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| Parish
Phone Numbers |
| Parish
Office: 717-872-2166 |
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FAX: 717-872-2587 |
| Religious
Education Office: 717-872-5653 (Sundays only) |
| Preschool
Office: 717-842-2007 |
| Parish
History |
Saint
Philip the Apostle Parish was founded on May 11, 1965
by the Most Rev. George L. Leech, Bishop of the Diocese
of Harrisburg. The name Saint Philip the Apostle was
given to the parish because, at the time, May 11th was
the Feast of Saint Philip. The name St. Philip was also
given to honor Bishop's Leech's predecessor, Bishop Philip
R. McDevitt. Bishop Leech named Father William Eline as
the first Pastor of Saint Philip's.
Even before this date Mass was being celebrated in the
Manor Shopping Center Auditorium. This Mass was instituted
because of overcrowding at Saint Joseph's Church in Lancaster.
Approximately 1,000 people attended this Mass. This Mass
was instituted on February 16, 1964. After the formation
of St. Philip's, the new Parish continued to celebrate
Mass in this location until the parish Church was ready.
On October 18, 1965, the Diocese purchased 18 acres of
land at the intersection of Millersville Pike and Millersville
Road as the future site of the Parish Church and Rectory.
In June of 1967, Bishop Leech broke ground for the new
Church. After celebrating Mass in the Auditorium for another
year the new Church was ready on June 9, 1968.
In May of 1971, Father Michael Homola was named to be
the Second Pastor of St. Philip's. One of the areas of
concern that confronted the young Parish was the Religious
Education of its youth. Since there was not a parochial
school at Saint Philip's, families were encouraged to
enroll their children in the neighboring parish schools.
Many families opted to do so, however, a larger number
of families enrolled their children in the local public
schools. Arrangements needed to be made to provide for
the Religious Education of these children. St.
Leo's Parish agreed to allow the use of their classrooms
for Religious Instruction on Saturday Mornings at 9:00
A.M. While this was not the most conducive day or hour,
the program went into effect and continued for several
years. With the continued growth in numbers, an alternative
was to conduct CCD classes in the parish gymnasium. Accordingly,
movable dividers were constructed by parishioners, and
classes were conducted in apportioned sections of the
Gym. This, however, proved to be a disaster, since the
environment was one of wood, steel, and cement block.
A deafening cacophony of sounds ensued, making learning
in that atmosphere practically impossible. Father Homola
instituted an Ad Hoc committee to make a study of the
feasibility of constructing an entire wing contiguous
to the existing building. Upon completion of the new wing,
Bishop Joseph T. Daley blessed the new facility on December
4, 1979.
Since Saint Philip's parish was founded shortly after
the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council, every effort
was made to keep pace with regard to Liturgy, Ecclesiology,
and Collegiality. And so, a Parish Council was formed
in 1976. In 1984, the clear glass windows on the entire
circumference of the Church were replaced with stained
glass windows primarily depicting the Mysteries of The
Rosary. They were blessed by Bishop William Keeler in
February, 1984.
Many Parish organizations were formed during the early
years of the Parish, including the Men's Club, the Women's
Auxiliary, a Legion of Mary, the Mother's Group, and Guys
and Dolls, our Senior citizens organization. A Boy Scout
Troop was also established and was housed in the empty
house next to the Rectory. The number of activities of
the various organizations grew. One of these activities,
the parish festival, grew to the point that another facility
was needed on the grounds of Saint Philip's. A picnic
pavilion needed to be erected to ease the pressure of
the incredible attendance of the annual affair. In the
fall of 1985 a pavilion consisting of a large kitchen,
bathroom facilities, a garage to house maintenance equipment,
and a large loft to accommodate storage was completed.
The pavilion also provided a wonderful place for picnics
and for other outdoor activities.
As the parish grew, the needs of ministry increased, including
the need for more than one Priest. The Catholic Chaplains
assigned to Millersville University were a great source
of assistance to Father Homola. When requested, they would
celebrate Mass on weekends. There was sufficient room
in the rectory to permanently house a priest. Father Homola
requested that the Bishop assign a Parochial Vicar to
the parish. In the subsequent years, there have been a
variety of priests assigned to Saint Philip's in addition
to the Pastor. Some of these priests have been assigned
as Parochial Vicars to assist in the full range of ministry
within the parish. Some of the priests were assigned to
be in residence, because they had another pastoral assignment,
or because they were retired. The priests who were residents
assisted the Pastor in any way that they could.
Also, as the parish grew, the religious education program
expanded. While many of the children attended nearby Catholic
Elementary Schools, there was also tremendous growth in
the Religious Education Program for children attending
the Public Schools. In the mid 1980's, it was decided
to add a full time Director of Religious Education. Since
that time Saint Philip's has had either a Religious Sister
or a lay Director overseeing the Religious Education Programs
of the parish.
In the Spring of 1998, Father Homola announced his retirement
from Saint Philip's. This coming after 27 years of service
as the Pastor of the Parish, and 49 years of service as
a priest in the Diocese of Harrisburg. Father had attained
the age of 75 years, the mandatory age of retirement for
priests in the diocese. Following that announcement, Bishop
Dattilo appointed Father Brian Conrad as the Pastor of
Saint Philip the Apostle Parish.
In June of 1998, the change in the Pastorate took place,
and Father Conrad was installed as the Third Pastor. Since
Father Conrad had previously been assigned to Saint Philip's
as a parochial vicar, he was very familiar with the parish.
As the parish expanded and the staff grew, the need for
administrative space became more acute. The Rectory offered
a limited amount of space for offices, and this cut into
the living accommodations in the Rectory. The Director
of Religious Education used a converted storage room in
the church for an office. A committee was formed to study
the feasibility of building a new structure to house the
parish offices together. This committee evolved into a
building committee. The committee, after studying various
sites on the property for a new building, decided that
the best location was one that was already occupied by
an old house located next to the Rectory that the scouts
used for their meetings. It was decided to construct a
new, two story building. The first floor contains the
Parish Offices, and the second floor became the parish
Activities Center. The Activities Center would be used
by the Scout Troop and other parish organizations. The
offices were completed in January of 2003 and the building
was blessed by Bishop Dattilo on February 23rd, 2003.
In January of 2002, members of the Mother's Group made
a request that the Parish Council give consideration to
beginning a Preschool for 3 and 4 year old children. After
making a study of the issue, the Parish Council agreed
to this project. The Preschool opened in September of
2003.
Saint Philip's continues to attempt to meet the changing
and evolving needs of its parishioners in the Church.
With God's help we will do the best that we can to make
the message of the Gospel alive and vibrant in our parish.
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