The Link

The newsletter for The Brooklyn Oratory Parishes


"I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons."

-St. John Henry Cardinal Newman, C.O.

 The Brooklyn Oratory Parishes

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Boniface

August 25, 2022

Online giving:  https://oratorychurch.org/onlinegiving

Thank You from Mission Appeal Visitor, Bishop Sualsingh of Sambalpur

I thank you very much for your prayers and support for the diocese of Sambalpur particularly during my Mission Appeal visit to your parish. I am greatly edified by your generosity and pray that God blesses you with his Peace, Joy and Love.

Report from St Boniface's Sister Parish, St Mark's Lokitaung, Turkana, Kenya

The parish of St Boniface has for twenty years made quarterly donations to support our sister parish in Turkana. There is a new pastor at the parish, Fr Edwin Tumuhaise FMH, and he recently sent an accounting of how our support is utilized.


Fr Edwin has been at St Mark's for six months, so his accounting reflects a six month period.


Salaries of:

  • Two catechists @ 5000 Kenyan Shillings (KS) each month for six months = 60,000KS (US$10 = 1200KS, so the catechists receive just over US$40 a month).
  • A watchman @ 5000KS a month.
  • Cook @ 7000KS a month.
  • Two nursery school teachers @ 15000KS a month each


Our financial support enabled the parish to buy communion hosts and candles, feed four people (Fr Edwin, a religious brother from his community who is supporting him in the parish, the watchman and the cook), pay the electricity bill, and other rectory expenses. Additionally, our contribution helped pay for the gas and insurance for the parish vehicle (which enables Fr Edwin to visit a parish about the size of Rhode Island). These past six months the funds also helped youth of the parish attend both a childhood festival and a church sponsored talent show. Transport in Turkana is very difficult and expensive as there are virtually no paved roads. Without sponsorship children would not be able to participate in wider area events hosted by the diocese.


The diocese of Lodwar reviewed and sent a formal account signed by the chancellor. If anyone would like to review that please let me know.


Fr Edwin finished his report with these words: "Otherwise we are so grateful for you, our dear friends, for always sending us a living. May the Good Lord bless you abundantly."


I add my own thanks - as you can see, our $600 a month contribution makes a significant difference to our sister parish, not only enabling it to function but to support and encourage our sisters and brothers who otherwise would be forgotten. Over the years, through the generosity of a number of parishioners who have traveled to Turkana, we have sent additional funds raised from the sale of articles made in Turkana and other collections. Thank you for supporting these activities. (All this funding is distinct from the work of the separate 501(c)3 organization, The Friends of Turkana (FoT), which we spun off from the parish activity to attract the significant support needed for larger scale work. FoT has funded everything from dams to solar water pumps, from farming to agricultural education. FoT has occasionally funded emergency relief support, most recently for 40 vulnerable street children in the regional capital of Lodwar who no longer have the hotel garbage to sort through due to COVID lockdowns limiting the travel of NGO and government workers. Among many other projects, FoT has funded building and renovating projects, including recently building an entire new High School, St. James in Lodwar.)


THANK YOU for all the ways you support this good and necessary work. Fr Mark Lane, C.O.

Choir Forming at Assumption
Assumption is seeking people to join a choir this fall! Interested parties should email Music Director Maureen Kelly at mkelly@oratorychurch.org with a short introduction of their musical background. No formal training is required, but volunteers should be comfortable reading music and interested in learning a diverse repertoire. All applicants will be asked to come in for a brief audition, in which they can sing something of their choosing and demonstrate their comfort level sight-reading music. 

Interested in exploring Catholicism? 

The 2022-2023 RCIA Program Begins in October

RCIA stands for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and is the program for all those wishing to explore full communion in the Catholic Church. This can include all types of people: maybe you’ve just started coming to St. Boniface or Assumption and want to know more about Catholicism; or you have questions about God or Jesus but don’t know where to ask them; maybe you were raised in a different faith tradition, or none at all, and want a deeper connection with what you find at the Oratory churches; maybe you’re engaged to or married to a Catholic and want to consider becoming Catholic yourself; or maybe you are a baptized Catholic who wishes to complete your sacraments of initiation with First Communion and/or Confirmation. If any of these fits where you are, you are warmly invited to join the RCIA program for 2022-2023, which will culminate in the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil on April 8, 2023.

