The birthday of St. Matthew, apostle and evangelist, who suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia while engaged in preaching. The Gospel written by him in Hebrew was found by his own revelation during the time of Emperor Zeno, together with the relics of the blessed apostle Barnabas. (From the Roman Martyrology) Caravaggio’s masterpiece depicts the calling of St. Matthew, who was once a tax-collector but became both an apostle and evangelist. The calling of Matthew is most clearly described in Matthew 9:9ff. However, it is interesting to note that both Luke and Mark seem to describe the same scene, only they give a different name for the publican, calling him Levi. Thus, we are led to consider why it was that Luke and Mark called Matthew “Levi”, and why Matthew called himself by his own proper name. Moreover, we must consider the meaning of these two names, and what mystery is hidden behind the conversion of the son of Alpheus (not of the Alpheus, called Cleopas, father of James and Jude; but the son of a different Alpheus). Levi is Matthew and Matthew is Levi While it is true that both Mark and Luke name the publican “Levi”, and Matthew gives his own more common name “Matthew”, we ought to maintain that all refer to the same event and to one single person. Luke 5:27ff and Mark 2:14ff both give a story so similar to that found in Matthew 9:9ff that it would be quite difficult to think that Matthew and Levi are two different people. The Savior comes and sees the publican, sitting at his table. The Lord calls him and says, Come, Follow me! The publican rises and follows the Lord. The publican shares a feast with Christ and also with others who are public sinners. This meal excites the criticism of certain of the Pharisees. The only substantial difference in the stories is that Luke and Mark name the publican “Levi”, while Matthew names him “Matthew” – also, Matthew does not explicitly mention at whose house the Lord dines, while Luke and Mark specify that it is Levi’s home. Why the diversity of naming? It was not uncommon for individuals in ancient Israel to have two names. “Saul” is called “Paul” and “Thomas” is “Didymus”, for example. Likewise, it was also possible for the same person to have two Hebrew names: “Simon” called “Cephas” and “Joseph - Caiaphas”. So too, Matthew was called both “Levi” and “Matthew”. It is out of respect for the Apostle and Evangelist that Luke and Mark do not use his more common name when speaking of his past life and conversion from sin. Matthew, however, was not ashamed to admit to his previous sins, and so did not conceal his identity. St. Jerome says, “The other Evangelists from respect to Matthew have not called him by his common name, but say here, Levi, for he had both names. Matthew himself, according to what Solomon says, The righteous man accuses himself, calls himself both Matthew and Publican, to show the readers that none need despair of salvation who turn to better things, seeing he from a Publican became an Apostle.” The meaning of Levi and of Matthew “Matthew” comes from the Hebrew, mattija – meaning, “the gift of the Lord”. “Levi”, on the other hand, is related to the Hebrew word meaning “to take”. Bl. Rabanus Maurus recognizes a mystical signification to these two names: “Matthew signifies the man intent on temporal gain; Jesus sees him, when He looks on him with the eyes of mercy. For Matthew is interpreted ‘given,’ Levi ‘taken,’ the penitent is taken out of the mass of the perishing, and by God’s grace given to the Church. And Jesus said to him, Follow Me, either by preaching, or by the admonition of Scripture, or by internal illumination.”

St. Januarius was born in Italy and was bishop of Benevento during the Emperor Diocletion persecution. Bishop Januarius went to visit two deacons and two laymen in prison. He was then also imprisoned along with his deacon and lector. They were thrown to the wild beasts, but when the animals did not attack them, they were beheaded. What is believed to be Januarius' blood is kept in Naples, as a relic. It liquifies and bubbles when exposed in the cathedral. Scientists have not been able to explain this miracle to date. St. Januarius lived and died around 305 A.D. and his feast day is September 19th.

