Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) |
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Frequently Asked Questions When is Mass? Who is saying what Mass? What time are Confessions (the sacrament of Reconciliation) heard? How can I reach someone in the Rectory? How much of my money goes to the Diocese? To fund the many Diocesan programs and offices in Rockville Centre, the Diocese assesses each parish 8% of regular collections. Regular collections includes Sunday, Holy Day, Easter and Christmas collections.The Diocese does not assess contributions which are donated for an approved capital campaign or donated for a specific program, such as Parish Outreach. Why is there only one priest at Sts. Peter and Paul Church? The number of priests assigned to a parish is based on five sacramental statistics. These are baptisms, first communions, and confirmations (children only), marriages and funerals. A four year average is calculated for each parish. The proportion of this parish average to the Diocesan wide average is then applied to the number of active priests in the Diocese. Unique situations must also be considered. These would include the need for priests who speak a particular language used in the area or the age or health of the assigned priests. As of July, 2002, there were less than 300 active priests in the Diocese of Rockville Centre. There are 134 parishes in the Diocese. There are now 45 one-priest parishes, one third of the parishes. Extern priests are not included in this figure. An extern priest is a priest from another diocese serving in the local diocese. If an extern priest wishes to become a permanent member of the Diocese, he must receive permission from his home diocese and be accepted into the Rockville Centre Diocese. He may then be incardinated into the Rockville Centre Diocese after having served well for a number of years in two diocesan assignments. Please understand that we have no control over Diocesan personnel policy. What are the boundaries of Sts. Peter and Paul Church? The parish is V-shaped. Our western border is Wading River-Manorville Rd (exit 69N on the LIE). Our northern border is the Mill Road which goes into Manorville. Families are no longer bound by official boundaries and many families visit the local parishes before registering. Click here for directions.
\ There are approximately 1300 registered families of which 540 are considered “active” and supporting the parish with their time, talent and treasure. How do I get help from Parish Social Outreach? If you are experiencing financial difficulties, (temporary or long term), and need assistance with food, or need to find out what resources are available to pay for rent or mortgage in arrears, or what to do if your gas & electric may be shut off, or if you are unable to pay for heat in the winter, contact Parish Social Outreach. If you are experiencing other difficulties and don't know where to turn for help, contact Parish Social Outreach. The hours are Monday and Wednesday 10am – 3pm. To receive assistance from our Outreach Pantry, please call 369-7142 for an appointment. Please check the bulletin, as times may change due to changing calendars and holidays. You may contact Geri Kramer at 631-369-1273 to set up an appointment for other times. I want to get married at Sts. Peter and Paul Church. The first step in planning a wedding is to call the parish secretary (631-369-1273) to arrange for an appointment with a priest or deacon. To be married at Saints Peter and Paul, either the bride or groom must be a registered parishioner. I would like to have my baby baptized at Sts. Peter and Paul Church. What should I do? The first step in planning a baptism is for the parent(s) to call the parish secretary (631-369-1273) to determine a date for the baptism. For first time parents a Baptism Preparation Class is required. The Preparation Class reviews the theology of the sacrament of Baptism, the ritual of the Baptism day, and the challenges and joys of raising children in the Catholic faith. Parishioners, on occasion, have asked about Baptism during Lent. Lent is a penitential season of 40 days preparing catechumens (the unbaptized) for the Easter victory and the Easter sacraments. The church has designated that the Easter vigil or Easter Sunday be the ordinary time for baptism of adults. Such specific norms do not exist for the baptism of infants and children. Since 1988, when the RCIA became effective, many US bishops have adopted the practice of deferring such baptisms of infants and children to Easter Sunday and the Easter season.Of course, in danger of death, the church allows baptism of children and adults "without delay". This has been true even of infants. Outside of Lent, Sunday Mass is the best occasion for infants and others to be baptized. Sunday is resurrection day throughout the year. Baptism presumes that the Catholic parents of an infant are practicing Catholics, prepared to attend weekly mass and bring their child up in the faith. Because of Lent’s preparatory character, special Rituals are celebrated at Sunday Mass for those about to be baptized. Celebrating infant baptisms at these masses would, of course, be inconsistent and contradictory to the Lenten time of preparation. Lenten baptisms are allowed in this diocese, on a Sunday afternoon for example. This is especially true in large parishes where hundreds of baptisms of infants are celebrated every year. (St. Rose in Massapequa has 400 baptisms per year [none at Sunday Mass]and permits infant baptism in Lent, as well as weddings) In this small parish (40 baptisms per year), the pastoral policy has been to delay baptism until the Easter season. In an emergency situation, the policy is nullified. If, despite this explanation of policy on infant baptism during Lent, parents of an infant are confused or anxious, I will be pleased to speak with them. Please contact Father. What is a God Parent?
