Church of Saint Teresa of the Infant Jesus and St....

Church of Saint Teresa of the Infant Jesus and St. Nicholas Chapel Staten Island, NY
Do Whatever He Tells You! – (John 2:5)
SATURDAY, November 15
4PM Vito Marrone
MONDAY, November 17
8:30 AM Christa Merola
12Noon Joanne C. Alaimo
(2nd Anniversary)
THURSDAY, November 20
8:30AM John Riegler
12Noon Ida & Joseph Cuneo
SUNDAY, November 16
7:30 AM Rosemary Cusimano
10:00 AM Loraine Polisano
12:30 PM Arielle Newman
5:00PM For The People of Our Parish
TUESDAY, November 18
8:30 AM Shirley Arelt
12 Noon Bruno & Theresa Cavallone
FRIDAY, November 21
8:30AM Mr. Li Ji-L
12 Noon Special Intention
SUNDAY, continued
St. Nicholas Chapel
9:30 Antonio Miranda
10:30 Frankie Filippone &
Michael Filippone
WEDNESDAY, November 19
8:30AM Alfonso Abadines
12 Noon Jessie Johnson
SATURDAY, November 22
8:30AM Eddie & Bob Barbieri
MASSES NEXT SUNDAY
Your prayers are requested for all who are sick in
our parish and community, especially:
Grace Agaloos, Rosemarie Amato,
Peter
November 23
Priest
Argento, Kathleen Bassill, Karen Bertuzzi, Vin4:00 PM
Msgr. Belford
cent Borzumato, Barbara Cammalleri, Nicholas Saturday
Crispiano, Kevin Dunne, Patricia Dunne, Augustine Ferrer, Mark
7:30 am
Msgr. Belford
& Arlene Fileccia, Thomas Fontaino, Jason Greco, Josephine Sunday
Greco, Vincent Hicks, JoJo Ianniello, Aubrey Paige Ibrahim, Caitlin
10:00 am
Fr. Riello
Kaht, Robert Kellett, Margaret King, Joseph DeNora, Donnalyn
Lawton, Catherine Leone, Frank Leone, Edward Lewis, Genevieve
12:30 pm
Fr. Riello
Lewis, Joseph Lomangino, Emma Jane Mannix, Michael McKeon,
Janet Massa, Judy Morand, Bill McMillen, Helen Nadeau, James
5:00 pm
Msgr. Belford
P. Noone, Jr., Ryan Pizzaro, Vincent Poledore, Sal Prestigiacomo,
Catherine Raleigh, Edwin Rodriguez, Alex Valenti, Margaret St. Nicholas
9:30 am
Fr. Kallattil
White, John Wysocki
Members of the Legion of Mary are willing to visit the sick at home. For additional
information please contact Marie Razza at 718-442-5421.
MONDAY NIGHT NOVENA 7:30 IN CHURCH
Join Deacon Phil Maroon every Monday evening in the Church
at 7:30 pm for this devotion, which includes the Miraculous
Medal Novena, prayers to Our Lady, homily,
and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
Pray for Our Parishioners in the Military
SPC Michael Mazzarella, U.S. Army, Fort Bliss, TX
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Private Daniel A. Hughes, U.S. Army, Ft. Jackson, S.C.
10:30 am
Fr. Kallattil
Last Week's Collection
$11,504
We thank you for your gifts
to God each week
November 16, 2014
Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Teresa Church,
I want to encourage everyone who has a computer or smart phone to receive direct and timely
communications from our Archbishop, Cardinal Dolan, as well as useful news from me about our parish events.
We now have the technology to do all this at no cost to you, and you will find that the Cardinal’s writings are
consistently informative, interesting - and humorous!
You can receive FLOCKNOTES very easily by sending an email to us at rectory@saintteresasi.org.
Just write FLOCKNOTES and we will add you to the list of recipients. Of course, you can unsubscribe at any
time. But I think you will be pleased and well-served by having accurate information that helps you to understand
what is happening in the wider Church and in our parish. And since all of us should be life-long learners and true
apostles who try to bring other people to Jesus—who is the real head of our Church—you may want to share your
information and knowledge with your friends and family who otherwise may only know what the media tells them.
To give you an example of a FLOCKNOTES message, here is Cardinal Dolan’s Blog that was sent out via
FLOCKNOTES on Tuesday this week, with a rueful message but optimistic heading: The Best Is Yet To Come.
