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

Choose Life!

Today is my dear friend's birthday. Johnny and I went to high school together. He was a total rock star. Everyone loved him! He excelled at everything he did, from academics, to music, to sports. He was a champ. He was also a great guy who loved his Catholic faith, his family, and his friends. Johnny was also very pro-life. He loved babies! He wore his "O'Hara Respects All Life" bracelet everyday, even through college. Sadly, we lost Johnny in a car accident 3 years ago, just a month before his 22nd birthday. His last facebook status said "Choose Life". He was and continues to be an inspiration to me! He had no problem sharing his pro-life beliefs. He taught me that I need to be bold when pro-life issues come up. 

Young adults, especially women, encounter many pro-life issues. Today's unborn in America are at great risk. Abortions are very common and constantly justified by the social media. Congress is trying to provide health that covers birth control for people while compromising the Catholic Church's (and many other religious groups') rights by forcing them to provide this health care. I will go into my thoughts on these issues more in future posts, but I wanted to encourage anyone reading not to be afraid to stand up for life. We need to be the voice for the silent. If we are too afraid to speak up, how are we supposed to change things? 

Johnny, you were a wonderful friend and a wonderful man. Happy birthday, I miss you, and thank you. Choose Life! 

Here's a photo from my Junior Prom. We had a blast!

Shalom and God bless!

In Him,

Theresa

Welcome!

Welcome to the Faith in Philadelphia blog! I am a first time blogger, and I wanted to share my experiences being a young adult Catholic in the city of Philadelphia. I love Philadelphia! It is my favorite place in the world. I would like everyone to know why this city is so great and beautiful, and how my Catholic faith grows in the city of brotherly love! Today is Ash Wednesday and my 23rd birthday, so I thought it appropriate to start today! Thanks for reading, peace, and may God bless you!