PARISH PROGRAMS

BAPTISM
The Sacrament is celebrated on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month immediately following the 11:00 a.m. Mass. Baptismal information envelopes must be obtained at the rectory prior to the baptism and returned with the requested data and documents to the rectory at least one week before the chosen date of baptism.

Families having their first child baptized are required to attend a Pre-Jordan Baptism Preparation Class. Classes are held on the first Sunday of the month in the church basement immediately following the 9:30 am Mass, and last about 30 minutes. Children and Godparents are welcome to attend. In-person classes are resuming beginning Sunday, October 2nd, 2022.

You can pick up an information packet about Baptism at the rectory. Please contact Mrs. Maureen O’Malley, our parish secretary, at 610-789-7788 or momalley@stdots.org, to confirm office hours at the rectory. Should you have any further questions, contact parishioners, Steve and Mary Porth, at 610-449-6950 or mporth@stdots.com. See more information below under “Pre-Jordan Program”

CARE FOR FRIENDS

Care for Friends is in need of volunteers to help deliver food to the shut-ins in the Delaware County area. If you are available to deliver food on a weekly basis and spend about an hour with a homebound client please contact Mrs. Maria Lynch at (610) 543-3835. Your participation in this worthwhile cause would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

COLLEGE OUTREACH

The poet Rilke said, “I live my life in widening circles that reach out across the world.” With the support of Father Murphy and the parish Family to Family Ministry, we celebrate the widening circles of our parishioners starting college by reaching out to them with care packages of treats, Dots memorabilia, letters of encouragement, and religious items. If you have students beginning their college careers and would like them included in this ministry, please contact Helen Stranick at Hstranick@gmail.com before the end of September. Please include the official campus mailing address for your college student.

CHURCH ENVIRONMENT
Anyone who may have a desire to help with the weekly or daily upkeep of the Church, dusting, sweeping, straightening up the pews, ironing altar linens, is most welcome. It is a wonderful, generous group to work with and everyone's help is so appreciated, even for a half hour. Contact Sister Thomasina Marie at (610) 853-3602 or Joe Powell at (610) 328-3594.

CHOIR
Men and women are invited to join our Adult Choir whether you can read music or just love to sing and praise the Lord. We meet on Tuesday evenings from 7:30-9:00 in our church choir loft. The Adult Choir sings at the 10:00 Mass every other week, special parish celebrations such as Confirmation, Christmas Eve and Holy Week services. If you are interested, please contact Sr. Thomasina Marie, RSM at (610) 853.3602. All are welcome.
We also have a children’s choir from Grades 2-8. They meet on Tuesdays from 4:30-5:30 in the church. The Children’s Choir sings once a month at the 10:00AM Liturgy.

COMMUNION CALLS
Every 2 months, the priests bring Communion to those unable to attend Church. Should you or someone you know desire the monthly visit, please call the rectory. You are notified by phone the day prior to the priest’s intended visit. Also Eucharist Ministers are available to bring Communion on Sundays, if you do desire.

HOLY COMMUNION FOR THE HOMEBOUND
If you are homebound, or know someone in the parish who is homebound, and would like to receive Holy Communion each Sunday, please contact Deacon Joe McGonigal at (610) 732-4197 or email at DeaconJMcGonigal@stdots.org. Each Sunday, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion will visit those in the parish who are unable to attend Sunday Mass.

CONFESSION
Priests are available each Saturday of the year from 8:30 to 9:15 AM in the church for individual confessions. Face to face reconciliation is available in the rectory by appointment. There are Parish Communal Penance Services in preparation for Christmas and Easter. First Penance is made in the early spring by children at the second grade level.

CONFIRMATION
The Sacrament of Confirmation is administered in the fall each year to children at the seventh grade level. Preparation of Confirmation begins at the fifth grade level. Adult Confirmation is administered once a year I the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul by the Cardinal Archbishop.

COURAGE
A spiritual support group for homosexual men and women seeking to live according to the Church’s teaching on sexuality. For information call (215) 587-4505. Confidentiality is assured.

DAILY ROSARY
Public recitation of the Rosary takes place immediately following the 7:00AM Mass Monday through Saturday, in front of the Blessed Virgin Mary Shrine.

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
Every Monday from 1 to 5 PM.

