St. Bernadette’s School, Dyker Heights, raised more money than any other elementary school in the diocese in 2010 to help the world’s Catholic missionaries. The boys and girls brought in $10,828 which they dedicated to the missions through the diocesan office of the Propagation of the Faith.
In Queens, the school with highest total of donations was St. Bartholomew’s, Elmhurst, with $4,473. (See photos on Page 3 and additional photos at www.thetablet.org.)
The schools were two of the recipients of Mission Sunday Awards from Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio last weekend at St. James Cathedral-Basilica.
“Today, we have a wonderful example of children of our diocese who are helping children of other countries around the world,” said Bishop DiMarzio in his homily.
“On Mission Sunday, we remember our neighbor who is far away from us. We help missionaries bring the word of Jesus to people who have never even heard His Name.”
In Rome, Archbishop Fernando Filoni, the new prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, explained Mission Sunday like this, “Evangelization always promotes the development of peoples.”
Telling Other People About Jesus
He said that one of the first obligations of Christians is to tell other people about Jesus and that can be done by recognizing the human dignity of people through support for education, health care and networks that support human rights.
Many of the children who raised funds for the missions may never know where their money went. One group, however, knows exactly where its contributions are going. The Newman Club of Long Island University in Downtown Brooklyn helps children in St. Gabriel’s Home and School in Arusha, Tanzania in Africa. Earlier this year, Father Charles Keeney, the Club’s moderator, and the embers sent a check for $17,331 to Sister Flora who runs the mission there. Over the summer, Sister Flora visited Brooklyn and personally expressed her thanks to the Club for its missionary efforts.
Bishop DiMarzio, at the Mission Sunday liturgy, singled out the club for a special award recognizing their continued contributions to the missions.
During the Mass, school children from the diocese led the Prayer of the Faithful and carried the gifts in the offertory procession.
Other award winners included: schools with an enrollment of 250 students or less: St. Francis Xavier, Park Slope; and St. Bartholomew’s.
Schools with enrollments of more than 250: St. Bernadette and St. Joseph’s, Astoria.
Mission Incentive Awards for a consistently high degree of dedication to the missions: St. Gregory the Great, Crown Heights; and St. Andrew Avellino, Flushing.
Religious education programs with the highest amounts; St. Anselm’s, Bay Ridge; and Our Lady of Sorrows, Corona.
CCD Incentive Awards to the religious education programs with a consistently generous effort to the missions: Mary of Nazareth, Fort Greene; and Immaculate Conception, Astoria.
A special award was given to the Newman Club of L.I.U. for its ongoing support of the missions in Tanzania.