Pentecost Sunday

Parishlife

Pentecost Sunday - MAY 19, 2024

What Does Home Mean to You? (pg 8)

A Message from Pope Francis: World Children’s Day (pg 10) Five Minute Jesus (pg 9)

Mass Intentions Mission Statement

The Roman Catholic Parish of St. Monica, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Stephen of Hungary opens its doors to embrace all in our community.

We strive through worship, hospitality, and service to receive those seeking a spiritual home.

In the midst of diversity of thought, lifestyle, nationality, economic status, and age, we endeavor to live as a community of faith. We invite you to join our family: a family seeking to know and love Jesus Christ!

Parish Staff

Pastor: Rev. Donald C. Baker .................... frdcab@stelmo79.org

Parish Manager: Jennifer DeSpirito................jdespirito@stelmo79.org

Sacristan: Pedro Pizarro..........................ppizarro@stelmo79.org

Administrative Assistant: Gladys Tejada........gtejada@stelmo79.org

Pastoral Associate: Taryn Tonelli.............ttonelli@stelmo79.org

Pastoral Associate: Maryann Tyrer..........mtyrer@stelmo79.org

Plant Manager: Guillermo Vanegas...gvanegas@stelmo79.org

Music Director: John Zupan.....................jzupan@stelmo79.org

Weekend Associate: ...........................Rev. Anthony Ciorra, IVD

Weekend Associate: ..................................Rev. Edward Beck, CP

Wedding Coordinator: Debbi Burdett....dbweddingsnyc@gmail.com

Mass Schedule

Daily Mass: Mon - Sat, 12:00 PM

Saturday Vigil: 5:30 PM

Sunday: 8 AM, 10 AM, 12 PM, 5:00 PM

Confessions: Saturdays at 5:00 PM* (*or by appointment)

Contact

Church Address: 413 East 79th Street, New York, NY 10075

Parish Center: 406 East 80th Street, New York NY 10075

Tel: 212-288-6250 Fax: 212-570-1562 Email: info@stelmo79.org

Parish Office Hours

Monday & Wednesday..............................9 AM - 4 PM

Tuesday & Thursday ................................. 9 AM - 7 PM

Friday ......................................................... Closed

Saturday ................................................10 AM - 2 PM

Sunday ....................................................... Closed

Closed for Lunch Weekdays from 1 - 2 PM stelmo79.org | @stelmo79

Saturday, May 18, Vigil 5:30 PM - Bela and Anna Hiebl

Sunday, May 19, Pentecost Sunday 8:00 AM - Linda Rizzo 10:00 AM - Emely and Joseph Coleman 12:00 PM - All Parishioners 5:00 PM - Jose Eduardo and Edilma Orjuela

Monday, May 20, The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church 12:00 PM - Nine Souls of Lima

Tuesday, May 21, Weekday 12:00 PM - Antonio Soliven Reyes and Arnulfo S. Reyes

Wednesday, May 22, Weekday 12:00 PM - Remberto Dacanay, Samuel R. Molina, and Leilani D. Molina (Living)

Thursday, May 23, Weekday 12:00 PM - Priests of St. Monica’s

Friday, May 24, Weekday 12:00 PM - Caridad Bonifacio (Living)

Saturday, May 25, Weekday 12:00 PM - Harvey Humphrey

Prayers for the Sick

Elizabeth Majestic

Bryan Saavedra

Nieves Lopez

Mary Hemphry

Mary O’Dowd

Robert Estrada

Marjorie Stamburg

Pearl Silverman

Dr. Vittorio Palmieri

Maria Simanca

Patricia Marino

Besnik P.

Desiree Amato Parks

Maurine Lynch

Rosemary Keating

Neil O’Carroll

Harry Rabinowitz

Marylin Atkinson

Jerry Schwegman

Judith Farber

Mary O’Connor Lynch

Danielle Boros

Michael Reilly

Marcelle Ferrier

and all those ill and victims of military activities

Prayers for the Deceased

Msgr. Thomas J. Bergin

Joseph Spina

Gladys Kazembe

Elizabeth Slane and the victims of the Middle East

Weekly Readings & Observances

Every Friday after the 12:00 PM Mass until 3:00 PM in the church and live online

Devotions

Miraculous Medal on Mondays after Mass in the church and live online

Every Friday at 3:00 PM in the church and live online

(Evening Prayer)

Every Friday at 5:10 PM in the chapel and live online

Saturdays at 5:00 PM or by appointment

Anointing of the Sick

Every third Saturday of the month after the 12:00 PM Mass

Please call the rectory office for more information.