Thanks for your patience, understanding, and support this week after the tough announcements of parish
mergers a week ago. Thanks, too, for the good questions, and even the criticisms, at least those thoughtfully and
civilly expressed.
The major question I receive, understandably, from our people, and the media, is: why?
Why do we have to reduce our number of parishes from 368 to about 305? Why are these mergers
necessary? Fair enough questions…
Most people then offer a reply to that question: because of shortages. They observe that a
looming shortage in the number of priests and in the financial resources of the archdiocese – we’ve given $362
million to parishes and schools in need over the past ten years alone – are the main reasons for the decision.
And, yes, they have a point. Shortages in the number of priests and in the available money to support
struggling parishes are, indeed, a part of the answer to the question: Why? However, a perceptive journalist
laser-beamed the real shortage: “Seems like you have a shortage of people!”
Bingo! She was right! Simply put, our people aren’t coming anymore. True, some of the shortage in older
parishes is due to the fact that our folks have moved. The people that do come are as committed as ever. But,
we still have to admit our numbers of committed, consistent churchgoers are down.
It hurts me to say that, and I’d rather deny it and offer less troublesome reasons, especially since I also must
admit that part of the reason our people aren’t showing up anymore in their parishes is because they’ve lost
confidence in some of us bishops and priests.
I’m quick to point out that, unlike a lot of other dioceses, the Catholic population of the archdiocese of New
York continues to rise, and has not sunk below its 2.8 million membership, mostly due to the ongoing gift of
immigrants from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia.
Still, though, we have to admit, our people aren’t coming anymore. On any given Sunday, the stats tell us
that only somewhere between 15 and 28% of our folks show up!
One parish slated to merge reported in the study phase of our planning process that, on a given Sunday,
maybe 500 people are at the Masses. Yet, 3,000 signed a petition to reverse the decision!
Where have they been? If even half of them had been part of normal, expected parish life, the decision would
not have been foreseen.
We Catholics are not alone. My Jewish and non-Catholic Christian colleagues and neighbors tell me they are
experiencing the same shortage.
The experts at the Pew Research Center document the decline, not in believers, but in belongers.
(The same is true, by the way with our beloved schools. When we made the painful decision two years ago to
merge our 220 schools into 160 stronger, more robust ones, a lot of reasons were given: high cost of education,
competition from other schools, for instance. The main reason? Our Catholic parents – - 70% of them, to be
exact, – - choose not to send their children to our excellent schools.)
So, now our sacred responsibility is to win our people back! That’s what Pope Saint John Paul II
called The New Evangelization! That means asking why they no longer come, how we can attract them
back, and what we’ve done wrong, a strategy Pope Francis is encouraging.
As one savvy priest remarked, “Let’s stop closing parishes and start filling them up!”
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Church of Saint Teresa of the Infant Jesus
November 16, 2014
Special Masses For Thanking God
At Thanksgiving
For our St. Teresa School students, and families and all
who want to come: Wednesday, November 26, at 8:30AM.
For our parish Mass on Thanksgiving Day: 9:00AM. This
is a beautiful liturgy that focuses us on the God to whom we
are grateful.
St. Teresa Christmas Fair
Friday to Sunday, Dec. 5-6-7
Plan to be with us for a great Christmas Fair!
And if you are interested in renting a table, or
would like to donate to the Sweepstakes Table,
please contact Maria Bianchi at 917-292-7190.
EASY SIGN-UP FOR FLOCKNOTES
Our parishioners who already responded to our bulletin
invitation to sign up for FLOCKNOTES received email
messages from Cardinal Dolan with information about his
announcement of parish mergers. FLOCKNOTES is an
excellent new way for the Cardinal and for local pastors to
communicate directly and promptly with our parishioners.
With the Cardinal, our parish encourages parishioners
to receive FLOCKNOTES. If you join our list for messages
to your computer or phone (not to be called, but to receive
text messages) we can notify you about important news
and developments in our Church, remind you of events
and activities you might want to know about, and instantly
communicate last minute changes and notifications.
You can easily sign up to receive these messages on
your computers, tablets and phones. Simply send an email
to our parish address: rectory@saintteresasi.org. Just
mention FLOCKNOTES and we will do the rest.
