Mother Of Mercy House

at 801-03 East Allegheny Avenue, Philadelphia , 19134 United States

The MOTHER OF MERCY HOUSE mission is to enhance the presence of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia specifically in the Kensington and Allegheny neighborhood.

Address and contacts of Mother Of Mercy House

place map
Mother Of Mercy House
801-03 East Allegheny Avenue
Philadelphia , PA 19134
United States
Email
Contact Phone
P: (215) 739-1079
Website
http://www.motherofmercyhouse.org

Description

MOTHER OF MERCY HOUSE The MOTHER OF MERCY HOUSE is rooted in and inspired by four “Pillars.” PILLAR ONE: Archbishop Chaput’s challenge to see the Church in new ways. In his talk to the priests at Hershey in May, 2012, the Archbishop addressed the need to respond more creatively to the present reality of the Archdiocese. The Archbishop stated the priests and the People of God need to discover new ways of being church, a church less tethered to huge buildings or institutions. He suggested the possibility of “storefront churches”, that is, being present in neighborhoods as church in a simpler but still profound way. During his remarks the Archbishop specifically mentioned Ascension parish which had only recently been suppressed, requesting that any priest who may be interested in developing a new presence of the Church in the former Ascension parish should alert him to that interest. Both Fathers Devlin and Murphy immediately responded both verbally and in written form, communicating their interest to the Archbishop. Since that time, and upon further investigation of the pastoral reality and overwhelming need in that neighborhood, the desire to create a new presence and ministry of the Archdiocese there has grown and deepened for Fathers Devlin and Murphy. PILLAR TWO: Pope Francis’ call to be a “poor Church for the poor.” Pope Francis is constantly calling on all Catholics—ordained and lay alike—to live the gospel more radically and authentically. He challenges us to “go to the frontiers,” to reach out to the poor and marginalized, to go out of our comfort zones. He even encourages us not to be afraid to make mistakes in the process of going out and renewing the Church with the message and witness of the Gospel. The words of the Holy Father speak deeply to Fathers Devlin and Murphy confirming their own discernment of God’s call. Both Fathers Devlin and Murphy have actively sought spiritual direction and engaged the 19th Annotation of St. Ignatius. Their discernment is beautifully named by Pope Francis in these words: Since this Exhortation is addressed to members of the Catholic Church, I want to say, with regret, that the worst discrimination which the poor suffer is a lack of spiritual care. The great majority of the poor have a special openness to the faith; they need God and we must not fail to offer them his friendship, his blessing, his word, the celebration of the sacraments and a journey of growth and maturity in the faith. Our preferential option for the poor must mainly translate into a privileged and preferential religious care. (Evangelii Gaudium, #200) PILLAR THREE: Creating new structures for the 21st century Church. With the necessary closings of parishes in certain areas of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, there is a need to discover new ways for the church to maintain its presence in the affected areas, especially since many of these areas are populated by the poor, immigrants and the most vulnerable members of society. Creating an additional presence of the Church in the Ascension neighborhood would enable the provision of ministry to a densely populated, needy area. This ministry would enhance the good work being done by Holy Innocence parish. What is more, both Fathers Devlin and Murphy believe such a new model of being Church could be replicated in other impoverished areas of the Archdiocese. PILLAR FOUR: A personal call to go to the “furthest boundaries.” In the preface of the book, The Church of Mercy: A Vision for the Church, Giuliano Vigini sums ups the theology of Pope Francis this way: “According to Pope Francis’s theology, full time Christians don’t sit down to admire their faith in the reflection of a mirror, nor talk about it over dinner, but they come out of themselves, embrace their cross with courage and walk the streets to share with everybody the joy of the Gospel. Pope Francis never gets tired of telling everyone that evangelizing is conversion, going out, and walking. The first to be summoned are the priests, “anointed to anoint,” whose duties are to welcome and to serve. They are asked not to be afraid to go to the furthest boundaries and outskirts of human existence to meet the poor, the marginalized, and the least. Those who are materially, spiritually, and humanly poor are not the focus of special attention because they are an economic, social or pastoral problem, but because the loving God, poor among the poor, reserved for them a privileged place in Christ’s life and ministry.