Third Sunday of Easter

Transcription

1 April 15, 2018 Page 1 Third Sunday of Easter T h i s We e k ' s M a s s I n t e n t i o n s Sunday, April 15, :00AM George & Claire Cox 9:30AM Jennie Maniscalco (Loving Daughter & Family) 11:00AM George Dunn (Walter Wittenborn) 12:30PM Salvatore Fasulo (Anna Fasulo) 5:00PM For The Parishioners Monday, April 16, :00AM Bruna Romano (Pellicoro Family) Tuesday, April 17, :00AM Zeny Caparas (Dr. Aida Jocson) Wednesday, April 18, :00AM Rose Naspo (M/M Ottomanelli) Thursday, April 19, :00AM Frank DiRago (M/M Michael Tretola) Friday, April 20, :00AM Frank DiRago (Loretta Cone) Saturday, April 21, 2018 St. Anselm 9:00AM Giustina & Ralph Fiore (Digristina Family) Maria Tirro (Lina) 5:00PM Charles Amari (Angel, John & Gregory) Nicholas Colavito (Silvia & Mario Terrana) John DeRiso (M/M James Mccosker) Mary Lever (Margaret Butler) Tiziana Passalacqua (M/M Steven Bongiovanni) Sunday, April 22, :00AM Mary & Benedict Messina (Vincent & Susan Messina) 9:30AM Esther Vendittelli (Will & Mary Jo Vendittelli) 11:00AM Peter J. Pulomena (Loving Wife) 12:30PM Mary & Vito Rabito (Arline Rabito & Diane Sama) 5:00PM For The Parishioners New Families: All are welcome to St. Helen Parish, and are asked to please register at the Rectory during office hours. Sacrament of Baptism: Please call the Rectory to register for the baptism of your child. Baptisms will be held on the 2 nd and 4 th Sunday of the month (no Baptisms during Lent). Sacrament of Confession: Saturdays 12:30PM to 1:30PM. Weekdays: 15 minutes prior to the 9:00AM Mass. Sacrament of Marriage: Couples should contact the Rectory at least one year in advance of the desired date. Please call for an appointment for the initial interview. Communion Calls: Please call the Rectory to arrange for one of the priests to bring Holy Communion to a sick person who is confined to home due to a serious illness. Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick: Anyone who expects to be hospitalized (or in an emergency) and wishes the Anointing of the Sick, should call the Rectory. Debbie Abbene, Sally Capoziello, Shang Cheng, Marge D Auria, Mary Ann D Angelo, Patrick Delaney, Domenica DeVito, Virginia DiGangi, Richard H. Dimler, Mary Divers, Jean Fochetta, Dennis Giammalvo, John Joseph Gleeson, John Pierce Gleeson, Christine Healy, Maria Hernandez, Elizabeth Isolano, Keri & Baby Tristan, James Leung, Thomas & Patricia Lipari, William J. Litt, Cindy Maione, Barbara Miller, Angela Ottomanelli-Hubbs, Michael Palermo, Sebastian Panasci, Santo Pantina, Joseph Questore, Ronald J. Reid, Frances Russo, Bill Sangirardi, John Secreti, Patrick Smith, Remington Stafford, Michael Tamburo, Chrissie Tremblay, Paul Tremblay, Paul John Tremblay, Sr., Sr. Joanne Walters. Deceased: You are invited to Pray the Family Rosary THURSDAY EVENINGS IN CHURCH 7:00-7:30PM Rosary for Peace New Place, New Time The Rosary for Peace, sponsored by the Saint Helen Secular Franciscan Fraternity, takes place in the Church at 6:30PM every Wednesday. The group prays for our Blessed Mother s intercession to end violence (both domestic and civil) and the persecution of Christians throughout the world. All parishioners are invited to join us. The Order of Franciscans Secular meet on the 3rd Saturday of every month in St. Helen s Rectory after the 9AM Mass. Come and learn more about the Franciscan way of life. W naszej parafii ks. Łukasz może również służyć pomocą w języku polskim. St. Helen s Purgatorial Society Mass All parishioners have the opportunity to enroll the names of loved ones in the Purgatorial Society. The Purgatorial Society Mass will be held on the last Friday of each month. The offering to be enrolled in the Purgatorial Society is $120 per name (a total of 12 Masses for one year will be said for your loved one). Aside from listing one name, a husband and wife together, or a family name is also acceptable. Having a Purgatorial Society is wonderful way of living out the Scriptures and will be a relief for those who desire to have their loved ones remembered with prayers all year long at God s Altar. Please stop in at the Rectory if you are interested in having a loved one enrolled in the Purgatorial Society. The next Purgatorial Society Mass will be held Friday, April 27, 2018.