What is an Annulment? How do I get one? An Annulment is a judgment by the Church that a presumed valid marriage, which ended in divorce, was lacking from the very beginning the essential maturity or capacity required for valid marital consent. An Annulment does not deny that a marriage existed. It simply states that this "thought-to-be" marriage, which may have been entered into sincerely and with good will, may not have been valid because of defective consent. A Church Annulment has no effects in the civil law of our country. Such matters as the legitimacy of children, property rights, alimony or child support, etc. are in no way affected by a Church declaration of nullity. How does a divorced person petition the Church to investigate an Annulment case? A phone call to the Diocesan Tribunal is made to initiate the case (516-678-5800 X 571). At this time some preliminary information will be taken on the phone and you will be assigned an Advocate to assist you in preparing your formal petition and gathering the necessary documents. I want to get involved. Where can I find more information about ministries at Sts. Peter and Paul Church? Simply click on one of this link in our Pastoral Ministries to learn about the many ministries at work here at Sts. Peter and Paul Church. Or if you would like, call or stop by the Rectory and ask for a copy of our Ministry Directory, in which you will find more comprehensive descriptions of all the ministries. If you are interested in participating in a ministry here at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, click on this link and complete the Sts. Peter and Paul Church Time and Talent Commitment Form and submit it electronically. You will be contacted by a member of the Sts. Peter and Paul Church Stewardship Committee to help you assess your talents and where they might best be applied within the ministries at Sts. Peter and Paul Church. What is Stewardship? What is time and talent? Stewardship begins with the recognition that all we are and all that we have are gifts from God. Through the efforts of the annual stewardship campaign, we are brought to reflect upon those gifts of time, talent and treasure that we might choose to offer up to God, in thanksgiving for our gifts. Springtime in our parish is the time we reflect upon the time and talents we might choose to dedicate to one or more of the various active ministries at St. Elizabeth. In the fall we renew our commitment of treasure to support the mission of our parish, diocese, and the universal church. Does Sts. Peter and Paul Church have a religious education program? Yes. Sts. Peter and Paul Church offers religious education to our young and our adult parishioners, through our Faith Formation. The Faith Formation is the name of our religious education and spiritual formation process for families with children in elementary and junior high School. It is in session in the parish Center from fall through spring for parents and children. Our faith formation classes are home-based. Instruction is given by a Catechist who teaches a small group of children in their home. There is no parish based instruction except for the confirmation prep in 9th grade. Rites for Christian Initiation for Adults(RCIA) is completed with members of the Pastoral Team (professional parish leadership) or other qualified teachers. Many volunteer leaders serve the program. There is also a Home-Study option for families who learn together at home. For more information, contact Elaine Lamagna at (631) 369-1273. Does Sts. Peter and Paul Church have a school? No, but we support Our Lady Queen of Apostles Regional Catholic School. The main campus, grades K-8, is on the grounds of St. John the Evangelist's parish,Center Moriches. OLQA also has one pre-K with AM and PM sessions. OLQA Regional offers the highest quality Catholic education to children of many parishes in the Western Suffolk area. You can learn more by calling Our Lady Queen of Apostles at (63)878-1033 to learn more.
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