St. Mary's Cemetery, Rye Brook, NY

12/19/2025

Cardinal Dolan's Mass on the First Sunday of Advent 2025

Dear Beloved in Christ,

You may watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q38km7LYxKE

Thie Cardinal's mass is not simply a broadcast of a beautiful church service from Saint Patrick's Cathedral; it is, in essence, an invitation into the heart of Advent itself — a time the Church sets aside each year to watch, to wait, and to prepare for the coming of our Savior.

Advent, from the Latin adventus, means “coming” or “arrival.” In this season we remember with joyful longing Jesus’ humble birth in Bethlehem, we look forward with hopeful expectation to His return at the end of time, and we open our hearts to His presence with us now in our daily lives.

This Mass, celebrated in one of the most beloved cathedrals in our nation, beautifully embodies these threefold dimensions of Advent. In the prayers, the Scripture proclaimed, and the sacred silence between them, we are drawn beyond mere sentiment into an encounter with the living Christ, who continues to come to us in Word and Sacrament. When we watch and pray with the Cathedral community, we are reminded that the Church universal — here in New York and throughout the world — is united in this joyful longing for God with us.

As Christmas draws nearer, the celebration of this Mass helps root our anticipation in the mystery of God’s love made flesh. We are invited to prepare not merely decorations or gifts, but our hearts — to receive Jesus with reverence, wonder, and peace. May watching this sacred liturgy deepen your hope, steady your faith, and draw you ever closer to the One whose birth we prepare to celebrate with joy next week.

May peace be with you...

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12/18/2025

In this Season of Hope and Love, Faith Communities Unite to Help Manhattan's Homeless

In the holy season of Advent and Christmas, the Gospel compels Catholics to recognize Christ in the vulnerable. The Child Jesus was born without shelter and soon became a refugee, reminding us that God chose to enter the world among the poor and those without homes. More than 103,000 people now sleep in New York City shelters each night, including more than 35,000 children.

Several Christian faith communities have come together in a remarkable response to this escalating homeless crisis. Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, St. Thomas Church, and City Relief—a faith-based mobile outreach nonprofit—have united to aid hundreds of homeless men, women, and children. Together, the four organizations provide nourishing meals, essential supplies, and direct access to vital social services.

Beyond meeting immediate needs, the coalition offers pathways to lasting stability by connecting the homeless to housing assistance, income support, and healthcare—addressing not only material deprivation but the deeper causes of homelessness.

This joint initiative carries particular spiritual meaning during the holy season of Advent, as it is a time of watchful waiting, repentance, and active charity—a season that calls us to prepare room for Christ not only in our hearts, but in the world around us. The Works of Mercy, central to Catholic social teaching, invite us to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and clothe the poor. This collaboration embodies those sacred duties in a concrete and compassionate way, standing as a powerful witness to this truth: when Christian communities act together in love, dignity is restored and hope is made visible. In serving those without homes, the Church and her partners proclaim the heart of Advent—Christ coming to meet those most in need.

Thank you to all who help in this noble effort, wherever you may live, as during the 2024–25 school year, more than 154,000 New York City public school students experienced homelessness--a record high; and the number of elderly homeless in New York is expected to nearly triple by 2030.

Read the Good Newsroom article here: https://thegoodnewsroom.org/new-york-city-faith.../

12/11/2025

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Dear Beloved in Christ,

As we approach December 12th, we prepare to celebrate one of the most tender and transformative moments in the history of our faith—the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Though it certainly holds a cherished place in the cultural life of Mexico and Latin America, this feast is far more than a cultural remembrance. It is a living proclamation of God’s compassion, His preferential love for the poor and forgotten, and Mary’s unfailing maternal care for every one of her children.

In 1531, on the quiet slopes of Tepeyac Hill near what is now Mexico City, our Blessed Mother appeared to Saint Juan Diego, a humble indigenous convert whose simplicity of heart made him beautifully receptive to grace. Speaking to him in his native Nahuatl, she addressed him with exquisite gentleness, calling him “Nican Mopohua”—“my little one, my beloved son.” In those tender words, Mary revealed not only her identity as the Mother of the True God, but also her desire to draw near to her children in their own language, culture, and daily struggles.

