Rally for Religious Freedom

This past Friday I had the opportunity to attend the Rally for Religious Freedom at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. There were rallies in about 140 cities all over the country protesting the HHS mandate.

Obama's HHS mandate will require all health care insurance providers to provide birth control for employees. All religious hospitals and other organizations are expected to provide their employees with the birth-control-providing healthcare. This goes against religious beliefs for Catholics as well as other religious. A movement began to protest and on March 23rd the nationwide rallies took place.

Hundreds were in attendance at Independence Hall on Friday. People came on their lunch breaks or took off from work to be present. Various speakers came including clergy, doctors, and lawyers. One man, Robert Mansfield, a practicing Episcopalian and Iraqi War veteran, said, "We didn't travel 7,000 miles to have the government tell us how we're going to practice our faith. If they're coming after the Catholics, they're coming after us next."

The rally was great! It was so good to be united with so many other people in our city concerned about the HHS mandate. At times it can feel as though we are alone in our fight, but this rally made me feel hopeful that we can make changes happen! The speakers were very impressive and the attendees were very respectful. I had the opportunity to volunteer a bit by going around and collecting contact cards. This was to get a head count for the event and to send out more information for future events. I talked to various people from the city to the suburbs, from down the street all the way to Avalon, NJ! There were all ages and races, both male and female. There were reps from Generation Life, the King's Men, A Baby's Breath, Silent No More, Priests for Life, and many more. I was so proud of the pro-life movement in Philadelphia!

Here is the link to here more about the rally and other things you can do!
http://standupforreligiousfreedom.com/

This is a link to a statement signed by Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York. He is also President of the USCCB. https://sites.google.com/a/nd.edu/the-notre-dame-fund-to-protect-human-life/news-and-commentary/cardinaldolansignsstatementrejectinghhscontraceptionmandate

Here is a summary provided by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia:

On January 20th, the Obama administration made it clear that the new HHS [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services] mandate requiring employers to provide free contraceptives, sterilization and abortifacient drugs through their insurance plans would be imposed on religious institutions.

The HHS provided a “religious exemption” so narrow that it would exclude Catholic hospitals, universities and charities, forcing these institutions to act in direct opposition to Catholic teaching through the health care plans they provide. Institutions run by other religious organizations would be similarly affected.

Religious leaders across the country have been speaking out against the HHS mandate, including 171 Catholic bishops, and numerous lawsuits have been filed by Catholic institutions.

What every citizen must know about the HHS mandate

• The mandate does not exempt Catholic charities, schools, universities, or hospitals.

• The mandate forces these institutions and others, against their conscience, to pay for things they consider immoral.

• The mandate forces coverage of sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs and devices as well as contraception.

• Americans of all political persuasions and religious backgrounds are unified in their opposition to the mandate.

• Abortion and contraception are not healthcare.

My friend Jeremiah and I at the Rally

Shalom and God bless!

In Him,

Theresa

Grace House!

I am finally going to write a bit about where I live! I am one of 5 members of Grace House, a new women's young adult community house in Port Richmond, Philadelphia. We are living together as Catholic women who want to live out the faith in the secular world. We pray together and have monthly events for young adults in the Philadelphia area. My housemates are Anja, Chris, Kate, and Sam. We also have Sara who is visiting with us for a few months. We are located at Thompson and Cambria in the old rectory at Mother of Divine Grace parish. Feel free to join our facebook group for updates on events! http://www.facebook.com/groups/263841103657747/

On Friday night we had a St. Patty's Day party! A small group of us went to Stations of the Cross at the Church, then the party began. We had a baked potato bar with all the fixings, some treats (including Irish potatoes of course), a green Irish punch, some Irish tunes, and fellowship. Some friends brought Irish music with them and were taking turns playing the guitar as we sang some old Irish favorites. We all hung out and got to spend quality time together. As the night went on a group of us played a really fun board game. There was nothing fancy to this gathering, just a chance to get a group of friends together. We probably had 25-30 people over throughout the night, including a brief appearance by our pastor, Father Benn! If you ever want to get a group of young adults together, all you need is good food and good music. Spend quality time together! Grace House's next event is on April 20th. Mark your calendars! We also have an Open House this coming Sunday, March 25th from 11:30-1:30. If you'd like to come check out the house and meet us please feel free to stop by!

Kate with her treat!

Don't you love the Irish hats?

