New England Province » Ministry

The Stations of the Cross on the streets of Brooklyn and other activities during the Lent

Toma — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 20:33:57 +0000

Among various pastoral activities held during the time of Lent the unique Way of the Cross along the streets of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, N.Y. was the most remarkable. The event was a testament to our community’s faith and unity. Read more in the story below.

[Newsletter No. 3/24] Lent, a time of dedicated services for priests in our Vincentian parishes, was marked by unique activities. The liturgical calendar was enriched with Lenten services and local traditions, creating a vibrant daily liturgical program. Notably, stations of the Cross services were held every Friday of Lent in both Polish and English across all four parishes. St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish in Brooklyn even had a special Stations of the Cross conducted in both languages for schoolchildren. The poignant Bitter Lamentations (Gorzkie Żale) were sung every Sunday, accompanied by adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Lenten retreats, led by Fr. Hipolit Brożek, a Bernardine Franciscan friar and exorcist from Poland, and our confrere Fr. Matthew Aneesh Chittadiyil, from CM India-South Province and currently a faculty member of St. John’s University, Queens, NY, were held in both Polish and English. St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish also hosted Lenten adorations, concerts of Lenten sacred music, and an exhibition of sacred art related to the passion and sufferings of Christ.

The unique Way of the Cross was held on the fifth Friday of Lent. For the first time, this celebration took place in 2018 (on the same route). Due to COVID-19 restrictions, it wasn’t possible to organize this activity in the following years until 2023 when people walked from St. Cyril & Methodius Church to St. Stanislaus Kostka Church.

This significant event was a testament to our community’s faith and unity. Commencing after the evening Mass at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, the Stations saw a remarkable turnout. More than a thousand people united in their devotion, marching through Greenpoint’s streets to the Church of St. Cyril and Methodius, 1.5 miles away. The faithful, shouldering a giant wooden cross, paused to reflect on the Passion of Christ and sang penitential songs, creating a powerful and moving atmosphere.

Among the daily activities of priests in our parishes is the Sacrament of Penance. Many faithful make great use of this sacrament, coming to our churches even from very distant places. But during Lent, the number of those using the sacrament of reconciliation is always much higher. No wonder confession hours were extended each day, and in the second half of Lent, there were long lines for confessions despite the 3-to-4 priests present. It is worth being tired for such moments.

It should also be noted that throughout the Lent, donations were collected for the poor and needy in the area and for the needs of the poorest.

This story was first published in the Provincial's Newsletter March 2024
edition which you can find in our Library along with all previous Newsletters.

New England Province of the Congregation of the Mission today

Tom — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 22:56:23 +0000

On the occasion of the 43rd General Assembly a video presenting the history and ministries of the New England Province was prepared for the delegates. Now, you can watch the video, too.
However take into consideration some information in the presentation can be outdated as the retrial was produced in early 2022. To learn of current assignments and whereabouts of pour member please visit the page: “WHERE WE ARE”

Rev. Stanislaw “Stanley” Staniszewski, C.M. – R.I.P

Toma — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 22:20:33 +0000

On the eve of the Palm Sunday, Father Stanisław “Stanley” Staniszewski, C.M. died unexpectedly in Florida at the age of 83, 65 years of vocation and 58 years of priesthood.

Father Stanisław Staniszewski was born on October 26, 1937 in the village of Abramy, in Ostrołęka county in central Poland as son Jan Staniszewski and Helena Łukasiewicz. He entered the Congregation of the Mission (Province of Poland) on October 7, 1956. He took his vows on June 28, 1962. On June 23, 1963 he was ordained priest by Msgr Karol Wojtyła, then Auxiliary Bishop of Krakow.

Following ordination Father had three pastoral assignments in Vincentian parishes in Poland: Odporyszów, near Tarnów (1963-1964), Trzciel, near western border of the country (1964-1965) and finally in Grodków, in Silesia, in southern Poland (1965-1969).

