Altar and Rosary Society
A dedicated group of parishioners who clean the Upper Church and the Chapel and clean and prepare the Sacred Linens for Mass.
Altar Servers
Open to all boys and girls in St. Monica Parish from 4th grade to 8th grade or beyond. If you would like to join, then please contact Father Cavara at 215-334-4170.
Baptism Classes
Baptisms are performed each Sunday after the 11:30 AM Mass in the upper church.
Preparations:
- Come to the Rectory and sign Baptism papers and receive directives about eligibility of godparents and other concerns.
- Attend a pre-Baptism meeting for parents and godparents prior to the Baptism.
Bereavement Group
Assists parishioners who have lost a loved one. Contact Sister Kathleen White at 215-334-0268 for more information.
Blessed Virgin Mary Sodality
Members are Catholic who are intensely committed to living the interior life deeply and vigorously. A member is zealous for the salvation and sanctification of souls, working for them in every kind of apostolate and corporal work of mercy. She may be found visiting the sick in nursing homes or the hospital. She attends wakes, especially those of Sodality members and attends their funerals.
She possesses a deep, sincere and consecrated devotedness to the Blessed Virgin Mary, her Queen, Advocate and Mother and shows it by striving to imitate her splendid virtues; places all her confidence in her and leads others to love and serve her.
She sees value, personal and apostolic, of the following rules and lets them shape her way of life and living. She is a frequent and even daily attendee at Mass and Holy Communion and Days of Recollection. She attends meetings when possible and volunteers to take active part in the programs of charitable and apostolic action. She is careful of her Sodality’s good name and seeks to obtain new members for its ranks and is one, in short, who strives to live the Christian way of life as fully as she can.
Pope Benedict the XIV wrote about the Sodality, “It is impossible to over-estimate the wonderful amount of good effected by this pious and praiseworthy association among persons of every rank and class”
It is impossible to tell how much this organization can help young people.
- By being a member of a Sodality, a person receives many extra graces for all the prayers and good works that
she performs. - By being a member of a Sodality, a person is helped by others to be good and to do good.
- By being a member of a Sodality, a person makes for herself truly good and faithful friends who all have the most important things in common. These types of friends last.
- By being a member of a Sodality, a person has frequent occasion for good fun with good people.
If you would like to join, then contact the rectory at 215-334-4170.
Bowling Center
For great times with family and friends, no sport is more fun than bowling! And no place offers good times quite like South Philly’s most established bowling center, St. Monica Lanes! St. Monica’s has been proudly serving the Philly bowling community for nearly 50 years. The 12 lane center has become a South Philly favorite! for more info or to book www.saintmonicalanes.com
Catholic Youth Organization (CYO)
Religious experiences, social activities and sports. Open to all parish high school and grade school students. Adults assist the youth in advisory capacities. For more information: www.region11cyo.org
Church Cleaners
To keep our beautiful church in order and to give glory to Almighty God for His holy place, we ask men and women to join us in cleaning and decorating throughout the year. The church is cleaned on an as needed basis after the 8:30 AM daily Mass and Rosary (approximately 9:45 AM until 10:45 AM). Please contact Sister Kathleen at 215-334-4170.
Church Music
For more information contact the rectory at 215-334-4170.
Collection Counters
Assist in opening, computing and recording all donations received for the parish. Members meet weekly on a rotating basis. Open to all adult parishioners. Contact Deacon Leonard for information at 215-334-4170.
Communion Calls
If you are unable to attend Mass and would like to receive Holy Communion in your home, then please contact Sister Kathleen at 215-334-4170 to schedule at visit from an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. A priest is also available on request.
Development
Early Learning Center
Elder Care Program
Sr. Ruth Hennessey, R.S.M. moderator 215-334-0285
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
Distribute the Holy Eucharist at parish Masses and to the homebound. Open to all parishioners 18 years of age and over, approval of the pastor required. Contact Deacon Leonard at 215-334-4170 for more information.
Fathers and Sons
Directed activities, sports and bonding time for all parish fathers and their sons through high-school age. They sponsor a Family Day, a Christmas Party, Family Picnic & Adult Socials. Meets Friday evenings, September through June in the gym.
