News - January 2019 RSS Feed

We will have the Blessing of Throats in honor of St. Blaise on both First Friday, February 1, at the 8:30AM Mass and at all of the February 3 weekend Masses. On February 3, we commemorate St. Blaise, a physician and Bishop of Sebaste, Armenia in the 4th century. He lived in a cave on Mount Argeus and was a healer of men and animals. Legend tells us that sick animals would come to him on their own for help, but would never disturb him at prayer. He is the patron saint of: throat illnesses, animals, and veterinarians. As bishop, Blaise became a healer of souls and taught his people how to live a holy life by his example. His great virtues and sanctity were confirmed by many miracles. Crowds came to him for the cure of both bodily and spiritual afflictions. Agricola, the governor of Cappadocio, came to Sebaste to persecute Christians. His hunters discovered Blaise praying while seeking wild animals for the arena and arrested him as a Christian. Blaise was taken to prison, but on the way there he interceded to God on the behalf of a child who was choking to death on a fish bone. The child was cured, which led to the blessing of throats on Blaise’s feast day. Thrown into a lake to drown, Blaise stood on the water’s surface and invited his persecutors to walk out and prove the power of their gods; they drowned. When he returned to land, he was martyred by being beaten, his flesh torn with wool combs (which led to his association with and patronage of those involved in the wool trade), and then beheaded. In the holy wars, his relics were dispersed over Europe and veneration of St. Blaise was increased by many miraculous cures, especially of sore or diseased throats. Thus, he is the patron of those suffering from throat ailments. One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, St. Blaise became one of the most popular saints of the Middle Ages. His feast is celebrated as a holy day of obligation in some Eastern Churches. In 1222, the Council of Oxford banned servile work (heavy manual labor) in England on Blaise’s feast day. The Germans and Slavs are particularly devoted to him, and in the United States, Catholics have their throats blessed on his feast day annually. The rite of the blessing of throats may take place before or after Mass. The aid of St. Blaise is asked in delivering the faithful from throat ailments and other evils, which shows how the Church is truly concerned with the bodily needs of the person as well as their spiritual needs. When blessing throats, the priest first consecrates two candles, generally by a prayer, and then holds each in a crossed position on the throat of the person being blessed. At the same time the following blessing is given: “Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from ailments of the throat and from every other evil. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

Free, confidential professional support to family caregivers caring for a frail or chronically ill family member or someone with Alzheimer's or dementia. Professionals meet with family caregivers at Circle of Care Stations or in the client's home. For more info, call 866-665-1713 or Email [email protected]

Catholic School Week is an annual celebration of Catholic education throughout the country. We join our brothers and sisters in Catholic education nationwide to observe the occasion with Masses, open houses and activities, letting it be known how proud we are of our great institutions and their contributions to our Church and communities. There is something special about being first; in the case of Catholic schools in New York, we were the pioneers in providing organized education to society more than 200 years ago, when the land upon which sits Saint Patrick’s Cathedral was a farm. Two centuries later, we continue to innovate our approach to teaching and learning, led by our dedicated principals, faculty and staff who work to create a culture of learning and a determination to succeed. It is inspiring to see that determination produce results as, year after year, the performance of our students continues to improve in math and English Language Arts. We operate under the guiding principle that “if it’s not academically superior, it’s not truly Catholic,” meaning it is our sacred duty to prepare students for life — as productive citizens, and ultimately, preparing them to enter heaven. To that end, our school communities are welcoming, diverse and kind. We provide our children with the tools necessary to succeed in life and instill in them Catholic values. All of this can only be accomplished through collaboration together.

Fordham Preparatory School Higher Achievement Program for rising 8th grade boys will take place June 24-July 24 at Fordham Prep. The boys will take classes in critical thinking, math, and writing in the morning and will participate in athletic events in the afternoon. The program includes a service project. For an application, visit fordhamprep.org/HAP or call 718-367-7500 X263.

