Calvary Cemetery, Woodside, NY

05/24/2026

Pentecost Sunday: The Culmination of the Easter Season

We warmly invite you to watch the Pentecost Sunday Mass from Saint Patrick's Cathedral: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=repNtCrPx1s

Dear Beloved in Christ,

Today we celebrate the great and glorious feast of Pentecost — the fiftieth and final day of the Easter season, the very birthday of the Holy Church, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Apostles gathered in the Upper Room as tongues of fire, filling them with divine courage, wisdom, and the sacred gift of tongues, that all nations might hear and receive the Good News of our Risen Lord. This is the fulfillment of Christ’s tender promise — ‘I will not leave you orphans’ — the great outpouring of the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity upon the Church, who came to dwell within the hearts of the faithful in a new and abiding way, sanctifying, guiding, and animating the Body of Christ on earth until the end of ages.

On this day we wear red, the color of fire and blood, honoring both the Spirit's flame and the martyrs who bore witness to that same Spirit; we renew our openness to His seven gifts — wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord — and we rejoice that through Baptism and Confirmation, that same fire lives within each of us, making us temples of the living God, co-heirs with Christ, and missionaries of His inexhaustible love, sent forth as the Apostles were sent, into a world aching for peace.

May peace be upon you, beloved, this holy and radiant day — the peace of the Spirit who hovered over the waters at creation and who even now hovers over your heart, whispering tenderly that you are loved, you are chosen, and you are never alone.

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05/21/2026

La Fiesta de San Juan I, Papa y Mártir

Queridos amados en Cristo:

En esta semana llevamos con ternura en nuestros corazones al Papa San Juan I, una dulce alma toscana que ascendió a la Sede de Pedro en el año 523, ya frágil de cuerpo pero inmenso en espíritu. Fue un hombre de letras y de oración, erudito y pastor, que había dedicado su vida al clero romano como su oráculo y ejemplo; y cuando llegó la hora de la prueba, no vaciló. Obligado contra su voluntad por el rey arriano Teodorico, viajó siendo ya anciano a Constantinopla y se convirtió en el primer papa en poner pie en aquella ciudad dorada, donde fue recibido con la reverencia debida al sucesor del mismo Pedro. Permaneció fiel entre un rey y un emperador, no por gloria, sino para proteger a su rebaño; y a su regreso, ese mismo rey, consumido por la sospecha y el orgullo, lo arrojó a una oscura prisión en Rávena, donde este santo pontífice murió de abandono y sufrimiento el 18 de mayo del año 526. Su cuerpo fue llevado de regreso a Roma y sepultado en la Basílica de San Pedro; y la Iglesia, reconociendo que había entregado su propia vida por la unidad de la Fe y la defensa de la divinidad de Cristo, lo contó entre sus mártires. En San Juan vemos el rostro de un siervo que no pidió corona alguna, y sin embargo recibió una.

Que la paz esté con ustedes, hoy y siempre…

05/20/2026

The Feast Day of Saint John I, Pope and Martyr

Dear Beloved in Christ,

On this week we hold tenderly in our hearts Pope Saint John I, a gentle Tuscan soul who ascended to the Chair of Peter in 523, already fragile in body yet immense in spirit. He was a man of letters and prayer, a scholar and shepherd, who had spent his life in the Roman clergy as its oracle and model — and when the hour of trial came, he did not flinch. Compelled against his will by the A***n king Theodoric, he traveled as an old man to Constantinople and became the first pope ever to set foot in that golden city, where he was received with the reverence owed to a successor of Peter himself. He stood faithfully between a king and an emperor, not for glory, but to protect his flock — and upon his return, that same king, consumed by suspicion and pride, cast him into a dark prison at Ravenna, where this holy pope died of neglect and suffering on May 18, 526. His body was carried home to Rome and laid to rest in the Basilica of Saint Peter — and the Church, recognizing that he had given his very life for the unity of the Faith and the defense of Christ's divinity, enrolled him among her martyrs. In Saint John we see the face of a servant who asked for no crown yet received one.

