July 2016 to Nov. 2016

Oct. 21, 2016 -- "All About Mary, Our Blessed Mother," was the title of the first day-long retreat sponsored by The Morning Rosary Group of St Paul. Fr Raj, with the blessings of Fr. Vladimir, was the speaker.  

Following the 9 am mass, the 30 participants had a light breakfast, followed by a talk by Fr. Raj. Then there were confessions in church. After the lunch break, which everyone enjoyed, there was another talk, and the retreat concluded with prayer in the church and a final blessing.

It was a blessed and enjoyable day for all.  You'll find more photos of the event here. Click on a photo to enlarge it, and then scroll through the resulting slide show.

Congers Lake, October 2016 ~~ Photo by George Teasdale

Did you ever notice that so many of the sites of natural beauty in Rockland County lie within the borders of St. Paul and St. Ann parish?  

Congers Lake and Rockland State Park. The Nyack Beach path along the river below the sheer rock face of the Palisades. The view of the Hudson River Valley from the summit of Hook Mountain. The dramatic inland turn of the Palisades escarpment to form the ridge between the villages of Nyack and Valley Cottage. The view at sunset from Mountainview County Park across Rockland to the Ramapo Mountains in the west. The eastward view from Oak Hill Cemetery across the village of Nyack to the Tappan Zee.

So many beautiful reasons to be grateful to God this Thanksgiving Day -- and every day. Such a wonderful gift!

Congers photographer George Teasdale has captured the autumn wonder of some of these sites in the photo essay below. Scroll down to the Photo Album section. Click on a photo to enlarge it, and then click through the slide show. Please enjoy them. 

What is your favorite outdoor place in our parish? If you send a photo, we'll be glad to post it here. You can send to bulletinspasa@yahoo.com or text to 201-739-4413.

Volunteers gathering leaves to mulch the beds at the Garden of Faith. Scroll down to the Photo Album section below to see more. Click on a photo to enlarge it, and then scroll through the slide show. 

Oct. 29 -- Throughout the dry, but still warm and sunny October, the St. Ann's Garden of Faith continued to bring forth its generous bounty. But now as we move on to the middle of autumn, the nights are cooler, the days shorter, and the time has come to put the garden to bed.

On Saturday morning, Oct. 29, volunteers gathered at the garden on the grounds of the Marydell Faith & Life Center in Upper Nyack to clean up the beds, remove the irrigation hoses, and prepare the garden for winter by covering the beds with layers of manure and leaves. And so another growing season is done -- and the garden will rest until next spring.

To everything . . .
there is a time and purpose under heaven
A time to plant and a time to rip up what has been planted.
A time to work, and a time to rest.

Oct. 18 -- George Bryant, music director at St. Ann's for nearly a half century, teacher, mentor, and master organist, passed away on Sunday, Oct. 9 at the age of 77. The cause of death was Parkinson's.

The beauty and sublimity of his music were worthy of the most magnificent cathedral or the greatest concert hall. Yet it was here at St. Ann's that he offered this gift to us. And the most humble parishioner at prayer, the joyful, young bride and groom, and the grief-stricken mourners at the requiem mass found their hearts swept up by music that comforted and consoled, gladdened and glorified, to the all-loving God and His peace beyond all understanding.

That was George Bryant's blessing.

His wake and funeral, like most, were filled with friends and stories and memories. But as his life was dedicated to music, so his final services were filled with song.

George was accorded the honor of having his wake held in the church, on Friday evening, where he lay in repose before the sanctuary near the altar of the Blessed Mother. Artists, musicians, former students, and choirs showed their love and gratitude for George by performing for the mourners who came to pay their last respects.  

Hundreds came to his Mass of Christian Burial on Saturday, Oct. 15, and George was laid to rest on the hillside of Oak Hill Cemetery in Nyack, above the village where he had lived his whole life.

You'll find here on this website photos taken over the past few days, a copy of the eulogy and homily from the funeral mass, tributes written by those who knew and loved George, and photos of George and parish events from years ago. Please browse through them in memory of a good man and gifted artist and beloved brother in Christ.

May he rest in peace. As parishioner Kevin Doyle said, "Heaven's music just got better."

Nancy Conroy describes the events of the past few days at St. Ann's in "A Celebration of the Life of George Bryant." 

And here is a copy of the homily delivered by Deacon Luke Conroy at George's Mass of Christian Burial. It's titled "George of St. Ann."

