News - September 2018 RSS Feed

Test for Admission into Catholic High Schools (TACHS) will be given on Friday, Nov. 2. To register call 866-618-2247 or register online at www.tachsinfo.com.

St Gerard was Abbot of the Benedictine monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore at Venice. On a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, when passfng through Hungary, he was detained by King St Stephen and persuaded to work for the conversion of the Magyars and to be the tutor of his son, Prince St Emeric. In 1035 Gerard, who was known in Hungary as “Collert”, became the first Bishop of Csanad, Hungary. He administered his See with great zeal and his flock owed their great devotion to the Blessed Virgin to his apostolic efforts. However, with the death of King St Stephen in 1037, a reaction to Christianity set in. In 1046, Gerard, the staunch Christian that he was, and many of his followers were either lanced or stoned to death at Buda. St Gerard, whose body was thrown into the Danube, is revered as the Apostle of Hungary.

In one of the largest such ceremonies in history, Pope John Paul II canonized Padre Pio of Pietrelcina on June 16, 2002. It was the 45th canonization ceremony in Pope John Paul’s pontificate. More than 300,000 people braved blistering heat as they filled St. Peter’s Square and nearby streets. They heard the Holy Father praise the new saint for his prayer and charity. “This is the most concrete synthesis of Padre Pio’s teaching,” said the pope. He also stressed Padre Pio’s witness to the power of suffering. If accepted with love, the Holy Father stressed, such suffering can lead to “a privileged path of sanctity.” Many people have turned to the Italian Capuchin Franciscan to intercede with God on their behalf; among them was the future Pope John Paul II. In 1962, when he was still an archbishop in Poland, he wrote to Padre Pio and asked him to pray for a Polish woman with throat cancer. Within two weeks, she had been cured of her life-threatening disease. Born Francesco Forgione, Padre Pio grew up in a family of farmers in southern Italy. Twice his father worked in Jamaica, New York, to provide the family income. At the age of 15, Francesco joined the Capuchins and took the name of Pio. He was ordained in 1910 and was drafted during World War I. After he was discovered to have tuberculosis, he was discharged. In 1917, he was assigned to the friary in San Giovanni Rotondo, 75 miles from the city of Bari on the Adriatic. On September 20, 1918, as he was making his thanksgiving after Mass, Padre Pio had a vision of Jesus. When the vision ended, he had the stigmata in his hands, feet, and side. Life became more complicated after that. Medical doctors, Church authorities, and curiosity seekers came to see Padre Pio. In 1924, and again in 1931, the authenticity of the stigmata was questioned; Padre Pio was not permitted to celebrate Mass publicly or to hear confessions. He did not complain of these decisions, which were soon reversed. However, he wrote no letters after 1924. His only other writing, a pamphlet on the agony of Jesus, was done before 1924. Padre Pio rarely left the friary after he received the stigmata, but busloads of people soon began coming to see him. Each morning after a 5 a.m. Mass in a crowded church, he heard confessions until noon. He took a mid-morning break to bless the sick and all who came to see him. Every afternoon he also heard confessions. In time his confessional ministry would take 10 hours a day; penitents had to take a number so that the situation could be handled. Many of them have said that Padre Pio knew details of their lives that they had never mentioned. Padre Pio saw Jesus in all the sick and suffering. At his urging, a fine hospital was built on nearby Mount Gargano. The idea arose in 1940; a committee began to collect money. Ground was broken in 1946. Building the hospital was a technical wonder because of the difficulty of getting water there and of hauling up the building supplies. This “House for the Alleviation of Suffering” has 350 beds. A number of people have reported cures they believe were received through the intercession of Padre Pio. Those who assisted at his Masses came away edified; several curiosity seekers were deeply moved. Like Saint Francis, Padre Pio sometimes had his habit torn or cut by souvenir hunters. One of Padre Pio’s sufferings was that unscrupulous people several times circulated prophecies that they claimed originated from him. He never made prophecies about world events and never gave an opinion on matters that he felt belonged to Church authorities to decide. He died on September 23, 1968, and was beatified in 1999.

We regret to announce the passing of the last Sparkill Dominican Sister to serve as principal and president of Msgr. Scanlan High School. Sr. Marie O’Donnell, O.P. (83) died peacefully on September 13. She was a social studies teacher at Msgr. Scanlan from 1978-2013. She was social studies chair from 1983-93, and she was principal from 1993-2008 and president from 2010-2013. Her wake will take place on Monday, September 17 at the Sparkill Dominican Motherhouse, with the Reception of the Body taking place at 3:30PM and Compline at 6:30PM. Her funeral will take place on Tuesday, September 18 at 10:30AM in the Convent Chapel. We express our prayers and condolences to her family and to the Sparkill Dominican Sisters on their loss.

We will have a very special cooking session this Saturday, September 15, beginning at 3PM. Mr. Khokon, the owner of Neerob Restaurant, which is located next to Jerry's Pizza, will teach us Bangladeshi-style WFPB Cooking. Please register for the class by Thursday by calling the rectory at 718-892-3232.

Ursula (Hamper) Romano was 92 years of age, and she was a long-time parishioner at St. Helena. Her father was a German Army officer who saved many Jews from execution during World War II. He was caught and executed by firing squad for his "crime." Ursula married and came with her husband to the US and worked as a nanny. After her husband's death, she worked at Alexanders and then for many years as a dietitian at Westchester Square Hospital. Her Funeral Mass will be on Wednesday, September 12 at 10AM in the church.

Monday, September 10 at 10AM in the church. The Mass will be in Spanish.

Tonight, September 9, our Jewish friends around the world will celebrate the joyous beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the New Year according to the ancient Hebrew calendar. It is the year 5779, which represents how many years ago Adam and Eve left Eden. This celebration will end at nightfall on September 12, and it is the beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days. To all of the Jewish families gathered with friends and loved ones, we wish you a year filled with every blessing of peace, joy, and safety. May the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob continue to fill your homes with laughter and shield you from every enemy, and this is our prayer for every person this Rosh Hashanah: "The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace."" Numbers 6:24-26 I pray God will bless each and every one of you with abundant joy, prosperity, health, and divine favor in the coming year as you continue to show your love and friendship to one another. To you and to all our Jewish friends, we wish you Shana Tova! (Happy New Year!)

Cremains Funeral Mass for Helen Urban, our parish's oldest parishioner, who passed away at 103 3/4 years of age, will take place on Saturday, September 8 at 10AM.

Jeffrey Scott Ortiz Memorial Service will take place on Saturday, September 15 at 11AM in the church. Jeffrey (67) is the husband of our Parish Secretary and former St. Helena grade school teacher and librarian Rosemarie and the grandfather of Bobby Lawston, one of our current Pre-Kindergarten students.

Columbus Day Mass on Monday, October 8 at 9:30 AM, for the 41st Annual Columbus Day Mass. If you would like to reserve free tickets, please visit adnycolumbusday.eventbrite.com. The last day to request tickets is Monday, September 17.

The viewing for our parish secretary Rosemarie Ortiz's husband, JEFFREY SCOTT ORTIZ, who passed away unexpectedly on September 1, will be on Wednesday, September 5, from 4-8PM at the Thomas C. Montera Funeral Home, 1848 Westchester Avenue, Bronx, 10472. (718) 824-3700. He will be cremated, and we will update you as to when his Memorial Service at St. Helena's will be once plans are finalized.