Saturday,

December 17th at 11AM

Brunch with Santa

108 Carroll Street

Rectory Hall

$15 per Child, Children under 2 free, $10 per Adult

Hot Buffet, Music, Face Painting, Arts & Crafts, Story Time, Photos, Gifts and Much More.

Please rsvp to family@sacredhearts-ststephen.com by Thursday December 15th 

Sunday,

December 18th from 1PM -5PM 

Church Decorating Party 

Everyone is welcome to come help as we decorate the Church for Christmas. 

In the Constitution Ineffabilis Deus of 8 December, 1854, Pius IX pronounced and defined that the Blessed Virgin Mary "in the first instance of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin."

The subject of this immunity from original sin is the person of Mary at the moment of the creation of her soul and its infusion into her body.

The term conception does not mean the active or generative conception by her parents. Her body was formed in the womb of the mother, and the father had the usual share in its formation. The question does not concern the immaculateness of the generative activity of her parents. Neither does it concern the passive conception absolutely and simply (conceptio seminis carnis, inchoata), which, according to the order of nature, precedes the infusion of the rational soul. The person is truly conceived when the soul is created and infused into the body. Mary was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin at the first moment of her animation, and sanctifying grace was given to her before sin could have taken effect in her soul.

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Sacred Hearts - St. Stephen Church

7PM Mass

Sacred Hearts-St. Stephen Family Ministry

"Little Hearts"

Presents its

Family Fall Festival 

Saturday, October 29^{th 2011}

 11AM – 4PM 

SH-SS Church Yard

125 Summit ST.

(Rain Location – Lower Church at same address)

Admission only $2.00

• Have fun with Lolly Flop the Clown -12 – 1:30
• Come dressed for our Costume Contest – 2pm
• Kid’s concert - 2:30 – 4pm
• Come select a Pumpkin from our Patch
• Have Fun in the Bouncy Castle & Jumbo Slide
• Take a chance for one of our amazing Raffle Gifts
• Enjoy kid & family friendly Food
• Arts, Crafts, Games & much more…

Log onto www.sacredhearts-ststephen.com for more info

The statue of Our Lady of the Assumption at Sacred Hearts-St. Stephen Church in Brooklyn was brought to America by the people of Monte di Procida, Italy. The Story of their devotion is as follows:

The Assunta celebration is one of the most profound but less known traditions in the phlegreian land. But how is it born the devotion for the Madonna Assunta (the Virgin of Assumption)? What the roots of a tradition which mixes, as so often happens, sacred and profane, popular beliefs and religious precepts?A fascinating story, which mirrors the history itself of the birth and the growth of the city from the first nomad groups of peasants coming from the isle of Procida, who came to establish on the cliffs straight down to the sea of the Monte, in seventeenth century, to the present days. And in more than four centuries of history, the Assunta never stopped being worshipped. When the first colonists coming from Procida started to settle down in the lands owned by cardinal Filomarino, to work in the fields, vineyards and vegetables were verdant through the whole headland and the Virgin’s patronage was yet invoked as to she granted a huge harvest. Then the inhabitants of Monte bounded for the sea routes, and to the Virgin they made vows at every crossing, as she watched over the sea and the destiny of those who sailed challenging the waves for fishing or commerce. The navy of Monte di Procida became, soon, one of the best in the “land of fire” and the devotion even deeper than before. To participate to the celebration, over all for those who were far away, represented a most important event: to miss it was considered more serious than not being home at Christmas or Easter...Phrases that sailors kept repeating to one another: in every point of the world they were, from the ship’s boy to the captain, they followed by heart the procession, to which they could not be present in person; with eyes bright of emotion they could hardly hide, they accompanied the various moments of the ceremony with the sound of the siren. To sum up, even in the back of beyond, they followed the Virgin, they too were “Appriess’ a Maronna” united in spirit to whom, remained in the city to wait for them, was following the statue, eventually praying for them. And when so many people were obliged to emigrate “a’ Maronn” followed them. And they rewarded Her with a devotion profound and full of nostalgia for the native land so far, of which the Assunta represented an unforgettable “piece”, to the point that they organized a “Festa d’a Madonna” even in the States, with the same statue, a perfect copy of the Assunta by Verzella kept in the parish church in the central square, if it was completely impossible to come home for the 15th of August to follow the procession, to be grateful for the fortunes granted and repay the vows fulfilled.

Born in Lisbon in A.D. 1195, St. Anthony, né Ferdinand, was the son of noble, God-fearing parents. He received a good education, and, at the age of fifteen, joined the Canons Regular of St. Augustine which whom he studied Sacred Scripture and the writings of the Fathers. At around the age of 25, he became inspired by the Franciscans martyred in Morocco and decided to join their Order, taking the name "Anthony."
Illness prevented his going to Morocco, so he spent some time in Sicily, in Assisi, and then in Montepaolo his public life began: during the ordination of a group of Franciscan and Dominican friars, it was discovered that no one had been appointed to preach. The superior turned to the Dominicans first because they are the "Order of Preachers," but all declined, saying they were not prepared. So St. Anthony stepped up -- and began to teach so beautifully that word of his talents reached the ears of St. Francis, who blessed his work.
St. Anthony taught at Bologna, Montpellier, and Toulouse, but it was as a fearless orator (he became known as the "Hammer of the Heretics") and a miracle worker that he is most reknowned.

St. Anthony, as a Franciscan, was also famous for helping the poor. At his encouragement, Padua passed a law in 1231 to help debtors who couldn't pay their debts.
St. Anthony died in Arcella, strengthened by an apparition of Our Lord and in the "odor of sanctity," at age thirty-six on 13 June, 1231. After he died, he announced his own death to Abbot Thomas Gallo by appearing to him. His death was also announced to the citizens of Padua by a troop of children, crying: "The holy Father is dead; St. Anthony is dead!" Gregory IX canonized him within the year, the fastest canonization ever.
The people of Padua built a temple for his relics, which were transferred to it in 1263 in the presence of St. Bonaventure. His body was found to be dust -- but for his tongue, which was fresh and red. St. Bonaventure kissed it and cried, "O Blessed Tongue that always praised the Lord, and made others bless Him, now it is evident what great merit thou hast before God."
St. Anthony is the patron of sailors, pregnant women, amputees, fishermen, and the poor. He is invoked against shipwrecks and in order to find lost objects, by women to find a husband, to conceive a child, and to ensure safe childbirth. He is also invoked to see that mail and packages are safely delivered. St. Anthony is most often depicted in art wearing his Franciscan habit and holding a lily and the Christ Child, or sometimes with loaves of bread or a book.