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Historically, the way that the Catholic Church decides doctrinal debates and moral teaching is through dialogue among church authorities and officials--this is what is traditionally called a council or synod. The Catholic Church distinguishes between two types of councils, ecumenical councils and synods or provincial councils. Ecumenical councils are authoritative while synods or provincial councils are mere discussions that do not retain any authoritative status. In 1959 Pope John XXIII called for an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church that would later be known as Vatican II. As a result of this council, the Catholic Church would dramatically change or reconsider its stance towards the world, it’s celebration of the liturgy, salvation, and the roles of clergy and the laity. Last week, the Catholic Church marked the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council by Pope Saint John XXIII on Oct. 11, 1962. Here are ten important ways that the council changed the Church. 1 Vatican II presented a renewed vision of what it means to be the church. The council document “Lumen Gentium” on the nature of the church called the church a light for the world and the source of salvation. The document “Gaudium et Spes” on the church in the modern world said the church shares the joys and sufferings of the world. In Gaudium et Spes (Joy and Hope in Latin), the Church spoke explicitly about the current state of the modern world, the growth of the secular sphere, and the withdrawal of people from religion. It specified and clarified that the Church as a collective institution is not opposed to science, philosophy, technology, or culture as many might perceive religion to be in opposition to these things. Instead, it reaffirmed that She saw these as goods, and these goods only become corrupted when they in themselves are upheld as man’s highest ends. The council strongly and unabashedly declared that because man was made for communion with God, the goods of science, philosophy, technology, and culture are empty--insufficient when sought as final ends in themselves. Both documents refer to the church as the “people of God,” reflecting a new appreciation of lay people that surfaced repeatedly at the council. 2 It called the Eucharist the source and summit of the faith. The council’s document on the liturgy, “Sacrosanctum Concilium,” describes holy Communion as the main source of God’s grace for Catholics. In the Eucharist, Catholics encounter the person of Christ. In this way, it is truly the foundation of the church. 3 It reformed the liturgy. The changes to the Mass, perhaps the most well-known conciliar reform, promoted “full and active participation,” which led to the Mass being translated into the vernacular, or local language, and celebrated as a dialogue between the celebrant and the congregation. Other changes included affording women the ability to take a more active role in the liturgy, primarily in allowing girls to be altar servers (this was previously only an opportunity afforded to males). Further, the laity were given the chance to serve as eucharistic ministers, and lectors (roles formerly performed by members of the clergy only). 4 It said every Catholic is called to holiness and to be a missionary. Perhaps one of the greatest revivals of Vatican II was restoring what the council designated as “baptismal dignity.” The Church re-articulated that by virtue of the sacrament of baptism each member of the faithful incurred a priestly, prophetic, and kingly dignity. The priestly dignity is in reference to a call to holiness, the prophetic to a call to preach the word of the Gospel, and the kingly to be leaders in the Church. The document on missionary activity, “Ad Gentes,” expanded the view of how the church evangelizes. Missionaries were no longer sent just to remote areas of the world to spread the Good News; now all Catholics play a role in evangelizing through their lives. 5 It emphasized the importance of the family. According to “Lumen Gentium,” the family is the “Domestic Church.” While the faith of the church flourishes in parishes, dioceses and nations around the world, before all else is the family. It is the family that provides a strong foundation for each believer. 6 It reshaped the church’s relationship with other Christians and other religions. One other main theological evolution of the council was its consideration of salvation outside of the Catholic Church. Prior to Vatican II, it had long been the position of the Church that participation in the sacrament and belonging to the Catholic communion were essential for salvation. Though the Church still claims it is the medium through which God chose to extend salvation to mankind, it very explicitly suggested that salvation for those not belonging to the Catholic Church was certainly possible. At Vatican II, the church adopted a spirit of respect and dialogue toward other faith traditions. Ensuing dialogues have built bridges of understanding and strengthened relationships with Orthodox Christians, Jews, Muslims, Protestants, and others. 7 It promoted collaboration. The document “Christus Dominus” encouraged “collegiality,” or collaboration within the church. Bishops, priests, religious and lay people all work together in a way they didn’t in the past. Bishops collaborate through episcopal conferences like the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and state-level Catholic conferences. The council also encouraged “subsidiarity,” by which authority is divided up and decisions are made at the appropriate level. 8 It updated the church. . . . John XXIII saw Vatican II as a chance for renewal in the face of the “signs of the times” and said he called the council to open a window and let in fresh air. This resulted in reforms that made the church more accessible to the modern world, such as Mass in the vernacular and dialogue with other believers, and the openness of the council was reflected in the presence of men and women religious, lay people, and even non-Catholics among its official observers. 9. . . but it also returned the church to its roots. Vatican II also reformed the church through a back-to-basics approach. This meant renewed appreciation for Scripture, the Fathers of the Church, and the restoration of ancient traditions such as the permanent diaconate and the multi-step process for adults joining the church. 10 Then-Father Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) played a significant behind-the-scenes role. The bishops at Vatican II were assisted by brilliant theologians. These assistants, or “periti,” included Joseph Ratzinger, who assisted Cardinal Josef Frings of Cologne, Germany. Father Ratzinger was involved in drafting speeches, shaping documents, and defining the overall trajectory of the council.

