
Saint Cyril
Of Alexandria
Roman Catholic Church
153 Penn Boulevard,
East Lansdowne, PA 19050

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PARISH BULLETIN
can be seen at the bottom of this page.
See the complete Parish
Bulletin for more Parish Information
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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE PARISH MERGERS June 2, 2013
Dear Friends in Christ:
Today as we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi we solemnly remember that the
Body and Blood of Our Lord and Savior is present at every Mass in the
Eucharist. The presence of Jesus Christ expresses itself fully on the local
level in the life of our parish church. It is in the parish where we are
nourished by God’s Word and the Sacraments, and where spiritual fulfillment and
pastoral care are found.
In the Fall of 2010, a pastoral letter was issued to parishioners throughout the
Archdiocese. It outlined the necessity of an in-depth examination of all
parishes in order to gauge whether they possessed the necessary resources to
remain vibrant and sustainable faith communities. This process, known as Parish
Area Pastoral Planning, is designed to be as collaborative and consultative as
possible. Its goal is to provide pastors, after consulting their parish
leadership, with the opportunity to dialogue with members of the Archdiocesan
Strategic Planning Committee in providing joint recommendations to the
Archbishop for growth and sustainability within their respective geographic
areas.
During the process additional steps are taken to be as inclusive as possible.
In the majority of cases, the regional bishop and the dean meet with the pastors
as well as their pastoral and finance councils to hear their concerns and
receive their recommendations. Additionally, the recommendations of all parish
mergers are brought before the Council of Priests and the College of Consultors
by the Archdiocesan Strategic Planning Committee for their observations and
approval respectively.
While this process is expected to take anywhere from five to eight years to
complete in the entire Archdiocese, certain areas, ours among them, required a
study at this time. Due to a number of factors including a shift in Catholic
population, a high density of parishes in our small area, as well as declines in
Mass attendance, Sacramental activity, the availability of priests to staff
parishes, and the condition of facilities, mergers were proposed. These
proposals were shared with pastors and lay leaders from all of our local
parishes as well as the Archdiocesan Strategic Planning Committee, the Council
of Priests and the College of Consultors. Recently, the final proposals were
accepted by the Archbishop.
As a result our parish will be merging with St. Philomena Parish to form a new
parish effective July 1, 2013. Everyone will attend Mass at the current St.
Philomena Church. For the time being, the St. Cyril of Alexandria Church
building will still be maintained as a worship site for weddings, funerals and
feast days. Sunday Mass may also be celebrated at the worship site at the
discretion of the pastor of the newly formed parish and his newly formed
pastoral council. Additionally, all of our parish assets, debts, buildings and
sacramental records will be transferred to the care of the newly formed parish.
This parish will be named Saint Philomena. The pastor of the newly formed
parish was publically announced with the priest personnel assignments this
week. He will work toward the smoothest possible merger with leaders from the
merging parishes.
I know this news may cause sadness and pain. In the work of building up the
Church and maintaining God’s Kingdom on earth we must let go of something so
near and dear to each of our hearts. I pray that you will trust in the Lord as
we move forward together. May He grant us all the grace, strength, and wisdom
to complete this process with charity and patience. This experience will be
challenging and exciting at the same time. We are working to preserve a
Catholic Church in Philadelphia so that the spiritual and pastoral needs of
generations yet unborn will be tended to with the same love and care you have
experienced and witnessed. All of us must be willing to labor together for the
Lord to achieve that goal.
Over the coming weeks the pastor of the newly formed parish will consult leaders
from all affected parish communities to create new pastoral and finance
councils, parish committees and identify the appropriate staffing of all parish
ministries. A transitional team will be assembled made up of lay leaders from
each of the merging parishes to assist in moving forward with building a new
parish community. Additional details regarding Parish Area Pastoral Planning in
the Archdiocese can be found on the Archdiocesan website.
