francis has addressed the issue of voting. He stated, “We need to participate for the common good. Sometimes we hear: a good Catholic is not interested in politics. This is not true: good Catholics immerse themselves in politics by offering the best of themselves so that the leader…
2016 10-30 All Saints – All Souls Day and the Mass of Remembrance
From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy This Tuesday we celebrate All Saints Day. We remember those great saints who set such good examples for us. As Catholics, we can strive to model our behavior after them and follow their holy way of life. We are challenged to learn from them and to learn more about…
2016 10-23 Priesthood Sunday
From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy This Sunday as a Church, as a faith community, we celebrate Priesthood Sunday. It is a special day set aside to honor the priesthood in the United States. It is a day to reflect upon and affirm the role of the priesthood in the life of the Church. We…
2016 08-28 The Canonization of Mother Teresa of Calcutta
From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy One of the truly great Christians of our time was Mother Teresa. As a young woman, she heard the call to serve the Lord. She affirmed that call and became a nun and a teacher. Later, she affirmed this call, this commitment, in a more direct way by devoting…
2016 09-11 The World Day of Prayer for Peace
From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy This Sunday marks the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. We as a nation recall the tragic deaths and injuries that occurred at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and on the fields of Somerset, Pennsylvania. We also remember the men and women in uniform…
2016 09-18 Mustard Seed Communities – We Are Called to Love All Children of God
From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy Pope Francis has a great love and concern for all children of God. He has a special love and concern for children struggling with serious illness or disability. He recently stated, “Yet what an illusion it is when people today shut their eyes in the face of sickness and…
2016 10-16 World Mission Sunday
From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy World Mission Sunday is traditionally celebrated in the latter part of October. It is a day set aside for Catholics throughout the world to publicly recommit themselves to the Church’s missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice. As we know, evangelization is very important to Our Holy Father Pope Francis. …
2016 09-25 Stewardship Time and Talent Sunday
From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy My brothers and sisters in Christ, the fall season is the time for stewardship renewal in our parish. The International Catholic Stewardship Council stated, “The parish is where the Church lives, and stewards are the lifeblood of a successful parish. In the parish, we find community and support, liturgy…
2016 07-17 The Importance of Mass.. Recommit to Making it the Heart of Your Day
From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy Our Holy Father Pope Francis reminds us of the importance of prayer and Mass. EWTN News reported that he said prayer should come from the heart, “gazing on the Lord, hearing the Lord, asking the Lord.” When Our Holy Father recounted the story of Mary and Martha in our…