John Patrick Schutz, delivered the heartfelt eulogy of his longtime friend and teacher. You'll find it here.

Tributes came to us from many who knew and loved George over the years. Click on the links for the full text.

• "I'll make him proud as he sends me musical instructions from Heaven."  Kathryn O'Connor, now studying to be a music therapist at Nazareth College, tells how George inspired her drive to become an accomplished musician. 

• "I would always remember him playing the piano, getting in one more practice before the school bell rang." Dorothy Corbett McClafferty remembers George as a boy.

• "He was a brilliant and talented man whose vision took St. Ann's from "Onward Christian Soldiers" to Cat Stevens, Simon and Garfinkel, Judy Collins, Godspell, Jesus Christ Superstar, and beyond." Diana Serratore has sung with the St. Ann's Choir from the start of George's tenure as music director.

• "A world without George Bryant will be a quieter, duller world." Former Nyacker, journalist Richard Peck of Cleveland, Ohio, describes his memories of George as a choirmaster back in the 1970s.  African drums???

• A History of George Bryant

A postcard from the Nyack Library (Hudson River Valley Heritage Collection) showing the F.J.N Tallman Piano and Organ Factory, on Broadway, where the St. Ann's organ was built.

Sept. 7 -- The beautiful stained glass windows of St. Ann's may have come from Munich, Germany, but the other glory of our church, the magnificent organ, came from right "down the street."

According to an old map, the Tallman Piano and Organ Factory, where our organ was manufactured, stood on the east side of Broadway between Second and Third Avenues. 

The St. Ann's Church commemorative journal of 1969, which marked the parish's 100th anniversary, notes that the organ designer was Michael A. Clark, an associate of F.J.N. Tallman of Nyack, which operated in our village roughly from 1894 to 1903.

For some interesting facts about our organ, see this article about its restoration in 2006. And for a gorgeous photo of our organ and choir loft check out the cover of the magazine Diapason, devoted to the organ and other church instruments.  A story follows on page 34.

And here's something else: There was not just one organ factory in Nyack. Deacon Jerry's great uncle, Arthur Lloyd Fenton, was proprietor of the Fenton Organ Factory, located on Jackson Ave. According to family archives, he "built and repaired, during the years, a great number of organs. Among those he rebuilt was the organ of St. Paul's church in Nyack" (at the corner of Division St. and S. Broadway).

Aug. 8 -- The Rectory from an undated photo that appeared in the St. Ann's Church 100th Anniversary Journal, and today -- June 2016.

“Every day we have a choice to make a difference.  Every day I challenge myself, and I will challenge the children of St. Paul’s to do just that.” - Michelle Pitot

Aug. 2 -- St. Paul School is happy to announce the appointment of Michelle Pitot as principal. Mrs. Pitot succeeds Sr. Stephen Gerard, O.P., who served as principal of St. Paul’s in Valley Cottage, N.Y., for 41 years. 

Mrs. Pitot holds two Masters degrees in Education; a M.S.ED in Educational Leadership from Saint Thomas Aquinas College and a M.S.ED in Early Childhood from Fordham University as well as a B.S. in Elementary Education/Special Education from Saint Thomas Aquinas College.  

Mrs. Pitot is the mother of ten-year-old twins who attend Catholic school. Her commitment to her Catholic faith and her passion for Catholic education will help continue the legacy and strong faith-based community that St. Paul School is known for.

Please help us congratulate Mrs. Pitot on her appointment and watch as she inspires the children of St. Paul School to “make a difference.” 
 

A TRIBUTE TO JULIE
 

If it were somehow possible to bring together all the children whose lives have been touched by Julie LePore over the years, how many would there be? 
 
Churchfuls of them probably -- a vast flock of squirmy, whispering, wondering, lovable, and sometimes exasperating little souls -- enough to pack St. Ann's many times over.
 
It’s no small thing to be the one God has chosen to be the “Shepherd” of so many of such as these.
 
It was after her graduation from college that Julie found her calling to the children of St. Ann’s. She began as a religious ed teacher in 1971. This June marked the culmination of her 45 years with the program, 25 as Director of Religious Education.
 
During that time, she was the leader of an apostolate of teachers who fervently believed that drawing young minds and souls to God was the most important task any Catholic could undertake. Under the guidance of Julie and her staff, the children learned about Jesus, prepared to receive the sacraments, memorized their prayers, and celebrated the great feasts of the Church in arts and crafts and song. 
 
