Our Lady of Lourdes parish, Queens Village, invites all high school students to a special youth Mass and free pizza afterwards on Sept. 23, 4-6 p.m. in the chapel, located on the corner of Winchester Blvd. and 220th St. Call 718-479-5111.
“Humanity is in urgent need of the witness of free and courageous young people who dare to go against the tide and proclaim their faith in God.” — Blessed John Paul II.
Keeping the late pope‘s message in mind, the parish community of St. Bartholonew, Elmhurst, is organizing youth groups. Sixth, seventh and eighth graders are invited to the school gym on Sept. 25, 6:30 p.m. Students in ninth through 12th grade are invited to the parish’s Heafey Hall on Sept. 27, 7:30 p.m. Call 718-424-5400.
Taylor Taglianetti, an incoming freshman to St. Saviour H.S., Park Slope, received a partial scholarship from the Columbus Citizens Foundation. She is from Park Slope and attended M.S. 51. Taglianetti is one of three Saviourites who are currently receiving funding through the Columbus Citizens Foundation H.S. Scholarship Program.
On The Way to Catholic High School
Rising eighth graders and their families are encouraged to learn more about the TACHS exam by visiting www.tachsinfo.com and by attending information fairs. The following fairs will have information about Catholic schools in Brooklyn and Queens and about the TACHS exam: Tuesday, Sept. 18, 6-8 p.m. St. Francis College 180 Remsen Street Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201 Tuesday, Sept. 27, 6-8 p.m. Taffner Field House St. John’s University 8000 Utopia Parkway Jamaica, N.Y. 11439
Know any incredible youth worth writing about? Have photos of youth events? Share with the diocese by submitting items to the Youth Page. Contact Antonina Zielinska at azielinska@diobrook.org or 718-499-9705 ext. 325.
Is God seeking you to journey with him in a religious community?
The Benedict Sisters of Elizabeth invite women to a vocation discernment for women, Aug. 3-5, in the St. Walburga Monastery, 851 N. Broad St., Elizabeth, N.J.
For information, contact Sr. Mariette Therese Bernier, O.S.B., 908-352-4278, ext. 274, or Sr.Mariette@aol.com.
The Teen Drama club from Holy Child Jesus parish, Richmond Hill, invites you to their performance of “Annie Get Your Gun.” Show times are as follows: Aug. 9 at 7 p.m., Aug. 10-11 at 8 p.m. and Aug. 12 at 3 p.m. The cost for tickets is $10, and $8 for seniors and children under 12. Call 847-1860.
“As rust consumes iron, so envy consumes the soul that is afflicted by it.”
— St. Basil the Great
Sunmer can be a great time to catch up on your reading without having to worry about book reports. Information and resources about summer reading at New York Libraries can be found on their website: http://www.summerreadingnys.org/
Volunteer Opportunity: The food pantry from Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Sunset Park, is looking for adult and high school volunteers to help pack food bags on the first and second Thursday of the month, 4-5:30 p.m. They could also use help on Friday mornings from 9:45-11:30 a.m. during food distribution. For more information, call Sister Lucille at 718-492-9200 ext. 168.
June 30 is the feast day of the First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Catholic Church.
FROM THE YOUCAT
“The martyrs of the early Church died for their faith in that God who was revealed in Jesus Christ, and for this very reason they also died for freedom of conscience and the freedom to profess one’s own faith — a profusion that no State can impose but which, instead, can only be claimed with God’s grace in freedom of conscience. A missionary Church known for proclaiming her message to all people’s must necessarily work for the freedom of the faith.” — Pope Benedict XVI
Congratulations to Judith Espinoza, an eight-grade student at St. Joan of Arc school, Jackson Heights. She won the Stephen Valdazo Scholarship, which she will use to attend Msgr. McClancy M.H.S., East Elhmhurst.
Aside from academic excellence, Espinoza is dedicated to charity. She serves as a tutor at an adult literacy program and looks after the children who accompany their parents to the Program of Parents Effectiveness Training.
The Young Adult Ministry from Our Lady of Light parish, St. Albans, invites you to a Youth Revival at St. Pascal Baylon church, July 13-15, 7 p.m. The theme will be “The Spirit of The Lord Is Here.” For more information, call Maxine M. Dinnall, 917-593-0051.
The Vicariate of Black Catholic Concerns for the Diocese of Brooklyn invites youth ages 14-18 to Kujenga Youth Retreat XXII, July 27-29.
The Kujenga weekend is designed as an intensive experience of leadership training with a focus on evangelizing peers and emphasizing the importance of a Christ-centered life in moral and ethical development.
The cost is $200 and includes transportation, room, meals and workshop materials. The deadline is July 10. Contact: 774-3806, blackcatholicconcern@diobrook.org or vbccambassadors@aol.com.
Today is the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
FROM THE YOUCAT
“Mary’s virginity is not some outdated mythological notion but rather fundamental to the life of Jesus. He was born of a woman but had no human father. Jesus Christ is a new beginning in the world that has been instituted from on high.”
The Teen Drama Club from Holy Child Jesus parish, Richmond Hill, invites youth ages 13-19 to audition for their 2012 summer production of Annie Get Your Gun. Auditions will take place June 19 and 20, 7 p.m. Call backs will be on June 21, 7 p.m., and rehearsal will take place Sunday-Thursday 7-10 p.m. starting on June 24. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes and clothes. Sheet music is welcome for vocal auditions. For more information, contact 718-847-1860 or hcjteendrama@gmail.com.
Kelvyn Vargas, a student at Our Lady of Lourdes, Queens Village, has been accepted as a candidate to the REACH Program at Regis High School. During the three week program, he will be given many opportunities to explore his talents and skills in unique ways. Selection of students for this program is a great honor, and the Lourdes family is very proud of his accomplishment in achieving this invitation. His principal, teachers and classmates wish him well in his endeavors.
