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 aoc.townhall@mail.house.gov 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 communityevents@nybg.org
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
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 outreach@finance.nyc.gov
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.
Dear Parishioners: As New York State experiences a surge in COVID cases and hospitalizations, today Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced new restrictions that will go into effect on Friday, November 13th, at 10PM. The new restrictions include: Bars, restaurants, and any establishment with a state liquor license will be required to close in-person service from 10PM to 5AM daily. Restaurants can continue to provide food-only pick-up or delivery after 10PM, but will not be permitted to serve alcohol to go. Gyms and fitness centers must close daily from 10PM to 5AM. Indoor and outdoor gatherings at private residences must be limited to no more than 10 people. According to the Governor’s office, local governments will be responsible for enforcing these new restrictions. While I urge you to remain calm, it is important to remember that the pandemic is not over yet – our communities must stay vigilant and continue to take the necessary precautions to keep flattening the curve. This includes wearing a mask outside of your home, maintaining six feet apart from others, frequently washing your hands, staying home if you are sick, and following New York State travel and quarantine guidelines. I also encourage you to keep utilizing the free COVID diagnostic and antibody testing sites in District 34. St. Helena will become a COVID-19 Self-testing Site from November 30-December 12. Test and Trace staff will be onsite and will assist you in using self-swab testing kits. These tests are less invasive and more comfortable, and self swab tests provide results within 48 hours. The tests are commercially available but provided free of charge through the city and will be a great resource for St. Helena parishioners as well as Parkchester residents.
Back in September, Loving The Bronx installed a community refrigerator filled with free food for the taking in the Parkchester area of the borough thanks to the generosity of Brewski’s Bar and Grill who purchased a brand new double glass door commercial refrigerator for the effort. Located inside Circle Green Farms deli and grocery at 80 Hugh Grant Circle, the refrigerator is accessible to anyone in need, no questions asked (all is asked that one be mindful that there are others in need as well) and is available 7 days a week between 7AM and 7PM.
November 8, 2020 Dear Parishioners, The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped life as we know it. Many of us are staying home, avoiding people on the street and changing daily habits, like going to school or work, in ways we never imagined. While we are changing old behaviors, there are new routines we need to continue to maintain. First and foremost is the habit of wearing a mask or face covering whenever we are in a public space such as in church. Thanks to the tireless efforts of scientists everywhere, we have compressed years of research on the COVID-19 virus into months. This has led to a rapid evolution of policies and recommendations, and here are some of the things we’ve learned: Masks and face coverings can prevent the wearer from transmitting the COVID-19 virus to others and may provide some protection to the wearer. Multiple studies have shown that face coverings can contain droplets expelled from the wearer, which are responsible for the majority of transmission of the virus. This 'source control' approach reflects a shift in thinking from a 'medical' perspective (will it protect the wearer?) to a 'public health' perspective (will it help reduce community transmission and risk for everyone?). Many people with COVID-19 are unaware they are carrying the virus. It is estimated that 40 percent of those with COVID-19 are asymptomatic but potentially able to transmit the virus to others and we cannot identify many people who are silently transmitting the virus in their community except through frequent testing. We are currently in the process of establishing St. Helena as a self-testing site, and we will be giving you further information about that soon. Wearing a universal mask use can significantly reduce virus transmission in the community by preventing anyone, including those who are unwittingly carrying the virus, from transmitting it to others. Masks worn by significant portions of the population, coupled with other safety measures, do result in substantial reductions in case numbers and deaths. Covering your nose may be just as important as covering your mouth when it comes to protecting yourself from the novel coronavirus. Researchers at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill mapped locations in the respiratory tract to see where COVID-19 most likely infiltrates the body and found the cells that line the nose were significantly more likely to become infected and spread virus than the throat or lungs, and part of the reason you could be more likely to get infected through the nose is because COVID-19 infects cells with tiny hairs on them called cilia, which usually helps protect from pathogens. Last Monday, the Cleveland Clinic warned people about wearing gloves reporting that while wearing Gloves properly can give some protection, they do not give you immunity nor permission to touch everything within reach either. Any germs that might be on your gloves can be transferred to all other surfaces and items you touch," the physician cautioned. COVID is not a contact infection and "This is why it’s counterproductive to wear gloves, yet continue to rummage through your purse or text on your phone while in the store. ”Masks are not perfect barriers to transmission either, but they don’t need to be perfect if they aren’t used alone. Universal mask use should be accompanied by other public health measures such as physical distancing, testing, contact tracing and restrictions on large gatherings. We