On Friday, June 26, 2020, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will move Montgomery County to the Green Phase & the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will be in the Open Phase.  With this change, we move closer towards a state of normalcy we were once accustomed  to prior to the Coronavirus pandemic. Under this 'new normal' , h ere are a few changes to take note of, specifically for Saint Helena:

+ Our Church's maximum allowable occupancy increases from 50% to 75%. Current sanitation procedures remain in place, we will still implement physical distancing and require masks be worn in Church.

+ The obligation to attend Mass is still dispensed. The Archbishop will give several weeks notice before the obligation is reinstated. 

+ Adoration, in our Chapel, will resume on Monday, July 6.

+ Deacons & Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion may resume visits with Holy Communion to the homebound and medical facilities provided there is mutual agreement between the Communion minister, the facility and those to be visited.

+ Our regular Baptism schedule will resume. If you are seeking Baptism for your newborn, contact the Rectory Office.

Additional Information:

+ Confirmation (which was postponed from March 19, 2020) has been re-scheduled for Wednesday, December 2, 2020.

+ First Holy Communion (which was first postponed from May 2, 2020) will be re-scheduled for a Saturday in the Fall of 2020.

Dear Parishioners,

Last weekend we had our special Father's Day Blessing at all of the Masses. It is always a wonderful time of the year to acknowledge the many wonderful things our fathers and the fathers of our parish have done for their children. Let us continue to ask God through the intercession of St. Joseph, that each and every one of our fathers and the fathers of our parish will be abundantly blessed and strengthened in their most important role of being a role model for their children, especially in the faith. 

Last weekend we also celebrated the Sacraments for four of our newest parishioners. Kelley was a catechumen and receive the Initiation Sacraments, that is, Baptism, Confirmation, and First Eucharist. This occurred on Saturday afternoon. We also had three candidates- Kevin, Beth, and David, who were Received into the Church, Confirmed, and made their First Eucharist. It was so wonderful for them to be able to celebrate this special occasion with family and friends. For Kevin, who was a candidate, his daughter Sophia was able to make her First Holy Communion with her dad. She was supposed to have received this sacrament earlier with her class at Gwynedd Mercy. 

I wish to Congratulate and Welcome them into the Church.

I would like to extend a special thank you to Deacon Ken and the RCIA Team. They do a wonderful "job" in preparing people to become Catholic. It's a big commitment on the part of the members of the team and I am deeply appreciative of all that they do. Thank you and God bless you!

Before you know it, we will be in the month of July. I remember as a child we were always told that when the Fourth of July comes the summer is over. Never made sense then, but I guess it makes sense now. Let us continue to thank God for the many gifts that we have as one nation under God. Let us continue to ask God to bless us, heal our wounds, open our hearts, and to give us the strength and determination to love each other as He loves us. Happy Fourth of July!

On July 8th, we will be welcoming Father Peter DiMaria as a Parochial Vicar pro tem at our parish. Even in this time of social distancing let's make sure that he feels how welcome he is and our love. Happy to have you with us Father! May your time with us be a grace filled "moment" for you and us.

May God through the intercession of St. Helena bless us! 

Love and Prayers, 

Msgr. Nicolo

It is with great joy that we welcome Father Peter DiMaria to Saint Helena! Fr. DiMaria will begin his new appointment at Saint Helena on Wednesday, July 8th. Father DiMaria writes...

Dear Friends in Christ,

Emblazoned high above the main altar on the sanctuary wall of Nativity B.V.M. Church in Media, my first assignment as a newly ordained priest,  are the following words: "God saw her beauty and visited her in her lowliness."  These words come to mind on this feast of our Lady's Immaculate Heart as I write this letter of introduction to you and as I reflect on her life giving love and intercession which she has exercised throughout my life.

The Blessed Mother has always been in my life.  With a surname like "DiMaria," how could it be otherwise? The beauty and lowliness of our Lady is but a reflection of the beauty, holiness and humility of her Incarnate Son, Jesus Christ. 

The priestly vocation, by the design of God, is meant to assist the Lord's people on their pilgrimage through this life to the New Jerusalem. The Lord and the gift of faith mean everything to me. The priestly vocation to which I was ordained twenty-seven years ago grows more precious with each passing year. 

