We are many things: a vibrant American parish, a center for pilgrims, an ancient Roman church, and a home away from home, whether you are a visitor, a pilgrim or a resident of Rome!

We are delighted that you came to visit us today! The buttons (on the upper left column) will provide a great deal of interesting information. So feel free to explore our website!! We have recently moved our Quick Links above, so that it will make finding things much easier. You can now go directly to our Papal Audience Section, Convent Accomodations and our new Parish Photos (click on Our Church). Please note that there is no Wednesday Papal Audience on July 16, 23, 30 and August 6.

The new AS ROMANS DO 2008/2009 has arrived!!! If you would like us to send you a copy of this incredible guide to Rome and Santa Susanna, please send your address to Fr. Greg at the above address!! This is an incredible 130 page book that will be extremely helpful for your visit to Rome!! A donation of $10 would help with shipping, handling and administrative costs. (Please make checks payable to "The Paulist Fathers".)

To make donation to Santa Susanna Church, please send it to The Paulist Fathers, Via Antonio Salandra 6, Rome, Italy 00187. Thank you very much!

For information about what's going on this week in the Santa Susanna parish, please read Fr. Greg Apparcel's weekly newsletter below (and the Progress Update on the Paulist Fathers' Capital Campaign is listed below the newsletter.)

OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER (May 18, 2008):

Dear Parishioners, Alumni and Friends of Santa Susanna,

A mea culpa. With all the excitement about Pentecost Sunday, First Communion and our Religious Education retreats and practices, we forgot to have our traditional Mothers Day Blessing for all of our mothers. We apologize, but it is never too late for prayers and blessings. So all mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, aunts and motherlike friends, bow your heads as we pray. Loving God, as a mother gives life and nourishment to her children, so you watch over your Church. Bless these women, that they may be strengthened as Christian mothers. Let the example of their faith and love shine forth. Grant that we, their sons and daughters, may honor them always with a spirit of profound respect. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen. And may almighty God bless you all, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

This weekend, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. On Saturday evening, at 5:30 PM, our presider will be Archbishop Piero Marini, who will confirm twenty of our finest, and lively, young men and women in our Religious Education Program. Remember that this Saturday and next, our usual 6:00 PM Mass will be at 5:30 PM and will be more crowded than usual, but you are all very welcome to participate. And we remind our confirmandi and their sponsors to be there at 4:30 PM: On Sunday morning, Fr. Pat Breeze celebrates the 9 AM Mass and Fr. Tom will preside and preach at the 10:30 AM Mass. I will be the celebrant at the 11 AM Santa Susanna Mass at Marymount. Giuseppe Natalucci will be one of the lectors, Hiroko Sasaki and Sr. Paulita will be ministers of communion and Andrew Koren and Leonardo De Angelis are the servers. The Guida and Uslenghi Families will provide the hospitality. This will also be the last Sunday that our musical team of Dafrosa Cho and Raimundo Pereira will lead us at the 11 AM Mass. At the end of the month, they will become co directors of music at Santa Susanna.

Dafrosa and Raimundo follow in the footsteps of our beloved Director of Music, Aurelio Porfiri, who will minister at his last Mass at Santa Susanna on Sunday, May 25, at 10:30 AM. This will be followed by a reception in the Vestibule of the Church. We hope that everyone will be able to be there honoring Aurelio for his nearly ten years of service with us. The day before, Saturday, May 24, we will celebrate our Religious Education First Communion at 10:30 AM with 36 brilliant boys and girls. And, that evening, at 5:30 PM, Cardinal Renato Martino will confirm 43 outstanding students from Marymount.

Tickets continue to be on sale, but are going fast, for my 25 Year Anniversary Dinner Dance on Saturday evening, June 7, at Marymount Nomentana. The event begins at 7:30 PM, preceded by my anniversary Mass at 6 PM at Santa Susanna. We will also celebrate a special Mass the next day, June 8 in the Marymount Chapel, followed by our Annual All Parish Farewell picnic.

Our prayers are with those who have died and with all the victims of the cyclone in Myanmar and the earthquake in China, and we pray that aid gets to all of the survivors as soon as possible. Our prayers will continue this weekend and beyond.

For now, take care, and I hope to see you all soon. Fr. Greg

PROGRESS UPDATE ON PAULIST FATHERS' CAPITAL CAMPAIGN (May 9, 2008)

.Dear Parishioners and Friends of Santa Susanna Church,

Thanks to those of you who have already made a pledge to our Paulist Fathers Capital Campaign in the name of Santa Susanna Parish. We have made good progress so far toward our goal of 150,000 US Dollars or 100,000 Euros, with pledges now totaling 52,150 USD or about 33,000 Euros. This is commendable, but there is much more work to be done during the next few weeks. Only 23 gifts so far have been pledged.

This campaign is the first time in twenty years that we, the Paulists, have asked in such a direct way for your help. Your donations will go to support a bold, new recruiting effort for new members, fund seminary education, underwrite Paulist national initiatives in young adult ministry, evangelization, reconciliation and interfaith dialog. The funds will also assist the needs of our aging Paulists. If you and your family have been inspired by, cared for, or helped by any of the Paulists at Santa Susanna, please help us to continue to do the same for others.

We ask that you please review the Paulist Campaign letter and materials we sent you last month and make your pledge today. If you no longer have your materials, let me know and I can send you replacement copies or you can use the following link to make your pledge on line. https://www.paulist.org/namerica/campaign_form.htm If you do use this link to make a pledge, indicate Santa Susanna as your home parish and please let me know.

Three important facts: First, this is a five year campaign, so a 5,000 USD pledge, for example, means 1,000 USD a year, or about 640 euros a year. Secondly, you can make your pledge or your one time donation in either US dollars or in euros. And finally, Santa Susanna will receive twenty percent of all gifts up to our goal and then 50 percent of the pledges afterwards. If we make our goal, at least 30,000 USD will go to help support Santa Susanna.

I have been heartened and touched by the immediate response of our wonderful parishioners and alumni who are eager to help in any way they can: prayer, volunteering, financial support, and care, concern and appreciation. In these uncertain economic times, I doubly appreciate the love many of you are expressing towards us Paulists.

If I can be of any further assistance to you, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Sincerely yours,

Fr. Greg

Back to the top