SALUS INFIRMORUM Father Richard Adams, Father Harry Burke, Monsignor Charles Coen, Father Patrick Curley, Father John Fanning, Monsignor John Farley, Monsignor William Foley, Monsignor Leslie Ivers, Father Michael Keane, Monsignor Walter Kenny, Father Andrew Kurzyna, Monsignor Robert McCabe, Monsignor Edward McCorry, Monsignor Walter Niebrzydowski, Father Edward O’Neill, Father Philip Quealy, Father Raym0nd Rafferty, Monsignor Edward Weber
REQUIESCAT IN PACE Monsignor John Brinn, Monsignor Anthony Marchitelli, Monsignor William Reynolds, Monsignor Thomas Shelley, Father Harold Theriault
THE FIFTIETH ANNUAL MARCH FOR LIFE is scheduled for Friday, January 20, 2023 on the National Mall in Washington, DC between the Washington Monument and 12th Street. The pre-rally concert will begin at 11:00 followed by the rally at noon. The march begins immediately following the rally at approximately 1:00 and ends in front of the US Capitol Building. As he has done in the past, His Eminence will offer Mass at St. Patrick Church on Tenth Street at 10:30 am before the opening rally.
THE KENEDY OFFICIAL CATHOLIC DIRECTORY (OCD) Each pastor should have received correspondence from the OCD by email during the week of November 14 requesting revisions for the 2023 edition of The Official Catholic Directory. The deadline for updates is expected to be the week of December 5. Once the portal is closed and locked, no more changes can be made. Visit ocdedits.com/login to review and update your organization’s information. If you have not received this, contact Dorothy at dorothy.francke@archny.org or (646) 794-2908. Inclusion in the OCD establishes an organization’s exemption from federal income tax under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code.
RECONCILIATION MONDAY DATES Observed since 2011, Advent Reconciliation Monday will be held on December 19, 2022. After the experimentation of two sessions last year, we announce the times of 2:00 to 4:00 pm and 6:00 to 8:00 PM in the archdiocese and the Diocese of Brooklyn. Lenten Reconciliation Monday will be observed on April 3, 2023 from 2:00 to 4:00 and 6:00 to 9:00 PM in the archdiocese and the Dioceses of Brooklyn and Rockville Centre, in every parish from the east end of Long Island to the Catskills. Promotional material from the office of communications will be available as we get closer
to the date.
BISHOPS FOR CONFIRMATION As we prepare for the 2023 confirmation season, know that each auxiliary bishop maintains his own schedule and wishes to be responsible for his regional area. A master schedule is maintained at the office of the vicar general. Bishops are the ordinary ministers of confirmation for previously baptized and catechized Catholics, whether children or adults.
- Bishop Edmund Whalen is in Episcopal Region I (Manhattan) with residence at St. Stephen the Martyr rectory.
- Bishop Joseph Espaillat is pastor of St. Anthony of Padua and covers Episcopal Region II (Bronx).
- Bishop Peter Byrne is pastor of Blessed Sacrament. His area is Episcopal Region III (Staten Island).
- Bishop John Bonnici is pastor of Ss. John and Paul and St. Augustine, Larchmont in Episcopal Region IV (Rockland and Westchester).
- Bishop Gerardo Colacicco is pastor of St. Mary, Wappingers Falls and is covering Episcopal Region V in the Hudson Valley (Dutchess, Ulster, Sullivan, Orange, Putnam).
- Retired Bishops Josu Iriondo, Dominick Lagonegro (co-vicar of region V), John O’Hara (co-vicar of region III), and Gerald Walsh (co-vicar of region IV) are actively confirming. Bishop-emeritus Jenik is fully retired and living at the Egan Pavilion at the St. John Vianney Clergy Residence in Riverdale.
If you are intending to invite a bishop from outside the archdiocese, you need to request permission beforehand from the vicar general. When listing this confirmation in your parish registry, kindly include the words “cum licentia Ordinarii” together with the date of the letter of consent.
WHEN MAY A PRIEST CONFIRM? The 1983 code of canon law states (c.882): “The ordinary minister of confirmation is a bishop; a presbyter provided with this faculty in virtue of universal law, or the special grant of a competent authority also confers this sacrament validly.” It is often asked, “Under what conditions may a priest confirm now that the quarantine is over?”
- Unbaptized children (age 7+) and adults enrolled in the catechumenal process who will be fully initiated at the Easter vigil;
- Baptized Protestant teens and adults who seek to become Catholic, are enrolled in the catechumenal process and who make a profession of faith, may, when delegated by the vicar generalreceive confirmation and first communion from a priest anytime of the year;
- Baptized, uncatechized Catholic teens and adults who seek preparation for first communion and confirmation and are enrolled in the catechumenal process may, in individual cases and with delegation from the vicar general, be confirmed and receive first communion from a priest within the Eucharistic liturgy during the Easter season (c. 137 §3). Since questions of validity may arise when the sacrament of confirmation is administered by a priest (c. 882), a notation should be made in the registry of the parish that the faculty to confirm under the above-listed conditions is expressly delegated, i.e., “delegatus.”
