Mark your calendar!

We'll get the upcoming fall season off to a delicious start with our popular "Taste of Sayville" fundraiser.  Join fellow parishioners and friends on Thursday evening, October 1st from 6 to 9:00 PM in the school gym, as we sample dishes, beverages, and desserts from many of our local restaurants and eateries.  The "Taste" has been a big hit for years now, and is one of our most important fundraisers.  Please plan to spend a few hours enjoying wonderful food and good company, supporting St. Lawrence and many of our local businesses at the same time!

Tickets are $35 per person, and can be purchased through the rectory office.  Tables can be reserved for groups of 8 or more.

Join us!

Saturday, October 3rd, is the first Saturday of the month.  Mass will be celebrated at 9:00 AM, followed by First Saturday devotions.  

The "First Saturday" of the month has held a special place in Catholic spiritual life since the early 20th century, with the appearance of the Blessed Mother to three peasant children at Fatima, Portugal.  First Saturday devotions in reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary were requested by Our Lady during her appearances to the children at Fatima.  Those who wish to stay after Mass can participate in the recitation of the Rosary, and in prayers connected with this particular devotion.

On October 4th, the Church honors St. Francis of Assisi, one of the most beloved personalities in Christian history, known especially for his joyful acceptance of radical poverty, and his delight in God’s creation. This year marks the 800th anniversary of his death in 1226. 

In celebration of Francis’ feast, we will have a Blessing of Animals on Saturday, October 3rd at 12:00 PM.

Please park in the school lot, leaving the lot by the rectory empty for our gathering. “All creatures, great and small” are welcome, with their human friends.  Please be sure your pet(s) will not be able to get away from you during the brief service!  We look forward to seeing you!

If the weather is bad, you can drive up anyway, and Fr. Brian will bless your pet while you stay in your car (talk about service!)

Our next Family Mass will take place on Sunday, October 4th, at 9:00 AM.  Bring your family to join our larger parish family, at the start of Respect Life Month.  Join us, too, for hospitality in the Bethany Center, immediately following both the 9:00 and 11:00 AM Masses.   

Come pray with us!  

Thursday, September 24th, marked a milestone event in the life of the Church in the United States, as Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen was beatified at a beautiful Mass in St. Louis, MO.  Archbishop Sheen was one of our nation's first -- and certainly most inspirational -- Catholic media evangelists, and his beatification brings him one step closer to being declared a saint.

Blessed Archbishop Sheen, pray for us!

We need you!! 

In a parish of our size, there’s always need for more people—both young and old—to share themselves as liturgical ministers.  We are in need of new Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMs).  This is a beautiful role to take in the celebration of the Mass, and one that unfailingly deepens the spiritual lives of those who become involved in it.  

Fall diocesan training sessions take place beginning November 10th.  We invite interested parishioners to contact Fr. Brian at the rectory (631) 589-0042, ext 118.  After that initial contact, you will be asked to participate in a one-evening Diocesan training session.  There is no fee for the training session.

To further clarify the training:  All those who would be new to this ministry attend a "basic" training session ("Part A").  Those parishioners who are interested in bringing Holy Communion to the homebound, or to those in local nursing facilities, need to attend a second session ("Part B") to do so.  Both new EMs and those who have already been serving in church are welcome to consider ministry to the homebound, etc.

Young parishioners are also more than welcome—Extraordinary Ministers must be in their junior year of high school, or older. 

Note:  Though we have no need for additional adult lectors at this time, children can volunteer to become junior lectors for our Family Mass - please contact Maria Davidson in the Office of Faith Formation!

Our Columbiettes are busy planning a delicious brunch for our senior parishioners in the Bethany Center, on Wednesday, October 21st.  The event will follow the regular 9:00 AM  Mass in the church.  

The gathering is free of charge, but you must register beforehand and space is limited.  Pick up a reservation flyer in the church or at the rectory office.

We look forward to seeing you there!

"Nightwatch" is a series of gatherings for young men interested in hearing more about priesthood in the Diocese of Rockville Centre.  The evenings -- all at Cure of Ars Parish in Merrick -- will include Eucharistic Adoration, discussion, and opportunity to socialize.  Nightwatch is intended for young people of high school and college age, through the 20s and even 30s.

Please click this link for more information:  Nightwatch 2026-27

There's a brand new website for Young Adult Catholics seeking fellowship in the Diocese of Rockville Centre!  It's called FindMyLIC.

Over the last couple of years, there has been a grassroots movement of young adult groups forming across Long Island as more Catholics look to get involved in their faith.  In response to this growth, several young adult groups from parishes across Nassau and Suffolk put together FindMyLIC, a free map of every Catholic young adult group on Long Island (findmylic.org). On the site, events are searchable by town, with a calendar of what is coming up. 

To access this helpful new tool, just click  findmylic.org

We invite our parishioners and friends to participate in "40 Days for Life," a worldwide campaign to end abortion.  You can engage in a whole spectrum of pro-life activities, from private prayer and fasting, to community outreach, to peaceful vigil-keeping outside a local abortion clinic.  40 Days for Life has already inspired over one million participants!    

