St. Patrick's Religious Formation Program students in Level 6 celebrated a special liturgy during the 5:00 PM Family Mass on Saturday, January 31st, 2009. Young people were invited to the front of the church to listen to Fr. Jilson's homily and to ask questions. Following the Mass, students in the Level 6 program and their families enjoyed triva games with prizes, pizza, ice cream and raffles in Canning Hall. Proceeds from the raffles went to LifeNet, a parish-based program established to assist and support those women and their families experiencing an unplanned pregnancy.

Babies recently baptized were blessed in a special ceremony on Saturday, January 31st, 2009. The service was held by Father Jilson and the families were given gifts of containers of Holy Water.

On Friday, January 30th, 2009, Catholic Schools Week once again ended an exciting note as students in the eighth grade competed against the staff in volleyball. (The eighth graders won.)

St. Patrick School had plenty to celebrate during Catholic Schools Week. On Sunday, January 25th, 2009, the school hosted a Open House during which teachers and students proudly displayed their work, their classrooms and their new Smart Boards.

More pictures of the Open House are available in our parish photo album.

St. Patrick’s parishioners were among the thousands who made a very visible statement for life in Washington D.C. on Thursday, January 22nd. The march is held every year at the time of the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade decision that paved the way for legalized abortion. Before the bus trip, Fr. Jilson celebrated a 4:00 AM Mass, and the Knights of Columbus sponsored a breakfast for the marchers. In the parish, the day was marked with an observance at the memorial for the unborn children at St. Patrick's cemetery, a gathering in front of the Maple Avenue Planned Parenthood facility and a luncheon.

More pictures of the "March" are available in our parish photo album.

Over the summer months, our parish was blessed with the presence of Fr. George Akyeampong from Ghana. Fr. George filled in as chaplain at St. Catherine’s Hospital and Nursing Home to give Fr. Fred and Fr. Anselm some time off in the summer. He also assisted with various duties in our parish. Though Fr. George is now back in Ghana, our parish has kept in touch. Our Something for Seniors group recently collected pencils, crayons and various school supplies to send to the school children of Ghana as well as holy cards, rosaries and other items for his parishioners. Fr. George replied with this picture and a letter of thanks. His letter said (in part):

I am very happy to write to you today and to say a big thanks to you for your generous offer to my school children over here and also something for my church members. They are all happy for the items and it is going to benefit everybody who has received something. My school children are already using the pencils and the crayons for their classroom exercises. It has really been so helpful and a benefit to them. I assembled them one morning to take a photograph with them whilst they held some of the pencils and I am glad to send to you a copy of the photograph for you to have a fair idea of how they look. I told them to bless you all by mentioning your society’s name and interestingly they kept saying, “Something for Seniors, God bless you. Something for Seniors, God bless you.” It was a lovely scene hearing them praying for you in this way.

St. Patrick’s Something for Seniors group meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at 1 PM at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 130 Lake Avenue South in Nesconset. If you are a senior citizen looking for some fellowship, fun and worthwhile activities, Sister Rose at 265-4794.

Thank you to all who donated to the Catholic Daughter Baby Shower last weekend. Your generosity will go a long way in helping mothers and babies in need in our area!

-- Monica Morgan & Eileen Moran

Holiday Report

Many students in Level 2 of our Religious Formation program received the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time on Saturday, January 17th, 2009. Congratulations to all!

St. Patrick School holds an open house during the month of January. Perhaps the best endorsement of St. Patrick School comes from the students themselves. Recently, a St. Patrick School student created a placemat which was reproduced and used at Country Kitchen restaurant in Smithtown. The placemat, pictured below, points out many of the school’s attributes, including “great friends, awesome teachers, cool smartboards, beautiful church, and huge gym.” Information regarding the school’s up coming open house, website and phone number are also included.

Participants in “Better Days,” an overnight youth lock in, pose for a picture following an 7 AM Mass which concluded the event. The night included prayer, reflection, entertainment, activities, and plenty of food. The "Lock In" took place from the evening of Friday, January 9th, 2009 to the following Saturday morning.

St. Patrick’s celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany was brought to life with a visit from the Magi at the Saturday 5 PM Family Mass on January 3rd, 2009. Playing the part of the three wise men were Fr. Anselm, Fr. Fred and Fr. Jilson.