Love is not merely a feeling but is rather the desire for the best possible good for those whom we love. Through our natural intelligence and through Divine Revelation, we become aware of the value of this most basic of all gifts, which is life. Mere reason leads us to comprehend that it is better to be alive than never have had been in existence. The knowledge of the value of life that comes through revelation leads us to understand better this gift and to appreciate it. As a result, we worship and love more and more the Giver of this gift. This love is what moves us to protect the life of the unborn or any who might be unjustly treated. We are also led to protect women that might feel tempted or forced to commit abortion, as we know the devastating consequences that abortion will have in their lives. Last but not least we have to love, even if most of them seem to be utterly unlovable, the many perpetrators of abortion: medical personnel, and pro-abortion activists and politicians. We have to do everything that we can to convince them of their errors so that they repent and change their ways, both for their own benefit and for the benefit of society. All human beings are created in the image and likeness of God who is the exemplary cause of every human being. In other words, He is the model on which all human beings are created. He looked upon himself and wished those other beings would share in His own happiness. So if we reflect upon ourselves, we can begin to understand our participation in the greatness of our Creator. This participation in His greatness leads us to comprehend that He has brought us out of nothing with a purpose because knowing His intelligence and His loving nature it is clear that all His actions are always guided by a magnificent purpose. The first intention for which He has created us is that we should enjoy for an eternity His loving company in Heaven. All human persons are called to this eternal and loving company, no one is excluded, save those who, through their own actions, exclude themselves. This manner of creation brings us to understand the unique essential dignity of every human being. A dignity that is not lost for any deprivation of the many external perfections that we might expect to find in a human person. A person might be born with a disability or may suffer disability through injury or disease, but these deprivations do not affect his basic dignity. A Christian also has the hope that one day when the doors of Paradise will be opened for those children, all their human imperfections will be healed and they will enjoy forever the beatific vision that we all long for. We are also created to be collaborators in the salvation of the World. The Lord normally does not intervene directly in the world; He does it through our free collaboration in his plans of salvation. He gives to us the saving truths through Holy Scripture, our natural reason and the mediation of the Church and we have to manifest them in our daily lives. If we love those truths we should be impelled to share them with all whom the Lord places in front of us. So when we speak with love and conviction of those truths we cannot be accused of carrying out exaggerated rhetoric when we defend human life from its biological beginning until natural death. Nobody in his right mind can call it "vitriolic rhetoric" when we denounce that millions upon millions of unborn babies have been killed in the womb in the U.S. and in the rest of the world. It is literally a question of life and death, for the victim, for the mother of the baby, and for the perpetrators of abortion, assisted suicide, or euthanasia. The victim will have his earthly life terminated; the mother will suffer greatly for her actions, and the perpetrator and the mother will live under the shadow of the unhappiness of having rejected the loving truths of their Creator and certainly, they will place their eternal salvation in jeopardy. Our main solidarity has to be always with the victim of the crime because if the conscience of the nation is not moved by this growing injustice, we know that a growing number will be victimized in the future. Our solidarity is also with the mothers of those babies because often they have been misled or forced into committing this terrible action. Last but not least we wish and pray that all abortionists will come to understand the terrible consequences of their actions and be converted.