This feast dates back to the 12th century. It was especially promoted by the Cistercians and the Servites, so much so that in the 14th and 15th centuries it was widely celebrated throughout the Catholic Church. In 1482 the feast was added to the Missal under the title of "Our Lady of Compassion." Pope Benedict XIII added it to the Roman Calendar in 1727 on the Friday before Palm Sunday. In 1817, Pope Pius VII extended the feast to the Universal Church, and in 1913, Pope Pius X fixed the date on September 15. The title "Our Lady of Sorrows" focuses on Mary's intense suffering during the passion and death of Christ. "The Seven Dolors," the title by which it was celebrated in the 17th century, referred to the seven swords that pierced the Heart of Mary. The feast is like an octave for the birthday of Our Lady on September 8th. This feast is dedicated to the spiritual martyrdom of Mary, Mother of God, and her compassion with the sufferings of her Divine Son, Jesus. In her suffering as co-redeemer, she reminds us of the tremendous evil of sin and shows us the way of true repentance. May the numerous tears of the Mother of God be conducive to our salvation; with which tears Thou, O God, art able to wash away the sins of the whole world. As Mary stood at the foot of the Cross on which Jesus hung, the sword of sorrow Simeon had foretold pierced her soul. Below are the seven sorrows of Mary: The prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35) The flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15) Loss of the Child Jesus for three days (Luke 2:41-50) Mary meets Jesus on his way to Calvary (Luke 23:27-31; John 19:17) Crucifixion and Death of Jesus (John 19:25-30) The body of Jesus being taken from the Cross (Psalm 130; Luke 23:50-54; John 19:31-37) The burial of Jesus (Isaiah 53:8; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42; Mark 15:40-47) Her symbols include: heart pierced with a sword; heart pierced by seven swords; winged heart pierced with a sword; flowers: red rose, Iris (meaning: "sword-lily"), cyclamen. She is the Patron of people named Dolores, Dolais, Deloris, Dolorita, Maria Dolorosa, Pia, and Pieta.

Los Priostes les invitan la comunidad y feligreses de la iglesia a la Santa Misa y Celebración en honor a la Virgen del Cisne este Sabado 16 de Septiembre. Comenzamos con la Misa en la iglesia de Santa Helena y despues la celebración estará en el gimnasio a la 7:00pm. Habran grupos de Danza Folklorica. y la tradicional banda musical con las comparsas "La Dolorosa". Todos están invitados a comer, beber, disfrutar de las festividades, la música y la danza folklorica y compartir como comunidad en la adoración de la Virgen del Cisne, en este evento especial. Esperamos verles a todos.

Despite the ridicule and jokes of the secular, atheistic press, more than 30,000 people gathered in the Cova for the September apparition. Whether drawn by devotion or curiosity, they prayed the rosary while awaiting the arrival of the visionaries and their vision. When at least the time came they could hear Lucia say, "What do you want of me?" Continue the Rosary, my children. Say it every day that the war may end. In October Our Lord will come, as well as Our Lady of Sorrows and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Saint Joseph will appear with the Child Jesus to bless the world. God is pleased with your sacrifices, but He does not want you to wear the cords to bed. Keep them on during the day. (The children were wearing ropes around their waists as a sacrifice for sinners.) "They have requested me to ask you for many things. Will you assist a little girl who is deaf and dumb?" She will improve within the year. "And the conversions that some have asked to have brought about? I have the petitions of many for your help. The cures of the sick ones?" Some I will cure, and some I will not. In October I will perform a miracle so that all may believe. With these last words still ringing in their ears, the Lady rose and disappeared in the heavens, as Lucia called to the crowd, "If you wish to see her --- look! Look!” The crowd estimated at 30,000 observed atmospheric phenomena similar to those of the previous apparitions: the sudden cooling of the air, a dimming of the sun to the point where the stars could be seen, and a rain resembling iridescent petals or snowflakes that disappeared before touching the ground. This time, a luminous globe was noticed which moved slowly and majestically through the sky from east to west and, at the end of the apparition, in the opposite direction. The seers saw a light, and, immediately following this, they saw Our Lady over the holm oak.  And rising, she disappeared in the same manner as before.  