He arrived to the United States on November 24, 1969. First, he studied English (EFL course) at St. Michael’s College, Winooski, VT being based in the mission house in Whitestone, NY. Later, in 1970, he came to St. Michael’s parish in Derby, CT as vicar in the same time he continued his English studies (ESL courses) at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. Next (1972-1973) he deepened his experience in popular mission team based in Whitestone, NY and in 1973 he was sent to parish ministry at St. Stanislaus Kostka parish, Brooklyn, NY. Then, in school year 1976-1977 Father Stanley was moved to St. John’s Kanty College in Erie, PA as a teacher.

Until the end of the year he joined mission team in Whitestone, CT, and again he became a vicar in Derby, CT (1978-1981). Next he moved to mission preaching ministry once more. This time he joined the other team based in Utica, NY. In 1982 he became the superior of the community house there and held this post until August 31, 1988 when he was assigned as a pastor of St. Stanislaus Kostka, Brooklyn, N.Y.

During his stay in the mission house in Utica, NY he held various week-day or weekend activities in: St. Mary’s church, St. Theresa’s church, SS. Peter and Paul’s in Frankfort, St. Paul’s in Whitesboro, Griffis Air Force Base, Rome; St. Joseph’s, Herkimer, St. Ann’s, Hinckley; St. Mary’s, New York Mills, St. John the Baptist, Newport, Veterans ADMINISTRATION Hospital, Syracuse; Psychiatric Center, Marcy and St. Hyacinth’s, Dunkirk.

In the city of Utica his ministry included: Our lady of Lourdes; St. Mary’s; Blessed Sacrament; St. Anthony’s; St. Louis Gonzaga; Sacred Heart; St. Peter’s, Holy Trinity; St. Stanislaus, and Utica Psychiatric Center.

Missions and retreats were held at: St. Casimir’s , Endicott; St. Louis Gonzaga, Utica; St. Joseph’s, Central Falls, RI; and St. John Kanty, Clifton, NJ.

Forty Hours devotions were conducted at: Holy Trinity, Utica; St. Stanislaus, Utica; Transfiguration, Syracuse; and St. Casimir’s, Albany.

In 1991 when his term of office was finished he was transferred to St. Joseph’s parish, Ansonia, CT as vicar (1992-1994). Later he worked in St. Stanislaus B&M parish, New Haven, CT (1994-1995) and moved to Provincial House in Manchester in 1995.

In 1996 he moved to Holy Name of Jesus parish in Stamford, C.T., which administration was handed to the Vincentians by the bishop of Bridgeport. First, 1996-2002, he was a vicar there, and next in December 2002 he was appointed administrator and later the pastor of that parish. He held this position until 2008 when he was assigned as a Vicar at St. Stanislaus Kostka, Brooklyn, NY again. In 2009 he moved to DePaul Provincial Residence in Manchester, CT. He retired in 2013, the year of his Golden Priesthood Jubilee. He passed away unexpectedly while in the vacation residence in Florida on March 27, 2021.

Father Staniszewski’s body will lie in state on Tuesday, April 6 at St. Michael’s Church, 75 Derby Avenue, Derby, CT form 11:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.

His funeral Mass will follow at 12:00 P.M. The burial will be held at St. Michael’s Cemetery, Derby, CT.

The Edward F. Adzima Funeral Home, 253 Elizabeth St., Derby, CT has be entrusted with the arrangements.

VSO Bulletin – March 2015

Toma — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 23:56:30 +0000

The Vincentian Solidarity Office (VSO) is a program of service of the General Curia of the Congregation of the Mission. It was established by the Superior General and the General Council in 2002, and opened for service on January 1, 2003. Its main goal is to assist the Congregation of the Mission with obtaining funds for its evangelization and service of the poor. The VSO bulletin is published four times a year and brings latest reports on developments of the projects sponsored by the Office.