It was 49 years ago that the United States Supreme Court made one of their most influential and controversial decisions to date, legalizing abortion in all fifty states. Roe v. Wade (1973). was a landmark decision in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protects a pregnant woman's liberty to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. The decision struck down many U.S. federal and state abortion laws and fueled an ongoing abortion debate in the United States about whether or to what extent abortion should be legal, who should decide the legality of abortion, and what the role of moral and religious views in the political sphere should be. It also shaped debate concerning which methods the Supreme Court should use in constitutional adjudication. The debate still continues today: are you pro-life or pro-choice? As believers, we consider ourselves to be pro-life. To be content with the murder of lives forming inside the womb is unimaginable. But being pro-life is more than being anti-abortion… Being pro-life must be a way of life. The pro-life ethic doesn’t allow us to see the vulnerable as burdens, it requires that we see them as image bearers of a holy God. Being pro-life means championing, celebrating, and fighting for life. It means valuing all human life, particularly the lives of the vulnerable who need our protection. Being pro-life means welcoming refugees. It means opening our hearts and homes to orphans and children in foster care. It means caring for and celebrating those with special needs and genetic differences. It means protecting the lives of the unborn and promoting adoption as an alternative to abortion. It means fighting against human slavery and sex trafficking. Being pro-life is about so much more than just being against abortion. It means protecting, defending, caring for, and loving the vulnerable. It means living and loving like Christ. People are vulnerable for many different reasons including age, race, disease, disability, imprisonment, and poverty. Pro-lifers don’t see these people as burdens; we see them as bearers of God’s image and therefore valuable. We care for them while honoring their inherent dignity. We value the vulnerable not because of what they can do but because of whose they are. This Saturday, Christians around the world ­will mourn the innocent lives lost since Roe v. Wade was decided. It’s an opportunity for us to act on our beliefs in new and bold ways. Perhaps you’ve said you’re pro-life, but you’ve never really done much about it. Perhaps you’ve wondered how God really feels about the whole debate, and you have never really spent time in prayer about it. Perhaps you’ve considered pro-life to be simply an abortion issue, nothing more. Wherever you are in your faith journey today, you are invited to spend time in prayer, asking the Lord to show you his heart for his creation and show you how you can follow him faithfully in the midst of today’s culture.

Christ is the Meaning of Christmas Christmas is such a beautiful time of year. Family, friends, and neighbors are welcomed into our homes as we anticipate the birth of Christ. He is the reason for the season, and we need to be sure to celebrate his birth appropriately. Unfortunately, too many people are only concerned with the material side of Christmas. They get too caught up in the hustle and bustle of decorations, deadlines, and sales, and they forget why this month is so important. The children eagerly await Christmas morn, with all its glamour and glitter beneath the tree. Then comes the tearing open of presents along with squeals of delight. These memories are precious and few. But are we doing all we can to celebrate Jesus’s birth? Do we teach them that He is why we celebrate this glorious day? It is important to give children daily reminders all during the month of December about why Christmas is special, and what they should actually be focusing on besides their wish lists. Here are a few suggestions: Advent. Have an Advent wreath in the home, and take at least a few minutes each night to pray as a family around it. Teach them how important it is to put prayer and selflessness first. Read from an Advent reflection booklet during the lighting of the candle. Discuss how difficult Mary and Joseph’s trip must have been while they sought a place for Mary to safely give birth. Talk about how excited and perhaps nervous Mary may have been that night, and how brave she was to accept such a gift from God. Giving. Not only do children love to receive gifts, but they also really do enjoy the gift of giving. Teach them to offer charity in some way to those in need, and they will begin to think of others more often. Soon, they will think about helping others before we even mention it. This is a character trait that portrays the image of God, something that concerns everyone. Sing at a nursing home, make handmade ornaments for neighbors, or perhaps help to serve a meal to the needy. These are all ways to give back, and these activities do not require large sums of money. It also helps to think creatively. Christ is the reason for the season. Many times people are caught up in the materialistic side of Christmas. If you think about it, it is quite appalling that Christmas has become such a huge retail holiday. Think of Jesus driving the merchants out of the Temple. It overshadows the joy of Christmas by making people stress out about gifts, parties, and too much food. Some become so agitated that they actually dread Christmas day. The fear of disappointing someone, hurting someone’s feelings, or undercooking the turkey can take away from what God intended us to celebrate: the birth of His Son. If you do encounter one of these scenarios (and you probably will), remember to stop and think about what God wants from us during Christmas. Love, togetherness, and rejoicing are the things He really wants from us. Slow down and take in what is around you. Attend Mass and rediscover the glory of the season. Go to confession during Advent (tomorrow is Reconciliation Monday) and cleanse your soul from the burdens you carry. We cannot please everyone all the time, but we can surely try to please God. Have a Blessed and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! And remember Fr. Mac's famous song: Happy Birthday Jesus.

