Letter from the Pastor
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May 15, 2022The greatest gift we can give to one another is the gift of ourselves. Giving of our time, our talents, or our treasury exemplifies the virtue of generosity. The perfect example of generosity is God. By means of His generosity, God gave Himself in the creation of our universe, He created humanity in His image and likeness, and when we sinned and fell, He gave us His only Son for our salvation. This generosity of God serves as a model for all human generosity.
Our parish is very generous in all the ways of generosity. You are so supportive of the different groups who come to us asking for help. You give of your time, your gifts to one another, as well as your financial means to the poor and needy. In the spirit of their generosity, there are some people I wish to thank on your behalf. These are men and women who have given up their time, used their talents, and even spent their money to help our children during this past, challenging year.
The first group I wish to thank is our catechists, and their assistants: the men and women who came to school every week and taught our children about God, His Son, and His Church. It was challenging, yet fulfilling, as they would tell you. The uncertainty of not knowing who was going into or coming out of quarantine, worrying about the health and safety of our children, and still trying to teach the Faith. Our dedicated catechists under the guidance and direction of our dedicated Director, Mrs. Lattuca and her wonderful administrative assistant, Mrs. Horgan completed a full year of religious instructions. I also would like to thank Mr. Tony Ramunno a volunteer who was here every day opening the doors, taking temperatures, directing the traffic and making sure all went smoothly for the children and the catechists. You all fulfilled a vital ministry in our parish, and we thank you.
The second group of people I wish to thank are the men and women coaches of our CYO. We knew our kids needed an outlet, we knew the kids needed socialization; we knew the kids needed to play sports. These very generous people stepped up and gave of their time and abilities to our youth. Again, it was a difficult year, not knowing if there was going to be a season, or was it just to be an intramural program. Yet these men and women went above and beyond to make sure our young athletes were safe, practicing with masks, trying to teach the game and above all, to have fun. I wish to thank Mr. Kevin Whelan, the Board and all the men and women who coached. I also want to thank Mr. Ianazzo and his high school team, who helped to referee our intramural games. It is so good to see the next generation step up and follow in their parents’ footsteps in giving of their time to the parish. Well done. Hopefully, next year, we will have a complete season of CYO Basketball.
Finally, today is the last day for some members of our choir. Three of the members come to us from Purchase College Conservatory of Music. They are music students with beautiful voices. They come and help us praise God through sacred music each week. We look forward to welcoming them back in September.
Our wonderful choir, under the direction of Mark LaRosa, will continue until Pentecost Sunday at the 10:30 AM Mass. This year we will pray Vespers on Pentecost Sunday with the ceremony of extinguishing the flame of the Paschal Candle. More details will be in future bulletins.Save the date: Sunday, June 5th at 4:00 PM.
My first term as pastor is coming to a close; I’ve been with you for seven years, the first year as Administrator then six years as pastor. Part of that process is the chance for staff and parishioners to write to the Personnel Board about the state of the parish and my leadership. If you wish to write or email the Board, send your letters before May 24th to:Priest Personnel Board
Archdiocese of New York
1011 First Avenue
New York, New York 10022
priestpersonnel@adny.org