FAMILY TO FAMILY
The mission of the St. Dorothy Family to Family Ministry is for parish families to extend mercy and compassion through prayerful and practical support to families in times of crisis or difficulty. The Family to Family Ministry was started in the fall of 2006 by Father Murphy. It initially started as a meal program for families dealing with serious illness or accident. Over the past seven years it has grown to include the following services:

sympathy cards to members of parish bereavement group
script distributed to families in need at Father Murphy's discretion
flowers sent to parishioners who have experienced a death in the immediate family
gifts for families in need at Christmas via Giving Trees
monthly rosary; prayer chain
Special requests

This fall, we are again extending the program as we reach out bi-yearly to our college freshmen with care packages. All of the endeavors of the ministry attempt to build connectedness to our Christ centered community.

FEED THE HUNGRY COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROJECT
Feed the Hungry community outreach program involves picking up day-old bread, pastries, pies and other products donated by Panera's Havertown and Lawrence Park locations and delivering it to various food banks and shelters in Delaware County. If you have any questions or wish to assist in this ministry, please contact Alice Levering at (610) 449-2264 or warrioralice@verizon.net or Meg Massaro at (484) 678-8712.

FIRST EUCHARIST
The Sacrament is received by children at the second grade level in the late spring (April/May). There is the option to make First Communion either at weekend Parish Liturgies during the Easter Season or at a Communion class Mass celebrated on a designated Sunday.

FOOD FOR THE NEEDY
Donations may be dropped off at any time by using the green bins at the church entrances. As unemployment increases our needs continue to grow. Food is distributed once a month. However, if you have an immediate need of something during the month, please contact Meg Massaro at (484) 678-8712 or megm7114@yahoo.com. Your donations of non-perishable food are greatly appreciated by our families. Thank you for responding to Christ’s call “to feed the hungry”.

LANDINGS
Our faith is a precious gift given by God so that we may know and love Him. Sometimes our faith is tested, and we walk away from the very gift that gives us life, hope, and joy. Landings is a special program designed to assist Catholics who have not been experiencing the fullness of their faith and have been absent from the table of the Lord. This is a wonderful opportunity for anyone who is longing to come home, but finds it difficult. “Landings” makes that process easier. Let us show you how simple it is. Call Joanne Montie at (610) 853-4527 or Gail Shannon at (610) 449-7399.

MARKET DAY
Do your food shopping online and help support the ARTS at St. Dorothy School. All profits from Market Day will go towards the Arts program. Visit www.marketday.com/welcome.

MEN’S PRAYER GROUP
Our Men's Fellowship Group has spread to 5 parishes. St.Dorothy's group meets for discussion on Tuesday evening's from 7:00 - 8:15 in the Church sacristy. Through these meetings we grow in friendship and a shared Spirituality. That Spirituality has blessed us to assist The Little Sisters, St.John’s Hospice, and children who are unable to afford a Catholic school Education. Be nourished, and be renewed to live.

MOTHERS OF YOUNG CHILDREN
A prayer/support program for the mothers of young children. The idea of this program is to give mothers of young children a chance to pray together and to learn/share around specific topics, for example, child growth and development, how to talk to children about God, etc. At present there are two small groups. They meet the first week of the month at the convent. The group meets Tuesday morning from 10:00 to 11:00. Information can be obtained by contacting Sister Mary at sistermary@stdots.org or calling her at (610) 789-4112.

OCTOBERFEST
A fair that is held every October which provides an opportunity as a community to come together to have fun, volunteer and spend time with fellow parishioners while raising money for the parish.

PRE-CANA PROGRAM
Pre-Cana is marriage preparation program that is required for all couples getting married in the Catholic Church. Pre-Cana is held at various parishes and locations throughout the Archdiocese. If you have any questions, please contact Father Murphy at (610) 789-7788.

PRE-JORDAN PROGRAM

The Pre-Jordan Program offers Baptism preparation classes for parish families having their first child baptized. Classes are held on the first Sunday of the month in the church Annex immediately following the 9:30 am Mass, and last about 30 minutes. Children and Godparents are also welcome to attend. The 2024 Pre-Jordan schedule is available below. The Church Annex is located under the Church - you can access it by using the exterior stairs (closest to the School).

In addition to the upcoming schedule, below you will also find a link to sign up for a particular Pre-Jordan session. Thank you for completing this form in advance. We look forward to seeing you! Click here to sign up for Pre-Jordan.

