Coffee and Donuts - There will be coffee and donuts after the 10AM Mass.

Annual Lenten Appeal - The Bishop’s Annual Lenten Appeal is underway. The pledge cards are in the back of the Church on the piano. There are blank cards available for those who do not have a printed card. Please fill out the pledge card and place it in the Collection basket or mail it to the Office by Today, April 2nd. Our Diocesan Assessment this year is $11,000.  The community must cover this amount.  Anything in excess remains with Mater Dei, so please be generous!

Sacramental Emergency Phone Line - The church phone number has not changed, but we do have a new phone system with an extension which forwards calls directly to Father for sacramental emergencies.  Please note that the old emergency number [717-298-7179] is no longer in use.

Stations of the Cross - Stations of the Cross will be said in the church every Friday during Lent.

• 5:00pm - Simple Adoration
• 6:00pm - Stations of the Cross
• 6:30pm - Mass

Youth Group—April Meeting - The Youth Group will meet next on April 22nd.  For more information contact youthgroup@materdeipa.com

Palm Sunday—Palms - Please note that Palms will only be blessed and distributed at the 10AM Solemn High Mass next Sunday.  Palms will be available for pickup in the church throughout the week while supplies last.

Fr. Berg Visit - On Sunday, April 30, we will be blessed with a visit from Father John Berg, Superior General of the FSSP.

Weekday Mass Schedule Note - There will be no Masses on April 25, 26 or 27.  Father will be attending the FSSP spring meetings that week

Holy Week Schedule 2017

Palm Sunday

• 8:00am Low Mass—no palms distributed.
• 10:00am Blessing of palms & procession, Solemn High Mass (No confessions during this Mass) 

Holy  Thursday

• 7:00pm Solemn Mass (No Confessions)
• Adoration until Midnight (Confessions during adoration)

Good Friday

• 3:00pm Solemn Liturgy (No Confessions)
• 7:00pm Stations of the Cross (Confessions during Stations)

Holy Saturday

• 10:00pm Solemn Liturgy (No Confessions)

Easter Sunday (Regular Sunday Schedule)

• 8:00am Low Mass
• 10:00am Sung Mass

There will be the traditional Holy Thursday devotion of having adoration of the Blessed Sacrament after Mass until Midnight.  This is the day Our Lord suffered in the Garden after the Last Supper when He asked His disciples to watch and pray with Him.  At midnight the Blessed Sacrament is removed from the church to represent Our Lord’s arrest and imprisonment.

Our Desire for Honor - We may say with St. Thomas, that this craving of ours to be esteemed, respected and honored is an effect of original sin, like concupiscence which remains to us even after our baptism; but God has ordained that these appetites and desires should remain in us in order that we might have occasion of mortifying ourselves and that by such means we might gain the kingdom of heaven.

We need not be astonished nor sad when we feel these instincts within us.  They belong to the wickedness of our corrupt nature and are remnants of the temptation of our first parents by the serpent, when he said to them: “And you shall be as gods.”  Therefore I repeat that these desires which arise from the weakness and depravity of our human nature must be borne with patience. 

If these desires gain the mastery over us, it is because we have encouraged and given way to them; and a bad habit which we have formed ourselves can only be cured by ourselves, and therefore the mortification of the same also lies with us.  This mortification of the senses, inspired by humility, is taught by Christ in the self-denial which He imposed upon us when He said: “If any man will follow Me, let him deny himself.”  And therefore I must draw this conclusion, that if I shall be excluded as a follower of Jesus Christ, and by such an exclusion I shall also forfeit His grace and be eternally exiled from participating in His glory.

Humility of Heart, Chpt 77