Download as PDF:
VSO Bulletin – March 2015 (1617)

The Vincentian Marian Youth: A Beneficiary of the Patrimony Fund Project

The Vincentian Marian Youth (VMY) is a worldwide association directed by our Superior General. Yasmine Cajuste serves as VMY International President, and works as the education coordinator of the Vincentian Family Initiative in Haiti. The VMY is a beneficiary of the Patrimony Fund Project. At our request, Yasmine shared these reflections on the VMY:

Yasmine Cajuste in Haiti

In July 2015, the VMY will celebrate its 4th General Assembly in Salamanca (Spain). After 12 years of service to VMY International, I will pass on the torch to a new Council with new dreams and projects. I am happy to do so because this story that started in July 1830, will continue to offer youth a meaningful and joyful way to live Christian faith as they evangelize and are evangelized by those most in need.

A gathering of VMY members in Brazil

Two sets of words summarize the purpose of VMY: “To Jesus with Mary” and “To Live, to Contemplate, and to Serve”. In this amazing journey of Christian living, each young person is given the opportunity to envision his/her life as part of God’s project, as a call to mission and as a testimony of Christ’s presence in our hearts and in our midst. Life becomes an exciting project with God, under the maternal guidance of Mary and in favor of our brothers and sisters. With approximately 100,000 members working in 65 countries and a great network of collaborators within the Vincentian Family, VMY offers many other young people like me, the grace of belonging to a larger family and a long chain of service that embraces the world. If most of our membership is composed of teenagers, VMY welcomes children and young adults as well, according to the needs and reality of the specific countries.

National VMY chapter in Cameroon

I discovered VMY quite late, compared to other members. I was 17, and about to finish high school. I came thinking of a trial period of three months – and never left. VMY has greatly shaped my personality, my faith, my commitment to others and to life. From Haiti to Madrid, and visiting many countries in the world, I came to appreciate the multiple faces of the same Association, in the respect of different cultures. I have met very committed young people, passionate of Saint Vincent de Paul and eager to reach their full potential. I understand better what it implies, for an Association and for a Vincentian, to embrace the beauty of the Gospel and to live it in today’s reality. Despite its 185 years of history, VMY remains an exciting adventure for young people today. I have no doubt that the Association will continue to strive and to attract them. In a few months, during our General Assembly, we will dream new dreams and spend the next years making them true. With God’s grace and with all the support it will receive, VMY will continue to offer to the youth a community, a transformative experience with Christ, and amazing opportunities to grow through service.

Vehicles in Italaque and Mocomoco

Two of the parishes operated by the confreres serving in our International Mission of Bolivia, the Parroquia San Miguelin in Italaque, and the Parroquia San Pedro in Mocomoco, lacked dependable motor vehicles. The situation severely impeded evangelization efforts.

Our missionaries in Bolivia with their new vehicles

Both parishes are located in rural, mountainous areas with poor roads that turn treacherous during rainy seasons. The Parroquia San Miguelin serves 3,000 people in 30 communities. Some of the communities are located hours apart by vehicle. The Parroquia San Pedro in Mocomoco has 53 communities with 4,000 inhabitants. Many of these communities are also remote and difficult to reach. Our confreres working in the parishes must transport pastoral and other services out to the communities, since their residents are poor and lack means of transportation.

The Bolivian Mission requested the help of the VSO in obtaining a new vehicle for both parishes. The VSO matched grants from Adveniat and contributions from donors with monies from the Vincentian Solidarity Fund, enabling the mission to purchase a four-wheel drive Toyota land cruiser for each parish.

Protecting a School in Tabarre

The retaining wall under construction by the school

Not long after the devastating earthquake hit Haiti, our confrere Fr. Raphael Verlux, C.M. constructed an “earthquake proof” school in the city of Tabarre, located 8 kilometers outside Port au Prince. St. Vincent de Paul School serves over 450 poor children in grades Kindergarten through 8th.

After the school opened, the City of Tabarre decided to construct a canal to channel flood water into a river. The city located part of the canal at the edge of the property of St. Vincent de Paul School, only a few feet from the back of four of the school’s buildings. The canal lacked adequate reinforcement. It quickly deteriorated with heavy rains, and began to wash the ground out from underneath the school buildings. The buildings were in danger of being lost. Appeals to the city officials responsible for the canal fell on deaf ears; the school had to act on its own to save its buildings.