As a sign meant for the whole world, she imprinted her miraculous image upon Juan Diego’s tilma—a simple cloak made of rough cactus fiber. This same tilma, which by every natural measure should have decayed within decades, has been preserved intact for nearly five centuries. In the image, Mary appears as a mestiza—neither fully Spanish nor fully indigenous—standing as a living bridge between peoples, cultures, and hearts. She is clothed with the sun, crowned with stars, and yet her gaze is downcast in humility, reminding us that she comes not to be served, but to serve.

What makes Our Lady of Guadalupe so profoundly important is the message her presence proclaims: God comes to meet us exactly where we are. Mary appeared not in a cathedral, but on a hill once associated with pagan worship. She entrusted her mission not to a scholar or nobleman, but to a quiet, unassuming layman. Through her, the Gospel took root in the Americas not by coercion, but through beauty, tenderness, and love. Within a decade of her apparition, millions of indigenous peoples embraced the Catholic faith—drawn by the Mother of God's gentle maternal presence.

Today, Our Lady of Guadalupe is venerated as the Patroness of the Americas, the Protectress of the Unborn, and the Star of the New Evangelization. She continues to stand beside all who suffer, feel unseen, unvalued, and all who long for God’s mercy. Her message endures: “Am I not here, I who am your Mother?”

As we honor her feast, may we renew our trust that we are never alone. Heaven draws near to us with tenderness, and Mary—our Mother—still watches over us with the same loving care she once offered to her little son Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac. May her presence lead us ever closer to our Lord and Savior.

May peace be with you...

12/10/2025

Multiple New York Gatherings Planned Ahead of Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Read the Good Newsroom article here: https://thegoodnewsroom.org/multiple-new-york-gatherings.../

Dear friends,

These New York gatherings represent something truly inspiring—the coming together of our universal Church to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe in one of the world's most diverse cities. These events demonstrate how the faith transcends cultural boundaries while honoring the rich traditions that give it expression.​

The celebration begins with the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th, connecting Mary's own preservation from sin to her later appearance at Guadalupe. This theological link reminds us that the Lady who appeared to Juan Diego is the same Mother whom God prepared from the beginning to be our advocate and protector.​

On December 9th, the Feast of St. Juan Diego is honored—celebrating the humble messenger whom Mary chose as her instrument. Juan Diego's canonization by Pope John Paul II affirmed that "in accepting the Christian message without forgoing his indigenous identity, Juan Diego discovered the profound truth of the new humanity, in which all are called to be children of God". This feast reminds us that holiness is accessible to everyone, regardless of social standing.​

The Traditional Mañanitas on December 11th, with mariachi and traditional Mexican dance at St. Patrick's Cathedral in midtown Manhattan brings the joyful devotion of Mexican culture into the heart of New York. This is not merely folklore—it is an authentic expression of how different cultures bring their unique gifts to Catholic worship, enriching the whole Church.​

Perhaps most moving is the early morning procession on December 12th, where hundreds of faithful accompany the statue of Our Lady through the streets of Manhattan to St. Patrick's Cathedral. This public witness transforms the city into sacred space, much as Tepeyac Hill became holy ground through Mary's presence. It declares to a bustling, secular city that the faith is alive, that devotion still matters, and that Our Lady continues to draw her children together.​

The archdiocese notes this is their "largest and one of our most joy-filled occasions," celebrating with "all the parishioners and visitors". The emphasis on "everyone is welcome" echoes Our Lady's own message at Guadalupe—she comes for all people, especially those who feel forgotten or marginalized.​

These gatherings keep alive the memory of God's tender mercy, they unite diverse communities in common devotion, and they offer hope to anyone seeking the Mother's intercession. In a city as diverse and complex as New York, these celebrations become a living icon of what the Church is meant to be—one family, many cultures, all beloved children of God and Mary.

May Our Lady of Guadalupe bless all who participate in these sacred days.

The annual Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe celebrates the 1531 Marian apparition to the peasant Juan Diego on Mexico’s Tepeyac Hill.