In accordance with Jewish custom, our Lady's parents named her eight days after her birth and were inspired to call her Mary. The feast of the Holy Name of Mary, therefore, follows that of her Birthday, as the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus follows Christmas. The Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a day on which the inexpressible love of the Mother of God for her Holy Child is recalled, and the eyes of the faithful are directed to the figure of the Mother of the Redeemer, for them to invoke with devotion. The feast originated in Cuenca, Spain and was approved by the Holy See in 1513; Innocent XI extended its observance to the whole Church in 1683 in thanksgiving to Our Lady for the victory on September 12, 1683, by John Sobieski, king of Poland, over the Turks, who were besieging Vienna and threatening the West. This day was commemorated in Vienna by creating a new kind of pastry and shaping it in the form of the Turkish half-moon. It was eaten along with coffee which was part of the booty from the Turks.Maryam or Mariam is the Aramaic form of the biblical name Miriam (the name of the prophetess Miriam, the sister of Moses). It is notably the name of Mary the mother of Jesus. The spelling in the Semitic abjads is mrym (Hebrew מרים, Aramaic ܡܪܝܡ, Arabic مريم), which may be transliterated in a number of ways (Miryam, Miriyam, Mirijam, Maryam, Mariyam, Marijam, Meryem, Merjeme, etc.) Via its use in the New Testament the name has been adopted worldwide, especially in Roman Catholicism, but also in Eastern Christianity, in Protestantism, and in Islam. In Latin Christianity, the Greek form Mariam was adopted as latinate Maria (whence French Marie and English Mary). The name may have originated from the Egyptian language; in a suggestion going back to 1897, it is possibly derivative of the root mr "love; beloved.” Many propose a possible derivation from Hebrew, either from marah "to be rebellious", or (more likely) from mara "well nourished". The name has a long tradition of scholarly etymologisation; some seventy suggestions are treated by Otto Bardenhewer in monographic form in his Der Name Maria (1895). It was early etymologized as containing the Hebrew root mr "bitter" (cf. myrrh), or mry "rebellious". St. Jerome (writing c. 390), following Eusebius of Caesarea, translates the name as "drop of the sea" (stilla maris in Latin), from Hebrew מר mar "drop" (cf. Isaias 40:15) and ים yam "sea". This translation was subsequently rendered stella maris ("star of the sea") due to scribal error, whence the Virgin Mary's title Star of the Sea. Rashi, an 11th-century Jewish commentator on the Bible, wrote that the name was given to the sister of Moses because of the Egyptians' harsh treatment of Jews in Egypt. Rashi wrote that the Israelites lived in Egypt for two hundred ten years, including eighty-six years of cruel enslavement that began at the time Moses' elder sister was born. Therefore, the girl was called Miriam, because the Egyptians made life bitter (מַר, mar) for her people.

Seventy kilometers from the city of Loja in the mountains of southern Ecuador is the town of El Cisne, the site of a much venerated Marian shrine. The basilica of El Cisne was built in 1742 and modeled after a similar basilica in Harlungenberg, Germany. In 1594, the inhabitants of the El Cisne region had desired their own religious relic, similar to the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Representatives of the local people traveled to the capital city Quito, where they requested the sculptor Don Diego de Robles to create the Virgin de El Cisne statue, which he did out of the wood of a cedar tree. Upon arriving in El Cisne, the Virgin performed her first miracle which was a much-needed rainstorm after a prolonged drought. Since then, the statue has been a focal point of devotion for the deeply religious inhabitants of the area. On August 17th of each year, many thousands of pilgrims gather in El Cisne to begin a three-day religious procession to the city Loja. The six-foot tall statue of Mary is carried to the cathedral of Loja where it is the focus of a great festival on September 8. It remains in the cathedral of Loja until November 3 and is then returned to El Cisne.

