May 2016 – St. Anselm Celebrates First Communions

On three Sunday mornings in May – the 1st, the 8th, and the 15th – St. Anselm celebrated First Communion for the children in the parish, both those from Saint Anselm Catholic Academy and the St. Anselm Religious Education Program.

The Mass on Sunday, May 1st was particularly splendid as Bishop DiMarzio, on a Pastoral Visit to the parish, was the principal celebrant, along with Msgr. Maloney and the priests of St. Anselm Parish as co-celebrants.

The May celebrations were the culmination of a two-year formation process that included a Family Commitment Mass in September of 2015, First Penance in March and Faith Formation classes for the parents. Moreover, the priests of the parish interviewed all the children and parents. Bro. Robert Duffy, O.S.F. directed the Faith Formation Classes with the assistance of Mrs. Ann Lynch and Mrs. Theresa Torre, and all the catechist of the Parish and the Academy.

For each First Communion Mass the pews along the center aisle were decorated with banners designed by the children and their families, as an expression of their faith and joy at receiving Our Lord in this their First Communion.

With altar servers leading the procession, each First Communion Mass concluded with a solemn crowning of the statue of the Virgin Mary, either in the church garden on 82nd Street or within the church itself – depending on the weather (May was a cold and rainy month). The girls in white dresses and veils and the boys in suits joined their families in singing hymns in honor of the Virgin as a beautiful crown was placed on the statue’s head.

Congratulations to the children of the St. Anselm First Communion Class of 2016. Thank you to Brother Robert Duffy, to Mrs. Ann Lynch, and Mrs. Theresa Torre, and to the priests of St. Anselm Parish for their dedicated and tireless work in bringing the children to this point along the way in their walk with Christ. A special thank you to the parents for being the children’s first model of God’s love, for having presented their children for Baptism, for having nurtured them in the Faith, and for continuing to provide homes in which the love of Christ is enshrined.                                                                  

 

 

Saint Anselm First Communion Class 

May 1, 8 & 15, 2016

JOHN ALMARY                          NANDANA ATHIYUNTHAN

RAHUL ATHIYUNTHAN             CHRISTOPHER AULETTI

MALLORY AZZOLINO               ERIC BARBIERE

ANNIKA BARTON                      SEBASTIAN BENITEZ

MEGHAN BRENNAN                 KATERINA CEVALLOS

VIVIEN COSMO                         CATHERINE DEAN  

MICHAEL DIRIENZO                 NICHOLAS DIRIENZO

ANGELINA FALLAH                   NICHOLAS FELICIANO

ISABELLA FRIEDMAN               CHRISTOPHER GHORRA

KEIRA GRANT                           THOMAS HART

ERNEST KARAS                        LEAH MEDINA

KYLE MEOLI                              EMILY MILANOVICH

SIENNA MORGAN                     ANGELINA PARK    

ANGELINA RUMAYOR              DONNA SAAD

JONATHAN SAFFAYEH             CHRISTIAN SAFFAYEH

MAXWELL SANYER                  JIM SARJI

ISABEL SCHOELLER                MAEVE SHEEHAN

CHRISTOPHER STUDZINSKI   GIACOMO TARASCO

KIERA THOMAS                        JEREMIAH TRACEY

MICHAEL TUOHY                      ETHAN VALERIO

PAIGE VOLK                              CHRISTOPHER VOLPER

NOREEN WHITE                        LUKAS YAN

 

All the Best,                                                                                               

The St. Anselm Publicity Committee

(Please CLICK HERE for photos)