October 24th is World Mission Sunday. In 1926, Pope Pius XI established an annual collection for the missionary work of the Church worldwide called "World Mission Sunday." World Mission Sunday, organized by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, is a day set aside for Catholics worldwide to recommit themselves to the Church's missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice. The day is celebrated in all the local Churches as the feast of catholicity and universal solidarity so Christians the world over will recognize their common responsibility with regard to the evangelization of the world. Pope Francis’ message for World Mission Sunday this year reflects on the theme: “We cannot but speak about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). This quote is a reminder that we are called to "do and serve," and not keep the blessings from God to ourselves. We definitely want to remember to pray for and support the work of missionaries throughout the world, but also, we must remember that we are missionaries right here where we are to the people around us. I think this is a good opportunity to remember our parish mission and vision, to reflect on it, and to pray for God’s grace for each of us to fulfill it. Of course, our mission doesn’t really ever change since our mission is the Church’s mission which Jesus gave us, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19–20) Our Parish Mission Statement: To be a community of faith that invites, inspires, educates, and leads people to know and love Jesus Christ, to understand and live their Catholic faith, to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel through love and service to one another, and to celebrate the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ while being faithful to the tradition of the Catholic Church, our history, and the community it serves. Our Parish Vision Statement: To grow as a community of faith, creating disciples of Christ who spread the Gospel through sacrificial love and service. But you might also consider what your personal mission statement is? Listening to God, who are you, and what are you about? What is God calling you to do at this time and place? For me, one thought that has consistently come up in my prayer is a very simple one, “to strive”. This word appears in the Gospel of Luke, “Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.” (Luke 13:24) Sometimes we have to strive or risk falling apart. If I do not have a difficult goal, one that makes me “strive”, I get lazy and slack off. All the more so in my faith! I find if I’m not really challenging myself and putting 110% effort in, I soon start rapidly to just fall apart. So my personal mission statement is pretty simple and easy: “Strive!” Consider doing something like this yourself. Pray and read the scriptures and see what God is giving you as a mission statement. A good mission statement comes from God and enflames something in our hearts. Perhaps we need to know our personal mission and then “strive” to live it out.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan recently sent a letter to Catholic New Yorkers urging that they return to Sunday Mass “now that vaccination rates are up, Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted, and people are returning to a more normal way of living.”  The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that “the Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life.” It adds that because “the Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice,” participation in Sunday Mass is a serious moral obligation. 

