St Kevin Roman Catholic Church Most Reverend Raymond F. Chappetto, Pastor, D.D., V.G, V.E. Reverend John J. Costello, Administrator Reverend Paul Y. Kim, Parochial Vicar Reverend Monsignor D. Joseph Finnerty, Pastor Emeritus Deacon Julio C. Barreneche Rectory Office 45-21 194th Street Flushing, NY 11358-3533 718-357-8888 (Telephone) 718-357-3671 (Fax) Patricia Freeman, Parish Secretary Susan Kozar-Oliver, Bookkeeper Parish Website: www.stkevinflushing.org Parish e-mail address: pfreeman@stkevinflushing.org Office Hours: Monday to Friday 9:30 AM to 12:00 Noon 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM Fridays: Office closes at 4:00 PM Saturday: 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM Sunday: Office Closed July 19, 2015 Masses Saturday Vigil: 5:00 PM Sunday: 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 12:00 Noon Daily Mass: Monday to Saturday: 9:00 AM Sacrament of Penance Saturdays at 4:00-4:30PM or by appointment Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament Church: 1st Sunday of the month, 1:00-2:30 PM Convent: Every Monday 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM Devotion Miraculous Medal: Tuesdays at 9:30 AM Catholic Cemeteries For information and available options please call 718-894-4888. Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 19, 2015 St. Kevin R.C. Church Page 2 Message from the Administrator Dear Friends, On Monday, Bishop DiMarzio will ordain two new auxiliary bishops for the Diocese of Brooklyn. Let us pray for Bishop-Elect James Massa and Bishop-Elect Witold Mroziewski as they receive the fullness of the priesthood in the Sacrament of Holy Orders. We also pray for our pastor, Bishop Chappetto, who is one of the Principal Co-Consecrators for the ordination. When a bishop is ordained, the mandate of the Pope selecting him as a bishop must be publicly read and verified, and a minimum of three bishops are required for the ordination to be valid. All of the bishops present will lay hands on the heads of the new bishops, but the first three bishops who lay hands are a necessary part of the ritual. If you have a chance, I encourage you to watch the ordination on NET-TV either live or when it is re-aired later in the week. It is a beautiful ritual that is a part of our rich heritage as Catholics. We extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Robert Mema and all of the volunteers who helped to make this year s Vacation Bible School such a success! The two weeks were filled with fun activities for the children, and at the same time they learned about their faith. Vacation Bible School has become a great blessing for our parish community. We also extend a special thank you to all of the parents who sent their children to VBS this year! This week there are two great celebrations of saints in the liturgical calendar: on July 22 nd, we celebrate St. Mary Magdalene, and on July 25 th, we celebrate St. James, the Apostle. Mary Magdalene was a close friend and disciple of the Lord. She accompanied the Mother of Jesus at the crucifixion, and she is one of the key witnesses of the resurrection. St. James is the Patron of our diocesan Cathedral on Jay Street in Brooklyn. As an apostle, he was chosen by Jesus to be one of his close associates during the three years of his public ministry. The gospels sometimes mention Peter, James and John as three apostles who were privileged to witness some special moments in the life of Jesus, particularly the Transfiguration, the raising of the daughter of Jairus, and the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. Both Mary Magdalene and James had close relationships with Jesus, and we pray for their intercession that, individually and as a parish family, we may also know the closeness of the Lord in our lives. Sincerely yours in Christ, Reverend John J. Costello Bible Study & Prayer Group Information 1) The Scripture Sharing Group meets at 9:30 A.M. on Wednesday mornings in the St. Kevin Room in the Rectory. Please join us as we study the Scripture readings for the upcoming weekend. 2) The Root of Jesse Prayer Group meets on Wednesday evenings at 8:00 P.M. in the St. Kevin Catholic Academy Cafeteria. Please call Gerard at 718-423-2128 for additional information. FAITH FORMATION Agnes Rus, Apostolic Oblate, Director of Faith Formation 45-50 195th Street 718-357-8110, ext. 3 Rosaria Surace, Secretary MUSIC MINISTRY Mr. Thomas Sexton, Director & Organist ST. KEVIN CATHOLIC ACADEMY Dr. Thomas Piro, Principal Dr. Hugh McGowan, Chairman Board of Directors Laura Fernandez, Secretary 45-50 195th Street 718-357-8110, ext. 4 Academy Website: www.stkevincatholicacademy.org SUMMER SEMINARIAN Mr. Robert Mema BAPTISM (Infants): Second Sunday of the month at 1:30 P.M. (except during Lent). Please call the rectory for an appointment at least a month in advance. R.C.I.A.: For adults seeking the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist). Please call the Faith Formation Office for information. MARRIAGE: Marriage arrangements must be made at least six (6) months prior to the proposed wedding date. Please call the rectory to make an appointment. Also, log onto www.precana.org for complete information about required marriage preparation in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
