A Summer Wrap Up...

Autumn’s here!  I know, I know!  Summer came and went with nary a posting but, it wasn’t because of a dearth of goings on here in  Catholic Peekskill!

Let me attempt a brief wrap up:
 

In July, we bid a fond farewell to Father Louis Anderson now assigned to St. Lucy’s in the Bronx.  During his four years here in Catholic Peekskill, Father Anderson was never afraid to roll up his cassock sleeves and get to work. He was a vigorous recruiter for Assumption School; he trained and installed over 100 altar servers, logged countless hours in the Confessional, baptized hundreds of babies and wed scores of couples. (And, nobody could fill a dumpster like Father Anderson!)  We are so grateful for his tireless work!

And, a hearty hail goes to Father Vincent Druding.  Originally from Indiana, he was ordained to the Holy Priesthood for the Archdiocese of New York in 2009; he has a gift for preaching and, an energy and enthusiasm that could only be inspired by the Holy Spirit.  The great doctor of the Church, St. Augustine said, “A Christian should be an Alleluia from head to toe.”  We can’t be sure, of course, but we think he was referring to Fr. Vincent!

August was both grace-filled and joy-filled, complete with 40 Hours devotion in honor of Our Lady of the our  Feast Day, Festa Italiana,a pilgrimage to World Youth Day in Madrid and, the Assumption School’s 4^th Annual Golf Outing.  The photo below capture only some of that joy and grace we had in Spain!

We could barely catch our breath before it was time to ring the school bells again!  We are so grateful for our parish school and the many bright and shining faces that greet us every day. 

Our Lady’s birthday on September 8^th is a great cause for celebration, don’t you think?  And, like any birthday party, we’ve got pictures!  It was a grand feast!

This past weekend many of our Ecuadorean parishioners gathered for a celebration in honor of El Seňor de Girón.  Girón is small town in the south of Ecuador.  Traditionally, prayers were said to El Seňor de Girón in the hopes that He would bring rain and prosperity during seasons of drought.  Though there certainly has been no lack of rain here in Catholic Peekskill, we gathered for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in honor of El Seňor.  After Mass, a lively celebration was held in Father Wilson Hall.  Any festival held in honor of El Seňor de Giron would not be complete without the vaca loca (crazy cow).  (See the photo below).  The cow is a symbol of the prosperity for which the devotos are praying and, is used throughout October in many religious festivals.  This special celebration brought a taste of home to our Ecuadorian brothers and sisters and reminds us all that the Catholic Church is truly universal!  Maybe you’ll take a moment to remember and share your own Catholic traditions.  They may not include a vaca loca but, they will be equally as joyful!

God delights in our joy and, I am grateful to say that we have plenty of it here in Catholic Peekskill!

Assumption Church has a new Permanent Deacon!

On Saturday, June 11, 2011, Archbishop Dolan ordained 12 proven men to the permanent Diaconate: among them, our own Deacon Carlos Campoverde.  Carlos has been serving Assumption Church for the past 11 years as our Coordinator of Spanish Ministry. Now, as a Permanent Deacon, he will be able to witness marriages and perform Baptisms. This will be a great help to our parish.  In the time that Deacon Carlos has served as our Coordinator of Spanish Ministry, our attendance at Spanish Mass has increased well over 500%. 
Many Roman Catholic parishes have lamented the growth of Christian Sects and have witnessed many Hispanic Catholic Christians joining other religions. As the Pastor of Assumption Church, I'm proud to say that this has rarely been the case here in Peekskill (though we must always work to promote the true faith among all people).  And I give the credit (under the work and guidance of the Holy Spirit, of course) to the great work of Deacon Carlos and many, many helpers and evangelizers here at Assumption.
May the Lord Jesus give Deacon Carlos (and us) many years of fruitful service!

Monsignor Ansbro Celebrates 60 years of Priesthood

Monsignor Francis Ansbro, drawing on deep reserves of strength, showed a vigor that surprised even himself.    On Sunday, May 22, 2011 Assumption Parishioners and many others from far and wide gathered for the 12 noon Mass at Assumption and later went down to Father Wilson Hall for food and fellowship.  It's incalculable how many people this holy man has touched through his kindness and goodness.  The Peekskill Patch's Laura Belfiore wrote well about the even here.   May Peekskill continue to draw grace from Monsignor's prayers and words.

A Phenomenal Holy Week at Assumption

Congratulations to the Assumption Parish Community for a beautiful celebration of Holy Week! From Sacristans - Maria Agudelo and Norberto Bautista  –  and in a special way Mr. Andres Vega for the purple veils that covered the holy images in the church to a million other things.

The Assumption Garden Committee (along with Mary Wisker) for the wonderful work, to make our sanctuary look gorgeous.

To Mary Mancini and Mario Tacca and Donna Sticco and Barbara Benvenga, the Adult and Childrens Choir and our Spanish Choir who all made a beautiful sound for the Lord. . .  to our Altar Servers and Lectors and Ushers.

For all RCIA Participants and their parents and Families as well as the RCIA Team headed up by Mrs. Cathy Biscoff and her wonderful team of helpers.  To our incredible Rectory and Cemetery Staff.
 for example our professional Receptionists and Maria Bernardo and Carlos Campoverde and those who work with them.

We got great help with confessions helped by the Legionaries of Christ– who along with our own priests heard confessions for over a total of over 35 hours -- our guestimate is that over 500 people received God's mercy in this great Sacrament.

To my Brother priests:
--  Msgr. Ansbro and Father Vernon and Father Anderson who, by their good example, brotherly support and commitment to Assumption parish make them a joy to live with and inspiration because of their hard work.
And to the good and Faithful people of Assumption for your limitless goodness – prayerful presence during Holy Week.

For all of these reasons and a million other, we love you very much.

Reconciliation Monday

I applaud Archbishop Dolan’s idea to have six hours of confession for Reconciliation Monday.  Here at Assumption yesterday we had scores of people seeking and finding God’s mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.   We didn’t finish until 10:45 PM!  I set a new record for myself of seven hours and forty five minutes of uninterrupted confessions.  The Lord gave Monsignor Ansbro strength to hear confessions for three hours and fifteen minutes!   I am grateful to Father Jose Felix Ortega from the Legion of Christ who heard five hours of confessions.  I want to say I am sorry to any of our parishioners who had to wait so long to go to confession.  If there is anything worth waiting for, it’s God’s mercy in this Sacrament!

Palm Sunday

I'm delighted to begin this blog as the Church begins Holy Week this Palm Sunday. Our Church is a buzz with Palm Sunday. We're grateful for the presence of Ginger the donkey, who helped us celebrate Jesus' joyful entry into Jerusalem. Many people attended Holy Mass and our prayer for hope that many will take advantage of Reconciliation Monday tomorrow.