May 2, 2021 Bulletin

Parish life Fifth Sunday of Easter

May 2, 2021

Parish Life ( Page 5)

First Communion 2021 ( Page 7)

From the Pastor (Page 9)

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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 family a 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 Associates: ...............................................Rev. Tony Ciorra Pastoral Associate: Ms. Maryann Tyrer ........ mtyrer@stelmo79.org Pastoral Associate: Ms. Jasmine Gomez ..... jgomez@stelmo79.org Parish Manager: Mr. Michael Ward ............. mward@stelmo79.org Music Director: Mr. John Zupan .................... jzupan@stelmo79.org Wedding Coordinator: Ms. Debbi Burdett . dbweddingsnyc@gmail.com 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:

Monday ............................................................. 9am - 5pm Tuesday - Thursday ....................................... 9am - 7pm Friday .......................................................Closed Saturday ................................................. 10am - 2pm Sunday ..................................................... Closed Closed for Lunch Weekdays......................1pm - 2pm Visit us at: www.STELMO79.org

Mass Intentions

Saturday, May 1st Vigil

5:30pm

Fr. Donald C. Baker (Bday)

Sunday, May 2nd Fifth Sunday Easter 8:00am

Margaret & Andrew DiCarlo 10:00am Jack Kelly 12:00pm All Parishioners 5:00pm Tony & Maria Xuereb

Monday, May 3rd Ss. Philip & James

12:00pm Robert Atkinson Tuesday, May 4th Easter Weekday

12:00pm Joseph Uddo Wednesday, May 5th Easter Weekday

12:00pm

Souls in Purgatory

Thursday, May 6th Easter Weekday 12:00pm

Bridie Breslin

Friday, May 7th Easter Weekday

12:00pm

Thanksgiving to St. Agata

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

Saturday, May 8th Easter Weekday

12:00pm

Gabriel Valero, Jr.

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)

Baptism Announcement

Today, May 2nd, there will be a Baptism service at 1:30PM At this service we will be baptizing: Andrew P. Molloy

Please join us in congratulating: Andrew Molloy & Caroline Gallagher

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

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 Eileen Sullivan, Michael Berry, Zita Zilverman, Eileen Ford, Nancy Dorsinville, Andres Rodriguez, James Mooney, & all those ill with or recovering from the COVID-19 virus and all Victims of Military Activities PRAYERS FOR THE DECEASED Baby Velasco-D’Amico, Gloria Zanarias, Louis Rich, Louis Schmidt & Msgr. Francis Boyle

Today’s Readings First Reading — Barnabas reported to the apostles how Saul had seen the Lord on the way (Acts 9:26-31).

Psalm — I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people (Psalm 22).

Second Reading — This is God’s commandment: that we may believe and love (1 John 3:18-24).

Gospel — I am the true vine; whoever remains in me will bear much fruit (John 15:1-8).

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

Readings for the Week Monday: 1 Cor 15:1-8; Ps 19:2-5; Jn 14:6-14 Tuesday: Acts 14:19-28; Ps 145:10-13ab, 21; Jn 14:27-31a Wednesday: Acts 15:1-6; Ps 122:1-5; Jn 15:1-8 Thursday: Acts 15:7-21; Ps 96:1-3, 10; Jn 15:9-11 Friday: Acts 15:22-31; Ps 57:8-10, 12; Jn 15:12-17 Saturday: Acts 16:1-10; Ps 100:1b-3, 5; Jn 15:18-21 Sunday: Acts 10:25-36, 34-35, 44-48; Ps 98:1-4;

1 Jn 4:7-10 or 1 Jn 4:11-16; Jn 15:9-17

or Jn 17:11b-19

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

A PARISH RETREAT “Finding Hope & Peace in a Time of Transition” Presented by Rev. Tony Ciorra, I.V.D. Saturday May 8th in the Church and Livestreamed 8:30-9:00 coffee & water 9:00-12:00 presentation 12 noon Mass Celebration

Please register on our website or call the parish center 212-288-6250.

Thank you, the Parish Council

Parish Life Our Young Adult

Do you have ideas for

Ministry will resume its

Social Media Posts?

virtual gatherings

Would you like to take

starting this month. If

pictures to capture the

you are interested in

life of this vibrant

joining us or want to stay connected to the ministry

Parish? Perhaps you are

and future events, please visit:

interested in helping us with the Livestream of Mass?

https://www.stelmo79.org/ya-ministry

Join the Digital Media Ministry by contacting Jasmine

Have you noticed the

jgomez@stelmo79.org! No experience necessary!

church’s lighting? Our commitment to incorporate energy efficiency into every new project started there. After many months of work 95 % of our lighting in the church, rectory and parish center has been changed to LED. What is LED? It stands for Light- Emitting Diode. It has many environmental and cost savings advantages. The exact savings to our parish can only be estimated now, but we know for sure that LED lighting compared to incandescent (our old-fashioned lightbulb) is 90% more cost efficient. The annual cost of an LED bulb is $1.83, compared to $10.95!