BUILDING MAINTENANCE AND WINTER PREPARATION With the cold weather soon approaching, it is always helpful to ensure that all necessary and preparatory steps have been taken to protect parish buildings and property from the elements. In the past, the archdiocese experienced over $12 million in property losses, a significant amount of which was the result of weather related damages. Now is the time to work closely with your maintenance manager before winter sets in to get your property and buildings in shape to avoid an emergency. Workshop schedule attached. [Initiatives: Building Maintenance].
STATUS ANIMARUM We are grateful to those pastors who submitted their statistics by last Monday’s closing date. For further assistance, contact Fred Scialabba at 646-794-3405 (office) or 347-387-2638 (mobile); or email fred.scialabba@archny.org.
NATIONAL COLLECTIONS FOR 2023 In case you missed this when it was sent in May, included with this mailing is another copy of the chart for next year’s national collections. Communicate this to your secretary and bookkeeper and enter the date into the parish calendar. We Share and envelope companies have already been notified. [Updates: National Collection Chart 2023].
IMAGES OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE AND ST. JUAN DIEGO These have been traveling throughout the archdiocese for the past year and will be received at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Monday, December 12 at 10:00 am Mass. Priests are invited to concelebrate with Cardinal Dolan when the images will be enthroned. [Events: Guadalupe Enthronment].
NEW GUIDELINES FOR THE ORDER OF PENANCE This is the first major revision since 1975. The new rite may be used starting Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2023 and must be used as of April 16, 2023, the Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy). ICS is compiling pricing information from popular publishers, including Liturgical Training Publications (LTP), Magnificat and Catholic Book Publishing for English and Spanish editions. To ensure delivery by Ash Wednesday and enable ICS to place one cost saving order with each vendor, order by January 20, 2023. We all save money with ICS because of its considerable buying power to get discounts both on the books and the shipping. Follow this link for more info or to place your timely order: https://nyics.org/order-of-penance. [Updates: Order of Penance].
OFFICE HOLIDAYS The Catholic Center will be closed at 1:00 on Wednesday, November 23 and all day on November 24 and 25 in commemoration of Thanksgiving; and on Thursday, December 8 for the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. You may always leave your message in the department’s voice mailbox, and it will be returned on the next business day. To reach the chancery after hours and on weekends, call Community Answering Service at 877-582-2996. Add this number as “Chancery Emergency” to the list of contacts in your mobile telephone.
NATIONAL STUDY OF CATHOLIC PRIESTS A new study released by Catholic Project at the Catholic University of America attempted to ascertain the overall well-being of the American presbyterate with a particular emphasis on how the two decades since the Dallas Charter have affected relationships and trust between priests and bishops. The National Study of Catholic Priests is based on 3,516 responses from 10,000 diocesan and religious priests with a particular emphasis on how the two decades since the Dallas Charter have affected relationships and trust between priests and bishops. Overall, the study found that on average, priests feel remarkably fulfilled. [Initiatives: The Catholic Project]
CATHEDRAL COLLEGE/CATHEDRAL PREP ANNUAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION CHRISTMAS MASS on Thursday, December 1 at 6:00 will be held at the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 59 East Main Street, Elmsford. Dinner will follow at Casaletto Ristorante, 15 South Central Avenue at 7:00. Donation for the Mass and dinner is $70 (plus $20 annual dues). Nominations are open for president, secretary, treasurer, and members of the executive board. Visit any of these Internet resources at http://stlukes-parish.org/cathedral; https://www.facebook.com/groups/1031291000372044/; and http://www.cpcc555.org. [Events: Cathedral College Mass]
FOUR ESSENTIAL ESTATE PLANNING DOCUMENTS You do not have to be an expert to create a successful estate plan. The department of development can help priests to use their estate plans to further the work of the Church.
- Last Will and Testament and/or Trust: controls how your assets, such as money and property are distributed after your lifetime. Without a will, the state of New York decides what happens to your assets. Trusts allow you to make special arrangements for the management of your assets for yourself and others, such as sheltering assets, benefiting heirs or your favorite non-profits.
- Durable Power of Attorney for Finances: names a person who will have the legal right to handle financial matters on your behalf if you are unable to do so.
- Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care: also known as a health care proxy, this document addresses all medical treatment. It names one or more individuals you trust to make medical decisions on your behalf if you are incapacitated.
- Advanced Directives document your wishes regarding life-sustaining care.
Contact the planned giving team at planned.giving@archny.org or call 646-794-3317.
FLOWERS FOR HOLY WEEK Although Palm Sunday is months away, think now about your palm needs and order from ICS as soon as you can. Whenever we band with ICS, the savings are great. Collectively, the parishes of the archdiocese are a huge customer. Almost more important than the price is the guaranteed timely delivery. When the ICS order reaches one million palm strips, (a very reasonable number, actually) it qualifies for priority shipping from the producer in Alamo, Texas. This means that all the palm comes in a single dedicated refrigerated shipment. Fresh palms are delivered to our parishes. Don’t delay. See the ICS info in this mailing and order before Advent commands your attention.
