St. Catherine of Siena

Transcription

1 The Parish of and Church of : 869 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY Church of : 411 East 68 th Street, New York, NY (212) parish@svsc.info December 2, st Sunday of Advent Almsgiving Sunday This weekend, Sunday, December 2, there will be a second collection to help the Parish's Deficit Reduction. Members of the Social Concerns Committee will collect donations for Food Sunday. Thank you for your generosity and support. Marian Lessons and Carols On Friday, December 7 at 7 pm at, a Service of Lessons and Carols in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be offered. This hour-long celebration of the life of Mary, on the Vigil of the Immaculate Conception, will consist of a sequence of scripture readings, motets of Bruckner, Howells, Lehman, Redshaw, Tavener, and Wood sung by the Schola Cantorum, and congregational hymns. A reception will follow in the Priory Parlors. Immaculate Conception Saturday, December 8 is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a Holy Day of Obligation. There will be Low Masses at 8 am at and 9 am at. There will be a Sung Mass at 12 Noon at. The evening Masses on Friday, December 7 will be Vigils of the Solemnity and will fulfill the obligation. The Advent Wreath Again this year we will place the Advent Wreath around the base of the Statue of the Blessed Mary, Porta Caeli, to the right of the altar of sacrifice. The wreath will contain lamps instead of candles. These can be lit with an intention in the manner of the sanctuary lamps before the High Altar. We hope this will be an opportunity for spiritual giving during the holy seasons of Advent and Christmas. Availability would be as follows: The First Week of Advent 1 lamp The Second Week of Advent 2 lamps The Third Week of Advent 3 lamps The Fourth Week of Advent 4 lamps The Octave of Christmas 4 lamps The Second Week of Christmas 4 lamps During these weeks, the Sanctuary Madonna lamp that usually hangs beside the Porta Caeli will not be lit. Social Concerns Committee Annual Toy Drive Well, we are asking again! This time for toys (unwrapped) for children and Gift Cards ($25) for pre-teens for the New York Common Pantry to distribute to the needy this Christmas. Please bring the toys to either Church or the Priory and you can give the gift cards to the guards, put in the collection (marked) or bring to the Priory. This collection runs until December 13. As usual and again and again, many thanks in advance for your generosity. Second Collection - Next Weekend Next weekend, December 9, we will be collecting alms for the Retirement Fund for Religious that benefits 31,000 senior sisters, brothers, and religious order priests. Your support is deeply appreciated. Mass and Confessions Saturday Vigil: 6:00 pm Sunday: 8:00 am, 9:30 am, 12:00 noon, 6:00 pm Weekdays: 8:00 am, 12:10 pm, 6:00 pm Saturday: 8:00 am Confessions Saturday: 5:00 5:50 pm Weekdays: 5:20 5:50 pm Parish Vespers Sunday: 5:30 pm Saturday Vigil: 4:00 pm Sunday: 10:00 am, 5:00 pm Weekdays: 7:00 am, 5:15 pm Saturday: 9:00 am Confessions Saturday: 3:00 3:50 pm Weekdays: 4:40 5:05 pm Liturgy of the Hours and Other Prayer Monday Friday: 7:20 am (Morning Prayer) 5:30 pm (Office of Readings and Evening Prayer) Wednesday: 6:30 pm (Rosary) 7:30 pm (Holy Hour) Sunday: 3:00 pm (Eucharistic Adoration) Monday Friday: 5:00 pm (Rosary) Our Lady of Perpetual Help Prayer Group Wednesday: 6:30 pm Queen of Peace Prayer Group Saturday: 9:30 am

2 Parish Office 869 Lexington Ave, NY, NY (212) Office Hours: Monday Friday: 9 am 1 pm, 2 5 pm 411 East 68 th Street, NY, NY Office Hours: Monday Friday: 10 am 3 pm Parish Staff Very Rev. Walter Wagner, o.p. Pastor Rev. Joseph Allen, o.p. Vicar Rev. Luke Hoyt, o.p. Vicar for Formation Rev. Jerome Zeiler, o.p. Vicar Bro. Damian McCarthy, o.p. Sacristan Deacon John M. Powers Lee Ann Rubino Business Manager James D. Wetzel Director of Music and Organist Monica Czausz Assistant Organist Lisa Harrelson Coordinator of Catechesis and Youth Ministry Rachel Miller Administrative Assistant Tony Hicks Church Custodian Tracey Hicks Church Custodian High School (212) Sr. Gail Morgan, o.p. Principal Dominican Shrine of St. Jude (212) Parish Calendar December Sunday, December 2 1 st Sunday of Advent 6:30 am Missa Cantata in the Dominican Rite at 1 pm Parish Coffee at Friday, December 7 Vigil of the Immaculate Conception 5:15 pm Low Mass of the Vigil at 6 pm Low Mass of the Vigil at 7 pm Lessons & Carols in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Saturday, December 8 Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception Holy Day of Obligation 8 am Low Mass at 9 am Low Mass at 12 noon Sung Mass at Sunday, December 9 2 nd