Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York has named Mr. Michael J. Deegan as Superintendent of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of New York. Mr. Deegan, who has been serving as interim superintendent, will assume the role immediately. Mr. Deegan was the commencement speaker at last year's St. Helena graduation, and his wife is a former principal at St. Helenas. “As Catholic school systems across the country rise to face the challenges of our modern cultural and educational landscape, we are blessed to have Mr. Deegan guiding the archdiocese's schools,” said Cardinal Dolan. “He is a person of deep faith, possessing an innovative pedagogical vision and decades of operational management. Our Catholic schools are a treasured jewel of the Church, and I believe they will be in good hands through Mr. Deegan's service.” Mr. Deegan has been a professional educator for four decades, all of them in the New York Catholic schools. He began his career as a teacher in several Catholic elementary and high schools before becoming a principal. Mr. Deegan served as a principal for 20 years. In 2004, Cardinal Egan appointed him Director of Inner-City Schools, ultimately rising to Deputy Superintendent of Schools for the past 10 years, overseeing many day-to-day operations of 200 schools. “I am humbled to be chosen by Cardinal Dolan to be the servant-leader of this 200-year-old precious gift of the Church – its Catholic schools,” said Mr. Deegan. “However, the real work takes place every day in the classrooms of our schools where Jesus is brought to every child through our talented and gifted teachers and principals inspired by the personal witness of faith of our priests. Supported by our remarkable staff and devoted donors and benefactors our Catholic schools are the preeminent educational institutions in New York.” A native of the Bronx, Michael Deegan lives in Valhalla in Westchester County, with his wife Angela, a recently retired Catholic school principal. About the Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of New York: Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of New York serve more than 62,000 students from Pre-K through 12th grade across 200 schools in nine counties and boroughs throughout New York, including Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Ulster, Orange, and Dutchess. Catholic schools offer a unique combination of academic and spiritual development that empowers children of all backgrounds to gain the confidence to realize their fullest potential. To learn more about the Archdiocese of New York’s Catholic schools, visit www.catholicschoolsny.org or www.facebook.com/CatholicSchoolsArchdioceseNewYork.
A free movie screening of The Soloist, a film about friendship, support, and mental illness on Wed., Oct., 2 at 6PM at City Center 15 Cinema de Lux, White Plains, NY. To register, go to: http://communitymovienight.eventbrite.com
Witness Formation Day: Have you ever thought about praying outside of an abortion facility but felt unsure or fearful to take the first step? This conference with Fr. Fidelis, CFR, may inspire you to say yes. Sat., Sept. 28 at St. Lucy's Church, 833 Mace Ave., from 9:30AM - 2:30PM. To register, go to: http://nit.ly/WitnessDays.
Join us on a wonderful trip to Lancaster, PA on Saturday, November 30. We will leave St. Helena at 11AM sharp on a deluxe motorcoach and will drive to the Tanger Outlets the day after Black Friday for Christmas Shopping. Lots of room under the bus for those big holiday packages. Bring labels for your bags. Be sure to join the TangerClub online for additional perks and savings. Next, we will drive to the Good N Plenty Restaurant for a delicious family-style Amish dinner with everything included. Finally, we will drive two miles to the world-famous Sight & Sound Theatre to see Miracle of Christmas on a huge 300-foot stage with live animals. We will return around 1AM. The cost for the entire trip is $150. A $50 deposit is required to hold your seat, and full payment must be made by November 9. There are no refunds. Tickets for this trip will go fast, so reserve your seat today either at the table in the back of the church or by going to the rectory.
Catholic Guardian Services Family Center Open House on Thursday, September 12 from 12PM - 5PM. There will be a 12:30PM Buffet Lunch followed at 1PM by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a tour of the new community-based mental health clinic for children and families in the Bronx.
Join an Allied Health movement. Learn to Instruct women and couples to avoid, achieve pregnancy naturally and resolve infertility. Track cycles for health management. Innovative APP available. October 27-Nov 3, at the Vikingsborg Guesthouse of the Sisters of St. Birgitta in Darien, CT. For more info contact Dorothy Dugandzic, 917-306-1441. (calling all doctors, nurses, and devoted laypeople)
Catholic Underground will start this year on September 7 at 7:30PM. Catholic Underground is a direct response to a call that began with Pope John Paul II, and is continued by Popes Benedict XVI and Francis. The first part of the evening is Eucharistic adoration. The second part showcases Catholic artists. It is a FREE event and takes place at Our Lady of Good Counsel 230 East 90th St (btw 2nd & 3rd), New York, NY 10128. We invite everyone who is interested to come and join us. Cassandra Henry will be waiting at the front of the church on September 7 at 6PM for anyone who is interested in attending. We will leave at 6:20PM as a group.
