Thanks

Giving Thanks....is everyday. Giving Thanks for family, home, Faith, friendships and for the blessing of sharing hope, peace, understanding, acceptance and charity of spirit.    What wonderful gifts we all have to share....this is what Thanks-Giving is all about.    

Be Creative!

We are GOD’S WORK OF ART…

             and called to be 

                       the CREATIVE  person 

                                    we were meant to be.

Come to Sister Ave’s “Brunch Retreat”

November 12th from 9:45 to 11:30

andDISCOVER/EXPERIENCE/CELEBRATE

your inner creativity with

                      Sister Mary Anna Euring,OP

                            (Artist & Musician)

Summer Hearts

          

Visit website and be uplifted.    Prayer Joy. Peace and Hope

            Contact.  718-428-2471.  For brochure and updated info.

Summer Hearts

Those lazy, hazy days of summer are here.  Some of us get to slow down to enjoy the summer sun, sand, beach, pool, and family activities while others have to continue working with no relief in sight! Whatever you do this summer, let your summer heart burn with love for God and one another.  Bring joy with you wherever you go.....it’s portable!

                                                                      Angela Belsole

In Memory of Sr. Therese Ezelius, O.P.

Sr. Therese Ezelius, O.P.  A dear O.P. sister friend passed away in April of this year.   She and some sisters at our Motherhouse would meet occasionally and play cards.  And boy did they gamble with joy!!  No money...just for the fun of seeing who would win. The winner got to wear the crown!!  Therese was a winner many times and wore her crown joyfully!. Perhaps this says so much about Therese...she saw in life simple ways of sharing joy with others. So if you ever win the lottery.... think of Therese wearing her crown and be joyful.

Welcome Mary In Your Heart this May

CHECK OUT THE PICTURE PAGE TO SEE PHOTOS FROM HEART TO HEART 25TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY



On That Day

She was no more than fifteen when the angel came to her
It has been proclaimed the Annunciation, but it was much more than that
No one word could convey what happened that day
What was she feeling, thinking, experiencing when she heard the words,
"full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed are thou, Holy Mary, Mother of God."
Was she frightened, overwhelmed, inspired?
She could not have known how her life would change
Nor could she have comprehended the depth and breadth of its significance
Yet she accepted her calling
From the cradle to the cross
What faith, what love, what devotion

There are times in our lives when each of us are asked to be
Or become what the Lord has intended
To endeavor and evolve
To withstand, then understand, our purpose, our grace, our holiness
Could we be as faithful, as loving, as devoted
As Mary was on that day?

                                          By:  James Palmaro

In Memory of Bishop Rene Valero

In memory of ...  good priest, a fine person and great friend who enjoyed sharing in Heart to Heart Ministry.  Let us all be loving kindness ... just as Bishop Valero lived this great gift every day of his life.

In February, Sr. Ave Clark was interviewed by Tony Rossi on his Christopher Close Up Radio Show.  She talked about her book, Heart to Heart Parables.  Click HERE to read the commentary and listen to the interview.

REFLECTION: JOY IN LENT

     What comes to mind when you think about Lent?  Ashes.  Sacrifice. Crucifixion.  Penance.  Fasting.  Sin.  Joy?  St. Benedict told his monks that during Lent they should look forward to Easter "with joy and spiritual longing."
     True joy is a deep down conviction that all is well and all will be well despite how we feel or what is going on around us.  Joy is the permanent possession of every believer gifted to us at our Baptism, not some passing delight that comes and goes by chance.  The season of Lent reminds us that we are called to be a joyful people and encourages us to keep moving ahead, to stay or get back on the path, to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.  We do this with joyful, hopeful hearts through prayer, fasting and good works.
     I know that Jesus has taken possession of me, that God lives within me, that perfect joy is only possible if I give my life completely over to Jesus.  But do I do that?  No.  Sure, there are times that I have experienced the freedom that comes with being a child of God.  But then I push Jesus away, I forget, I am afraid, I get lazy, I sin.  Lent is the perfect time to reflect on all this and make adjustments in our prayer and in our relationships so that Jesus, once again, can take center stage in our lives.  Do not be afraid to take the first step.
     We stand on the shoulders of a glorious assembly of holy women and men who have gone before us, and we are supported and inspired by the modern day saints who surround us. We are not in this alone -- they will help us and we will help each other to live as joyful children of God in the glorious light of Jesus our King.