They learned how much Jesus loves them and that the essence of being one of His followers is showing that same love to others. In Julie’s program, the children helped collect food for the hungry and Christmas gifts for those who expected none. They wrote letters to soldiers serving their country far from home. They helped out in the parish. 
 
Such a program could only work on a foundation of spiritual strength, practical administrative skills, serious catechetical training, “can do-never give up” leadership, a good sense of humor, and good sense, period. Julie brought all of these to the job.  

And that made her the respected leader of her religious education team -- all the ones she loved and encouraged and supported in the not always easy work of teaching our children.

So going back to that image of our great mega-church filled with Julie’s children, those kids aren’t the only ones whose lives Julie has touched. Add on an extra balcony or two for all the teachers and their assistants and the program staff – 25 years’ worth.
   
And last, but not least, don’t forget the parents -- thousands of them! All coming to St. Ann’s with the same deepest desire for their little ones. That they know, love, and serve Jesus and be safe with Him forever in Heaven. They brought their children to Julie – and she showed them the Way.
 
Some of these parents were the children here at St. Ann's decades ago when Julie first started teaching. And the little faces that once looked to her for assurance when they marched down the aisle for their First Holy Communion are the same who now look on with such wonder as their own children go up to receive Jesus for the very first time. 
 
There's a beauty in such continuity -- and in the presence of those, like Julie, in whom God has embodied such continuity among us. 

Julie opened her heart to the little children and all of us.
 
And such is the kingdom of heaven.


Retiring Director of Religous Education Julie LePore and her teachers at the reception honoring her 45 years of service.

For more photos,  click here. Click on a photo to enlarge it, and then scroll through the slide show.

July 18 -- Nearly 300 worshippers came to St. Paul’s Church on Wednesday, July 13, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Our Lady of Fatima Novena with mass, prayer, a rosary procession, and a picnic.
 
The Novena is prayed at St. Paul's every Wednesday evening. Ten years ago this devotion was established here by then pastor Fr. Arthur Mastrolia.  Significantly, the anniversary this year fell on July 13th. It was on the 13th of six consecutive months – from May to October -- that Our Lady appeared to the children at Fatima 100 years ago.
 

At the beginning of the ceremony each person entering the church received a rose to place before the statue of Our Lady of Fatima. The image of Mary, robed in white and holding a blue rosary, with a beautiful arrangement of  carnations, daisies, and jonquils at her feet, stood on the platform on which it would be carried in the procession. By the time mass began, vases placed at the base of the statue were filled with tributes of red, white, magenta, pink, and yellow roses.
 
The mass was celebrated by pastor Vladimir Chripko. Concelebrants were Fr. George Torok, Fr. Roman Palecko, Fr. Arogya Raju, Fr. Tom Kunnel, pastor of St. John the Baptist in Piermont, Fr. Arthur Mastrolia, now pastor of St. Anthony’s in Yonkers, and Fr. Jacob Thomas who was visiting from India. They were assisted by Deacon Dominic Buonocore.
 
Fr. George, the homilist, spoke of Our Lady’s Fatima plea for sacrifices and prayers to save souls. He said the “best kept secret of Fatima” was that "the smallest sacrifice offered to Jesus can save an immortal soul." And we don’t even have to go looking for these sacrifices, he said. Opportunities are inherent in almost everything we do. Fr. George also gave the congregation a simple prayer to bring a soul to Heaven – the name of Jesus. “Jesus, I love you. Save this person.”
 
After the final blessing of the mass, the congregation formed a rosary procession outside the church. (See video.) It was led by two young girls dressed in white bearing red candles before a large image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a Marian devotion of Mexico that has spread throughout the Americas and the world. Next came the statue of Our Lady of Fatima, carried on a platform by four men. It was followed by a replica of the statue of the Black Nazarene, a representation of Christ carrying His cross, which has been venerated by Catholic Filipinos for over 400 years.   
 
The procession traveled west on Lake Road, turned right onto Friend St., and came around through the church parking lot, returning to the church. There the ceremony ended with Novena prayers led by Virginia Panzo. She also made the concluding remarks, thanking the many, many people who helped make the day possible.
 
After mass, there was a picnic in the parking lot with hot dogs and hamburgers, roast pig, rice and other hot food, ice cream, and watermelon. There was Philippine folk dancing for entertainment, a raffle, and, as the long summer twilight finally came to an end, line-dancing for everyone.

Forr more photos of this event click here. Click on a photo to enlarge it and then scroll through the slide show.

Photos and video by Marie Olivier.