Page 3 www.stkevinflushing.org July 19, 2015 Today, Sunday, July 19th, is the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The readings for today s Mass begin at #974 in the Hymnal. ******************************************************* MASS INTENTIONS Saturday, July 18th 5:00 Maria D. Gesualdi Sunday, July 19th 8:00 Michael Dee 10:00 The Fortunato & Guelleme Families 12:00 Salvitori Castelli Monday, July 20th 9:00 Frank Lenzo Tuesday, July 21st 9:00 Rosemarie Franklin Wednesday, July 22nd 9:00 Gustavo Filion & Freddy Janek Thursday, July 23rd 9:00 Rose T. Caruso (2nd Anniversary) Friday, July 24th 9:00 Michael J. Woods Saturday, July 25th 9:00 Cleante A. Pimpimnella Elaine Good Rory Fernando Reyes Lily Jo Jurgens Salvatore Arini Saturday, July 25th 5:00 Romeo Salamon Sunday, July 26th 8:00 Michael Dee 10:00 Alfie Scanlon 12:00 Marina B. Mendez Memorial Gifts The gifts of Bread and Wine are given this week in loving memory of Michael J. Woods. The St. Kevin Shrine Lamp will burn this week for the Intentions of the Donor. Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while (Mk 6:30-34). Dear Friends, Jesus in today s Gospel tells His disciples to leave everything behind that they have been doing and rest; as they go to a deserted place. As a reminder, Jesus had sent out His disciples to preach the Good News of the Kingdom. Jesus, knowing how hard they had worked, emphasizes the importance of resting. As we continue on in these summer months, this is a great opportunity to take a rest from the normal and hectic activities of daily life. It is an opportunity for us to regain energy and equip ourselves with the necessary tools to continue life s journey especially ministry in the Church! I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank each of the volunteers who made Vacation Bible School a success. One can notice the success just by the smiles and by the stories from the campers parents, how their children shared with them what they have learned and the way they continue to sing the songs. Each and every one of the volunteers deserves to rest after these wonderful, yet, tiresome two weeks. You have made it possible for the children to learn about their faith but more importantly, you taught them how to hold on to Christ. By your presence and the sharing of your time, talents, and treasures, you have led them closer to the Good Shepherd. Many people have expressed much gratitude to me for all that I have done. While I am extremely thankful for their acknowledgment, I must admit that there can be no success if the project is not led by a Good Shepherd. Therefore, I would also like to thank our Pastor Bishop Ray for his dreaming, because it was his dream to have VBS here at St. Kevin. Also, I thank our administrator Fr. John. I thank them for their trust in me but more importantly, their faith sharing and guidance throughout my journey here at St. Kevin. The entire staff here at St. Kevin, along with YOU, deserve a round of applause for your involvement in all the projects that have been done while I was assigned here. Whether you donated your time, talents, or treasures, or better yet, your prayers, you have helped me through the challenges and have led to a successful completion of each project I am eternally grateful to each of you! Robert Mema
July 19, 2015 St. Kevin R.C. Church Page 4 ST. KEVIN S FIRST ANNUAL BENEFIT AUCTION Where: St. Kevin Parish Center 45-21 194th Street Flushing, NY 11358 When: Saturday, October 10, 2015 Viewing at 9:00 A.M. Bidding to begin at 10:00 A.M. The Parish Pastoral Council is pleased to announce St. Kevin s First Annual Benefit Auction, Saturday, October 10, 2015, with viewing at 9 AM and bidding to begin at 10 AM (no one admitted before 9 AM). Admission is free and there will be door prizes, refreshments and lunch available. We re anticipating a successful Auction with fabulous items for sale. But, we need your help! If you have valuable items to donate, we re accepting them now. Items may include: Jewelry, Antiques, Collectibles, Artwork, Furs, Sports Memorabilia, Household Items, Linens, New and Vintage Items and more. (Please note that we will not be accepting used electronics, or large furniture items.) A donation letter will be available for your tax deduction. For more information or to schedule a pickup, please contact William Rivers at (646) 206-3433. Historic 2015 National 54 Day Rosary Novena August 15 through October 7, 2015 Join hundreds of thousands of people of all ages in prayer across America. Mark your calendars and spread the word. A Message of Hope in response to the spiritual crisis in our culture and nation. What: Pray the rosary for 54 straight days for the Novena Intentions. 27 days in petition from August 15 through September 10 27 days in Thanksgiving from September 11 through October 7 Where: Pray the rosary individually or as a family in your home or as part of your parish community. Primary Novena Intention: For the Family & Marriage including for peace, human life and religious freedom. Please visit www.54days.org for additional information (a Hearts United Campaign of the Rosary Evangelization Apostolate.) St. Kevin Senior Club News For those going on the trip to Saratoga please be in front of the Church by 7:15 A.M. on Thursday, July 23rd. The bus will leave promptly at 7:30 A.M. those who are ill: Rosanne McArdle, Joe Weiland, Alice McGowan, Detective Steven McDonald, Bridget Kunz, Alexandra Bruzzone, Philip McArdle, Michael Lynch, Tom Newby, Jr. and for those who have died: Lorraine Greco, Edward Savarese. Weekly Offerings July 12, 2015.......$10,394.50 50/50 Drawing for July Please place your July 50/50 envelope (that you received in your monthly envelope package), with your $5 donation, in the collection basket or drop it off at the Rectory. Extra envelopes are located at the doors of the church (please write the month on the envelope). Envelopes must be received by 12 Noon on the last day of the month. Thank you for your support of St. Kevin Church!
