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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,

I am happy to welcome you to our parish website. We are very proud of our parish. The parish was established in 1940 by the legendary Monsignor Arthur J. Scanlan (about whom you can read here). In our almost seventy years, our parish has grown and changed—new faces, new ethnic groups, new challenges. But what remains the same is that we are the family of the Lord Jesus Christ, worshipping God Our Father and serving one another. That never changes.

I want to draw your attention to a new section in this website, entitled "Stained Glass Windows." We are blessed in our church to have beautiful windows. They were designed by Monsignor Scanlan, who wanted his people to know the three things represented in those windows: first, the Mysteries of the Rosary; second, the story of our holy patroness St. Helena; and  third, the lives of the saints. These windows are exquisitely made and each of them is a work of art. Spend some time looking at time. Even better, spend some time praying with them.

The Church has always looked at the stained glass windows as much more than simply windows for a church or even works of art. The Church has looked at them as instruments of faith. When our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI visited our city a year ago April, he offered Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. In his homily on that day, the Pope spoke about the stained glass windows. He remarked, "From the outside, those windows are dark, even dreary. But once one enters the church, they suddenly come alive. Reflecting the light passing through them, they reveal all their splendor ....The stained glass illustrates the mystery of the Church herself It is only from the inside, from the experience of faith and ecclesial life, that we see the Church as she truly is: flooded with grace, resplendent in beauty, adorned by the manifold gifts of the Spirit. It follows that we, who live the life of grace within the Church's communion, are called to draw all people into this mystery of light."

What a beautiful reflection from our Holy Father! Our stained glass windows certainly are instruments of faith to us, the people of St. Helena's Parish. For so many people over these past years, these windows have been sources of reflection on our faith. People have gazed on them and found strength in the life of St. Helena, who faced hardships, even as we all do. People have mediated on the Mysteries of the Rosary and, in looking at these windows, have drawn strength in their devotion to Mary and her Divine Son. And people have looked upon the windows of the saints and have drawn strength from their example, their courage and their steadfastness of faith.

The Pope assures us that the stained glass windows are reminders to us that "we, who live the life of grace within the Church's communion, are called to draw all people into this mystery of light." That is what St. Helena's Church is all about. That is our mission—to invite all God's children to come to Him. May these windows continue to inspire us in the years ahead. May these windows be windows of welcome to all who come to our Church, our family in the Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome!  God bless you!

Father Thomas B. Derivan

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