On Friday, March 18, a group of over 15 Blessed Sacrament Parishioners, led by the Social Action Committee, attended a panel discussion on solitary confinement, hosted by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture.
The discussion not only highlighted the inhumane and horrific practices taking place in prisons around the country, but also underscored the ineffectiveness of solitary confinement, and the danger it poses inside and outside of prison walls. Prisoners can be left for years to serve out their sentences in solitary confinement - cruel and damaging conditions with no access to rehabilitative programs. Upon release, they re-join society as tortured individuals, a safety risk for us all.
The HALT bill, designed to end solitary confinement in New York State, is currently moving through the state legislature. The Blessed Sacrament Social Action Committee firmly believes solitary confinement is torture, and remains committed to following this cause and contributing our efforts to the passage of this bill.
If you would like to get involved in further action around this cause, please contact Annie Burke at
[email protected] or Luke Mayville at
[email protected].
McGinley Lecture at Fordham University Rev. Patrick J. Ryan, S.J., the Lawrence J. McGinley professor of Religion and Society at Fordham, will deliver the annual Spring McGinley Lecture, “Making War, Making Peace: Jewish, Christian and Muslim Attitudes,” on Tuesday, April 19
th, 2016 at 6:00pm on the Lincoln Center Campus in Manhattan. It will be repeated on Wednesday, April 20
th, 2016 at 6:00pm on the Rose Hill Campus in the Bronx. The Lecture will be followedby responses from Professor Sarit Kattan Gribetz of Fordham University and Professor Mehnaz Afride of Manhattan College. The lecture s free and open to the public. For further information please call 718-817-4745; email:
[email protected]; or check the website www.fordham.edu/mcginleychair.
JOY J The JoyJ initiative is pleased to announce that its next Homeless Outreach is being held on Saturday, April 16, 2016. The packing of the comfort bags will begin at 9:00 A.M. and then all the volunteers will gather at 10:00 A.M. to go out and bring spiritual and physical comfort to our less fortunate Brothers and Sisters who live on the streets of NYC. Please join us in the lower Church down the stairs between the Church and the Rectory. It will do wonders for your soul. See you there!
School of the Blessed Sacrament is accepting applications for grades
1 - 8, with financial aide opportunities for qualified families! School of the Blessed Sacrament is a pre-k through eighth grade Catholic elementary school in the heart of the upper west side. Our well-rounded curriculum incorporates love of God, self, and others. We integrate technology, the arts, music, and physical education to provide a liberal arts education for the whole child. We seek to develop saints and scholars through innovative, personal learning experiences. Contact us today at 212-724-7561 or
www.sblsnyc.org.
April Moms' Group featuring Dr. Mary Flannery Join us Wednesday, April 6, in the rectory, as Dr. Flannery, a parishioner, mother, pediatrician and child psychiatrist will be conducting a Q&A session. Please arrive promptly at 7pm as the Q&A will begin soon thereafter. Sign up for more information about our monthly socials for mothers, fathers and families:
http://www.meetup.com/NYC-Catholic-Families/ Margaret F. Grace Lecture “Where Do I Find Hope?”
Dorothy Day and the Solution of Love:
A Conversation with Robert Ellsberg, John L. Allen Jr., and Sr. Simone Campbell
April 12, 2016
7pm – Smith Hall
College of Mount Saint Vincent
6301 Riverdale Avenue, Riverdale, New York 10471
“What Next?” Exploring the Transitions that Define Who We AreA Retreat for Young Adults
April 15-17, 2016
$260 per person (financial aid and payment plans available)
Mariandale Retreat Center; Ossining, NY (Accessible via MTA/MetroNorth & Amtrak)
Are you starting a new job? Not sure where your relationship is headed? Contemplating a change in your life? You’re not alone! Join other 20- and 30-year-olds for a peer-led retreat weekend to explore transitions that define who we are and who we will become, as well as the faith that can carry us through.
For more information or to register today, visit
www.Charis.nyc.
NEW YORK CATHOLIC YOUTH DAY Witness Mercy (Mt. 5:7)
Saturday, April 30
th, 2016, 9:00am – 5:00pm
St. Joseph’s Seminary – 201 Seminary Ave.
Yonkers, NY 10704
Come join and meet over a thousand Catholic youth from all over the Archdiocese for a day of faith, fun, great music and speakers, and Mass with his Eminence Cardinal Dolan. Register online at
www.OYMNY.org/NY-Catholic-Youth-Day. Entrance fee is $20 before April 9
th, $25 after. It includes: T-shirt, backpack and lunch. For more information, call Cynthia Psencik at the office of youth Ministry at 914-367-8329 or email [email protected]