REDEMPTORIST PARISHES: Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Ephrata, NY
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September 25, 2021Recently Our Mother of Perpetual Help parish in Ephrata, PA held several activities to Welcome Back’ its parishioners after being away because of Covid-19.
All our activities were centered around the Eucharist. Our first activity was a Memorial Mass where we remembered the family members, friends, and loved ones who died during the pandemic. As each name was called, a candle was lit and placed in front of the altar where it remained during the Mass as a reminder of the Resurrection. As everyone left the church, luminary bags marked with the names of the deceased lined the pathway to the reception.
Our second activity was a Sunday Mass to honor and give thanks to the men and women of the healthcare community in our parish. As a community we wanted to say thank you and show our appreciation for all they had done to keep us safe. At the end of the Mass, we asked all the healthcare workers to come forward to the sanctuary to receive a blessing and a special gift. Everyone was invited after the Mass for coffee and donuts.
Our third activity was a beautiful ‘Welcome Back’ Mass on the Feast of St. Alphonsus, August 1. It was the largest attendance we have had at OMPH in a long time, even before the pandemic. After the Mass we were all invited to St. Clement Mission House for food, fun, and games. To help us appreciate our parish diversity, families from various backgrounds prepared their traditional dishes for those gathered. Although it rained most of the afternoon, over 400 people came out to celebrate our return to church.
Although the last year and a half has been difficult, we have grown as a parish community. Being away from the church has only increased our parishioner’s thirst and desire for the Eucharist and to be with one another.
Help us Mary our Mother, for you are our Perpetual Help. As we come home to worship with our parish community, help us always to hunger and thirst for your Son, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Amen.
