Newsletter Committee: Merlene Fray, Karleine Graham, Beverly Gray, Kathleen Lyons, Gloria Maffettone

MERCY Retreat Mission Holy

Sepulchre Catholic

Ministries Kingsley

Joseph Oblates Order of

Malta Healing RCIA Black History Month

Mercy The Gospels in Lent show the MERCY of Jesus Parishioners inspired to do the same

During this Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis asks the faithful to follow the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mer-cy: “feed the hungry, clothe the naked, forgive offences willingly, comfort the afflicted…” Fittingly the Gospels have provided many examples where Jesus demonstrated the Mercy of God, His Father.

The volunteer retreat day on February 27th, the Lenten Mission on the following weekend and other activities gave the parishioners opportunities to explore the Mercy of God more deeply.

The annual parish retreat day for volunteers was held on March 5th and was conducted by Fr. Gregory Cappuccino, pastor of St. Frances de Chantal in Wantagh. Fr. Greg grew up in Uniondale and his parents were founding members of St. Mar-tha’s. The theme of this year’s retreat and the inspiration of Fa-ther’s talk was St. Martha’s as a mosaic, a mosaic of people, cul-tures and languages. Three pa-

rishioners, John D’Atri, Patricia Maestro Apressa and Maria Gertha Brice read a pasage from 1st Corinthians, “One Body with Many Parts”, in the three predominant lan-guages of the parish. Fr. Greg elab-orated on the theme, using the exam-ple of a mosaic of Mary on display which had many tiny pieces yet pro-duced a magnificent image. The Gospel reading for the evening’s Mass included the story of the fig tree that bore no fruit and the owner

of the orchard who would “cut it down.” The tree was saved by the gardener who promised to cultivate and fertilize it. Fr. Cappuccino told us that Jesus used this as an example of God’s love and Mercy for his people, that he would provide the resources to help them be productive. Father also re-turned to the theme of his earlier homily by using the exam-ple of the Mosaic to help the multi-cultural parish continue to grow and flourish, with the help of God’s love, in this time of transitioning to a new pastor.

During the afternoon’s program, three members of the parish also gave a personal reflection. Karleine Graham shared her journey in faith through scripture. Alex Apresa told of his evolving commitment to the parish as a relatively

Fr. Cappuccino

Above: “One Body with Many Parts” scripture pas-

sage is read, Vanessa Bue-no speaks. Left: A beauti-ful Mass saw two priests and four deacons on the altar.

Continued on page 2

Mercy continued

Parish Lenten Mission Father Anthony Stanganelli presides

Rev. Anthony Stanganelli, Pastor of St. Bridget’s in

Westbury, preached at all Masses, including the Spanish

and Haitian Masses, on the week-

end of March 5th in preparation of

the Lenten Mission on Monday

and Tuesday of that week.

The Gospel reading for the

fourth Sunday of Lent was the

parable of the Prodigal Son. Fa-

ther used this story of a father’s

great love for his son that he was

able to forgive and rejoice be-

cause his son who “was lost has been found,” to encourage

all to forgive and reunite with an estranged family member

or friend. He also noted that the father’s entreaty to the old-

er son “Everything I have is yours,” is also God’s promise

to all of us– everything God has is ours to share.

On Monday, Fr. Tony focused his homily on the gospel

story of the woman who had hemorrhaged for 12 years.

When she approached Jesus and touched the hem of his gar-

ment believing that she would be healed instantly the bleed-

ing stopped. Jesus realizing that something had changed

asked “Who touched my clothes?” The disciples would

new parishioner and Vanessa Bueno, a senior at Uniondale HS, shared her longing to be an altar server and it being the impetus for her involvement in so many parish, school and community groups.

Fr. Stanganelli

Top: Manuel Blanco, a seminarian from the parish, Deacon Miguel Romero offers a blessing for the food.

push her away but Jesus in his Mercy turned to her and

spoke with her saying: “Daughter, your faith has healed

you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

Father reread the passage and then asked the congregation

to close their eyes and mediate on the passage as he noted

the pertinent facts. He asked those participating to consider

their feelings about the story as an observer, then as the

crowd who would remove her and finally sharing the role of

the woman in the story. During the entire discourse, Father

emphasized the love and Mercy of Jesus towards the wom-

an and all who would be in similar situations.

