You can join Deacon Jacques and George & Debbie Nieves for communal prayer by phone throughout the week.  You are invited to call in at 7:00PM every evening (Sunday through Saturday) to participate in the Holy Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. EXCEPT this Saturday, July 4, you are invited to call in at 11:00AM.  There will be no phone call at 7:00PM on July 4. To participate, call 1-425-436-6397 and use the access code 296094# (If you have difficulty with this, first dial 1-209-399-9053, then Backup conference number: 425-436-6397, and finally the access code: 296094#) *The Holy Father has gran...

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Holy Communion will now be distributed at all parish Masses, both weekend and weekday, including funerals and nuptial Masses. Volunteers to assist with new Mass procedures -- either cleaning or the check-in/seating process -- are much needed.  Please call the Rectory Office at 516-489-8585 if you are willing to help and are not in a vulnerable category.  Please look out for announcements on the website and by other means to alert you to additions to our Mass schedule.  Please be aware that Bishop Barres has extended the dispensation from Sunday Mass attendance for now. Weekday Masses will resume on ...

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While Bishop Barres continues to offer a dispesation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass, participation in televised Masses is certainly one way to continue worshipping. Below is a format for you to use in your own household perhaps at the usual time you would have come to Mass at St. Thomas:     Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ June 14, 2020   Greeting   Leader: O Lord, open my lips. All: And my mouth shall declare your praise.   Introductory Psalm - Psalm 95   Leader: Come, let us sing to the LORD and shout with joy to the Rock who s...

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I am happy to let you know that we will be resuming some Masses in our church and chapel this weekend, June 13-14.  In looking forward to this, I can truly say in the words of St. Paul, “How I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.” We are restarting by scheduling three Masses this weekend: 5:00PM Saturday evening and 10:00AM on Sunday in the church; 11:00AM on Sunday in the chapel. Each Mass will have limited capacity.  To avoid turning away anyone, please make a reservation for the Mass you choose on our parish website (click here) or by calling the parish offic...

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Church bells have been the traditional way to summon the congregation to worship. In the Catholic tradition they are also rung at 6:00AM, 12NOON and 6:00PM to invite Catholics to pray the Angelus. In our parish, we ring the Angelus twice, at 12NOON and 6:00PM.   Because in the current crisis people are not being invited to worship, we are taking advantage of our carillon technology to invite those within the sound of the carillon to pray in their homes. Our carillon plays these hymn tunes at the times indicated:*   11:00AM - Crown Him with Many Crowns 1:00PM - Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almigh...

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Help the St. Thomas the Apostle Reopening Committee plan how best to resume weekend Masses by taking the Parish Reopening Survey.  To take the survey online, click the link at the end of this paragraph.  Those who would prefer to take the survey by phone may leave a message with their name and phone number at 516-489-8585 ext. 201.  They will receive a call back on Tuesday or Thursday afternoon. Click here to take the Parish Reopening Survey

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Msgr. Maniscalco is celebrating a new Mass for all those in our community who have died since the parish has not been able to have funeral Masses.  The Mass will be on our website as of Thursday, May 28 at 10:00AM.  Please view the Mass and pray for those we will remember by name and also those whose names we do not yet know.  Those who will be remembered by name can be found by clicking here.  Call the Rectory at 516-489-8585 if you would like to add the name of your loved one.  Please provide your contact information so that we can follow up with you. The new Memorial Mass is also available...

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As part of its ongoing effort to support families who have lost a loved one, Catholic Health Services Good Shepherd Hospice is offering three virtual bereavement support groups  One for those grieving a loved one who passed from COVID-19 will start on Wednesday, May 20 for six consecutive weeks, 6:00-7:30PM.  On June 11, two additional bereavement support groups will begin: Loss of Spouse/Partner, 1:00-2:30PM; Adult Loss of a Parent or Sibling, 6:00-7:30PM. Each meeting will be online via Zoom and are limited to 20 participants.  For more information or to register call Good Sheph...

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Join Deacon Jacques and George & Debbie Nieves for communal prayer by phone throughout the week.  You are invited to call in at 7:00PM every evening (Sunday through Saturday) to participate in the Holy Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet.* To participate, call 1-425-436-6397 and use the access code 296094# (If you have difficulty with this, first dial 1-209-399-9053, then Backup conference number: 425-436-6397, and finally the access code: 296094#) *The Holy Father has granted a Plenary Indugence for those who say the Divine Mercy Chaplet with the Intention, "to implore Almighty God the end of the ep...