During the Sunday Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis unveils his very own user profile in Click To Pray, the official app of the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, including its youth branch, the Eucharistic Youth Movement – EYM. Click To Pray (www.clicktopray.org) is a platform that invites men and women from around the world, to accompany the Pope in a mission of compassion for the world. It has a website and a mobile app, both for Android and iOS, with its social networks, available in six languages (Spanish, English, Italian, French, Portuguese, and German). Click To Pray has three main sections: “Pray with the Pope”, with the Pope’s monthly prayer intentions for the challenges facing humanity and the mission of the Church; “Pray every day”, with a prayer rhythm involving three daily moments; and “Pray with the network” that is a space where users (Pope Francis among them) can share their prayers with the others. Pope’s Francis own profile (https://www.clicktopray.org/en/user/popefrancis) can be found clicking in the Pope Francis button at the “Pray with the Network” section. Click To Pray is the official prayer platform for World Youth Day 2019, which takes place in Panama from 22-27th January 2019. For this event, the platform includes a special multimedia section to pray and meditate the Rosary for Peace.

In Wunderlich v. Germany, the European Court of Human Rights in a Chamber Judgment upheld Germany's three-week removal of four children from their parents' home after the parents insisted on homeschooling them and refused to send them to state schools. The court held that there was no violation of Art. 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (Right to Respect for Private and Family Life). the Court said in part: The Court finds that the enforcement of compulsory school attendance, to prevent social isolation of the applicants’ children and ensure their integration into society, was a relevant reason for justifying the partial withdrawal of parental authority. It further finds that the domestic authorities reasonably assumed – based on the information available to them – that children were endangered by the applicants by not sending them to school and keeping them in a “symbiotic” family system.

One of the most striking things Pope Francis has witnessed to our world is the hope that one individual can bring to the lives of so many. That is why I heartily invite you and your parishioners to join us at New York Encounter (www.newyorkencounter.org). This 3-day annual cultural event will take place February 15-17 at the Metropolitan Pavilion at 215 West 18th Street. This year's Encounter entitled Something to Start From will offer, FREE of charge, unique expressions of the heart through witnesses, public discussions, exhibits, and live performances. Since 2009, when New York Encounter was founded by members of the Catholic lay movement Communion and Liberation, it has fostered dialogue between faith and the public sphere and has provided a vibrant meeting point to thousands of people of different beliefs, traditions and cultures striving for reciprocal understanding, broadened perspectives and the possibility for true friendship. We would like to extend this invitation to all of your parishioners and we would be grateful if you could include the announcement below in your parish bulletin. If you would like to receive more information, or free promotional material, please call (646) 757-4380.

Khail Black’s game-high 14 points brought him to 105 season points, as the Varsity Horsemen easily downed St. Benedict 61-36 during Wednesday’s home game. Sean DuBose was the only Horseman to score in all quarters and had a game-high 23 points, which was one more than the total points scored by the St. Benedict JV Team, as the Horsemen triumphed 44-22 in their game. The Varsity Horsemen came out of the gate quickly, sinking four 3’s in the first quarter, and they led 32-9 at the half. Black, himself, put is four 3’s, and William Manning put in a game-high six 2’s and a free-throw for 13 points. Manning has 118 season points. Both Jose Velez and Eric Codero had two threes and a two for 8 points. Antonio Martinez had a three and a two in the second quarter for 5 points, and Kyle Austin had a pair of 2’s in the last quarter for 4 points. Jahli Ward had a three early in the first quarter, and Justin Hernandez had a two in the first, Isiah LaCasse had a two in the last quarter, and Daniel Torres hit two free throws in the second quarter to round out the Horsemen scoring. The Horsemen were 3 for 6 from the line, while St. Benedict was 5 for 12. The next home varsity game is Monday at 7PM against St. Frances de Chantal. The JV Horsemen led only by two, 9-7, at the quarter but kept steadily increasing their lead and were 23-14 at the half. Larry German was also in double digits and put in a three and four 2’s for 11 points. Maniase Manigar and Jaylen Faye Velan each had a two in two different quarters, and Richie Martinez rounded out the team scoring with a two in the final quarter. One St. Benedict player also scored in double digits with 12. The JV Horsemen were 1 for 2 from the line, while St. Benedict was 0 for 2. Congratulations to the Horsemen.

CAMP VERITAS is a week-long play and pray pilgrimage and summer camp for teens entering grades 7-12. There are five locations. The cost is $400 and limited scholarships are availabnle. Registration is now open. Go to: www.campveritas.org. FEARLESS is a weekend retreat for teens in grades 8-12. The cost is $45. The next retreat is March 29-31 at Holy Cross Parish, 1846 Randall Avenue. To register, call 845-663-1689.