SAINT TERESA OF CALCUTTA

St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish has been established on the foundation of Charity. As the parish has grown over the past twelve years, our ability expand our charitable works has also grown. This foundation of Charity is fueled by the example of our patroness, St. Teresa of Calcutta. Many of our parishioners participate is serving the homeless in Norristown as we assist the Sisters of Charity in their crucial work of providing food for the poor and homeless. This ministry has recently expanded to serve some homeless in Philadelphia. In preparing and serving meals on a weekly basis, our parishioners get to experience of service to others on first hand basis. Our Prison Ministry program serves the needs of those who are incarcerated at Graterford Prison. These efforts strive to meet the human, spiritual and emotional needs of those who are incarcerated. St. Teresa of Calcutta had a great interest in serving the outcasts within a community. This ministry within our parish strives to strengthen the human dignity of the prisoners not only while they are serving a legal sentence, but also when they have returned to society and we assist with their enculturation.

Our parish strives to give guidance to the children within our school to the value of works of charity within our community. The Student Council of the school conducts fundraisers throughout the year to assist many within our community. Their efforts support the needs of veterans, cancer research as well as those who suffer from disabilities. Our school children minister to the elderly within our parish as well as those who are in nursing homes.

Our Knights of Columbus Council works regularly in the community by supporting to the Soup Kitchen in Pottstown as well as supporting the needs of St. Mary’s Shelter in Phoenixville. This shelter provides housing and education to families who are in need of care. Throughout the year, collections are coordinated within the parish to provide school supplies to children at the beginning of the school year as well as coats for those in need during the winter months. The Knights also coordinate the support of Birthright in Pottstown by providing many of the essential needs for newborn children. The Knights also support and assist in the efforts in Haiti to build appropriate accommodations in orphanages and to provide potable water supplies for those who live in the orphanages. Our parish is very sensitive to families when they encounter difficult times in their lives. We annually provide a Mass for Parents of Deceased Children and throughout the year we sponsor a support group for mothers who have lost their children through miscarriage.

Charity is that which motivates many elements of our parish community. Charity is the motivation which builds our faith community and that which strengthens the bonds within our Parish community.