Dedication of a Church

The Dedication of our Church and Altar is close at hand and as you will begin to see, the physical removal of items from the old church has start.  Look around the church today and you will notice that the Stations of the Cross are missing.  They have been removed to be cleaned and refinished so they can be installed in the New Church.
There will also be other items being removed from the church in the weeks to come to be cleaned and prepared for placement in the New Church. You will notice that the Stained Glass Window of St Helen will be removed around August 30th and then the “He is Risen” mosaic behind the Tabernacle is being removed by September 6 and finally the Crucifix over the Altar will be taken down for cleaning and placement in the New Church no later then September 6th.  All these need cleaning and repair for placement in their new home. 
Just like these item we need to begin to prepare ourselves for the move by prayer and reading of scripture. It will be hard for some people who have been here for 50 years or 30 or 25 or 15 to make the initial move but God is with us in this journey.  There are a number of opportunities to prepare ourselves for the move and we too will have a spiritual cleansing by fasting and spending one hour in prayer during at the Vigil.
The Relic of St Helen, whom our church is named after, will be displayed at the Vigil please read the following short biography.

Saint Helen
250AD -330AD

St. Helen would have been an obscure person in the history of the church except for one notable event which occurred late in her life.
She was born around 248-250AD probably in Drepanum (later renamed Helenopolis) though the exact city of birth cannot be verified. Little is known about her early life but most historians think she was of poor means.
Helen’s first appearance in history occurred with her marriage to Constantius Chlorus a high ranking soldier and political aspirant. She gave birth to Constantine I (Constantine the Great) in the year 274AD. In 292AD Constantius divorced Helen to pursue high political position. Helen did not remarry and lived in obscurity. Her son Constantine was raised and educated a soldier but he remained very loyal to his mother.
Note: In 293AD the emperor Diocletion split the Roman Empire. He retained control of the Eastern Empire while Maximian was commander of the Western Empire with Constantius as his second in command. In 305AD Constantius became commander of the Western Empire but he died one year later in 306AD.
Constantine became commander in the West in 306AD but this was disputed by the family members of Maximian. Constantine’s reign was threatened by Maxentius in a rebellion in 312AD and he began a quest to put down the uprising. On the eve of their final battle, his army was greatly out numbered by the army of his enemy Maxentius. It is said that Constantine saw a great white cross in the sky and heard the words “Conquer By This”. That night Christ appeared to him in a dream and told him to mark the shields of his army with a heavenly sign. The next day Constantine’s army overtook Maxentius, the rebellion was put down and Constantine was declared the undisputed commander of the Western Empire. Twelve years later in 324AD Constantine became emperor of the united Roman Empire.
Note: The emperor Diocletion and his sadistic assistant Galarius are well known for their persecution, torture and murder of Christians in the Eastern Empire. However Constantine and his father Constantius chose to ignore the movement and the Western empire did not participate in the persecutions.
Helen soon moved from obscurity to the imperial life and was honored with the title “mother of the sovereign”. Soon after the victory over Maxentius, Constantine and his mother converted to Christianity. Helen for her part was very devout and passionate and fully embraced Jesus Christ and His Church. The poor and destitute became the special objects of her charity. By her exemplary life, Christianity was widely spread. 
In 325AD, at an advanced age, Helen led an expedition to Jerusalem seeking relics for her son. There she found a pagan temple which had been built over the site of the tomb of Jesus. She ordered it destroyed and during the excavation discovered three crosses and the nails of crucifixion. A lady near death was brought to the scene and upon touching one of the crosses was immediately restored to health. Thus St. Helen is credited with finding the True Cross.
On that site she built the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. (St. Helen is also credited with building the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and several other churches.)
Upon return to Rome she brought large parts of the True Cross, as well as other relics. Most of them still remain in the private chapel of her palace, around which was built the Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. (Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem)
She died about 328–330AD at age 80 with Constantine at her side. Her sarcophagus is on display in the Pio-Clementino Vatican Museum in Rome. Her feast day is celebrated on August 18th.
Deacon Larry

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Our Mission Statement

We the people of St. Helen Parish, in union with the Holy Roman Catholic Church, believe that our parish mission is to proclaim the Gospel, to build a faith-filled community, to celebrate through worship, and to serve others in our community. Strengthened by the Eucharist and supported by each other with love, we desire to reach out to those in need through prayer, education and personal witness

Mass Schedule

Saturday Vigil 5:00PM
Saturday 8:00AM Communion Service

Sunday 7:30AM, 9:00AM, 10:30AM 12:00PM
Life Teen 7:00 PM - For July 6, 20, 27 - For August 10, 17
See Bulletin for Time Changes During the Year.

Monday through Friday 8:00AM
Friday during the school year
(8:00AM communion Service 9:00AM Mass)

Confession Schedule

Saturday 3:30 to 4:30
Sunday before each Mass by request