are currently still at a 50 person maximum with social distancing for meetings and social gatherings. These measures aren’t perfect either, but when many imperfect measures are combined at a community level, they can be very effective at slowing transmission and reducing infections. Wearing a mask isn’t a restriction of our freedom. Rather, it helps us to regain freedom by reducing virus transmission in a community and making every interaction safer. Freedom for people to go to church or to work, attend school, interact with others, and most importantly freedom from illness and fear. We very much appreciate your cooperation as we strive to make St. Helena a safe environment. As you may have heard, the diocese is now allowing us to celebrate Mass up to a church capacity of one-third while keeping social distancing. To accommodate this increased capacity, we have rearranged the seating restrictions so each side will allow for singles, couples, or families with up to seven people in a pew. Please remember to silence or mute your cell phones while you are in church and please remember that one of the changes that we have made is that we begin the line for Holy Communion from the back of the church, with the ushers guiding people to the line at the proper time. We highly encourage you to receive Holy Communion in the hand. We very much appreciate the work of the ushers and greeters, and we appreciate your cooperation with them. However, we are in dire need of more ushers and greeters and especially cleaners to cover all of the Masses. If you could volunteer in this ministry once or twice a month, it would be greatly appreciated. We also appreciate those who are helping us to live-stream our Masses and activities so that all parishioners will have an opportunity to share and engage in them. We are all concerned about the gradual increase in coronavirus being recorded in some sections of the city and in neighboring states, and we very much appreciate the sacrifices that everyone is making to help keep us all safe during these uncertain times. St. Helena contains members across the entire spectrum of vulnerability to this virus — people with compromised immune systems, older folks, youngsters, health care workers, and people frequenting hospitals, to name a few. In responding to COVID-19 specifically, we must ask ourselves who among us is the most vulnerable and how can we act in the best interest of those people? This is why we seek to inform you of current conditions and why we have instituted additional spiritual devotions and activities, live-streaming, and a food pantry, and soon a self-testing site. Thank you for all that you do for St. Helena, and together we shall continue to be an essential spiritual and community center during these difficult times. Peace. Fr. David Pastor
On November 2, All Souls Day, we pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory who are being purified before entering Heaven. The celebration of a special day began in some monasteries in the 6th century, and by the 10th century spread to dioceses, becoming fixed in some places to November 2nd, the day after All Saints Day. This date was adopted in Rome in the 13th century. Plenary or full indulgences traditionally obtained during the first week of November for the souls of the faithful in purgatory can now be gained throughout the entire month of November, the Vatican said. Also, those who are ill or homebound and would not be able to physically visit a church or cemetery in the prescribed timeframe still will be able to receive a plenary indulgence when meeting certain conditions, the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican tribunal that deals with matters of conscience, said in a notice released Oct. 23. The tribunal also asked that priests be particularly generous throughout November in offering the sacrament of reconciliation and in administering Communion to those who are infirm. The new provisions were made after many bishops asked for guidance as to how the faithful could perform the works required for receiving a plenary indulgence given the ongoing pandemic and restrictions in many parts of the world limiting the number of people who can gather in one place. Traditionally, the faithful could receive a full indulgence each day from Nov. 1 to Nov. 8 when they visited a cemetery to pray for the departed and fulfilled other conditions, and especially when they went to a church or an oratory to pray on Nov. 2, All Souls’ Day. The Vatican decided to extend the time one can receive a full indulgence to include the whole month of November, he said. Typically, only a partial indulgence is granted after the first week of November. The full indulgence traditionally offered Nov. 2 for those who visit a church or an oratory and recite the Our Father and the Creed can this year also be gained any day in November. Those who cannot leave their homes or residence for “serious reasons,” which includes government restrictions during a pandemic, he said, also can receive a plenary indulgence after reciting specific prayers for the deceased or reflecting on a Gospel reading designated for Masses of the dead before an image of Jesus or the Blessed Virgin Mary, or by performing a work of mercy. In all cases, one also must fulfill the normal requirements set by the church for all plenary indulgences, which demonstrate a resolve to turn away from sin and convert to God. Those conditions include: having a spirit detached from sin; going to confession as soon as possible; receiving the Eucharist as soon as possible; praying for the pope’s intentions; and being united spiritually with all the faithful. The church teaches that prayer, particularly the Mass, and sacrifices may be offered on behalf of the souls in purgatory. The feast of All Souls differs from the Nov. 1 feast of All Saints precisely because it offers prayers for the eternal peace and heavenly rest of all those who died in a state of grace, but not totally purified. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death, they undergo purification so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.”