June 29 is the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, and on this day one can gain a Partial Indulgence by praying with a holy item that was blessed by a priest or a Plenary Indulgence by praying with an item that has been blessed by any bishop or pope. Why is this important? It’s all about power, power… that is, to do good and to drive away evil! That is Catholicism's most popular image and its most attractive appeal. Catholic stuff gets things done both spiritually and physically and is expressed in both body and soul, being both material and immaterial. Powerful holy signs are the mark of Catholicism. Crucifixes, holy water, church bells, exorcisms, miraculous images, habits, rosary beads, incense, blessed candles, palms, ashes, oils, gestures, kissing, touching, bowing, genuflecting, prostrating, kneeling, veiling, blessing, consecrating, processing: these are all part of a widespread consciousness of our religion both by us and also by those who do not believe along with us. But, you might say, such human signs are common in all religions from the Adventists to the Zoroastrians—and you would be right. What is it about our signs which make us trust that they are uniquely powerful for good and against evil? The first foundation of this confidence is the fact of human nature, which is a composite of body and soul made in God’s image and likeness and pronounced “very good” by the God who made us. The religion of human beings is about the powers of body and soul together in the service, the worship, of God in whose image and likeness they are made. And it is for him to show us how he is to be worshipped in this manner. We know from human nature that there is no such thing as a human religion that is purely spiritual. There is always a material component. Our bodily and spiritual powers were weakened by the fault of our first parents and our own subsequent imitation of their sinful disobedience. And so we were powerless to do good and avoid evil, to live actually in the image and likeness of God in which we were originally created, practicing the religion of the human race. So God himself supplied the power for this religion, by taking to himself our human nature, body and soul, in the mystery of the Incarnation: literally, the “enfleshment” of God. Possessing a human nature, God the Son made man uses it as the instrument of the divinity in powerfully bringing about effects—getting things done—for our good. Through his sacred manhood, he pours out his grace-filled gifts and overcomes defects and evils, sickness, sin, death, the devil, He did and does all this by living his own earthly life and so meriting for us in his teaching and suffering and healing. And then, in view of his departure and final return, he established the SACRAMENTS as instruments of his bodily and spiritual humanity so that we humans could receive his power individually, from his very body and blood, and the intentions of his heart, and the fullness of his divine life. The sacraments are thus the basic structure of our religion. Everything else leads to or from them; and the chief of the sacraments, which is the end and goal and also the source of them all, is the Most Holy Eucharist, our contact with the power of the Body and Blood of the Lord. “Power goes out from him” from this supreme source if we offer and receive it with faith and love. But as we have been pointing out, there are many other powerful bodily and spiritual signs that we use in our practice of our religion. These are called the “SACRAMENTALS” because they are like the sacraments established by Christ, and share in their power. Christ healed the woman with the issue of blood by sending out his power as she sensibly touched the hem of his garment, believing he would thus make her whole. He had power, and his garment had power from him, and her touching of it had power, and her faith in Christ had power. There is a movement of both body and spirit, of outer and inner together. She moves from having faith in Christ to touching a material object to bodily healing, and Christ moves from his spiritual will to heal her through his cloak and her touch to the healing of her body. All of these work together at once. That is power in the full, Christian, sacramental sense. Delight, rejoice, exult, believe in the power of sacraments and sacramentals! Encourage their use, give them away, explain them. Look at them, kiss them, wear them, hold them, light them, smell them, hear them, drink them, sprinkle them, pour them, carry them, ring them. They are not magic, they are infinitely more, they are signs and instruments of the very power of the Incarnate God, and they fulfill your redeemed nature’s craving to worship him with your own body and spirit. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us in paragraph 1607 that the sacraments and sacramentals sanctify every event of our lives with the grace that flows from the incarnation, the cross and the resurrection. We read “from this source all sacraments and sacramentals draw their power.” May this power be ours in every way we can obtain it!

Every parish in the Archdiocese will offer Sacramental Reconciliation on Monday, March 29 from 3-9PM. If you have been away from this Sacrament for a while, this would be a good opportunity to celebrate it. At St. Helena, we will hear Confession in English, Spanish, and French. We also hear Confession every Saturday from 4-5:30PM and by appointment. Confession is one of the least understood of the sacraments of the Catholic Church. In reconciling us to God, it is a great source of Sanctifying Grace, and Catholics are encouraged to take advantage of it often. But it is also the subject of many common misunderstandings, both among non-Catholics and among Catholics themselves. The Sacrament of Confession is one of the seven sacraments recognized by the Catholic Church. Catholics believe that all of the sacraments were instituted by Jesus Christ himself to give us grace. In the case of Confession, that institution occurred on Easter Sunday, when Christ first appeared to the apostles after his Resurrection. He breathed on them and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained” (John 20:22-23). Catholics also believe that the sacraments are an outward sign of an inward grace. In this case, the outward sign is the absolution, or forgiveness of sins, that the priest grants to the penitent (the person confessing his sins); the inward grace is the reconciliation of the penitent to God. That is why the Sacrament of Confession is sometimes called the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Whereas Confession stresses the action of the believer in the sacrament, Reconciliation stresses the action of God, who uses the sacrament to reconcile us to Himself by restoring Sanctifying Grace in our souls. The Catechism of the Catholic Church refers to the Sacrament of Confession as the Sacrament of Penance. Penance expresses the proper attitude with which we should approach the sacrament—with sorrow for our sins, a desire to atone for them, and a firm resolve not to commit them again. The purpose of Confession is to reconcile man to God. When we sin, we deprive ourselves of God’s grace, and by doing so, we make it even easier to sin again. The only way out of this downward cycle is to acknowledge our sins, to repent of them, and to ask for God’s forgiveness. Then, in the Sacrament of Penance, grace can be restored to our souls, and we can once again resist sin. Most non-Catholics, and even some Catholics, often ask whether they can simply confess their sins directly to God and whether God can forgive them without going through a priest. On the most basic level, of course, the answer is yes, and Catholics should make frequent acts of contrition, which are prayers in which we tell God that we are sorry for our sins and ask for His forgiveness. While Catholics are only required to confess mortal sins directly to a priest and not venial sins, the Church encourages the frequent confession of all sins because it is a good thing to do. While Penance is the only sacrament not celebrated within a Eucharistic framework and for which therefore no Ritual Mass is provided, the Confiteor, said within the Penitential Rite at the beginning of the Mass serves as a general confession of sins, both past, absolved mortal sins, and any venial sins one currently is guilty of but which don't merit damnation. It is in this sense that the general absolution given by a priest during Mass makes explicit the priestly intercession to God on behalf of the people (in concordance with the fact that he is about to offer the perfect Victim to the Father, "in persona Christi.”) But the question misses the point of the Sacrament of Confession. The sacrament, by its very nature, confers graces that help us to live a Christian life, which is why one of the Precepts of the Church requires Catholics to receive it at least once per year. Moreover, the Sacrament of Penance was instituted by Christ as the proper form for the forgiveness of our sins. Therefore, we should not only be willing to receive the sacrament but should embrace it as a gift from a loving God. Three things are required of a penitent in order to receive the sacrament worthily: One must be contrite—or, in other words, sorry for one’s sins. One must confess those sins fully, both in kind and in number. One must be willing to do penance and make amends for one’s sins. Again, while Catholics are only required to go to Confession when they are aware that they have committed a mortal sin, the Church urges the faithful to take advantage of the sacrament often. A good rule of thumb is to go once per month. The Church strongly recommends that, in preparation for fulfilling our Easter Duty to receive Holy Communion, we go to Confession even if we are aware of venial sin only. This is the reason why we celebrate Reconciliation Monday during Holy Week. Thus, the Church especially urges the faithful to receive the Sacrament of Confession frequently during Lent, to help them in their spiritual preparation for Easter.