ADVENT DAY OF RECOLLECTION FOR PRIESTS will be held on Thursday, December 1 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM at Dunwoodie and it will be led by Father Randy Soto, who joined the faculty this year as professor of sacred scripture and spiritual director. Before the quarantine, we introduced this format in response to suggestions that a morning start often conflicts with funerals in parishes. The day will begin with exposition, reflections, confession, and benediction. Lunch will be available for those who request it beforehand. More information will be forthcoming. The date for the Lenten day of recollection at Dunwoodie will be Wednesday, March 8, 2023 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.
TALKING POINTS FOR PASTORS AND BULLETINS As you make your requests for Christmas contributions and for next year’s Cardinal’s Annual Stewardship Appeal, you may see a value in saying to your people that none of their donations to the appeal or to the parish will be used for settlements from sexual abuse complaints about our priests. As many families do when they are faced with large, unexpected expenses, the archdiocese has borrowed for purposes of justice and healing up to $100 million, which it will pay back from non-parish originated funds. It may help your people to know that no funds received in collections or appeals will be used to settle complaints.
EULOGIES AT FUNERAL MASSES November, the traditional month of the faithful departed is a good month for us to be reminded about the use of eulogies at funeral liturgies.
- Eulogies, stories, and favorite songs are most appropriately shared during the visitation at the wake service or at the reception following the funeral.
- Experience shows that sharing personal remarks at the Funeral Mass can be inopportune for several reasons:
- It can create hard feelings if hurtful things of the past are raised or create discomfort in ill-advised attempts at humor.
- There are also concerns in view of past experiences that eulogies can overshadow in length and attention the Funeral Mass itself, especially if those offering words turn the Church’s rites into a celebration of life that focuses only on the accomplishments of the deceased’s past, with scant attention to our faith in the resurrection.
- With that said, in a desire to be pastorally sensitive to the family of the deceased, the following norms have been established after consultation with the presbyteral council and the approval of the cardinal:
- The pastor of the parish may allow a reflection by one individual. This can be nicely done prior to the beginning of the funeral Mass, before the collect or after the communion prayer.
- The personal reflections should be limited to three minutes and be presented to the pastor or presiding priest in writing in advance of the service.
- The next point is essential: the eulogy stresses the faith of the deceased.
In all things, pastoral kindness is required.
PRIEST PERSONNEL RECORDS UPGRADE Kate Feighery, director of archives and records management for the archdiocese will be migrating personnel records into a digital format. At the enclosed links, you will find a survey about your demographic, education, and personal history. Completing the questions will ensure that your file includes the most upto-date contact and other information for you in our system. For diocesan priests, it can be found at https://bit.ly/ADNYPriest. Religious order priests may visit https://bit.ly/ADNYReligious. Extern priests may go to https://bit.ly/ADNYExtern. To enter the questionnaire, you will need a unique ID number, which will be sent to you in a separate email from kate.feighery@archny.org. If you have any questions about accessing or completing the survey, or if you need assistance, contact her at 914-476-633, x8365. If you attended the convention of pastors earlier this month and participated in this project, thank you for your input.
NO ONE TO ANSWERED THE PARISH TELEPHONE? With modern technology today, an urgent contact with a priest should be easily facilitated, especially whenever there is no secretary at the parish office. Different churches use various systems, such as commercial answering services, a dedicated “duty priest” mobile phone, call forwarding, etc. What should be avoided is any parish system where no priest can be contacted for several hours for a crucial matter.
SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS If any priest is interested in confession or spiritual direction, Father Joe Kelly and Father Damian O’Connell SJ have been invited by Cardinal Dolan to make themselves available to us. Father Joe lives at the O’Connor Pavilion. He may be reached by calling (718) 757-2545 or sending an email to frjoekelly@aol.com. Father Damian lives at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He may be reached by calling (917) 945-9342 or sending an email to docsj1556@gmail.com. Each will make an appointment that is mutually convenient.
JUST ONE MORE THING An elderly man living in Phoenix calls his son in New York and says: “I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; 45 years of misery is enough.” The son gets all excited and responds, “Pop, what are you talking about? You can’t divorce mom after all these years. That’s crazy.” “It may be crazy,” says the old man, “but I am going to tell her on this coming Thanksgiving Day! It will be the last one we spend together.” Frantically, the son calls his sister in Chicago, and she explodes, “Like heck they are getting a divorce. We are both going to fly to Phoenix tomorrow and talk some sense into dad! I don’t care if it is Thanksgiving.” Then she calls her father and shouts at him over the phone, “Do you hear me? Don’t you dare do a thing until brother and I get there tomorrow!” Then she hangs up. The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. “Okay”, he says, “they are coming for Thanksgiving and paying their own way. Now what do we tell them for Christmas?”