BY LAURA ENG
laura.eng59@aol.com
Outdoor Mass at Cabrini Park
With the sun dipping over Buttermilk Channel to the west, Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary/St. Stephen Parish celebrat- ed their patronal feast, the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, at an outdoor Mass at Cabrini Park on the evening of Friday, June 8th.
Approximately 100 parishioners and neighbors gathered in the park, on President Street off Van Brunt. The park is the former site of St. Charles Chapel, also once known as Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Church.
It was there that St. Francis Xavier Cabrini, (Mother Cabrini), and the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart worked tirelessly to meet the needs of a thriving Italian immigrant community beginning in the early 1800s. The tradition of the outdoor Mass has been ongoing for the last several years.
The evening began with a procession of parishioners, choir members, and altar servers singing and carrying flags and banners from SHSS Church on Summit and Hicks Streets over the Summit Street bridge onto Columbia Street and finally to the park, where an altar, candles, and chairs had been set up, and many had already gathered.
With guitar and flute accompaniment, the SHSS choir sang traditional hymns in the mostly peaceful setting, sometimes punctuated with hovering helicopters and an occasional siren.
Monsignor Steven Aguggia, Judicial Vicar of the Diocese of Brooklyn, con- celebrated the Mass with Monsignor Guy Massie, Father Dariusz Strzelecki, and Deacon Przemysław Byk. Because of city ordinances, amplification was not permitted and the service could not exceed an hour.
The Mass was live-streamed by John Mark de Palma, administrator of the SHSS Facebook page, and was fol- lowed live by forty people and ultimately viewed by 400-plus viewers from as far away as Poland.
Local Clergy React to Zero Tolerance
There has been an endless amount of news coverage and heated opinions regarding the Trump Administration’s order in May of a zero tolerance policy towards those caught crossing the Mexican/U.S. border illegally. Prior to the zero tolerance enactment, anyone caught trying to cross the border was processed, detained, and sent home, except for those seeking asylum, who were granted due process, and those traveling with small children, who were detained, interviewed, released, and required to show up at court to have their case reviewed at a future date.
The current administration’s enforcement of this policy requires that those entering illegally are to be criminally prosecuted with no exceptions for those seeking asylum. And until June 20th, when President Trump reversed his decision, all minor children were separated from the parents and/or guardians with whom they were traveling.
Despite families not being separated at border crossings any longer, as many as 2,000 children had already been separated and many separated families have yet to be reunited. In- deed, some children had been trans- ported far from the Texas border to locations in New York City and New York State.
The response was swift from religious leaders, including Pope Francis, American Catholic bishops like New York’s own Timothy Cardinal Dolan and Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, and the Most Reverend Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church, who all condemned the separation of children from their parents.
Reaction by local clergy to the current situation included a proactive post by Pastor Edwin Pacheco of Redemption Church on the church’s Facebook
page, appealing to Spanish-speaking friends and family to consider assisting and possibly fostering the 239 children who have been transported to the Cayuga Center in East Harlem.
On the local front, Monsignor Guy Massie, Pastor of Sacred Hearts/St. Stephen, commented, “While our borders need to be made secure, separating children from families is bar- baric, wrong, and immoral.”
In the event that families must be re- turned to Mexico, Msgr. Massie feels it would be better if the families were not split and could be returned together.
“Whatever the solution, [it] must respect the people and family and children,” stated Msgr. Massie, adding that “the United States should work with Mexico to try to make living conditions better for the Mexican people so as to discourage migration to the United States.” He was pleased that so many protested “this behavior on be- half of the U.S.”
Sister Máire Close of the Community of St. John Koinonia at Visitation BVM Parish stated that “there is a need for major reform within the system for both those who are ‘undocumented’ and [already living] in the country, and those who desire to come into the country in order to build a better life.”
Sr. Máire went on to say, “The greatest ‘terror’ I see is that of fear which cripples social growth, emotional growth, psychological growth, and, most of all, spiritual growth in humanity. Fear at the level of government and fear at the most basic level for human survival. Fear dictates the actions we take but where there is love there is no fear!”
Upcoming Events
River of God Christian Center 110 Wolcott Street
Outdoor Worship/Outreach sponsored by Liberation Generation on July 21 at 1 pm at Commodore Barry Park, Flushing Avenue and North El- liot Place, Brooklyn. This is a free event.
Community Cookout – date to follow.
Back to School Bash with distribution of book bags on August 26.
Big Hat Prayer Breakfast fundraiser for missions on September 15. This is a free event.
Bible Museum Trip on September 29. Cost is $115.
Sacred Hearts/St. Stephen Church Summit & Hicks Street
New York Memory Center, a pioneer in the movement to bring evidence- based home and community solutions to adults living with memory loss, and to their caregivers, presents two workshops: “How to Keep Your Brain Fit,” for everyone with a concern about memory loss, on July 22 and “Family Caregiving” on August 5 from 11:15 to 12 noon at SHSS Church in the Transfiguration Chapel. All are welcome!
St. Agnes/ St. Paul’s Parish
Hoyt & Sackett Streets/234 Congress Street
Eucharistic Adoration is Saturday after the 8:30 Mass in the Chapel at St. Paul and every first Saturday of the month at noon in the Chapel at St. Agnes.
Monthly Fundraising Lunch with Grand 50/50 on Sunday, July 15 from 1:30-4 pm at St. Agnes Hall. Tickets are $7. All are welcome!
Atlantic City Here We Come! Young @ Heart is sponsoring a fundraising trip to the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City on Tuesday July 17th. Tickets are $35 with $25 casino rebate PLUS $5.00 food voucher. Bus picks up at 9am in St. Agnes and at 9:15 am in St. Paul. Please call the rectory to SAVE A SEAT!
Join our Youth & Young Adult Group on Saturday, July 14 and July 28 at 4 pm at St. Paul. Faith, Friends, Fun!
St. Mary Star of the Sea Church 467 Court Street
Religious Education for grades 1-5 be- gins on Sunday, September 16. Registration forms are available in church, at the rectory or on our website: www. stmarystarbrooklyn.com. The cost per child is $100 and $180 for two children in the same family. Class size is limited so please do not delay in registering your child.
Please visit our website www.stmarystarbrooklyn.com and click on the first picture on our home page… that will take you to our latest bulletin with all current events.
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 199 Carroll Street
Jazz Mass on Sunday, July 29 at 10 am. St. Paul’s will continue its tradition of celebrating a summer jazz Mass coordinated by parishioner Willie Martinez. Please plan to join us at this well- attended event.
Visitation BVM Church 98 Richards Street
Healing Mass on Wednesday, July 11 at 7 in Spanish and Friday, July 27 at 7 pm in English.
St. John Bread and Life Mobile Soup Kitchen on Tuesdays from 1 pm – 2:30 pm and Fridays from 10 am – 12 noon (except first Fridays of the month).