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I have been looking at plans for re-opening worship, whether theoretical or practical. They all add up to our worship being for a time very different from what it has been in performance, if not in substance. Wearing masks, using perhaps only a third of the pews and putting markings on the floor to keep people at a safe distance from one another, regular sanitizing our buildings and a rather gingerly way of distributing Holy Communion, to say the least, are almost sure to be part of our celebrations.    We are used to treating the Eucharist with reverence but have not had to in the past, except during ...

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Bishop Barres will celebrate a White Mass this Sunday, May 17 in St. Agnes Cathedral offering prayers in thanksgiving for all health care workers and for their safety and well-being.  You can view the White Mass on Catholic Faith Network (click here), beginning at 11:00AM on Sunday.  It is also found on Optimum channel 29/137, Verizon FiOS TV channel 296 and Spectrum channel 162/471.  The Mass can be viewed any time after 11:00AM on cfntv.org and drvc.org.  Msgr. Maniscalco will also offer Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle in thanksgiving for our health care workers.  This Mass will appear on ...

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Crisis Helplines and Support Resouces: If your situation is urgent, please call the 24/7 Response Hotline at (631)751-7500. The Mental Health Association of Nassau County (click here) The peer support “warmline” is open 24/7 and can be reached by calling (516)489-0100 ext. 1. Please click here for information on ongoing peer support groups offered by MHANC. Association for Mental Health and Wellness (MHAW) Mental Health Helpline (click here) Click here for a variety of resources available through the MHAW website, including information about their ...

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On Mothers Day, May 10, mothers of our parish came to the parking lot behind St. Thomas the Apostle Church to receive a blessing from our priests and deacons.  Nearly 200 cars brought moms to participate in this special event.  We thank Haydee Torres and Mike Durso for capturing the occasion in photos and video.  If you would like to see these images, click here to view the photos and here to view the video.

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We will celebrate Mother's Day and the individual blessings with a concert of Marian hymns played on our Carillon.   At 10:55AM there will be a peal of bells to signal the start of the blessings.  The schedule of hymns is as follows: 11:20AM: Hail Holy Queen Enthroned Above 11:40AM: Immaculate Mary (the Lourdes Hymn) 12:10PM: O Sanctissima 12:30PM: On This Day, O Beautiful Mother 12:50PM: Daily Daily Sing to Mary At 1:05PM, a peal of bells will indicate the end to the blessings.

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Msgr. Maniscalco wishes all the mothers of our parish, grandmothers and women who serve in a motherly capacity a happy Mother's Day. This Sunday, May 10 please watch our St. Thomas the Apostle Mass at 10:00AM on our home page (click here).   During this Mass, Msgr. Maniscalco will offer our annual Mother's Day Blessing.  Then from 11:00AM to 1:00PM, you are invited to drive to the parking lot behind the main Church on Westminster Rd. where Msgr. Maniscalco, Father Anthony and our deacons will take turns offering individual blessings (weather permitting). Please observe the following: Enter the...

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Every month our school students come to church for a "School Mass."  If you wish to see Msgr. Maniscalco offering a Mass for our students for the month of May, please click the "May School Mass" heading above, then click here.

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In separate interviews, Msgr. Maniscalco speaks with Mary Ann Pellegrino, our director of religious education, Irene Peplinski, our director of Human Services and Dr. Valerie Serpe,  our school principal, about how the current health crisis is affecting their ministries and their future plans.  Click the links below to view these three conversations. Mary Ann Pellegrino, Director of Religious Education Valerie Serpe, School Principal Irene Peplinski, Director of Human Services

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Many of us have been praying Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours on Tuesdays before the 9:00 Mass for the past 11 years.  In an effort to continue this practice, I will email Morning Prayer for that day to anyone who would like it, whether or not you've ever attended at church in the past.  Just send me an email (deaconjohnford@yahoo.com) telling me that you'd like to receive it, and I will email it to you on Monday evening.  Since the pandemic, I am also sending Morning Prayer for Sundays, sending that out on Saturday evenings. Deacon John

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We have begun an online prayer list for Frontline Responders and Essential Workers.  If you or your family member is an Essential Worker who would like to be included in this list, please send your/their name and occupation to Cindy.StThomas@live.com.  If you would like, you might also send a picture of yourself at work (or elsewhere) so that we can put a face with your name - but this is not required.  To view the list, click here.  We thank you and pray for your good health and safety as you continue your important work during these challenging days.