You can find additional information about Baptism preparation here.

You can pick up an information packet about Baptism at the rectory. Please contact Mrs. Maureen O’Malley, our parish secretary, at

610-789-7788 or momalley@stdots.org, to confirm office hours at the rectory. Should you have any further questions, contact parishioners, Mike and Kathleen Fohner at 610-449-6429 or fohner@verizon.net.

St. Dorothy PREP (Parish Religious Education Program) is for children in the parish who attend public school from kindergarten to eighth grade. Objectives:

Teach the basic truths and traditions of our faith
Build a community of faith among faculty, students and parents
Develop a sense of prayer and worship which leads to Christian service
Provide parents with necessary helps to fulfill their role as the primary Religious Educators of their children
Encourage full participation in the spiritual, liturgical and social life of the Saint Dorothy Community
Contact: Sue Phelan at sphelan@stdots.org
Instructions for families: Please complete one form for each child you are enrolling. All forms and payment are due no later than June 30, 2020. Please email Sue Phelan at sphelan@stdots.org if you have any questions.
For registration forms, please click here to the PREP page.

RESPECT LIFE COMMITTEE
Our mission is to promote respect for all human life by informing and educating our parishioners.
Things we do:

Maintain a pro-life table at the main entrance of the church with educational materials.
Publish a newsletter several times a year, inserted in the church bulletin.
Hold monthly meetings to discuss current pro-life topics and to plan activities.
Coordinate with the Elizabeth Ministry to assist pregnant women through prayer and support of Mother’s Home.
Contribute gifts at the annual Mother’s Home Christmas Party.
Sponsor four Masses a year at St. Dorothy’s parish for respect life intentions.
Attend prayer vigils and public witness in Delaware County and Philadelphia.
Sponsor baby clothing and diaper collection at church several times a year - to be distributed to Mother’s Home and Catholic Social Services.
Attend the March For Life on January 22nd to commemorate the Roe vs. Wade decision and to stand up for the innocent unborn babies.
Maintain awareness of abortion through our memorial, located between the church and the rectory.
We have a procession and prayer service here every October.

SACRAMENT OF THE SICK
In October each year we celebrate a special Sunday afternoon Liturgy in which those suffering from illness are anointed with Holy Oil and God’s healing power is invoked. To receive this Sacrament on need not be in danger of death. It may be received periodically by those who suffer from chronic ailments. If you are anticipating a surgical procedure, please do not hesitate to arrange with a priest to administer the Sacrament before you enter the hospital. A priest should be called in urgent emergency situations.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS
Public praying of the Stations is conducted regularly during the Season of Lent.

SAINT DOROTHY PARISH SCHOOL
St. Dorothy School is for children in grades K-8. St. Dorothy School offers a quality education and instills in its students positive Catholic values. We focus on strong academics and a good balance of extracurricular activities as part of an affordable and well-rounded education.
Mission Statement: St. Dorothy Parish School places God as the central figure in every phase of Catholic elementary education. We are committed to enabling the students to understand the teachings of Christ and to guiding them in applying His Gospel message to their daily lives. In cooperation with parents, we are dedicated to teaching and passing on the Catholic tradition. As a Catholic school, all involved endeavor to uphold the standards of an effective commitment toward academic excellence. This is a sacred duty owed to our children, their parents, and to society as a whole. In striving to reach these expectations, our mission is to produce caring, responsible, and educated citizens. For more information, please call (610) 789-4100.

ST. JOHN HOSPICE CASSEROLE PROGRAM
St. John’s has been informed by the City Health Inspector that in order to be in compliance with food safety regulations we are required to have the date that our casseroles are prepared written on the cover of each casserole. This is a little more work for you, but the regulation is when cooked food is received frozen, a tracking system for storage needs to be initiated. Everyone at St. John’s is grateful for your participation in the Casserole Program. Each day, St. John’s opens its doors to approximately 400 men. It is your effort that allows for so many hungry men to be fed each day. For most of the men, this noontime meal is their only meal of the day. Please join in this good work. Empty aluminum casserole pans and lids are available by the freezer located in the church annex. St. John’s extends their thanks and prayers for your charity and friendship. Any questions, call Mary Lou at (610) 853-2617.

SCRIP SCHEDULE
Scrip for ACME, Shop Rite, and Giant are available for purchase at the Rectory Office on Tuesday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 12 noon and from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.