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Some of the oldest societies at St. Athanasius
Parish include The Holy Name Society, The Rosary Society and The Society of St. Vincent de Paul. The Confraternity of
Christian Doctrine, (CCD) staffed by The Sisters of St. Joseph from Brentwood, was an integral part of parish life, meeting
in our first church basement from 1914 to 1938, before the Community Center, which houses our Auditorium and Gym, was built.
Handball, baseball, football and soccer teams were also part of the early life of St. A's. Today, although we still maintain
the word "society" after many group names, we consder them to be ministries where dedicated women and men truly serve
one another.
THE HOLY NAME SOCIETY
Devotion to the Name of God goes back to the beginning of the Old Testament, and the second of
the Ten Commandments taught reverence for God's Name. In the Christian Scriptures, Jesus taught us that God's Name is
hallowed everywhere, and St. Paul wrote that every knee must bend at the Name of Jesus. Yet it became necessary in the
13th century to inaugurate a special ministry to bring men back to the habit of respecting and reverencing the Name of God.
Thus the beginning of this great society, known internationally as "The Holy Name Society."
Throughout the world, the second Sunday of every month is known as "Holy Name Sunday."
At St. A's, the Society was chartered in 1923. From its inception, it was a great success. The enrollment was
phenomenal and to this day its roster has been above and over any other Holy Name Society in the Brooklyn Diocese. It
has helped the men of our parish in many ways. Most importantly, it has welcomed them to the sacraments more frequently.
It gave the Pastor an opportunity to assign them to many important functions and committees.
Some ministries of the Holy Name Society include providng a Halloween Party, Christmas Party,
with gifts, a visit from Santa and refreshments for all children of the parish. Carnevale Night, the night before Ash
Wednesday, and the Annual Communion Breakfast is enjoyed by all of the parish, not just the men of the society. On First Fridays,
a group of men gather in the church for Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, praying for the needs of the parish and
its parishioners.
THE ROSARY SOCIETY
The Rosary Society is the women's society of the Parish. The group is devoted to the Blessed
Mother and to the constant and reverent prayer of the rosary in daily life. Spiritual activities include an evening
of prayer in Lent, an annual retreat day, annual Communion Breakfast, and a baby shower for unwed mothers. The society
also raises money in order to help the parish continue its outreach efforts. These fundraisers include a Christmas fair,
Basket Night and Chinese Auction. The Society's always welcomes new members and all members attend the 10a.m. Mass on
the third Sunday of the month. The monthly meeting is the following Monday after the Society's Mass, at 7:30p.m. in
the Auditorium. Interested women can contact Palma Parmese at (718) 837-1752. Palma is one of our Bensonhurst
Cluster Lay Ministers.
ST. ATHANASIUS BASEBALL PROGRAM
St. A's Baseball has been serving the community for over 56 years. All boys and girls,
ages 5 to 20, are invited to join, regardless of race or religion. St. A's runs an "in house" program dedicated
to making the game fun for all players, regardless of skill level. Beginning with the five and six years old T-ball
division, players progress through the seven and eight year old Junior Minor division, nine and ten year old Cub division,
eleven and twelve Minor division, and thirteen and fourteen year old Major division. For more comptetitve players, St.
A's has divisions that join outside leagues and compete against other organizations. Starting with the nine and ten
year old Cub T division, players progress through the eleven and twelve year old Bantam division, seventeen and eighteen year
old Junior division and the nineteen and twenty year old senior division. St. A's Baseball's operating costs come from
the generosity of parents giving of their time and businesses offering grants and sponsorships through donations and advertising
at our field and in our annual Sports Journal. The Baseball Club House is on 53rd Street, between 20th and 21st Avenues.
Someone staffs the Club House on Thursday evenings from 8-9:30p.m. and Saturday mornings 10a.m.-12p.m. The phone number
is (718) 258-0256
ST. VINCENT de PAUL SOCIETY
St. Vincent de Paul Society is called to assist those in need. Being
mindful of the sanctity and dignity of all, any type of ministry that advances this is within the mission of Saint Vincent
de Paul Society. Our objective is to implement social service programs that provide opportunities for at risk populations
to become self-sufficient. For more detailed information, please
visit the CHRISTIAN OUTREACH page of our website.
Christian Outreach Ministries
GOLDEN AGE CLUB
The Golden Age Club, open to all men and women over 55, provides a variety of opportunities for recreation and socializing.