The evening ended with Father blessing each congregant

with a monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament, the

Body of Jesus.

Tuesday’s homily told the story of Zacchaeus, the tax

collector who was reviled by the villagers of Jericho be-

cause he extorted

money from the Jews

to enrich the Romans

and himself. Zac-

chaeus climbed a

sycamore tree in or-

der to see Jesus. Je-

sus ordered him to

“come down” and, to

Continued on Page 3

On Saturday, March 12th,

three members of the parish, Dea-

con Hernst Bellevue, Yanick

Bellevue and Kathleen Lyons at-

tended the Day of Recollection for

members of the Orders of Malta

and Holy Sepulchre at the Church

of Our Savior in Manhattan. The

Very Reverend John O’Hara, Aux-

iliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of

New York, was the homilist and

celebrant of Mass at noon.

Bishop O’Hara began his homily by reading the Gospel

passage of the Prodigal Son. Once again the theme of

God’s Mercy was illustrated by this dynamic story. Bishop

O’Hara also told a personal story of his feeling of failure to

comfort a dying man. As a young, recently ordained priest,

Lady Yanick Bellevue, LHS, Sir Deacon Hernst Bellevue, KHS, and Lady Kathleen Lyons, LCHS at the church of Our Savior.

Holy Sepuchre, Order of Malta Day of Recollection

the amazement of the villagers, he told Zacchaeus that he

needed to eat with him and stay at his house. Father Tony

also led a mediation reflecting on this story.

Mass was celebrated on Tuesday evening and hospitality

followed both evenings. A Monday morning service was

included in the Mission program.

At the Masses on Sunday, St. Martha’s hosted a trio of

students from Hofstra who were embarking on a mission in

Tennessee to work with the poor. They were asking for

support, both with prayer and funds.

Mercy continued

Above: Evelyn Sheehan.

Right: Fr. Frank with his mother,

Joan Caldwell, and Fr. Paul Wierichs,

C.P., also pictured above right.

he had been mentored in the parish by a wise and older

deacon. It was this deacon who insisted that they return to

the hospital saying “why do you doubt the Mercy of God.”

On the return the young priest was able to convey God’s for-

giveness to the sinner as he died. The Bishop encouraged

the members of the Orders to never doubt the Mercy of God

in fulfilling their charge to bring “order out of chaos” in this

world. The program

concluded with a bless-

ing by the relics of the

Holy Sepulchre.

Hofstra Students

Mercy continued

Order of Malta Healing Mass Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes

On February 11th, the Feast of

Our Lady of Lourdes, the members of

the Sovereign Military Hospitaller

Order of St. John of Jerusalem of

Rhodes and of Malta, more commonly

known as the Order of Malta, gathered

at St. Martha’s for a Mass celebrating

the feast day and incorporating the Sacrament of Healing.

The order, dating back to 1050, is among the oldest

institutions in the Church. The Order of Malta remains

true to its inspiring principles, summarized in the motto

“Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum”—nurturing, wit-

nessing and protecting the Faith—by providing assis-

tance to the poor and the suffering. The members of the

Order sponsor a yearly trip to Lourdes for those afflicted

with illnesses and handicapping disabilities.

Here at St. Martha’s, several members of the Order

volunteer in the Social Ministry program, aiding those

less fortunate. The work Order has long exemplified the

Chruch’s focus on the needs of the poor and infirmed as

outlined in the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.

Msgr. Caldwell is the Chaplin of the Order of Malta

for the Diocese of Rockville Centre.

WORKS of MERCY The corporal works of MERCY are:

To feed the hungry;

To give drink to the thirsty;

To clothe the naked;

To harbour the harbourless;

To visit the sick;

To ransom the captive;

To bury the dead.

The spiritual works of MERCY are:

To instruct the ignorant;

To counsel the doubtful;

To admonish sinners;

To bear wrongs patiently;

To forgive offences willingly;

To comfort the afflicted;

To pray for the living and the dead.

Catholic Ministries Appeal.