Communion for the Homebound:

If you know of anyone who cannot attend church because of illness/age and would like to have communion brought to them, please contact the parish office for arrangements.

Baptism Announcement

On May 19 at 1:30 PM, we will be baptizing:

Trevor John Connelly child of John R. Connelly III & Lorraine E. Coleman

Prince Martin Nicholas child of James G. Nicholas III & Kristin M. Belletieri

Jonathan Elezovic child of Joseph Ruiz & Sharon M. Stasolla

Charlotte Carole Verri

Readings for the week of May 19, 2024

Sunday: Acts 2:1-11/1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Gal 5:16-25/Jn 20:19-23 or Jn 15:26-27; 16:1215 Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48/1 Jn 4:7-10/ Jn 15:9-17

Monday: Gn 3:9-15, 20 or Acts 1:12-14/Jn 19:25-34

Tuesday: Jas 4:1-10/Mk 9:30-37

Wednesday: Jas 4:13-17/Mk 9:38-40

Thursday: Jas 5:1-6/Mk 9:41-50

Friday: Jas 5:9-12/Mk 10:1-12

Saturday: Jas 5:13-20/Mk 10:13-16

Next Sunday: Dt 4:32-34, 39-40/Rom 8:14-17/Mt 28:1620

Observances for the week of May 19, 2024

Sunday: Pentecost Sunday

Monday: The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church

Tuesday: Weekday

Wednesday: Weekday

Thursday: Weekday

Friday: Weekday

Saturday: Weekday

Next Sunday: The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Andrew J. Verri & Christina Coyle Please join us in congratulationing these families as they celebrate their children’s new lives in Christ!

C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s to those celebrating Sacraments of Initiation in our parish during the Easter Season!

Pentecost Sunday

K-8 Religious Education and Preparation:

• Children’s Liturgy of the Word during the 10AM mass on Sundays ends this weekend, May 19. We’ll resume again in the fall. Thank you to all who have participated this year. Volunteers are needed to work with this program next year – all training and materials are provided! Connect with Maryann for details.

• K-8 Religious Education sessions at 11:10am in the Parish Center. No sessions May 26.

• Registration for next year is now open online at stelmo79.org. Go ahead and take care of this before the summer, and it’s one less thing to deal with in the fall! Please remember that two years of religious education are required prior to First Communion and also prior to Confirmation!

• Save the date! Family Faith Formation Picnic, Sunday, June 9, 1:30-3:30pm in the St. Stephen School Play Yard. Bring the whole family and a picnic basket. We’ll provide lemonade, snacks, games, and family activities. Come and celebrate the conclusion of our religiouseEducation year. Registration for next year will be available for those who prefer to fill out paper forms and/or pay with a check. This event is for all who are currently registered in our Religious Education Program, as well as those joining us in the fall.

Adult Sacraments of Initiation (RCIA):

• Have you ever thought about becoming Catholic? Or are you a baptized Catholic who has not yet celebrated First Communion or Confirmation? You and your questions are warmly welcomed! Come and share the journey with others. Please contact Maryann Tyrer at mtyrer@stelmo79.org to discuss our adult initiation process (commonly known as the RCIA.) Begin the process at any time in the year.

Adult Faith Formation Opportunities:

• Adult Faith Formation will resume meeting in the fall.

• Theology Thursday will resume in the Fall. If there are topics you would like to see presented, email Maryann at mtyrer@stelmo79.org. We’re already beginning to plan for next year!

• Group of Guys Men’s Faith Sharing group meets every Tuesday at 12PM in the Parish Center, and all men are welcome to join.

Come and celebrate with us! On Pentecost Sunday, May 19, at the 5pm Mass, 6 adults will celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation, and 5 of them will also be celebrating their First Holy Communion! A Wine and Cheese Social (including non-alcoholic options) will follow the Mass so we can meet our new fully-initiated Catholics, as well as toasting the conclusion of the Easter Season.

The Pentecost Sequence

Pentecost is the culmination of the Easter season and the celebration of the giving of the Holy Spirit to the followers of Christ. As part of the day’s liturgy, the sequence Veni, Sancte Spiritus, or “Come, Holy Spirit,” is prayed. This sequence is part of a number of hymns/ poems that were composed in the Middle Ages.

