From Monsignor Ryan

Monsignor Ryan is happy to announce that Bishop DiMarzio has appointed Rev. Richard Zuk to St. Anastasia Parish. His appointment is to part-time ministry until June 30th. We welcome Father and hope that his time with us will be blessed by our common prayer and shared ministry. In this Year of the Priests remember him and all your priests in prayer.

Advent is a wonderful time to celebrate the reconciling love and the healing graces our Lord offers. As John reminds us "God showed his love for us when he sent his only Son into the world to give us life. Real love isn't our love for God but God's love for us. God sent his Son to be the sacrifice by which our sins are forgiven." (1 John 4:9—10).

Reconciliation on our part consists of conversion of heart, forgiveness of sins and restoration of relationships. Jesus came to call people to this repentance. It was the central theme of his ministry. The reconciling ministry of Jesus also made clear that God's healing and mercy are communicated in a human, visible and tangible way. Understanding this incarnate aspect of Jesus' ministry is essential for our understanding of the Church and its sacramental life.

The early Church believed Jesus had given it the power to forgive. Some of the ways it continued Jesus' ministry of reconciliation were participation in the Eucharist, anointing of the sick, works of charity and fasting and of course the sacrament of Penance. There began a wonderful tradition in the Church to encourage people to approach this sacrament before the feasts of Christmas and Easter.

John the Baptist is calling "Prepare the way of the Lord"! Make your hearts ready! This coming Monday, December 21st the Parish will offer an Advent Communal Service of Reconciliation. It will take place in the church at 7:30 pm. The service will consist of hymns, prayers, a reading from Scripture and a reflection given by Sister Jean Flannelly, SC. Then there is an opportunity for individual confession.

May our Lord grant us all the gift of reconciliation and may we all receive it and celebrate it well in the holy days ahead.

Last March in introducing the 2009 Annual Catholic Appeal, I and the priests announced that the parish would use the monies-over-goal that are returned to the parish to commission a new altar for our Church. I subsequently asked a liturgical designer, Mr. Willy Malarcher, to design an altar specifically for St. Anastasia's. He rendered various designs and I and the parish staff selected one. It is almost complete and will be delivered shortly. We have announced that Bishop DiMarzio will dedicate it at the 12:00 Noon Mass on December 13th. We hope many of you will be present.

The Finance Council and I decided last Spring that the priest staff would speak at all the Masses on the weekend of June 27—28 to inform you about the closing of St. Anastasia School and the Parish’s relationship with the Divine Wisdom Catholic Academy. We later printed in the Bulletin of July 4—5 a synopsis of the talk so that as many people as possible would be informed about the closing of the School and our support for the new Academy which allows for a continuity of Catholic education in our community.

The Finance Council also suggested that in the Fall we inform the parishioners about the cost to the Parish in closing the School. The cost of its closing is substantial. The reasons for this are many. The enrollment of the School had decreased significantly so the Parish was scheduled to subsidize the school $50,000 for the 2008—09 academic year. Moreover all the school’s fundraisers were down in revenue by $25,000. Contributions and commissions were down by $10,000 and there was no income from investments. Finally because the School was closing there was no tuition coming in for the following year that would have been used to cover the medical benefits for the teachers and School personnel during the summer months which came to approximately $20,000. So the total cost to the Parish in closing the School is about $100,000. These costs are not unusual for all the diocesan schools that are closing have a similar debt.

We as a Parish are obligated to pay this off in a timely fashion. The Diocese realizes this extraordinary responsibility and will permit the Parish to pay these bills over time as our finances allow. The purpose of this letter is to share this critical information with you. We are not seeking additional funding from the parish. Over the past 80 years thousands of children were educated in St. Anastasia School, some for no tuition and some for little tuition. We are proud of our commitment to Catholic Education. So we look upon this debt not so much as a burden but as a continuing sign of this Parish’s desire to bring Catholic values and academic excellence to our young people.