“To seek to know the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ; to celebrate together as a Catholic family of faith; and to share our gifts and talents in loving service to others.”
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Parish Office 717-838-3369 |
Weekend Mass Worship Aid |
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Welcome to Holy Spirit Church
Pastor: Father Michael Metzgar
Mass Schedule
Saturday Vigil: 4pm*
Sunday Mass: 8:30am & 11am*
*One weekend Mass will be live streamed on YouTube
at Holy Spirit Palmyra. Time/day will vary.
Daily Mass:
Monday, Thursday: 9am
Wednesday: 6pm
– Rosary 5:30pm
Friday: 7am
Confessions:
Saturday: 3pm—3:45pm
Wednesday: 4:30pm—5:30pm
Parish Office Phone Number:
717-838-3369
Mass for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
August 15 at 9am
Main Church
The month of August is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Let us to grow closer to Jesus through Mary’s loving intercession by praying the Holy Rosary, practicing charity, attending Holy Mass, and entrusting our hearts to her maternal care.
NEWS & EVENTS
THANK YOU Volunteers – Attendees – Committee Members
The fun, food, festivities, and fellowship at Spiritfest 2026 was tremendous! We want to extend our sincere appreciation for all those who have volunteered, donated and supported the festival in any way to make this great community event happen. It takes many hands to organize and coordinate all the details, deliveries and plans. Thank you Festival Committee for your months and hours of dedication to the planning elements. Thank you to our food preparation staff, kitchen clean up, cooking crews, our set up and teardown teams and every volunteer. Your time is greatly appreciated. See you next year— Aug 6 and 7 for SpiritFest 2027!
Work around the Grounds In August we will implement some much needed repairs around the church before PREP begins. To that end, the access to the church and the use of the parking lots will be limited from August 10 through August 21. Work will include the cleaning and waxing of all the classrooms and hall areas of the church. No meetings can be held over this time in any of the classrooms, Agape Hall, Blue Room, or Social Hall. The parking lots will be sealed and striped the week of August 17-21. The team will be working at different sections throughout the week and we will be closing parts of the lots as needed. To avoid interfering with the parking lot and floor work, we ask that you avoid activities and trips to the church during these two weeks, except for Mass. Contact the parish office if there are specific concerns.
Fall 2026: Come Journey with us to Explore The Catholic Faith
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) is a journey to a deeper experience of God’s love manifested through the teachings and treasures of the Catholic Faith. We welcome anyone who’s not currently Catholic and simply wants to learn more about the Catholic faith, as well as Catholic adults who have not received the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Holy Eucharist or Confirmation. We gather together Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at the Church to listen to and reflect on God’s Word and the teachings of the Faith. There is no pressure nor obligation, it is merely a time to inquire. We would love to have you join us on Wednesday, September 2 at 6:30pm for an information night. We also encourage you to invite someone you know who might like to journey with us.
OUTDOOR MASS RETURNS – Although last year marked the conclusion of our Sunday outdoor Masses, our First Wednesday outdoor Mass continues. This summer, we will again celebrate the first Wednesday of each month at the pavilion. Remaining 2026 dates are: September 2 and October 7. Confessions will still be offered inside the church from 4:30–5:30pm before each Mass. The rosary will be prayed outside beginning at 5:30pm.
Holy Hour of Reparation
All are invited to our First Friday devotion on August 14 at 7pm in the Main Church. Spend some time with Jesus and offer up your prayers to His Sacred Heart to make reparation for our sins and the sins of the whole world.
PREP News
Holy Spirit’s Religious Education Classes are scheduled to begin on Sunday, September 13 for preschool through 8th grade. Classes will be from 9:30am-10:45am. If you have not registered your child(ren), please use the link on our parish website, or the QR Code noted here. Registered families will receive an email and mailed letter with the PREP calendar and detailed information about the upcoming year by the end of August. An email from Parish Giving will also be sent to confirm the class sessions that were selected at registration. Please contact us at the following email prep@hspalmyra.com with any questions.
WELCOME BACK BBQ: All PREP families (PreK-8th grade) are invited to attend a BBQ on Sunday, August 30, from 1pm-4pm at the Pavilion (weather permitting). More details and a sign-up will be available in August. We look forward to kicking off another great year of religious formation for our kids!
Holy Spirit High School Youth Group – Now forming!
We’ve got exciting news to share! We’re building something new for high schoolers starting this fall, and we need your help! We are looking for parent volunteers and teen youth leaders to help us roll out this exciting youth program built on faith, community and service. Email hsyouthgroup@hspalmyra.com.
Back To School Backpack Collection – Starts August 15
Help provide backpacks to needy refugee and migrant students again this year! The Migrant Justice Ministry will be accepting donations of Backpacks, Pencils, Pencil sharpeners, Erasers, Pencil cases, Basic calculators, Spiral notebooks, Binders, Glue sticks, Lunch bags, Water bottles for all grades. Donations will be collected at Masses the weekends of August 15&16 and August 22&23. JOIN US WITH BACKPACK ORGANIZING AND SORTING ON SUNDAY, AUG. 23rd AFTER 11:00 MASS. PIZZA AND DRINKS PROVIDED. GOOD COMPANY TOO! Volunteers to help deliver backpacks can contact migrantjustice@hspalmyra.com . Your generosity is invaluable.
***Caring Cupboard—August needs ***
This month’s collection will be August 15 and 16. Needs are cans of corn, peas and fruit, ketchup and mustard. Thank you for your donations!
