As baptized Catholics, we are all called by God to know and live our faith. This gift is a journey of ongoing conversion that continues to unfold throughout our lives. The Adult Faith Formation Ministry strives to provide opportunities for study, discussion, prayer and reflection on the Gospel message. Our goal is to assist parishioners in their spiritual journey, and help them to reach a deeper maturity and promote the Gospel in every facet of daily life.

Our ministry sponsors Parish Missions, Days of Recollection and coordinates small faith sharing groups. We are continuously seeking programs and methods to appeal to our parish family. We welcome new members and new ideas to assist in this important parish function.

Please check the Parish Calendar for any of our events as they are scheduled.

The AFF Leadership Team meets on the second Tuesday of the month beginning in August and ending in May. For further information contact Elaine Potalivo at 215-322-1932 EXT 302 or affsvdp@gmail.com.

Advent 2022

Join us during the Season of Advent for a discussion group based on the book: “Behold: A Guided Advent Journal for Prayer & Meditation”. Copies of the book will be provided for any parishioner who wishes to participate. More information is coming soon.

Thursday Morning Group

There will be a group that will meet on Thursday mornings, in the Berulle Conference Room at 10:00am. The tentative schedule is as follows:

November 17: Introduction
November 24: No meeting due to Thanksgiving
December 1: Week 1
December 8: Week 2 (members are encouraged to attend the 9:00am Mass for the Holy Day of the Immaculate Conception in Church first; the meeting will begin after Mass)
December 15: Week 3
December 22: Week 4

Evening Group

An evening group is in the works as well, more details will be announced shortly.

Although we do not have our own parochial school, our children are provided the opportunity of a Catholic school education (grades K-8) in three neighboring parish schools:

• St. Katharine Drexel Regional Catholic School, 1053 Holland Road, Holland, PA (215-357-4720), http://skdschool.org
• Nativity of Our Lord School, 585 West Street Road, Warminster, PA (215-675-2820), http://noolp.org/school/.
• Our Lady of Good Counsel School, Second Street Pike, Southampton, PA (215-357-0267), http://school.olgc.org/.

At these schools, parents pay the same tuition as members of the neighboring parish and St. Vincent de Paul Parish pays a per-pupil subsidy. At other parish schools or regional Catholic schools, parents are required to pay full out-of parish tuition; as of the 2014-2015 school year, this applies also to St. Andrew School in Newtown — St. Vincent’s families with children in St. Andrew School prior to that school year have been “grandfathered,” but our parish families registering their first child in St. Andrew School will be charged full out-of-parish tuition.

Parishioners may enroll in any of the nineteen high schools (grades 9-12) of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia; the closest is: Archbishop Wood High School, 655 York Road, Warminster, PA; telephone 215-672-5050; fax 215-672-5451; WEB site www.archwood.org.

Parish families with students in grades K through 12 in any of the above schools, not exceeding certain household maximum income guidelines, may apply for tuition assistance. BLOCS (Business Leadership Organized for Catholic Schools, awards scholarships based on need to children who attend grade school, high school, or the schools of special education within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. BLOCS reaches more children in more communities than almost any other private education charity in our region. Visit www.BLOCS.org.

Effective for the 2016-17 school year, the Pastoral Council, the Finance Committee and Father McLaughlin are in agreement that only children whose families are supporting the child’s religious upbringing by engaging in practicing their faith and participating in parish activities to a meaningful degree will be eligible for a parish tuition subsidy.

The spirit of this policy is that practicing Catholics are committed to offer their “time, talent and treasure” to the parish as well as to the larger Church.

The parish is looking for meaningful contributions of time and effort to parish activities. Consistent participation in the life of the parish connects us with the Lord and his people amidst the challenges and triumphs of everyday life.

Activities that demonstrate the family’s commitment to their children’s Catholic religious education would include, but not be necessarily limited to, the following:

1. For children, attendance at Mass on a regular basis, receiving the Sacraments, and participation in age-appropriate parish activities. Parish activities include being an altar server, participation in the children’s choir, attending Vacation Bible School as a student or an aide, etc, and making age-appropriate contributions in the child’s collection envelopes.

   Whatever, the activity, it must be engaged in on a regular basis. Simply participating in CYO sports is not sufficient.

    

2. Activities that demonstrate the child’s parents’ commitment to their faith and their desire to teach their children to be good Catholics include, but are not limited to, the following: regular attendance at Mass with their children, involvement in one of our parish ministries or activities on a regular basis, and participation as a teacher, aide or leader in various parish youth activities, as well as supporting the parish financially according to the family’s means.

    

It is recognized that there may be extraordinary individual circumstances that might prevent a child or their parents from being able to participate as fully as they might like in parish activities. Those circumstances should be made known to one of the priests so that the parish, if possible, can provide support.

