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Beginning this weekend, we will be making an effort to encourage as many parishioners as possible to be registered at St. Sebastian. You will hear a lot about this in the coming weeks. It’s very important to be registered to the parish. Registering in a parish is a declaration of your desire to be a part of a Catholic Community and to make a commitment to the life of the parish family. Clearly stating your Catholic commitment in all its dimensions, brings many advantages, recognition and responsibility. Being a registered parishioner makes the process much easier when it is time for infant baptism, school registration, religious education enrollment, weddings and youth participation in our sports programs. A registered parishioner also receives all parish mailings. I want to be able to keep in touch with you as much as possible. You know that there is so much happening in our parish and I want to keep you updated as to what is going on.

Church law advises that territories and boundaries no longer limit parish registration. St. Sebastian accepts anyone who wants to share in the life of our parish regardless of where you live. Why not sign up today?

In the back of the Church (on the table) you will find parish registration forms. Please take one home during the week, fill out and mail to the rectory. You will then receive a welcome packet and envelopes with an envelope number as a way of getting connected to the life of our parish. The registration forms will be available in the back of the Church for the next several weeks.

Thanks so much for your support!

I received from the Diocese this past week an update about the 2014 Annual Catholic Appeal. Our goal was set for $146,724. Our parish has pledged $186,713 and the diocese has received from us $169,284. This is indeed great news that I wanted to pass on to all of you. The reason for this success was due largely because we went from 718 to 1001 donors. I am extremely thankful to those who contributed to the appeal. The diocese has extended the appeal to Monday January 26th. This means that we still have time to pay off the pledged amount of $186,713 till then. Remember every dollar over our goal comes back to the parish up to January 26th. If you can make this all possible, I again thank you!

Tuesday, January 20th is the feast of St. Sebastian! We will have a special Concelebrated Mass with   music at 7 PM as a way of celebrating our patron saint. I have invited Msgr. Sean Ogle, the Pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Astoria, to preside and preach at the Mass. I hope all of you can attend. Tickets are now available for our parish Mardi Gras party to be held on Tuesday, February 17th from 7:30 PM to 9PM in our Parish Center. Tickets are $20 and can be reserved or picked up by calling or coming to the Rectory (718)429-4442. You can bring your own beverage and snacks.

Finally, congratulations to our Santo Niño devotion prayer group as they celebrate 25 years of service to our parish. I am very grateful for all that they do for the parish and for the faith that keeps them united to Christ. I look forward to working with them for many years to come.

Thanks you for your support!

Rev. Kevin P. Abels

I have met with our Parish Pastoral Council, which serves as an advisory board to me. It was a very productive meeting! I will be sharing some of the items discussed when I come out to do the announcements at the end of Mass. In the meantime let me tell you that we are planning an event on a Sunday in April that will focus on bringing all of the many different groups of our Parish together. We are planning to have an International Food Festival in which we will share each other’s food, culture and faith. Once I finalize the date and details I will let you know.

You will see in this week’s bulletin a form inviting the women in the parish to consider serving as an Usher at Mass. I think we are long overdue for having women serve in this very important ministry. I first brought this idea up with our current Ushers when I met with them in June last year. I want to thank all of our Ushers who serve us so well here at St. Sebastian! Many have been serving us for many years and I am truly grateful for their service at Mass. If any women are interested in becoming an Usher please fill out the form in this week’s bulletin and either drop it in the collection basket or drop it off at the rectory. I look forward to welcoming women in the parish as Ushers. Any man who is interested in serving as an usher is asked to speak with me about it, as well.

Finally, Tuesday, January 20th is the Feast of our Patron St. Sebastian. We will be having a special Mass with music at 7 P.M. in the Church. I have asked Msgr. Sean Ogle to preside and preach at this Mass and to offer some reflections on the history of our Parish which we love so very much! A small reception will follow. Please make every effort to attend.
Thank you for your support!

Rev. Kevin P. Abels

I thank all of you for making our Christmas and New Year liturgies a powerful encounter with our new born King, the Messiah. We Celebrate liturgy very well at St. Sebastian. Thank you to our choirs, lectors, altar servers, sacristans, ushers and my brother priests for all of the hard work and presentation that went into their liturgies. A special thank you to all of our wonderful parishioners of St. Sebastian for coming out and participation during these days of Christmas. I thank all of you for your generous donation to the Christmas Toy Drive, the Christmas gift to the Church collection, the Christmas flower offering and your contribution to our Christmas and New Year collection. God bless you for your generosity and support of our parish!

I look forward to even more wonderful things in 2015! The first event I would like to bring to your attention is to a special celebration in honor of our patron, St. Sebastian on Tuesday, January 20th at 7PM. I have invited Msgr. Sean O’gle, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Astoria, and former associate pastor of St. Sebastian, to celebrate Mass and give a brief history of our Parish, as a way of celebrating our feast.
All are welcomed!

Thanks for your support!

Rev. Kevin P. Abels