Slainte! (Cheers!)

Shalom and God bless!

In Him,

Theresa

Swing Dancing, Family Time, Flowers, and Archbishop Chaput!

This past weekend was wonderful! I started out with a great swing dancing class on Friday night at St. John the Evangelist parish center with Jack's YACs, St. John the Evangelist Church Young Adult Community. The mission..."We are a Catholic community of young men and women (20s and 30s) who seek to grow closer to Christ and to be witnesses to the good news of the Gospel through prayer, friendship, faith formation, and service to the poor, guided by the teachings of the Catholic Church and nourished by her Sacraments". Sounds good to me! St. John's is located in Center City on 13th Street between Market and Chesnut Streets. It's a great location for young professionals in the city. There is lots going on through Jack's YACs, and this swing dancing night was a big hit! Just $5 for 4 hours of fun. The first hour was a group lesson on how to swing dance, followed by lots of dancing, snacks, and fellowship! I've swing danced a bit, but the lesson was a helpful refresher. It was also a good opportunity for me to get to know some of the people there. Everyone was so nice and welcoming! I felt very much a part of the group, not at all isolated. I've only been to 1 or 2 other events at St. John's, so I was meeting many people for the first time. Once the lesson was over the men were very good about asking the ladies to dance. It wasn't an awkward 6th grade experience...you know, guys on one side and girls on the other with no one on the dance floor except maybe 1 or 2 couples. Everyone was there to dance and have fun, so that's what we did! No pressure, just having fun practicing! I'm hoping to make it to more of their swing dancing events. I think it was the most fun I've ever had dancing. For more info on Jack's YACs and their events, go to www.jacksyacs.com.

Saturday was another great day. I went to daily mass at the Cathedral at 12:05 which is great because I can still sleep in a bit and get to mass! My good friend Jimmy came to mass with me and afterwards we headed to my parent's house in Media for the day. I was going home to help my mom with some cleaning and things around the house and I knew Jimmy had to study, so I invited him to get out of the city and study while I cleaned. It was a great chance to share time with family and friends. We had lunch and dinner with my family and did what we needed to get done in between. It was good to spend time with my family and share them with Jimmy. He's from out of town but goes to school in Philly so he doesn't get to go home and have a home cooked meal whenever he feels like. I would encourage anyone who lives with their family or near their family to share them with friends, especially friends who are from farther away. Your family will be happy to get to know your friends, and your friends will be happy to be in a nice family environment. Nan (my grandma) was particularly excited to host my friend and make a big fuss over him. She made a big family meal and we all spent time around the table and enjoy each other's company. It was a great evening.

Saturday night Nan came to stay at my house in Philly because we went to the Flower Show on Sunday! The sleepover was adorable. We drove to Broad Street and took the subway to the Convention Center to see the beautiful Flower Show! Something else I'd like to encourage... experience beauty! We live in a city full of so many wonderful things and opportunities. We need to take advantage of them! Is the Flower Show a Catholic event? No. But it does show us some of God's most beautiful creations from nature. With everything bad that happens in the world, our souls need to experience more beauty. That's what Nan and I did! We took our time going through the exhibit and took lots of photos. We even bought a few fun Hawaiian flowers to bring home. We got lots of compliments on them on the subway and made lots of people smile. Beauty creates smiles! Get out there and look for beautiful things to do...go to Fairmount park, go see the Philadelphia Orchestra, go the the Art Museum, do something! Make sure to share it with people you care about. If you're hanging out with friends don't just sit around and watch TV. Do something beautiful! You won't regret it!

Sunday night Nan and I met up with a group of my young adult friends for 6:30 mass at the Cathedral. Archbishop Chaput says the 6:30 mass most weeks and it was so great to see him! He is a great homilist, knows the importance of young adult ministry, and always stands in the back after mass to greet everyone. He wants to get to know his flock. It's so great to see him on a regular basis and get to know him. If you ever have the chance go to 6:30 mass and hopefully you can get to know him too!

 Nan and I at the Flower Show

Some other photos from the Flower Show

Shalom and God bless!

In Him,

Theresa

St. Paul's Outreach and People of Hope!

Okay...here is part 3 of my experience from last weekend. I'd like to tell you all about St. Paul's Outreach. SPO is a group of missionaries that work on college campuses to help students grow and mature in their relationship with Christ. Their mission statement..."St. Paul's Outreach actively invites college students to a life of Christian discipleship. With St. Paul as our example, we create vibrant, faith-filled environments that challenge students to deepen their relationships with Christ in the fullness of the Catholic Church."

