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MISSION STATEMENT: We, the joy-filled Catholic community of St. Thomas the Apostle, are united in faith and drawn to the life-giving sacrifice of the Eucharist. Through worship, ministry and education we foster spiritual growth and Christian values. As a parish family, we share with and encourage each other through the many times of our lives. With open hearts and helping hands we respond to the needs of our community and the world. | SOLEMNITY OF
SAINT PETER & SAINT PAUL  JUNE 29, 2008 Ordinary people become extraordinary
when they answer Christ’s call to serve. THIS WEEK AT ST. THOMAS:
Click here for the full Calendar Thursday, July 3, 2008Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle
7:45 AM and 9:00 AM • UC
Prayer-a-Cise • 6 PM • PC
Legion of Mary • 7:30 PM • PC The 9:00 AM weekday Masses at the Chapel will
be celebrated in the Church beginning
July 7th through September 3rd |
Gospel Reflection Matthew 16:13 - 19St. Peter was the first to make a profession of faith in Jesus as the Messiah. Peter also denied Jesus, not just once, but three times, and then professed his love for Jesus three times. He trusted Jesus enough to walk on water in the midst of a storm, but began to doubt when he noticed the waves in the storm. He was a disciple of strength (the rock), of weakness (denial), of love (you know I love you), of trust (walking on water), of doubt (he gets scared and falls down into the water). Doesn't Peter give you hope? Pray that you will know Jesus' love for you and always be willing to 'bounce back' like St. Peter, even when things go wrong. Discussion Questions for Gospel Peter was leader of the community; a man of faith who loved Jesus. He was also weak and denied him. Can you accept loving but weak members in the Church, both leaders and faithful? Can you accept a Church that is at times sinful?Though this gospel is Peter's story, it is very much each one of our stories because it contains perhaps the most important question ever asked by Jesus. 'But you, who do you say that I am'? Peter spoke directly from the heart in his great profession of faith. Each of us is challenged to answer this question on a personal level during our lifetime: 'But you, who do you say that I am?' |
Confirmation 2008 Congratulations to the young men and women who received the sacrament of Confirmation on April 30th. Click here to view the list of who were confirmed. A special thanks to the teachers who prepared them so well for this special sacrament. Mrs. Barbara Beckerman, Mr. Ed Cedeno, Mr. Robert Dougherty, Mr. Michael Durso, Mrs. Mary Ann Hasselbring, Mrs. Robin Perdiz, Ms. Juli Schmidt, Mr. Rob Waters, St. Thomas teachers Mrs. Lea Hennelly and Mrs. Cecilia St. John. |
First Communicants 2008 Congratulations to all those children who received their First Communion. Click here to view the list of First Communicants. A special thanks to their parents and their teachers who prepared them so well for this special sacrament. Mrs. Marie Avila, Mrs. Miriam Dee, Ms. Lisa Koeth, Mrs. Helen Lane, Mrs. Ginny Longo, Mrs. Joan McManus, Mrs. Joan O’Sullivan, Mrs. Alice Patterson, Mrs. Rhina Rodriguez, Mrs. Janet Trezza, St. Thomas teachers Mrs. Maureen Mullane and Mrs. Christine O’Toole. |
Continue Supporting the Parish Through Automated Giving This month, we have introduced a new and exciting way for you to support our parish offertory and second collections: Faith Direct. This program will enable you to support our parish offertory through a practice, called "Automated Giving" which is growing fast throughout the country. Churches, charities and many other organizations are using this as a method of collecting donations. With Faith Direct, you can make donations directly from your bank account or credit card. It’s safe, secure, and a great way to regularly support the work of the parish even for those times when you cannot be present at Sunday Mass. By using "Automated Giving", St. Thomas will gain a predictable cash flow that will help us with planning our parish needs and programs. Faith Direct also offers you personalized offertory cards to place in the basket instead of your envelopes as a sign of your gift, and an itemized statement at the end of the year for tax purposes. We find Faith Direct a "win-win" for both parishioners and our parish. If you haven’t already enrolled, please consider calling Faith Direct at 1-866-507-8757, by visiting www.faithdirect.net to enroll securely online or click here to download and print our enrollment form. Our parish code is NY63. |