This is a huge success, and we won’t stop here!

If you are interested in joining us at our next virtual meeting, May 6th at 7:30pm, or if you have any

We hope that you all enjoyed having Jenn Peterson from International Justice Mission at all of our Masses last month. Jenn spoke to us about modern day slavery (a 150-billion-dollar industry), and God's presence and call to us on our "Emmaus journey" Social Justice is of great concern to our parish. If you are interested in joining our social justice ministry, please email Pastoral Associate for Parish Life, Jasmine Gomez at jgomez@stelmo79.org

questions, please email greenteam@stelmo79.org pg. 5

K-8 Parish Religious Education:

Religious Education continues to meet online each Sunday morning at 10:15am. Zoom links are emailed each week to all registered families.

Congratulations to our First Communicants and our Newly Confirmed! Confirmation photos in next week’s bulletin.

Adult Faith Formation:

Our Sunday morning Adult Faith Formation, an informal discussion of the Sunday Scriptures, led by a facilitator, is open to all. We meet on Sundays 10:15 to 11:30am, in the Parish Center. Social distancing and face masks are required. Please join us! No registration is required – you can drop in any Sunday.

Adult Sacraments of Initiation (RCIA):

If you have ever thought about becoming Catholic, or if you are a baptized Catholic who has not yet celebrated First Communion or Confirmation, please contact Maryann Tyrer at mtyrer@stelmo79.org to discuss our adult initiation process (commonly known as the RCIA). You can begin this process at any time throughout the year, and options are available for face-to-face or Zoom meetings.

Parish Retreat Opportunity:

Fr. Tony Ciorra IVD will be leading a Parish Day of Reflection in the church on Saturday, May 8th. We will begin with coffee at 8:30am, and conclude with the 12noon Mass. We will reflect on the theme of “Finding Hope and Peace in a Time of Transition.” Register on our website, or call the Parish Office to save your spot!

Icon Painting Workshop

Reverend Peter Pearson, professional iconographer and teacher, returns May 3-7, 2021 to lead us in painting this icon of St. Joseph. We will gather in the Angelo Room (observing safe distancing and wearing masks) each evening of the week, 6:30-9pm. The $250 fee covers all the materials (board, brushes, paints, and tools) that you will need to paint your own icon, as well as the expert instruction of Reverend Peter Pearson. No experience or artistic ability needed – you’ll be guided through each step.

Don’t miss out on this annual opportunity! Contact Maryann at mtyrer@stelmo79.org, or register on our website at www.stelmo79.org Space is limited – reserve your spot today!

PARISH RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Addison Grace Akong Matthew Alexander Castle Isabella Marie Diaz Leonie Marta Hall Penelope Lisa Hartin Carolina Del Rosario Morales Morocho Mila Samantha Saquicaray THE CAEDMON SCHOOL Lucy Margarita Castro Arya Venice Haaf Tyler Alexander Hartswell Annabella Jimenez Nicholas Pereira-Maskel Brynna Laeken Portella Jackson Attillo Smith

CONGRATULATIONS to our

FIRST COMMUNICANTS!

ST. STEPHEN OF HUNGARY SCHOOL Zoë Violette Bastadjian Roman Chase Bulishak Clara Rose Butler Cecilia June Cagney Patrick Brian Chung Emery Ellison Clausman Sandro Burnham Cocozzelli Mary Louise Cornacchia Orly Rose Corrigan John Campton Dobler Flynn Richard Drisko George Patrick Bannec Dunn Roman Thomas Hennigan Avery Auguste Elizabeth Jackson Peter Scheffold Johnson Peter Kasnick Peter Lukas Koehler Madison Elizabeth Liptak Isabella Marie McGillion Olivia Carmen Matty Martinez

Alexandria Eloise Meta Carson Miller Niamh Molloy Ava Monteleone Alessandra Ray Nepomuceno Keira Elizabeth O’Brien John Jaroslaw O’Connor Julia Elizabeth Ogan Emma Cassels Patterson Lucia Bayona Reyes Peter James Roque Luke Michael Rozborski Violet Penelope Sanchez Grady Michael Schirf Charlotte Anne Strain Victoria Christina Taylor Celine Juliette Torrens Delilah Toomey Conor William Troccoli Logan Vendetti Hannah Madison Wong

Five Minute Jesus Using the Gospel for Prayer – Sixth Sunday of Easter May 9, 2021 It’s simple. 1. Read the Gospel for the following Sunday slowly, reflecting on the story it tells. 2. Reflect on the questions assigned for each day. 3.