Knights of Columbus SpiritScramble
Please consider joining the Knights of Columbus as we celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Spirit Scramble, being held on Sat, August 29, at Iron Valley Golf Course. Since the beginning, the Scramble has raised over $125,000.00 for charities that have a direct impact in our community. This year we are supporting Special Olympics of Lebanon County; Palmyra Rec Scholarship Fund; Fire Departments in Palmyra and Campbelltown; Caring Cupboard; T2T; and the crimes against children task force K-9 Tor. Please consider joining us in support of these outstanding organizations either as a player or a sponsor. For more information spiritscramblekofc@gmail.com.
Save-the-date for our Fall Adult Book Study
Monday evenings, 7-8:30pm from Sept 21—Oct 26. Book of study: Matthew Kelly’s Slowing Down to the Speed of Joy. Purchase the book and read along with us. We will join together for discussion of the weekly assigned reading material. A sign-up sheet will be available in the narthex in August.
Prayer Intentions for Parishioners’ Relatives Serving in the Armed Forces 
Parishioners who wish to request prayer intentions for their relatives currently serving in all our Armed Forces are invited to email names to church@hspalmyra.com. We are compiling a list to share in future bulletins and on our website. We thank you for your dedication, service, bravery and sacrifice in serving our Country.
Church Bowling League
So, how can bowling be a ministry at a church? Well, it’s pretty simple actually. Holy Spirit is part of a local Church Bowling League. It is a Christian centered league, where we go to just relax and have fun with people more interested in God then on winning. Yes, we all try to win, but we have people with averages from 100 – 190 and everything in between. There is no pressure to perform. We just go to have some fun and enjoy time with people of faith. The League is over right now, but the new season starts up in August 2026 and goes through April 2027. We bowl Monday Evenings starting at 6pm. Teams can have as many members as they want, but 4 bowl each week. You can have 4 that bowl every week, or have more and bowl on a rotation or schedule as people are available. It’s a handicap league, so everyone has a chance to win regardless of average. So, if you are interested, please contact us at bowling@hspalmyra.com. If you have a full team – that’s great, but if it’s just you, we’ll see if we can get at least 4 people to make a full team.
Holy Spirit Parish Events and News:
Legion of Mary Ministry at Holy Spirit
The Legion of Mary is a world-wide lay apostolic association of Catholics who, with the sanction of the Church and under the powerful leadership of Mary Immaculate, Mediatirx of All Graces, they serve the Church and their neighbor on a voluntary basis in about 170 countries. Legion of Mary members at Holy Spirit meet on Wednesday evenings in the blue room in Agape Hall at 5pm. Members pray the rosary and, on occasion, go out to visit homes for prayer. The Legion’s spirituality is centered on the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, the One who not only overshadowed Mary in the work of the Incarnation, but also came down upon the Apostles on Pentecost. Sign-up to host the Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Mary in your home any day over the next three months. Email church@hspalmyra.com to be added to the schedule.
Fraternitas Crucis – Brotherhood of the Cross
Adult Faith Formation Needs You!
Do you have a heart for Scripture and a desire to help others grow in faith? Adult Faith Formation is looking for volunteers to help lead small group Bible studies and Church teachings. No experience needed, materials and support provided, flexible scheduling. Say “yes” to making a difference. Contact faithstudy@hspalmyra.com or the parish office to learn more.
Surrounding Parish Events and News:
The St Joan of Arc Writer’s Group Ministry invites you to join us!
We all have creative imagination and an instinct for stories whether telling them or hearing them. Creative writing is a great way to share our faith with others and give testimony to what we believe. Jesus used story telling with the parables to teach his many followers! Writing can also be exercise for the brain as well as very healing. Do you have a story to tell? Our writing both religious and non-religious takes many forms such as memoire, devotionals, poetry, lyrics, letter writing, journaling, children’s stories, fiction and non-fiction. We invite you to join us, whether you are a seasoned author or new at writing. We meet the third Monday of every month at 6pm in room 314 of the SJA parish hall (the old school). We start our meetings with a prayer and then share our work with each other allowing time for feedback and fellowship so we can all grow in our writing and our faith. We share some writing tips along the way and prompts if you aren’t sure what to write about. We look forward to having you join us! For more information, contact the parish office at office@stjoanhershey.org
If you are new to our community, we invite you to register with the parish and become a full, active participant. Registration forms are available on our website and at the office. If you are a current parishioner and have changed addresses or are moving out of the parish, please notify us at 717-838-3369. Thank you!
Our new diocesan magazine is already inspiring thousands of Catholic families across central Pennsylvania with stories of faith, hope, and service. Sign up today to receive it in your home at this link: https://hbgdiocese.formstack.com/forms/catholic_witness_magazine_sign_up
2026 Feasibility Study Results:
Are you in need of prayer? Are you lonely or overwhelmed? The National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton has a prayer line available with staff who will speak with and pray with you. Your prayer intentions can be placed on the tomb of Mother Seton. Call us toll free at 1-866-202-4934, Monday – Friday, 10am – 5 pm. We are here for you.
AREBA CLUB OF ST. JOAN OF ARC, HERSHEY:
The Areba Club is open to adults in the area over 50 year old, regardless of race, ethnicity, or religion. Join us for our meetings held the third Tuesday of the month at 1pm in the SJA Parish Social Hall, 359 W. Areba Avenue, Hershey, PA. For more information, please contact Marge Michalski at 717-838-6415. Areba Club information, including trips, can be found at https://www.stjoanhershey.org/areba-club.html. A schedule and description of their upcoming trips is also posted on Holy Spirit’s bulletin board outside the parish office.
HOLY SPIRIT MAGNETS are available for $5 for your refrigerator and car. Stop by our parish office during regular business hours and help support the Knights of Columbus and our church!