On June 29, 1846, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Bishop Kenrick, the bishop of Philadelphia at the time, proclaimed that a cathedral would be built in the city of Philadelphia, and that the Cathedral would be named for Saints Peter and Paul. Catholics in Philadelphia and other part of the United States were being persecuted at the time, but immigration to the United States was bringing many people and many more Catholics. The Philadelphia Cathedral was envisioned as a way to serve all of the Catholics in the area.

As we reflect on this Solemnity and the connection to our own Archdiocese, let us read the words of the prayer before the Eucharistic Prayer on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul: "You (God) desired to unite in joyous fraternity these two holy Apostles: Peter, who first confessed faith in the Christ, and Paul, who illuminated the depth of the mystery; the fisherman of Galilee, who founded the first community with the just of Israel, and the teacher and instructor, who preached salvation to all of the Gentiles. In this way, with different gifts, they edified the one Church, and associated in the veneration of the Christian faithful, share the same crown of glory”. (From the Preface of Mass on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul)

We do not know why Bishop Kenrick, or any previous bishop, wanted the cathedral to be named for Saints Peter and Paul. Maybe it was to highlight how two people from different backgrounds could join together to build the Church. Maybe it was to honor these two pillars of the Church. Maybe it was because Saints Peter and Paul represented the courage that is needed to face adversity, opposition, imprisonment, and even death.

In any case, today's solemnity and the connection to the Philadelphia Cathedral are timely, especially as we consider the Trust and Hope Initiative of Archbishop Perez. That initiative is based, at least partially, on the understanding that we live in a time more like Apostolic Times, when the new followers of Jesus were opposed, the times in which Saints Peter and Paul lived. The Church of Philadelphia is being given the opportunity to act on the Archbishop's vision and, leaning on Saints Peter and Paul, find a way forward in our day and age.

Grant, we pray, O Lord our God,

that we may be sustained by the intercession

of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul,

that, as through them You gave Your Church

the foundations of her heavenly office,

so through them You may help her to eternal salvation.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Your Son, who lives and reigns with You

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Father of all nations and ages,

we recall the day when our country

claimed its place among the family of nations.

For what has been achieved, we give You thanks,

for the work that still remains, we ask Your help,

and, as You have called us from many peoples to be one nation,

grant that, under Your providence,

our country may share Your blessings

with all the peoples of the earth.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,

who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

Here are the latest faculty and staff updates for the 2025-2026 school year:

Please note: the listing below is the same as in the Crusader Chronicle from two weeks ago. In the last two weeks, we have expanded our search for a Grade 4 teacher and for a Middle School Science teacher, we have had several inquiries, two preliminary candidate contacts, and three interviews. We are scheduling three more interviews for the coming week. Please continue to pray for our search for new teachers, and please continue to send any contacts that you know to us.

1. Mrs. Azara, Ms. Tabeek, and Mrs. McBeth will continue in Pre-School.

2. Mrs. Beck, Mrs. Garcia, Miss Herbine, Mrs. Morrison, and Mrs. Stasse will continue as classroom aides.

3. Ms. Dionne will continue in Kindergarten. Miss Lynch, who taught Grade 3 in 2024-2025, will join Ms. Dionne as our second Kindergarten teacher. We are blessed to have 35 students enrolled in Kindergarten for the 25-26 school year!

4. Mrs. Edwards will continue in First Grade.

5. Mrs. Ficarro will continue in Second Grade.

6. Mrs. Montemarano will continue in Third Grade.

7. Ms. Schmidt will continue in Fourth Grade. We are actively looking for a new Fourth Grade teacher, as we will continue to have two classrooms for Fourth Grade.

8. Mrs. Katie Link has been hired to teach Grade 5. Mrs. Link joins us from The Meadowbrook School in Abington, where she taught Pre-school for the last 10 years. Prior to that, Mrs. Link taught Fifth Grade at St. Jerome's in Philadelphia. For the 2025-2026 school year, Fifth Grade will be a self-contained classroom, so the rising Fifth Graders will enjoy having Mrs. Link as their teacher for all subjects. Welcome, Mrs. Link!

