Third Sunday in Ordinary Time 1/22/2023

Mission Statement

The Roman Catholic Parish of St. Monica-St. Elizabeth of Hungary-St. Stephen of Hungary opens its doors to welcome and 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, life style, nationality, economic status & age, we endeavor to live as a community of faith and invite you to join our familya family seeking to know and love Jesus Christ.

Parish Staff

Pastor: Rev. Donald C. Baker ............................ frdcab@stelmo79.org Rev. Msgr. Leslie J. Ivers ............................... msgrlivers@stelmo79.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Parish Center Address: 406 East 80th Street, NY, NY 10075 Tel: 212-288-6250 Fax: 212- 570-1562 Email: info@stelmo79.org Our Offices are open:

Note: Please go to page 10 for our Holiday Schedule

Monday & Wednesday................................. . 9am - 4pm Tuesday - Thursday ....................................... 9am - 7pm Friday ....................................................... Closed Saturday ................................................. 10am - 2pm Sunday ..................................................... Closed Closed for Lunch Weekdays..................1pm - 2pm Visit us at: www.STELMO79.org

Follow us on social media by searching STELMO79

Mass Schedule

Daily Mass: Mon-Sat, 12 noon Saturday Vigil: 5:30pm Sunday: 8am, 10am, 12pm & 5pm

Confessions: Saturdays at 5pm or by appointment

Mass Intentions

Saturday, January 21st Vigil

5:30pm Bridgette, Pauline & John Downes

Sunday, January 22nd Third Sunday in Ordinary Time 8:00am Peter Sammut 10:00am Nine Souls of Lima 12:00pm All Parishioners 5pm Matthew Anderson

Monday, January 23rd USA Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children 12pm Jerry O’Donoghue

Tuesday, January 24th St. Francis de Sales 12pm Matthew J. Pianka

Wednesday, January 25th The Conversion of St. Paul 12pm John Ivers

Thursday, January 26th St. Timothy & St. Titus 12pm Joseph Francis Maloney

Friday, January 27th Weekday 12pm Gerald (Jerry) John Devaney

Saturday, January 28th St. Thomas Aquinas 12pm Harry Hibbits

For Mass Intentions, please visit the Parish Center

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

Every Friday after the Noon Mass until 3pm in the church and live on-line

Devotions

Miraculous Medal on Mondays after Mass in the church and live on-line

Divine Mercy

Prayed every Friday at 3pm in the church and live on-line

Vespers (Evening Prayer)

Every Friday at 5:10pm in the Chapel and live on-line

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Saturdays at 5pm or by appointment

Anointing of the sick

Every third Saturday of the Month after the noon Mass.

Baptisms & Marriages

Please call the rectory office for more information.

Communion for the Homebound:

If you know of anyone who cannot attend church because of illness or age, and would like to have communion brought to them, please contact the Parish office, so that we can arrange for a Eucharistic Minister to bring communion to them.

PRAYERS FOR THE SICK

Rev. Thomas Fenlon, Rev. Peter Bonventre, Cindy Garnica Castro, Madeline Tipton, Jennie Marmo and all those ill with or recovering from the COVID-19 virus and all Victims of Military Activities

PRAYERS FOR THE DECEASED

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Rev. Karl Bauer, Rev. Salvatore Ricardi, Deacon Arthur Cuccia, Mike Ward, Sr. Suzanne LaChapelle, Maureen Crean, Wanda Denome & Patricia Roche

Today’s Readings

First Reading — The burdens that were once laid upon the people have been vanquished (Isaiah 8:23 — 9:3).

Psalm — The Lord guides and saves me (Psalm 27).

Second Reading — Paul exhorts the believers at Corinth: As there is one Christ, so too must there be no divisions among you. (1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17).

Gospel — After calling his first disciples, Jesus goes throughout Galilee teaching, proclaiming the gospel, and curing the people (Matthew 4:12-23 [12-17]).