Regular meetings take place on Wednesday afternoons (at 1p.m.) in the Auditorium. The club also sponsors luncheons
and other activities for the members.
BOY SCOUT TROOP 99
The Boy Scouts of America is the nation's foremost youth program of character
development and values-based leadership training. Scouting will continues to offer young people responsible fun and adventure;
instill in young people lifetime values and develop in them an ethical character as expressed in the Scout Oath and Law; train
young people in citizenship, service, and leadership; serve America's communities and families with its quality, values-based
program. The Scouting Program is composed
of 1.3 million volunteers working together for the sole purpose of helping its 5 million youth members succeed in life. The Boy Scouts of America's 93 year history is a testament to the enduring values
of Scouting. This quality scouting program now resides at St. Athanasius Parish. Troop
# 99 was organized in 1916 and sponsored by St. John's Lutheran Church in Park Slope and, for 87 years, has always been associated
with quality Scouting. The boys enjoy many activities like camping trips (including
Ten Mile River at summer camp.), Halloween and Christmas parties, bowling, fishing, trips to the zoo, aquariums, movies, amusement
parks and so much more! Scouting builds strong values and character, respect
and leadership. We have a Cub Scout Pack serving the youngest boys of our parish
and, this year, we started a co-ed venturing program for our parish youth, ages 14 - 20 years old which features high adventure
and community service.Scouting is time well spent, so please join us every Wednesday at Saint Athanasius School from 7PM until
8:30PM and be part of the fun! If you would like more information about
Cub Scouts, feel free to contact Anthony Papandrea at 347.728.8681 or E-mail him at Pack99BSA@optonline.net . For those who are interested in Boy Scouts or Venturing, contact Anthony Cullen at 646.354-9084 or Email Troop99Scoutmaster@yahoo.com .
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 GRUPPO ITALIANO SANT'ATANASIO (G.I.S.A.)
Since 1967, the mission of G.I.S.A. (Gruppo Italiano Sant'Atanasio) is to help Italian-speaking immigrants in
their new environment, and to provide the Italian parishioners of Saint Athanasius with religious, cultural, and recreational
activities. However, the original goal of this Italian community was not
to establish a social group but to have a Mass celebrated in Italian every Sunday. Some
parishioners asked Father Raymond Kelly, who was fluent in Italian after his studies in Rome, about the possibility of starting
a new tradition of The Italian Mass in Saint Athanasius. With the approval of
the Pastor, Monsignor Purick, Father Kelly began to celebrate the Mass in Italian each Sunday at 11:30am. Shortly after this innovation began, Father Kelly suggested the formation of a social and cultural group. Many people joined and the organization was given the name of A.C.I. (Azione Cattolica Italiana) with the first moderator Rev. Angelo Guzzetti.
In 1970, when Father Carlo Graziani became the moderator of the group, the first official election was held. The first executive officers were: President, Franco Genovese; Secretary, Tina Genovese; Vice Secretary, Stefania Cottone; Treasures, Maria Porcu; and
Vice Treasure, Sal Cali. It was at this time that Azione Cattolica Italiana became
G.I.S.A. and the mission statement was written. At this point it was decided that the patron saint of the organization would
be Saint Joseph. Today, thanks to the hard work of that first executive group and the following presidents Domenico Colonna
and Anita De Mattia, the organization is still very active in different religious, social and cultural activities. The present G.I.SA. executive board, headed by the current president Ferdinando Felleti, meets the first
Tuesday of every month to review and create new events and activities for the community.
The general meeting, for members and guests, is held the third Sunday of each month at 4:30pm from September to June. From its annual dinner dance in November to the retreat every May to Don Bosco Shrine,
to the many religious activities for the Advent and the Lenten season, G.I.S.A. is still working hard and very proud to be
part of the Saint Athanasius parish.
For more information on G.I.SA. please visit the Italian Speaking Community page by clicking here.
GRUPPO ITALIANO SANT'ATANASIO (G.I.S.A.)