2 April 15, 2018 Page 2 Au Revoir On April 15 th I will be leaving for a prayer retreat. Church law requires every priest to take a retreat every year. Last year, I broke the law on account of the renovation of the Church. Retreats are an integral part of priestly life, so this year s retreat was well planned and well needed. I will be heading to a retreat center for priests in Ars France. Ars is the town of Saint John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests and this year is the 200 th anniversary of his assignment to that country parish. I will be going on retreat with a group of priests whom I meet with every month. As part of my spiritual regimen, I gather with a group of priests every first Sunday of the month for prayer, discussion and fraternite. I have been meeting with them since my first year of priesthood and the fruits of these meetings have been extremely beneficial to my priesthood. My brothers in the priesthood keep me grounded and are never hesitant to critique me on my flaws and encourage me when needed. We have never travelled together nor vacationed together (a retreat is not a vacation); so this endeavour will be nouveau! As for the choice of going to Ars, it s not because its chic. As I said, it coincides with the 200 th anniversary of St. John Vianney s assignment to his parish, and one of the members of my group had previously gone on a retreat there and said it was fantastique. There, in that little village, St. John Vianney transformed a parish and reinvigorated the faith and practice of a nation. I pray that through his intercession I may also be reinvigorated. I will pray for all of you while on retreat, especially on the day I offer Mass using the chalice once used by St. John Vianney. Bon Voyage! Fr. Colamaria St. Helen s Rosary Ministry cordially invites all women, mothers, daughters, aunts, nieces, cousins to join us for their Annual Communion Breakfast & May Crowning Sunday, May 6, 2018 The celebration begins with 9:30AM Mass, followed by the Crowning of the Blessed Mother Breakfast will be served in the School Cafeteria after the Crowning. Tickets: $17.00 & $8.50 for Girls (Children under 7: FREE) Join us for a morning of prayer, reflection, breakfast and great raffle prizes! Call Cummings at for tickets or more information. Agnes

3 April 15, 2018 Page 3 St. Helen s Girl Scout Troop 4162 will be selling their Girl Scout cookies after the 5:00PM Mass on Saturday, April 28th and all Masses on Sunday, April 29th. Please buy a few boxes to help support this worthy cause. You can also ask to donate cookies to our Armed Forces overseas they really love the taste from home. Thank you for your support! Every once in a while it s good to make a plug for those who do favors! There is a young woman in the parish I have often called upon to professionally photograph major events at the parish. Some of her photos have been used on the parish website and are also part of the parish archives. Her pursuit of photography has led her to having her own professional photography business. I (Fr. Colamaria) highly recommend her expertise. Her contact information: Nicole Balbone, Nic Bal Photography ( ). You may visit her website: and her is: nicbalphotography@gmail.com Policies Regarding Infant Baptism at St. Helen Parish Parents seeking Baptism for their children who live within the territory of St. Helen Parish are asked to register as members of the parish before requesting an initial interview for Baptism. Registration is easily done at the parish office anytime during business hours. Parents seeking Baptism for their children who live outside the territory of St. Helen Parish are asked to obtain a letter from the parish in which they live authorizing the Baptism to take place at St. Helen. Initial meetings with parents seeking Baptism for their children will normally take place on the second Wednesday of each month from 7:00 9:00PM and on the fourth Saturday of each month from 10:30AM 12:30PM. MAY JUNE, 2018 Mornings of Preparation Required Before a Baptism: (All begin at the 11:00AM Mass and continue in the Msgr. McGinness Room) May 27 June 10 & 24 Schedule for Baptisms: (All begin at 2:00PM) May 27 June 10 & 24 Please call for more information and/or to schedule an appointment. Consider Being An Organ Donor! Register to be an organ, eye & tissue donor and make LIFE possible! It s so easy when you renew your license! Or visit: DonateLife.net Do you have a family member that is 60+ years old and needs a hot meal daily? The Southwest Queens Home-Delivered Meals Program can assist you! Eligibility requirements for home-delivered meals: Individual must be 60 years of age or older unable to attend a senior center for a meal Unable to prepare meals Does not have anyone else to rely on to prepare meals Can live safely at home if services are provided. For more information please call (718) CATHOLIC CHARITIES NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES HOWARD BEACH SENIOR CENTER The Center is located at Cross Bay Blvd., across from Stop N Shop on Cross Bay Blvd. Seniors aged 60 and older are invited to become members. Activities and services are offered Monday-Friday from 9:00AM to 4:00PM. Every day delicious and nutritious full, hot lunches are catered by Russo s on the Bay ($2 donation requested). On Tuesday, April 17th, at 10:30AM, the Center will hold a presentation seminar on Aging Gracefully, given by the Visiting Nurses. All are invited. On Friday, April 27th, at 1:15PM, the Center will be conducting a Walking 101 workshop given by New York Road Runners. Among other things, they will be talking about the benefits of exercise. Plan on attending this beneficial workshop for all seniors. For further information, contact Rosalie at