Fr. Raphael requested the assistance of the VSO to secure funds to construct a retaining wall to hold back the flood waters. The VSO obtained a large contribution from a donor in the United States, which it matched with monies from the Vincentian Solidarity Fund, to finance the wall. The wall was built with reinforced concrete and stone, and is 165 meters in length and 6 meters in height. The wall is designed to protect the school for 100 years.

Vincentian Solidarity Office
500 East Chelten Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19144

How to contact us:
Fr. Miles Heinen, C.M., Executive Director: Telephone: (215) 713-2432
Email: cmvso@yahoo.com
Scott Fina, Ph.D., Associate Director: Telephone: (215) 713-2433
Email: scottfina@gmail.com
Fax: (215) 843-9361
Our websites: www.cmglobal.org/vso www.cmglobal.org/patrimony-en/
How to DONATE

Fostering a Vincentian Identity in Parish Work [Study]

Toma — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 23:14:11 +0000

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Fostering a Vincentian Identity in Parish Work from Famvin Europe

Fr. Bernard Schoepfer CM appointed new Director General of the Daughters of Charity

Toma — Sun, 26 Jan 2014 23:10:33 +0000

Office of Communication of the General Curia in Rome announced, that on Friday, January 24, 2014, Fr. G. Gregory Gay, C.M. Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity, has appointed Fr. Bernard Schoepfer, C.M., a confrere from the Province of Paris as the Director General of the Daughters of Charity. He will serve in this position for a three-year term. In a letter to Daughters of Charity Visitors, the Superior General noted, that after informing of the resignation of Fr. Patrick Griffin, C.M., due to health concerns which no longer allow him to carry out his ministry as the Director General of the Daughters of Charity, he “consulted Sr. Evelyne [Superioress General] and her Councilors, as well as Fr. Patrick himself to find someone to replace him in this ministry. Today, after having considered the suggestions I received, and with the consent of the General Council, I have appointed Fr. Bernard Schoepfer, C.M., as the new Director General for the three year term. He generously accepted the nomination counting on your prayers helping him in his new mission”.

Fr. Bernard Schoepfer was born on March 16, 1962 in Bâle, Switzerland and grew up in the Alsace region, Eastern France. He is a member of the Province of Paris, admitted into the Congregation on September 10, 1984, and was ordained priest on May 4, 1989. In his quarter century of ministry, Fr. Bernard has fulfilled a number of varied ministries. Right after ordinatation e has engaged in pastoral work in rural areas of the Diocese of Amiens; in 1998, after completing formation at CIF (International Formartion Center) he was assigned to animate the ministry in the Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Chapel at Rue du Bac, Paris; in the same time as a member of formation team he accompanied seminarians preparing for priesthood from the Congregation; 2000 – 2007 worked as spiritual advisor to the St. Vincent de Paul Society SSVdP in France; since 2004 he serves as Superior at the Maison-Mère – Motherhouse of the Congregation of the Mission; and since 2007 he is national chaplain of St. Vincent’s Teams (Equipes saint Vincent – AIC France). Additionally, he has been member of Provincial Council of Paris for 10 years.

Fr. Gay addressed similar Letter to Provincials of the Congregation of the Mission in which he expressed gratitude to Fr. Bernard Schoepfer for his generosity in accepting this assignment as well as offering thanks to the outgoing director Fr. Patrick Griffin: “I thank Fr. Bernard for his willingness to serve, and I assure him of our prayers and fraternal support in his new ministry. I express my deep gratitude to Fr. Patrick Griffin for his tireless devotion to duty as Director General these past three years. We pray the Lord grant him good health, so that he may continue for many years to “serve the Lord with gladness”. (Ps. 100:2)

Fr. Bernard is scheduled to assume his new duties in late March. At the end of his letter to the Vincentian Provincials, Fr. Gregory Gay exhorted confreres: “Let us entrust Fr. Bernard’s mandate to our Blessed Mother, because as St. Vincent told us, “When the Mother of God has been invoked and taken as patroness of important matters, everything can only go well and accrue to the glory of Jesus, her Son.” (SV: XIII b, p.3)

Read the full text of the Nomination Letter for the Provincials

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