Blessed Dina Belanger was born and baptized on 30 April 1897 in St-Roch, Québec, the daughter of Olivier Octave Belanger & Séraphia Matte. Her parents lived at 168 Notre Dame des Anges in the Parish of Jacques Cartier, Portneuf County. Dina was baptized at St. Roch, Québec. She studied music and planned to become a concert pianist. While studying in New York, Dina lived with the Religious of Jesus-Mary. She returned home and decided to enter the religious life in the Congregation of Jesus-Marie at Sillery, where the nuns had their mother house. On March 25, 1908, which was Holy Thursday that year, Dina heard the 'voice' of Jesus for the first time. She says, 'During my act of thanksgiving after Communion, Our Lord spoke to my soul by means of a new light. This was the first time I heard His voice so well; interiorly, of course, a soft melodious voice which overwhelmed me with happiness.' She entered the convent at the age of 24, in August 1921. She entered the order of Jesus-Marie in February 1922 and received the name Sister Marie Sainte-Cécile of Rome and took her final vows on 25 August 1923. As a nun, Dina Belanger taught music. Yet she wondered-and indeed she asked this question to Our Lord-'What can be the object of my musical studies?' He answered, 'Your music will protect your vocation, but you will do good particularly by your writings.' She was surprised at this! Jesus continued, 'Yes, in the convent, you will devote yourself to literary work.' She was mystified by this; but it was fulfilled in the writing and publication of her ‘Autobiography' which documented her mystical experiences. On two occasions the sisters sent her to teach at Saint-Michel of Bellechasse but both times, illness brought her back to Sillery where she stayed (teaching music) until her death. She could have taught in many areas as she had excelled in all her studies but due to her having shown such great talent in music at a young age and her continued education at the Conservatory of New York from 1916 to 1918, her superiors judged her best qualified to teach music. Dina had a brother who died at the age of 3 months. Dina's father was an auditor and her grandfather operated a grocery store in the St Malo district of Québec. Her ancestors (Pierre, Joseph-Marie and Nicolas) all came from Charlesbourg. Dina died on 4 Sept in the Couvent de Jésus-Marie, Sillery and was buried on 7 Sept 1929 at the age of 32, in St-Colomb de Sillery, Québec.

Today is the feast day of Bl. Mary Stella and Her Ten Companions (Martyrs of Nowogrodek), a group of Holy Family of Nazareth sisters. This feast is an Obligatory Memorial in Poland except in provinces or convents of CSFN, for whom this is a Patronal Feast. it is celebrated as a Feast. In the winter of 1943, the Germans made repeated roundups of Poles, including several of priests. When the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth learned that the Germans planned to execute dozens of Poles they offered themselves as sacrifices, saying "My God, if sacrifice of life is needed, accept it from us and spare those who have families. We are even praying for this intention." The Germans decided then to enslave the Polish prisoners but still kill the nuns. They drove the nuns to an isolated spot in the woods and then murdered eleven, burying the bodies in a shallow grave. Sr. Stella and her 10 companions were beatified by Pope John Paul II on March 5, 2000.

La Parroquia de Santa Helena ha reservado una ranura de tiempo especial para nuestros feligreses para recibir una visita guiada de las reliquias del Padre Pio. Nos debemos encontrar en frente de la Catedral de San Patricio a las 5:00 PM el domingo 17 de septiembre. Si planea asistir, debe llamar la Rectoría al 718-892-3232 y avisarnos para que notamos su nombre en la lista. No hay costo para ver las reliquias. La Fundación del Padre Pio ha organizado por la primera vez este viaje a los Estados Unidos, de las reliquias oficiales del Padre Pio, en el ocasión del 130 aniversario de su nacimiento y el 15 aniversario de su canonización. La Catedral de San Patricio ha sido dichosa para dar la bienvenida a estas reliquias hermosas y santas para la veneración durante del día el domingo, 17 de septiembre de 2017, y el lunes, 18 de septiembre de 2017, a partir de las 7:00 AM – 8:00 PM para conmemorar la primera parada de su gira americano. Es nuestra esperanza que todos los fieles pueden tener una experiencia profunda con las reliquias más santas del Padre Pio – que incluye uno de sus guantes manchados de sangre y su capa personal. Por más información sobre este fin de semana de veneración, puede ir a esta página en el internet: www.saintpatrickscathedral.org/padrepio