Readings for the Week

Monday: Heb 9:15, 24-28; Ps 98:1-6; Mk 3:22-30, or any of a number of readings for the Day of Prayer

Tuesday: Heb 10:1-10; Ps 40:2, 4ab, 7-8a, 10, 11;Mk 3:31-35

Wednesday: Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9:1-22; Ps 117:1bc, 2; Mk 16:15-18

Thursday: 2 Tm 1:1-8 or Ti 1:1-5; Ps 96:1-3, 7-8a, 10; Mk 4:21-35

Friday: Heb 10:32-39; Ps 37:3-6, 23-24, 39-40; Mk 4:26-34

Saturday: Heb 11:1-2, 8-19; Lk 1:69-75; Mk 4:35-41

Sunday: Zep 2:3; 3:12-13; Ps 146:6-10; 1 Cor 1:26-31; Mt 5:1-12a

Register for Open House: Tuesday, January 31st (8:30 - 9:30am) admissions@saintstephenschool.org www.saintstephenschool.org

Parish Pilgrimage to Greece with Fr. Anthony Ciorra, IVD In the Footsteps of Paul the Apostle October 3-13, 2023

(Oct. 3-16 with optional Rome extension)

Bereavement Ministry

Our Seasons of Hope support group series continues on January 25, and February 1, 8, and 15. We meet in the Parish Center, 7-8:30pm. Anyone who has suffered the loss of a loved one is welcome to join us for prayer, discussion, and group support. Contact Maryann at mtyrer@stelmo79.org for info.

Join us for an unforgettable tour via air, sea, and land to many of the places where St. Paul preached and established Christian communities in the first century. Enjoy Mediterranean scenery and cuisine. Visit the Acropolis, Mykanos, the House of Mary in Ephesus, the cave in Patmos where John wrote the Book of Revelation, Santorini, and the monasteries of Meteora. The optional Rome Excursion will allow you to pray at the tomb of St. Paul, tour the Vatican museums, and explore the catacombs.

You can access the tour brochure at https://gateway.gocollette.com/link/1127331

Contact Maryann Tyrer for more info at mtyrer@stelmo79.org Register with a refundable deposit in January and save $100!

January 23 is the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children.

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

K-8 Religious Education and Sacramental Preparation:

• Participation in Sunday (or Saturday evening) Eucharist is an integral part of Religious Education for all ages in our parish. Children’s Liturgy of the Word is on hold for the next month or so, due to renovation work in the sacristy.

• K-8 Religious Education meets at 11:10am in the Parish Center

Sacramental Preparation for Children & Teens

• Please remember that the Archdiocese requires two years of Religious Education or Catholic School prior to the celebration of First Penance/First Communion (2nd grade or older), and prior to the celebration of Confirmation (8th grade or older).

Adult Sacraments of Initiation (RCIA)

• Have you ever thought about becoming Catholic? Do you have a lot of questions about Catholicism? 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). Join us on Sundays at 1:15pm in the Parish Center.

Adult Faith Formation Opportunities

• On Sundays, open and ongoing Adult Faith Formation takes place in the Parish Center after the noon Mass. We gather between 1:00 and 1:30pm for coffee, tea, and fellowship, then 1:30-3pm for a facilitated discussion of the Sunday Scriptures and the themes of Catholic Teaching that flow from those Scriptures. Drop in any time or participate regularly!

• Men’s Bible Study – our Group of Guys meet on Tuesdays at 12noon in the Parish Center – Please register online at stelmo79.org, or call 212-288-6250 so we have a head count to prepare materials.

Celebrating Sunday of the Word of God

by Barb Szyszkiewicz (Source: https://www.catechist.com/celebrating-sunday-word-god/)

Sunday of the Word of God takes the place of the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (January 22I this year). In 2019, Pope Francis issued a new motu proprio titled Aperuit Illis, declaring that the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time will be known as “Sunday of the Word of God.” In his announcement, Pope Francis noted, Devoting a specific Sunday of the liturgical year to the word of God can enable the Church to experience anew how the risen Lord opens up for us the treasury of his word and enables us to proclaim its unfathomable riches before the world.