12/10/2025

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Dear Beloved in Christ,

This month, our hearts turn with deep reverence to one of the most tender and profound mysteries of our faith—the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This sacred celebration holds a cherished place within the Catholic soul. for when we speak of the Immaculate Conception, we are not referring to the conception of Jesus, but to that wondrous moment when

Mary herself was conceived in the womb of her mother, Saint Anne.
In this mystery, we honor the extraordinary grace by which God preserved Mary from original sin from the very first instant of her existence. It is a breathtaking expression of God’s boundless love—an early glimmer of the redemption Christ would one day accomplish for all humanity.

Mary’s Immaculate Conception speaks to us of God’s perfect and loving design. The Mother of our Lord was prepared with exquisite care, adorned with holiness so that she might become the dwelling place of the Divine Word made flesh—the living tabernacle of Jesus Christ. Her purity and freedom from sin made her the most fitting vessel for this sacred mission. In honoring her Immaculate Conception, we praise God’s wisdom, tenderness, and unfailing love in preparing a sanctuary for the Savior of the world.

This glorious mystery also offers us profound consolation and hope. In Mary, we see what God’s grace can accomplish in a human life: a soul open to God’s will, untouched by sin, and entirely devoted to love. In a world often shadowed by struggle and sorrow,

Mary stands as a radiant beacon of purity, compassion, and steadfast hope. With a mother’s heart, she intercedes for us, reminding us that God desires to sanctify each one of us and lead us toward the fullness of life in Him. In Mary Immaculate, we behold both the triumph of grace and the promise of redemption extended to all.

And so, as we honor the patroness of the United States this December, let us approach Mary with grateful and trusting hearts. May we seek her intercession, rest in her gentle maternal care, and allow her example of holiness and surrender to guide our own journey toward a deeper love of Christ.

May the peace of Christ rest upon you and all whom you love...

12/09/2025

Changing the Trajectory of Vulnerable Lives: Inner-City Scholarship Fund Honors Langones at Awards Dinner

The Inner-City Scholarship Fund raised more than $5.4 million at its 48th Annual Awards Dinner, held at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan, where philanthropists Ken and Elaine Langone were honored for their decades of support for Catholic education in New York.

The Inner-City Scholarship Fund provides tuition assistance to economically disadvantaged students attending Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New York, serving thousands of students across the five boroughs.

The evening began with Christmas carols sung by the choir from Good Shepherd School in Manhattan, which celebrated its 100th anniversary this year.

Philanthropic events like this dinner are critical because they quite literally keep the doors of Catholic schools open to low-income students, who could not otherwise afford them, while preserving a powerful evangelizing and stabilizing presence in vulnerable neighborhoods. Such dinners transform a one-night event into opportunity and hope for thousands of children and their families, while benefitting our city and nation as a whole.

Most don't realize that Catholic schools in the inner city disproportionately serve children living near the federal poverty line, many from non-Catholic families who still seek the safety, discipline, and moral vision of a Catholic education. Without scholarship funds, tuition becomes an insurmountable barrier, and the very children who most need a stable, values-based environment are the first to be shut out.

Research consistently shows a “Catholic school effect”: poor and marginalized students in Catholic schools are more likely to graduate high school and attend college than similar peers in other settings. For low-income students especially, Catholic schools often place them one to two grade levels ahead of their counterparts in comparable public schools, which can alter their entire life trajectory.

Read the Good Newsroom article here: https://thegoodnewsroom.org/inner-city-scholarship-fund.../

12/05/2025

The Feast Day of Saint Barbara on December 4

Dear Beloved in Christ,

Within this holy season, the Church also celebrates the feast days of remarkable saints whose lives illuminate our path toward Christ.

Saint Barbara is one such saint for she is a woman of courage, purity, and unshakeable faith. Honored as a virgin and martyr of the early Church, she chose Christ above family pressure, worldly security, and even her own life. Though the details of her life come to us through tradition, the heart of her story is timeless: Barbara refused to betray her love for Christ, even when faced with suffering and death. According to ancient accounts, when her father locked her in a tower, she had three windows built as a quiet confession of her faith in the Most Holy Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — letting the light of God shine into the very place meant to imprison her.