Failure to work with St. Vincent de Paul Parish in conforming to this policy would lead to a lack of the parish subsidy from the parish; i.e. the student(s) from the family could continue in the Catholic school, but the family would be responsible for paying the school full out-of-parish tuition.

The St. Vincent de Paul Pre-K/Pre-School Program is foremost a Catholic school where 3, 4 and 5 year olds are given the opportunities to develop spiritually, socially, physically and intellectually. We seek to provide faith-filled qualified teachers to prepare the children for a smooth transition to Kindergarten and elementary education.

The program begins in September and extends to the first or second week of June; classes meet from 9:30 A.M. to noon. Classes for the 3-day program, open to 3, 4 and 5 year olds, are held Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The 5-day Pre-K Program is for 4 and 5 year olds. The minimum age requirements must be met by the beginning of September. All students must be toilet trained.

To register for the upcoming academic year, or for more information about our programming, please contact the director of St. Vincent’s Pre-School Program, Susan Hesketh 215-322-8423 or by email svdpps@comcast.net.

We follow the decision of the Council Rock School District for snow or emergency closings. The code number announced on KYW Radio (1060 AM or 103.9 FM) is 756; Council Rock’s emergency closing hot line is 215-957-4078; its web site is www.crsd.org.

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is a program of study and prayer, developing in participants a greater knowledge of the Catholic Church and an openness to the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. It can lead to a participant’s full communion with the Catholic Church.

Typically, the RCIA ministers to:

• The unbaptized
• Christians from other faith denominations who are interested in the Catholic Faith.
• Catholics who have been baptized but have not completed the initiation process, that is have not received the Sacraments of Eucharist and/or Confirmation.

Also, Catholics who were not educated in the faith, are welcome in the RCIA. The RCIA team is composed of parishioners who wish to share their faith as well as grow in it, some of whom are “graduates” of the RCIA program, led by Sister Alice Gallagher. Meetings are in the Parish Center Community Room, on Thursdays from 7:00 to 8:30 P.M., beginning in the fall.

Following completion of the program, the participant, without any coercion, decides whether he or she wishes to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church.

Contact Sister Alice at 215-357-5905.

The rite of Baptism instructs parents:

In asking for Baptism for your children, you are undertaking the responsibility of raising them in the faith, so that, keeping God’s commandments, they may love the Lord and their neighbor as Christ has taught us.

Our Religious Education Program assists parents in meeting this responsibility with a strong program for grades 1 through 8 exhorting our youth to make their faith rooted, living and active. Working with parents, we strive to teach the fundamental truths of our Catholic Religion, enabling the students to become strong, responsible and practicing Catholics.

Sacramental preparation should begin when your child is in first grade and is an integral component woven throughout the curriculum of the Religious Education Program through the reception of Confirmation. Each year, we build upon the learning of the year before, as we prepare the children to complete their sacraments of initiation, while providing meaningful, spiritually enriching experiences. Religious Education is a journey at St Vincent de Paul Parish. We have removed traditional “Grade Levels” with names that reflect the place on the journey we find ourselves: First Communion 1 & 2, I A.M. God’s Beloved Child, I A.M. a Disciple, Confirmation 1, 2 and 3.

Due to the restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-9, we have modified our program. In order to provide Religious Education for our Parish Families, we are offering small group in person classes and a home school program.

In Person — Children will come into the classroom. Class size will be determined by the number of children we are able to accommodate with current directives. Availability is offered on a first come-first served basis.

Home School — An “in-person” parent meeting, approximately every four weeks (7 total) offered on Saturday Morning or Thursday Evening: “What will I be teaching my child?” Whole Family and Grade Level Lesson Plans, Prerecorded Grade Level Lessons, Assessments and Resources will be provided. Children stay home. Meeting dates will be published in the Parish Calendar. Classes during a sacrament year are In Person Only.

The Book and Materials Fee is $80 for the first child; $150 for two children; and $205 for three or more children.

Our program is constantly expanding and changing, and we welcome co-workers in this vital ministry. Anyone interested in teaching Religious Education should contact Elaine Potalivo. Teacher training will be provided. We are also in need of non-teaching volunteers: classroom aides, hall monitors and parking lot safety personnel. Please consider participating in this very important ministry.

Office hours are by appointment Tuesday through Saturday. Mrs. Elaine Potalivo, the Director of Religious Education, can be reached anytime at svdpre@gmail.com. The office phone number is 215-322-1932, you can also call and leave a message anytime.

Each year our Director of Religious Education, with the help of a number of adult and youth volunteers, offers a two-week Vacation Bible Camp. This year’s program will be from Monday, July 5^th, to Friday, July 16^th, from 9 A.M. to 12 noon. The program is for children from 4 years old to children entering sixth grade in September. It is an opportunity for learning in a relaxed atmosphere. The program includes instruction in the faith, arts and crafts, music and outdoor activities. Consult the Parish Newsletter in early spring for registration information.

Adult and youth volunteers — as well as children — tend to return year after year, but new volunteers are always welcome.