If you would like to reserve free tickets to the 42nd Annual Columbus Day Mass on Monday, October 14 at 9:30AM at St. Patrick's Cathedral, please visit adnycolumbusday.eventbrite.com. The last day to request tickets is Monday, September 23.
The Calasanz Movement is an international youth movement for young people ages 11-18 and is under the protection of St. Joseph Calasanz, the founder of the Piarist Fathers which staff St. Helena's. This new and exciting movement will replace the current ABC Youth Group. We will start the year off with a weekend celebration that is open to all youth ages 11-18 and begins on Friday, August 23 from 7:15-8:30PM. It will continue on Saturday, Aug. 24 from 9AM-3PM and will end on Sunday, Aug. 25 (The Feast of St. Joseph Calasanz) at 10:30AM with St. Helena’s FIRST-ever monthly Youth Mass. Please note that after the Youth Mass, there will be an important half-hour, bilingual parent information session which will take place at 11:30AM in the cafeteria and will explain about the Calasanz Movement and how your child can participate in more youth activities throughout the year. For more info, call Cassandra Henry at 347-941-9411.
Please join us in the gym on Sunday, July 21 after the 1:30PM Mass, where representatives from Ascension Cemetery will be here to talk about the Cardinal’s Initiative for affordable burial spots. Ascension Cemetery has two new programs for people who do not own cemetery space. Coffee and snacks will be provided, and you are under no obligation to purchase.
The Archdiocesan Family Life Office is offering free online and in-person (90 minute) FEMM Intro Sessions or Creighton Intro sessions (English and limited Spanish) during the month of July. Class sessions are limited and are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. For more information, or to take advantage of this offering, email Kathleen Crayne in the Family Life Office at kathleen.Crayne@archny.org.
Box Tops for Education Program is Changing. Over the summer, the program will become digital-only. the old physical Box Tops will be valid until they reach their expiration dates, so NOW is the time to send in all your saved Box Tops clips. You can put them in the collection basket or bring them to the school office or the rectory. You’ll now download the new Box Tops app, which is available on any mobile devise, register and select a school, and then scan each eligible receipt containing Box Tops products. St. Helena School will receive 10 cents for each Box Tops product purchased. For more inför, go to www.BTFE.com.
St. Helena Athletics held Sports Night on Wednesday evening in the gym. Certificates, plaques, and trophies were distributed to intramural, junior varsity, and varsity teams. Mr. Dennis Sullivan ’86, the head basketball coach of St. Ignatius, was the keynote speaker. The St. Helena Medal was given to the Sullivan family in honor of Mrs. Maureen Sullivan, a former St. Helena Pre-K teacher. For the first time, the Horsemen participated in CYO Basketball. The JV team, consisting of sixth graders, made it to the quarterfinals, while the Varsity team won the CYO Division Championship. A team consisting of JV players and seventh graders won the Catholic School Basketball Association Ron Patnosh Memorial Shootout Championship, and the players on that team will form the nucleus of the boys Varsity team next season. Special Awards were given to eight players. The Incentive Award was given to Larry German; the Female Sports Award went to Dana Rivera, while the Male Sports Award went to Justin Hernandez; Eric Cordero received the Scholar-Athlete Award, and Baylee Otero received the Sportsmanship Award; Khalil Black received the Athletic Award, and William Manning received the Leadership Award; the Coach’s Award went to Jose Velez. Other awards went to the members of the Intramural Volleyball Team, the Track Team, and the Cheerleaders. Boys and girls basketball intramural players received awards from their coaches who were all Horsemen alumni. The Hawks won the Girls Division, while the Wildcats won the Boys Senior Division. The evening ended with the students presenting Boys Coach Bobby Schaeffer with a token of appreciation and Girls Coach Kathleen Schaeffer with a birthday cake. A reception followed the awards ceremony.
We regret to announce the passing of Jose Negroni, the father of sixth-grade student Jayda and alumna Alexis. Jose's viewing will take place on Friday, May 17 from 4-9PM at Ortiz Funeral Home. Our prayers are with the family during this difficult time.
Over the course of Catholic history, there have lived people who were so influential, so pioneering, that it's hard to imagine what the Church would look like without them. The 2016 film Catholicism: The Pivotal Players traces the steps and explore the lives of some of these remarkable historical figures. There will be a free online screening of this film from May 10-15, at PivotalPlayers.com/free-screening.
