January 26, 2020

The Roman Catholic Parish of

Saint Monica Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Saint Stephen of Hungary ————————————————————————————————————— Church : 413 East 79th St. New York, NY 10075 Parish Center: 406 East 80th St. New York, NY 10075 Tel.:(212) 288-6250 Fax: (212) 570 - 1562 www.STELMO79.org www.facebook.com/stelmo79

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Third Sunday in Ordinary Time–January 26th, 2020

Office Hours

Parish Staff

Our Offices are open: Mo. 9am – 5pm Tu.-Th. 9am – 7pm Fri. Closed Sat. 10am -2pm Sun. Closed Our offices close for lunch: 1pm – 2pm daily

Pastor:

Rev. Donald C. Baker

frdcab@stelmo79.org

Associate:

Rev. Msgr. Leslie J. Ivers

msgrlivers@stelmo79.org

Weekend Associates:

Parish Manager: Music Director:

Rev. Jim O’Shea Rev. Tony Ciorra Ms. Maryann Tyrer Ms. Jasmine Gomez Mr. Michael Ward Mr. John Zupan

mtyrer@stelmo79.org jgomez@stelmo79.org mward@stelmo79.org jzupan@stelmo79.org

Wedding Coordinator:

Ms. Debbi Burdett

DBweddingsnyc@gmail.com

Pastoral Associates:

Mass Schedule Saturday Vigil: 5:30pm Sunday: 8:00am,10:00am,12:00pm,5:00pm Monday – Saturday: 12:00pm Confessions: Saturday: 5:00 – 5:30pm and by appointment Our church is open: 7:15am – 3:30pm daily for private prayer Vespers (evening prayer): 5:10pm Fridays in Parish Center Chapel St.

St. Stephen of Hungary School Pre-K through 8th Grade Catholic Parochial School

408 East 82nd St., New York, NY 10028 (212) 288-1989 Fax: (212) 517 – 5788 Principal: Ms. Kelly Burke

www.saintstephenschool.org Interested in admissions to our parish school?

admissions@saintstephenschool.org

S

MISSION STATEMENT The Roman Catholic Parish of St. Monica, St. Elizabeth of Hungary and 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 and age, we endeavor to live as a community of faith and invite you to join our family a family seeking to know and love Jesus Christ.

TODAY’S READINGS First Reading — God has restored the land, and brought great joy to the people (Isaiah 8:23 — 9:3).

Psalm — The Lord is my light and my salvation (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 (Matthew 4:12-23 [1217]).

The English translation of the Psalm Responses from Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday:

Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: Saturday: Sunday:

2 Sm 5:1-7, 10; Ps 89:20-22, 25-26;Mk 3:22-30 2 Sm 6:12b-15, 17-19; Ps 24:7-10;Mk 3:31-35 2 Sm 7:4-17; Ps 89:4-5, 27-30; Mk 4:1-20 2 Sm 7:18-19, 24-29; Ps 132:1-5, 11-14;Mk 4:21-25 2 Sm 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17; Ps 51:3-7, 10-11; Mk 4:26-34 2 Sm 12:1-7a, 10-17; Ps 51:12-17;Mk 4:35-41 Mal 3:1-4; Ps 24:7-10; Heb 2:14-18;Lk 2:22-40 [22-32]

SATURDAY 5:30PM

January 25thVigil Margaret Mae Price

SUNDAY 8:00AM 10:00AM 12NOON 5PM

January 26th Third Sunday In Ordinary Time Theresa Musto Moira Kiss All Parishioners The Nine Souls of Lima

MONDAY 12NOON

January 27th Weekday Anna Cora

TUESDAY

January 28th St. Thomas Aquinas Kathleen M. Reddington

12NOON

WEDNESDAY January 29th Weekday 12NOON Thanksgiving to St. Agata THURSDAY 12NOON

January 30th Weekday Matthew Cahill

FRIDAY 12NOON

January 31st St. John Bosco Esther Morales

SATURDAY 12NOON

February 1st Weekday Frank Vigilante

Baptism Announcement Next Sunday, February 2nd, there will be a baptism service at 1:30PM At this service we will be baptizing: Sylvia Rose Artigas Please join us in congratulating: David Artigas & Laura Huddleston on their child’s new life in Christ.

Baptism Services are open for members of the parish to join in the welcoming of our newest members.

If you wish to add the name of a loved one to the prayer list, please notify the parish center: (212) 288-6250

K-8 Religious Education • We are in session each Sunday, 10:15-11:45am in the Parish Center. st • Our next Family Mass is on Saturday, February 1 , at 5:30pm. We will have a special Candlemas procession at that Mass, so come a bit early!

• No sessions on February 16 – Winter Break st • Our next Family Faith Formation will be on Sunday, March 1 , 9-11:45am.

Mark your calendars!

Adult Faith Formation • Our Sunday Morning Scripture Discussion Group is in session, and runs 10:15-11:45am in the Parish Center each Sunday that Religious Education is in session. This group is open to any and all adults – you can become a “regular,” or just drop in occasionally as your schedule allows. Make a New Year’s resolution to deepen your faith!