The sequence, which is from the Latin sequentia, meaning “that which follows,” was originally written to follow the Gospel Acclamation or Alleluia. The sequence was intended to extend and therefore emphasize the message of the Gospel Acclamation verse. The sequence also had a practical application: it offered musical accompaniment for an extended procession by the deacon with the Book of the Gospels. By the twelfth century, hundreds of these sequences were sung during Mass. The pre– and post–Vatican II reforms changed the order of the sequence so that it now is prayed before the Gospel Acclamation.

The number of sequences in the liturgy has been reduced to four: Victimae Paschali Laudes on Easter; Veni, Sancte Spiritus on Pentecost; Lauda Sion Salvatorem on Corpus Christi; and Stabat Mater on the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, September 15. The use of two of these sequences, the Victimae Paschali Laudes and Veni, Sancte Spiritus, is mandatory in the liturgy. Veni, Sancte Spiritus is a beautiful hymn/poem that can be prayed to the Holy Spirit, any day of the year.

Come, Holy Spirit, come!

And from your celestial home Shed a ray of light divine!

Come, Father of the poor!

Come, source of all our store!

Come, within our bosoms shine.

You, of comforters the best;

You, the soul’s most welcome guest; Sweet refreshment here below;

In our labor, rest most sweet; Grateful coolness in the heat; Solace in the midst of woe.

O most blessed Light divine, Shine within these hearts of yours, And our inmost being fill!

Where you are not, we have naught, Nothing good in deed or thought, Nothing free from taint of ill.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew; On our dryness pour your dew; Wash the stains of guilt away:

Bend the stubborn heart and will; Melt the frozen, warm the chill; Guide the steps that go astray.

On the faithful, who adore

And confess you, evermore

In your sevenfold gift descend; Give them virtue’s sure reward; Give them your salvation, Lord; Give them joys that never end. Amen. Alleluia.

Connecting the Liturgy with Our Lives © 2019 Archdiocese of Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications. 800-933-1800; www.LTP.org. Text by Kathy Kuczka. Art by James B. Janknegt. The translation of Veni, Sancte Spiritus is taken from The Roman Missal approved by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States © 1964 by the National Catholic Welfare Conference, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission to publish granted by the Archdiocese of Chicago on October 25, 2018.

In the Pentecost Sequence, Veni, Sancte Spiritus, we pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit.

What does “home” mean to you?

What three words do you associate most closely with the concept of “home”?

What makes this parish your home?

Share a memory that made you feel welcome, connected, and/or "at home" at St. Monica, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Stephen of Hungary. and/or

Looking ahead to May 26, 2024: Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

It’s simple. Read the Gospel for next Sunday slowly, reflecting on the story it tells. Consider the questions asked each day. What conversion of heart, mind, and life might the Lord be asking of you at this moment? Reflect on how you might live out God’s Word each day.

MATTHEW 28:16-20

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."

Monday, May 20

Which words or phrases caught my attention? Which comforted or challenged me? What conversion of mind and heart might God be asking?

Tuesday, May 21

When the disciples encounter Jesus, they worship him. What is my reaction when I encounter Jesus? How do I worship him?

Wednesday, May 22

Some of the disciples doubted, even when they saw Jesus. How do I deal with the doubts that arise in my life?

Thursday, May 23

Jesus sends his disciples – and us – to make disciples of all nations. How am I challenged by this command? How can I “make disciples” of other people?

Friday, May 24

On this Trinity Sunday, how do I understand that God is a Trinity of persons yet one God? If we are created in the image and likeness of God, what does that say about us?

Saturday, May 25

Jesus is with us always, even until the end of the age. How does this comfort and sustain me in my everyday life?

The Holy See

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS

FOR THE FIRST WORLD CHILDREN’S DAY 25-26 May 2024

Dear Children!

Your first World Day, which will be held in Rome on 25-26 May this year, is fast approaching. That is why I thought of sending you a Message. I am happy that you will be able to read it and I thank all those responsible for passing it on to you.

I want to speak to each of you, dear children, because, as the Bible teaches us, and as Jesus showed so oVen, “you are precious” in God’s eyes (Is 43:4).

At the same ]me, I am addressing this Message to all of you, because all children, everywhere, are a sign of every person’s desire to grow and flourish. You remind us that we are all children, brothers and sisters. We would not be alive unless others brought us into this world, nor could we grow without having others to love and from whom to receive love (cf. Fratelli Tu`, 95).

