I was blessed earlier today to have the opportunity to sit down with the board of the Michael the Archangel Ministry at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5.
This vital ministry provides pastoral care, bereavement and crisis counseling, and spiritual enrichment to some 14,000 active and retired Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) officers and their families. The ministry is headed up by founder Father Steven Wetzel, an Oblate of St. Francis de Sales, and led by a number of experienced police professionals, many of whom are graduates of archdiocesan Catholic schools. Ministry members regularly partner with archdiocesan Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and Nutritional Development Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to provide humanitarian aid throughout the city.
I also spent time with FOP President John McNesby discussing the pastoral needs of the Philadelphia Police Department as its members dedicate themselves to keeping our communities safe, at great risk to their own lives.
A piece about the ministry’s work via CatholicPhilly.com article: https://catholicphilly.com/…/beloved-saints-legacy…/.
Saint Michael the Archangel, pray for us!