Sunday of Advent 12 noon Solemn Mass with Rite of Acceptance at Monday, December 10 7 pm New York Purgatorial Society Mass at Wednesday, December 12 Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe 6 pm Sung Mass & Procession at Sunday, December 16 3 rd Sunday of Advent (Gaudete) 2:30 pm Family Catechesis at 3 pm Advent Lessons & Carols at Eucharistic Adoration at is cancelled. Vespsers at is cancelled. Monday, December Misa del Gallo 6 am Low Mass at Rosary Altar Monday, December 17 Reconciliation Monday 4 8 pm Confession at & Wednesday, December 19 7 pm Tenet Concert at Holy Hour at is cancelled. Sunday, December 23 4 th Sunday of Advent Monday, December 24 Christmas Eve 4 pm Family Mass of the Vigil at 6 pm Sung Mass of the Vigil at 9 pm Christmas Lessons and Carols at 9:30 pm Solemn Mass During the Night at Tuesday, December 25 Christmas Day 12 midnight Midnight Mass in the Dominican Rite at 8 am Low Mass at Dawn at 9:30 am Sung Mass During the Day at 10 am Sung Mass During the Day at 12 noon Solemn Mass During the Day at 12 noon Solemn Mass During the Day at 3:30 pm Sung Vespers at 4 pm Sung Mass during the Day at Wednesday, December 26 Parish Offices Closed Regular Mass Schedule Monday, December 31 (New Year's Eve) Parish Offices Closed Regular Mass Schedule 5:15 pm Low Mass of the Vigil at 6 pm Low Mass of the Vigil at

3 What a joy, and constant renewal, to live and work at a crossroads in our city. St. Catherine s and St. Vincent s welcome worshippers from all directions and our preaching must take into account the beautiful heterogeneity of our listeners. The diversity of the congregation also makes of the communion line an icon for contemplation, as if Pentecost itself were lined up double file in the middle of the church. But if the Holy Spirit gathers a demographic array of souls before God, He also deploys them in different kinds of worship. Surely we clergy find satisfaction in the good folks who take their places in the pews on a daily basis. They listen attentively, and make their responses with gusto. (By the way, Saturday s 4 pm Mass gets the blue ribbon for the most vigorous, And with Your Spirit. ) But you know what: all kinds of people cannot manage this kind of churchgoing. They do not speak English, or they lack control over their hours of work: perhaps caregiving consumes their time, or anxiety keeps them from crowds. For the stranger, for the busy, and for the distressed, their candle stands in for them at Mass and remains long after. Our early morning sentinels confirm this story. Tony Hicks at St. Vincent s and Brother TA at St. Catherine s will tell you how many people come in way before the first Mass-goers. With all the alacrity and efficiency they bring to their commute, our vanguard of prayer find their way to an accustomed altar or shrine to offer the morning s petitions, intercessions, or thanksgivings. After a few minutes of quiet intimacy they are gone, off into a day whose long hours belong to another. From dawn to bedtime workday thoughts will crowd the mind, but the light remains behind as a sign that the heart never loses its Sunday longings. The pre-dawn lamps soon find company in the lights added by Mass-goers and church visitors all the way through to closing time. On Wednesday nights, after holy hour at St. Vincent s, or in St. Catherine s on Sundays, we Friars get to turn off the bulbs and see the church radiant with the gentle flickering light of prayer. For me the faith, hope, and love of hundreds becomes palpable at this moment and I go to bed truly warmed by the spiritual communion of the Church. The faith-formed realism of candle-lighting comes clear in the brief prayer of Jacob Astley before the Battle of Edgehill in 1642 during the English Civil War, O Lord! Thou knowest how busy I must be this day: if I forget Thee, do not Thou forget me. The soldier s quip with God speaks to the truth of us. In a silent moment we realize how thick with concerns is our heart; there abide memories of our dead, concern for the beloved of the present, anxiety for ourselves, and worries for the challenged world we live in. But as each day envelops us with its concerns how much time can we give to the longings deep inside? The candle we light proclaims the bifurcated truth of us: we came to pray, but we had to leave. In that flame I see the crucial things in my life that I cannot dwell on at the moment. I am busy and distracted but the matters at the core of me do not thereby lose their importance. I was prompted to think about lighting candles because we will this week complete a transition toward five day candles at St. Catherine s. We conclude that only a living and enduring flame makes palpable the ongoing and