Currently, many of our neighbors are learning of additional parish mergers in
our area. St. Alice Parish will merge with and keep the name of St. Laurence
Parish at that location. St. Louis Parish will merge and keep the name of
Blessed Virgin Mary Parish at that location.
In every death there is a resurrection; with all growth there is pain, but as
Catholics we believe we can do all things in Christ who strengthens us. I pray
that our Heavenly Father will fill you with every grace and assist all of us to
work toward the strongest possible parish communities. May the peace and joy of
the Lord be with you.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Dominic Tran
Minh Duc
Pastor CONGRATULATIONS! We wish our 8th grade class the best of luck for their high school
future as they celebrate their graduation this Wednesday evening, June 12th,
at 7:00 PM. We also would like to congratulate our first Pre-K Class and our
Kindergarten Class on their end of year accomplishments! ![]()
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Saint Cyril School is in the process of developing a new website for the parents of our school children, and others interested in keeping up with developments in our school. The link to the new website is http://teacherweb.com/PA/SaintCyrilofAlexandriaSchool/School/t.aspx
Click here for our School Web Page and information about our Learning Support Program
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Sunday Masses: (Saturday) Vigil
5:00 PM, Weekday Masses: Monday - Saturday Holy Day Masses:
Confessions: Saturdays 4:00 - 4:45 PM Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is every Friday from 8:30 AM until 6:00 PM.
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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PARISH BULLETIN
CONGRATULATIONS! We wish our 8th grade class the best of luck for their high school future as they celebrate their graduation this Wednesday evening, June 12th, at 7:00 PM. We also would like to congratulate our first Pre-K Class and our Kindergarten Class on their end of year accomplishments!
SECOND SUNDAY FOOD COLLECTION On every second weekend, St. Cyril's will collect canned goods, staple items and non-perishables which will be donated to the local community Food Banks. This will benefit people in our community who have trouble putting food on the table for their families. Collection baskets will be marked and located in the main vestibule, as well as the two front Sacristy entrances of the church. Thank you in advance participation in this new venture for our parish!
PRAYER FOR THE YEAR OF FAITH Heavenly Father, you give us the gift of faith to know and believe all you reveal through your Son, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. May we live by these divine truths as members of the Holy Catholic Church and proclaim them joyfully to others with the witness of our lives. We ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.
THE OSTC PROGRAM BLOCS is thrilled to announce that the state has passed a new tax credit program called the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC). This great resource will assist Philadelphia's children living within the boundaries of one of the bottom 15% of low-achieving school districts. Pennsylvania's OSTC program will distribute $50 million dollars in tax credits to businesses willing to make a donation to BLOCS to fund scholarships for families seeking a high quality Catholic school education.For highlights of the OSTC Program click here For complete information on the OSTC program click here.
ST. CYRIL SCHOOL 2012-2013 REGISTRATION NEWS New this year! Full-day 4 year old Pre-K! Registration will be held in the school office from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM and from 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM. Please call the school office at 610-623-1113 to make an appointment. The following are required for registration: Birth Certificate must be presented (child must be 4 for Pre-K by September 1, 2012, 5 for Kindergarten by September 1, 2012 and 6 for First Grade by September 1, 2012. Baptismal Certificate (if not baptized at St. Cyril). Report card and all test results. Complete Official Record of Immunization must be presented. Registration Fee (non-refundable) of $100 per child.All required information must be taken care of before the registration is valid.
You can now make comments and post photos on the facebook page set
up for alumni and friends. This should better enable alumni and
friends to get in touch, maybe set up reunions or whatever else. Here is the link to the page:
St Cyril School East Lansdowne Alumni & Friends
ST. CYRIL SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
SANTA ANNA WEBSITEMake sure that you check it out. www.Knights4461.org or www.Knights4461.com It will be updated on a regular basis.
EXPOSITION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is every Friday from 8:30 AM until 6:00 PM.
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Since October 1,2006