MOMH se dedica a abordar las necesidades espirituales, físicas y emocionales de nuestros vecinos en la comunidad de Kensington. MOTHER OF MERCY HOUSE
The MOTHER OF MERCY HOUSE is rooted in and inspired by four “Pillars.”
PILLAR ONE: To be the Church in new ways. To discover new ways of being church, a church less tethered to huge buildings or institutions. Being present in neighborhoods as church in a simpler but still profound way. 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 beautifullyg:
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. What is more, we 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
LOCATION: Serving the K & A community, we initially located at the former “McGhee’s Taproom at Allegheny and “G” Street, we moved to a double storefront at 709-11 Allegheny Avenue and now occupy the building located on the corner of F St. This accessible location has been updated to meet the spiritual, physical and emotional needs of neighbors in this community. The MOTHER OF MERCY HOUSE is 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.
• 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.
