In this Issue:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Luke 4:14-21
From time to time, Good News will be carrying a feature about the remarkable people who warm the pews at St. Raymond Church every weekend. They are the folks whose steadfast faith and devotion give our parish its welcoming spirit and joyful feeling that we are more than a place of worship: we are a family. Here is the story of a woman who celebrated her 82nd birthday on December 16. She has helped us to sustain that family feeling for 52 years.
Ella Cooper was just a young mother when she tried to enroll her son in St. Raymond School back in the early ‘70’s. He’d been diagnosed as bi-polar, and she didn’t know what to do to be sure he got a good education. She was a Baptist at the time, and the new priest, Fr. George Moore, told her sorrowfully that parents of children at their school had to be Catholic. That didn’t stop Ella. She promptly enrolled in six weeks of instruction which prepared her for conversion to the faith. Soon young Ernest, Jr., joined the children at St. Raymond School.
So did Ella. She volunteered as a homeroom mother. Then she became an office volunteer.
“I was a nurse, a counselor, a baby-sitter, and the one who hugged the kids when they needed somebody to help them through a rough time,” she said. “Today, I’m still a grandmom to those kids.”
Mother of two children (Ernie, Jr. and Elissa), Ella eventually raised her grandson (Ernest III), from three months to 18 years old – all the while continuing her time at the school.
Things were much different, back in the ‘70’s. “Whatever Father Moore asked us to do, we did. One time, we took all the first graders to the beach,” she remembered. “No permission slips, no bus; we just used our cars to get to Sea Isle City.
“When Father O’Brien came, he began to slip me a little bit of cash at the end of the week. Then finally he put me on the payroll. He was the best,” she declared. “He always said, ‘We are a family, here at St. Raymond’s.’”
Ella spoke of the awful accident Father O’Brien had when he closed a car door on his eye. “But that never seemed to stop him. Many times he would call me to help him look for his artificial eye – or his hearing aids - when he dropped them.” After Father’s retirement, she and her daughter Elissa visited him at the Villa. “We saw him only a couple of weeks before he died,” she recalled. “And he still called us ‘family.’”
For a quarter of a century, Ella was a member of the Women’s Group at St. Raymond. “We all wore white on one Sunday in May, and we processed outside the church. I remember that Sister Geffries gave the first talk in church on Women’s Day one year. That was something!
“Renee Generette was chair of the Women’s Day Committee, and we raised money every year for the church,” she said.“ That ended when Father Chris came.
“Father Chris,” she said fondly. “He was exactly one week older than my daughter. And he was considered the best homilist in the Philadelphia Archdiocese.
“Deacon Bill and I were the first Eucharistic Ministers at St. Raymond,” Ella said. “But now I just sit in the pews.
“I can’t sing a lick, but I sing every song that they play,” she said.
Our "Bibles, Boots, and Backpacks" hikes are back with a winter twist — Hot Chocolate! Father Zlock will lead us on a simple winter walk where we’ll enjoy nature, reflect on Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’, and take some time to slow down together.
We’ll wrap it all up with a warm cup of hot chocolate to shake off the chill. Kids are welcome, so bring the family and join us for some fresh air and good conversation!
St. Raymond Choir to Sing in "Music from the Heart"
Kenny Arrington will direct the St. Raymond Choir in the special benefit concert for Music Education. Buy tickets here. Use discount code ORG1.
Men's Retreat at Malvern
The Men of St. Raymond will be attending the Blessed Trinity Group Retreat February 21-23. Contact Melvin Thornton (267-441-5403) for additional information. Register here.
Men of St. Raymond: Join Fr Zlock for Exodus 90
Fr Zlock is inviting the men of St. Raymond to join his group for Exodus 90. If you're interested, email czlock@saintraymond.net.
Save the Date: May 3 Info Session at St. Raymond
The St. Raymond school hall will hold an information session on the Archbishop's letter on May 3, from 9 to 11 am. Please sign up for a conversation about our Church. Your voice and presence are essential as we plan a new way forward together as the Catholic Church of Philadelphia. Learn more about the vision for us to come together to encounter each other with open hearts to build the strongest possible Church of Philadelphia. Sign up here.
You can read his entire letter at https://trustandhope.org.
Job Opportunity at St. Raymond
Pastoral Associate for Religious Education and Sacramental Preparation (Part Time)
Description:
Prepare young Catechumens and Candidates, as well as Catholic students of St. Raymond School, for Sacraments.
Coordinate scheduling and parent communications for Sacraments and Sacramental Preparation
Main Catechist for school children using Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program
Coordination of Children’s Liturgy of the Word during Sunday Mass
Please contact Fr. Zlock at czlock@saintraymond.net or 215-549-3760, Ext 1 to apply.
Want to Learn More about your Catholic Faith?
The Order of Christian Initiation in Adults (OCIA) is under way. This is for any adult and teen 16 or older, who has not received the sacraments of Baptism, Penance, First Communion and Confirmation. We meet on the first Sunday of every month, immediately following the 10 am Mass in the SRR. Jesus is calling you! “It’s never too late to decide to follow Jesus."
