CURRENT
  BULLETIN

August 24, 2008

21ST
SUNDAY
IN ORDINARY
TIME

"You are the Christ,
the Son of the living God!"
"You are Peter,
and upon this rock. . . ."

Welcome to
Saint Jean Baptiste

LITURGY OF THE HOURS
Monday-Friday: 8:00, 5:00

Friday of this week is the Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist. So great is the legacy of our parish patron that John is celebrated liturgically both in his birth (June 24) and in his death (August 29).

John, the last Old Testament prophet, suffered the same fate as other devoted messengers of God, including Jesus ― opposition, intimidation, and the threat of death. This did not deter him from speaking God’s word in all its power. He fulfilled the preacher’s charge found in 2 Timothy 4:2: "Proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient." John is worthy of our admiration, and of our imitation, of his courage and persistence.

Novitiate
As you know, Saint Jean Baptiste is served by priests and brothers of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament and by sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame. One of the nicer things about belonging to international religious orders is the opportunity to welcome fellow religious from around the world, and this certainly has been the case this summer.

On Tuesday, our Blessed Sacrament Community received a new novice, Johan Smit, from Holland, who arrived in the city along with Father Aad Van Ruiten. The following day, August 20, Johan formally began his canonical novitiate during a brief Scripture service led by Father Bernard Camiré, Superior. Johan will attend an inter-congregational novitiate program weekly with novices from various men’s and women’s religious communities while Brothers Peter Harley and James Owens continue their formation as second-year novices. He will be with us for one year.

In welcoming Johan to New York City and to Saint Jean’s, I want to thank James and Peter for their generous involvement in the life and ministry of the parish. They have truly become part of our family. Please pray for the three of them.

MASS SCHEDULE

To celebrate the Eucharist worthily,
adore it profoundly,
and proclaim it prophetically.

Sunday, August 24

9:00 Bridie Murphy

Budgeted Sunday                       $7,500
Actual Last Sunday                     $5,735
Over/Under Budgeted                ($1,765)
Among our current bills ―
Electricity (July 18-August 15)    $10,842

INTERESTED IN CATHOLICISM?

Do you have questions about Catholic beliefs and practices? The catechumenate (RCIA) is a process of inquiry into Roman Catholicism, to which you bring your own experience of God as well as your questions. It is for those who are considering entering the Catholic Church or completing the sacraments of initiation. It gets underway after Labor Day. Call Robin Drayer at 212.288.5082.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

The school year will soon be underway, and with that we remind you that Saint Jean’s offers a full range of religious education classes for children and youth, including:

Kindergarten Program
For children ages 3-5 in our Montessori-style Atrium, a unique environment for the young child that fosters a sense of the sacred and is adapted to a child’s learning needs.

Monday, September 1
Labor Day
Holiday Masses
9:00 a.m.
12:15 p.m.
The church will close at 1:15 p.m.

Thursday, September 4
Let the Word Speak!
Weekly Bible Study on the Sunday Lectionary
Parish House, 7:00-8:00 p.m.

September 6-7
Mission Co-op Appeal for the
Society for the Propagation of the Faith
Archdiocese of New York

Wednesday, September 17
Parish Pastoral Council
Parish House, 6:30 p.m.

September 20-21
Yorkville Common Pantry Weekend

Sunday, September 21
Catechetical Sunday

Family Life Mass and Blessing of Catechists
10:30 a.m.

John was locked away
in the darkness of prison,
though he came bearing witness
to the Light of life,
and deserved to be called
a bright and shining lamp.

Saint Bede the Venerable
673-735

BIBLE STUDY

Following a short summer hiatus, our weekly Bible Study will resume after Labor Day, with one change: we will meet on Thursday nights rather than on Tuesdays. Everyone is welcome to this sharing on the readings of the following Sunday, as a practical and prayerful way to ready oneself to hear God’s word. The first Bible Study of the Year of Saint Paul is on Thursday, September 4, at 7:00 p.m. in the Parish House.

