The Annual Christmas Pageant
of the Religious Education Program
is a beautiful event enacted by the 1st through 5th graders.  All parishioners are invited to attend the pageant
from 4:30PM to 6:00PM  in the
school gymnasium on
Monday, December 19, 2016
and also on
Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Due to the dangerously low temperatures,
Religion classes for
Saturday, JANUARY 6th, 2018
are all CANCELLED
Please stay safe and warm at home.

   

The 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders of the Religious Education Program together with their family members had a wonderful time learning about the Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal and how the Blessed Virgin Mary spoke to the three shepherd children.  The Blessed Virgin Mary urged the children to invite everyone to pray the ROSARY daily in order to help end the war in Europe.  Today, the children are also encouraged to pray the rosary to show their love for Mary and for world peace.  As part of their FAMILY CATECHESIS which was held in the Zoeller Center of the parish on February 18, 2017, the students were taught how to make rosaries and were given the materials and tools to do so.  Each family went home with their very own handmade rosaries to treasure for many years to come.

The St. Augustine's Religious Education CHRISTMAS PAGEANTS with the participation of all the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth graders of the program were a huge success!!!  The pageants were held in the school gymnasium on December 19th and 20th.  There were approximately 300 people who witnessed the Christmas Pageants each night.  The students definitely enjoyed participating and learning about the birth of our Lord Jesus on that very first Chrismas Day.
 

      On Wednesday, November 18, 2015, the Religious Education Program held its FAMILY CATECHESIS in the Zoeller Center for our first, second, and third graders.  The topic of the evening was gratitude to our Lord in light of Thanksgiving Day  that's coming up.  The students with the help of their parents put together their own beautiful turkeys made of apples, toothpicks, paper cutouts, and decorated with markers, crayons, and glitter.  Each turkey feather had something written which they're thankful for.  In addition, each student was given a special Thanksgiving Prayer which they can read out loud before their Thanksgiving meal.  Overall, everyone had a fantastic time and every family left with laughter, excitement, and joy.

And the children had a great time learning how to play "TURKEY PONG" from Ms. Noreen DeSarlo!!!

       In order for a student to be considered in the NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY, the student must demonstrate that he or she is committed to the community through some type of volunteer work.  Most high schools ask that the students volunteer a total of 5 hours for each "quarter marking period".  For students who are thinking of getting a part-time job in the future, having a record of consistent volunteer service on the resume also helps give the student an advantage of getting hired over the competition.  In addition, I would be more than happy to provide a letter of recommendation for any of our young volunteers for any of the following purposes:  scholarships, job application, college application, etc.

     If your child is looking for the perfect opportunity for volunteer service, ask them to consider volunteering as a ASSISTANT CATECHIST in the classroom for the lower grades right here at Saint Augustine's.  This type of volunteer work keeps them active in the parish community.  Please choose from the following schedule:
                     --- MONDAYS (4:30PM to 6:00PM)
                     --- TUESDAYS (4:30PM to 6:00PM)
                     --- SATURDAYS (8:30AM to 10:00AM)

      For more information, kindly contact Mrs. Hoblin, the Director of Religious Education, by email at staugustineREO@gmail.com or by phone at 845-634-8462.
 

On December 21st and December 22nd of 2015, the first through fifth grade students in our parish Religious Education Program put on two fantastic CHRISTMAS PAGEANTS for their parents, families, friends, and all the parishioners of Saint Augustine Church.  Everyone agreed that these were the best Christmas Pageants ever put together yet.  The singing was terrific and the music accompaniment of Mrs. Joy Costan Vanadio was excellent.  In addition, the three students who sang their solos, Cassandra Gutierrez, Cecilia Vanadio, and Rose Houlihan, did a superb job.  The first graders were dressed as sheep, the second grade boys were all shepherds, the second grade girls were all angels, the third grade students were singers of the Twelve Days of Christmas, while all the third, fourth, and fifth graders were part of the FABULOUS CHOIR!!!  Several of the second graders were chosen to play Mary, Joseph, the three Wise Men, the Drummer Boys, the Star of Bethlehem, and Angel Gabriel.  Everybody had a great time and you can tell that all of the students gave it their best!!! We are extremely PROUD of them all !!!

     
 

On November 15, 2015, ten of our Saint Augustine catechists were honored by the Archdiocese of New York at the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers in Ossining, New York by Bishop Gerald T. Walsh and Sister Joan Curtin.  Our catechists were recognized for their outstanding commitment to evangelization and faith formation.  The following catechists were awarded their Certification in Catechist Formation for Level One:  Frances Procino, Donna Termini, Greg Hutter, Rose Campbell, and Stephen Hegarty. The following catechists were given the Medal of Honor for their 25 years of service as catechists:  Anne Fallon, Maryanne Modafferi, Chris Prendergast, and Michael Borges.  In addition, Gerard Scanlan received a special recognition for his 45 years of teaching the faith as a catechist and as an RCIA instructor.  Please join us in congratulating them and commending them for their selfless dedication to our parish.