Next women’s Cursillo weekend dates are July 19-22. For more information, contact Dorothy Baudry, 917-929-2442, or dbaudry@aol.com.
“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.” – Author Unknown
Using her word to combat hunger, Nadia Bon is a sophomore at Bishop Kearney H.S., Bensonhurst, who won first place in the high school division of the World Food Day Essay Contest.
The 24th annual contest was sponsored by Stop World Hunger, Inc. located in Amityville, N.Y. Of the 278 high school students from 10 schools who entered the competition, Bon’s essay was selected as the best.
Senior Patricia Ruiz from St. Saviour H.S., Park Slope has been accepted into CUNY’s elite Macaulay Honors program at Hunter College.
Ruiz is also co-salutatorian of the 2012 graduating class, and she earned the following awards at graduation: President’s Educational Excellence Award; Latin II – Gold Medal; New York State Education Department Scholarship for Academic E
Melissa Betts, a senior at Christ the King Regional High School, Middle Village, has been recognized as 2011-2012 Discus Award winner for her achievements in the areas of Academics, Athletics, and Community Service. The Discus Awards is a national program that provides recognition and scholarship opportunities to all-around high school students who excel in three of ten key attributes. Melissa is now eligible for 2011-2012 Discus Awards scholarships. Also, Melissa created a multimedia profile highlighting her achievements, which may be viewed in the Discus Awards Winners Gallery at http://www.discusawards.com/winner.php?id=82421.
The results of the Fontbonne Hall Academy Night at the Library Essay Contests sponsored by Council Member Vincent Gentile are in! The two winners from the Bay Ridge school are Junior Victoria Moriarty, who came in first place and Junior Jessica Seliste, who came in second place. The Bonnies read their essays at a ceremony held on May 4th at the Dyker Library.
Rossella Failla, a senior from Bishop Kearney High School, Bensonhurst, earned the highest score in the nation on the 2012 “National Italian Exam” Category IV-C.
Along with earning bragging rights for having achieved the nation’s highest score, Failla received a $250 award Category IV is the fourth-level of study.
Heading the commandment to feed the hungry, Life Scout Theodore Veroutis of Boy Scout Troop 531 delivered over 30 boxes of canned goods to the St. Mark Food Pantry of the Society of Vincent de Paul, Sheapshead Bay. He collected over 500 canned goods for distribution to the impoverished as part of his Eagle Scout Project. Catholic Charities refered the young disciple to the need of the St. Mark community.
Food for Though from the Theology of the Body: Love and Lust
Think of recent stories of love and romance you see in the movies or on TV shows. How many times are they substituting love for lust? As Catholic Christians we should understand love to be self-giving and generous, like God is. Lust however is a selfish and self seeking. Do you think God would ever take our love and not give love in return? Simply put “love gives whereas lust takes.”
Senior Jessica Loccisano from Fontbonne Hall Academy, Bay Ridge,has qualified for the President’s Volunteer Service Award, which recognizes Americans of all 
ages who have volunteered significant amounts of their time to serve their communities and their country. The award is sponsored by Prudential Financial and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
Loccisano has been recognized for her work at St. Athanasius parish, Bensonhurst, tutoring a special needs child, and for her volunteer work in the office of New York State Senator Marty Goldin. According to NASSP Executive Director, Joann Bartoletti, Jessica, along with all the honorees, embodies “…a lesson we hope all young people, as well as adults, will emulate.”
The Columbian Squires Francis Kistner 5481 Circle from Nativity B.V.M. invite you to a fundraiser night at Pizza Hut Ozone Park on Feb. 22, from 12 p.m. to closing. The address is 89-20 Atlantic Avenue. For more information, call Chief Squire Sal Isabella, 917-856-2002.
Having your writing published in The New York Times is the pinnacle of success for most writers, as four Fontbonne Hall Academy, Bay Ridge, students have recently discovered.
The Times Monday feature, “The Metropolitan Diary,” is a compilation of vignettes of life in New York City, and the best five or six, out of thousands of entries, are published each week.
This school year, seniors Lenore Fedow and Kayla Walsh have already seen their pieces appear in “The Diary.” Feb. 16 will feature junior Alessandra Albano’s vignette on a trip to The Spumoni Gardens with her dad and, on Feb. 23, junior Emily Gifford’s piece on an easily recognizable Rockaway resident will appear.
All the girls are students in the AP Language and Composition course offered by Fontbonne’s English Department.
Looking for volunteer opportunities? Check out catholicvolunteernetwork.org for opportunities to serve.
Senior Alisa Prude-Hunt won the first Christmas card contest at St. Saviour’s H.S., Park Slope. Her artwork is now the official St. Saviour’s 2011 Christmas card.
Prude-Hunt named her piece, “A Student Holding A Candle.”
She said her inspiration for the design came from the Christmas Mass tradition where seniors process through the church aisles carrying glowing candles to signify the Advent season.
St. Saviour H.S., Park Slope, congratulates its students who recently received awards. Dianisbeth Acquie was honored with the University of Rochester Bausch and Lomb Award for excellence in math and science. Katherine Leon received the University of Rochester Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award for high grades and dedication to community action. Cassandra Nasta accepted the University of Rochester Award for academic achievement, extracurricular activities, leadership, and involvement with her school community. Christine Pusz received the Smith College Book Prize for significant academic achievement and involvement in her community. Patricia Ruiz was honored with the Holy Cross College Book Award for academic achievement and outstanding personal qualities. Meagan Freeze accepted the the George Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science Award for excellence in math and science.