SPO also follows 5 Core Values: Renewed Catholicism, Missionary Dedication to the New Evangelization, Life-Changing Communities, Servant Leadership, and Christian Unity. SPO missionaries are on 16 college campuses in 7 states. One of there campuses is Seton Hall!

Seton Hall's SPO missionaries run 2 houses, a men's house and a women's house, where they live with students and provide structured Catholic community and friendship. The missionaries also host events for students including share-groups, prayer meetings, men's and women's nights, Lord's day celebrations, and retreats. Missionaries also mentor students one-on-one. It is so good to hear that organizations like these exist on college campuses! Katie's boyfriend Leo is involved in a men's group and lives in the men's house. Please pray for the SPO missionaries at Seton Hall and everyone involved in their ministry! The SPO website is www.spoweb.org if you want more information.

People of Hope is a community of Catholic families who pray together and support one another. Their description is "a group of lay Catholics who desire to support each other in their catholic faith, by regular prayer meetings and men's/women's groups which are there to help encourage each other in their faith and in living faithful married and family life." On Friday night we went to a holy hour with People of Hope. Adoration was wonderful. There were many families there and beautiful music. Afterwards everyone went to one family's house for fellowship. It was so nice to meet so many families that are invested in the faith and encouraging one another. Many of the families have children that are settling down and having children of their own. They are still involved in the community and raising their families in the same environment.  For more information on their group, visit www.peopleofhope.org.

Leo and Katie on our way to Catholic Underground

Shalom and God bless!

In Him,

Theresa

FOCUS- Vision for Life

As I said, my best friend from college is a FOCUS missionary at Seton Hall. What is FOCUS you may ask? Let me tell you! I will start with the mission statement, "To know Christ, Jesus, and to fulfill His great commission by first living and then communicating the fullness of life within the family of God, the Church." Sounds great already, right? It gets better...

FOCUS was founded by Curtis Martin in 1998 at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. Curtis got a chance to meet JPII and tell him his vision for FOCUS. His response..."be soldiers". Well, FOCUS is on fire and fighting the good fight! There are now over 260 missionaries serving on 60 campuses in 28 states.  Dang! All that in just 14 years. FOCUS leads mission trips all over the world, has conferences of different sizes every year, and this past summer had it's first international conference in Spain before World Youth Day!

FOCUS was at Temple University for 4 years. They worked with the Temple Newman Center where Katie and I became best buds. Katie and I were both asked into discipleship(one on one mentorship and leadership building with a missionary). We attended a Bible study led by a missionary, met with a missionary weekly for mentorship, and were trained to lead our own Bible studies for underclassmen. Each missionary has 2-3 disciples, and they train their disciples to lead and have their own disciples. It was a great experience and we both learned how to be leaders and introduce people to Christ and a relationship with him.

After much prayer, Katie decided to apply to be a FOCUS missionary. She was accepted and is in her second year serving at Seton Hall University in South Orange. She has a weekly Bible study of about 8 girls and has 4 disciples. Also, 2 of her disciples each have a disciple. Katie likes to call them her "grand babies". Her team has weekly events for students including adoration holy hours and grilled cheese parties. They are on campus having meals and spending quality time with students. They attend campus events, sporting events, and Catholic events like Catholic Underground NYC. Please pray for Katie and her team as they work hard on Seton Hall's campus. Also keep Katie in your prayers as she discerns whether or not to serve a third year as a missionary. FOCUS is changing lives through the New Evangelization! Praise the Lord! For more info, go to www.focus.org

Katie and I with our Pillow Pets over Christmas Break

Team Seton Hall

Anthony, Eric, AJ, Mary, Melissa, and Katie

Shalom and God bless! 

In Him,

Theresa

Catholic Underground!

I had a really exciting weekend of Catholic fellowship in New Jersey. Now I know what you're thinking...a Philly girl is going to write a blog about New Jersey? Is this a joke? I know...I can hardly believe it myself. I never thought I'd see the day that I had positive things to say about the state I like to joke about so much. But I digress...I visited one of my best friends and college roommate Katie who is serving as a FOCUS missionary at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. I drove up with our other friend from college Kathryn. The three things I would like to tell you about our weekend are Catholic Underground, FOCUS and St. Paul's Outreach. I am going to write about them separately, so for now here is my experience at Catholic Underground!

