Parishlife
The Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - AUGUST 4, 2024
August 9th: COAL + ICE (pg 5) Five Minute Jesus (pg 10) Just A Word (pg 11)
Parish Staff
The Roman Catholic Parish of St. Monica, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Stephen of Hungry 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!
Pastor: Rev. Donald C. Baker ................. frdcab@stelmo79.org
Parish Manager: Jennifer DeSpirito....jdespirito@stelmo79.org
Sacristan: Pedro Pizarro.......................ppizarro@stelmo79.org
Administration: 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
Contact
Our church is located at 413 E. 79th St, New York, NY 10075
Our parish center is located at 406 E. 80th St, New York, NY 10075
(Phone): 212 - 288 - 6250 (Fax): 212 - 570 - 1562 (Email): info@stelmo79.org
The parish center offices hours are
Monday/Wednesday 9 AM - 4 PM Tuesday/Thursday ................................. 9 AM - 7 PM
Saturday ................................................ 10 AM - 2 PM
The office is closed Friday and Sunday and weekdays from 1 -2 PM for lunch.
Weekly Schedule
Daily Mass: Mon - Sat, 12:00 PM Saturday Vigil Mass: 5:30 PM
Sunday Mass: 8 AM, 10 AM, 12 PM, 5:00 PM Confessions: Saturdays at 5:00 PM* (*or by appointment)
Anointing of the Sick
Mass Intentions
Saturday, August 3, Vigil
5:30 PM - Jose Gutierrez and Michael Phillips
Sunday, August 4,
The Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
8:00 AM - John Mackessy
10:00 AM - Elisa Lee Pozos
12:00 PM - All Parishioners
5:00 PM - Jodwiga Zyskowska
Monday, August 5, Weekday 12:00 PM - Angelina Boccia
Tuesday, August 6, The Transfiguration of the Lord
12:00 PM - Catherine Grassia
Wednesday, August 7, Weekday 12:00 PM - Roberto Almanzar
Thursday, August 8, St. Dominic
12:00 PM - Thanksgiving for Mercy and Love
Friday, August 9, Weekday 12:00 PM - Kathleen Connolly
Saturday, August 10, St. Lawrence
12:00 PM - Souls in Purgatory
Baptism Announcement
On August 4 at 1:30 PM, we will be baptizing:
Miles Seongjin Kim
children of Eric M. Kim and Blair E. Marsh &
Elizabeth De Leon children of Orlando De Leon and Vivian Sanchez
Please join us in congratulationing these families as they celebrate their children’s new lives in Christ!
Sanctuary Lamp
This week’s sanctuary lamp is in memory of:
Fr. Thomas Mulvanerty
Offered by Maria Litrenta
Prayers for the Sick
Maria Alejandra Diaz
Antoinette Paone
Sheila Dunn
Eileen Kinloch
Anthony Anello
Jairo Vanegas
David Coleman
Louis Monico
June Monico
Bryan Saavedra
Robert Estrada
Maria Simanca
Patricia Marino
Besnik P.
Desiree Amato Parke
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
Yovanny Moscoso
Hernan Durango
Marjorie Majestic
James McVeigh
Msgr. Hugh F. McManus
Rev. Edmund M. Burke
Rose Maniscalco
Nancy Moore
Weekly
Mary Humphrey
Lynne Michael Walsh
Gladys Kazembe
Bill Schickert
Marjorie Stamburg
Nora McHale
James Hirschy
Jack Haggerty
Observances & Readings
Sunday, 8/4: The Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Ex 16:2-4, 12-15/Eph 4:17, 20-24/Jn 6:24-35
Monday, 8/5 Weekday Jer 28:1-17/Mt 14:13-21
Tuesday, 8/6 The Transfiguration of the Lord Dn 7:9-10, 13-14/2 Pt 1:16-19/Mk 9:2-10
Wednesday, 8/7 Weekday Jer 31:1-7/Mt 15:21-28
Thursday, 8/8
Friday, 8/9
St. Dominic, Priest Jer 31:31-34/Mt 16:13-23
Weekday Na 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7/Mt 16:24-28
Saturday, 8/10 St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr 2 Cor 9:6-10/Jn 12:24-26
Next Sunday, 8/11 The Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 1 Kgs 19:4-8/Eph 4:30—5:2/Jn 6:41-51
Hearing Assistance Instructions
WiFi Connect QR Code and Instructions:
this Fall for online and in-person degree and certificate programs in Catholic Theology!
Exciting and innovative course offerings for the fall include: Introduction to the New Testament
• Christology
• St. Bernard of Clairvaux
• Intertestamental Literature and Apocrypha
See our fall courses at: dunwoodie.edu/fall2024schedule
50% TUITION DISCOUNT
for Parish, Catholic School, and Diocesan Employees!
St. Joseph’s Seminary has a generous discount policy for eligible full-time employees of the Archdiocese of New York, the Diocese of Brooklyn, and the Diocese of Rockville Centre, including full-time employees at parishes and Catholic schools in these (arch)dioceses. These employees are eligible for a 50% tuition remission!
To learn more, go to dunwoodie.edu/tuition-and-fees
GRADUATE AND CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS IN THEOLOGY
Registration for the fall begins June 1 | Classes begin September 3
• Open to qualified lay men and women, clergy, and consecrated religious
• Zoom in from any location to join a class
• Tuition: $1,500 for three credits, $500 to audit
• 50% off for new students and alumni auditors
Now is the perfect time to grow in your Catholic faith by taking courses at St. Joseph’s Seminary. To learn more about our course offerings:
• Go to dunwoodie.edu
• Email us at SJS.Academics@archny.org
• Call us at 914-367-8145
The Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
K-8 Religious Education and Preparation:
• Registration for next year is now open online at stelmo79.org. Take care of this before the summer is over to have one less thing to deal with in the fall! Plus, it helps us to plan and purchase materials when we know how many folks will be enrolled. Please remember that two years of religious education are required prior to First Communion and Confirmation.