wordless prayer of the heart. But during Advent, candle-lighting ranks as a shared and public activity. The Lights of the Advent wreath express a longing that even the busiest holiday regimen will not completely submerge. The readings and prayers of this season prompt us to exercise the virtue of hope in the face of society and creation in distress. As we look around ourselves I think we long for a completeness in things and we lack a method to gain it. Here, we place the frustration of the created world before the Creator, asking to see the ways forward that elude us, and believing those ways will lead us to Him. These four advent lights we hold in common also speak of another bifurcated truth. At this season we undertake traditions and rituals that denote happiness: the holidays are here, we say to each other as we unpack the beautiful and beloved trappings of festivity. At the same time we harbor anxiety about the fundamentals of our shared life. Each set of emotions is real, and in the weeks ahead neither will crowd out the other entirely. Perhaps, as we look at the lights in the wreath, we should take a lesson from the candles in the wrought iron racks around our two churches. For five days each of them reminds us that beneath daily preoccupations lie profound longings. Do not the advent candles, and all the rituals of Christmas, remind us that a deeper truth lies beyond the momentous issues that tax us so severely? This Truth is the God who responded to the immense problems of the world with a tiny baby. What will He do next? Advent Peace! The Light of Longing Fr. Walter

4 Mass Intentions Sunday, December 2 6:00 pm (Vigil) Fr. Lawrence Concordia, o.p. (D) 8:00 am For the People of the Parish 9:30 am Demosthenes Gadioma 12 noon Dorothy M. Grever (D) 6:00 pm Fr. William Gannon, o.p. (D) Monday, December 3 8:00 am For the Deceased Members of the Parish & the Order (D) 12:10 pm Bro. Michael Downey, o.p. (D) 6:00 pm Edward Greason, Sr. (D) Tuesday, December 4 8:00 am Consuelo Reyes Gomez (D) 12:10 pm Fr. Christopher Johnson, o.p. (D) 6:00 pm Patricia, Richard, & Garrett Keegan (D) Wednesday, December 5 8:00 am Bart & Bridget McGovern (D) 12:10 pm Concepcion G. de la Cruz 6:00 pm Fr. Ferrer Halligan o.p. (D) Thursday, December 6 8:00 am Elvira Tassaro (D) 12:10 pm Fr. Joseph Payne, o.p. (D) 6:00 pm Br. Christopher McCabe, o.p. (D) Friday, December 7 8:00 am Dorothy Marchewka (D) 12:10 pm Raul Castells (D) 6:00 pm Margaret Greason (D) Saturday, December 8 8:00 am Louise & Charlie Buckley (D) Mass Intentions Sunday, December 2 4:00 pm (Vigil) Gerry Grant (D) 10:00 am Walter Baietti (D) 5:00 pm Patrick Flanagan (D) Monday, December 3 7:00 am For the Province of St. Joseph 5:15 pm Peter Dolan (D) Tuesday, December 4 7:00 am Ruben Lara, Jr. 5:15 pm Eva Ferreri (D) Wednesday, December 5 7:00 am For the Patrons of the Shrine of Saint Jude 5:15 pm Michael Costello Thursday, December 6 7:00 am Ruben Lara, Jr. 5:15 pm Donatella Phillips (D) Friday, December 7 7:00 am For the Purgatorial Society of (D) 5:15 pm Ruben Lara, Jr. Saturday, December 8 9:00 am John Lynch (D) Parish Prayer Intentions Contact the Parish Office to add a name to this list. Anna Bernhard, Albania Burgos, Joseph Robert Cusimano, Janie Dixon, Don Douglas, Brenda Erickson, The Fisher Family, William Heath, David Henderson, Margaret King, Ivan Kronenfeld, Vicki Lowrey, Bovi Napathong, Calvin Neana, Brian Praetzel, Julie Praetzel, Sally Rauscher, Roseanne Reilly, Isabell Rivera, Michael Ryan, Anchalee Sae-Lim, Bill Selby, & Jumlong Ullitavee. Please pray for the repose of the souls of Alan Djanogly, Gina Gavin, Elinore Martinez, Katharine Pettijohn, Isabel Patillo, Ramon E. Reyes, & Baron Rothschild, and the souls of all our recently deceased. We continue to pray for the sick, the dying, and their families in Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, the Hospital for Special Surgery, Rockefeller University Hospital, & the Intentions of the Dominican Friars Health Care Ministry. Candle Intentions St. Vincent Sanctuary Lamps Rene Concepcion (D); Kathy Crosby (D); Theresa Egan (D); Ramon & Fernando Gonzalez (L); Anthony Mortelliti; For the People of the Parish; Intention of Donor St. Vincent Pieta Lamp Well-being of Christians in the Middle East Advent Wreath 1) Jack Ryan Keegan St. Catherine Sanctuary Lamp Maria Marta Litrenta St. Catherine Purgatorial Candle Renato S. Ventigan (d); Rosa J. Silan (d) St. Catherine Rosary Altar Candle Maria Marta Litrenta; Intention of the donor St. Catherine Blessed Mother Candle Priscilla Ventigan Mass Intentions and Candles may be reserved in the Parish Office Monday Friday, 9:00 am 5:00 pm, and in the Church Office of Monday Friday, 10:00 am 3:00 pm.