PETITION FOR THE WEEK
That there may be good results to come from our
Church’s planning process called MAKING ALL
THINGS NEW, but also consolation and support
for the people and the priests whose parishes
will be merged into others, let us pray to the Lord…
Today is Baby Bin Sunday
James Argento - Christina Mendez
Donations of baby items and monetary
donations for needy Moms will be accepted
at all of our Masses this weekend.
All checks should be made payable to
The Crossroads Foundation
Announced Mass intentions for both Sunday and weekdays can be arranged in person on weekdays
between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm or by calling the rectory at 718-442-5412.
The offering for an announced Mass is $15.
All announced Mass Intentions for Sunday and weekdays are printed in the weekly parish bulletin.
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Church of Saint Teresa of the Infant Jesus and St. Nicholas Chapel Staten Island, NY
Please remember in your prayers the Eighth Graders
from our School and Religious Education Program who
received the Sacrament of Confirmation on Friday,
November 14 administered by Bishop John O'Hara
VISIT OUR SCHOOL THIS TUESDAY
Alzate, Kevin
Brennan, Kristen
Chacon, Jayda
Chang, Maya
Chapan, Haley
Colandrea, Samantha
David, Christian
DeCarlo, Evan
Della RoccaSalvatore
DiFalco, Alyssa
DiFalco, Christopher
Farah, Gabriella
Fratto, Piero
Hachemeister, Kyle
Mandia, Brandt
Martinez, Sierra
McCloy, Alexandra
McCloy, Catherine
Moley, Jenna
DiFiore, Gianna
Piccolomini, Jason
Pleszewicz, Matthew
Prestigiacomo,Joseph
Rezza, Robert
Sada, Vehonna
Saverimuttu, Augusta
Tammaro, Mia
Tooker, Collin
Tricardo, Andrew
Vaccaro, Daniel
Webster, Alexis
Francesco Arlia
Tyler Bauzyk
Anthony Brognano
Daniel Brown
Katherine Cammayo
Dylan DePeppo
Melanie
Dissanayake
Giavanna Esposito
Christian Figueroa
Daniel Fiorello
Anna Gaglio
Michael Gallinaro
John Gavin
Peter Granello
Jeffrey Inigo
Rita Jerome
Robert Laureno
Jack Loesch
Eric Lundquist
Elizabeth Mastoros
Kerry McCloskey
Julie Mendez
Taryn O’Connell
Emil Parsons
Denise Priolo
Jayne Ryan
AlessandroSpina
Veronica Walsh
Jessica Waszak
Parents: Come and See our St. Teresa School
in Operation - Open House/Touring Tuesday
9:00AM - 11:00AM
Any questions, please call Mrs. Laurie at
718-448-9650.
St. Teresa School Annual Spelling Bee
Sponsored by our Holy Name Society
9:15AM This Friday in Conran Hall
May the Best Spellers Shine!
"God Is Not Dead"
All are invited to view the movie,
"God Is Not Dead,"
On Friday evening, October 21, at 7PM
Our Lady of Good Counsel Church
10 Austin Place
Admission is Free
The 50/50 winner for the month of May was Mr. & Mrs. William Schweibinz who received a check for $265. Congratulations and
thanks to her and everyone who participates in the 50/50 drawing. Envelopes for the next Parish 50/50 drawing can be found in
your monthly envelope packet or at the entrances to both the Church and the Chapel. DONATION: $5.00 minimum per envelope.
50% TO THE WINNER + 50% TO THE PARISH! Winners will be notified by telephone. In order to be notified that you won, please
write clearly your name and phone number, and then be ready for the best call of your day! THIS MONTH, IT COULD BE YOU!
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Church of Saint Teresa of the Infant Jesus and St. Nicholas Chapel Staten Island, NY
The 50/50 winner for the month of October was Phyllis Savarese who received a check for $359. Congratulations and thanks to her
and everyone who participates in the 50/50 drawing. Envelopes for the next Parish 50/50 drawing can be found in your monthly
envelope packet or at the entrances to both the Church and the Chapel. DONATION: $5.00 minimum per envelope. 50% TO THE
WINNER + 50% TO THE PARISH! Winners will be notified by telephone. In order to be notified that you won, please write clearly
your name and phone number, and then be ready for the best call of your day! THIS MONTH, IT COULD BE YOU!
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Church of Saint Teresa of the Infant Jesus and St. Nicholas Chapel Staten Island, NY
GIVENIK.COM—BENEFIT ST. TERESA’S SCHOOL
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