Catholic Underground is a movement led by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. CU was a response to JPII's call to reach out by "crossing the cultural threshold of the communication and information revolution now taking place". CU is located at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church. For all their info, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZoD8JEFjAE&ob=av2e

The schedule: The friars lead Eucharistic adoration beginning with evening prayer. Some of the friars are musicians, and they have a band that plays contemporary praise and worship music during the holy hour. The holy hour closes with Benediction. The second part of the evening takes place in the basement of the church. This is where Catholic musicians, artists, dancers, poets, etc. share their talents with the group. After the Catholic entertainment the Friars lead night prayer, ending with a song to Mama Mary.

Some thoughts about this evening...the first word that comes to mind in AWESOME! It was so beautiful to be among tons of young adults packed in OLGC. Every seats was filled and there were people exploding through the doors and along all the aisles. What a powerful holy hour! Praying and singing in unison with that many young people gave me the chills. Priests were all over the church saying confessions. So many people were able to go to confession! So great! This month's performer was the amazing Audrey Assad, who I will blog about in the near future. She is the biggest up and coming Catholic female artist around!  I'm a huge fan.

I loved being around so many young adults united in prayer. I loved being led by the awesome Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. I loved seeing other religious there, including the amazing Sisters of Life! There were college students, seminarians, FOCUS missionaries, SPO missionaries, and young adults from all over. Some states represented were New York(duh), New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Vermont, and Delaware. Wow! JPII would be so proud!  Another cool thing? Getting there was surprisingly easy! From South Orange, you can take the train right into the city no problem, or you can drive into New York and park at the lot across from the church for just $10! That is the best deal you will ever receive in NYC. There's really no excuse not to check it out!

Philly has Catholic Underground at the Cathedral every other month. We don't have CFRs, but it is still pretty great! I will be sure to blog about CU in April and let everyone know when it is! Please pray for the Friars and all those who help make CU happen. It is such a beautiful way to reach out to young adults in a time when we need it so much! If you ever get the chance to go up to NYC check out Catholic Underground! Don't miss CU Philly in April!

                                                    Here is the awesome banner for CU!

Shalom and God bless!

In Him,

Theresa

Ever Been to the Oratory?

On Tuesday night I attended a young adult gathering at the Secular Oratory of Philadelphia. What is the Oratory? Let me tell you...

The Oratory is located at St. Francis Xavier Church in the Fairmount district. It's a beautiful church! Fun fact: my great grandmother was married there in the early 1930s. Anyway, the Oratorian priests focus on the spirituality inspired by St. Philip Neri. To learn more about the Oratory, check out their website! It's http://www.secularoratory.com.

There are weekly Tuesday night meetings at 7:30 that consist of prayer/scripture reflection in the church followed by fellowship in the house. It was my first time going. I heard about the meetings last spring, but this week I finally got an opportunity to go. We sat in the front of the church together and went over the readings for this coming Sunday. Father Philip led the discussion, along with Father Brian and Father Paul. We prayed and discussed for an hour and went over to the house for fellowship. There were probably about 20-25 people there. I was excited to see young adults that I don't run into often. I also got to meet lots of new faces.

Whether in college or in the working world, schedules can be very hectic and we have many responsibilities. While all of these responsibilities are important, we also have to remember our responsibility to spread the gospel message. We are disciples of the Lord! With all the chaos in the world we need to do all we can to spread God's love. In order to do that we need to keep ourselves educated and  surround ourselves with others trying to live their lives centered in Christ. Gatherings like the ones at the Oratory give us an opportunity to achieve both. We can learn more about the scriptures...preparing ourselves with more knowledge of the faith. After all, we cannot give what we do not have! There is also a chance to get together with other young adults who will encourage one another and hold each other accountable.

The Oratory is just one of the many places that provide young adult fellowship and prayer. I plan on attending as many of them as I can and informing readers about them. If there are any questions about any of the places I visit please feel free to post them! I will do my best to provide as much info as possible. We don't need to be involved in everything, but there is something for everyone in this city, and I hope to help you find it!

                        Here's a photo of St. Francis Xavier Church on 24th and Green. So beautiful!

Shalom and God bless!

In Him,

Theresa