Also, anyone with a desire to have a “refresher” is welcome to join. Contact Deacon Bill or Cindy Bradley at 215-242-5725.
Please Pray for the McMillan Family
This week, the home of our beloved parishioners, the McMillan Family caught fire, and they lost everything. Praise God everyone was able to escape unharmed, but they will need our support as they navigate the months ahead. If you're able to help, please consider donating to help them secure lodging, and purchase food, clothing and all the other essentials they need right now.
Ways to Donate:
Donate online - Please select "Other" for the fund
Venmo - @StRaymond-PenafortPhilly - Please add McMillan Family in the note.
Mail or drop off a check or cash in an envelope labeled McMillan Family.
Once William and Darlene have had a chance to assess their needs, we will be sharing an Amazon Wish List of items that you can purchase for them. Stay tuned for details.
In the meantime, we give thanks to God for His protection over this family, for carrying them through these difficult times, and we earnestly pray for the full restoration of their home, their lives, and their peace.
Can You Help?
Have Left Overs?
Why not package them for Caring for Friends? Containers are located in the back of the Church (in a basket on the desk on the Forrest Ave side). The one meal that you discard can be a meal for an ailing senior living alone. Frozen meals can be dropped off at the Rectory between the hours of 8:30 am and 4:30 pm. Volunteers are also needed to deliver meals to seniors on a weekly basis. For more info, contact the Church Rectory at 215-549-3760.
Tech-Savvy Volunteer Needed!
What we’re looking for:
Someone who can help us figure out why emails are going to spam and troubleshoot other occasional tech issues, such as:
Authenticating our Gmail account (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup)
Google Workspace email troubleshooting
General tech support for our team
Your expertise will be a gift to our parish!
If this sounds like you (or someone you know), we’d love to hear from you! Contact us at 215-549-3760 or brandi@saintraymond.net.
Monthly Prayer Team Meets This Week
This weekend, after Mass on Saturday and Sunday, January 25-26, allow the St. Raymond Prayer Team to lift your special needs to God, who lightens every burden.
Coming Soon!
We'll be hosting 2 new programs in the coming months:
Bible Study - Unlocking the Mysteries of the Bible, Lent and beyond
Alpha for Youth
More details to come!
Gremlins in the Email
We’ve noticed some of our emails have been landing in Spam folders recently. We’re actively working to resolve this issue, but in the meantime, we kindly ask you to check your Spam folder to ensure you haven’t missed any important messages from us. Thank you for your understanding and patience as we sort this out!
Snow and Inclement Weather
In the event of severe snow, the 8 am Weekly Daily Mass Schedule will be based on the Catholic School Schedule. If the school is closed or delayed, there will be no 8 am Daily Mass that day, thus giving time to get the lot cleared for the next Mass.
Tax Information
As you prepare your taxes, Brandi in our Parish Office is happy to provide a statement for your 2024 Giving. Please call her at 215-549-3760 or email her at brandi@saintraymond.net. Statements can be picked up, emailed or mailed (mindful of delays in Postal Service at times).
Financial Facts
We thank those parishioners who, recognizing God’s gifts to them, make their response in our weekly collection. Your continued support is vital, necessary, and deeply appreciated.
Sunday, January 19, 2025
Budgetary Goal: $13,500.00
Collection & Envelopes: $8,558.00
Monthly Church Maintenance: $916.00
Catholic Relief: $205.00
Christmas Offering: $85.00
Total: $9,764.00
Special Collections
Jan 19th = Catholic Relief Services
Feb 9th = St Raymond School Annual Appeal
Donate to Support St. Raymond Church
Support St. Raymond with online giving! You can make a one-time or recurring gift by clicking DONATE HERE. Prefer to give on your phone? Text straymond to 833-363-7471 and follow the simple instructions.
You can also scan the QR code to donate..
Please note: We no longer accept Cash App for tithes. You can give via Venmo (@StRaymond-PenafortPhilly), PushPay, Parish Giving, or Envelopes. To request envelopes, email Brandi at brandi@straymond.net. Thank you for your generosity!
Catechetical Institute February Courses
The Catechetical Institute (CI) at the School of Theological Studies (STS) at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary provides affordable on-line, non-credit courses designed for parish catechists, Catholic school teachers and all adult Catholics who want to learn more and grow in their Catholic Faith. CI will be offering two courses -- Foundations of the Church and Sacraments of Initiation -- in February. The cost per course is $60.00. Registration is open online. Register here. Please contact STS at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary at 610-785-6287 or at sts@scs.edu with any questions or for more information.
Black Catholic Formation
The Office for Black Catholics has recently announced their Black Catholic Formation Program. The program aims to deliver catechesis in Catholic theology, trace Black Catholic history, explore Black Catholic spirituality, and promote faith formation/evangelization. The courses are in conjunction with St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. Weekly sessions will be offered in February and March in parishes throughout the city. You are encouraged to attend. Tuition is free. St. Raymond will assist where needed. Details are available here.
Or, contact Minta Brown at 215-549-3760, extension 3
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