Rorate Caeli

Event: one-time TLM in a Philadelphia parish


From the organizer:
This is a one-time TLM being offered by a young resident priest at a parish in a once strong Catholic neighborhood made up of Polish, Italian and German immigrants. The “three churches” along the short stretch of Allegheny Avenue (known as “Church Alley”), St. Adalbert’s (Polish), Our Lady Help of Christians (German) and Nativity BVM have all seen sharp decreases in parish membership. 

Each parish at one time had large rectories and convents filled with religious, and each with their own parish school. Now a mere 4 priests and 2 nuns remain at the 3 parishes. The 3 parish schools were combined into 1 in 2006 and student enrollment continues to decline. In 2015, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will evaluate this cluster of parishes to determine which and how many churches to close, which is the new annual tradition in Philadelphia. The TLM being offered at Nativity BVM is likely the first one open to the public since the post conciliar changes, and there are no plans to make this a regular occurrence due to strained parish resources. 

Please join us at Mass on March 1st at 11:30 AM to pray for this dwindling community of faith and to offer thanksgiving for this opportunity to pray the Mass according to the Traditional Rite.