On July 8^th I will arrive at St. Helena's as the new parochial vicar "pro-tem" to minister to you. Before I explain what "pro-tem" means, let me share with you a little bit of my own background.  Born in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, I grew up in Glenside graduating from St. Luke School and Bishop McDevitt High School. While most of my priesthood has been spent in parochial ministry, I also served as a fulltime high school teacher for five years while simultaneously serving as the chaplain of St. Mary of Providence Retreat House in Elverson. Three years ago, after serving as the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Royersford, for seven years, I was released for service as a full time spiritual director at St. Meinrad Seminary in Southern Indiana where I was involved in the training and formation of future priests. It was a privileged work and one which I will miss.

While it was my intention to remain in St. Meinrad for the foreseeable future, my father's failing health has brought me home to Pennsylvania.  The Archbishop was gracious enough to assign me to St. Helena so that I could be of assistance to my parents and their growing needs.  They live only a few minutes from the parish Church so it will be easy for me to both fulfill my priestly work and observe the biblical injunction: "Be steadfast in honoring your father; do not grieve him as long as he lives." (Sirach 3:12)

How long will I be here? Well, quite honestly, I do not know. To be assigned to a parish "pro tem" (from the Latin "pro tempore") means that my assignment is a bit open ended. I will be at St. Helena's for as long as my parents need my assistance. What the Lord has in store for me in the future, I am unsure. For the present moment, however, I am grateful to God and the Archbishop for placing me at St. Helena's. I look forward to working with Msgr. Nicolo and Fr. Gross while getting to know, love and serve you.

God love you!

Father DiMaria

+ Saturday evening Mass will be at 4 PM & the Sunday  Masses will be at 7:30 AM, 9 AM, and 11 AM . Please note Saturday evening time change.

+ Confessions  will be on Saturday at 3 PM. Confessions will be in the confessional on the Blessed Mother's side of the Church. Please follow the signage.

+The Church  will be open 10 to 15 minutes prior to Mass. This is being done so that we have ample time to do a deep cleaning, that is, disinfect and sanitize the Church.

+ Daily Mass will be at 9 AM in the Church.

+Only the front three sets of doors of the church  will be unlocked to enter. All other doors will be locked. One can always exit from the inside from any door in case of an emergency. Please exit through the front set of doors.

+It is necessary that everyone two years old and above a  wear a mask. The mask should be worn from when you leave the car until the time you return to your car. As you realize it is a mandate that a mask be worn in
public places and that includes the Church. This is being done for the safety of others as well as your safety. People should not congregate inside or outside of the Church before or after Masses.

+When you enter an usher  will direct you to where you are to sit. We will be seating everyone from the front to the back. You will not be sitting perhaps were you normally sit in church at this time. This is being done to  maximize the seating space in the Church with social distancing.

+ All missalettes have been removed from the Church. No Church Bulletins will be distributed after Masses. These can be accessed by the Constant Contact that is sent to you on the Thursday prior to Sunday.

+ The ushers will not be taking up the Sunday Collection. Please use the baskets  marked Sunday Collection .

+ There will be no Offertory Procession, no Sign of Peace, and a minimal amount of Music/Singing.

+ At Communion Time, please leave your pew and make sure you keep social distance between yourself and the person before you and process  single  file.  You are also being asked to receive Holy Communion

in your hands. Remember to extend your hands all the way out as far as possible making sure they are flat  and once the Priest/Deacon/Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion places the Sacred Host in your hand only then bring your hands closer to yourself to receive Holy Communion. Please continue to wear your mask until after the Priest/Deacon/Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion gives you Communion before you remove the mask once you have stepped to the side, receive Communion.

+When it is time to leave Church, we will be exiting from the front of the church to the back, so that, we can immediately start disinfecting and sanitizing the Church.

May God continue to keep you safe.  May God through the intercession of St. Helena bless us!

Love and Prayers,

Msgr. Nicolo

Click here to be directed to our website where we've repurposed our 'Stay Spiritually Engaged at Home' page to now be our 'Worship Aides & Online Resources' page.

Within this page, you'll find worship aides specifically for Mass: Parish Prayer before Mass, Mass Readings for the current day, Act of Spiritual Communion, Eucharistic Exposition & Benediction Prayers as well as our Chapel Devotional Booklet.

We'd like to make this our 'Worship Aid hub' for the time being while we've removed the missalettes from the Church & Chapel.