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Palmyra flock needs new home
By
ROBERT TRISHMAN PALMYRA, Pa. - Here is a historical glimpse of one of those “good problems to have.” The book of Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament contains the account of the great spiritual outpouring on the day of Pentecost, 50 days after Christ’s ascension into heaven. The Apostle Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, bore a powerful testimony of Christ which touched the hearts of many. As a result, “They that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” (Acts 2:41). That was 3,000 people joining the early church in one day - a wonderful event in Christian history, but most likely an organizational nightmare for those early church leaders. Today, the Rev. Jim Podlesny is faced with similar challenges as pastor of Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church in Palmyra, Pa. During his three years as pastor, Podlesny has seen the number of families in the parish grow from 550 to 775. This reflects the growth of the Catholic Church in central Pennsylvania over the past decade. The Catholic population increased by 18 percent during this time and claims 92,500 members in a four county area, according to a survey conducted by the Glenmary Research Center of Cincinnati, Ohio, which is a Catholic mission organization that conducts surveys of religious denominations. But with that growth comes challenges not unlike those that faced the early church. So what has led to the rapid growth at Holy Spirit? “Well, I wish I could say it was my dynamic preaching,” Podlesny joked. On a more serious note he pointed out that more people have been moving into the area from Harrisburg and other outlying areas. In addition to Palmyra, the parish also serves North and South Londonderry Townships. These two areas increased in population by 22 percent over the past decade. What, then, is bringing so many to this area? Podlesny said that people who have jobs in cities like Harrisburg and Reading are moving here because of the lower tax rate. He also spoke of the innocent, rural charm of the area. “It’s a nice neighborhood where people are free to leave their doors unlocked,” he said. Podlesny provided a more in-depth look at the parish’s growth, putting faces to numbers. He said the parish averages six new families per month, with the average family being two parents and a pre-school age child. One of the challenges is integrating these new, young families with older, longtime members of the parish. Podlesny said the parish sponsors events such as parenting seminars for young families, and socials for senior residents. Inside the church building, one can see physical evidence of this rapid growth. There used to be a wall with regular sized doors dividing the chapel from the cultural hall. Podlesny said that this wall was taken out and a large glass divider put in, so that the cultural hall now serves as an overflow area. There is a partition wall surrounding chairs in this area, with a sign that says, “This area is for the elderly and those with small children, all others are asked to sit in the nave (chapel) of the church.” Podlesny said the church only holds 266 people, and averages over 300 for every Mass. To accommodate this, there is a closed-circuit television system set up in the overflow area and in the classrooms throughout the building, so those with crying children can leave the room and still see and hear the Mass. “This is not an acceptable long-term solution…we need a new church building,” Podlesny said. The ministries that Holy Spirit offers reflect the way parishioners have gotten involved in facilitating this growth. The newest is called the “Caring Ministry” in which parish members, some of them health professionals such as nurses, visit and pray for the sick and homebound, and provide transportation to Mass for those in need of it. There are other ministries such as Men’s and Women’s Societies, religious education on Sundays for children who do not attend Catholic school, and ministry for senior citizens. All of these are growing along with the parish and need more space for their needs. Podlesny
said the
Diocese of Harrisburg is watching closely to see what they can
do to help Holy Spirit parish. But for now, he and the faithful
members are doing their best to feed a growing flock. |
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