9. Mrs. McBride is returning to a full-time position at St. Ignatius, teaching Grades 6 through 8 ELA.

10. Mrs. Michel will continue teaching Grades 6 through 8 Math, as well as Religion 8.

11. We are actively looking for a new Grades 6 through 8 Science teacher.

12. Mrs. Casey will continue teaching Grades 4 through 8 Math Honors.

13. Mr. Seibel will continue teaching Middle School Social Studies.

14. Mr. Seibel, Mrs. Gray, Miss Murray, Miss Weight, and Mr. Escandon will continue in their respective enrichment teacher roles.

15. Mrs. Hastings will continue as the Learning Support Teacher.

16. Mrs. Crozier will continue as our Admissions and Advancement Director.

17. Mrs. Chapuis and Mrs. Perini will continue as our School Office Administrative Assistants.

18. Mrs. Kriger and Mrs. Petrillo will continue as our Health Office Nurses, with a Pennsbury School District nurse helping two days a month.

Please see the letter below from the Commander of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars Post, thanking our St. Ignatius family for our contributions and the video message we sent them to thank them for their service.

Thank you again to Mrs. Fogelstrom for coordinating our Spring Service Project, where our students and parent volunteers wrote cards and gift bags for veterans, as well as gift bags for mothers who are being helped and supported by Legacy for Life.

Please see our new 2025-2026 School Year Calendar. We will continue to update the calendar as new dates are added or as adjustments are made. The calendar is below.

The St. Ignatius of Antioch School Office will be open this summer. Summer hours are:

Monday - Office closed.

Tuesday - 9 am to 1 pm

Wednesday - 9 am to 1 pm

Thursday - 9 am to 1 pm

Friday - Office closed.

Please call if you are planning to come to the office or email if you would like to make an appointment with Mr. Meade to ensure that someone will be there to help you.

Mr. Meade will be available in person on Monday through Thursday, and he will be available on Fridays via email at mrmeade@sischool.org

Please drop off CLEAN and FOLDED uniforms to the office for our annual uniform closet collection. Uniform closet clothing will be made available late in the summer.

Please read the message below from Mrs. Casey:

Dear Parents,

Acceptance into the Honors Math program is determined by the Archdiocesan Math Committee, based on information we provide. To alleviate students being disappointed, we will provide information to those students accepted into the program at Meet Your Teacher Day in August.

Have a wonderful summer,

Mrs. Mary Casey

Our new parish seminarian, Camilo Abedrop-Escobosa, has already started at St. Ignatius. You have already seen him at Mass and on the parish grounds, and he visited our school before the school year ended. Camilo will be here all summer, and he will continue to visit the parish and the school from September to May. We welcome Camilo to our community!

For Conwell Egan Summer Camps, please click on this link:

https://conwell-egan.org/summer-camps

The St. Ignatius Home and School Association would like to give a giant THANK YOU for all you do and contribute to make this such an amazing school community!

We wish you a fantastic summer and look forward to all the exciting things planned for the next school year!

Look What's Coming Up!

(Scroll Down for Additional Details)

• LAST CALL for yearbooks! There are still a few available at $20

Summer Packets:

Summer Packets went home with all students.

-Included in the packet is a supply list along with academic summer work for the next school year.

-Also included are Medical/Physical and Dental Forms for the following grades;

Kindergarten (Medical and Dental Forms Required)

Grade 3 (Dental Forms Required)

Grade 6 (Medical/Physical Forms Required)

Grade 7 (Dental Forms Required)

Thank you to Villa Rosa and DeLorenzo's Tomato Pie for sponsoring our Family Nights!

St. Ignatius of Antioch Elementary School was once again been honored by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia as a 2024 School of Distinguished Instruction. Schools of Distinguished Instruction are determined by their Terra Nova test scores. This year St. Ignatius was one of only three schools that scored 100% in the "Potential" category, meaning that 100% of the grade levels that took the test scored higher than expected, based on the InView scores. Thank you to our teachers, our parents, and our students for this achievement!