Our Church Bulletin - When you’re out of town, sick or just forgot to pick up a copy, we are posting a downloadable copy of our Church Bulletin on the Website every week. Click here to view, read and download a copy. The bulletins are in pdf format and to view and print them you need to have Acrobat Reader. If you don't have Acrobat Reader on your computer, you can download Reader first then click on the link for the bulletin. You can download Acrobat Reader free of charge. You only need to download Acrobat Reader Once. To obtain a free copy of Adobe Reader from this site: Click here. |
PLEASE NOTE : Nothing should be left outside the Clothing Box at the Chapel parking lot, especially non-clothing items like furniture, etc. St. Vincent de Paul does not pick up anything but clothing, any non-clothing items are discarded. |
St. Thomas the Apostle
2008 Cash Calendars ARE HERE!!! Our CASH CALENDARS were mailed out to all our parishioners. If you did not receive yours, you may pick them up in the back of the Church/Chapel or at the Rectory. CASH CALENDARS are just $10.00. Click here to download and print a CASH CALENDAR. |
Congratulations to our May Cash Calendar Winners. Click here to see the list of winners.
| On September 29th we had our annual Blessing of the Animals. A special thanks to Rita Kratt for organizing this wonderful event, to Deacon Anthony for presiding and Kevin Thompson for his gift of music. Thanks to Rob Kaminski for set up and to our wonderful helpers: Erin Von Elm, Maria and Vinnie Mione for handing out the neckerchiefs! Thanks for all who brought their special pets to be blessed. Click here to view photos of this special event. Thanks to Mary Ann Pellegrino for these wonderful photographs. |
VOCATIONS Over the past four years, the Vocation Office has responded to over 450 requests for Vocation Events at various schools, religious education programs, parishes, and youth groups. God calls each of us to our own special vocation. Having priests and religious share the stories of how they came to hear their call from God and to talk about how He may be calling you, (generous single life, marriage, parenthood), is a great way to spend an evening. If you are interested in taking part in such an evening, please call Eileen Minutoli in the Religious Education office at 538-7460 for more information. |
St. Vincent de Paul Society Our main source of revenue comes from the "Poor Boxes" in the Church and Chapel. Your generous gifts enable us to address basic human needs of people who come to us for help. Our ability to respond reflects your willingness to help those in need; on their behalf, we thank you! |
| Getting Married? . . .
If you are planning to be married at St. Thomas the Apostle, click here to obtain important information to make it possible. |
Let Us Know... One of the primary roles of the Pastoral Council is to be a means of communication between St. Thomas parishioners and the pastor and his staff. With that in mind, click here. |
For modern man, the idea of placing limits on research sounds like blasphemy. However, an intrinsic limit exists, and this is human dignity. Progress obtained at the price of the violation of human dignity is unacceptable. If research attacks man, it is a deviation of science. Even if we protest that this or that research will open possibilities for the future, we must say no when man is at stake. The comparison is a bit strong, but I would like to recall that already once before someone has carried out medical experiments on persons who were held to be inferior. Where will the logic that consists in treating a fetus or an embryo as a thing lead? Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
(now Pope Benedict XVI) |
St. Vincent de Paul . . .We have received so much from the good Lord that we encourage others to experience his love for them through our ministry of assistance. We are family and we share God’s gifts generously and wholeheartedly! Thank you. |
