Successfully Applying for Affordable Housing: An informal panel presentation on Wednesday, April 13 from 6-8:30PM at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse, featuring resource tables about eviction prevention, how to freeze your rent, apartment sharing, legal services, IDNYC, and immigration assistance. For more info, contact: [email protected]
It's rather ironic. Catholics pray, read scripture, and go to daily Mass during Lent. And then Easter Monday comes, and the Churches are empty.For the early Christians, Easter was celebrated at high pitch for eight days, and then at a more moderate but still festive pace for another 42 days, till Pentecost. Lent may be 40 days. But Easter, from at least the early 4th century, went 50 days—from Easter Sunday through Pentecost. In the book of Exodus, God commanded the Israelites to celebrate the greater feasts like Passover for eight days, with a solemn assembly on the first and the 8th day. So liturgically, we celebrate Easter at highest pitch from Easter Sunday to Divine Mercy Sunday. Each and every day of this Octave is considered a solemn feast (aka a solemnity) in the Roman calendar. If there is any time to go to daily Mass, the Easter Octave is it! Can’t make it to daily Mass during the octave? Then at least read the dailyy Mass readings in your personal prayer time, or even better, with your spouse, roommate, or family. The atheist philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “If you Christians want me to believe in your Redeemer, you need to look more redeemed!” The recovery of Easter joy is one of the keys not only to our own happiness, but to the new evangelization. A glum, somber Christianity will attract few disciples.
The Catholic Church in the United States has lost the Poor Clare nun who changed the face of Catholicism in the United States and around the world. Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, foundress of the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), passed away on March 27 after a lengthy struggle with the aftereffects of a stroke. She was 92 years old. Born Rita Rizzo on April 20, 1923, few would have predicted that the girl from a troubled family in Canton, Ohio, would go on to found not only two thriving religious orders, but also the world’s largest religious media network. Her life was one marked by many trials, but also by a profound “Yes” to whatever she felt God was asking of her. “Mother has always and will always personify EWTN, the network that God asked her to found,” said EWTN Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael Warsaw. “Her accomplishments and legacies in evangelization throughout the world are nothing short of miraculous and can only be attributed to divine Providence and her unwavering faithfulness to Our Lord.” In 1981, Mother Angelica launched Eternal Word Television Network, which today transmits 24-hour-a-day programming to more than 264 million homes in 144 countries. What began with approximately 20 employees has now grown to nearly 400. The religious network broadcasts terrestrial and shortwave radio around the world, operates a religious goods catalog and publishes the National Catholic Register and Catholic News Agency, among other publishing ventures. “Mother Angelica succeeded at a task the nation’s bishops themselves couldn’t achieve,” said Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, who has served on EWTN’s board of governors since 1995. “She founded and grew a network that appealed to everyday Catholics, understood their needs and fed their spirits. She had a lot of help, obviously, but that was part of her genius.” “In passing to eternal life, Mother Angelica leaves behind a legacy of holiness and commitment to the New Evangelization that should inspire us all,” said Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus. “I was honored to know and be able to assist Mother Angelica during the early days of EWTN. Over the years, that relationship grew, and today the Knights of Columbus and EWTN partner regularly on important projects.” “Mother Angelica was fearless because she had God on her side,” Anderson added. “She saw what he needed her to do, and she did it! She transformed the world of Catholic broadcasting and brought the Gospel to far corners of our world. That witness of faith was unmistakable to anyone who met and worked with her, and generations of Catholics have and will continue to be formed by her vision and her ‘Yes’ to God’s will.” Mother Angelica has two important legacies. To the wider world, she’s the first woman in the history of broadcast to found and lead a network for over 20 years. No one else has ever done that. She was also such a great support to Pope Saint John Paul II and his successors. Her active ministry ran parallel to Pope John Paul II’s, and she backed him up at a time when so many people were undermining Church authority, distorting the history and nature of the liturgy and popular devotion and confusing Catholic teaching. She showed that the commonsense approach of Catholics was right, and she normalized the truth of the faith at a time when it was up for grabs.
In a decree dated August 3, 2002, the Apostolic Penitentiary announced that in order “to ensure that the faithful would observe this day (Divine Mercy Sunday) with intense devotion, the Supreme Pontiff himself established that this Sunday be enriched by a plenary indulgence…so that the faithful might receive in great abundance the gift of the consolation of the Holy Spirit. In this way, they can foster a growing love for God and for their neighbor, and after they have obtained God’s pardon, they in turn might be persuaded to show a prompt pardon to their brothers and sisters.” The plenary indulgence is granted (under the usual conditions of a sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and a prayer for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff) to the faithful who, on Divine Mercy Sunday, in a spirit that is completely detached from the affection for a sin, even a venial sin, recite the Our Father and the Creed, and also adding a devout prayer (e.g. Merciful Jesus, I trust in you!).
Daniel Rodriguez, a U.S. Navy Petty Officer, a 2006 graduate of St. Helena School, and a 2010 graduate of Monsignor Scanlan High School, is serving aboard the USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier. He was recognized earlier this month as the ship’s Warrior of the Day. Each recipient is selected from more than 2,000 sailors assigned, and Rodriguez was recognized by the ship’s commander who said of him, “His commendable hard work and dedication set the standard for his peers, earning him recognition as Warrior of the Day.”
