St.Lawrence News & Events

St Lawrence Email List - Sign-up for the St Lawrence Email List. You will receive periodic emails from St Lawrence containing information about important parish events such as special Masses, Holydays of Obligation reminders and church social events, just to name a few. We hope that everyone at St Lawrence who uses email will sign-up. Click Here to sign-up now

News and info from Parish Outreach
It truly is the season of hope in so many ways! As we watch nature spring back to life and savor the familiar warmth of the sun, we can’t help but feel renewed. And speaking of renewing, on a more practical level it is also Spring Cleaning season and our Parish Outreach shelves really need to be restocked with cleaning necessities to help our clients renew their humble abodes.   Some of the things most of us take for granted as basic necessities are like luxuries to those struggling to survive day-to-day right here in our community.
>>>Food Pantry - Please help us restock our shelves as the recent needs and requests are exceeding our supplies. (For vegetables we’re down to two cans of corn!) We greatly appreciate and bless you for whatever you can to add the following items to your grocery list to help those who cannot shop for themselves: Any and all kinds of Canned Vegetables, Mayonnaise (small jars), Boxed shelf milk (Parmalat), Juices, Pasta sauce, Tuna, Instant Coffee, Regular Tea; Pancake mix, Pancake syrup, Canned fruit, Toilet paper, Tooth Brushes, Tooth Paste, and Wash Cloths. Thank you so much for your continued generous donations that help ease the burden for the less fortunate among us.
>>>Contributions - We receive several requests each day for bus fares to help our clients get to the Department of Social Services and to the Health Center, and for Stop n Shop gift cards. Lately there have been numerous requests for haircut money.   Anything you can do to contribute to help us fulfill these needs is greatly appreciated!
>>>Special Thanks - Thank you to those talented parishioners who donated the exquisite crocheted and home made baby clothes and blankets for the Mother’s Day Baby shower. Your time and devotion to such a worthy cause was evident in every stitch. Bless you all for your beautiful donations.

Lighthouse Catholic Media Would you like to learn more about your Catholic Faith but don’t have time to read a lot of books? All you need is a CD player. Whether in the car or at home you can deepen your understanding of the Faith when you listen to one of our Lighthouse CD’s. For each CD we ask for a donation of $3.00.

Faith Direct - Can’t find your check book or envelope Sunday morning? Join our parishioners who are using Faith Direct for automated giving to St. Lawrence the Martyr. It is secure, convenient and Faith Direct will provide you with a offertory card to place in the basket during collections. There is no cost, and the program provides a great benefit to our parish. Sign up today by visiting www.faithdirect.net

Parish Webstore - Please visit our parish webstore on our website. You will find a wide range of books, e-books, movies, CDs, Catholic Art, rosaries, jewelry and many other gifts. St. Lawrence automatically receives 12% of every purchase. It is an opportunity for all of us to promote and share our faith. Click the Parish Webstore links on our website.

Family, Marriage and Individual Therapy provided by New York State licensed professionals is available to our parish under the direction of Dr. George Giuliani. Information and appointments can be made by calling Dr. Giuliani at (631) 243-2503 or visit us at www.thecatholiccounselingcenter.com

Overeaters Anonymous - Meeting will be in room 103 of the School Building on Wednesday evenings at 5:45pm

A Place For Prayer - More accurately, a BOOK in which to write our prayer intentions, and expressions of gratitude for prayers answered. It wasn’t so long ago that we had a book here in church for just that purpose, and many of you have been missing the opportunity to briefly express your hopes and longings in writing. A new Book of Prayer Intentions will be placed on the podium in the Divine Mercy shrine area. We hope you find it a helpful and reassuring tool in lifting up to God the people and situations that are dear to you.

The Soup Kitchen at the “Having Friends INN” is looking for volunteer cooks. Please contact Sonny Greco at 567-8571 for more information re: responsibilities, scheduling and to volunteer.

Altar Linen Care - Volunteers are needed to wash and iron the Altar Linens. Many hands make light work, and new teams are forming now. Please call Donna McGarry to volunteer for this most important service to our parish. 589-6192

A Message from Father Rafferty - As I approach my 72nd birthday, I look forward to my retirement after 46 years of priestly ministry. I will be leaving St. Lawrence the Martyr at the end of June. I am filled with gratitude to Almighty God for my vocation, my health, my friends and for all of you here at St. Lawrence, beginning with Fr. Brian. You have all been so kind to me during the past year. As far as the future, I am reminded of the story of the old farmer sitting in his rocking chair on his porch; a passer-by stopped and asked him, “Have you lived here all your life?” The farmer replied, “Not yet.” I hope to be in a parish continuing to exercise my Priesthood while having the opportunity to enjoy life a little more. May God bless us all.
Rev. Lawrence B. Rafferty

Gathering Our Gardeners - A small but very generous and talented group has for years been giving their time to gardening around the church grounds, and our parish is grateful for all their effort over so many years. Father Brian has asked Mr. Donald Lang, a Cornell Cooperative Master Gardener, to help coordinate this ongoing effort, and enlist additional parishioners who enjoy "getting their hands dirty." We'd like to have an informal gathering soon. If you are already involved in enhancing the beauty of our grounds, or would like to join such a group, please contact the rectory with your name and phone number. Thank you!

Family Liturgy - On Sunday, June 2nd, at the 9:00 A.M. Mass, we hope to begin a FAMILY LITURGY that would become a regular experience on the First Sunday of the month. Bring your family to join our parish family around the Lord’s altar, giving thanks for the faith that makes us one. Hospitality will follow the Family Liturgy in the Bethany Center. Please come!

Attention All Volunteers - Anyone who has NOT attended the “Protecting Our Children” VIRTUS awareness session, is encouraged to attend one of two sessions being held in June. Tuesday evening June 4 or Wednesday evening June 5 at 7pm in the school. Please contact Jeannine Rose 589-0042 ext. 11 to leave your name to register for one of these sessions. It is mandatory that all volunteers in the parish attend one of these sessions before they begin in ministry. Even if you are thinking of volunteering, please attend one of these sessions to fulfill that requirement.

Father's Day Cards - Many of you have requested that we offer the larger format Father's Day remembrance cards as we did for Mother’s Day. You can find these Father's Day Spiritual Bouquet Envelopes at the back of the church, or at the Parish Office. Simply fill out the outer envelope and drop in the collection basket. Don't forget to keep the inside card to give to your loved one on Father's Day.

St.Lawrence The Martyr RC Church