June 4th, 2026

Introducing Summer Socials at St. Paul's

On May 25th, Pope Leo XIV addressed a new encyclical to the faithful entitled Magnifica Humanitas. The document begins with a reflection on the social doctrine of the Church and uses its core tenants to explore the challenges that technology and artificial intelligence pose to human flourishing.

While it is written in an approachable style, the encyclical is 184 pages long, which is a lot to digest for even the most ardent of theologians! Thankfully, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has produced a summary of each of the five chapters - you can view the infographics at the dicastery's website here. We've also done our best to capture the broad strokes below!

This winter, our Lenten motto, "What is God asking me to do?", was inspired by parishioners that felt called to express their faith in the world but didn't know where to start. The Pope's encyclical emphasizes that the Church's social doctrine is not an academic theory but is best expressed "in the mutual gift of self and in sharing with the world" (MH 48). Put another way, "the civilization of love will not arise from a single or spectacular gesture, but from the sum total of small and steadfast acts of fidelity that serve as a bulwark against dehumanization" (MH 212).

In the document, we are called to "be faithful to the truth, invest in education, cultivate relationships, and love justice and peace" (MH 236). This call has inspired our Summer Socials at St. Paul's. These events will feature talks by theologians, journalists, and activists, along with community-building and pilgrimages. Exploring Catholic social teaching from different angles, we'll consider what it means to build peace through justice, revive dialogue, and engage the major themes of the Pope's new encyclical. All of this is ultimately brought to life through witness to the experiences of our fellow Catholics.

As technology increasingly threatens human dignity, communion, and a fuller expression of God's love (MH 92), Magnifica Humanitas calls us to renew these bonds. For most of history, shared communal life was as much of a practical necessity for survival as it was a spiritual desire ingrained in our hearts by God. While industrialization has eased many material burdens, it has also made it easier to become detached from our neighbors and forget our dependence on one another. The modern technological world upholds efficiency, control, and profit as the endpoint of human efforts,, reducing the person to "an object to be manipulated or a resource to be optimized" (MH 172). In seeking to model ourselves after the artificial intelligence that surrounds us, we risk losing sight of God's gifts bestowed unto us. Technology can provide information and augment intelligence, but it cannot sustain curiosity, independent inquiry, or the moral perspective needed to guide reason (MH 139–147). The document warns that unequal control of technology may pose its greatest danger, leaving the economically vulnerable open to further exploitation.

Our Summer Social events hope to speak to all of these challenges and more while offering opportunities to connect with those around us in the pews:

• This Sunday after the 5PM mass, Martha Hennessy will reflect on the fight for worker's rights during early industrialization through the life and legacy of her grandmother, Dorothy Day. Mrs. Hennessy and Dr. Kevin Ahern will discuss the modern Catholic Worker Movement and how the challenges discussed in Magnifica Humanitas can be navigated today.
• One June 21st, Dr. Mary Boys and Camillo Barone will discuss Christian-Jewish relations. Drawing from Dr. Boys's extensive scholarship on ecumenical relations and Mr. Barone's work as a journalist for the National Catholic Reporter, they will explore how to re-frame our ancient kinship with Judaism to repair centuries of division and misunderstanding.
• A walking pilgrimage on July 1st in honor of America's founding 250 years ago will explore the contributions of immigrants to the country, celebrating their indelible mark on the tapestry of our great nation and inspiring us to safeguard the dignity of all who come here in search of a better life.

These engaging discussions are accompanied by lots of opportunities for socialization, celebration, and service:

• On June 10th, our Apostolist ministry will join the Peace Islands Institute for an interfaith social with our Muslim neighbors in the Parish Center.
• On June 13th, OSP will hold a picnic in Central Park! This is a great lead-up to their Pride Month mass at Stonewall National Monument on June 25th, offering us a chance to celebrate God's love for all His creation.
• Hungry for more? The Lunch Bunch meets on June 17th for its monthly gathering of seniors. We'll also be distributing food bags through our Loaves and Fishes pantry on June 20th.

Additional events will explore more themes from Magnifica Humanitas and the contributions of women to the Church.

We hope that the Summer Socials will make the social doctrine of the Church more accessible - and dare we say fun? We look forward to engaging with you all this summer!

