MASS SCHEDULE MONDAY, March 4, 2019 NOON Petrina D Amico (B) requested by Deena TUESDAY, March 5, 2019 6:30am Kenneth Dean requested by Sloan Family NOON Jerry Bazelais & Bazelais Family requested by Anna Bazelais WEDNESDAY, March 6, 2019 6:30am St. Thomas Aquinas Sick List NOON Kathy Hicks requested by Joan 7:30pm Jeff Altieri requested by Michele & Family THURSDAY, March 7, 2019 6:30am Blessings for Nelson Edmee Jr. requested by Mom NOON Thanksgiving to Our Lord Jesus Christ requested by Marie Noel FRIDAY, March 8, 2019 NOON Thanksgiving to Our Lord Jesus Christ requested by Marie Noel SATURDAY, March 9, 2019 8:30am Ariel Del Puerto requested by Elsa Ogilvie 5:30pm John Hopkins requested by Claudia & Anthony Farula SUNDAY, March 10, 2019 8:00am People of the Parish, Purgatorial Society, Vincenzo Mistretta requested by Rose Mistretta Msgr. John Brown requested by Eva K Nelson Edmee requested by Micheline Edmee 11:30am Ann Dormody requested Mr. & Mrs. Tom Donahue 5:30pm Retadia Dharamdial & Dharam dial requested by Elsa Siddigui Sick: Diana Lapadula, Emmanuel Peters, Dimona Galli, Theresa McNamara, Lisa Cullen, Maria & Joseph Curcio, Eduardo Pedernera, Sergio Padilla, Rosaline Peters, Franziska Ewald, Ricardo Tomas, Derrick Mc Clean, Darren Craig (The names on the sick list will be kept on for three weeks, unless specified ) Help us keep our sick list current. Please notify the Rectory Office (718-253-4404) when changes occur. We enjoy hearing the good news of recovery For those who have died: Hyacinth Khaleel Those in the Armed Services in these difficult times, let us lift up in prayer for our brave men and women who fight for our freedom all over the world. May God bless them and keep them safe. SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS MEMORIAL GIFTS Each week you can memorialize someone with the gift of Altar Candles, Sanctuary Lamp, Altar Bread & Wine & Altar Flowers. This weeks memorial gifts are: Altar Bread & Wine In memory of Msgr. John J. Brown donated by Jackie & Robert DeBonis
FROM THE DESK OF FATHER DWAYNE Lent a time of New Beginning Dear brothers and sisters, Often times it seems that Lent comes out of nowhere. It s as if it was only yesterday that we were saying Happy New Year, and it seems that by now some of our new year s resolutions are already broken. Lent is a time for new beginnings; it s a time for a spiritual shot in the arm. The key is not to take on too much but to begin to do little things that can deepen our relationship with our God, our neighbors and ourselves. Lent is a time to dream for a better tomorrow. Lent begins this Wednesday, March 6 th. Are you ready? Preparation is key to a great start and in making this Lent your best lent ever. This year at St. Thomas Aquinas, we will have several opportunities for each of us to grow in our faith and in our relationship with our God, our neighbor and ourselves. This weekend you will receive a Best Lent Ever journal. I invite each parishioner to register online (yourbestlent.com/lent19) for Best Lent Ever, a daily video program to help us grow in our faith. Let us fast from some of the things we look at on the internet and feed ourselves spiritually. We will also receive the little black book with daily reflections and opportunities for prayer. Each year our Confirmation students choose a Lenten project and invite our entire parish to participate as a family. Our project this year will be the Baby Bottle and Baby Shower Campaign to help the most vulnerable among us. Baby bottles as well as a list of items that are needed for the baby shower, will be provided next weekend, March 9 th and 10 th. These items will benefit the Bridge for Life and the Sisters of Life. In helping to have the best lent ever we will have several programs from bible study to book club to help us on the journey. We will also have different prayer experiences from our prayer group to our 24 hours with the Lord on March 29 th -30 th, 2019. A flyer of all our Lenten events can be found in our bulletin, online on our website, on our Facebook page as well as around the church. Together let us take advantage of the different programs and opportunities available to us so that we can have the best lent ever and grow closer to the person the Lord is calling us to be. This Lent our parish is blessed to have the opportunity to receive the Heart of a Priest, the relic of St. John Vianney, incorrupt heart, on Wednesday, April 10 th. I pray that through the intercession of St. John Vianney that our parish will continue to grow closer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary. Let s turn a new page together this Lent. Your brother in Christ, Fr. Dwayne BRIDGE TO LIFE The Bridge to Life is a pregnancy resource center with locations in Flushing and Astoria. Bridge provides pro-life counseling to pregnant women who are considering an abortion, as well as distributing material assistance (such as clothing, strollers, car seats, books) to thousands of mothers and their children each year. All services are provided free of charge to our clients. The Baby Bottles are available by the doors as you exit the church today and next week. Kindly take one or more home, fill it up with coin, currency, and/or check. Please return all bottles by the weekend of April 13-14 Kindly only take a bottle if you are sure you will be able to return it. Donation Envelopes are also available if you prefer. Thank you in advance for your support! Start Date: Saturday, March 9, 2019 Return Date: Sunday, April 14, 2019