• Save the dates for our next Icon Painting Workshop – March 2-6! More details will be coming soon.

Adult Sacraments • Adults thinking about becoming Catholic, or Catholic adults who have missed First Communion or Confirmation – it’s never too late! Contact Maryann Tyrer, Pastoral Associate, to discuss our adult initiation process. You can begin the process any time throughout the year.

Sessions are held on Sunday in the Parish Center following the noon Mass.

All inquirers are welcome!

Welcome and Congratulations to our new Liturgical Ministers! You’ve probably noticed more young faces among our altar servers and lectors – and that’s a wonderful thing! We have lots of new altar servers who are completing training and beginning to serve, as well as a few new young lectors, and they are doing a wonderful job. Thank you for coming forward and sharing your time and talent with us!

Rite of Acceptance and Welcome at the Noon Mass on January 26.

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is the process by which adults and older children prepare for and celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and First Eucharist) in our church. It is also the process by which adults and older children who are already baptized in other Christian churches become Catholic through a Profession of Faith, Confirmation, and First Eucharist.

This Sunday, at the Noon Mass, we celebrate the first major rite of this process for three adults. This Rite of Acceptance and Welcome is a major step on the way to the Easter Sacraments for them. We will welcome Bal G. Das and Brad Ludwin into the Order of Catechumens as they prepare for Baptism at Easter. We will recognize Carolyn Wray Koleszar, already a Christian through baptism in the Methodist Church, as she prepares to make a Profession of Faith in the Catholic Church. During this Rite, they will be welcomed, presented to the community by their sponsors, and given the central symbol of our faith – the Cross of Christ.

They will be given a Bible, and encouraged to read and study and pray with the Scriptures. We will commit to praying for them as they journey with us to our Easter Celebration.

February 2 – Candlemas – The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord Candlemas Day is another name for the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Forty days after His birth, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple for the rites of purification and dedication as prescribed by the Torah.

Simeon, a just and pious man, who awaited the Messiah and looked for the consolation of Israel, was inspired to come to the temple. He held baby Jesus in his arms and blessed God, saying, “Now, Master, you can dismiss your servant in peace; you have fulfilled your word. For my eyes have witnessed your saving deed, displayed for all the peoples to see: A revealing light to the Gentiles, the glory of your people Israel” (Lk 2:29-32). Simeon, thereby, announced that the Messiah has come not just for the Jew but the gentile; not just the righteous, but the sinner. So the Presentation is a proclamation of Christ — Messiah and Priest, Lord and Savior. He is the light who came into this world to dispel sin and darkness. For this reason, traditionally at least since the seventh century, candles have been blessed at Mass this day that will be used throughout the year, hence coining the term “Candlemas.”

We will have a special candlelight procession at the 5:30pm Family Mass on February 1st, and at the Noon Mass on February 2nd. Also, all are invited to bring your own candles, those you use in your homes, to the church at 3pm on February 2nd for a short prayer service and blessing of those candles you bring from home.

SPECIAL DEVOTIONS

TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION

After all weekday masses

January 27 Born in Northern Italy, orphaned in childhood, Angela Merici faced a society in which education was largely the privilege of wealthy young men and based primarily in monastic schools. This reality shaped Angela’s insightful conviction that society’s disorder was caused by disorder in the home, and a lack of model Christian mothers the result of neglecting the education of young women. Transform the Christian family by placing an educated wife and mother at its heart, Angela believed, and the whole world would be renewed in Christ! So she gathered a small group of unmarried women, many of them Franciscan Tertiaries (lay affiliates) like herself, and set out to educate poor girls, free of charge, in their homes. She and her band of teachers called themselves companions, pioneering a new form of non-cloistered religious life for women, bearing witness to evangelical simplicity in the midst of the world, not as a formal “order” but as the Company (compagnia) of Saint Ursula. Known today as the Ursulines, Angela Merici’s spiritual daughters continue serving the Church and society in a rich diversity of ministries.

—Peter Scagnelli, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament Every Friday after the Noon Mass to 3 PM, with Benediction following the Divine Mercy Chaplet Devotions Miraculous Medal on Mondays after each Mass Divine Mercy The Divine Mercy Chaplet is prayed each Friday afternoon at 3 PM Sacrament of Reconciliation: 5:00 PM on Saturdays Anytime by appointment 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 Please remember in your prayers Antonio Crispino, Patricia Kaye, Aura Jimenez, Zulma Power, Antoinette Paone, Christopher Sanchez, Richard Baldwin, Fr. Jim O’Shea, Mary Scrapits, Judith Baron, Glenn Allen & Jean Stephens

ALL VICTIMS OF MILITARY ACTIVITY

PRAYERS FOR THE DECEASED Please pray for our deceased parishioners and family members Eileen Maloney, Adriana Vellucci, Pietro Cicaglione, Sophia Kaszinski, Albert Walsh, Austin Mulhern, Scott Principe, & Jose Gutierrez

SAINTS & SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Monday: Tuesday: Friday: Saturday:

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time; Sunday of the Word of God; Catholic Schools Week St. Angela Merici St. Thomas Aquinas St. John Bosco Blessed Virgin Mary; First Saturday

FAMILY MASS Our Next Family Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, February 1st at 5:30 PM.