Finance Committee
Advises the pastor on financial matters.
GEMS (Formerly the Campfire Girls)
Directed activities, arts and crafts and field trips for all grade-school girls of the parish. Meets on various Friday evenings in the Senior School cafeteria.
Holy Name Society
Assists the holiness of each member, sponsors religious and social activities to benefit the parish and helps the pastor in any way requested. Open to all men and boys of the parish. Holy Name Mass is the Second Sunday of each month, with meetings on the Monday after the Second Sunday, 7:30 pm, September through June. Sponsors the Annual Communion Breakfast in November. For more information contact the rectory at 215-334-4170.
Home and School Association
Sponsors informative programs, school fundraisers and other activities that link parents, teachers and students of St. Monica School. General body meets five times annually; a subcommittee meets five additional times prior to general meetings to plan upcoming events. Open to all parents/guardians of students who attend St. Monica School. Contact Sister Melissa at 215-467-5338 for more information.
Lectors
Proclaim God’s Word at Mass and other Special Liturgies. Open to all parishioners aged 18 and older subject to approval by the pastor. For more information contact the rectory at 215-334-4170.
Pastoral Council
Assists the pastor in an advisory capacity on items of importance to the parish.
PREP (Parish Religious Education Program) CCD
Teaches the basics of the faith to Catholic children who attend non-Catholic schools. Classes are held on Tuesday evenings in the Junior and Senior Schools, September through May. Contact Deacon Leonard at 215-334-1659 for more information.
Pro-Life Group
Educates and promotes the culture of life for all parishioners. Open to all members of the parish.
R.C.I.A.
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), or Ordo Initiationis Christianae Adultorum, is a comprehensive step by step process to guide prospective converts or non-Catholic Christians to full communion with the Catholic Church. RCIA gradually introduces various aspects of divine revelation in Sacred Scripture and Tradition. For more information visit: Christian Initiation of Adults | USCCB
If you are interested in joining RCIA at St. Monica Parish, then please contact Deacon Leonard at 215-334-4170.
St. Vincent DePaul Society
Members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (or “Vincentians”) are men and women who strive to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to individuals in need. We are young and old. Our members come in every shade of skin color. Some of us are wealthy, some are financially poor, but all of us are blessed with an awareness that our blessings (time, talent, or treasure) are to be shared with our brothers and sisters in need.
We know that we are not alone. We are part of an international society of friends united by a spirit of poverty, humility, and sharing, which is nourished by prayer and reflection, mutually supportive gatherings, and adherence to a basic Rule.
Energized by the awareness that service to our brother or sister in need is in fact an encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ, members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul are keenly aware that poverty, suffering and loneliness are present for millions in our communities. For that reason, we collaborate with all who seek to relieve need and address its causes.
The St. Monica Parish Society of St. Vincent de Paul offers tangible assistance to those in need on a person-to-person basis. It is this personalized involvement that makes the work of the Society unique. This aid may take the form of intervention, consultation, or often through direct dollar or in-kind service. An essential precept of the Society’s work is to provide help while conscientiously maintaining the confidentiality and dignity of those who are served. The Society recognizes that it must assume, also, a role of advocacy for those who are defenseless or voiceless. Some 12 million persons are helped annually by Vincentians in the United States.
The list of services of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the United States is endless. No work of charity is foreign to the Society. To quote our patron, St. Vincent de Paul: “Charity is infinitely inventive.” For more information or to volunteer contact the rectory at 215-334-4170.
St. Monica School
For More information about St. Monica School www.saintmonicaphilly.org
Senior Citizens Group
For all seniors 55 years and older. Enjoy fellowship, directed activities, and various excursions. Meetings are weekly and held in the Senior School cafeteria on Mondays at 1 pm from September through June. For more information contact the rectory at 215-334-4170.
Sinatra Committee
Assists the pastor in fund-raising for the parish.
Ushers
Greet persons entering the Church for Sunday Mass and special Liturgies. They assist in seating, taking up collections and distributing parish bulletins. They facilitate reception of Holy Communion in a timely reverent fashion. Open to all parishioners, high school age and up. For more information contact the rectory at 215-334-4170.