If you have ever considered becoming Catholic or need one or more Sacraments you would like to receive, now is the time! Our Parish RCIA program and classes begin this September. We will begin meeting weekly on September 11, 2022, but until then we would love to meet & speak to you in person. We are hosting an informal gathering, a meet & greet, on Sunday, July 10.
The meeting will be held immediately following the 8:45 a.m. Mass, (9:45 a.m.) in the St. Patrick room, located inside the Christian Living Center. The Center is located at 2025 20th Ave. adjacent to the Church. Please bring your completed registration form and copy of your baptism if you have it. We will also have all forms available that morning. We will be offering the classes both in English and Spanish. Please call Paige at 562-5954 or visit the Religious Education Office 2005 Tallahassee Ave. We look forward to seeing you there!
All are welcome to join us on Sunday, July 10th to welcome newly ordained Fr. Armando Leon as parochial vicar to St. Helen Parish. Stop by the Knights of Columbus Hall (923 19th Place) for an open house reception from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm. Refreshments will be served. Fr. Armando spent his pastoral year with us and we are so happy to welcome him back.
Fr. Armando Leon is originally from Cuba. He was a Salesian brother for a few years, working in Cuba and the Dominican Republic. In 2012, he earned a Licentiate in Philosophy from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. In August 2016, he enrolled in St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami, and began the formation process to discern my vocation to the diocesan priesthood. In 2017, he became a seminarian of Palm Beach Diocese and began his theological studies at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach.
Construction on the Grotto started Monday, June 20th. Here are some pics…can’t wait to see it completed!
DAY THREE…We’re moving right along!
Day Four: Landscaping and Rocks are in. Most of the bricks are laid, including “Ministry Row”. Looking good!!
This is the site of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Grotto
This is the statue which will be the centerpiece of the grotto
The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe The feast in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe goes back to the 16th century. Chronicles of that period tell us the story. A poor Indian named Cuauhtlatohuac was baptized and given the name Juan Diego. He was a 57-year-old widower, and lived in a small village near Mexico City. On Saturday morning December 9, 1531, he was on his way to a nearby barrio to attend Mass in honor of Our Lady. Juan was walking by a hill called Tepeyac when he heard beautiful music like the warbling of birds. A radiant cloud appeared, and within it stood an Indian maiden dressed like an Aztec princess. The lady spoke to him in his own language and sent him to the bishop of Mexico, a Franciscan named Juan de Zumarraga. The bishop was to build a chapel in the place where the lady appeared. Eventually the bishop told Juan to have the lady give him a sign. About this same time Juan’s uncle became seriously ill. This led poor Juan to try to avoid the lady. Nevertheless the lady found Juan, assured him that his uncle would recover, and provided roses for Juan to carry to the bishop in his cape or tilma. On December 12, when Juan Diego opened his tilma in the bishop’s presence, the roses fell to the ground, and the bishop sank to his knees. On the tilma where the roses had been appeared an image of Mary exactly as she had appeared at the hill of Tepeyac.
Couples who have had their wedding anniversary in July are invited to come to the altar after the 10:30 a.m. Mass to have their marriage blessed by our deacon.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you. (John 20:21)
We wish to acknowledge and thank those who are supporting our 2022 Diocesan Services Appeal. Thank you for reaching out to the needy and for your help to St. Helen Parish. We are currently at 73% of our goal of $326,000. We need $87,648 as of May 13th If you have not yet made a commitment to our Diocesan Services Appeal we ask you to prayerfully consider a donation. Envelopes are available at the Church doors and the parish office.
For online donation please be sure to reference St. Helen Parish: DONATE HERE
We are excited to announce that we will begin PHASE THREE of our Centennial Renovation has begun. PHASE THREE will involve the painting of two murals related to St. Helen on the transepts, completion of the nave – the main body of the Church, and new Stations of the Cross. Conrad Schmitt Studios will continue the work, which will be completed by October 2022. The cost to the final phase is estimated at $1,100,000. To date we have received one sizable donation and several others totaling $749,000. The remaining balance of the cost will come from some reserves of the Church and a PHASE THREE CAMPAIGN which will begin once all of the marketing data is in hand. Due to the size and the history of St. Helen Church we are hopeful upon completion of this phase to submit an application to the Vatican for St. Helen to be designated as a minor basilica.
We will be providing ongoing information on our plans, renderings of the work to be performed, the PHASE THREE CAMPAIGN, and alternate plans for Masses during construction.