NEW YORK CATHOLICISM:  DOROTHY DAY

In conjunction with its Catholics in New York 1808-1946 exhibit, the Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Avenue, is hosting "The Duty of Delight: The Diaries of Dorothy Day" this Thursday evening, August 28, at 6:30. Dorothy Day (1897-1980), the founder of the Catholic Worker Movement and now a candidate for sainthood, has been called the "radical conscience" of the American Catholic Church. Father James Martin, S.J., the Associate Editor of America, will moderate a discussion examining The Duty of Delight: The Diaries of Dorothy Day, edited by Robert Ellsberg, who worked with Dorothy Day during the last five years of her life. The panel will consist of Robert Ellsberg, Sally Cunneen, and Peggy Steinfels. For information, visit www.mcny.org or call 212.534.1672, ext. 3395. Admission: members, senior citizens, and students ($5); non-members ($9).

PERFORMANCE

Caroline Rood, a member of the parish, will perform classic American hits by Gershwin, Porter, Rodgers and Hart/Hammerstein on Saturday, September 6, at 7:00 p.m. at the Broadway Baby Bistro, 318 West 53 Street. Doors open at 6:30 for drinks and a light bite. Cost is $15 at the door and a minimum of $15 in drinks, etc. RSVP to carolinerood@earthlink.net or telephone 212.288.5484. Seating is limited.

BOOK SIGNING

He Said Yes, The Story of Father Mychal Judge is a new children’s book by best-selling Kelly Ann Lynch. It tells of Father Judge’s life as a Franciscan and an FDNY chaplain, and of his death on 9/11. The author will sign copies of the book at the 9/11 memorial exhibit in Saint Paul’s Church, Church Street, on Wednesday, September 10, from 2:00-5:00 p.m. She will sign books earlier the same day at Barnes and Noble Books, Park Slope, 267 Seventh Avenue, Brooklyn, starting at 10:30 a.m.

MARY MANNING WALSH

The Volunteer Association of Mary Manning Walsh Home invites you to take part in the Annual Walk-A-Thon on Saturday, September 27. The purpose of the event is to raise funds to support programs that the volunteers provide for the residents. The participant’s fee is $15 for adults and $12 for children, which includes a tee shirt.

Liturgy will be offered at 8:00 in the Holy Family Chapel, 1339 York Avenue, followed by breakfast in the cafeteria. The parade of walkers to Central Park begins at 9:00, and all can return afterward to the home for a gala party with food and beverages at 1:30.

For further information, contact Sister Mary Michael at 212.628.2800.

EUCHARIST ― SOURCE OF LIFE AND MISSION

Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness,
Leave the gloomy haunts of sadness;
Come into the daylight’s splendor,
There with joy thy praise render
Unto him whose grace unbounded
Hath this wondrous banquet founded;
High o’er all the heavens he reigneth,
Yet to dwell within thee he deigneth.

Johann Franck
Nineteenth Century

WELCOME! BIÉNVÉNUE!

Founded in 1882 as a national parish for the French Canadian population of Yorkville, Église Saint Jean Baptiste quickly became a spiritual center embracing many nationalities. The faith community which gathers here is as diverse as the city of New York itself.

Since 1900, the church has been under the care of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, an international religious order dedicated to the Eucharist, the central sacrament of Catholic life and worship. Saint Jean Baptiste High School, founded in 1929, is administered by sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame.

The present church opened in spring 1913. Its design, by Nicholas Serracino, won first prize at the International Exhibition in Turin, Italy, in 1911. It is of Italian Renaissance classical revival, with twin towers of 150 feet rising from the façade and a central dome soaring 175 feet above the floor. A major restoration of the church was completed in late 1997.

Upon entering the church from the northwest, you immediately see an imposing statue of the church’s patron, the Jewish prophet John the Baptist. It depicts John holding a cruciform staff, with a lamb’s hoof around his neck and a lamb at his feet. It was John who called Jesus the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (Jn 1:29).

Beneath the dome stands the stately altar of sacrifice on which the Eucharist is celebrated. It is here that exposition of the Blessed Sacrament occurs during daytime hours, for prayerful contemplation. At the back of the sanctuary is the high altar, testimony to the Catholic Church’s long tradition of Eucharistic faith and practice. Side altars honor Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, Saint Joseph, Saint Peter Julian Eymard, and Saint Anthony of Padua.

The three tiers of stained glass windows were crafted in Chartres, France, just prior to World War I. Saint Patrick’s Cathedral is the only other Catholic church in New York City with windows from the renowned studios of Chartres.

In the southwest corner is the Shrine of Saint Anne. Devotion to Saint Anne, the grandmother of Jesus, has flourished at Saint Jean’s since 1892. The church was consecrated on December 6, 2007.

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