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Fr. Steve Bicsko, CM,’s sister Kathy, family, and friends were joined by confreres from Philadelphia, New York, and Niagara, graduates from St. Tommy More High School, and a teacher from Archbishop Wood High School for Fr. Steve’s wake and funeral last Tuesday and Wednesday. Fr. Steve and his sister were very close, and she recounted many treasured memories of their vacations together. Joe Foley, Steve’s good friend, knew him well and captured Steve’s spirit as he preached the funeral homily. If you haven’t read the obituary from St. John’s, I encourage you to view it now. Click here.
Saturday was a busy day in New York. Last week, our seminarians from De Andreis House and the Miraculous Medal House got together on a nearby “pitch” for a friendly soccer match. Even some of the international student confreres studying at St. John’s joined in. Fr. Luis Romero, CM, vocation director, provides the following recap of the weekend:
This past weekend, the seminarians from De Andreis House in Philadelphia traveled to spend the weekend in New York with the seminarians at the Miraculous Medal House. This gathering of seminarians has been done once a year in the past. Now, we look at doing this once a semester. This gathering offers the seminarians an opportunity to share their experiences and enjoy brotherhood. The weekend included prayer, reflection, and fun!
The seminarians from Philadelphia arrived in New York on Friday, October 31. With 22 seminarians and three priests, the house was at full capacity. The next day, which was the Solemnity of All Saints, started with the celebration of the Eucharist followed by breakfast. One could feel the joy, and the dining room filled with laughter as the seminarians were sharing breakfast.
After breakfast, there was a session of photo taking. All the seminarians were photographed with the idea of updating their photos on the seminarians' poster for next year.
In the afternoon on Saturday, there was a soccer match between De Andreis House and Miraculous Medal House. The final score of that match was 10 to 6, with a result of the seminarians of Miraculous Medal House as the CHAMPIONS! The day concluded with dinner and a movie night.
Sunday morning, on the Commemoration of All Souls Day, all gathered at 9 a.m. in the chapel for Morning Prayer and Meditation. Breakfast followed and table games after, while the net was being setup in the front yard for a volleyball tournament. There were four teams with five seminarians on each team. One of the teams was made up of the five novices and another was made up of the four seminarians in theology and Br. Vincent Luong, CM, completed their team.
The seminarians of the Miraculous Medal House were divided into two teams. Denis Viquez was the referee. The champions of this tournament were the Team of the Theologians. It was a fun time!
After the tournament was lunch and time to rest and get ready to head to St. Thomas More Church at St. John's University to join the 5:30 p.m. Mass, at which I presided. This Mass was also the opening of National Vocation Awareness Week! Fr. Mike Nguyen, CM; Fr. Erik Sanchez, CM; and Fr. Hugo Medellin, CM; were also present at this Mass.
After Mass, the seminarians were giving out vocation items to the students as they were leaving the church. Then, all seminarians returned to the Miraculous Medal House for dinner, and the champions were awarded their prize. This concluded the gathering, and the seminarians of De Andreis headed back to Philadelphia.
Click here to see a short video of the weekend events and here for pictures.
St. John’s University President’s Dinner
Friends of St. John’s University filled the ballroom of the New York Hilton Midtown last Thursday evening for the 28th Annual President’s Dinner. The event was a great success and raised more than $4 million for scholarships.
Four honorees were given the Spirit of Service Award. They were Edward W. Doherty of Doherty Enterprises; Steven J. Gartner who is a current member of the St. John’s University Board of Trustees; Thomas K. Rudzewick, President and Chief Executive Officer of Maspeth Federal Savings and Loan Association; and Pamela G. Shea-Byrnes, who received the award posthumously. She had served as Vice President for University Ministry and University Events and was described as the compassionate face of St. John’s. Click here to learn more about the honorees and to view a video of students as they reflect on the impact of St. John's Vincentian Mission on their lives.
HOOPS OF STEEL: Vincent De Paul’s Closest Friendships by Fr. Robert Maloney, CM
HOOPS OF STEEL has been published on Amazon. This work explores how the friendships of St. Vincent de Paul deeply influenced his life, mission, and commitment to charity. Beyond their collaborations, the book highlights friendship itself: how St. Vincent cultivated lasting bonds that brought him joy, strength, and personal growth. The book combines historical rigor with clarity and narrative warmth, offering a fresh perspective on community, leadership, and holiness in action—and reminding us that great achievements are never reached alone. Click here to see the book on Amazon.
Vocation video
This week’s video is Committed Yourself to PRAYER. If you post it online you can add this description: “Fr. Luis Romero, CM, Vincentian vocation director, shares how Vincentian seminarians are deeply committed to a life of prayer as they prepare to serve as priests or brothers.”
Vincentian Center for Church and Society
The third lecture of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and the University series sponsored by the Vincentian Chair of Social Justice is "The Catholic Intellectual Tradition in an Era of AI." The presentation will be given by: Joseph Vukov, PhD, an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Associate Director at the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage, Loyola University in Chicago. It's on Monday, November 17 at 1:50 p.m. in the D'Angelo Center, Room 416 on the Queens Campus. You can register today by clicking here.
More information on the Vincentian Chair of Social Justice Lecture Series can be found on their website.
A Post of the Nuntia Express
Click here to read a recent post from the Nuntia Express.
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