        

Starting on October 19, RCIA will meet on Wednesdays from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, mainly on Zoom, and hopefully with monthly meetings in person at Assumption in Brooklyn Heights.  For information, or to sign up, contact one of our priests, or the RCIA Team, Rob, Nadine, and Patrick at faith@oratorychurch.org. We hope you’ll join us!   

Family Faith Formation Registration
Starting in September, Family Faith Formation and Sacraments at the Oratory Parishes will be back in person!  We can’t wait to see you.
For an overview of our offerings, a calendar and more, scroll down and click on the Family Faith button below.

You may register here:

Any questions or concerns? Please contact Christina Matone at cmatone@oratorychurch.org.
Mass Intentions
If you would like to request a mass for someone living or deceased, mass intentions are available for the weeks or months ahead. Email info@oratorychurch.org. The offering is $20. Please pay by using Pushpay or by mailing a check to: 64 Middagh St. Brooklyn, NY 11201.

Upcoming Calendar


September

9/18...Homecoming Sunday, StB

9/25...Homecoming Sunday, ABVM

9/25...Baptism Sunday, ABVM


October

10/2....Animal Blessing, ABVM

10/2....Family Mass Kickoff, StB

10/19...RCIA begins


November

11/1.....All Saints Day

11/2.....All Souls Day

11/20...Bishop Brennan Visiting, ABVM

Please keep the sick of the community in your prayers:

Tony Lau, Rev. Darrell McClean, Leo Callaghan, Sean Lau, Raymond DiGuglielmo, Robert Vaccarino, Patrick Turner.


Rest In Peace: Michelle Simon Cox, Duncan A. Fraser, Jr., Jerry Wright, Augusto Zabala, Joan Miritello, Msgr. Jeff Conway, Fr. Rudy Casals.

Prayer List
If you would like add someone to the prayer list, email the parish office at info@oratorychurch.org or go to the website https://oratorychurch.org/contact-us and complete the information there.

Weekly Mass Intention Schedule

Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time


Assumption

8-27....5:00pm....For the People of the Parish

8-28....9:30am....Lucienne Desbas

8-29...(No Mass)

8-30..8:00am....Priest's Intention

8-31...8:00am....Emmanuel L. Alzona

9-1.....8:00am....All Souls

9-2.....8:00am....Lourdes Lagonoy

9-3.....9:00am....Priest's Intention


St Boniface

8-28....11:15am....For the People of the Parish

8-28....6:00pm....Elissa Marie Delgado

8-29...12:10pm....Marion O'Connor (Healing)

8-30...12:10pm....Raul R. Navarro (Bday deceased)

8-31....12:10pm....Priest's Intention

9-1......12:10pm.....Priest's Intention

9-2....(No Mass)

Mass Times and Church Hours

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 
Weekday hours: 7:45am - 12:00 noon Tuesday through Friday.
Weekday Mass: 8:00am Tuesday - Friday

Weekend Masses: 5:00pm Saturday and 9:30am Sunday

Weekend hours
Saturdays 4:15 - 6pm & Sundays 9:00am - 10:45am

The church is closed on Mondays.
Confessions Saturday: 4:15pm - 4:45pm

No First Saturday of the month Mass during July and August.


St. Boniface
Weekday hours 11:30am - 1:00pm
Weekday Mass at 12:10pm Monday - Thursday

Sunday Masses: 11:15am and 6:00pm
Sunday hours 11:00am - 12:30 pm & 5:30pm - 7:00pm

Confessions during Eucharistic Adoration, 12:30 - 1:00pm, on Wednesdays and before Mass on Sunday 5:15pm - 5:45pm.

The church is closed on Fridays.
Stewardship
Your faithful stewardship has helped sustain our communities and maintain vital ministries and services. Thank you for keeping faith with us and supporting our common work of the gospel. You can make your donation online through PushPay by clicking on one of the links.

Special Second Collection: Kentucky Flooding


St. Boniface
Assumption
Or mail checks or envelopes to:
64 Middagh St
Brooklyn NY 11201
Attn: Assumption or St. Boniface
The Brooklyn Oratory Parishes 
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Boniface
Roman Catholic Communities in
Downtown Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights
Both parishes operate from one office:

64 Middagh Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
718.875.2096