Page 5 www.stkevinflushing.org July 19, 2015 Christ s Presence in the World There s a bit of a missing link in the first two sentences of today s Gospel from Mark. In the first, the apostles return from having been sent out on mission two by two ( one who is sent is the meaning of apostle ). Their instructions were to preach repentance, drive out demons, and heal the sick in Jesus name. In the second sentence, Jesus tells them to come away with him and rest a while. It would be nice for us to imagine that, between those two sentences, a look of amazed gratitude and pleasure crossed the face of Jesus as he hears of the kingdom proclaimed in his name, and how they didn t have to shake the dust off their feet anywhere. They deserved a rest! It might not be bad for us, when we gather together with Jesus as the apostles do today, to do this kind of debriefing, allowing the Lord to hear what we ve sought to do in his name, our successes, our failures, our need to get away with him for a while to be fortified for further work in God s name. For we, the baptized, are not only the flock of Jesus Christ; through water and the power of the Spirit we have also become the Body of Christ, the presence of the Shepherd for the life of the world. Stewardship Thought..The Letter to the Ephesians reminds us that Christ is creating a new world order: one that brings about relationships based on love, peace, reconciliation, hope and unity. As a Eucharistic community, we are stewards of Christ s new creation. How are we promoting peace and reconciliation? How are we showing love for our neighbors? What are we doing to encourage unity and understanding among those with whom we gather around the Lord s Table each week? St. Kevin School of Faith Formation Registration for religious education classes for the year 2015-2016 continues. This year we are opening the registration also for children who will be in Kindergarten in September. All children in public school should be registered for religious instruction from grade 1 through grade 8. You can fill out the form below, drop it off at the rectory or put it in the collection basket; we will contact you and send you a registration form: ******************************************************** St. Kevin School of Faith Formation Registration Request Name: Telephone # (Home): (Cell): Address: Email: High School Honor Roll We have been advised that the following young parishioners achieved Honor Roll Status during the final marking period of the school year. Msgr. McClancy: Patrick Flaherty St. Agnes: Megan Burns St. Francis Prep: Marc Barreto, Catherine Byrne, Isabel Casares, Ian Cawley, Kevin Cunningham, Sean Daly, John Edwards, Christian Garcia, Jasmine Garcia, Alexa Giaccone, Jennifer Giaccone, Clare Iriarte, Alexander Juarez, Kayla Keenen, Valerie Loayza, Thomas Mallilo, Patrick McArdle, Luciano Michelli, Christopher Moczulski, Claudia Morante, Kevin Mullane, Lucas Ng, Mark Nicola, Justin Nuzzo, Vincent Patti, Thuan Pham, Tiffany Pham, Shannon Ramos, Melissa Riccobono, Elizabeth Rocco, Isabela Velanis, Christopher Weinbaum. The Mary Louis Academy: Samantha Kane, Kaitlyn Kundmueller, Meagan Murray, Sabrina Ghiozzi, Alexis Russell, Breanna Moffatt. Congratulations to all! Calendar Planning All parish and community leaders are asked to email calendar@stkevinflushing.org to submit requests for the September 2015 to August 2016 calendar. For those who do not use email, please place your requests in an envelope to Fr. John s attention and drop it off at the rectory or in the Sunday collection basket. From the Faith Formation Office Have you thought about being a catechist, but have never given it a try? Would you like to join us in sharing your Catholic faith with the children of St. Kevin parish? Our children 's entire ministry depends upon the creativity, energy and enthusiasm of many adults in our community. Are you willing to commit yourself to be present with your students for classes from September to May? If you are serious about this calling and ministry, please contact me as soon as possible. The interview process for catechist s is going on now. There are other volunteer opportunities: substitute teachers, hall monitor and refreshment committee. If you have a serious interest in volunteering please contact Agnes Rus at 718 357-5317 ext. 3 or go to stkevinfaithformation@gmail.com. Thank you! Agnes Rus, AO