The Theme of this year’s Catholic Ministries Ap-

peal is “ONE Faith, Family, and Community.” The

Literature explains that the appeal provides us with the

unique opportunity to answer the charges of the

WORKS of MERCY, “to feed the hungry, confort the

afflicted…”

A video prepared by the Diocese was shown at all

Masses on the weekend of March 12-13th and support-

ing literature was distributed. The video, narrated by

Bishop William Murphy and designed to encourage

donations and pledges, outlined programs supported by

the Ministries Appeal and featured a clip of Pope Fran-

cis speaking about the need to show Mercy.

Please be as generous as your means allow.

Kingsley Joseph Speaks to Young Members of the Spanish Community Inspirational young man delivers a message of MERCY and forgiveness.

Kingsley

Joseph center,

spoke of his

having been

paralyzed by a

shooting and

the forgiveness

and Mercy he

extended to

the assailant.

The young

people asked

very thought-

ful and inter-

esting ques-

tions.

Kingsley is a

true hero and

role model.

Left: Jose Bueno, moderator of

the Spanish Youth program,

thanks Kingsley Joseph for at-

tending the evening meeting on

February 4th and sharing his sto-

ry of both bad choices and bad

outcomes that changed his life

forever but ultimately for the

better.

Oblate Sisters’ Mission of MERCY

The Oblate Sisters of the

Most Holy Redeemer visited

the parish on the weekend of

March 12-13th to provide

people with an awareness of

the extent of Human Traffick-

ing that still exists through-

out the world. The literature

in the bulletin included the

shocking statistics that

100,000 kids are exploited in

the commercial sex industry yearly.

The Sisters work with victims of sex abuse locally and

have been doing so for more than a quarter century They

provide support and counseling and a safe haven when nec-

essary.

Sr. Emilly Baylon, OSR and Sr. Ligia, OSR.

The sisters can be contacted through their website at

http://www.oblatesistersnewyork.org/ or by mail at PO Box

7209, Freeport, NY 11520

Parish Website

St. Martha’s has been updating its website and has also created a Facebook Page where a number of

photos are stored.

In addition, a Shutterfly Account has been created and large quantities of photos taken at parish

events are available for purchase or may be down-loaded. (Coming Soon!)

Check it out!

Website: www.saintmartha.org (click on the FACEBOOK icon to visit our page)

Coming Soon:

Shutterfly: St. Martha Roman Catholic Church

RCIA The staff of St. Martha’s RClA (Right of Christian Initiation of Adults) program prepare adults to receive the

sacraments of Baptism, Holy Communion and Conformation at the Easter Vigil Mass. During Lent the cate-

chumens are blessed by a priest at a Mass in the parish and then forwarded to the Bishop for his blessing. On

March 8th at the 11:00am Mass, Fr. Anthony Stanganelli blessed two candidates and eleven were blessed at

the Spanish Mass earlier.

CATHOLICS, CAPITALISM, AND CLIMATE By Karleine Graham

On Feb. 19, 2016 the Keynote Speaker at the 12th

Leadership Forum at Molloy College was Peter Cardi-

nal Turkson Head of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council

for Justice and Peace. He

was introduced by the

Bishop of Rockville Cen-

tre, William Murphy, who

worked in that Vatican

Department in the 1980s.

Molloy’s Board of Trus-

tees, including our pastor

Msgr. F. Caldwell, and the

University President also

attended.

The Cardinal said that

Christianity engages

man’s relationship with

God, our fellow humans

and the world created by

God. Creation is an inten-

tional act of God as a

gift. Catholics, including

Thomas Aquinas and Pope Leo Xlll (encyclical that

workers can unite and negotiate for better wages) have

often tried to apply Jesus’ teaching to the issues of the

times. Pope Francis’ document Laudato Si-Praise Be

To You, should be viewed in the social teaching of

the church as an appeal to the whole world to engage

in dialogue of education and ethical change to preserve

creation. It undergirds the hope and faith in humanity

to change course and preserve creation for the benefit

of all rich and poor

alike. Pope Francis (like

Pope Benedict before

him) is calling on humans

not just to be stewards

but to the higher standard

of “carers of creation.”

Pope Francis is not anti-

business or anti-

American capitalism, but

joins Adam Smith

(Wealth of Nations)

whose opinion, from the

beginning, was that capi-

talism must have “moral

actors” in the markets

and financials in order to

work well. We should not

make the market a god;

the market should serve all. The Catholic Church re-

ceives information from all corners of the world with

varying levels of development and poverty and seeks

to serve all people. However, each country has a right

to determine its own course.

