Prayer in Memory of September 11th, 2001

The following prayer was composed by Fr. Brian for an ecumenical service held at the Bellmore Presbyterian Church the night of the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001.  It has been edited slightly to reflect the twenty-five years that have now passed since that horrific day.    

On Friday, September 11th, Bishop Barres will offer a Mass of Remembrance at 12:10 PM at the Cathedral of St. Agnes in Rockville Centre.  All are welcome.

For more information, click here:  Sept 11, 2026 Flyer.pdf

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!

Heaven in Stone and Glass is the title of a soon-to-be-released film from Bishop Robert Barron and Word on Fire.  In this 90 minute film, we'll have the remarkable opportunity to explore the great Gothic cathedrals of France like never before, with Bishop Barron as our guide.  

Embark on a cinematic journey, unlocking the theological depth found in the soaring arches, blazing rose windows, and spiraling labyrinths of Chartres, Notre-Dame, Reims, Amiens, and Saint-Denis.

The film will be shown in local theaters on Sunday, September 20th and Wednesday, the 23rd. 

Watch the latest trailer, and get tickets here:  https://heaveninstoneandglass.com

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

First Grade registration for Faith Formation will kick off with “Ice Cream Sundae Sunday” on Sunday, September 13th, after the 11 AM Mass.  First grade families should head over to the school gym after Mass to enjoy a sweet treat and register your child for our two-year preparation program for First Holy Communion. Check the bulletin or call the Office of Faith Formation for more info.

We look forward to seeing you!  (Yum!!)

Catechetical Sunday is an annual opportunity for all Catholics to rededicate themselves to the mission of teaching the faith, and being witnesses to the Gospel as a community of disciples. The day provides an opportunity to celebrate and pray for all who do the important work of handing on our Catholic faith, and an opportunity for all of us to consider ways we are witnesses for Jesus Christ ourselves.

A special blessing will be offered to all our Faith Formation catechists and the other catechetical ministers of the parish at all the weekend Masses.

Please pray for our catechists and the children they teach!

Thursday, September 24th, will mark a milestone event in the life of the Church in the United States, when the Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen will be beatified at a 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.

Please click the following link for information on daily prayer leading up to the beatification, and a special diocesan event scheduled for September 24th:  The Fulton Sheen Initiative

Good news!  St. Lawrence has reached over 87% 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

His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, has issued a letter commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America.

Click here for the full text of the letter:  Papal Letter on the 250th Anniversary of the United States

On November 13, 2025, the Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, the Patron Saint of Immigrants, the Bishops of New York State released a statement concerning immigration entitled, For You Too Were Once Aliens. Bishop Barres was heavily involved in drafting this statement and is pleased to share it with the People of God in the Diocese of Rockville Centre.

NYS Bishops Statement on Immigration

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!!

December 9th, 2024

Dear Parishioners and Friends, 

On the weekend of September 29^th, I spoke at all the Masses to inform you that the outline of a bankruptcy settlement had been tentatively agreed to by all the parties involved in the diocesan Chapter 11 process.  Since that time, I’ve been eager to update you on the status of the negotiations, but there were new developments being reported almost daily.  Given the events of the past two weeks, however, and substantial coverage in the media, I’d like to take this opportunity to share with you my understanding of what has transpired:

• At a hearing on December 4^th, the settlement plan that had been put forward by the Diocese of Rockville Centre to emerge from bankruptcy, and which had been agreed to by all parties, was confirmed in federal court. This confirmation effectively brings to a close the contentious and painful process that began 4 years ago in October, 2020.
• By way of reminder: the reason the Diocese chose to file for Chapter 11 protection is that the 2019 NYS Child Victims Act precipitated an avalanche of lawsuits in which hundreds of victim survivors claimed to have been abused by clergy or Church personnel.  Almost all of the cases go back decades in time.  St. Lawrence (or priests who once served here) were named in 5 of those lawsuits.  To have faced the litigation of hundreds of cases would have been ruinous to the Diocese and its mission, and so filing for bankruptcy was seen as the only way forward.
• In total, the settlement that will be paid to the victims is more than $323 million. That figure is staggering, but if it allows those who have suffered the shattering experience of abuse to move toward greater healing and peace in the future, the settlement is more than justified.
• No parishes in the Diocese are slated to close because of the bankruptcy process or the amount of the settlement.  No funds donated to the Catholic Ministries Appeal were used in amassing the settlement trust. 
• In order for St. Lawrence—and the other 132 parishes in our Diocese—to share in the protection from future lawsuits afforded to the Diocese, each individual parish moved through an “abbreviated” Chapter 11, which was filed on December 3^rd and completed in less than 24 hours.  
• The Diocese, as well as every parish and ministry, made a contribution to the settlement in order to resolve all past claims of abuse, and to secure the future of the Church's essential work. St. Lawrence’s contribution to the settlement trust was $384,830.  If you’re like me, your reaction to seeing this figure is probably one of disbelief, if not real anger.  But because the people of St. Lawrence have been so generous and so steady in their support, and because past and present finance committees, parish trustees, and staff members have been such responsible stewards, we are in no financial danger.  There will be no special collection.  Our contribution came entirely from what we hold in reserve, and will not adversely impact parish life, future plans, or our day to day responsibility toward paying bills, meeting payroll, etc.

The profound evil and resulting scandal of child abuse was not of our making, but we inherited its devastating effects.  By participating in the bankruptcy process, along with our 132 sister parishes, all claims are resolved; no lawsuits alleging past abuse can be brought against our parish; and survivors will finally receive some degree of compensation for the traumatic experience they continue to live with.  These suffering people and their loved ones are deserving of our prayers and our support.

We pray that the settlement just achieved will give everyone an opportunity for healing and a new beginning.  Out of this bleak chapter in the Church's history, we look to a time of rebirth, to a Church purified and eager to do the Lord’s work in a spirit of humility, compassion, and integrity.  May this Advent season, and the coming celebration of the Savior’s birth, restore our confidence and hope that God is truly with us.

Father Brian   

Please note:  For anyone who believes they have a Sexual Abuse Claim against an Additional Debtor (parish) arising prior to December 3, 2024, the claim form to submit and related information can be found at https://dm.epiq11.com/case/drvc/info under the “Proof of Claim Form” heading.  The deadline for filing claims is January 13, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. prevailing Eastern time.  

*   *   *   *   *   *   *

The following statement was issued by the Communications Office of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, after a long-awaited hearing at which the Court confirmed the bankruptcy settlement plan that had been put forward by the Diocese: 

We are grateful to God that on December 4th, the court confirmed the Plan that resolves and ends the Bankruptcy Case for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, all our parishes, and related ministries.

For the sake of abuse survivors and the Church's mission on Long Island, we pray that the Plan brings some measure of healing to survivors and allows the Church to carry on the saving mission of Jesus Christ. Victim survivors of child abuse deserve our respect, our prayers, and our pastoral support. The Church is grateful for their courage and perseverance.

The total settlement amount was just over $323 million, which included insurance contributions, Diocesan assets and sale proceeds from Diocesan property, and contributions from parishes and other related entities. The Diocese, parishes and other related entities contributed a total of $234.8 million. Insurance companies contributed a total of just over $85 million. Counsel for the Creditor's Committee contributed $3 million. All participated in order to offer equitable compensation to survivors and move this difficult ordeal towards its conclusion.

Parishes also completed an abbreviated Chapter 11 to secure a release from any past liabilities for the parishes. No parishes are closing as a result of this process. No Catholic Ministries Appeal donations were used for this settlement. Parishes will now continue their ministry, free from historical lawsuits and free from bankruptcy. We are grateful for the expert counsel of Jones Day, Alvarez & Marsal, and Reed Smith, as well as for the Westerman Ball Firm of Long Island that shepherded our parishes through Chapter 11.

The Diocese's goal has always been the equitable compensation of survivors of abuse while allowing the Church to continue her essential mission.  We believe this plan has achieved those goals.