God Bless,

The Church of St. Paul the Apostle

Our parish has set a record for adult initiations for three consecutive years, and we have already interviewed over twenty prospective Catholics for the 2026-27 cycle. Nationwide, we are seeing an incredible surge in initiation. We will need many, many parishioners to be available as sponsors. 

To learn more about what an OCIA sponsor is and why being a sponsor should be on your Catholic bucket list, join Dr. Dave, the OCIA ministry team, and several neophytes for an OCIA Prospective Sponsor Open House on June 7 at 11:30 AM in room 201-202. We will give an overview of the OCIA process and will hear from our newest Catholics about their experiences as well as parishioners who have recently served as sponsors. The only qualifications you are need are to be a fully initiated Catholic who is willing to share your love of Catholic faith and building community, and that you need to be eligible for safe environment training. 

Take some time to prayerfully discern if God is calling you to be a sponsor. Please RSVP to Dr. Dave at david.de.la.fuente@stpaultheapostle.org.

Grant eternal rest to Paula Ryan, Anne Piacentini, Stella Scott, Ernie Purugganan, Richard Giusti, John J. Kenny, Maria Rosario Roldan, Edda Feldman, Anne Piacentini, Josephine Szurlej, Frank Vecchione, Anne O'Sullivan, Rohan Fernandes, Jessy Ayala, and Jim Ivers 

Grant health and healing to Tom Donlon, Yvette Gerosimo, Shay Gavin, Theresa Dickson, Jean Kazim Rosa, Margaret Mary Brower, Fernando Sanchez, Albert Besteiro, Jim Ivers, D. Carl Jost, Reg Parks, Denise Toms, Saydi Charbel, Verena Sisa Thompson, Larry L Meyers, Fernando Sanchez, Rafael Antonio Gayoso, Jon Detrow, Patricia A. Lyon, Patricia Araujo, Mary Ann Grundey, Karen Jackson, Sandi DiMola, Dee Tomeo, Donnie Strickland, Salvatore Cinturati, Brian O’Connor, Imelda Alamia, Denise Abady, Barbara Abady, and Maxine Metz.

Grant peace and well-being to John J. Kenny, Anne Guerbe, Jennifer and Lola DeCarli, Christopher Henderson, and Matthew Martorana and Isabel C.

Have someone you would like our parish to pray for? You can submit prayer requests through our online form below. The names in your intentions will be shared with the parish here and will remain in our virtual newsletter one month after submission.

Click the button below to fill out our prayer request form:

Church Hours

Monday-Tuesday, Thursday - Friday

7:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Wednesday

7:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Saturday

8:30 AM - 6:30 PM

Sunday

7:00 AM - 6:30 PM

Mass Schedule

Daily Mass 


Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday

7:30 AM and 12:10 PM

Wednesday

7:30 AM, 12:10 PM, and 6:30 PM

Saturday

8:30AM 


Sunday Mass


Saturday

5:00 PM (Vigil)

Sunday

8:00 AM - Mass Without Music

10:00 AM - Mass With St. Paul's Choir

12:30 PM - Misa con Coro en Español

5:00 PM - Mass With Inspirit Ensemble



Help Us Make 2026 Our Biggest Year of Outreach

Your generous donations enable us to serve the people of St. Paul's through our ministries, events, outreach programs, and so much more - not to mention the cost of keeping the church warm during these brisk winter months!

We've put some information below about how you can give back if you are able to. Please note that you can direct your donations to the ministry of your choice, whether that be to our food pantry, your favorite community-building ministry, or more!

To donate online go to www.stpaultheapostle.org and click on "Make a Donation" in the top right corner. Please remember that you can have your donations go directly to the ministry of your choice!

Or with the ParishSoft Text-TO-GIVE platform, you can text a donation to make a quick gift to help support The Church of St. Paul the Apostle.

Just text NY539 to the number (646) 859-1860 to enroll.

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Our services, along with the readings and hymns for weekends, can be found on our SPA app - you can download it by scanning the relevant QR code above! Our app also has an online "copy" you can access through your phone's browser in case you have difficult accessing it. Find it at https://stpaulny.web4uapps.com.