Adult Sacraments of Initiation (RCIA):
• Have you ever considered 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 to discuss the process! Begin the process at any time in the year.
Adult Faith Formation Opportunities:
• Adult Faith Formation and Theology Thursday will resume meeting in the fall.
• Catechist Formation – throughout August and September (Stay tuned for more!)
• Catechist Breakfast and Commissioning –Sunday, September 15, 10 AM through noon mass
• Adult Faith Formation/Adult Initiation Open House – Sunday, September 15, following the noon mass in the parish center
• Welcome Back Family Picnic – Sunday, September 22, 1:30-3:30 PM in the St. Stephen School Play Yard
• Parish Feast Day Mass and International Food Festival – Sunday, September 29, 12:00 PM
• First Sessions for Children’s Liturgy of the Word, K-8 Religious Education, and Adult Faith Formation/Adult Initiation – Sunday, October 6
• Our “Group of Guys” Men’s Faith Sharing Group meets every Tuesday at 12:00 PM in the parish center. On the anniversary of the use of atomic weapons at Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9):
World
lead me from despair to
from
from fear to trust; lead me from hate to love, from war to peace. Let peace fill our heart, our world, our universe. Amen.
Faith Formation Volunteer Opportunities
• Children’s Liturgy of the Word – Sundays during the 10 AM mass – Assistants and Leaders needed
• K-8 Religious Education – Sundays 11AM to Noon – Lead Teachers, Classroom Assistants, and Hallway Assistants needed
• K-8 Religious Education Special Events –Saturdays or Sundays – Assistants needed
• Adult Faith Formation/Adult Initiation – Saturday afternoons – Hospitality Assistants and Discussion Leaders needed
• Theology Thursday – Thursday evenings – set up and hospitality volunteers needed
• Bereavement Ministry – Wednesday evenings – Discussion Leaders and Hospitality volunteers needed
All volunteers will be interviewed and trained. Anyone working with children will have a background check conducted and must attend Safe Environment Training as well.
Don’t just go to church - BE the church! Please contact Maryann Tyrer at mtyrer@stelmo79.org for more information and to discuss how your gifts and talents can meet our needs!
Bereavement Ministry Resumes
Wednesday evenings, 6:30-8 PM in the Parish Center, September 18 –October 23
If you have lost a loved one, please join us for this series of prayer, discussion, and support.
Please RSVP to Maryann Tyrer at the parish office or directly at mtyrer@stelmo79.org.
Looking ahead to August 11, 2024: The Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
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.
JOHN 6:41-51
The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven, "and they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, 'I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered and said to them, "Stop murmuring among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."
Monday, August 5
Which words or phrases caught my attention? Which comforted or challenged me? What conversion of mind and heart might God be asking?
Tuesday, August 6
Do I find myself questioning or murmuring about challenging teachings of Jesus? Which teaching do I struggle with the most? How can I cultivate a more open and trusting heart?
Wednesday, August 7
How do I internalize the concept of Jesus as the bread of life in my spiritual practices? How does this influence my approach to communion and the Eucharist?
Thursday, August 8
How do I reconcile the humanity and divinity of Jesus in my personal faith, especially when confronted with skepticism or doubt from others?
Friday, August 9
In what ways do I experience the tension between seeking temporary, worldly sustenance and striving for the eternal nourishment that Jesus offers? How do I address this tension?
Saturday, August 10
What are the implications of Jesus' promise of eternal life for my understanding of mortality and the afterlife, and how does this shape my current life choices and priorities?
AUGUST 4, 2024
Not Just For Seniors Any More
Early on in my first years here as pastor, a parishioner invited me to breakfast at Gracie Mews. Anne Sabatini, who had been a parishioner of St. Monica’s for many years, felt the parish was not doing enough to reach out to the older members of the newly merged parish. She wanted to begin a ministry to seniors, and wanted my permission to do so.
In the ensuing years, Anne built a ministry from the ground up, meeting monthly on Friday afternoons for lunches, movies and discussion, parties, and other events. Together with the parish, she organized trips to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, St. John the Divine Cathedral, Old St. Patrick’s Basilica in Nolita, and to the Museum of the Bible in Washington.
Covid required the Senior Ministry to shut down, as it did all our gatherings. When we were able to safely open it again, we discovered that many of its members had fallen ill, moved into nursing homes, moved closer to family members elsewhere, or sadly, had died.
Anne herself felt that she could no longer give the ministry what it needed and asked for new leadership. As a result, responsibility for the Senior Ministry has been taken on by Theresa Skrapits and Janet Colucci, who are restarting the ministry.
This new “senior” ministry will be different from what came before in that it will be focused not just on the older members of the parish. It will offer events for seniors, but also trips and events throughout the year for all adult members of the parish, married as well as single. It will be a place for connection and community for parishioners and their friends.
We thank Anne for all she has done to establish this ministry and shepherd it, especially during the dark years of the pandemic. And we thank Theresa and Jan for building upon what Anne has created and orienting towards all the new people who are beginning to come to our parish.
Stay tuned for more information in the fall!
My Home Visit
You may not even notice it, but following mass and the baptisms today (Sunday) I am flying to North Carolina to visit my brother and his family. My nephew lives in Charlotte with his wife and two sons – I will spend a couple of days with them, then take the train (!) to Raleigh to spend a couple of days with my brother, where I will see my three nieces. I will be back Friday evening!
—Father Baker
