Our Lady of Refuge

My dear beloved parishioners,

Amidst these unprecedented times and uncertainties, on behalf my entire staff and brother priests/ deacons at Our Lady of Refuge and Holy Innocents Churches, I wish every one of you Happy Thanksgiving. COVID-19 has changed how we usually gather as a nation to celebrate this wonderful celebration each year due to some necessary restrictions to prevent the virus's spread.

Despite this, we hope that you and your family can reflect and find something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving week, no matter where or how we celebrate it this year.

This occasion must be for all of us a time to reflect upon what is essential in life and focus on the true meaning of this day: Gratitude. We are called to be grateful and appreciated for the most precious gift that God has given us- the gift of life. God has given us the grace and courage to endure these challenges and look beyond this long-suffering to keep the faith. Only a few people can do that.

For this and many countless blessings, we are so grateful to God today for who you are for the parishes. Your vision, dedication, commitments, and sacrifices, times, and talents to maintain our parishes as a beacon of faith for others are much appreciated. As St Theresa of Lisieux mentioned: “What most attracts God’s grace is gratitude, because if we thank him for a gift, he is touched and hastens to give us ten more, and if we thank him again with the same enthusiasm, what an incalculable multiplication of graces!"...(The Way of Trust And Love, p. 111)

We are also thankful for all the frontline workers, medical staff, men and women in uniforms, salesmen, and women who dedicated their lives to our services during these trials. A special thanks to NET-TV and DeSalles Media, who assisted us in live-streaming daily and Sunday masses. Thank you all for your sacrifices, support, and prayers throughout this endeavor. Your service and generosity give us all much to be grateful for.

Let's prepare ourselves to enter into the holy season of Advent which is a time of hope, prayer and preparation of Jesus's second coming. Let's also pray that the scientists will find the final cure to end or combat this virus to become normal again.  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Rigaud Lucon, MA, M.Div., M.S.Ed, CMCH

___________________________________________________________

The administrator of the Churches of Our Lady of Refuge and Holy Innocents

SUNDAYS MASSES BEGINS AGAIN 10/25!!
 
Dear parishioners,

We are pleased to inform you that Our Lady of Refuge is in the Yellow Zone as per Governor Cuomo’s recent instruction. As a result of this update, our parish will open at 50% capacity for our regular services. Our weekend schedule, including our 6pm Sunday Eucharist is as follows:

Saturday - 5:30pm English Mass

Sunday- 8:30am Spanish Mass

             - 10:30an English Mass

             - 12:00pm Haitian Creole Mass

             - 6:00pm English Mass--Sunday

Let’s us come to worship together to pray as a community of faith to find the necessary strength while observing all the COVID-19 guidelines to combat this virus.

Yours,

Fr. Rigaud Lucon

Our Lady of Refuge Faith Formation
2020-2021 Registration

Registration for the new religious education year has begun. This year we will not do “IN PERSON” Registration. Current families will receive an email explaining the process for the new year. Parents with children who are new to our Program can complete the Registration Form online by clicking this link  https://givecentral.org/olrefuge-ff
 (Available on the parish website.) All families will be able to pay the fees online. Please register as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please call Ms. Baptiste, 718-974-5248 or email OLR1087@gmail.com.

All are invited to our monthly gathering of the Bible Study group. We will continue our reading of Matthew's gospel with chapter 10, and continue to chapter 11. You might wish to read these chapters before we meet on zoom at 4:00-5:30 on Sunday, November 29. Please bring your Bibles, your thoughts, your questions as we continue to explore together the Word of God.  The zoom link is 
 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81618336069?pwd=bTArenJpdFNHb0hvRDRPUGpmYTArZz09

All are welcome, especially newcomers!

TO HEAL THE WORLD
Advent Program
You’re Invited
to a 2-part Advent Program
Wednesdays, December 9 and 16 2020,
7:30 P.M. – 8:30 P.M.
Via Zoom
This program is offered to parishioners of Our Lady of Refuge and Holy Innocents Churches
Space is limited. Register before December 6 on registration forms available at upcoming Sunday masses or by sending your name, phone number, and parish to adventolrhi@gmail.com
A Zoom link will be sent to your email address on December 7
We hope you will join us.

Explore What It Means to Be Catholic in COVID Times 
During this pandemic with all of its challenges, discover new blessings and opportunities
Engage in an Encounter with Jesus
Deepening your connection with Jesus through scripture, prayer and meditation
Be Inspired by Pope Francis' Catechesis: “Healing the World”
This Advent series was developed f by Fr. Ken Gavin, SJ of the Jesuits of Brooklyn and OLR's Sundays at Six, along with Fr. Luçon Rigaud, and parishioners Pat DeSiano, Shelley Smith and Rosa Waldron
Come Join Us
As we gather to heal, connect, and create new opportunities for our parish community
 

Our Lady of Refuge Church is a Roman Catholic Parish that has been serving the people of the Midwood Section of Brooklyn since 1911. Originally founded by Irish and German Catholics it now serves some 30 nationalities and three language groups — English, Spanish and Creole.

Mass is said several times per day at Our Lady of Refuge. For Mass times on Holy Days of Obligation or on National Holidays please visit the news section of this website. Our Lady of Refuge serves the social needs of all, regardless of a person's religious affiliation. The parish offers many services to the community including a food pantry that provides for 300 households each week.

We hope you will feel welcome and at home at Our Lady of Refuge and get involved in the many activities of the parish.

Click the link above to download the request form for: Baptism, First Holy Communion, Confirmation & Marriage certificates. Print and fill out the form and send it back to the church either by fax
718-859-7411 or email olrefuge@aol.com. Each certificate is a $10.00 donation.