If you wish to donate to phase three of our Centennial Renovation you can do so by:
1. Text to Give by dialing 772-208-6229 and choose Centennial Renovation.
2. Utilize your Faith Direct account to schedule funds for this collection.
3. There are special envelopes designated for Centennial Renovation at the Church doors and in the back of the church.
4. We are now able to accept credit card donations. Please stop by the parish office.
Emperor Constantine’s Vision
In our Christian history, there have been many significant moments of spiritual inflection. History tells us that the early Church was persecuted mercilessly for the first three centuries. With very few exceptions, every pontiff of this era entered eternity as a martyr. Thousands upon thousands of faithful were forced to walk a via crucis and die for the Son of God and His Gospel. This all changed when Emperor Constantine, son of St. Helen, had a famous vision prior to the battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312. Our Lord revealed a bright sign in the sky composed of the Greek letters Chi and Rho with the Latin words “In Hoc Signo Vinces” beneath it. We know that Chi-Rho are the first two letters of the title Christ. The Latin phrase means “In this sign conquer.” Constantine had this symbol emblazoned upon his army gear, shields and weapons. When he defeated Maxentius in this historical battle, Christianity was declared legal and protected by law with the Edict of Milan in 315 AD. This painting portrays the emperor Constantine seeing the vision in the sky with the opposing armies in the distance ready to do battle. Historically, this is an important moment. Spiritually, it is a key in the development of Christianity across the Roman empire and world. As Tertullian famously said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” The first centuries martyrs ensured the faith survived by offering the greatest gift possible, their life.
St. Helen Finds the True Cross
In this mural, we see the historical moment when St. Helen traveled to Jerusalem and found the true Cross of Christ. With piety and devotion, Helen approached her son, Constantine, desiring to travel to the Holy Land and erect three major basilicas. In the year 325 AD, Helen entered Jerusalem and set out on this noble task. She consulted the local populace as to where the site of Jesus’s crucifixion would be found. It was revealed that the Romans had constructed a pagan temple dedicated to three deities was placed over it. Helen had this enormous structure removed at great personal expense. Upon removal, a small hill along with a pit which contained three crosses was revealed. Helen consulted Bishop Marcarius, the local prelate of Jerusalem, who instructed her to have a sick individual touch each of the crosses and only the true one would bring healing. In this mural, we see the true Cross being shown in the center with a sick person being brought to touch it. Once healing happened, the veracity of the true relic was confirmed. St. Helen is profoundly important for the universal Church as well as us here in our small town of Vero Beach.
As mentioned, this phase will include new Stations of the Cross. The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ as he experiences his arrest, crucifixion, and death. Each of these stations will include an original depiction of Christ, designed for St. Helen. Many of the stations are still being developed but we include below an example of how the framed sixth station will appear.
BEHIND THE SCENES! RENOVATION WEEK ONE!
BEHIND THE SCENES: RENOVATION WEEK THREE!
Let’s just call them the “Ceiling Crew”. Tom, Jimmy, Scott and Gabe are working on covering the current ceiling with boards that will be painted dark blue and have gold stars on them.
Floor level from back of Church
View from 2nd level of scaffolding
View on top of scaffolding
The blue ceiling
The top of the scaffolding…the hike up was a bit daunting!
Early Bird Special – Register & Pay before May 1st
Register before May 1st and the fee is $125 for the 1st child (Sibling discount $100 for 2nd child and $75 for 3rd child) per week.
Register for the entire summer before May 1st and get ONE WEEK FREE if the entire summer is PAID IN FULL. (1st child $875, 2nd child $700, 3rd child $525
After May 1st the fee for the 1st child is $150 per week (Sibling discount $125 for 2nd child and $100 for 3rd child).
After May 1st, pay for the entire summer and get one week FREE. First child $1050, 2nd child $875, third child $700
For questions and additional information call 772-562-5954
Due to our church renovation we will be temporarily discontinuing our live stream service of weekend Masses. We encourage you to tune in to the televised Mass compliments of the Diocese of Palm Beach. Mass airs each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. on CW34. You can also view it from the Diocese website: TELEVISED MASS
Thank you to all who have subscribed to our YouTube channel. St. Helen Vero will now be moving to Vimeo for live streaming and uploading videos! You can find us at the following link: https://vimeo.com/user109863429 You do not need an account with Vimeo to view our videos, but please consider following us! Thank you for your continued support and God bless you!