The Horsemen of St. Helena galloped to victory Tuesday night and took the Varsity Catholic Basketball League Championship 56-32 over St. Ignatius of Loyola. Jordan Providence had a team-high 14 points, the only Horseman to score in double digits. Loyola did, however, take the JV Championship 36-30 over Our Lady of the Assumption. The varsity game opened with a three pointer from Jordan Providence, followed by two free throws from Matthew Manning and then a two from Matthew Rodriquez. The Horsemen were leading by 11, 13-2 at the end of the first quarter thanks to a Providence buzzer beater, and they were still ahead by 11, 27-16 at the half. The cheerleaders gave a nice performance, and the Horsemen charged ahead and never looked back until they crossed the finish line. Providence hit threes in both the first and third quarters and ended the season as the team’s number three scorer with 89 points. Francisco Mattei, the team’s number one scorer, had eight game points and finished the season with 165 points. Matthew Rodriquez also scored eight points and finished the season with 76 points. Sammy Lugo scored six of his seven points in the third quarter and finished the season with 54 points. Soraya Morales hit her five points in the second quarter and finished with 33 season points. Matthew Manning scored his four game points in the first half and was the only other Horseman to break 100 season points, finishing with 103 Dylan Carrisquillo hit a three and a free-throw in the first to end the season with 37 points, and Princess Mensah had four in the fourth to end the season with 19 points. Kameron Carrisquillo rounded out the scoring with a two in the fourth for ten season points. The Horsemen were 8 for 19 from the line, while Loyola was 7 for 13. Michael Rice had a game-high 21 points for Loyola, and he was the only player to score in all four quarters.
Conrad Bayne, age 85, passed away last week. Wayne was a Mohawk chief. His Memorial Service will be held at Ortiz Funeral Home on Friday, March 18 at 10 am.
Become a BOLD Buddy, people who provide treatment companionship, clinic visits, and phone support to newly diagnosed cancer patients or who reach out to women with abnormal breast findings. For more information, call 718-430-4044.
The story is based on Anne Rice’ 2005 Novel Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt. The filmmakers, perhaps not wanting to prejudice viewer’s minds based on Rice’ less-than-religious prior writings, don’t mention this in trailers, nor the opening credits. It takes place in Christ’s “hidden” childhood, when Jesus was seven. Beginning in Egypt, it follows The Holy Family back to Nazareth, and (like the Gospels) has its climax in Jerusalem.
Mrs. Angela Deegan, who was principal at St. Helena from 1984-1997, will be honored for her contributions in the field of education by the Forum for Italian-American Educators on Friday, April 15 at Villa Barone Manor. After leaving St. Helena’s, Deegan became the principal of St. Francis Xavier School in Morris Park.
The Serra Club is an international organization whose mission is to foster and promote vocations to the priesthood and the vowed religious life. Fr. David will speak about the Piarist Fathers and the founding of the world’s first free public school on Wednesday, March 23 at noon at the Eastwood Manor, 3371 Eastchester Rd. The cost of the luncheon is $25. Call 718-671-8915 for more information.
The Horsemen looked good in the JV semi-finals of the Catholic League, jumping out to an early 17-10 first quarter lead over Our Lady of the Assumption. But the Horsemen took and missed too many three-point shots as well as some easy layups, and it cost them, as OLA dominated the second half and darted past the Horsemen for the 41-38 win. Chris Colton had a game-high 25 points, scoring in all four quarters and hitting 11 twos, but he was only 3 for 10 from the line. Colton finished the season with 170 points. Jose Velez hit the only Horsemen threes, one in the first and another in the fourth, and he finished the season with 48 points and was the team number three scorer. William Manning sank five points, finishing the season with 31 points, and Eric Cordero hit a two in the first quarter. The team greatly missed their number two scorer Justin Hernandez, who finished the season with 93 points. While the Horsemen were 4 for 13 from the line, OLA was 2 for 9. OLA had no one dominant scorer, but they worked more as a team and sank seven threes. Only three players scored for them, and they were all in double digits. Ryan Picard had a team-high 16 points, and John DiNapoli was right behind him with 15. DiNapoli was the only OLA player to score in every quarter. Nick Callaci came alive in the final quarter, putting in four of his five classic layups and giving OLA the edge they needed for the win. OLA will take on St. Ignatius Loyola for the championship on March 15. Loyola easily soared past the Immaculate Conception Eagles 27-11 in the opening game of the semi-finals. Alex O’Donnell and Tommy Kelly each had game-high seven points for Loyola. Loyola shot 6 for 10 from the line, while the Eagles were 3 for 4.
St. Helena is the Patron Saint of the Divorced, and it would be appropriate to have a ministry to the divorced and separated here at the parish. Facilitator training will take place on Saturday, April 23 from 1:30 - 4:30 PM at St. Barnabas (Considine Center) Bronx, NY. If you are interested in this training, contact the parish office at 718-892-3232.
Do you have extensive experience in the field of Child Nutrition? There is a job available in this field now open in the Archdiocese of New York. Contact the parish office at 718-892-3232 for more details.
The Varsity Horsemen ended their regular season Friday with a 44-25 win over Ignatius. Dylan Carrasquillo had a game-high 11 points, and both teams hit a pair of three-point shots. Jordan Providence was the only other player in double digits with ten points, which solidly placed him in the number three scorer position with 71 points. Francisco Mattei hit all five of his points in the first quarter, ending the regular season with a team-high 143 points. Sammy Lugo and Matthew Manning also had four points in the first, while Princes Mensah had her four points in the third quarter, and Adam Waldupt had a two in the third and another in the fourth. Manning was the number two season scorer with 90 points. Matthew Rodriquez rounded out the scoring with a two in the first. Ignatius was 2 for 8 from the free throw line and the Horsemen were 1 for 4.