After almost 4 years of blogging, I have changed the name of the blog from Gen X Revert to A Long Island Catholic. I started blogging about my return to the Church but have said pretty much all I have to say about that. I would like to use this space to write more about what goes on within the Diocese of Rockville Centre. I will also be adding more local links as well.

Of interest to Long Island Catholics:

The Catholic Underground is coming to Long Island.

Saturday, October 21, 2006, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

St. Thomas the Apostle Mission Chapel in West Hempstead (Hempstead Avenue and Nassau Boulevard)

"A Catholic Underground evening has two components: prayer and performance. Prayer is in the context of Eucharistic Adoration. The prayers performed include Vespers (evening prayer), Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, and Compline (night prayer), which ends the night. The performance element includes coffee and conversation among participants after Eucharistic Adoration, which then leads into performances that are meant to showcase different methods for new evangelization."

The Long Island Catholic story on the veneration of the heart of St. John Vianney is here.

I went to venerate the heart of St. John Marie Vianney today at Cure of Ars Church in Merrick. I waited for about 30 minutes on a long line that wrapped around the front and side of the Church. Someone then said they were closing the doors and a Mass would begin and veneration would stop for about 90 minutes. I decided to go to the Mass but the Church was filled, so I watched it on a large screen in an adjacent auditorium. There was also a large white tent set up that was also filled. Since I waited in front of the Church for the procession, I was able to take a couple of pictures and venerate the heart in front of the Church instead of inside.

Click on the pics to enlarge.


The pictures above do not really show how many people were there since the line wrapped around bushes and the side of the Church. The crowd was huge!
Bishop DiMarzio from Brooklyn was the principal celebrant. The Bishop of Ars, France who brought the heart here concelebrated. In his homily, Bishop DeMarzio asked everyone to pray for two intentions, that holiness be increased in priests and that the use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation be increased amoung the laity. He quoted St. John Vianney as saying he only gave out small penances and would perform the rest of the penance himself on behalf of the sinner.


Fr. Mangano, the pastor of Cure of Ars.





The Catholic Heart website created for the occasion

Cure of Ars parish website

Fr. Charles and Laurie Mangano Music website

St. John Marie Baptist Vianney info

A local pastor lists 27 things to do to "get more out of Mass". I can agree with all but #12 is something I have never understood and I have heard it many times:

"12. During the readings, look at the reader; don’t use a missalette unless you have a problem with your hearing."

I try to read the readings before Mass but I also follow along while they are proclaimed for a couple of reasons. Although the lectors are quite good at the parish I currently attend, in my old parish they made an awful lot of mistakes, sometimes changing the whole meaning of a sentence. I can also really understand and follow the reading when I read along, it would not be the same if I just listened. I will continue to read along for this reason, and don't understand why some people make such a big deal out of this.

Today's Newsday article on the heart of St. John Vianney being venerated at Cure of Ars Church in Merrick. Today is for parishioners only, tommorrow is for clergy, so Tuesday or Wednesday I will try to make it there.

I just found a website for St. Pius X High School in Uniondale. This was the prep seminary school in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, closed in 1984. The nice website advises:

"With approximately 100 in the total freshman class each year (and a mere 300 in the entire student body) only about 2000 students in total ever attended St Pius in its 20-year history. Only about 1200 managed to make it from freshman year to graduation."

"With the closing of St Pius in 1984, alumni were placed on the endangered species list. For this reason any loss over the years is taken that much more to heart. On 9/11 three were taken from our small ranks."

The site mentions about 60 alumni gathered for a reunion last year which is a great percentage considering how many total graduates there are. Since my Catholic High School, Chaminade, has a huge and active alumni base, I am always aware of how cool it is to have a connection to so many other people. When a school is unique and tough to get through, it creates a bond between graduates that stretches across generations. I like to see reunions of students from Catholic schools that have closed and am glad to see the St. Pius X reunion will be held at Kellenberg, so the men can see good Catholic education continuing on Long Island.

One more quote from the site:

"As a prep seminary St Pius was producing a disappointing number of priests, certainly a factor in determining the school closure. But St Pius never disappointed in producing good people. Good guys. Christi simus non nostri."

Nicely put. Perhaps a graduate can translate the latin phrase?

Paul Rusesabagina, the real life hero at the center of the film Hotel Rwanda gave a lecture at Molloy College in Rockville Centre.