HARRISBURG, Pa. – Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish will see a pastoral leadership change in 2026 as the Redemptorists, a religious order of priests, announced this weekend that their order will conclude its pastoral oversight of the parish. The decision was made as the Redemptorists face declining numbers of clergy and must make difficult decisions on which of their ministries to continue.
“The reality of our aging clergy, along with a significant decline in vocations to Redemptorist religious life and priesthood, is one of several factors that have brought us to the humbling realization that we cannot continue to staff and serve all the apostolic commitments that we currently have in our pastoral care. To be clear, this decision is not about any lack of our desire to serve God’s people here, or of any lack of our deep appreciation for the meaningful and pastoral work we have provided in our ministry here since 1914,” said Father John Collins, C.Ss.R., provincial for the Baltimore Province of the Redemptorists.
While the order is moving on from overseeing the parish, they will continue to operate their assisted living community in Ephrata.
“Our sadness at this difficult decision is somewhat tempered by the fact that even though we have decided to let go of the ministry of pastoral leadership of the parish, we will continue our Redemptorist presence here through our Assisted Living Community of Saint Clement Mission House,” added Father Collins.
“I am grateful for the pastoral leadership the Redemptorists have provided to Our Mother of Perpetual Help parish for the past 111 years,” said Bishop Timothy Senior, Bishop of Harrisburg. “We will miss your active role with the parish, but are grateful for your continued presence in our Diocese through the operation of Saint Clement Mission House. As we give thanks for the years of pastoral care that our Redemptorist brothers have provided for so many years at OMPH and in other parishes of our diocese, this decision highlights the need for our continued prayer and renewed efforts to encourage vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life.”
Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish will return to the pastoral oversight of the Diocese of Harrisburg on June 30, 2026. During this year of transition, the current parish clergy, the Redemptorist order, and the Diocese will work together to ensure a smooth transition of leadership and provide parishioners with the support needed through this period of change.
“Let us all pray for one another in these coming months of transition. May God bless each one of us with every grace of faith, hope, and love so that we may give thanks for all that has been and say ‘yes’ to what will be,” said Father Collins.
To learn more about the Redemptorist order, please visit https://redemptorists.net/. More details on Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish can be found at https://www.omphchurch.com/.
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The Diocese of Harrisburg was established on March 3, 1868. It has 97 parishes and missions, 34 Catholic schools, and is home to approximately 201,000 registered Catholics throughout its 15 counties. To learn more about the Diocese and its ministries, visit www.hbgdiocese.org.
