Views from the Choir Loft

Masses to Begin at FSSP Parish in Philadelphia

Fr. David Friel · September 4, 2018

ANY READERS are already aware that, in April 2018, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia established a new “quasi-parish” for the purpose of extending additional pastoral care to local Catholics who worship in the Extraordinary Form.

This weekend will mark the beginning of Masses offered at the parish.

This new community has taken over the beautiful St. Mary’s Church (pictured), which served as a Polish national parish until it merged with another parish in 2014. The church, which sits at West Elm and Oak Streets in Conshohocken, PA, will now be staffed by a priest of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP).

The Extraordinary Form will remain available in numerous other places in the area. The chief advantage of this new quasi-parish is that it will serve as a place for families who choose to worship in the EF to live a full parish life, complete with all the Sacraments and devotions.

Effective September 9, 2018, the Mass schedule will be:

Sunday: 11 AM

Monday to Thursday: 7:15 AM

Friday: 6:30 PM

The founding pastor is Fr. Carl Gismondi, FSSP. May the Lord make his ministry fruitful, and may He pour forth blessings upon this new parish!

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel served as Parochial Vicar at Saint Anselm Church in Northeast Philly before earning a doctorate in liturgical theology at The Catholic University of America. He presently serves as Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.—(Read full biography).

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