Pictured with Cardinal Turkson (second from left) is Darcel Whitten–Wilamowski, Director of the Thea Bowman Choir, Beverly Gray and Fr. Dwayne Davis.

GIVING HONOR AND GLORY TO GOD by Beverly Gray

February is Black History Month and the Rockville Centre Office of Multicultural Diversity and the Vicariate

of Black Catholic Concerns for the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens came together to celebrate by offering a week-

end of praise to GOD who makes all things possible.

On Friday, February 12th a revival at St. Brigid’s in Westbury began the salute (see article below), and conclud-

ed on Saturday at St. Joseph’s in Jamaica. These two events that provided spiritual uplifting and awakening pre-

pared all for the grand celebration of the mercies and goodness of God at the thirty-fifth annual Mass of Thanksgiv-

ing of the Ministry to Catholics of African Ancestry and the Haitian American Apostolate Ministry in Douglaston

at the Immaculate Conception Center.

The afternoon of giving honor and glory to God commenced with a liturgical dance that brought us from the joy

of the motherland through the middle passage to our accomplishments of today. This was followed by the pouring

of libation to our ancestors. Darcel Whitten Wilamowski reminded us that “Where we stand is holy because we

honor those whose tears watered the way and remember those whose feet made a way out of no way... We see

those who have gone before us and those who stand before us, we see ourselves.” We request permission from

them to begin.

The Sr. Thea Bowman DRVC/Mass Choir opened with the hymn “He Reigns Forever” and the procession be-

gan with the Knights of Columbus, Knights and Ladies of St. Peter Claver and the Knights of St. John Internation-

al. They were followed by the offering of the fruits of the harvest. The seminarians led the clergy to the altar,

which included: Deacons, concelebrating priests Most Reverend Guy Sansaricq, DD and Most Reverend Robert J.

Brennan, DD, and the principal celebrant Most Reverend Fernand Cheri, lll, OFM from the Archdiocese of New

Orleans, Louisiana. Throughout the Mass, the choir offered hymns of “Total Praise” and “Perfect Praise” to the

faithful gathered there.

Editor’s note: Several parishioners participated in the celebration. Some are members of the Thea Bowman

Choir, Deacon Trevor Mathurin assisted at Mass, Samantha Nicholson and Michael Edwards shared a role in the

libation ceremony and both were ushers at the mass.

A Time For Reflection by Beverly Gray

The Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens and the Office of

Multicultural Diversity, here in Rockville Centre, wel-

comed an eager congregation at St. Brigid’s in Westbury

to a Black History Month Revival. “An Instigator of

Peace” was the theme of our revivalist, Reverend Freddy

Washington, CSSP, pastor of St. Mark the Evangelist in

Harlem. The evening began with praise and worship of-

fered by the Sr. Thea Bowman DRCV/Mass Choir fol-

lowed by a scripture reading from Romans 5: 1-8.

Fr. Freddy defined Christianity as not just saying but

believing. When you see how good God has been to you,

then you just can’t keep it to yourself. When God speaks,

you receive the true peace and happiness that He desires

for you, abundantly. He went on to explain that Lent is

our time for spiritual spring cleaning. When we look at

our lives during this time, do we make room for God or

are we Christ-like only on Sunday, when we pray or when

we are being nice? The life that God has given you will

make you joyful but more importantly make you grateful.

Start looking at all your blessings. God’s love has been

poured out upon you. Share it with others. Many say that

they pray all the time but God does not answer. Recog-

nize that we are all sinners and this is the time when God

comes and answers us, assuring us that we belong to Him.

We must respond, “I need you Lord.” Get used to wait-

ing. Get out of the way of your blessings so you can see

the face of God through your tears. Allow Him to enter.

Lent is a journey of self- discovery. God wants us to

be better than we were yesterday. When we call on the

name of Jesus, we see the movement of God more clearly.

The words of this song:

Slow to Anger Rich in Kindness Loving Forgiving

provide us with the keys to be able follow in the footsteps of Jesus’

MERCY.