NewYork-Presbyterian has partnered with the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation (NMIC), a local CBO that provides free services to residents of Upper Manhattan and the Bronx, to provide a call center for our local community residents to answer questions and schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments into The Armory in Washington Heights. Who can get vaccinated? We are currently able to vaccinate those eligible individuals age 60 and over who live in the five boroughs of New York City. Vaccination appointments preferred. If you are eligible due to your age, you must provide proof of age and address. We are also currently able to vaccinate eligible individuals age 18 and over with comorbidities and underlying medical conditions who live in the five boroughs of New York City. Vaccination appointments are required. New York State has listed the medical conditions that are eligible. You can find the list here. New York State and New York City require that you must sign a form onsite at The Armory attesting that you have a medical condition that makes you eligible to be vaccinated, but you will not need other documentation of your medical condition.

SPECIAL COVID SELF-TEST AT ST. HELENA March 22-24 Beginning tomorrow, March 22, self-testers will now include a Resource Navigator (RNav) who will offer additional resources and tote bags containing cloth masks, hand sanitizer, children’s books, and/or phones for positive cases or known contacts. This special service is specific to St. Helena’s as we are located in a high-needs zip code, and the city wants to ensure our community is being supported. Anna, our RNav, will join the self-testing team from Monday, March 22nd through Wednesday, March 24th.

You and all constituents of New York's 14th Congressional District are invited to join a virtual town hall, on Tuesday, February 9, at 6:30pm. The town hall will discuss the COVID-19 vaccine and local distribution efforts. Representatives from the City and the State will participate, and questions from the audience will be taken To send a question ahead of time, please email [email protected] or call 718-662-5970 with your name, neighborhood and question. Spanish translation will be available and CART open captions can be accessed at https://bc.typewell.com/kbjknbna.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced that he is granting localities the flexibility to add restaurant workers, taxi drivers, and developmentally disabled facilities to the Phase 1B vaccine prioritization group. Following this announcement, New York City and Westchester County have updated their vaccine eligibility based on the new State guidelines, to add restaurant and delivery workers, TLC-licensed taxi drivers, and facilities for the developmentally disabled. The Governor and Mayor Bill de Blasio also announced that the mass vaccination site at Yankee Stadium will begin administering COVID-19 vaccinations to eligible Bronx residents on Friday, February 5th. The site is established through a partnership between New York State, New York City, the New York Yankees, SOMOS Community Care and the New York National Guard. The Yankee Stadium site will operate from 8AM to 8PM, seven days a week. Vaccinations are by appointment only and are reserved for Bronx residents who meet New York's 1a and 1b vaccine eligibility requirements only. Eligible Bronx residents can make their appointment by visiting Somosvaccinations.com or by calling 1-833-SomosNY. Individuals who schedule appointments for Yankee Stadium are also required to bring proof of residency in the Bronx with them to the appointment. To prove Bronx residency, an individual must show: One of the following: State or government-issued ID; Statement from landlord; Current rent receipt or lease; Mortgage records. OR Two of the following: Statement from another person; Current mail; School records. Additionally, the Governor announced that the federal supply to the states will increase to 20% for the next three weeks, up from the initial 16% bump. Private pharmacies in the state who are charged with prioritizing the 65-plus population will now receive an additional 10%, or about 30,000 doses, directly from the federal government to supplement the doses allocated to them by the State. To determine your eligibility, access a list of nearby providers, and schedule your vaccination appointment, use New York State's 'Am I Eligible " app. New Yorkers can also call the New York State Vaccination Hotline at 1-833-NYS-4VAX (1-833-697-4829). Prior to receiving your scheduled vaccination, you must complete the New York State COVID-19 Vaccine Form.