May peace be with you, today and always...

05/19/2026

Commemorating Archbishop Hicks' First 100 Days!

May 17th marked Ronald Hicks' my first 100 days as Archbishop of New York. He spoke to The Good Newsroom about the joyful occasion: "I continue to feel happy, grateful, and truly blessed to serve God’s people across the Archdiocese of New York." On that day, he also met with the FDNY's Holy Name Society. "It was an honor to gather today as a family of faith and a family of God with the Fire Department....To our firefighters and your families who give your lives so generously in service to others, we are deeply grateful for you and continue to keep you in our prayers. As I begin day 101 tomorrow, I entrust my life to God, trusting that even in moments of uncertainty, He is always with us and listens when we pray."

05/15/2026

The Golden Jubilee Mass of His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B12-zvL4W7M

Today we paused with full and grateful hearts to honor a shepherd of extraordinary gifts, a priest of uncommon joy, and a prince of the Church whose love for his people has never dimmed: His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan, on the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the sacred priesthood. On this golden Jubilee, we thank Cardinal Dolan for the Masses offered, the confessions heard, the dying comforted, and the faithful confirmed in their hope. We thank him for a priesthood lived fully, generously, and joyfully every single day for fifty years. And we pray that Almighty God, who began this good work in him, will continue to bless, sustain, and delight in His faithful servant for many years to come. Ad multos annos, Your Eminence. The Church is richer, and the world is brighter, because you said yes.

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05/13/2026

La Fiesta de los Santos Nereo y Aquileo

Queridos amados en Cristo,

Nuestra Santa Madre Iglesia alza su mirada con agradecimiento tierno hacia dos almas radiantes: los Santos Nereo y Aquileo, soldados romanos que, en los primeros albores de la fe cristiana, dejaron sus espadas y tomaron la cruz. Estos valientes mártires sirvieron en la casa imperial, probablemente atendiendo a la mártir Santa Flavia Domitila, y fue a través de su testimonio, y mediante la gracia transformadora del Bautismo, que sus corazones se encendieron. Renunciaron a los instrumentos de la violencia, se negaron a portarlos jamás de nuevo y, con un valor que solo puede provenir del amor, abrazaron su martirio hacia finales del primer siglo, dando sus propias vidas para que Cristo fuera glorificado. Su tumba antigua en la Vía Ardeatina en Roma, y la hermosa basílica erigida en su honor, han atraído peregrinos durante casi dos mil años, testimonio de cuán profundamente la Iglesia los guarda en su corazón.

05/12/2026

The Feast Day of Saints Nereus and Achilleus

Dear Beloved in Christ,

Today, on May 12th, our Holy Mother Church lifts her gaze with tender gratitude toward two radiant souls — Saints Nereus and Achilleus — Roman soldiers who, in the early dawn of Christian faith, laid down their swords and took up the cross. These brave men served in the imperial household, likely attending to the martyr Saint Flavia Domitilla, and it was through her witness, and through the transforming grace of Baptism, that their hearts were set ablaze. They renounced the instruments of violence, refused to carry them ever again, and — with a courage that can only come from love — embraced their martyrdom around the close of the first century, giving their very lives so that Christ might be glorified. Their ancient tomb on the Ardeatine Way in Rome, and the beautiful basilica erected in their honor, have drawn pilgrims for nearly two thousand years, a testament to how deeply the Church holds them in her heart.

May peace be with you, dear Beloved — the peace that the world cannot give, the peace that Nereus and Achilleus found not in the shadow of empire, but in the light of the Risen Lord, and may that same peace guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, now and always....

05/07/2026

Memorial of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria

Dear Beloved in Christ,

As the flower of May opens, we honor the Patron Saint of theologians who was also a Bishop and Doctor of the Church. Saint Athanasius was a young deacon at the great Council of Nicaea in 325 who championed what every Christian heart whispered in prayer: that Jesus is God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God — consubstantial ("of the same substance") with the Father.

