CONCERT FOR SYRIA AND MIDDLE EAST REFUGEES — An Interfaith Evening of Hope Millions of displaced families need our support. Join us on Saturday, November 7th at 7:00pm in Blessed Sacrament Church. Ticket donation is $25 Adults, $10 Children under 12 (100% of proceeds will go to Catholic Relief Services). Featuring: Dr. Gregory D’Agostino, Organ Soloist, Seraphim, a NY/NJ Choir, Gabriel Aydin, Syriac Music Soloist and Highbridge Voices, a South Bronx children’s chorus. Robert Long, Conductor. Reception following performance. Pick up a flyer for more information or purchase tickets at the church entrance this weekend. Let’s do something together as we share an evening of music and hope with our neighbors of all faith communities.
BOOK CLUB Our next Book Club will be held on Nov. 19, 6:30-8-00pm. We will be reading a biography of Pope Francis, “The Great Reformer” by Austen Ivereigh. The New York Times calls it the best biography of the Pope in English to date. Cardinal Dolan demonstrates that the key to understanding Francis begins above all by recognizing his unfailing faith in the love and mercy of Jesus. Because of the size of the book, we will be reading the first half, chapters one through five this time and the remainder of the book at the following meeting.
A VOLUNTEER OR VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED FOR SAINTHOOD INQUIRY: Transcriber with Experience The Dorothy Day Guild is looking for someone with experience doing simultaneous or recorded transcription to transcribe eyewitness testimony at the Archdiocesan Inquiry on the life of Dorothy Day. Interviews will be 4-5 hours long and conducted at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center, 1011 First Avenue, spread over the next year. Please contact
[email protected] or 212-371-1011 ext. 2480 for more details.
VETERAN'S DAY Wednesday, November 11th is Veteran's Day. The Rectory will be closed.
Originally this day was celebrated as Armistice day. It marked the end of World War I, which ended on Nov. 11, 1917 at 11am. Unfortunately, we fight on. So we remember all of our war dead in prayer.
BETHLEHEM HANDICRAFTS Bethlehem Handicrafts is a Catholic group from Bethlehem, the Holy Land. They are going to visit our church the weekend of November 14th/15th to display handmade olivewood religious articles carved by Christian carvers in Bethlehem. What a wonderful gift idea!
WOMEN’S GROUP MEETING — Sunday Nov. 8 at 4:00pm Blessed Sacrament is excited to announce the next meeting of our parish Women’s Group. Exclusively this month, we will have a special guest speaker! Discussion will center around historical women in the Catholic faith and their role in the development of the Church. We’ll also be planning our Christmas/December meeting, organizing our group outing to the Nutcracker, and more! All ages are welcome to attend and grow together in faith. Please join us at 4:00pm today, upstairs in the rectory for delicious snacks, coffee, wine, and lively conversation!
COLLECTION Thank you so very much for your generous response to the needs of the parish. Our collection last Sunday was $8,858. $3,353 was received through ParishPay for a total of $12,211.
ABC of Catholic Relief Services. This week: CRS/West Bank CRS supports strong leadership by the US Government to seek a comprehensive peace agreement in The Holy Land. With a viable state for the Palestinian and a secure state for Israel, CRS long-running work continues to respond to humanitarian situations in the West Bank, Gaza, and Jerusalem. Next week: CRSXtra Effort. For more info visit
www.crs.org.
PAX CHRISTI METRO NEW YORK Sunday’s readings introduce us to two widows who are as impoverished as is humanly possible. One is in the verge of starvation; the other gives “her whole livelihood.” How could they do that, and is that what God is asking of us? To answer the first question, we might consider that the widow of Zarepath might have given out of despair; she believed she was going to die anyway. She might have given because of her lowly status, her duty to Elijah as one higher than she. Or she might have given out of deep trust in God and unrestrained generosity. The widow at the temple might have given for similar reasons. Whatever the reason, Jesus laments the discrepancy between the giving of the poor and the wealthy. So, is the message to us to give all that we have or might it be to do all we can to reduce the discrepancy? Catholic Social Teaching instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first. How can we do a much better job of that? What can we give that is not only monetary, but also a giving of our talents? The world needs both.
BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT On the 1st and 3rd Fridays of each month we have Bereavement Support Groups - General Bereavement at 5:30 p.m. and Perinatal Loss (for individuals and couples who have lost a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth or newborn death) at 6:30 p.m. Both groups will meet in the Rectory on December 5th. For more information, please call the Rectory at 212-877-3111. No registration is required. There is no fee.
PATH TO THE STILL CENTER This Thursday meditation group welcomes new and old members. We meet every week at 5:30pm in the Rectory. We are following the teachings of Dom John Main, OSB and Father Lawrence Freeman, OSB, Director of the World Community for Christian meditation. Each meeting contains a thirty-minute silent meditation. No fee. For further info please call Mary Orth-Pallavicini at 212-877-3111.
ENCOUNTER HIM—NIGHT FEVER NY CITY Friday, November 20, 2015. 7:00-9:00PM
Music + Adoration + Reconciliation
St. Patrick’s Cathedral—East 50th St. and 5th Avenue
E-mail:
[email protected] “It is important that we let ourselves encounter the Lord, He always seeks us, He is always near us.” Pope Francis.
SOUP KITCHEN Today (Nov. 8th) we have the collection for our Soup Kitchen. Each Sunday our volunteers prepare lunch for 75—100 people. Your donation of money and theirs of time and talent make this possible. We are truly grateful as are those who are fed.