East Village Catholic

06/17/2024

Fr. Francis McGourn, 60 Years a Priest

Our heartfelt congratulations to our beloved, Fr. Francis McGourn, who has reached the remarkable milestone of his 60th anniversary of priestly ordination. When you next see Fr. Francis, please congratulate him and thank him for his life of generous service to the Church for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

As a Maryknoll missionary, Fr. Francis spent many of his 60 years as a priest in the remote regions of Peru and Bolivia. For the past 15 years he has been offering Sunday Mass for us at St. Brigid's. He is a beloved spiritual father to so many who are inspired by his wonderful sermons and uplifted by his consoling words in the confessional.

May God grant Fr. Francis many more years!

(He is pictured here after an ordination Mass for the Maryknoll missionaries with Luis Cardinal Tagle, the Pro-Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

06/17/2024

https://evgrieve.com/2024/06/father-sean-is-leaving-east-village.html?m=1

EV Grieve is the leading news, entertainment and lifestyle blog about the East Village of New York City.

06/17/2024

Farewell to Fr. Seán:

06/16/2024

https://www.ncregister.com/blog/father-flanagan-war-dad

Hundreds of young men fighting in World War II listed the founder of Boys Town, Father Edward Flanagan, as their next of kin. To most of them, he was the only father they ever knew.

06/15/2024

https://evgrieve.com/2024/06/saturdays-opening-shot.html

EV Grieve is the leading news, entertainment and lifestyle blog about the East Village of New York City.

06/15/2024

06/15/2024

https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2024/06/14/the-church-of-all-nations-in-jerusalems-garden-of-gethsemane-was-consecrated-100-years-ago/

The Church of All Nations in Jerusalem marks centenary of consecrationThe majestic basilica, a revered destination for pilgrims to the Holy Land, is built over the rock upon which Jesus prayed and bled in agony before his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. June 14, 2024 Father Seán Connolly Featur...

06/13/2024

https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2024/06/02/the-eucharistic-miracle-along-the-camino-de-santiago/

The Eucharistic miracle along the Camino de SantiagoThe whole of the Christian life can be likened to a pilgrimage, and our food for the journey is the nourishment we receive in Holy Communion. June 2, 2024 Father Seán Connolly Essay, Features, History 4 Print Camino de Santiago, Spain [Les routes ...

06/13/2024

An announcement from Fr. Seán Connolly:

In my three years in the East Village, I have come to know and love you. These parishes have become a true spiritual family, and I am proud of what we have accomplished together in both uniting and growing these two communities, bringing the light of Christ to our neighborhood. Yet, the needs of the Church extend beyond the limits of our neighborhood, and our archbishop, Cardinal Dolan, along with his priest personnel board, must look for new and creative ways to meet the needs of the faithful with fewer priests able to serve. The close proximity of so many churches in lower Manhattan is a factor that is a part of their considerations.

Given all of this, I have been tasked with a new mission to be the pastor of the Parish of St. Margaret of Cortona – St. Gabriel in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx. My last day serving here in the East Village will be 19th June.

Msgr. Kevin Nelan, the pastor of Immaculate Conception on 14th Street, will become the administrator of Most Holy Redeemer – Nativity and St. Brigid – St. Emeric, taking on the responsibility of providing priests to serve the sacramental needs of these two parish communities.

From my heart, I wish to thank Fr. Francis McGourn and Fr. Willam Elder, for helping me these past three years by offering Sunday Mass. Both of these older brothers in the priesthood have taught me so much.

I also wish to thank all of you for your kindness to me and your love of the Lord and His Church from which I have taken so much inspiration. I have been very happy these past three years, and it was both an honor and joy to be part of your lives. I will miss you. Though we will soon be separated in practical terms, we will always remain united in prayer.

Parish priests come and go, but Jesus Christ the Eternal High Priest, remains with us always.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Seán

--

All parishioners of Most Holy Redeemer - Nativity are invited to meet with the new parochial administrator, Msgr. Kevin Nelan, along with a representative from the Archdiocese of New York, in Most Holy Redeemer Church on Thursday 13th June at 6,00pm.

Parishioners of Saint Brigid - Saint Emeric will have this same opportunity at a future date that is to be determined.

06/03/2024

O Sacrament most holy,
O Sacrament divine!
All praise and all thanksgiving
Be every moment thine.

06/03/2024

“The Corpus Christi procession teaches us that the Eucharist seeks to free us from every kind of despondency and discouragement, wants to raise us, so that we can set out on the journey with the strength God gives us through Jesus Christ … Each one can find his own way if he encounters the One who is the Word and the Bread of Life and lets himself be guided by his friendly presence. Without the God-with-us, the God who is close, how can we stand up to the pilgrimage through life, either on our own or as society and the family of peoples? The Eucharist is the Sacrament of the God who does not leave us alone on the journey but stays at our side and shows us the way. Indeed, it is not enough to move onwards, one must also see where one is going! “Progress” does not suffice, if there are no criteria as reference points. On the contrary, if one loses the way one risks coming to a precipice, or at any rate more rapidly distancing oneself from the goal. God created us free but he did not leave us alone: he made himself the “way” and came to walk together with us so that in our freedom we should also have the criterion we need to discern the right way and to take it.”

--Pope Benedict XVI