40 Days for Life Patchogue is organizing a Fall Pro-Life Witness in the public area outside the Planned Parenthood Center at 450 Waverly Ave. in Patchogue (just north of the Sunrise Highway Waverly Ave. exit).  This prayerful witness begins on September 23rd and continues until November 1st.  

Good news!  St. Lawrence has reached over 90% of our $90,000 goal in pledges for the 2026 Catholic Ministries Appeal ("CMA")!   The CMA allows the 133 parishes in Nassau and Suffolk to "join forces" in supporting the dozens of diocesan ministries and organizations that are the lifeblood of the Church's mission here on Long Island.  

Each year, more than 600,000 men, women, and children receive direct assistance from the monies donated to the Appeal.  Your contribution might assist a seminarian preparing for the priesthood . . . or a young person looking to break free from addiction to drugs or alcohol . . . or a senior in search of affordable housing through Catholic Charities . . . or one of the campus ministries supporting our Catholic college students.   

Please remember that the CMA is also a tremendous help to our parish.  In 2025, we reached just over 102% of our goal, and because of that generous giving, St. Lawrence  received a rebate of $19,950!  That rebate is a big help in paying our bills, meeting payroll, maintaining our buildings and grounds, and exploring new avenues for ministry and service right here.  I'm so very grateful to everyone who contributed last year, whether it was a gift of $20 or $2,000.   No gift is too small, and every gift is greatly appreciated!

I ask all our parishioners to consider participating.  You can pick up a donation pamphlet in church, or go to www.catholicministriesappeal.org  or call (516) 678-5800 x 296.  Thank you in advance for touching so many lives, and supporting St. Lawrence at the same time!

Father Brian

And please note:  100% of every dollar given to the Catholic Ministries Appeal is restricted to fund the goals, objectives and ministries supported by the CMA.

As the saying goes, a picture (or in this case, a video!) is worth a thousand words.  For a better sense of just how the Catholic Ministries Appeal impacts the lives of so many here on Long Island, just click the following link and watch this year's 8 minute presentation:

2026 CMA Video

To make a pledge toward this year's Appeal, please go to  www/catholicministriesappeal.org   or call (516) 678-5800 x 296.  Thank you!

The New York State Conference of Catholic Bishops has published the following reaction to the enactment, as of August 5, 2026, of the recently passed law on physician-assisted suicide.  As faithful Catholics and disciples of the Lord of life, we are asked to remember what the bishops stated previously, in December of 2025:  "While physician-assisted suicide will soon be legal here in New York, we must clearly reiterate that it is in direct conflict with Catholic teaching on the sacredness and dignity of all human life from conception until natural death and is a grave moral evil on par with other direct attacks on human life.”

Click here to read the full statement:  NYS Bishop's Statement

Beginning on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) in June, 2022, the Church throughout the United States began a 3-year Eucharistic Revival, aimed at rekindling our love for the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, deepening our understanding of this mystical Gift through prayer and study, and offering new opportunities for us to worship Him privately and communally.   

Here at St. Lawrence, we've taken time over the past three years, and in various ways, to spotlight the profound gift of the Lord's Body and Blood in our celebrations of the Eucharist, and at the same to offer new opportunities for study, reflection, and worship.  

There's a wealth of information and inspirational material to be found on the Revival at www.eucharisticrevival.org

Moving forward, please also take a few minutes to check out Manna.  Manna is a new digital companion for Catholics that want to grow in their love for the Eucharist.  It features Eucharistic content, talks from the 10^th National Eucharistic Congress, and a Holy Hour companion.  Learn more at manna.eucharisticcongress.org

Each month, our Diocese sponsors a Holy Hour for Vocations at one of the parishes here on Long Island.  All are welcome to pray before the Blessed Sacrament for an increase in vocations to the priesthood, permanent diaconate, and consecrated religious life.

For dates and locations, please see below:  

Join the diocesan Office of Human Life, Family, & Bioethics, every Friday at 3:00 PM in prayer for the protection of unborn human life.  For information on how to participate, go to https://www.drvc.org/wp-content/uploads/Rosary-for-Life-Weekly-2023.pdf

More of our parish households are choosing to support St. Lawrence in ways over and above the familiar contribution left in the weekend collection basket.  We've been very fortunate, especially over the past few years, to receive charitable gifts from annuities, distributions from IRA's, bequests from wills, etc. -- all of which help build up the parish financially, and leave a lasting legacy from parishioners who wish to support St. Lawrence into the future.

The Diocese is now providing a helpful website that offers numerous options for planned and future giving.  For more information, please go to:  https://www.stewardshipli.org/planned-giving

Thank you!!

On May 24, 2022, NYS Governor Hochul signed the Adult Survivors Act (ASA) into law.  It allows survivors of sexual abuse that occurred when they were over the age of 18 to file suit, regardless of when the alleged abuse occurred.  

For information on the notice of deadlines requiring filing of Adult Survivors Act sexual abuse proofs of claim, please go to the following link:   https://www.drvc.org/wp-content/uploads/Final-Publication-Notice-for-Supplemental-Bar-Date-_8.10.22_1532505245.2.pdf

You may also find more comprehensive information, updates, claim forms, etc. pertaining to the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by the Diocese of Rockville Centre by clicking here:  https://dm.epiq11.com/drvc