SAINT  TERESA  PARISH  NEWS  YOU  MAY  HAVE  MISSED  +  SPRING,  2020
   
   1. Our church has been open for private prayer every day from 9am to 4pm. You are welcome to come to church for personal reflection and prayer. Check our website and/or FlockNote for the start of public Masses.
 
       2.  Many have made Sunday a day to worship, even if not able to come to church, watching Mass from Saint Patrick's Cathedral, or  the Catholic Faith Network ( www.catholicfaithnetwork.org) or EWTN. Soon we will be live-streaming Mass from our own St. Teresa Church. Check www.saintteresasi.org or FlockNote for time and days.
 
       3. The Act of Spiritual Communion is a prayer that people can use to receive God's grace when circumstances, such as sickness, infirmity or bad weather, prevent you from being present in church to receive Holy Communion:
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love you above all things and I desire to receive you in my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally, come spiritually into my heart.
I embrace you as if you were already there, and I unite myself wholly to you.
Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.
 
       4. Please read our parish bulletins, new and old, online. Our NJ company could not print after March 22, but we have done bulletins every week. They   are posted by Friday afternoon on our website - www.saintteresasi.org.
 
       5. Father John Kallattil and I pray for our parishioners and offer Mass each day. (Yes - it feels strange to not have a congregation to make the responses; No - we do not preach a long sermon to ourselves! )  The intentions that were requested for these  weeks when we could not have public Masses, and that have not been satisfied yet, will be rescheduled and offered in the summer. The Mother's Day Novena for all mothers was offered as planned.
 
      6. We continue to offer prayerful  support to the many families who have lost loved ones during these months. Their separation and sorrow have been made worse by the circumstances of death and the inability to mourn, pray for, and honor their loved ones in the usual ways. We priests are ready, when families are, to help plan Memorial Masses for the souls of their loved one, and for the consolation of their family and friends.
      7. Many people have expressed to me their concern for our parish, in light of the loss of our Sunday collections. (This is nothing compared to the worries and economic crisis of some of our members, so please know that we understand that everyone's situation is personal and unique.) But I ask those who can, to maintain their support. And I sincerely thank those who are faithfully and regularly  helping to make up for those empty baskets. Please consider using the easy and convenient way of online giving called WeShare described in this mailing.
      8. Our children are our future, and everybody knows that this health crisis has led to a change in learning at all levels of study. School buildings have been closed since March and will not be open for instruction for the rest of this school year My thanks to all of you teachers who have been working extra hard to encourage and inspire your students, and my admiration to all of you parents and family members who have been striving to help your children to concentrate and do their assignments. And God's blessings to all students who are graduating this year!
       9.  Just before this health crisis began, we announced a great new initiative to make our Catholic school even better. Cardinal Dolan approved the creation of  ST. TERESA-ST. RITA STREAM ACADEMY. Beginning in September, students and families from both St. Teresa School and St. Rita School (on Bradley Av.; my alma mater, class of '62) will be coming here to increase enrollment, enhance programs, build partnerships, and expand our preschool program. The word STREAM signals an increased emphasis on Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. Enrollment is strong, and new applications are being taken now for September. Especially if your children will need the proven values of a Catholic school education to help them next year, please email Principal Mrs. Rita Azzopardi: razzopardi@stteresasi.org.
      10. Registration has also begun for our religious education program. Many thanks to our Coordinator Mrs. Lisa Rametta, and to our excellent volunteer teachers and aides who serve 350+ students.  Children learn about their relationship with God our Father and with Jesus our Savior through our Tuesday program. Registration can be done online at: ccd@sainteresasi.org. and volunteers are invited to contact Mrs. Rametta at that address too.
      11. First Holy Communion was originally set for the first Saturday of May. Now we will celebrate this very important day for more than sixty parishioners on the first Saturday of October. Confirmation date: November 20.
      12. We are very happy that our parishioner, Dr. Jonathan Reyes, has completed his five years of preparation to become a Deacon of our Catholic Church, and will serve in our Parish. His ordination, planned for St. Patrick's Cathedral on Saturday, June 13, also had to be postponed. The Cardinal's office will be setting a new date.                                                                                                         
      13. Among the many people affected by this moment in history are the members of our Golden Age Society, who meet in the gym on school Mondays, and the hundreds of young people and coaches in our sports programs. Everyone is eager to play, but the whole school building and gym have been sanitized and are off-limits at this time. Nothing can be done about sports activities until public officials give rules and guidance. The fact that our gym is closed is ironic, considering that this is the first summer that we will have air-conditioning.
      14. Some parish groups have found new ways to connect with one another. Notable are the people of our St. Teresa Bereavement Program. (Many more parishioners will probably need this wonderful ministry; they will be welcomed.) Led by an experienced social worker who is a Deacon in her church, Mrs. Novella Lawrence has been conducting twice-monthly meetings for many years in our Parish House on Windsor Road. Since meetings cannot happen at this time, she has been leading weekly teleconferences. She will welcome calls at 347 581 1082
      15. Our Sr. Margaret Mary Food Pantry volunteers have also been creative in providing help for people who   need food. Prevented by limited space for social distancing, the pantry cannot open at this time. But at Easter,     all our friends were invited to go to the Met Food store on Victory Blvd. We provided the store with a list of names, and through the kind cooperation of the managers, our people could pick up their gift certificate and take home what they needed. This plan has been repeated in May, and is made possible by generous donations.
      16. The unseen needs of our neighbors have increased during this time. Our usual donations - on the first Sunday of the month for our Food Pantry, on the third Sunday for our  Baby Bin that helps new mothers and their children -  have been missing. If you want to give some amount -  to the Food Pantry, to the Baby Bin, or for any purpose you tell us - we will pass that along to the volunteers who do that ministry.
      17. I am happy to recall and praise the very positive support of our parishioners for the transformation of our former convent building on Windsor Road into ArchCare at St. Teresa - a residence for autistic young adults. Opened in January with nine residents, everything has gone very well, with residents and families being very satisfied. A March 26 ribbon-cutting ceremony with Cardinal Dolan had to be postponed, but will be rescheduled.
      18.  Our committee for the annual October St. Teresa Parish Benefit Luncheon had already started meeting, but rightly decided in April that we should not proceed with this fundraising this year. We will revive this enjoyable event in October 2021. Similarly, given the uncertainties of travel, we decided to postpone our fully booked Pilgrimage to the Holy Land that was scheduled for this November. We will go instead in November 2021.
     19. You can guess that I have more to report but little space to do so. Please protect yourselves and others from the risk of infection and sickness. Stay safe, follow guidelines, pray at home and in church when you can. Explore our website - www.saintteresasi.org - for bulletins and useful new ideas like FlockNote and WeShare.