Mission Statement

We are a people of God called to serve Him and one another as we journey towards His Kingdom. We strive to bring Christ's love to all within and beyond our community. With the celebration of the Holy Eucharist as the center of our Catholic lives, we respond to the grace of the Holy Spirit by living and sharing the teachings of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We welcome all who come to pray with us and who wish to make our Church their "second home".

A Message From Our Pastor:

Dear Friends,

Even though the months have gone by since the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to our city in April, the effect of his visit powerfully remains with us. Like all other parishes in our Archdiocese, we were privileged to have members of our parish represent all of us at the various celebrations over which the Holy Father presided. On Sunday, April 20, fifty of our parishioners (chosen by lottery from the hundreds who filled out requests for tickets) were privileged to be at Yankee Stadium for the Pope's Mass. Our own Father Reggie was among the concelebrants at the Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict St. Patrick's Cathedral on the previous day. St. Helena's was certainly well represented!

But perhaps the most beautiful celebration was at St. Joseph's Seminary on April 19, the Youth Rally with 30,000 young people from across the nation. Three busloads of our youngsters, from St. Helena's School and Msgr. Scanlan High School were privileged to attend. What was important was not simply that they saw the Pope (even though that was a memorable experience); they listened to the Pope. They heard his words and his message of hope: "Walking in the Lord's footsteps, our lives become a journey of hope," the Pope told them, reminding them that Christ is our hope and that we must be the living messengers of that hope to our world. The Pope reminded them to be thankful for the many people who have helped them on their journey of faith. "Let us thank God for all those who strive to ensure that you can grow up in an environment that nurtures what is beautiful, good and true—your parents and grandparents, your teachers and priests." And he encouraged them to accept their role in being "people of hope." He said, "I encourage you to invite others, especially the vulnerable and the innocent, to join you along the way of goodness and hope." Finally, the Pope reminded them that they are following in great footsteps, the footsteps of great men and women of faith who were part of the 200 years of the history of our Archdiocese: "St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, St. John Neumann, Blessed Kateri Tekawitha, Venerable Pierre Tousssaint, and Padre Felix Varela: any one of us could be among them. Inflamed with the love of Jesus, their lives became remarkable journeys of hope." He challenged every one of those 30,000 young people to be the same, to be "people of hope."

Our young people came home that night telling us how much the Pope's words and his obvious vitality in being with young people had made a great impression on them. I cannot imagine how it could have been otherwise. I have no doubt that those young people will treasure the memory of that April day when they saw and heard Pope Benedict. They will tell their children and their grandchildren about the message that an 81-year old priest shared with them on the fields of our Seminary. They will hold on to the message that the Successor of St. Peter gave to them—to be "people of hope."

Is that not what the Church is always supposed to do—to bring Christ's hope to the world? Our parish for almost seventy years has done precisely that. St. Helena's Church has been a beacon of hope to so many, through prayer, through the celebration of the Mass, through the sacraments, through our schools, through our involvement in the lives of thousands upon thousands of people who proudly call St. Helena's their home. May we always be "people of hope." May we always be a parish where we bring people of every race and ethnic background into the family of Christ's hope. And like that wonderful "man in white" who captured the hearts of all of us, may we proudly proclaim every day: "Christ Our Hope." God bless you all! Father Thomas B. Derivan