Be sure to follow us on Instagram for great photos and updates on our school activities. Email pictures to Mrs. Crozier at hcrozier@sischool.org for all of us to enjoy on our school Instagram!

Follow us @sischoolofyardley

Thank you to Mrs. Crozier for her great work in keeping our Instagram account up to date!

Thank you to Mrs. Connie Liebreich and to the many volunteers (including a number of St. Ignatius of Antioch Elementary School parents, teachers, alumni, and Middle School students) who planned and led a wonderful Vacation Bible School this past week. The children who attended had a wonderful time. learning about how Jesus helps us to live a faithful life in our world.

We would like to congratulate the new deacons who were ordained last weekend in the Archdiocese. The seven men include, from top left: Charles H. Cappelli; Thomas G. Cipolla; Declan J. Cole; Alexander B. Cross; (from bottom left) Dominic W. Mirenda; Jude Ugochukwu Opara; and Griffen T. Schlaepfer.

Special congratulations to Griffin Schlaepfler and Jude Opara. As you know, Griffin is a member of St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish, and Jude served as a seminarian at St. Ignatius of Antioch. Let us pray for all of our seminarians, our new deacons, our priests, and our bishops.

St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish has a parish-wide subscription to FORMED, a Catholic website with diverse Catholic movies, audio books, podcasts, shows, and more. You have free access to the content. Simply go to formed.org/signup, type in St. Ignatius of Antioch, look for the Yardley address on Reading Ave., click NEXT, type your name and preferred email address, and you will have access to the vast amount of content on FORMED.

The attached letter above was sent to all families on Friday, January 10, 2025. We encourage all parents, parishioners, and interested parties to read this letter and to join us at the discussion session at St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish on Wednesday, April 30.

We include the letter in the Crusader Chronicle as a reminder but also as an invitation to read and to become involved.

Please read the flyer below and consider volunteering for the St. Ignatius Children's Liturgy of the Word. Children's Liturgy of the Word is coordinated by Mrs. Mary Alice LaMorte, who has been Assistant Director, and now the Director, of the St. Ignatius of Antioch Passion Play, which is performed by our very own St. Ignatius of Antioch Middle School students. Please help Mrs. LaMorte with this worthy and rewarding ministry.

Below is a letter from the Office for Communications re:

The Jubilee of Hope in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia

Dear friends,

In response to Pope Francis’ call to the Catholic Church around the world, parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will begin the local observance of the Jubilee Year 2025, with the theme Pilgrims of Hope. All are invited to participate in events of the Holy Year in their homes, in their local parishes, and at shrines throughout the region, and at the Mother Church of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia—the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez celebrated the opening of the Jubilee Year with Mass at the Cathedral. That celebration of the holy Eucharist marked the culmination of a pilgrimage of families traveling from throughout the Philadelphia region to the Cathedral.

The goal of the Jubilee Year 2025 is to offer pilgrims in their own local area opportunities for reconciliation, indulgences, and prayerful opportunities to receive the sacraments, strengthen their relationship with Jesus Christ, and enrich their lifelong faith journey.

Resources and information on upcoming events for the Jubilee Year 2025 in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia may be found here: https://archphila.org/holyyear/

Father in heaven,

may the faith you have given us

in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother,

and the flame of charity enkindled

in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,

reawaken in us the blessed hope

for the coming of your Kingdom.

May your grace transform us

into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.

May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos

in the sure expectation

of a new heaven and a new earth,

when, with the powers of Evil vanquished,

your glory will shine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee

reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope,

a yearning for the treasures of heaven.

May that same grace spread

the joy and peace of our Redeemer

throughout the earth.

To you our God, eternally blessed,

be glory and praise for ever.

Amen.

This Year of Parish Revival is about falling deeper in love with the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus and following him more closely. Mirroring this internal journey with an external one is a beautiful way to connect body and soul in the pursuit of Christ.