| Stewardship Prayer | Creator God, Life is your gift to me. Through Baptism, you invite me to share the gift of my life in service to others. Be with me as I choose each day to show your presence in our world. Give me the courage and generosity to respond to your love, to your call. I pray especially for those who serve you in ministry throughout the parishes of Long Island. May we bring the Good News to those in need. Keep us close to you. Open the minds and hearts of many others ~ men, women and young people ~ that they may accept your challenge to build the Kingdom in our parishes. We ask this prayer through Christ our Lord. AMEN. |
H uman life is a precious gift to be loved and defended in each of its stages. The Commandment "You shall not kill!" always requires respecting and promoting human life, from its beginning to its natural end. It is a command that applies even in the presence of illness and when physical weakness reduces the person’s ability to be self-reliant. If growing old, with its inevitable conditions is accepted serenely in the light of faith, it can become an invaluable opportunity for better comprehending the Mystery of the Cross, which gives full sense to human existence. - Pope John Paul II |
Bereavement Support If you have been recently bereaved and would like to participate in our Bereavement Support Group starting soon, please contact Ray Ann McGill at 489-0237. |
YOUR MOST IMPORTANT WORK
MAY NOT BEGIN UNTIL AFTER YOU RETIRE The Ignatian Lay Volunteer Corps is an opportunity for men and women in their 50’s, 60’s and 70’s to offer their skills, wisdom and life experience in direct service to the needs of people who are poor. In return for a commitment of two days a week for a year (September-July) with a local service project, the ILVC provides guidance for personal reflection and prayerful conversation with fellow ILVC Volunteers. Together we hope to see the face of Christ a little more clearly and contribute to the transformation of the world. For additional information and an application, please call or e-mail to 516-248-2022 or ignatianli@earthlink.net. |
Discipleship: The call of the disciples is so familiar to us that we tend to miss the wonder of the disciples’ response, which was immediate and complete; they leave everything and follow Jesus. Can we do less if we feel that God is calling us to the priesthood or consecrated life? If you think God is calling you, contact the Vocations Office at (631) 424-9888 or you may e-mail us at vocations@drvc.org. |
To view pictures of the Dedication Ceremony of the MONSIGNOR RICHARD A. WALSH PARISH CENTER click here. |
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Please pray for the safe return of
JOEL MARCELLA, LCPL.
LT. COL. THOMAS BRENNAN
MIGUEL A. FLAQUER
MARK E. SATIRA
LANCE CPL. MICHAEL C. VACCO Members of St. Thomas the Apostle Church stationed in Iraq & Afghanistan LT. PETER J. EBERHARDT
CAPT. JOHN LEHANE, USMC
STAFF SGT. JOSEPH D. MARCIANO
SPEC. KENNETH ALBARRAN
SGT. ERICH McCARTNEY
KRIS KLEFFMAN
CAPT. TIMOTHY MILLER USMC
MAJOR PATRICK SWEENEY
LT. COL. PAUL SWEENEY
SGT. MATTHEW R. SCHMIDT
SGT. CHRISTOPHER McKAY
JOSEPH DELLA RATTA PFC
CAPT. JOHN LAUTEN
KEITH ILENDA
CAPT. ANTHONY CARUSO have returned home safely from Iraq. The family wish to thank you for your prayers, and ask that you please continue to pray for our troops. God Bless You All. |
Monsignor Jim’s website is located at: http://www.msgrlisante.org. Share the site with your friends and family.
Click HERE to read the latest edition of
"Youth Group News..."
RELIGIOUS ARTICLES
FOR SALE AT THE
HUMAN SERVICES’ OFFICE
To learn about our Parish Organizations and learn what's happening on their calendars, click on "Organizations" on the left menu. Attention BOOK LOVERS. If you love books learn how you can help St. Thomas. Click here for more details.
BAPTISM:
We welcome the following little Christians into the
St. Thomas the Apostle Parish Community: Alanna Christi Anadollis * John Edward Ziegler
Arthur William Staudinger IV * James John Thompson III
PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR PRIESTS: Loving God, You have blessed Your church by sending us holy men to serve as priests. Guide and sustain them, Lord, as they shepherd Your flock in imitation of Your Son.
To obtain a free copy of Adobe Reader in order to read and print any document or form downloaded from this site: Click here.
Last Updated: June 28, 2008 at 8:30 PM
©1997 - 2002 St. Thomas the Apostle Roman Catholic Church
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