5 Music Notes Next week, for the 2nd Sunday of Advent, the Schola will sing music of the Spanish Renaissance: Missa Alma Redeptoris Mater Tomás Luis de Victoria (c ) Canite tuba Rorate caeli Francisco Guerrero ( ) A Music List containing a list of this season s concerts and repertoire for all choral services as well as information about the St. Cecilia Guild is available in the narthex and online. Parish Vespers continues this and every Sunday at 5:30 pm in the choir stalls at. Advent Lessons and Carols On Gaudete Sunday, December 16 at 3 pm at, a Service of Advent Lessons and Carols will be offered. This service will make a scriptural and musical pilgrimage through Advent, with readings from the Old Testament prophets, motets of Ledger, Campbell, McKie, Mendelssohn, Near, Piccolo, and Rheinberger sung by the Schola Cantorum, and congregational hymns. A reception will follow in St. Dominic s Hall. Parish Vespers at 5:30 pm will not take place on December 16. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at and Parish Vespers at 5:30 pm at will not take place on December 16. Frassati Holy Hour and Dinner: Sunday, December 9, 7 9:30 pm Join us for a special Holy Hour and Dinner in December. Eucharistic Adoration will begin after the Parish 6 pm Mass with a talk, praise and worship music, confessions, and prayer teams available. A festive dinner will follow Holy Hour. Date/Time: Sunday, December 9, 7 9:30 pm Location: Church of 869 Lexington Avenue. For more information visit or , contact@frassati.nyc. New York Purgatorial Society Mass On Monday, December 10 at 7 pm, a sung Mass in the Dominican Rite sponsored by the New York Purgatorial Society will be offered at the Rosary Altar at St. Vincent Ferrer. Christmas Cards Christmas cards, designed especially for the Parish Collections November 25, 2018 Regular Offertory: $15945 Attendance: 1159 by Sr. Mary Grace, o.p., are available in the St. Vincent Ferrer Church vestibule. National Pilgrimage to Lourdes Fr. Joseph Allen, o.p. invites you to join him on the 65th U.S. National Pilgrimage to Lourdes: June 30 - July 9. The Pilgrimage is accompanied by a medical staff and clergy to assist the needs of the pilgrims. For details, contact Fr. Joseph Allen at joseph.allen@opeast.org or the Lourdes Pilgrimage office, toll free: , or lourdespilgrimageoffice@comcast.net. The deadline for reservations is March 15, Magnificat This weekend, we are pleased that magnificat has donated copies of its December issue. magnificat is the most popular Catholic prayer and worship resource in the United States. It is perfect for anyone who wants to align their personal prayer life with the daily liturgical rhythm of the Church and who desires ongoing Faith formation. magnificat features daily mass readings, prayers for the morning and evening, articles, inspiring profiles on saints, ancient and modern, daily meditations, and commentaries on art. This issue also introduces Fr. Sebastian White, o.p., from our parish community, as the new editor-in-chief. Please take home a copy and use it prayerfully for the month. We encourage you to subscribe and you will find details in the back of the issue. You can also visit magnificat.com for more information or to request a complimentary copy for a friend. You may also take advantage of a special offer to try it (914) Thomas Merton Society: Solemn Memorial Mass On Monday, December 10, at 7:00 pm, the Thomas Merton Society will present a solemn Memorial Mass commemorating the 50th anniversary of Thomas Merton's death in 1968, in Bangkok, Thailand. Fr. Daniel Horan, ofm, will be principal celebrant and homilist. Father Horan is author of The Franciscan Heart of Thomas Merton, among many titles, and is now professor of systematic theology and spirituality at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Thomas Merton was baptized into the Catholic Church at Corpus Christi in 1938, and remained a monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani until his death. The Mass will include music and readings from the 1968 funeral Mass at Gethsemani. Reception will follow. Corpus Christi Church, 529 W 121 Street (Manhattan). For more information contact (212) Monthly Health Care Ministry Mass: First Fridays at On Friday, December 7, and on the first Friday of each subsequent month, we will have a special 1 pm Mass at. The chaplains of Dominican Friars Health Care Ministry of New York will be the celebrants and preachers at these Masses and the intention will be for the patients in the hospitals we serve. Everyone is welcome and invited to participate.