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is not one event or a road trip—it is an exciting opportunity for American Catholics everywhere to physically embody our nation’s journey of Eucharistic Revival. Whether you are on the shores of Hawaii or in the mountains of Alaska, needing to stay close to home or deployed overseas, you are invited to be a part of this journey.

Visit: https://www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org/plan-your-own-pilgrimage

Congratulations to the St. Ignatius of Antioch Elementary School Class of 2025, who graduated this past Wednesday, June 4. We are so proud of their many accomplishments, and we wish them God's blessings as they enter high school! Congratulations to all of their parents, and thank you to all the teachers who have guided them along the way. Thank you especially to Mrs. Michel for guiding them through 8th Grade this past school year. Many blessings to the Class of 2025!

We would like to thank all of our parents, guardians, grandparents, faculty, and staff for another wonderful school year. Thank you to our amazing students. Thank you to Fr. Brownholtz and the parish staff for all their support. We are blessed to be a part of the St. Ignatius Family. We pray that everyone has a safe and very enjoyable summer!

We would like to take a moment to thank Ms. Hensler for her four years of teaching ministry at St. Ignatius, and we would also like to thank Mr. Spadea for his two years of teaching ministry at St. Ignatius. Ms. Hensler will be pursuing new opportunities that have been presented to her and plans to travel. Mr. Spadea will be working as the general manager and head pro of a local golf course. We wish both of them many blessings and pray for God's grace in their new endeavors.

During Catholic Schools Week, we celebrated the achievements of our students and commended the contributions made by our faculty and staff. We are grateful for the sacrifice made by families to support their children’s Catholic education and recognize that any adjustment in tuition can impact families differently. We are blessed that the parish continues to support the school financially with a significant subsidy.

We continue to invest in our teachers by adjusting their compensation levels. In addition, maintenance and repair expense as well as spending on key instructional items are driving the need for higher tuition dollars. After carefully reviewing the budget for the 2025-2026 academic year, it was determined that a $350 tuition rate increase was prudent. Considering the tuition rates for all grades Prek-8th, this translates to an average increase of 6-7%.

We appreciate your support and remain dedicated to ensuring that your children receive the highest quality Catholic education.

Please see the attached Tuition Rate Schedule and Tuition Policies memos for more information.

Please read the attached letter from Dr. Andrew McLaughlin, Secretary of Education for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, regarding the Elementary Schools 2025-2026 Salary Increases.

Thank you to Home and School for the Earth Dome, which our Kindergarten through Grade 8 students enjoyed this past week. Students learned about geography, history, religion, and earth science. Thank you to our Mobile Ed Productions presenter, AJ, and to Mrs. Tierney and Mrs. Konig for helping to supervise our students.

Thank you to all of our families and students who were able to join us on May 6 for our annual May Procession and Crowning. It was a beautiful evening where we honored the Blessed Virgin Mary in procession, prayer, and song, as well as joining in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

Our Grade 8 girls wrote essays in answer to the question, "How do I model my life after Mary, the Mother of Jesus?" Congratulations to 8th Grader Tessa Ruppersberger, who was named as the May Queen for her wonderful essay, and thank you to 8th Graders Minnie McCullough, Alessandra Stamato, and Fallon Ulrich, who were chosen to accompany Tessa as the May Court.

Thank you to Mrs. McBride, Mrs. Michel, Mrs. Perini, and Mrs. Crozier for all their help in planning and organizing this year's May Procession and Crowning. We look forward to seeing all of you at next year's May Crowning!

Thank you to Fr. Brownholtz, Mrs. Ficarro, Mrs. Liebreich, and all of the PREP teachers, for a beautiful First Communion last weekend. Our St. Ignatius of Antioch students were well-prepared, well-dressed, and very reverent during the First Communion Mass. We are very proud of our Grade 2 class, and we congratulate them on receiving their second Sacrament of Initiation!

Once again, we thank Home and School for this past week's wonderful author assemblies. We want to thank Mr. Jordan Sonnenblick for sharing his time and talent for storytelling, and for encouraging our students to enrich the lives of those around them. We want to thank Mrs. Lori Hoffman-Penna for sharing her new book, for encouraging our students to show care for those who may be lonely, and for giving our younger students the opportunity to explore their own talents.