The Church has long venerated her as a powerful intercessor, especially in times of danger and sudden death. She is often invoked by soldiers, miners, and those who work with explosives or in risky conditions, as well as by all who fear dying unprepared, asking through her prayers for the grace of a holy death and the strength to remain faithful to Christ to the very end. In many Christian cultures, especially in Europe, it is a beloved Advent custom to cut a “Barbara branch” from a fruit tree on her feast day and place it in water, hoping it will blossom by Christmas — a living sign that God can bring new life, beauty, and hope out of what seems barren or lifeless.

Her feast in Advent speaks powerfully to the human heart. Saint Barbara reminds us that Christian hope is stronger than any fear, and that the light of Christ shines brightest in times of darkness. She is often invoked for protection — not because God shields us from every trial, but because He gives us strength, grace, and courage to remain faithful during all trials.

In this season when we reflect on Christ as the Light who comes into the world, Saint Barbara stands as a radiant witness to the transforming power of faith. Her life urges us to hold fast to the hope that God is always with us, especially in our moments of fear or uncertainty, and to let the light of the Trinity shine into every hidden corner of our lives, just as it once shone through the windows of her tower.

May peace be with you...

12/05/2025

The Feast Day of Saint John of Damascus on December 4

Dear Beloved in Christ,

Saint John of Damascus is one of the Church’s great teachers. A brilliant theologian whose love for Christ flowed into his writing and his prayer, John lived in the 7th and 8th centuries, a time of great turmoil, yet he remained steadfast in defending the truth and beauty of the faith. The Church honors him as a Doctor of the Church and often calls him the last of the Greek Fathers, because he gathered, clarified, and handed on the wisdom of the early Church in a way that would guide believers for centuries.

He spent much of his life in Damascus under Muslim rule and later became a monk near Jerusalem, where he devoted himself to prayer, study, and teaching. His great work, sometimes called The Fount of Knowledge, offers a clear and orderly presentation of the Catholic faith and is still treasured as a reliable guide to what the Church believes.

Saint John is especially beloved for championing the veneration of holy images — not as idols, but as windows that help us contemplate the mysteries of God’s love made visible in Christ. His writings on the Incarnation remind us that because God took on flesh in Jesus, the material world can become a vessel of grace. John also had a deep love for the Blessed Virgin Mary and helped the Church express her unique role in salvation history, honoring her as Mother of God and a powerful intercessor who always leads us to her Son.

He was not only a theologian but also a man of prayer and a gifted hymn-writer, giving the Church beautiful liturgical texts that help Christians, especially in the East, sing of Christ’s victory over sin and death.

During Advent, Saint John’s feast places before us a tender reminder that God comes close. God becomes visible. God desires to be known and loved. His wisdom helps us contemplate with wonder the mystery we prepare to celebrate at Christmas — that the eternal Word became flesh and dwelt among us — and to receive this mystery with the same faith, clarity, and loving devotion that filled his own heart.

May peace be with you....

12/05/2025

The Holy Season of Advent

Dear Beloved in Christ,

As we enter the holy season of Advent, the Church invites us into a time of quiet longing, gentle hope, and renewed expectation. Advent is a sacred doorway — a season when we prepare our hearts to receive Christ anew. It is not merely a countdown to Christmas, but a spiritual journey, reminding us that Christ comes to us in three beautiful ways: in history at Bethlehem, in mystery through grace and the sacraments, and in glory at the end of time.

Advent teaches us to wait with trust, to watch with love, and to make room in our hearts for the One who alone can bring true peace. The soft glow of the Advent wreath, the readings filled with prophecy and promise, the call to repentance and hope — all of these whisper to our souls: “The Lord is near.”

May peace be with you...

11/26/2025

Wishing All a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving

As we pause today to count our blessings and pray for our less fortunate brothers and sisters, we are sending prayers and thoughts to our fellow Americans impacted by the severe winter storms raging across the Midwest, and to those impacted by severe weather in countries such as Australia, Vietnam, Thailand and Jamaica.