Only the Beginning

While Pope Francis has chosen a specific Sunday to celebrate God’s word, he is insistent that this is only the launching pad for a continual exploration of how God is speaking to us. God does not speak to us once for all, but is always revealing new and unexpected layers of meaning. Our Sunday readings, broken into a three-year cycle, should not and will not have the same meaning for us when we hear them again the next time they come around. We must develop a closer relationship with Scripture, Pope Francis says, to keep our hearts from growing cold, and to keep us ever aware and awake to what God is saying to us.

Ponder: How have I changed in the last ten years? Why might I hear Scripture differently now?

Pray: God of word and sacrament, let me always be open to all that you are trying to teach me.

Celebrating The Fourth Centenary of the Death Of Saint Francis De Sales

Pope Francis issued an Apostolic Letter on December 28th entitled Totum amoris est (Everything Pertains to Love), in which he suggests how the Doctor of the Church St. Francis de Sales, who lived 1567-1622, is a saint for our time.

The Pope explains that, reflecting on "the legacy of Saint Francis de Sales for our time,” he found his “flexibility and his far-sighted vision” enlightening.

In early 17th-century Paris, the saintly bishop - who Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI once called “an apostle, preacher, writer, a man of action and of prayer” - “perceived clearly that the times were changing.” He might “never have imagined that those changes represented so great an opportunity for the preaching of the Gospel. The Word of God that he had loved from his youth now opened up before him new and unexpected horizons in a rapidly changing world.”

“That same task,” says the Pope, “awaits us in our own age of epochal change.” “We are challenged to be a Church that is outward-looking and free of all worldliness, even as we live in this world, share people’s lives and journey with them in attentive listening and acceptance. That is what Francis de Sales did when he discerned the events of his times with the help of God’s grace. Today he bids us set aside undue concern for ourselves, for our structures and for what society thinks about us, and consider instead the real spiritual needs and expectations of our people.”

The entire Apostolic Letter is only a few pages long, and can be read at https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2022/12/28/221228b.html#

We wish our neighboring parish, St. Francis de Sales (on East 96th Street), a Happy Feast Day on January 24!

Five Minute Jesus

Using the Gospel for Prayer

January 29, 2023

– Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

It is simple. Read the Gospel for the following Sunday slowly, reflecting on the story it tells. Consider the questions suggested for each day. What conversion of mind, heart, and life might the Lord be asking of you? Make a resolution about how what you read and reflect upon can be lived that day. Thank God for speaking to you through this reflection.

Mt 5: 1-12a

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed is the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed is the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed is the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed is those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me, Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”

Monday, January 23

The Gospel of Matthew is the most complete source of the eight blessings described in this Gospel. These blessings or Beatitudes represent the very foundation of Jesus’ biblical teachings. Read through the Gospel slowly. What word or words or words in this passage caught my attention? Comforted me? Challenged me? What conversion of mind, heart, and life is the Lord asking of me?

Tuesday, January 24

Select one Beatitude for in-depth consideration. Most likely, the literal meaning of the blessing will emerge initially. Go deeper, what spiritual meanings might emerge? Can you think of one application in your everyday life?

Wednesday, January 25

Review the eight blessings once more. Notice that in each Beatitude, Jesus is inviting us to belong to the kingdom of heaven. What do you think is the explicit invitation for each of the blessings?

Thursday, January 26

There is a definite order in the Beatitudes. Each flow from the others that went before. For example, the first three beatitudes deal with our needs- the need to be poor in spirit, to mourn, and to be meek. When these needs are nourished, other needs arise. Reflect on the remaining Beatitudes. How do they encourage continued growth?

Friday, January 27

Growth is gradual and takes patience. To get to the fifth ring of mercy for others, the sixth ring of purity or the seventh ring of peace, means working on the rings that went before. Prepare, in writing, a road map for progress in your Christian life. Tape it to your refrigerator door!

