SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

It has long been a Catholic understanding that when circumstances prevent one from receiving Holy Communion, it is possible to make an Act of Spiritual Communion, which is a source of grace. Spiritual Communion is an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and lovingly embrace him at a time or in circumstances when one cannot receive Him in sacramental Communion. The most common reason for making an Act of Spiritual Communion is when a person cannot attend Mass. Acts of Spiritual Communion increase our desire to receive sacramental Communion and help us avoid the sins that would make us unable to receive Holy Communion worthily.

Spiritual Communion Prayer

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love you above all things and I desire to receive you in my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally,
Come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace you as if you were already there
And unite myself wholly to you. 
Never permit me to be separated from you.
Amen.

EVEN THE BIBLE IS FULL OF FLAWED CHARACTERS: THE DESTRUCTION OF MONUMENTS ONLY IMPOVERISHES OUR SENSE OF HISTORY
                            by Timothy Cardinal Dolan
 
Years ago I was dedicating a new parish to St. Peter. A woman wrote to protest: “Why would you name a Church after such a coward, a sinner who denied even knowing the Lord when Jesus needed him most, at the hour of His arrest and crucifixion?”
Knowing her and what parish she was from, I wrote back, “But you’re a proud parishioner at St. Mary Magdalene Church. She was sure not a paragon of virtue for a chunk of her life. Yet, by God’s grace, she became a radiant, inspirational saint. If we can’t name churches after sinners, the only titles we’d have left would be Jesus and His Mother!”
Isn’t the same true of America’s historical personalities? All of them had flaws, yet all of them still contributed a lot of good to our nation’s progress.
Defacing, tearing down and hiding statutes and portraits is today’s version of Puritan book-burning. Our children need to know their country’s past, its normative figures and their virtues and vices. That’s how we learn and pass on our story. Is there any more effective way to comprehend America’s history of racism than reading “Huckleberry Finn” or one of Flannery O’Connor’s short stories, works of literature now ominously on the chopping block?
My own mom kept a photo of her parents hanging on the wall of our house. Her dad, my grandfather, was an abusive drunk who abandoned his family. I’m glad we got to know of him, the good and the bad.
The same is true of the church I love and am honored to serve. Yes, there are scandalous parts of our history, and countless episodes when popes, bishops, priests and others—including some who are now saints—didn’t act as they should have.
God forbid we’d go through a cultural revolution as China did five decades ago. Beware those who want to purify memories and present a tidy—and inaccurate—history. And who’s to say which statues, portraits, books and dedications are spared? Remember when some objected to raising the status of the Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday to a national holiday, citing his self-admitted flaws?
If literature that depicts prejudice, or words or scenes that are today rightly abhorred, is to be banned, I don’t know if even the Bible can survive. If we only honor perfect, saintly people of the past, I guess I’m left with only the cross. And some people would ban that.
As a historian by training, I want to remember the good and the bad, and recall with gratitude how even people who have an undeniable dark side can let light prevail and leave the world better. I want to keep bringing classes of schoolchildren to view such monuments, and to explain to them how even such giants in our history had crimes, unjust acts and plain poor judgment mixed in with the good we honor.
 
 

 
MESSAGE REGARDING THE RESUMPTION OF MASSES AND OTHER CHURCH SERVICES

Along with Father John Knapp, pastor of our neighboring Our Lady of the Assumption Church, I am happy to inform you of the following information and we ask you to share it with other parishioners, neighbors and friends:
1. New York City has begun Phase 2 of its re-opening plan, which includes the re-opening of churches with restricted attendance. Therefore Cardinal Dolan has allowed us to resume our public Masses.  Our weekday Masses at 8AM and 9AM resumed on Monday, June 22. You will see in the church places marked with a cross for seating to preserve social distancing. Please use those seats only.
 
Sunday Masses have also resumed.  Masses will follow our regular schedule—Saturday, 5PM; Sunday at 7:30AM, 9:00AM (Italian), 10:30AM, 12:15PM, 1:30PM (Spanish) and 5PM.
 
Let me go over again the directives that we have previously announced for the re-opening of the church, both for weekday and Sunday Masses, pursuant to the Governor’s directives:
 
*It will be necessary for all persons to wear face masks when coming to church. No one will be able to attend Mass without wearing a protective mask.  When you come up to receive Holy Communion, you may remove the mask and we ask you to put it back immediately.
 