Dal 1967, lo scopo
della G.I.S.A. (Gruppo Italiano Sant'Atanasio) e di aiutare gli emigranti Italiani a inserirsi nella comunita' Americana e
di creare attività religiose, culturali e ricreative per i parocchiani di Sant'Atanasio. Tuttavia, l'obiettivo originale di questa comunità italiana non era di stabilire
un gruppo sociale ma di avere una Santa Messa celebrata in italiano ogni Domenica. Alcuni
parocchiani allora domandarono a Padre Raymond Kelly, che possedeva una vasta conoscenza della lingua italiana dopo i suoi studi a Roma, riguardo alla possibilità di iniziare una nuova tradizione delle
Messa celebrata in italiano qui a Sant'Atanasio. Con l'approvazione del Parroco,
Monsignore Purick, Padre Raymond Kelly inizio' a celebrare la Santa Messa in italiano ogni Domenica alle 11.30. Dopo questo,
Padre Kelly suggeri di formare un gruppo italiano di attività sociale e culturale. Molte persone subito si iscrissero e all'organizzazione
fu dato il nome di A.C.I. (Azione Cattolica Italiana) con il primo moderatore il Reverendo Angelo Guzzetti. Nel 1970, quando
Padre Carlo Graziani divento il moderatore del gruppo, la prima elezione ufficiale fu tenuta. Il primo direttivo era composto
da: Presidente, Franco Genovese; Segretaria, Tina Genovese; Vice Segretaria,
Stefania Cottone; Tesoriere, Maria Porcu; and Vice Tesoriere, Sal Cali. Fu allora che Azione Cattolica Italiana si transformo in G.I.S.A. e la costituzione fu scritta.
A questo punto fu deciso che il santo patrono dell'organizazione sarebbe stato
San Giuseppe. Oggi, grazie al lavoro duro di quel primo gruppo direttivo ed ai seguenti presidenti Domenico Colonna ed Anita
De Mattia, l'organizazione è ancora molto attiva in diverse attività religiose, sociali e culturali. Il consiglio esecutivo
attuale della G.I.S.A. diretto dal corrente presidente Ferdinando Felleti, si riunisce il primo Martedì di ogni mese per rivedere
e generare nuovi eventi ed attività per la comunità. La riunione generale, per
i membri e gli ospiti, è tenuta la terza Domenica di ogni mese alle 16.30 da Settembre a Giugno. Dal ballo annuale di Novembre al pellegrinaggio ogni Maggio alla Chiesa di Don Bosco, alle molte attività
religiose durante l'Avvento e la Quaresima, G.I.S.A. e' ancora oggi un gruppo
molto attivo e molto fiero di far parte della parrocchia di Sant'Atanasio.
Per ulteriori informazioni su G.I.SA. siete pregati di visitare la pagina della comunita italiana su questo sito. Clicca qui.
GIRL SCOUTS
Girl Scouts of the USA is the world's pre-eminent organization dedicated
solely to girls all girls where, in an accepting and nurturing environment, girls build character and skills for success in
the real world. In partnership with committed adult volunteers, Girl Scouts cultivate their full individual potential. The
qualities they develop in Girl Scouting leadership, values, social conscience, and conviction about their own self-worth serve
them all their lives. Competent, silly, giggly, energetic, shy, and enthusiastic; these adjectives and many others describe the girls in
our Girl Scout Troop at St. Athanasius. For those who think that Girl Scouting
is just arts and crafts, there is so much more! Girls gain knowledge, explore
careers and enjoy the feelings of pride and accomplishment that come from completing a badge from a wide variety of areas
- from home repair to the arts, from wildlife to sports, from the sciences to global awareness. Girl Scouting promotes
self-acceptance and unique self worth by offering opportunities to learn new skills, experiences and challenges which develop
a meaningful set of values to guide their actions and to provide the foundation for sound decision-making. The breadth and depth of these values and goals make Girl Scouting different from other youth-serving organizations. It encourages girls to develop sensitivity to others and respect for their needs,
feelings and rights. It fosters the ability to build friendships and working
relationships and encourages them to help improve society through the use of their abilities and leadership skills, working
in cooperation with others. It teaches girls to understand how the quality of
community life affects every member of society. We invite you to join us and discover for yourself the rewards that Girl Scouting
has to offer. Please contact Tricia Long at (718) 837-9594. We meet on Friday afternoons at 3Pm at St. Athanasius School. We
now have two troops; Brownies, Grades K - 3 and Juniors, Grades 4, 5 and 6. Hope
to see you there!
| Sr. Barbara Lynch, C.S.J. |
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| Sr. Barbara works closely with the Girl Scout Troop. She is a Sister of St. Joseph. |
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