All Families and Parishioners are invited.

Care for Our Common Home ("Green Team")

Second Sunday Social

In last week's bulletin, we talked about how the #1 thing we can do to combat climate change is to move from carbon-based power to renewable energy. Since this transition

Second Sunday Social

will not take place overnight, it's worth saying that the #2 thing we can do is to be more efficient with the power that we currently use.

As you look around the church today, you will see proof that here at St. Monica's we are living what we preach when it comes to caring for our common home. The scaffolding you see is part of a significant effort we are undertaking to reduce the carbon footprint of our physical infrastructure, particularly with respect to lighting and electricity.

We are working with an energy-management company on a number of measures to use our electricity more efficiently, and these measures will affect not only the church, but also the school (both buildings), the parish center, and the rectory. As we complete these projects, we will provide more details on our total energy reduction results.

We also urge you to be aware of your own individual energy use; Con Edison has a number of programs designed specifically to help NYC residents become more energy efficient. As a bonus, these measures can also save you money on your utility bill.

To learn more, please visit https://www.coned.com/ en/save-money/energy-saving-programs

February 9th, 2020 1-3PM

Starting in the back of the church If you have joined our Parish within the past year or would simply like to learn more about our Parish, join us for our Second Sunday Social. Attend the noon mass and then meet at the back of the church for an overview of our ministries and tour of the Parish... coffee and treats will follow. Please RSVP to Jasmine by Feb 5th. We look forward to welcoming you to the St. Monica- St. Elizabeth of Hungary- St. Stephen of Hungary Family!

Social Justice Ministry News Social Justice Ministry's Immigration Project presents: English Conversation Initiative St. Monica’s Parish Center Angelo Room January 30th, 2020 6:30-8:00PM Join us for an informational meeting and orientation to become an English Conversation Partner! Every year, many new people settle in NYC from other countries. These English Conversation Classes help new settlers to become more fluent with the English language which helps them better adjust to their surroundings and secure employment. This project is in collaboration with Catholic Charities. No prior experience or knowledge of a second language is required.

All are welcome

Candle Blessing Fordham Preparatory School February 2nd, 2020 3-3:15PM Candle Blessing at St. Monica-St. Elizabeth & St. Stephen of Hungary In honor of the Presentation of the Lord, come and have your candles blessed! These blessed candles serve as both a reminder that Jesus is the light of the world and an invitation to prayer.

Fordham Preparatory School Higher Achievement Program (HAP) For Rising 8th Graders June 29-July 29 Application is required Visit: fordhamprep.org/HAP Fordham Prep is located at Rose Hill campus in the Bronx, adjacent to Fordham University & the NY Botanical Garden 718-367-7500 x263 HAP@fordhampep.org

From your Pastor January 26th, 2020

Where did all these kids come from???

Most people who have lived in Yorkville for a while know that while St. Monica once had its own Catholic School, that school closed in 1975 due to declining enrollments. Since then our former school has been rented by a much smaller, private Montessori-based academy, The Caedmon School. People who visit the parish offices during the day often comment on the cries of Caedmon’s students playing in the backyard of the parish center.

However, starting this week, it might seem to people that we have reopened the parish school due to the large number of new kids streaming into and out of the parish center! We have not; however, our parochial school – St. Stephen of Hungary Catholic School on East 82nd St. – has a problem: not declining enrollments but growing ones! St. Stephen School stands at 400 children and we are on track to being at 450 students in two years. This spring the school is embarking on a bold multiyear build-out of its facilities. The first stage began this past weekend with the remodeling of its prekindergarten classes and playground facilities.

The problem is that the school has no place to put the pre-K 3 students while these rooms are remodeled. So, just as last year we accepted the Early Bird (2 ½ year old) Program, we will be welcoming the Pre-K 3 class to the parish center this year. They will be there 5 days a week, from about 8am through 3pm.

Their arrival will mean some adjustments in our parish center schedules, and reorganization of some activities.

Their entrance and exit will be the St. Elizabeth of Hungary Chapel in the parish center; due to security reasons that chapel will now remain closed during the day, though we will continue to have Vespers on Fridays at 5:10pm.

We expect them to be in the Parish Center for some time, as remodeling and renovations continue in the school. But we hope that they will return to 82nd Street by the end of the year.

Change. It can be unsettling. But what is the alternative? After all the opposite of change is not stability. The opposite of change is death. Thus as unsettling as these changes might be to some, they are yet another sign of the life of our parish and its school.

The Homeless

You don’t have to be a progressive to admit that New York’s homeless problem has grown. Many of you comment about the homeless who sleep on our steps or beg in front of the church on Sundays. Many of us are at odds as to the causes of homelessness but all of us feel powerless as to know how to help.

Catholic Charities would like to invite you to join them on Monday, January 27 from 10:00 PM to 4:00 AM, as it participates in New York City’s Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE), an annual initiative to count the number of people living on the street. To register for the count visit http://bit.ly/HOPECT and select “Catholic Charities” for “How did you hear about HOPE.” You can contact Daniel.carinici@archny.org as well for more information.

Father Baker