As we pause today to pray and reflect, we recognize that every good thing, from the gentlest sunrise and simplest meal to the warmest sunset and deepest love, is a gift from the heart of God. In joy and in trial, may your “thank you” become a daily way of living—an offering of trust, generosity, and love that reflects the Lord who has given Himself completely for you.

On this Thanksgiving, may every gratitude that rises in your heart become a quiet echo of the Church’s greatest prayer of thanks in the Eucharist, where we lift up all our blessings to the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit. As you gather at table—with family, friends, or in the graceful silence of solitude—know that you are united to the whole Body of Christ, giving thanks for the gift of life, faith, and the saving love of Jesus present among us.

May Our Lady, who rejoiced that “the Almighty has done great things for me,” keep you close to her Son and teach you a gratitude that is enduring, and full of hope. And may the Lord bless you and your loved ones with peace, unity, and a renewed awareness of His loving presence in your midst this Thanksgiving and always.

Grace Before the Thanksgiving Meal:
"Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ, our Lord. Amen."

The Blessing of Food for Thanksgiving Day: A Prayer
"God most provident, we join all creation in raising to you a hymn of thanksgiving through Jesus Christ, your Son. For generation upon generation peoples of this land have sung of your bounty; we too offer you praise for the rich harvest we have received at your hands. Bless us and this food which we share with grateful hearts. Continue to make our land fruitful and let our love for you be seen in our pursuit of peace and justice and in our generous response to those in need. Praise and glory to you, Lord God, now and forever."

May peace be with you...

11/26/2025

St. Andrew Dũng-Lạc and Companions

Dear Beloved in Christ,

In this week where we show gratitude for all that we are so fortunate to have, we also pay homage to the memory of the 117 Vietnamese faithful brutally killed in persecutions between the 17th and 19th centuries. Canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1988, this memorial is a tender and solemn reminder of the strength that faith can give the human heart.

Saint Andrew Dũng-Lạc was arrested multiple times under Emperor Mạng’s anti‑Christian edicts. After being ransomed and going into hiding, he was captured again with another priest, Father Peter Thi; both were tortured for refusing to renounce the faith and were beheaded.

In honoring Saint Andrew Lac and these 117 Vietnamese martyrs—priests, religious, and lay faithful—the Church celebrates not only their heroic courage but also the deep love for Christ that sustained them through terrible persecution.

These holy men and women stand before us as witnesses that the Gospel can take root in every culture and flourish even in the midst of suffering. Their fidelity was not marked by anger or resistance, but by a serene trust in God, a desire to forgive, and a willingness to offer their lives for the faith they cherished.

For us, this memorial is an invitation to gratitude—for the gift of faith passed down through sacrifice—and to renewed devotion. The martyrs of Vietnam encourage us to remain steadfast in love, to carry our own crosses with hope, and to remember that Christ is always nearest to those who place their lives in His hands.

May peace be with you...

11/24/2025

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Dear Beloved in Christ,

If you wish to watch the Sunday Holy Mass from St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, you may do so here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEjWLnTHOFQ

This day, Sunday, November 23rd, is the Church’s divine proclamation that Christ reigns over all creation—not with worldly power, but with the gentle, self-giving love of the Good Shepherd. On this final Sunday of the liturgical year, we lift our eyes to Jesus as the One in whom all things find their meaning and fulfillment.

Pope Pius XI established this feast in 1925 as a response to growing secularism, atheism, and the rise of communism. The feast proclaims Christ's sovereignty over individuals, families, society, governments, and nations. The Gospel reading for this year (Cycle C) is Luke 23:35-43, which depicts Christ crucified between two thieves, where even in His suffering, Jesus demonstrates His kingship by promising paradise to the repentant thief.

In a loving and reverent way, our Church reminds us that Christ’s kingship is unlike any earthly rule. His throne is the Cross, His crown is love poured out, and His law is mercy. He is a King who draws us not by force, but by the irresistible grace of His compassion, healing, and forgiveness.

This solemnity invites each of us to place our lives under His tender and trustworthy care, to let His peace govern our hearts, and to remember that no darkness—personal or global—has the final word. Christ our King walks with us, guiding history toward the fullness of His kingdom, where justice, love, and everlasting joy will reign forever.

May peace be with you...