When the A***n heresy swept the empire, Athanasius stood firm through five exiles, earning the most beautiful of titles: Athanasius contra mundum — Athanasius against the world. His luminous "On the Incarnation" remains one of the most radiant meditations ever written on why the eternal Word clothed Himself in our flesh — so that we might be clothed in His divinity. He is a Doctor of the Church, a Father of Orthodoxy, and a shepherd who loved his flock far more than his own safety.

Let the witness of this holy bishop remind us that Truth is always worth defending — gently, lovingly, but with absolute conviction — even when the whole world presses against you. Let us ask him to intercede for our own courage and clarity of faith, and our willingness to stand, with grace, for the One who first stood for us on the Cross.

May peace be with you, beloved — the peace that Athanasius sought not in the approval of the powerful, but in the silent, unshakeable embrace of Christ. 🕊️

05/07/2026

The Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker

Dear Beloved in Christ,

As we begin May, we honor Saint Joseph, the gentle and mighty guardian of the Holy Family — a man chosen by God not for his eloquence or power, but for the quiet holiness of his calloused hands and faithful heart. Joseph, the carpenter of Nazareth, teaches us that all honest labor is sacred, that every task done with love and integrity is, in truth, a prayer offered to the Father. In Joseph, we see the profound dignity of work — not as mere toil or burden, but as a participation in God's own act of creation. It is no accident that Jesus, the Word made flesh, learned to shape wood beneath Joseph's patient guidance.

Joseph is the patron of fathers, of families, of the dying, of the universal Church herself. He who sheltered the Christ Child and protected Our Lady is ever near to those who carry heavy responsibilities in silence, who provide without praise, who protect without recognition. When you feel unseen in your labors, remember Joseph — Heaven's eyes were always upon him, and they are always upon you.

May peace be with you, today, and always...

05/05/2026

Misa del Día de los Caídos, lunes 25 de mayo.

Por favor, únase a nosotros para la Misa del Día de los Caídos para honrar a los valientes hombres y mujeres que dieron sus vidas al servicio de nuestra nación. Por favor, visite la página de eventos en nuestro sitio web para direcciones exactas: https://calvaryandalliedcemeteries.com/events/

Cementerio Calvary, Woodside, NY: Sacerdote: Rev. Robert J. Llyod de la Sociedad Maryknoll, Hora de la Misa: 11 AM

Al comenzar el mes de mayo, nuestra Iglesia nos llama a volvernos hacia Nuestra Bendita Madre, la Reina del Cielo, que ella misma estuvo al pie de la Cruz y conoció el peso de la pérdida. Ella no es ajena al dolor. Ella es la Mater Dolorosa — la Madre Dolorosa — y camina con cada familia que alguna vez ha dado descanso a un ser querido. Confiamos en nuestros héroes caídos a su tierna intercesión. Al visitar las tumbas de aquellos que aman durante el fin de semana del Día de los Caídos, te invitamos a orar con nosotros. Enciende una vela. Deja una flor. Y confía en que bajo el cuidado de la María y a través de la victoria de Cristo sobre la muerte, aquellos a quienes honramos están en paz eterna.

05/01/2026

Memorial Day Mass on Monday, May 25th

Please join us to honor the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our nation. Mass begins at 11 am at St. Calixtus Chapel in Calvary Cemetery, 34-02 Greenpoint Avenue in Long Island City. Rev. Robert J. Llyod from the Maryknoll Society will be the celebrant.

As we begin the month of May, our Church calls us to turn to Our Blessed Mother, the Queen of Heaven, who herself stood at the foot of the Cross and knew the weight of loss. She is no stranger to grief. She is the Mater Dolorosa — the Sorrowful Mother — and she walks with every family who has ever laid a loved one to rest. We entrust our fallen heroes to her gentle intercession. As you visit the graves of those you love on Memorial Day weekend, we invite you to pray. Light a candle. Leave a flower. And trust that in Mary's care and through Christ's victory over death, those we honor are held in eternal peace.