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Msgr. Maniscalco offers Mass for all those in our community who have died since the parish has not been able to celebrate funeral Masses. The Mass will be on our website starting Thursday, April 30 at 10:00AM. Please view the Mass then and pray for those we will remember by name and also those whose names we do not yet know.  The Mass  will remain on our website and in our video archive for viewing at other times as well. 

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During these days when so many parishioners are isolated at home, the parish staff has been reaching out by phone to offer an opportunity to touch base and chat.  If you would like to receive a Tuesday phone call from a parish staff member, leave a message with your name and phone number at the Rectory Office (516-489-8585).

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If your loved one has passed, please accept our sincerest condolences and contact the Rectory at 516-489-8585 with their information. We will put your loved one's name on our Memorial web page (click here), and Irene Peplinski, our Director of Human Services, will reach out to you and your family to offer grief support.   Due to the pandemic, funeral Masses have not been permitted. However, we wish to help our families that have lost a loved one by offering a Memorial Mass at a later date.    In addition, our priest can bless the coffin en route to the&...

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If you need Mass Cards, call the Rectory Office at 516-489-8585 and we can make arrangements to mail for you.  Leave your name and phone number and you will get a return call. To learn about other opportunities for remembrance at St. Thomas the Apostle such as Purgatorial Society memberships, bell ringing dedications and the Memorial Garden, click here.

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Catholic Health Services of Long Island is currently hiring at all of its facilities.  For information about these career opportunities - along with links to other useful resources from Catholic Health Services concerning your physical, mental, and spiritual well-being during the COVID-19 crisis - click here.

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As you know, due to the pandemic our pantry has been closed.  We are still helping our families in need by mailing them supermarket gift cards.  They are, also, referred to Island Harvest for food.  If you wish to donate, supermarket or fast food gift cards can be dropped into the Rectory door mail slot.  This will help us to continue mailing gift cards to our families in need.  Food or monetary donations to Island Harvest (click here) would also be extremely helpful...thank you for your support and generosity during this difficult time.   Stay safe, stay healthy and pray!...

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Spring is such a happy time in our parish as our young people complete their initiation into the Christian community with the Sacrament of Confirmation and other young people continue it by receiving First Holy Communion.   Before calamity struck, I was able to celebrate special Masses for you, the candidates for both sacraments. At those Masses we looked forward to these happy celebrations and how each sacrament brought us closer to Jesus and strengthened us to follow his example.   Unfortunately, very soon after the Mass for our Confirmation candidates, the COVID-19 crisis postponed Confirmation whi...

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“Sometimes in our lives We feel a great deal of pain Because we lose someone special...” ~Amber Carrico Our Spring Bereavement Program was scheduled to begin on Tuesday, April 28.  Due to the impact of COVID-19 we regret we are unable to provide the Spring program this year.  Our Facilitators mourn the loss of your loved ones with you and are keeping you, your loved ones, and your families in their prayers.  The Team is planning a program to gather together, remember those who have died, and share resources.  Details will be posted in the church and on the St. Thomas the Apostle...

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The liturgies of the Sacred Triduum will be available on the St. Thomas the Apostle Parish website according to the following schedule:   Holy Thursday (April 9) Morning Prayer: 10:00AM Mass of the Lord's Supper: 9:00PM   Good Friday (April 10) Morning Prayer: 10:00AM Celebration of the Passion and Death of the Lord: 7:00PM   Holy Saturday (April 11) Morning Prayer: 10:00AM   Easter Sunday (April 12) Easter Mass: 10:00AM

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This is Monsignor Frank Maniscalco. In the past I have called you during Holy Week to invite you to our church's most beautiful and important celebrations. It is with the greatest regret I am not able to do so this year due to the COVID-19 crisis. But we can still be united in spirit and through the media which we hope have been bringing our services into your homes and will continue to do so. We have prepared celebrations of morning prayer for the next three days and are planning services for Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. In the midst of financial hardship hitting so many of you so severely I w...

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To assist the Faithful who may be struggling during this crisis, Bishop Barres has issued a general dispensation from the law of abstinence (refraining from eating meat) for Good Friday 2020.  All are reminded however, that Good Friday remains a day of fasting and penance.