Where can I make an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine and access the most up to date information? You can visit the City’s website for the latest information on the COVID-19 vaccine. Once eligible, you will be able to make a vaccine appointment at many locations throughout the city using the NYC Vaccine Finder or by calling 1-877-VAX-4NYC.

Tuesdays–Sundays through February 28, 2021 11 a.m.–4 p.m. We are excited to welcome you back to the Garden with complimentary tickets for Bronx Residents. The distribution of tickets is on a first-requested, first-served basis. Enjoy the perfect escape to our 250 acres. Explore the winding trails of our old-growth forest, and relax near a sparkling natural waterfall in the Bronx River. Experience the tapestry of flowers and foliage in the Perennial Garden, and tour the Native Plant Garden’s scenic promenade and meadow. Explore what’s beautiful now, dig deeper into our collections with mobile guides and audio tours, and embark on an adventure with our family activity guide. All of this is here and waiting for you. Plan your visit today. Advance Tickets Are Required for Admission Online: nybg.org/bronxneighbors2020 Mail: Send a self-addresed (must be a Bronx address), stamped envelope with the number of tickets requested (4 maximum) by February 12 to: The New York Botanical Garden Attn: Community Relations 2900 Southern Boulevard Bronx, NY 10458-5126 Ticket requests will be fulfilled in the order they are received; please indicate the date you would like to visit. Voucher valid for Garden Pass admission only, which includes access to the outdoor gardens and collections; does not include access to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, exhibitions, or special events. Proof of Bronx residency is required. The parking fee is not included. For more information, call 718.817.8117 or e-mail [email protected]

St. Helena's from 1pm-6:30pm in the church then St. Patrick’s Cathedral from 6:30pm-8:30pm Join us for the Prayer Vigil for Life at St. Helena's Catholic Church and St. Patrick’s Cathedral on the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. The day will begin at 1pm at St. Helena's with a Holy Hour at 1pm which includes the Rosary and prayers for life followed by Adoration until 6:30pm. The event continues at St. Patrick's Cathedral with a 6:30pm Holy Hour with music by the Sisters of Life. At 7:30pm, His Eminence, Cardinal Dolan will celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as we pray that all life may be protected, especially the vulnerable unborn. Please reserve your spot at the Cathedral: adnyrespectlife.eventbrite.com