~~Angela M. Belsole, Dominican Associate~~

          💕💕💕💕ANNOUNCEMENT💕💕💕💕

                    Sr. Ave Clark, O.P.  

                   Heart to Heart Ministry 

                      has moved

New Address:       48-60 Oceania Street

              Bayside, New York 11364
Phone Number and Email address remains the same

A Marvelous Apostolate

January 9, 2019  
By Father Robert Lauder

LAST NOVEMBER, the Amityville Dominicans held their annual gala celebration and fundraiser. Ordinarily, I don’t attend galas or large dinner celebrations, but I knew that the decision to attend or not attend this one was a “no brainer.”

The Dominican Sisters were honoring Sister Ave Clark, O.P., one of the most impressive persons I know.

Through her “Heart to Heart” ministry, Sister Ave has touched the lives of many. When I asked her to describe what the “Heart to Heart” ministry is, Sister said it was a ministry of compassion and compassionate prayer. It shares evenings of prayer and hope to uplift people’s spirit. At least once each semester I attend one of these evenings and share my faith, hope and love with others. I don’t recall how many years I have been participating, but of course, I receive much more than I give.

Participating and sharing in “Heart to Heart” ministry has been a wonderful blessing and grace in my life. For me, the highlight of an evening of prayer and compassion with Sister Ave is when she shares anecdotes from her own life. When I first heard some of these anecdotes, I wondered if Sister Ave was creating them from her own imagination. Could these experiences she was reporting actually happen in her life? The experiences that did actually happen have God’s grace written all over them. Sister Ave’s life of compassionate love is an inspiration to me.

“Heart to Heart” ministry and Sister Ave are on my mind at this moment because I am recalling what a wonderful evening the Gala was but even more because of Sister Ave’s new book, “Heart to Heart Parables: Sowing Seeds of Peace, Hope, Faith and Love.” Having finished reading the book, I regret that I did not say a prayer before reading each of the parables. The book contains wonderful insights into compassion and love and I think praying before reading would have made my reading experience even more fruitful.

On the first page of her book, Sister Ave lists 14 groups of people or types of problems toward which “Heart to Heart” ministry reaches out. Among them are the following: Rachel Prayer Hour: post-abortion syndrome; Elizabeth Ministry: for parents who have lost a child; Caring Hearts: for people with PTSD; Samaritan Hearts: victims of tragic crimes; SOS: survivors of suicide; Roses: for survivors of abuse/ violence/ domestic violence. Sister Ave has personally experienced a number of the wounds she lists. She is a powerful example of a “wounded healer.” The dedication that Sister Ave wrote for her book not only fits the book but reveals something of her faith and the great compassion with which she lives her life:

“This book is dedicated in thanksgiving for all the gifts our Creator has given to us ever so generously … the birds, the flowers, dogs and even little ants that somehow let us know that the beauty of creation can teach us in humble, quiet, hidden, and unassuming ways to value, cherish and care for all of life especially by living our Faith courageously and graciously with ‘Gratitude’ of the heart.”

There are parables in Sister Ave’s book involving dogs, flowers and ants. I found all of the parables both insightful and beautiful. Each parable has a message that can help readers to see more deeply into the mystery of their lives. The prologue to the book was written by Antoinette Bosco. In the first paragraph, she describes Sister’s accomplishment in writing parables. Bosco writes the following:

“It takes a skilled story teller like Sister Ave Clark to compose a parable. But when the tale seems to come truly from the heart, and not the head, that is when you know you’re in ‘Sister Ave Land’. Her stories are for anyone who has been thrashed to the bottom, stuck in the dark, not believing, at that moment that it is even worth trying to get up. By using the humblest creatures of nature as her main characters, Sister Ave exposes the miracle of hope.” (p. 11)

I have no idea how many people attend Sister’s events. When I attend, I see about 50 or 60 people. Her hopeful attitude is the same no matter how many people attend. For those who have never attended, Sister Ave’s new book can serve as in introduction to a remarkable woman.