Tablet TALK

Indian Saint Honored on Queens Streets

tt-alphonsa2016aIn anticipation of her July 28 feast day, Indian-born St. Alphonsa Muttathupadathu was honored with a street procession and Mass at Our Lady of the Snows Church, N. Floral Park, July 17.

Auxiliary Bishop Paul Sanchez presided over the Mass and carried the Blessed Sacrament in procession under the hot sun. Men of the parish carried a statue of St. Alphona on their shoulders as a symbol of their devotion.

Often called the “Little Flower” of India, St. Alphonsa is also the first canonized saint of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church.

(Photos: Xavier Mareendran)

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Marvel fans: The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture in Greenwich Village will present “Speak of the Devil: A Conversation on the Hit Netflix Series Daredevil,” on Friday, July 29. Members of the show’s creative team will discuss what goes in to making a hit television series while other speakers, including Brooklyn’s own Father John Cush, will discuss the moral themes the show explores.
Fun fact: Father Cush, who serves as academic dean at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, was the theological expert for Larry Tye’s 2012 book “Superman: The High-Flying History of America’s Most Enduring Hero.”
The talk starts at 7 p.m. and tickets are $15. Visit sheencenter.org to register.

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Celebrate the feast of St. Ann on July 26 at her namesake church in Flushing. Join the parish community at the 8:30 a.m. Mass which will be followed by a reception in the church hall.

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Sergeant Raymond Morales of the NYPD Community Affairs Bureau has asked Tablet TALK to alert readers to the city’s newest telephone scam involving iTunes gift cards.

Here are the scenarios: A con artist calls and says a loved has been arrested or was in a car accident, or is collecting debt for an unpaid utility bill or back taxes due to the IRS. The caller says payment must be made immediately via an iTunes gift card.

Sgt. Morales wants to remind readers to be suspicious of callers demanding money for any reason. Never give out personal or financial information, and never wire money or provide credit/debit card or gift card numbers to someone you don’t know. If you suspect criminal activity, call your local police precinct immediately.

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Single ladies who believe the Lord may be calling them to religious life are invited to join the Religious Teachers Filippini for a “Nun Run with the Son.” This four-day live-in experience, Aug. 10-13, is designed to introduce the prayer life, community living and ministry of the Filippini Sisters at their motherhouse in Morristown, N.J. For more details, contact Sister Shirlee at 917-349-7935 or email stbernadetteconvent@gmail.com.

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Save the date for a Walking Pilgrimage of Brooklyn: A Young Adult Year of Mercy Event, set for Oct. 15. Organized by the diocesan School of Evangelization, young adults, ages 18 and over, are invited to tour eight worship sites in Brooklyn. For more information, visit meetmein.church.

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Interested in learning more about a group of Catholic young men, ages 22-39, who come together regularly to pray, to discuss what it means to be a Christian in a post-modern city and to perform practical acts of service and charity?

St. Boniface Oratory, Downtown Brooklyn, hosts CAFE (Catholics/Coffee and Fake Eggs) twice a month. Men meet in the morning before work/school/life over coffee and egg whites (real men need both caffeine and protein). To learn more about this group, email Father Anthony at adaco28@gmail.com.

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Ladies, if you want to grow closer to God this summer, consider attending the next Women’s Cursillo retreat, set for Aug. 4-7 at the Montfort Spiritual Center, Bay Shore, L.I. To register, contact Beth Barker, 631-831-6074 or beth1160@optonline.net.