6 The Parish of Saint Vincent Ferrer & Saint Catherine of Siena Dominican Friars of the Province of Saint Joseph Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary ******* REMINDER ******* The Act of Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary will take place on the day of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception Saturday, December 8, 2018 after the 9am Mass at Church. Father Joseph Allen, Spiritual Director of the Mother of Divine Grace Presidium of Church, will lead us in praying the Act of Total Consecration.

7 Mariandale Retreat Mariandale Center will be offering a one day retreat on December 15, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm. The day will include time for personal reflection, two writing workshops, lunch, snacks and sharing of work. Mariandale is run by The Dominican Sisters of Hope. Fee: $75; Presenter: Magie Dominic; info@mariandale.org, (914) For more information visit Handel's Messiah On Wednesday, December 19 and Thursday, December 20 at 7:30 pm at. For the first time ever, TENET Vocal Artists and the Sebastians chamber orchestra collaborate to share their unique take on Handel s Messiah. This beloved, time-honored masterwork will be without a conductor and feature a not-to-be-missed cast of 12 vocal soloists and an incredible band of period instruments. Purchase tickets at the door or at: Cathedral High School Christmas Bazaar Cathedral High School (350 E 56th Street) will be hosting its annual Christmas Bazaar on December 13 and 14 from 10 am - 4 pm. It will feature a silent auction, Christmas booth, baked goods, vendors and much more. For more information call (212) This Week of Grace The Holy Father s Prayer Intention for December That people, who are involved in the service and transmission of faith, may find, in their dialogue with culture, a language suited to the conditions of the present time. Sunday, December 2 The First Sunday of Advent On this Almsgiving Sunday, pray for our parish s work of stewarding resources. Pray for the work of the New York Common Pantry and all who rely on it. June 2019 Riverboat Cruise with His Excellency Archbishop DiNoia, o.p. You are invited on a riverboat cruise through Europe May 30 June 9, His Excellency Archbishop Joseph Augustine DiNoia, o.p. is the special guest on this trip and he will celebrate daily Mass throughout the course of the journey. The itinerary begins in Budapest, undoubtedly on of Europe's most beautiful cities. On May 31 the group will rendezvous at the Danubius Hotel Gellert, an exquisite, four-star hotel on the banks of the Danube known for its thermal baths. There, they will enjoy two days before embarking on a seven-day river cruise through Europe's most beautiful cities; Bratislava, Vienna, Salzburg, Durnstein, Melk, Passua, and Regensburg. The final destination is Nuremburg, where a farewell dinner will be enjoyed on June 8 before returning home the next day. The trip starts at $3695 per person and is filling up quickly. If you would like the trip brochure, contact the tour director Joseph Long at jlong@prorome.com or (570) Monday, December 3 St. Francis Xavier, SJ. Missionary (Memorial) St. Francis Xavier ( ) brought the Gospel and the Jesuit movement to India and China. He was a pioneer in the work of inculturation, making use of local culture to communicate the Gospel, thereby inserting the Gospel into life. Pray for the Society of Jesus and all its good works. Pray that the Church may speak to every culture with its Advent promise of the Kingdom of Christ is coming. Pray for the deliberations of our Pastoral Council which meets this evening. Thursday, December 6 St. Nicholas (Optional Memorial) On this feast of a great gift-giver, pray that our gift giving this season will become a part of our spiritual life, and a witness to our faith. Friday, December 7 St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor (Memorial) St. Ambrose ( ) served as Bishop of Milan. He was instrumental in the conversion of St. Augustine. He also publicly reprimanded the Roman Emperor, Theodosius for a massacre he had ordered. The Emperor did public penance. Pray that the Church and her leaders may always have the courage to speak truth to power. Saturday, December 8 Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception Please pray for the United States of America on our patronal feast. May the Gospel continue to serve us in the development of our culture and government. Today our Social Concerns Committee holds their annual Christmas party for the women who live in the Park Avenue Shelter at the armory. Pray for the success of the event and for all work of justice and charity the Committee undertakes on our behalf. Ask for blessings on the couple who marry today, and on the two children who are baptized.