Family Enrichment & Pilgrimage



In addition to children's, youth, and adult Christian formation programs that approach these age groups separately (such as Sunday School, Youth Group, and Adult Education programs), the Parish maintains a monthly Family Enrichment program, enabling families with children and adults of all ages to be formed in the Catholc faith while interacting with each other, and with other families. These opportunities are offered on the second Sunday of each month, September through June, when 10:00 a.m. Mass is followed by noon potluck lunch and then the 1:00 p.m. session.

Various curricula have been adopted over the years according to need, ranging from Lttle Flowers and Blue Knights girls' and boys' clubs, respectively, to our current self-styled program taught by the Pastor, in which all participants are taught a particular topic for the day, followed by teens mentoring younger children to think through the implications of what they have learned, with guidance from parents.

Regardless of curricula, one feature that has remained constant since the program's inception has been an annual Spring Pilgrimage by all participating families to an important Catholic shrine within range of a day's bus trip. Pilgrimages over the years have included:

• Saint Katharine Drexel, Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania
• St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Emmitsburg, Maryland
• Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, Emmitsburg, Maryland
• St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, New York City
• Saint John Neumann, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• St. Kateri Tekawitha, Fonda, New York
• St. Marianne Cope, Syracuse, New York
• Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich,Convent Station, New Jersey
• North American Martyrs, Auriesville, New York

Families attend these annual pilgrimages free of charge, provided they participate in modest annual fundraising efforts to pay the cost of the chartered coach.