Today is a double-header. We have the usual St. Helena Monday Miraculous Medal Novena COMBINED with the special Sacred Heart Novena Day Six, both on Monday, June 15 at NOON. You can join by Telephone at: 646-558-8656. or join by ZOOM at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8292669493?pwd=QURkS2JoOUVNanJUbnF0VXBaU0pHdz09 or go to www.Zoom.us; Meeting ID: 829 266 9493; Password: 444555.

Free Masks for Bronx Business Owners If you have a business in The Bronx, you can get free masks @ 3400 Reservoir Oval. Pick up Hours 10-12pm and 2-3pm Monday –Friday 50 mask for every 2 employees, while supply lasts

Parishes in the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island (and Brooklyn and Queens) will need to wait a few more weeks until the City of New York enters Phase II of the state’s reopening process. Remember that churches in these boroughs remain open for visitation, prayer, and the sacrament of confession, and we look forward to the resumption of Mass in these parishes soon. Once the city moves into Phase II, probably as early as the beginning of July, Mass and the sacraments will resume here. We continue to rely on health experts to guide us.

Yesterday, we listened to the announcement that the opening of houses of worship has been moved from NYS (New York State) Phase IV to NYS Phase II which will commence on Tuesday, June 9 except in the three NYC boroughs. In addition, the maximum number of people allowed to be present has been raised from ten individuals to 25% of the church’s occupancy, provided that physical distancing and other guidelines are followed. I am pleased that the Faith Forward initiative was critical in laying the foundation for this modification. Today, the City of New York began NYS Phase I of reopening with the resumption of construction, manufacturing, and curb-side retail pickup. This phase affects our parishes in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island who will remain in ADNY (Archdiocese of New York) Level I of the Faith Forward plan, allowing our churches to be open only for visits and confession. Cardinal Dolan has permitted me to be the bearer of more good news. According to Faith Forward, ADNY Level II (the celebration of baptisms and weddings) and Level III (the celebration of weekday Masses and funerals) are now combined. In NYC, Phase II could start as early as the beginning of July. All precautions must be taken (wearing of masks, maintaining a six-foot distance, no physical contact except for communion, frequent washing of hands, and sanitizing surfaces). Our first priority is the safety of the clergy and people, and self-care of all ministers. The second priority is to resume in-person worship. Very soon, but not yet, ADNY Level IV will permit Sunday Mass with supervised attendance. We will continue to rely on health experts to guide us on when it is safe for us to resume. Once we finally get there, entrance to churches will be through one door only. A greeter will be present to count the faithful as they enter. The strict cutoff will be when 25% of the church capacity is reached. The final level and our ultimate goal, ADNY Level V will see us resuming our full parish Mass schedule and sacramental activity. The faithful are reminded that for now there is no obligation for them to come back to Mass once churches are open. Those who are at a greater risk of COVID-19 (those older than 65 or who have underlying health conditions) are cautioned not to come to church for Mass. They may join us only when they feel safe and comfortable to do so. His Eminence has dispensed everyone from an obligation to attend Sunday Mass at this time. As an alternative, Mass may we watched online or on TV, and make the act of spiritual communion instead of receiving the Eucharist. At St. Helena, our daily and weekend Masses in English and Spanish can be viewed at www.Facebook.com/St.HelenaBronx. While we miss you when you are not here, and we still rely on your continued spiritual and financial support of St. Helena and the Archdiocese. We encourage all of you to either mail or bring in your parish envelopes or contribute by way of online giving by going to our parish website www.churchofsthelena.com and clicking the WeShare tab on the right column. There is also new information about the virus itself, which will continue to drive decision making. Now we are told the virus can live in the air for three hours, surfaces are less likely to cause transmission, children may also be affected, infected people may get re-infected, and masks are more important than originally thought.

Due to last week's riots, we did not receive the expected food shipment today. They can deliver it tomorrow, so our St. Helena Food Deliveries will be Tues, June 9.

Thank you for your prayers. Baby Isabel made it. She was fighting for her life in intensive care with COVID-19, but with your help, she pulled through. She is the cousin of one of our second-grade students.

My Brothers and Sisters, It is with much sadness that we inform you of the unfortunate news of the death of Mr. Pedro Eyzaguirre, the father of our Piarist junior brother Juan Pablo Eyzaguirre.  We ask you to please pray for the eternal repose of the soul of Mr. Eyzaguirre and for the comfort and peace of our brother Juan Pablo and his family. Here is a note from our brother Juan Pablo: Good morning, I regret that it is by this means that I communicate to you the sad news of the death of my father Pedro Eyzaguirre, due to COVID-related health complications.  My dad was living in Iquitos (Peru) at the beginning of May when his health started to deteriorate.  He was hospitalized with a liver infection and was then found to have COVID-19. His health seemed to be improving when suddenly and unexpectedly he suffered two heart attacks which left him partially paralyzed. Last Wednesday, we were finally able to transport my dad in a helicopter (air ambulance) to Lima (the capital of Peru), where he started receiving medical treatment in the intensive care unit of a city hospital. Over the last few days, his situation seemed to improve and then suddenly became complicated due to the hospital’s negligence and the fact that the neurologist did not want to come into my father’s room to treat him. I only ask you to pray for my mother and my brothers, so that we can have comfort at this time. Please understand that my mom is not receiving calls or messages at this time. Rest in peace, Dad, you are already enjoying the heavenly Easter. Thank you. Your beloved son,  Juan Pablo

Governor Cuomo has told us that NYS will gradually reopen in four phases according to the regions of the state. On Tuesday, May 26, he allowed all of them except the City of New York to enter into phase one and tentatively set Monday, June 8 as phase one for New York City. When New York City enters phase two, parish offices will be open to the public, and all precautions must be taken (wearing of masks, maintaining a six-foot distance, frequent washing of hands, and sanitizing surfaces). Once we reach phase four, houses of worship will be able to resume their services. Our first priority is the safety of the clergy and people, and self-care of all ministers. The second priority is to resume in-person worship. According to Faith Forward, there will be five levels to gradually get us to the ultimate goal of Sunday Mass with a congregation. As you know, we have been at level one for quite some time. Churches are open to our people for private prayer and confession. No booklets or fliers are NOW allowed in the church. We have suspended our missalette subscription until further notice. Level two will allow for the sacraments of baptism and marriage. At the moment, there is a maximum of ten attendees. This will be followed by level three with the celebration of weekday Masses and funeral Masses with limited attendance. Level four will permit Sunday Mass with supervised attendance. Entrance to churches will be through one door only. A greeter will be present to count the faithful as they enter, and there will be a strict cutoff when 25% of the church capacity is reached. At that point, it is up to the pastor to decide what to do with the overflow – hold a simultaneous Mass at another location, live stream it, or ask the people to attend a later Mass. Now is the time to prepare your parishioners on which method you have selected. That will be one of the topics at our virtual Parish Council Meeting this Sunday. The final level, the fifth, will see us resuming our full parish Mass schedule and sacramental activity