Wednesday, January 13 from 5:30-7:30PM; http://www.dc,edu

The Baptism of the Christ is the feast day commemorating the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by his cousin John the Baptist. Originally the baptism of Christ was celebrated on Epiphany, which commemorates the coming of the Magi, the baptism of Christ, and the wedding at Cana. In 1955, Pope Pius XII instituted a separate liturgical commemoration, and it became a distinct feast from Epiphany. However, the initial question that arises when pondering the Baptism of the Lord is “Why?” Why was Jesus even baptized in the first place? Baptism is for the washing away of sins, and Jesus of course never had any sins on His soul. So why did Jesus receive John’s baptism? One significant reason is to mark a beginning. In fact, the new beginning marked by Jesus’ Baptism is so significant that the Catechism of the Catholic Church makes a link between Jesus’ baptism and the beginning of Creation as described in the Book of Genesis. The Catechism states that “[t]he Spirit who had hovered over the waters of the first creation descended then on [Jesus at the River Jordan] as a prelude of the new creation, and the Father revealed Jesus as His ‘beloved Son’” [CCC 1224, citing Mt 3:16-17]. In other words, the work that Jesus began on the day of His Baptism was the work of a “new creation”, also called the work of redemption and sanctification. Likewise, when each of us was baptized, there was also a new beginning in our life. What the day of our own baptism marks is the day when God adopted us and gifted us in many ways. He did this to set us on that path of an ever-increasing share in God’s life, leading ultimately into His very Presence in Heaven. The Baptism of the Lord didn’t make a lot of sense to the early followers of Jesus who worried about the fact that it seemed to suggest that Jesus was somehow subordinate to John the Baptist. Two thousand years later, the Church has developed a very substantial theology of the sacrament of baptism. Catholics believe that baptism imparts the grace of forgiveness of sins and marks our initiation into the Church. But Jesus didn’t need to be forgiven nor can we really say that by his baptism Jesus became part of the church. The gospel itself doesn’t give us very much to go on. The only explanation offered by Jesus regarding why he should be baptized by John is: “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” But that explanation doesn’t get us very far. The final line of this Sunday’s reading from Mark’s gospel offers perhaps a better clue about the meaning of Jesus’s baptism. That line reads: “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.” There we hear an unmistakable echo from the first reading: “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased” (Isaiah 42:1). By making this connection, Mark is testifying to the fact that Christians had come to believe that the “Suffering Servant” in Isaiah ultimately refers to Jesus Christ. It is Jesus who will be the definitive “covenant of the people” and “light for all nations.” What can these readings tell us about the meaning of our own baptism? The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that “Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons [and daughters] of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission” (CCC #1213). The stain of Original Sin is washed away, and we receive Sanctifying Grace for the first time, and just as Mark’s gospel makes a connection between the Baptism of the Lord and the mission of the suffering servant, we too should make a connection between our own baptism and that same mission. Having been baptized into the Body of Christ, we too are called to his ministry of mercy. Finally, these readings also point to the importance of humility. Indeed, it seems that humility plays a part in the “righteousness” that Jesus refers to when he asks John to baptize him. We might conclude that we should not dwell on the fact that baptism makes us part of a holy people. Instead, our baptism might be understood primarily as a calling to embrace the mission of Christ and the suffering servant to go out into the world and “heal all those oppressed by the devil.” Baptism is an important sacrament. If you or your child is not yet baptized, come to the rectory and talk to a priest or schedule a time to come and take the Baptism Preparation Class that we offer every Thursday at 7PM.

VIRTUAL HOMEOWNERS AND RENTERS BENEFIT WEBINAR on Monday, December 14 at 3PM. Limited capacity. Register at https://bit.ly/benefits121420 Learn how to lower your property taxes or freeze your rent. Learn about DOF benefit programs for renters, home, condo, and co-op owners. Learn how to submit your questions to DOF online. For more info, contact [email protected]

Grace to you, and peace, as we, like the Samaritan leper, who had more struggles than joys, give thanks to God with the hope of a better tomorrow. As you know, late last night, the United States Supreme Court issued an emergency writ of injunction in a case brought by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn against New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, in which the diocese alleged that the COVID-19 restrictions on church attendance in red and orange zones violate the diocese’s fundamental right to the free exercise of religion protected by the United States Constitution. The Supreme Court decision blocks the implementation of capacity restrictions in red and orange zones because they treat houses of worship differently than other institutions and businesses in New York. The decision will remain in effect until the court can hear the case in full after briefing and oral argument. While the injunction addresses the dispute of the Diocese of Brooklyn, its practical impact is to void these state-imposed capacity restrictions on houses of worship in the red and orange zones across the state. 2 Effective immediately, the attendance restriction for our churches will remain at 50% of maximum capacity regardless of whether the parish is located in a red, orange, or yellow zone, or in no zone, as always subject to the two-meter physical distancing guideline. If there are any changes to these limitations arising from future state-imposed restrictions or by a final determination of the Diocese of Brooklyn case, we will inform you immediately. We are grateful to the United States Supreme Court for recognizing and protecting our right to the free exercise of religion enshrined in the United States Constitution. Again, a blessed Thanksgiving.

The St. Helena Thanksgiving Food Pantry will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 24 at 11:30AM at the Green Building.