July 19, 2015 St. Kevin R.C. Church Page 6 6. It is not advisable for the Pope to take the place of local Bishops in the discernment of every issue which arises in their territory. In this sense, I am conscious of the need to promote a sound decentralization. At the end of 2013, Pope Francis issued his first Apostolic Exhortation. The following quotes come from the document. 1. The great danger in today s world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience. Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades. 2. I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord 3. God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy. 4. The Gospel, radiant with the glory of Christ s cross, constantly invites us to rejoice. 5. There are Christians whose lives seem like Lent without Easter. I realize of course that joy is not expressed the same way at all times in life, especially at moments of great difficulty. Joy adapts and changes, but it always endures, even as a flicker of light born of our personal certainty that, when everything is said and done, we are infinitely loved. 7. Since I am called to put into practice what I ask of others, I too must think about a conversion of the papacy. It is my duty, as the Bishop of Rome, to be open to suggestions which can help make the exercise of my ministry more faithful to the meaning which Jesus Christ wished to give it and to the present needs of evangelization. 8. All revealed truths derive from the same divine source and are to be believed with the same faith, yet some of them are more important for giving direct expression to the heart of the Gospel. In this basic core, what shines forth is the beauty of the saving love of God made manifest in Jesus Christ who died and rose from the dead. 9. I want to remind priests that the confessional must not be a torture chamber but rather an encounter with the Lord s mercy which spurs us on to do our best. A small step, in the midst of great human limitations, can be more pleasing to God than a life which appears outwardly in order but moves through the day without confronting great difficulties. Everyone needs to be touched by the comfort and attraction of God s saving love, which is mysteriously at work in each person, above and beyond their faults and failings. 10. The Eucharist, although it is the fullness of sacramental life, is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak. 11. How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points
Page 7 www.stkevinflushing.org July 19, 2015 12. In this context, some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting. 13. The Pope loves everyone, rich and poor alike, but he is obliged in the name of Christ to remind all that the rich must help, respect and promote the poor. I exhort you to generous solidarity and a return of economics and finance to an ethical approach which favors human beings. 14. Marriage now tends to be viewed as a form of mere emotional satisfaction that can be constructed in any way or modified at will. But the indispensible contribution of marriage to society transcends the feelings and momentary needs of the couple. 15. Challenges exist to be overcome! Let us be realists, but without losing our joy, our boldness and our hope-filled commitment. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of missionary vigor! 16. If anyone feels offended by my words, I would respond that I speak them with affection and with the best of intentions, quite apart from any personal interest or political ideology. My words are not those of a foe or an opponent. I am interested only in helping those who are in thrall to an individualistic, indifferent and selfcentered mentality to be freed from those unworthy chains and to attain a way of living and thinking which is more humane, noble and fruitful, and which will bring dignity to their presence on this earth. 17. The Church has no wish to hold back the marvelous progress of science. On the contrary, she rejoices and even delights in acknowledging the enormous potential that God has given to the human mind. Whenever the sciences rigorously focused on their specific field of inquiry arrive at a conclusion which reason cannot refute, faith does not contradict it. Neither can believers claim that a scientific opinion which is attractive but not sufficiently verified has the same weight as a dogma of faith. At times some scientists have exceeded the limits of their scientific competence by making certain statements or claims. But here the problem is not with reason itself, but with the promotion of a particular ideology which blocks the path to authentic, serene and productive dialogue. 18. As Christians, we cannot consider Judaism as a foreign religion; nor do we include the Jews among those called to turn from idols and to serve the true God. 19. Sometimes we are tempted to be that kind of Christian who keeps the Lord s wounds at arm s length. Yet Jesus wants us to touch human misery, to touch the suffering flesh of others. He hopes that we will stop looking for those personal or communal niches which shelter us from the maelstrom of human misfortune and instead enter into the reality of other people s lives and know the power of tenderness. Whenever we do so, our lives become wonderfully complicated and we experience intensely what it is to be a people, to be part of a people. 20. My mission of being in the heart of the people is not just a part of my life or a badge I can take off; it is not an extra or just another moment in life. Instead, it is something I cannot uproot from my being without destroying my very self. I am a mission on this earth; that is the reason why I am here in this world. It really is a beau ful document. Perhaps these quotes will encourage you to read the en re le er!