Congratulations to our three Reading Olympics Teams, who competed in the Archdiocesan Reading Olympics at St. Cecilia Elementary School in Philadelphia this past Wednesday, April 9! All three teams won blue ribbons, and our Middle School Team scored the highest number of points in the competition. Thank you to Mrs. Gray for coaching our two 4th and 5th Grade teams, and thank you to Mrs. Crozier, Mr. Hynes, Mrs. Konig, and Ms. Rozo for coaching our Middle School team. Thank you to our faculty and staff members who attended and helped with the competition, and thank you to all our parents who were able to watch the competition.

Thank you to all of our families and students for their donations on our Dollar Red/White/Blue Dress Down Day on Celebrate Our Nation Day during Catholic Schools Week.. We collected $500, which we have sent to the Travis Manion Foundation in Doylestown. Travis Manion was a Marine who sacrificed himself and his life during his second tour of duty in Iraq in 2007, saving his fellow Marines in the process. Travis' family established the Travis Manion Foundation in his name, a group that helps veterans, as well as the families of fallen military heroes, to be empowered to help build character in future generations. St. Ignatius of Antioch Elementary School is honored to continue to help this local organization and to contribute to the good work of the Travis Manion Foundation.

Congratulations to the 82 Seventh Graders, including our St. Ignatius of Antioch School Seventh Graders, who were confirmed on March 8 by Bishop Deliman. Thank you to Mrs. Liebreich, our parish PREP Director, Fr. Brownholtz, the PREP teachers, and all our St. Ignatius of Antioch School teachers, for all their work in preparing all the students for Confirmation. May the gifts of the Holy Spirit continue to grow in all the Confirmandi!

Thank you to the following Handbag Bingo Business Donors:

Anej Skin Studio

Andy’s Brick Shop

Carlucci’s Grill

DeLorenzo’s Tomato Pies

Jules Pizza

LaStalla

Leonardo’s

Luxe Lash & Beauty Bar

Rocco’s at the Brick

The Salt Cave

The Well at the NAC

TOPGOLF (Northeast Philadelphia)

Villa Rosa

Thank you to the following for their “Gifts in Kind”:

Meredith Barger

Brzezinski family

Megan Dougherty

Capuano family

Clancy family

Coon family

Coppola family

Crozier family

Egner family

Fucich family

Sheila Gallagher

Gonzalez family

Hosler family

Hosgood family

Kilcoyne family

Longo family

Tina Meade

Moleski family

Jill Napolitan

Pennsbury Falcon Cheerleading

Salzano family

Suann Sims

Tallman family

An extra special thank you goes out to our PreK-4, 2nd, 3rd and 8th grade families for their generous donations!

Congratulations to three of our 7th Graders, who competed on Saturday, October 26, at the annual Nazareth Academy/Holy Ghost Math Competition! Thank you to Hayden, Annie, and Beatrice for competing, and thank you to Mrs. Casey for continuing to coach our students and prepare them every year for this competition.

Thank you to the Lower Makefield Fire Department for conducting a surprise fire drill on Tuesday, October 8. The Fire Department was impressed with our students and their response time to the drill. All of our students were out of the building and lined up in one and a half minutes!

Thank you to the Lower Makefield Department for returning to St. Ignatius on Tuesday, October 15, for a special visit to our PreK through Grade 2 classes! Our students were taught about fire safety and had an opportunity to walk through the fire truck.

Thank you also to the Lower Makefield Police Department for their visit to our students in PreK through Grade 2 this past week. Our students had the opportunity to meet their police dog and to learn more about safety in the community. The Lower Makefield police officers make frequent visits to our campus, sometimes to monitor traffic but more often to walk through our school building so that they are familiar with the layout of the school and so that our students feel very comfortable with police officers, especially in knowing they are here to help us.

Please pray for all of our police officers, firefighters, and first responders, in gratitude for their service and sacrifice. Please ask our Lord to keep them safe.