Make some resolution about how what you read can be lived that day. 4. Then thank God for speaking to you through this reflection.

Gospel Jn 15:9-17 Jesus said to his disciples: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.”

Monday, May 3rd Was there something in this reading that spoke to me? Comforted me? Challenged me? Why did it have this effect on me?

Tuesday, May 4th Every relationship has a structure, expressed in rules. Jesus gives us the basic rule in our relationship with him. “If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love”. He reminds us of his commandments in the previous sentence when he speaks of his Father’s love for him and his love for us. Love is the commandment. What does this oft repeated phrase mean for me? What does it mean for me to “remain in God’s love”?

Wednesday, May 5th Clearly the fruit of love is joy. All of us know that. Have I felt the joy that comes from love? When was that? What was it like?

Have I ever felt that joy in relationship to my faith? When have I felt joy from being loved by God? If not, why not?

Thursday, May 6th “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Maybe there is some answer to our struggle with Jesus’ words here. Jesus says that joy comes from love expressed in self-giving. For most of us self-giving is a chore. Perhaps because we do it and expect something in return. How was Jesus’ giving, his “laying his life down” from mine? Have I ever experienced joy from giving? When was that and why?

Friday, May 7th Jesus says he no longer calls us slaves. What Jesus means he explains in that next sentence: a slave does not understand their master’s wishes; they just do it. Jesus is implying that before him, that was what people did: they followed God’s Law without knowing it’s heart. He and his commandments are its heart. They are everything he heard from his Father. That is why in our faith it is important, not just to know about Jesus, but to KNOW him; to allow his words and example to become ours. How have I come to know Jesus? Or have I really? What would I have to do to know him better?

Saturday, May 8th Many of our evangelical brothers and sisters ask if we have “found Jesus”. To choose him is a major part of their faith structure. This often produces anxiety in Catholics. When did I choose Jesus? Here Jesus reveals the deeper truth: We do not “choose” Jesus. Jesus chooses us. Thus, everything we do as Catholics is nothing more than a response to that choice. How do I feel knowing that I have been chosen in love? And how do I respond to that choice? Could I respond more fully to that choice? How? And if not, why not?

From the Pastor 05.02.21 “Writing with Pictures” What is one of the major differences between our churches and the churches of our Protestant brothers and sisters? Art. Catholic churches are usually loaded with it: stained glass, statues, frescos, paintings. Catholic Churches are often a feast for the eye. Protestant churches, however, grow out of a tradition rooted in the Reformation of the 16th century. That Reformation, especially in its more extreme forms, saw the visual arts as at best a distraction from hearing God’s Word, and at worst a temptation to idolatry. It’s why there are often no altars, the pulpit is placed in the center and the church itself is quite plain.

Of course, not all Protestant churches are plain, and many Catholic churches, especially modern ones, are. But as a generalization it is true; Catholic Churches celebrate the visual. That is because Catholic churches were designed to TEACH the faith to people who in many cases could not read.

Illiterate, they could “read” the pictures and images. Priests and religious could use the church’s images to instruct the faithful and they became a kind of Bible and Church history book, written in glass, wood and stone.

Our eastern Orthodox and Catholic brothers and sisters understand this history well. They have their own tradition of sacred images. We know them as icons, and they too have a complex history.

In the 8th century AD, many Christians rose up against the custom of adorning churches with sacred images. Like the Protestants would later maintain, use of such images amounted to the worship of idols. These “iconoclasts” (Yes, this is where the word comes from – it means “image breakers”) were defeated when the bishops declared that since the Jesus, the Word of God, had taken on human flesh, and become the image of God in this world, sacred images could be used to communicate God’s Word. A theology of icons was born.

But the Churches of the east believe that icons are more than just a picture book. They not only teach, but can be sacramental; that is, they allow us to touch the person or event they depict. That is why people mediate before icons. Often (before CoVID) people touch or kiss them. And it is why people only produce icons with prayer.

Every year we welcome Father Peter Pearson, a nationally known Iconographer (“icon writer”) to come and teach us a beginner’s course in “icon writing” – writing the Word of God with images.

Father Peter will be here all next week, and from 6:30-9:00pm will lead a group in prayer and simple techniques to produce their OWN icon: this year, of St. Joseph.

If you are interested, you can still call – I do not know if all the spaces are filled up; at the time of this writing there were still a couple free. But even if you can do it this year, watch the bulletin for the next time Father Peter comes. For those of us who search for new ways to pray, “writing with images” could be one such doorway to a closer relationship with God. Father Baker

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