In addition to the feast of the nativity of St. John the Baptist (June 24), the Church, since the fourth century, commemorates the martyrdom of Christ's precursor. According to the Roman Martyrology, this day marks "the second finding of his most venerable head." The body of the saint was buried in Samaria. In the year 362, pagans desecrated the grave and burned his remains. Only a small portion of his relics were able to be saved by monks and sent to St. Athanasius at Alexandria. The head of the saint is venerated at various places. The head in the Church of St. Sylvester in Rome belongs to a martyr-priest named John. There is another head in the Dominican church at Breslau. According to the Synoptic Gospels, Herod, who was tetrarch, or sub-king, of Galilee under the Roman Empire, had imprisoned John the Baptist because he reproved Herod for divorcing his wife (Phasaelis, the daughter of King Aretas of Nabataea) and unlawfully taking Herodias, the wife of his brother Herod Philip I. On Herod's birthday, Herodias' daughter, Salome (who later married her uncle the tetrarch Philip II), danced before the king and his guests. Her dancing pleased Herod so much that in his drunkenness he promised to give her anything she desired, up to half of his kingdom. When Salome asked her mother what she should request, she was told to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Although Herod was appalled by the request, he reluctantly agreed and had John executed in the prison.

St. Fiacre was born in Ireland and sailed to France in quest of closer solitude, in which he might devote himself to God, unknown to the world. He arrived at Meaux, where Saint Faro, who was the bishop of that city, gave him a solitary dwelling in a forest called Breuil, in the province of Brie. There is a legend that St. Faro offered him as much land as he could turn up in a day and that St. Fiacre, instead of driving his furrow with a plow, turned the top of the soil with the point of his staff. The anchorite cleared the ground of trees and briers, made himself a cell with a garden, built an oratory in honor of the Blessed Virgin, and made a hospice for travelers which developed into the village of Saint-Fiacre in Seine-et-Marne. Many resorted to him for advice, and the poor, for relief. His charity moved him to attend cheerfully those that came to consult him; and in his hospice he entertained all comers, serving them with his own hands, and sometimes miraculously restored to health those that were sick. He never allowed any woman to enter the enclosure of his hermitage, and Saint Fiacre extended the prohibition even to his chapel. He died on August 18, AD 670. The fame of Saint Fiacre's miracles of healing continued after his death and crowds visited his shrine for centuries. Anne of Austria attributed to the meditation of this saint, the recovery of Louis XIII at Lyons, where he had been dangerously ill; in thanksgiving for which she made, on foot, a pilgrimage to the shrine in 1641. He is also a patron saint of gardeners and of cab-drivers of Paris. French cabs are called fiacres because the first establishment to let coaches on hire, in the middle of the seventeenth century, was in the Rue Saint-Martin, near the hotel Saint-Fiacre, in Paris. His feast day is August 30.

All that is known of him with certainty is that he is mentioned in the synoptic gospels and Acts as one of the twelve apostles. His name, a patronymic, means "son of Tolomai" and scholars believe he is the same as Nathanael mentioned in John, who says he is from Cana and that Jesus called him an "Israelite...incapable of deceit." The Roman Martyrology says he preached in India and Greater Armenia, where he was flayed and beheaded by King Astyages. Tradition has the place as Abanopolis on the west coast of the Caspian Sea and that he also preached in Mesopotamia, Persia, and Egypt. The Gospel of Bartholomew is apocryphal and was condemned in the decree of Pseudo-Gelasius.