“ (emphasis added) page xii These words confirm what Frs. Devlin and Fr. Murphy have felt for some time: a call to work among the poor and marginalized outside the typical parish structure. They likewise feel a call to live simply, as diocesan priests, in some type of community, rooted in prayer with the Eucharist at the center, with outreach to the surrounding neighborhood. Moreover, they feel compelled to heed the call for the New Evangelization. Their vision is to form more intentional communities with disciples who have deliberately and consciously decided to accept Christ’s invitation to follow him. LOCATION: The former “McGhee’s Taproom at Allegheny and “G” Street This accessible location will be rehabilitated to meet the spiritual, physical and emotional needs of neighbors in this community. The people who presently serve the K&A area agree this particular location is in need of greater attention. Sister Mary Scullion from Project HOME points out, for example, “that K&A is one of the poorest neighborhoods in any major US city.” This poverty includes the spiritual poverty mentioned above by Pope Francis. Those ministering there all commented that many Catholics, especially among the immigrant community, are turning to other Christian Churches which are more obviously present in that neighborhood. The MOTHER OF MERCY HOUSE would be a concrete Catholic presence in one of the neediest areas of the Archdiocese. MINISTRIES: Addressing the spiritual, emotional, physical needs of the community. SPIRITUAL: Because there is no Church building there and because the sense of isolation is great, this affords the opportunity to build small, personal communities block by block. This would be done by conducting prayer services, Scripture sharing, and even Mass in the homes. These home visits would also foster catechetical and leadership formation. Additionally, the House can be open for prayer, Mass, scripture sharing, Eucharistic Adoration and other opportunities for spiritual nourishment and Christian community building. The hope is that the House could also provide for a “San Egidio type experience” whereby not only members of the neighborhood but also those from other areas who feel drawn towards serving in the inner city could join together in the work of the Gospel. CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY: Addressing Kensington’s other needs. Discussions with the Sisters of Saint Joseph at The SSJ Welcome Center, and Sister Linda Lukiewski, SSJ from St. Joan of Arc, Father Tom Higgins of Holy Innocents parish, and Sister Mary Scullion, RSM, all made clear the depths of the needs in K & A. The following needs were repeatedly mentioned: • Outreach to the Addicted, providing space and support for the journey to recovery by hosting AA and NA Meetings. • Outreach to the homeless, prostitutes and other desperately poor people. • Ministry to the immigrant. • Providing food, meals, clothing and resources to aid the poor. • Facilitating access to other resources like ESL. FUNDING: We are aware of the need to seek funding for this ministry. It has been repeatedly recommended that we establish a non profit “501(c)(3).” We’ve learned that this is a standard requirement before asking people to donate to a cause. With the Archbishop’s approval we would be able to move ahead with this recommendation. SUMMARY In his remarks to the US Franciscan Provincials, on April 8, 2014, Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga in St. Petersburg, Florida, stated: Pope Francis is seeking to build a ‘new way of being church’. . . Francis ‘feels called to construct’ a church that is, among other things; *At the service of this world by being faithful to Christ and his Gospel *Free from all mundane spirituality *Free from the risk of being concerned about itself, of becoming middle-class, of closing in on self, of being a clerical church. *Able to offer itself as an open space in which all of us can meet and recognize each other because there is space for dialogue, diversity, and welcome in it. The vision laid out in this proposal would make visible to the people of K & A a “new way of being Church”: one less dependent on large buildings and the usual parish structure - one, instead, made up of small, active, communities of intentional disciples.

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Summary

Mother Of Mercy House is Philadelphia based place and this enity listed in Religious Organization category. Located at 801-03 East Allegheny Avenue PA 19134. Contact phone number of Mother Of Mercy House: (215) 739-1079

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