Saturday, January 28

Evaluate and synthesize all your reflections about this Gospel. Thank God for all you have learned about yourself and the very foundation of Jesus’ teachings

Just a Word

From the Pastor 01.22.23

What’s in . . . THE Word?

“What’s in a word?” it is an expression we have. It means names, especially the names we get called and the labels we use, are not that important. “Talk is cheap” is another expression with a similar meaning. It reflects an attitude we have, that it is what we DO, that matters. Rather than what we say.

Talk is cheap does not get used much anymore. Perhaps because, due to the onslaught of fake news and “alternative facts”, all words have lost their meaning. Or at least, they mean whatever we want them to.

That is a problem for culture, politics, and basic human communication. But it is a catastrophe for theology. For Christian Theology is built on nothing, if not on words. We stand in the tradition of the Hebrew prophets who proclaimed God’s will to God’s people, and they did it with words. The evangelists composed gospels and Paul wrote letters and they did it with words. The debates and battles in the first centuries of Christianity, which produced the Creed, the Scriptures, and the Catholic Tradition were all about the meanings of words.

More importantly, we share with Jews and Muslims the belief that God spoke, and the universe came into being. And most importantly, for us Christians, we believe that this creative WORD became a human being in Jesus of Nazareth, so that we could know God, and become the people God created and calls us to be precisely through a relationship with Jesus Christ: God’s WORD.

Perhaps because talk is cheap and words lose their meaning, the Holy Father Pope Francis declared several years ago that the 3rd Sunday in January each year would be celebrated as Word of God Sunday. It is a day in which we celebrate the importance of God’s Word, which speaks to us in Scripture, Tradition, Liturgy, Sacraments, and the teaching of the Church.

This day will grow in importance in our parish in the years to come, but on this Sunday, we will begin by establishing a “throne” for God’s Word. It will be located on the Mary altar to the left of the main altar. We will keep an open book of the Sunday readings there. The Mary altar is appropriate for such a throne, for the first “throne” for the Word of God in this world was the womb of the Virgin Mary.

Talk may be cheap, and words may not mean much. But that is more reason to honor God’s ONE Word who does not change: Jesus Christ, and to celebrate all the ways God still speaks to us, and through us, to the world.

Michael Ward Update

Following the announcement of the death of our former parish manager, many people have approached me and asked me if there were going to be any way we could remember and honor him for his years of service to our parish. While the plans are still indefinite as to when, we are currently renovating the back part of our sacristy. It functioned for years as a storage room but is now going to become not only a room for storage, but for music rehearsals, meetings, and small receptions.

Since this room was a part of the renovation and revitalization plan Mike and I put together in 2015, we have decided to dedicate this new room to his memory. Once the Ward Room is complete, we will remember and celebrate Mike as Sunday mass. Many of you have asked if there was anything we could do to help Mike’s family. As part of that mass, we will take up a second collection for the benefit of his wife and two children.

Father Baker

TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION

We make transitions along life’s journey, and search for meaning. Watch an infant take those first wobbly steps. Inevitably they are toward the arms of a dear one, and the gleeful smile and wordless laughter let us know that the baby understands that the whole world is renewed in an instant. Parents may see that wideeyed smile again some years later as they flip car keys in the teenager’s direction, and by God’s grace at inbetween moments of forgiveness and affirmation.

Sacraments open a window to the blessings of everyday life and help us claim their deep meaning. A voice from a fiery bush warned Moses to take off his shoes because he stood on “holy ground.” Your first steps, your first word, taking your place at the family table, stirring to new love, forgiving and being forgiven: all of this is holy, laden with meaning, full of possibilities. Sacraments are not escape pods from the realities of the everyday; rather they invest us ever more deeply in life and recruit us for the kingdom inaugurated by Jesus. We take baby steps all our life long. In the world of sacrament, they are always directed toward the arms of a loving God, and always on the common holy ground of a community’s life.

—Rev. James Field, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time