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Pastors have received the following instruction from the Diocese: "Do not plan to distribute Palms or make them available. There is no way to safely do this and guarantee that crowds will not form or that the virus will not be passed on amidst the palms. If possible, hold the blessed palms for possible distribution after the crisis has ended." In this parish we have canceled our order of palm. We plan if possible to bless palm and distribute it in September in connection with the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.  

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Visit Catholic Faith Network (click here) to watch Bishop Barres celebrate the liturgies of Holy Week live from St. Agnes Cathedral:   Wednesday, April 8 Chrism Mass at 11:00AM   Holy Thursday, April 9 Morning Prayer at 9:00AM Mass of the Lord's Supper at 8:00PM   Good Friday, April 10 Morning Prayer at 9:00AM Celebration of the Passion and Death of the Lord at 3:00PM   Holy Saturday, April 11 Morning Prayer at 9:00AM Easter Vigil at 8:00PM   Find Bishop Barres' Pastoral Letter on Holy week by clicking here. 

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Bishop Barres has transferred Msgr. Alesandro to the St. Pius X Enhanced Living Facility for Senior Priests in Amityville as of Friday, March 27. Soon after the diagnosis of the condition which has caused his upper body weakness, Msgr. Alesandro shared the news with the Bishop who has regularly kept himself informed on Msgr. Alesandro's condition. Given the current worldwide health crisis but not solely because of it, the Bishop decided to make this transfer. I know we all wish Msgr. Alesandro well in his new residence. When the current health crisis is passed we look forward to celebrating with him a Mass of Thanksgiv...

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We regret not being able to serve you here at St. Thomas as we have in the past. Because of the difficulty of keeping such large areas as our church, lower church and chapel continually sanitized, they are currently closed. The diocese has notified pastors that no further liturgies are permitted until further notice. This includes funerals, weddings, baptisms, and any other cause for gathering people together in church. Wake services should no longer be conducted. Burial services may be offered preferably at the grave site, while observing all safe distance precautions. Memorial Masses for your loved ones can be celebrated...

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Click title (above) to view Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at St. Thomas the Apostle.

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The Vatican has announced special indulgences for those infected with COVID-19, for those in quarantine, for medical personnel, and for all who are praying for them.  Click here for full details.

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As of Sunday, March 22 at 8:00PM, no further liturgies will be permitted until further notice. This includes funerals, weddings, baptisms, and any other cause for gathering people together in the Church, other than private prayer. Emergency sacraments are permitted, as always, but while exercising the proper health precautions outlined in previous memos. Burial services may be offered if possible, while observing all safe distance precautions, and should be done at the grave site. Wake services should no longer be conducted. Both wakes and funeral (memorial) Masses can be postponed.  Confessions may not be advertis...

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(Click here for additional instructions received on March 21, 2020) Diocesan Episcopal Vicars offer this advice to pastors: Each of us as Vicars has received inquiries about ideas/adaptations. Permit us to offer some observations. The purpose of the extraordinary decision to cancel all public Masses, devotions, meetings, etc., is to respond to the directives of medical professionals and government officials to slow transmission of the virus and permit them time to prepare and cope with large numbers of very sick people. Our sacrifice is an act of the most basic charity in the defense of vulnerable human life, espe...

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The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, “In case of necessity, any person, even someone not baptized, can baptize, if he has the required intention.  The intention required is to will to do what the Church does when she baptizes" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1256).  Baptism must be administered by pouring the water three times over the head of the one being baptized while saying, "(Name), I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

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I remember, when I was a child in elementary school, how terrifying polio was. According to Wikipedia, the U.S. experienced severe outbreaks of 58,000 cases in 1952 and 35,000 cases in 1953, just as I entered first grade. Deaths in those years numbered 3,200 and 1,400. I don’t need Wikipedia to remind me that even for those who survived, the recovery often took a very long time with effects that looked like they would last a lifetime. Pictures of children my age quarantined in huge iron lungs made the disease a horrible reality to me, as did my parents’ fear of my ever using a public pool or swimming hole....

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There is such a great need for service in the life of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish and often a huge number of young people who want to help those in need.  This Service Corps is one way to make this connection. Here’s how it works: 1. ANY middle school, high school and college aged students send their contact information to Bridget Jordan at bjorda5@pride.hofstra.edu. 2. As requests for help come from or come into our parish, you’ll be contacted to see if you can help. 3. If you can help with a particular project, great!  If not, no problem.  You’ll be contacted for the next o...

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