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5 April 15, 2018 Page 5 Homiletic starters and scriptural reflection points for each day of the month Monday, April 16, 2018 Acts 6:8-15; Ps 119; Jn 6:22-29 Hey, where was Stephen when Jesus was picking apostles? Was he overqualified? Young, charismatic, filled with grace and power, a miracleworker, he accepts the humble service of deacon and immediately elevates it to a status just short of the Messiah. Not surprisingly, he s got a target on his back after challenging various hostile groups, who resort to fake news to convict Stephen of blasphemy. I wish I were half as brave! Meanwhile, Jesus is taking on the establishment in the Bread of Life discourse. Folks only follow him, he says, because you ate the loaves and were filled. Are they in for a surprise! The way of truth I have chosen; I have set your ordinances before me, O God! Tuesday, April 17, 2018 Acts 7:51 8:1a; Ps 31; Jn 6:30-35 Stephen gives a terrific speech, taking up a whole chapter in Acts, reviewing God s entire history with Israel, the kerygma in spades. But the reading today cuts it down to just the last four sentences. Cutting Stephen down is the Sanhedrin s job! But seriously, it s a must-read; as an historian, Luke must have loved transcribing it. On the other hand, we do have intact Stephen s final words, when his identity is fully folded into the life of Jesus: Lord, do not hold this sin against them. Meanwhile, Jesus also issues a corrective in the historical record. It was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. This is what Eastertime looks like! Into your hands I commend my spirit, O Lord, O faithful God! Wednesday, April 18, 2018 Acts 8:1b-8; Ps 66; Jn 6:35-40 Stephen s martyrdom is blood in the water for the ravenous enemies of the church, including Saul, entering house after house and dragging out men and women. But it does bring salvation to Samaria, off limits since Jesus own day, now evangelized by Stephen s fellow deacon Philip: With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip. Meanwhile, Jesus reminds us that the will of his Father is clear: I should not lose anything of what my Father gave me. The Easter season has to be a time of hope and joy, no matter what the challenges. A week of Sundays, we re halfway through. Can we just keep climbing? Shout joyfully to God, all the earth, sing praise to the glory of God s name! The Ethiopian eunuch, originally curious about Isaiah, is baptized into his new-found faith. Meanwhile, Jesus would give a decisive twist to history: I am the bread of life. The manna of Moses has been superseded. But he s not done: And the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world. That capital F, not in the original Greek, of course or in other translations, leaves no doubt that in the New American Bible, Jesus means the Eucharist, body and blood, soul and divinity, in the dogma of the Council of Trent. Easter! No turning back! Blessed be God who refused me not my prayer or his kindness THIRD WEEK OF EASTER Friday, April 20, 2018 Acts 9:1-20; Ps 117; Jn 6:52-59 For Saul, destroying the church was ideological; for Jesus, it was personal. Saul had to be blinded before he could see. When I first came to Honduras, Padre Patricio (Fr. Jarrell Dudley Wade from Oklahoma) took me throughout his parish, mostly on muleback. He would get so discouraged at the infighting, even among the poor. Everybody wants the little church, no one wants the big church. Saul, soon to be Paul, got introduced to the big church in very dramatic fashion. The Body of Christ, he called it, and there was room for everyone. Meanwhile, Jesus had made the same point: My Flesh is true food, and my Blood is true drink. Christ's body and the blood shall hold the church in unity. Steadfast is your kindness toward us, and your fidelity, O Lord, endures forever. Saturday, April 21, 2018 Acts 9:31-42; Ps 116; Jn 6:60-69 The Gospel of John may seem somewhat ill-proportioned: a handful of miracles or signs, five chapters for the Last Supper, and this chapter on eating Jesus flesh and drinking his blood, the longest chapter in the Christian Scriptures (except for the first chapter of Luke). So, I guess Jesus means it; and the crowd knows he means it, because they leave him: This saying is hard (literally, stale ); who can accept it? But it seems we must accept it, if we want Easter! How shall I make return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me? The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the Lord. Thursday, April 19, 2018 Acts 8:26-40; Ps 66; Jn 6:44-51