LENTEN REGULATIONS Once again, the Celebration of Christ s Passion and Resurrection draws near. In our preparation for Easter, the Church invites us to observe the penitential and grace-filled season of Lent which commences on March 6, 2019 with the observance of Ash Wednesday. Lent is a time of renewal for the entire Catholic Community. It is also a time of spiritual accompaniment as we assist the catechumens and candidates who will be welcomed into communion with the Church during the Easter Season. In order to assist the faithful of the Diocese of Brooklyn to take full advantage of the Lenten Season, our Bishop, Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio wishes to draw attention to the following: Abstinence All the faithful who have reached 14 years of age are required to abstain totally from meat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent. Fasting- All the faithful who have reached the ages of 18-59 inclusive are bound to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. This practice involves limiting oneself to a single full meal and avoiding food between meals. Light sustenance may also be taken on two other occasions during the day. Easter Duty After they have been initiated into the Most Holy Eucharist, all the faithful are bound by obligation of receiving Holy Communion at least once a year. This precept must be fulfilled during the Easter season, unless for a good reason it is fulfilled at another time of the year. By special indult, in the United States, the period for fulfilling this precept has been extended to include the period beginning the First Sunday of Lent (March 10, 2019) to the celebration of Pentecost (June 9,2019) The Solemnity of St. Joseph The solemnity of St. Joseph should be observed with proper solemnity even though it fall within the season of Lent. Reconciliation Monday Our diocese will once again celebrate Reconciliation Monday on April 15, 2019, the Monday of Holy Week. As in recent years, this initiative provides generous opportunity for the faithful to experience God s mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. After having reached the age of discretion, members of the faithful are bound to confess once a year grave sins which have not already been absolved. Easter Vigil sunset on Holy Saturday, April 20, 2019 will be ay 7:40pm in Brooklyn, NY. The Easter Vigil may begin at 8:00pm or later and must end before dawn on Easter Sunday SAVE THE DATE Saturday, April 6, 2019 Ministry Day COMMUNION TO THE HOMEBOUND If you know a parishioner who is unable to attend mass on the weekend, or are unable to attend yourself, please contact Fr. Clifford at 718-253-4404. Fr. Clifford will arrange a visit and then assign an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion to visit on a regular basis. Homebound parishioners are very grateful to be able to receive communion in their homes. Please keep our homebound members in your prayers St. Thomas Aquinas Bereavement Group The death of a love one can be the most stressful event in a person s life. A wide array of emotions can be experienced, such as sadness, anger, anxiety, guilt, and despair. There is no right way and wrong way to grieve. Each person experiences grief in his or her own way, partly because of the relationship with the person who died. St. Thomas Aquinas Invite you to set aside and hour of your time for yourself sharing the suffering that accompanies grieving. We meet on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month. For more information contact Fr. Kieran 718-253-4404. THANK YOU A special thank you to all those who came Monday Night to make our Dream Event a huge success. NIGHTS OF ADORATION & PRAISE Friday, March 29, 2019 Friday, May 31, 2019 Time: 7:00pm St. Thomas Aquinas Church
ROSARY SOCIETY ATLANTIC CITY TRIP The Rosary Society of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish runs a trip to Resorts Casino in Atlantic City on the FIRST THURSDAY OF EVERY MONTH. The bus leaves from in front of the Church ( 1550 Hendrickson Street, between Flatlands Avenue & Avenue P ) at 8:30am. The cost of this is $40.00, which includes a bagel for breakfast and a $30.00 bonus from the Casino. The next trip is scheduled for Thursday, March 7, 2019 For further details or to sign up for the trip, please call Noreen at (718) 253-7824. E-GIVING If you are interested in e-giving please sign up on the St. Thomas Aquinas website: stthomasaquinasbrooklyn.com COME AND JOIN US FOR COFFE CAKE AND FAITH SHARING SUNDAYS AT 10:00AM CREDIT CARDS St. Thomas Aquinas now accepts credit cards SAVE THE DATE Saturday, April 6, 2019 Ministry Day