*  We will observe proper social distancing for seating in church. The church benches have crosses to indicate where you can sit.   We ask you to sit only in these places to assure safety.
 
*Because of the social distancing requirement, we will only be able to seat a certain number of people in the church itself.  On Sundays, after we have reached the maximum number, we will direct parishioners to the school auditorium where  Mass will also be offered if necessary.   I want to make it clear that no one will be turned away. Once the allowed number has been reached in church, you will be directed to the auditorium for Mass there where there will likewise be proper social distancing.
 
*Every other bench in church will be cordoned off for safety reasons. 
 
* Hand sanitizer will be available at each church entrance.
 
* We will not be able to leave missalettes in the church benches. On the first day that you come for Mass, we will make new missalettes available to you for you to take home with you and for you to use each time you come to Mass.
 
* We will have to observe certain procedures regarding the reception of Holy Communion. Communion must be received in your hand. If the priest notices any contact with a person receiving Communion, he will sanitize his hands before the next person receives. While you are on the line, please stand on the blue markers in the aisles to assure proper social distancing.  When you come up to receive Holy Communion, you may remove your mask and we ask you to put it back immediately.
 
*To avoid too much motion up and down aisles, Holy Communion will be distributed after the Mass, instead of at the regular Communion time.
 
* We will sanitize the benches after each Mass.
 
*Bulletins will be available outside after Mass.
 
*For those who are not able to come to Sunday Mass, we will continue to make the Sunday Mass available on our website: www.sttheresachurchbronx.org.  The Cardinal has emphasized that any person who feels he or she is in danger because of sickness or old age is excused from the Sunday Mass obligation, as has been the case for all of us during these past weeks.
 
*Let me emphasize also that, if you have any symptoms, including fever, please do not come to Mass lest someone be infected.
 
2.For Sunday Masses benches will be marked indicating specifically indicating places where families, couples and individuals  can sit.  Other benches will be taped off. Please follow the direction of the ushers and the greeters for seating.
 
3.We are now able to resume baptism ceremonies in our church. Parents who wish to arrange baptism for their child are asked to call the Rectory (718-892-1900) to speak with Father Derivan about the necessary steps for arranging the baptism.
 
4. We will be able to celebrate Funeral Masses in church. Families who have lost a loved one during the pandemic have been told that they can arrange for a Memorial Mass when this is allowed, as it is now. I ask families to contact me so that we can arrange the Memorial Mass.
5. Weddings may now be celebrated, with a limited number, observing the proper social distancing.
6. Our Rectory Office will be open each day from 8AM to 8PM.   If you wish to arrange for an announced Mass, please call the Rectory ahead of time between 8AM and 3PM so that you can arrange for the Mass and will not need to wait. You may then come to pick up the Mass card.
            Most importantly let us give thanks that we are able to return to public Mass and receive Holy Communion. If anything this pandemic has helped us to understand more than ever how much we need Mass and Holy Communion. We can truly say, in the words of the psalm, “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad.”
                                                            God bless you and welcome home to church!                                                                        Father Thomas B. Derivan

 

St. Theresa's Catholic Church
2855 St. Theresa Avenue
Bronx, NY 10461

BIBLE STUDY/SHARING: 

CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Every Wednesday night at 7:30 PM in the Rectory Dining Room a group gathers seeking to grow closer to Christ by meditating on the Holy Scripture. Please come and be nourished by the Word of God. Everyone is invited to attend.   

CONFESSIONS IN OUR CHURCH
The Cardinal has allowed the resumption of confessions in church.  Both St. Theresa Church and Our Lady of the Assumption Church will be having confessions on Saturdays at 4:00PM, beginning on June 6^th.
The following procedures will be followed in our church:
1. All persons must wear protective masks.
2. You will see two confession stations in the church, one by hallway near the sacristy and the other  in the front of church. We will not be using the confessionals for safety reasons.
3. When you come to confession, you may either stand or kneel.
4. Those who are waiting for confession should stand at a respectful distance to preserve confidentiality.  Also while you are waiting, please observe the proper social distancing as marked by the blue tape in the aisles.
5. Please speak loudly enough for the priest to hear, but not too loudly  so that others may hear you.
6. After your confession, you may remain in the church for private prayer. Please sit or kneel only in places  marked with the blue tape.