Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, Archbishop of Philadelphia, will announce plans for a new work of evangelization by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The Archdiocese will adopt the parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico. Cardinal Bevilacqua will hold a news conference

Friday, July 16, 1999
3:00 p.m.
Archdiocesan Office Building Auditorium
222 N. 17th Street
Philadelphia

The priests who are newly assigned to this mission, Reverend William S. Murphy and Reverend Scott D. Brockson, will also attend.

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...About the Mission Project

-purpose is to educate, experience and evangelize: learn the language, experience the culture, share resources, assist in church ministry
-two Archdiocesan priests will be assigned to Our Lady of Mount Carmel ( for a ministry of approximately five years)
-selected seminarians from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary will visit as part of a new inculturation program
-future plans call for lay volunteers to serve and learn at the mission
-Archdiocese of Philadelphia covers priests' salaries and their health care
-initial investment by Archdiocese: $100,000 (including car and church/rectory repairs)
-annual anticipated operating budget aside from salaries: $50-60,000
-financial support will come from donations specifically earmarked for the mission and on a rotating basis, every year ten-percent of the parishes in the Archdiocese will designate proceeds from their mission collections to Our Lady of Mount Carmel

...About the Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Barceloneta - Diocese of Arecibo

-parish has its main church in town and three chapels in outlying areas
-parish buildings also include: rectory, parish hall and unoccupied convent
-parish serves the spiritual needs of approximately 12,000 Hispanic Catholics
-there is no school, but the parish supports an active religious education program for children, teens, adults and young adults
-parish is about 45-60 minutes from San Juan
-there are three universities within a half-hour drive which can be used for educating seminarians and priests in the Spanish language
-diocese has total population of 551,000
-there are 59 parishes in the dioceses, including Our Lady of Mount Carmel
-nearly 70% (383,000) are Catholic
-number of infant baptisms double the number of deaths annually
-there are 110 priests in the diocese
-many priests in the diocese are approaching retirement age and upon retirement will return to their native homeland of Spain

...About the Hispanic Population

-By the second decade of the next century, the Catholic Church in the United States will very likely be over 50-percent Hispanic (source: National Catholic Conference of Bishops/United States Catholic Conference - Secretariat for Hispanic Affairs)
-80 % of U.S. Hispanics are Catholic (source: Catholic Almanac)
-Hispanic growth rate is five times that of non-Hispanics (source: U. S. Census)
in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the 1995 Hispanic population was 279,000 - projections call for a 129% increase - to 639,000 by the year 2025 (source: U.S. Census Bureau)
-1999 Hispanic Catholic population in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is 150,000
-as of 1999, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has three Puerto Rican and two Cuban priests

...About the Priests Assigned to Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Reverend William H. Murphy
new position: Pastor, Our Lady of Mount Carmel
35 years of age
date of ordination: May 19, 1990
previous position: Parochial Vicar, Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul
and Pastoral Care of La Milagrosa (Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Spanish Chapel located at 19th and Spring Garden Streets)

Reverend Scott D. Brockson
new position: Parochial Vicar, Our Lady of Mount Carmel
35 years of age
date of ordination: May 18, 1996
previous position: Parochial Vicar, St. Cecilia Parish, 535 Rhawn Street

Donations for the mission parish should be sent to:Mission Parish of Puerto Rico
c/o Clergy Office
Archdiocese of Philadelphia
222 North 17th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103

Contact
Cathy Rossi
Director
215-587-3747