July 2017 to December 2017

December 2017 -- The "Angels of the Nativity" get their wings before the St. Ann and St. Paul's Children's Christmas Pageant on Dec. 17. Click here for more photos of the pageant and of the holy services and celebrations with which we welcomed the birth of Christ this year.

Oct. 22 -- A beloved tradition at St. Ann's was revived this year -- the Octogenarian Mass, honoring those parishioners ages 80 and above. There was a reception afterward in the school cafeteria. For more photos, click here.

Oct. 4 -- The Feast of St. Francis was celebrated with a Blessing of the Animals at St. Ann's Church in remembrance of St. Francis of Assisi's love for all creatures. Deacon Luke Conroy, who conducted the service, demonstrated that he too had a special relationship with animals, as the pets were brought forward by their owners to receive a blessing and be sprinkled with holy water. Dogs were in abundance, but the "congregation" also included a cat and a dove. More photos here. Double-click on a photo to enlarge it, and then scroll through the slide show.

Fr. Fresnel Fenelus of Petit Goave, Haiti, blesses the congregation with the Eucharist during the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at St. Ann's in Nyack during a three-day retreat by Sr. Claire Gagne, leader of the charismatic prayer movement in Haiti. (Photo by Marie Olivier)

Aug. 27 -- The Haitian community at St. Ann’s recently hosted a three-day visit of Sr. Claire Gagne, the leader of the National Congress of Charismatic Renewal in Haiti. A native of Canada, Sr. Claire has spent over half a century in Haiti, teaching and evangelizing.

Sr. Claire has a healing ministry and has founded hundreds of charismatic prayer groups in Haiti. She also travels around the world giving retreats, and we were very blessed to have her visit St. Ann’s. 

The three evenings of services at St. Ann’s took place on August 25, 26, and 27. The photos are from Saturday evening when there was a mass, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, prayers, song and praise, and an opportunity for all to come forward to be prayed over and receive a blessing from Sr. Claire.

Fr. Fresnel Fenelus from Petit Goave, Haiti, was the celebrant. Musicians came from Queens and Boston to accompany the liturgies. More photos here.

Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, celebrates mass at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church in Tappan in thanksgiving for the 10th anniversary of the founding of the New York Oratory of St. Philip Neri. (Photo by Marie Olivier)

Aug. 22 -- It was standing-room only at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church in Tappan, where hundreds gathered for a special mass celebrated by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, to mark the 10th anniversary of the founding of the New York Oratory of St. Philip Neri.

The church was filled with people from the three parishes served by the Oratorians -- Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, St. John the Baptist in Piermont, and St. Paul and St. Ann, in Congers and Nyack -- as well as other friends and supporters from the Rockland area, and guests from the Slovak communities of St. Michael's Church in Trenton, N.J., Saints Cyril & Methodius Church in Clifton, N.J., and St. John Nepomucene Church in Manhattan, where the New York Oratorians assist.

Also there to celebrate with the Oratorians were the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill and the Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt, for whom the priests provide chaplaincy services, the Knights of Columbus, and the Catholic Daughters of the Americas.

There were 17 priests concelebrating mass with the Cardinal. Along with the Oratorians they included Msgr. Edward Weber, former vicar of Rockland County, Fr. John Dwyer, pastor emeritus of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, and many pastors and priests. Also present were deacons and religious from the county. 

In his homily, Cardinal Dolan spoke of how this anniversary was such a happy occasion for both the Church and the Archdiocese."Thanks be to God," he said, "What a blessing!" It was Cardinal John O'Connor who originally welcomed the Oratorians to New York and his successor, Cardinal Edward Egan, under whom the community was officially established 10 years ago. 

Spontaneous applause resounded in the church as the Cardinal asked the Oratorians to stand and be recognized. They are just what their order's founder, Saint Philip Neri, would have wanted them to be, the Cardinal said, outgoing, enthusiastic, and serving people everywhere.

Since Aug. 22 is the Feast of Mary Queen of Heaven in the Church's calendar, the Cardinal pointed out the deep devotion of Saint Philip Neri to our Blessed Mother. He urged the congregation to follow his example and always trust Jesus and Mary.

After the homily, the gifts were brought to the altar by people wearing the ethnic dress of the many nationalities the New York Oratorians serve.

At the end of the mass, the Provost of the Oratorians, Fr. George Torok, spoke with gratitude about the role of the late Cardinal Egan and presented plaques of appreciation to those whose early support made the new community possible: Sr. Marie Murray, O.P., President of the Dominican Sisters of the Holy Rosary of Sparkill; Rev. John Dwyer, Robert Finning, Christopher Mahoney, Drs. Stefan and Oliver Kurucz, and Richard Finning.

Fr. George also acknowledged the role of two other prelates who played an indispensable part in establishing the Oratory: Emeritus Archbishop of Kosice and Metropolitan of Eastern Slovakia Alojz Tkac, and Bishop Eduardo Cerrato, of Ivrea, Italy, and former Procurator General of the Confederation of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri.

After mass there was a reception in Msgr. Thomas Murphy Memorial Hall where everyone had an opportunity to congratulate the members of the New York Oratory and to shake the hand, say few words, or pose for a photo with the gracious and ever gregarious Cardinal Dolan, who refused to leave until he had met every single person.

More photos of this event may be found here. Double-click on a photo to enlarge it and then scroll through the slide show. (Photos by Marie Oliver and Jeannine Rippa)

The New York Oratory of St. Philip Neri
Fr. George Torok
Fr. Peter Bujdos
Fr. Vladimir Chripko
Fr. Francis Conka
Fr. Ravi K. Dasari
Fr. Martin Kertys
Fr. Tom Kunnel
Fr. Roman Palecko
Fr. Arogya Raju Narisetty
Fr. Joseph Narisetty
Fr. Manirgaguha Jean Paul Rurhiro

Aug. 13 -- About 40 parishioners from St. Ann's traveled to St. Thomas of Canterbury in Cornwall, N.Y., Sunday to say good-bye to Fr. Simon Gyan-Obeng, former parochial vicar at St. Ann's, who is returning home to the Diocese of Sunyani in Ghana after serving five years here in the Archdiocese of New York.  

Fr. Simon and former St. Ann's pastor Fr. Rees Doughty have been at St. Thomas in Cornwall since the Archdiocese's 'Making All Things New" initiative resulted in the merging of St. Ann's in Nyack with St. Paul's in Congers in 2015. 

The many well-wishers attended the farewell mass and reception afterwards in the gym. Fr. Simon was well-beloved during his time here at Nyack, and, with gratitude, we pray that God will continue to bless his fruitful mission, In Ghana or wherever in the world he is called to serve.

Click here for more photos of the mass and reception. Double click on a photo to enlarge it, and then scroll through the slide show.

Aug. 5 -- Although the church calendar designates July 26 as the memorial of St. Joachim and St. Ann, this year the parish celebrated its patron, St. Ann, a few days early with a mass and reception on Saturday, July 22. Joachim and Ann were the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and so were the grandparents of Jesus. They remind us, in a lovely way, of grandparents everywhere, and the day included a special blessing for all the grandparents in the parish. More photos here.

July 15 -- In 1917, in Fatima, Portugal, the Mother of God appeared six times to three shepherd children. She brought a message of hope, upon which the fate of the world depends — the possibility of the conversion of humankind from its ruinous course through prayer and repentance.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Message of Fatima. It was celebrated with a mass, rosary procession, and picnic at St. Paul's Church on July 15. More photos can be found here. Video above by Marie Olivier.