Welcome Letter from Fr. Jordan Kelly

Welcome to the Church of Saint Catherine of Siena!

May the Grace of Our Lord remain always with us!

Thank you for seeking more information about our parish.

Let me tell you about the parish and myself. My name is Father Jordan Kelly, O.P. and I am blessed to be the Pastor of The Church of Saint Catherine of Siena. I am a Dominican Friar who was ordained eight years ago; I am a “second – career vocation”. I was appointed pastor of this wonderful Parish in July of 2010. Saint Catherine’s is experiencing a real renaissance. We are growing in membership each week. Our worship is dignified, yet lively. The liturgical music at Saint Catherine’s is of the highest caliber.

Saint Catherine’s serves as a center for health care through the hospitals that surround us. For over eighty years, the Dominican Friars (the order of priests and brothers who staff Saint Catherine’s) have served as the primary chaplains to the patients, families and medical professionals of Memorial Sloan – Kettering Cancer Center; New York Hospital; Hospital for Special Surgery; and Rockefeller University Research Hospital. Saint Catherine’s reaches out in health care education to these institutions and strives to be a voice of faith and hope in the complex medical world of today. Saint Catherine’s has over 150 active volunteers in the hospitals. These volunteers bring the Eucharist each day to the patients in the surrounding hospitals.

Saint Catherine’s has great opportunities for education in the faith. There are a number of folks who call themselves “reverts”, Catholics who have left the regular practice of the faith for whatever reason, and are finding their way home again. Through the RCIA, Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, “reverts” and converts gather to learn about our wonderful Faith. There are opportunities for book clubs, bible study and Catholic Updating.

All of these activities do not highlight Saint Catherine’s two greatest gifts: our wonderful congregation and the grace of encountering Christ Jesus. Saint Catherine’s Parish has become a great mix of young and old; people who have been here their entire lives and people who are here because of medical school; and, people who have been searching for a warm, welcoming parish that celebrates the Liturgy with dignity and who find here a challenge to live our Catholic Faith in today’s world. THE reason for our existence is the preaching of the Gospel by the way our members live their lives. It is my fervent prayer that at Saint Catherine’s you find Jesus Christ; that your relationship with him deepens; and that your experience of will lead you ever more completely to a life that is happy, healthy and holy; a life in which you will find Jesus Christ as the source, center and end of everything you do!

If there is anything I can do for you, please do no hesitate to call me. You are with me in prayer each day at the altar!

In Saint Dominic,

(Reverend Father) Jordan J. Kelly, O.P.