Pope Pius XII established this feast in 1954. But Mary’s queenship has roots in Scripture. At the Annunciation, Gabriel announced that Mary’s Son would receive the throne of David and rule forever. At the Visitation, Elizabeth calls Mary “mother of my Lord.” As in all the mysteries of Mary’s life, she is closely associated with Jesus: Her queenship is a share in Jesus’ kingship. We can also recall that in the Old Testament the mother of the king has great influence in court. In the fourth century St. Ephrem called Mary “Lady” and “Queen.” Later Church fathers and doctors continued to use the title. Hymns of the 11th to 13th centuries address Mary as queen: “Hail, Holy Queen,” “Hail, Queen of Heaven,” “Queen of Heaven.” The Dominican rosary and the Franciscan crown, as well as numerous invocations in Mary’s litany, celebrate her queenship. The feast is a logical follow-up to the Assumption and is now celebrated on the octave day of that feast. In his 1954 encyclical To the Queen of Heaven, Pius XII points out that Mary deserves the title because she is Mother of God, because she is closely associated as the New Eve with Jesus’ redemptive work, because of her preeminent perfection, and because of her intercessory power.

On August 21, 1879, fifteen witnesses experienced the silent apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and St. John the Evangelist. Those who witnessed the apparition stood in the pouring rain for up to two hours reciting the Rosary. When the occurrence began there was good light, but although it then became very dark, witnesses could still see the figures very clearly - they appeared to be the color of a bright whitish light. The apparition did not flicker or move in any way. The witnesses reported that the ground around the figures remained completely dry during the apparition although the wind was blowing from the south. Afterwards, however, the ground at the gable became wet and the gable dark.

¿Estás indocumentado? Y usted necesita seguro y/o Medicaid de emergencia para recibir tratamiento médico cuando usted lo requiere. La ciudad de Nueva York tiene un nuevo programa que puede ser justo lo que usted necesita. Venga a una presentación gratuita y bilingüe aquí en el gimnasio de Sta. Helena el domingo, 10 de septiembre a las 1:30, donde un representante de Caridades Católicas (Catholic Charities) explicará todos los detalles.

¿Estás indocumentado? Y usted necesita seguro y/o Medicaid de emergencia para recibir tratamiento médico cuando usted lo requiere. La ciudad de Nueva York tiene un nuevo programa que puede ser justo lo que usted necesita. Venga a una presentación gratuita y bilingüe aquí en el gimnasio de Sta. Helena el domingo, 10 de septiembre a las 1:30 pm, donde un representante de Caridades Católicas (Catholic Charities) explicará todos los detalles.

On Friday, June 2nd, the Msgr. Scanlan High School Class of 2017 graduated in a beautiful ceremony at St. Helena Church. Family, friends, faculty and staff proudly looked on as the excited students received their diplomas and were recognized for their many accomplishments. Both Natasha Lopez, Valedictorian and Adriana Murillo, Salutatorian addressed their classmates and guests. This year's guest speaker at the graduation was Board Member, Joe Solimine, Class of 1961, who motivated and regaled the graduates with his wonderful, inspiring commencement address.

Edith Stein, saintly Carmelite, profound philosopher and brilliant writer, had a great influence on the women of her time and is having a growing influence in the intellectual and philosophical circles of today’s Germany and of the whole world. She is an inspiration to all Christians whose heritage is the Cross, and her life was offered for her own Jewish people in their sufferings and persecutions.

Every Monday, following the 12:15 p.m. Mass, parishioners recite the Miraculous Medal Novena. Now, thanks to Br. Ricardo, St. Helena's has a special plaque which came directly from the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal, located at 140 Rue Du Bac in Paris. Br. Ricardo visited the Shrine during his recent singing tour of France with the St. Joseph Seminary Schola and brought the plaque back as a gift to the parish.