CLERGY RALLY AGAINST HOMELESS SHELTER Representatives from several churches, including Mr. Meller and Mrs. Ortiz from St. Helena, were among the members of the clergy who conducted a rally against the proposed Single Men's Homeless Shelter, which is scheduled to open this year at 2008 Westchester Ave. There was not community consultation concerning it, and a lot of people want their voices to be heard. The NEXT rally will be on Monday, April 29 at 6:30PM at the same location. Everyone is welcome.
The Bible tells us that when Jesus returns to earth, he will physically raise all those who have died, giving them back the bodies they lost at death. These will be the same bodies people had in earthly life—but our resurrection bodies will not die and, for the righteous, they will be transformed into a glorified state, freed from suffering and pain, and enabled to do many of the amazing things Jesus could do with his glorified body (cf. 1 Cor. 15:35–44, 1 John 3:2). The resurrection of the body is an essential Christian doctrine, as the apostle Paul declares: “[I]f the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished” (1 Cor. 15:13–18). Because, as Paul tells us, the Christian faith cannot exist without this doctrine, it has been infallibly defined by the Church. It is included in the three infallible professions of faith—the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed—and has been solemnly, infallibly taught by ecumenical councils. The Fourth Lateran Council (1215), infallibly defined that at the second coming Jesus “will judge the living and the dead, to render to every person according to his works, both to the reprobate and to the elect. All of them will rise with their own bodies, which they now wear, so as to receive according to their deserts, whether these be good or bad [Rom. 2:6–11]” (constitution 1). Most recently, the Catechism of the Catholic Church reiterated this long-defined teaching, stating, “‘We believe in the true resurrection of this flesh that we now possess’ (Council of Lyons II). We sow a corruptible body in the tomb, but he raises up an incorruptible body, a ‘spiritual body’ (cf. 1 Cor 15:42–44)” (CCC 1017).
Food waste is a problem everyone can tackle, including our nation’s youth. As part of Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is launching Ace the Waste! A student competition for food waste reduction ideas. This first-ever competition calls on students to come up with creative solutions to reduce food loss and waste in the United States. Students age 11 to 18 are encouraged to submit proposals on reducing food loss and waste anywhere along the supply chain, from the farm to the dinner table and beyond. One winner will be selected from each of two categories – ages 11-14 and ages 15-18. The winner of the challenge will be honored with recognition on USDA’s social media accounts and website, receive a certificate of appreciation, and will have the opportunity to discuss their proposals with USDA leadership. The deadline for proposals is 5 p.m. EDT, Friday, May 24, 2019. Submit your ideas to the www.usda.gov Ace the Waste! competition.
There will be an important Community Meeting about the proposed Westchester Ave./ Pugsley Ave. Male Homeless Shelter opening this fall. The meeting will take place on April 18 at 5:30PM at 2347 Lafayette Ave., Bronx. Call 718-792-1140 for more info. about the meeting.
Every year, there is always some confusion as to just when Lent ends and whether or not the Sundays of Lent are, indeed, part of the Lenten Season. Lent officially ends when the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday begins because the Mass of the Lord’s Supper ushers in the Holy Triduum, a liturgical season in its own right and the shortest of the liturgical year. As for the practice of Lenten penances, those are voluntary practices that people take up as personal devotions in addition to the penances required by the Church on the Fridays of Lent. As voluntary penances can be voluntarily set aside, taking a break from them on Sundays in honor of the Lord’s Day is perfectly fine. That being said, the Sundays of Lent are indeed part of the Lenten season but are not days of fasting. "The 40 days of Lent" has always been more of a metaphor than a literal count. Over the course of history, the season of preparation for Easter Sunday has ranged from one day (in the first century) to 44 (today in the Roman church). Officially since 1970, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sunset on Holy Thursday. Already at the Council of Nicea in 325 the bishops spoke of the quadragesima paschae (Latin for “40 days before Easter”) as the well-established custom. At that time Lent began on the sixth Sunday before Easter and ended at dusk on Holy Thursday—40 days. But the Council also forbade fasting, kneeling, and any other acts of sorrow and penance on Sundays, even in Lent. So only 34 of the 40 days were for fasting. Today, while the season of Lent (Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday) is technically 44 days, the number of days for penance and fasting before Easter is still 40 because 44 days minus 6 Sundays equals 38, plus Good Friday and Holy Saturday, which while not actually part of the Lenten Season can be days of fasting, equals 40.