All of you, girls and boys, are a source of joy for your parents and your families, but also for our human family and for the Church, in which each of us is like a link in a great chain stretching from the past to the future and covering the whole earth. That is why I encourage you to pay acen]on to the stories of grown-ups: your moms and dads, your grandparents and great grandparents. And not to forget all those other children and young people who are already bacling illness and hardship, in hospital or at home, and those who even now are being cruelly robbed of their childhood. I think of children who are vic]ms of war and violence, those experiencing hunger and thirst, those living on the streets, those forced to be soldiers or to flee as refugees, separated from their parents, those prevented from going to school, and those who fall prey to criminal gangs, drugs or other forms of slavery and abuse. Let us listen to their voices. We need to hear those voices, for amid their sufferings they remind us of reality, with their tearful eyes and with that tenacious yearning for goodness that endures in the hearts of those who have truly seen the horror of evil.

Dear young friends, in order for us and our world to grow and flourish, it is not enough to be united with one another; we need, above all else, to be united with Jesus. From him we receive a great deal of courage. He is always close to us, his Spirit goes before us and accompanies us on all the world’s pathways. Jesus told us: “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev 21:5); this is the theme I have chosen for your first World Day. These words invite us to become as clever as children in grasping the new reali]es s]rred up by the Spirit, both within us and around us.

With Jesus, we can dream of the renewal of our human family and work for a more fraternal society that cares for our common home. This starts with licle things, like saying hello to others, asking permission, begging pardon, and saying thank you. Our world will change if we all begin with these licle things, without being ashamed to take small steps, one at a ]me. The fact that we are small reminds us that we are also frail and need one another as members of one body (cf. Rom 12:5; 1 Cor 12:26).

That is not all. The fact is that we cannot be happy all by ourselves because our joy increases to the extent that we share it. Joy is born of gra]tude for the giVs we have received and which we

share in turn and it grows in our rela]onships with others. When we keep the blessings we have received to ourselves, or throw tantrums to get this or that giV, we forget that the greatest giV that we possess is ourselves, one another: all of us, together, are “God’s giV.” Other giVs are nice, but only if they help us to be together. If we don’t use them for that purpose, we will always end up being unhappy; they will never be enough.

Instead, when we are all together, everything is different! Think of your friends, and how great it is to spend ]me with them: at home, at school, in the parish and the playground, everywhere. Playing, singing, discovering new things, having fun, everyone being together and excluding no one. Friendship is wonderful and it grows only in this way: through sharing and forgiving, with pa]ence, courage, crea]vity and imagina]on, without fear and without prejudice.

Now, I am going to share a special secret with you. If we really want to be happy, we need to pray, to pray a lot, to pray every day, because prayer connects us directly to God. Prayer fills our hearts with light and warmth; it helps us to do everything with confidence and peace of mind. Jesus constantly prayed to the Father. Do you know what Jesus called him? In his language, he simply called him “Abba”, which means “Daddy” (cf. Mk 14:36). Let’s do the same thing! We will always feel that Jesus is close to us. He himself promised us that, when he said, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20).

Dear children, you may know that in May, many of us will be together in Rome, to be together with children from all over the world. To prepare well for this, I would ask all of you to pray the same prayer that Jesus taught us – the Our Father. Recite it every morning and every evening, in your families too, together with your parents, brothers, sisters and grandparents. But not just by saying the words! Think about those words that Jesus taught us. He is calling us and he wants us to join ac]vely with him, on this World Children’s Day, to become builders of a new, more humane, just and peaceful world. Jesus, who offered himself on the Cross to gather all of us together in love, who conquered death and reconciled us with the Father, wants to con]nue his work in the Church through us. Think about this, especially those of you who are preparing to receive First Communion.

God has loved us from all eternity (cf. Jer 1:5). He looks upon us with the eyes of a loving father and a gentle mother. He never forgets us (cf. Is 49:15) and every day he accompanies us and renews us with his Spirit.

Together with the Most Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, let us pray in these words:

Come, Holy Spirit, show us your beauty, reflected in the faces of children all over the world. Come, Jesus, you who make all things new, who are the way that leads us to the Father, come and remain with us always. Amen.

Rome, Saint John Lateran, 2 March 2024 FRANCIS