All Eligible Voters Can Vote By Absentee Ballot for the June 23rd Primary Elections Current New York State law requires voters to meet one of a narrow set of criteria in order to vote by absentee ballot. Acceptable excuses include being absent from your county on the day of the election, a temporary or permanent illness, or being incarcerated for a non-felony crime. If you vote via an absentee ballot, but do not satisfy at least one of the six criteria, you have committed a felony. Under these laws, fear of contracting a deadly virus, or spreading it to others by voting in person, does not qualify New Yorkers to request an absentee ballot. This is a gaping hole in our voting laws – it is why Governor Andrew M. Cuomo issued an executive order a few weeks ago to allow all eligible New Yorkers to vote by absentee ballot for the June 23rd primaries, by checking the box for “Temporary illness or physical disability” on the absentee ballot application. The Governor has also directed the New York State Board of Elections (BOE) to mail every eligible voter a postage-paid absentee ballot application for the State and Congressional primary elections in June. Voters MUST fill out the application and mail it back to the BOE in order to receive their ballot. The application must either be personally delivered to your county board of elections no later than the day before the election, or postmarked by a governmental postal service no later than the 7th day before election day. If you are a registered voter in New York City, you can also apply for an absentee ballot online. If you are a registered voter in Westchester, you can email your completed absentee ballot application to [email protected]. You can learn more from the Board of Elections and download the application here.
A blessed Palm Sunday to you! Although this Palm Sunday is different from all the rest you have celebrated with family and friends, it is the start of Holy Week. Let us take advantage of the time we have been given and immerse ourselves in prayer. The Lord wants to renew us this Holy Week, He wants to draw us closer to Him. Let us accept this invitation. In conjunction with the Office of Liturgy, I'd like to share some resources with you. In addition to our previously recommended prayer resources for use when Mass is not available, you may find the following prayers and articles helpful: 1. Litany of Supplication: Please find the English and Spanish translations of the beautiful Litany of Supplication prayed by Pope Francis during his extraordinary Urbi et Orbi meditation and blessing on Friday, March 27, at the links above. 2. Prayer Resources: The following is a comprehensive and continuously updated list of prayer resources in both English and Spanish: Masses Online English | Spanish Online Prayer Opportunities English | Spanish Resources for prayer, worship and Mass in the home English | Spanish Prayer Resources for Catholics, parents and pastoral leaders English | Spanish Online resources for Parents English | Spanish Faith Formation Resources English | Spanish Resources for Children English | Spanish Resources for Pastoral Juvenil, Youth Ministry, Young Adult Ministry and Campus Ministry English | Spanish Resources for Persons with Disabilities English | Spanish Mental Health Resources English | Spanish Tools for Ministering Online English | Spanish Our Adult Faith Formation website has more resources as well. 3. FORMED.org has many resources for us to use during this Holy Week, many of them under the "Holy Week & Triduum" section. Here are some recommendations: FORMED Live: Understanding Palm Sunday The Jewish Roots of Holy Week Meditations on the Stations of the Cross by Ronald Thomas FORMED Live: Jesus’ Death in light of Old Testament Sacrifices The Paschal Mystery: The Mystery of Jesus's Death & Resurrection FORMED Live: Understanding the Stations of the Cross
Pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart on Good Friday I take this opportunity to invite you to join in prayer in the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at 12 pm EDT this Good Friday, April 10, 2020. You can join the live-stream at www.Facebook.com/usccb By a special grant from the Apostolic Penitentiary of the Holy See for those who pray for the end of the pandemic, a plenary indulgence is available for those who join Archbishop Gomez in praying the Litany of the Sacred Heart on Good Friday. A plenary Indulgence removes all of the temporal punishment due to sins and may be applied to oneself or to the souls of the deceased [Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1471]. To receive this indulgence, a member of the faithful would need to a) pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart on Good Friday b) be truly repentant of any sins they have committed and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (at the earliest opportunity) c) pray for the Holy Father’s intentions.
Jesus Streaming Free—Easter Weekend Only! Sight & Sound Theatre is thrilled to announce that JESUS will be made available for FREE in celebration of Easter! For three days only, experience the greatest rescue story of all time as it comes to life right in your living room. Exclusively available on TBN, watch it on your favorite device by downloading the TBN app, or stream it online: April 10-12 only! While we may not be able to gather together for Easter this year, may you still experience the joy of celebrating the one who came to save us all.
https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/food/free-meals Free Meals For Everyone The New York City Department of Education is committed to making three free meals available daily for any New Yorker. Any New Yorker who wants one can get three free meals a day at more than 400 Meal Hubs across the city. Meals can be picked up at all Meal Hubs 7:30 am to 1:30 pm, Monday through Friday. Meals Hubs will operate for children and families from 7:30 am to 11:30 am, and for adults from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. No one will be turned away at any time. All adults and children can pick up three meals at one time. Vegetarian and halal options available at all sites. No dining space is available, so meals must be eaten off-premises. Parents and guardians may pick up meals for their children. No registration or ID required. Use our Meal Hub lookup tool to find a location near you!
First Friday and the Stations of the Cross Live-streamed The Stations of the Cross will be live-streamed on our Facebook page from St. Helena on First Friday, April 3. The Stations in English will be live-streamed at 9:45 a.m., following the 9 a.m. Mass. The Stations will be live-streamed in Spanish at 7 p.m. and in French at 8 p.m. The church will be open for private prayer from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. If you have children at home, here are two wonderful websites where you can say the Stations with them: For Younger Students: Children's Stations of the Cross at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0qv7c4PsrA For Older Students: Stations of the Cross /Loyola Press at https://media.loyolapress.com/assets/lent/stations-eng/stations-eng.html
At the direction of the New York City Department for the Aging, senior centers will provide home-delivered meals only. To request a meal package, contact your local senior center. You can find the closest senior center to you by calling 311 or 212-244-6469.