Welcome to St. Mary’s!

Welcome to the online home of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Kutztown!  Whether you are a long-time Catholic, new to the area, considering the Catholic faith or just passing through….  please join us, as we strive to follow Jesus Christ our Risen Lord!

 

Holiday Bazaar – November 2!

The 2024 Holiday Bazaar is THIS Saturday, November 2 from 8:30 to 2:30pm.

Join us at St Mary’s for this great day to support the parish: enter the drawing to win a gift basket, visit our many craft vendors, enjoy some delicious food and enter a drawing for cash prizes!

So many volunteers in the Ladies Auxiliary (and more) are working hard to provide a beautiful day to build community, and support the parish.  Join us!

All the details can be found HERE!

October is Respect Life Month!

For a special letter from Most Reverend Alfred A. Schlert, Bishop of Allentown, please click HERE.

During this Respect Life Month, we continue to reflect upon the sanctity and dignity of each human life from the moment of conception. Sadly, so many dismiss such life as an expendable part of his or her mother’s body. And yet, we know that each life in the womb is a distinct human person deserving of love and protection.

In Luke 1:39-45, we are given the amazing scene of the unborn prophet John leaping with joy in the Presence of the unborn Lord Jesus Christ!

For a beautiful and scientific presentation of life at every stage in the womb, check out “Window to the Womb” by clicking HERE.   It is brief but breathtaking! Praise God for His precious gift of human life!

 

Special Collection for Victims of Hurricane Helene

There will be a special diocesan collection for the relief of those suffering the effects of the recent hurricanes.  There will be no special envelope.  Our parish will have a free-will offering basket in the gathering area until November 3.  Checks should be made out to “St. Mary’s” – we will gather all donations and send the parish contribution.

To contribute via the Online Giving portal, you may use the fund “Special Diocesan Collection,” which will be open through November 3.  Thank you for your generosity to our suffering brothers and sisters!

 

Voting Resources

With election day coming up on Tuesday, November 5.  It’s important for Catholics to participate and exercise their right to vote.  For a reliable source on the issues and the candidates, the Diocese of Allentown has provided helpful resources.  All the details can be found HERE!

 

Hoagie Sale!

The Men of St. Mary’s are conducting their hoagie sale from November 2 through 17.  All the details can be found HERE.

 

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time – November 3, 2024

Our readings for the Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time speak profoundly of the priority of LOVE – the love of God for us, and our mandate to love in return.
When the scribe asked Jesus to name the first of all commandments, he was aware of the many commands of the law, beyond the “top ten” commandments. In His reply, Jesus summarizes and goes to the heart of the law: we are commanded to love the Lord our God with our entire being – heart, soul, mind and strength. He couples this command with the second: to love our neighbor as ourselves.
We all acknowledge the beauty of this teaching. But in recognizing the great mystery, there is a temptation to conceptualize it, and distance it from our everyday lives.
How can we love in such a way? Perhaps we can begin by first reflecting upon the love we have for the human person we hold most dear, whether living or deceased. Does our attentiveness and fidelity to God match our love for that person? Does our desire for the good of our neighbor approach the love we have for our family members?
We are called today to examine our hearts. If we’re honest with ourselves in this time of division and conflict, we fall short. Let us seek His mercy and grace – the grace He won for us on the cross – to expand the love in our hearts, for Him and for all we encounter!

Miracles of the Holy Eucharist

In a recent homily, Father John made reference to Blessed Carlo Acutis and miracles of the Holy Eucharist.  For more information on these works of God, click HERE!

“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” – John 6:54-56

For another site with Eucharistic miracles, go HERE!