Church of St. Teresa

We are Building the Church
We commit ourselves to building a community of disciples by sharing our Catholic faith and values, to reach out to share Christ in our Community centered around the youth and Families of the Lower East Side.

When Jose Cardinal Ratzinger was elevated to the papacy, he called himself a "humble worker in the Lord's Vineyard". To call the Church a vineyard is nothing new. In fact Jesus does it in the Gospels, building on themes rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures. A vineyard is lush. It is rich, it is fruitful. All the things Jesus meant, and Benedict wishes, the Catholic Church to be. The Lower East Side of Manhattan conjures up many things in the minds of people, but probably a vineyard is not one of them. It has a history of poverty, a reputation for drug abuse and crime, a legacy of being the first place where millions of immigrants reached our shores. And yet it despite its concrete and asphalt, it is lush with renovated parks and playgrounds, despite its poverty it is rich in languages and cultures, and despite the struggles of its inhabitants it is a wonderful diverse place to live.

Use our website to get to know us and that part of the Lord's vineyard we have been serving since 1863. And then come and visit us, because you are always welcome at St. Teresa's.

欢迎你们到圣德肋撒圣堂

当约瑟夫.拉性格枢机当选为教宗时，称自己是“主葡萄园的卑微工人”。称教会为葡萄园并没什么新鲜。事实上，耶稣在福音中就这样称呼，而且在希伯人圣经中这种思想也根深蒂固。葡萄园郁郁葱葱，它丰产富饶，果实累累。耶稣所说的一切，正是教宗本笃十六世所希望建立的天主教会。曼哈顿下东城区浮现在人们脑海中的东西很多，但葡萄园可能不会是其中之一。它有着贫穷的历史，毒品泛滥和犯罪的名声，这是数百万移民到达我们海岸的第一个遗产。然而，尽管它有混凝土和沥青，但也有郁郁葱葱的翻新公园和操场；尽管贫穷，但有丰富的语言和文化，尽管居民很挣扎，但却是一个不同居民居住的奇妙地方。

请利用我们的网站来了解我们和天主葡萄园的一部分，我们从1863年起就一直在这里服务。也请来我们这里参观，因为您在圣德肋撒圣堂永远是受欢迎的。

Our mission is to engage youth and families of St. Teresa to have a deeper relationship with Christ and share his message of love to others.

All are Welcome to Register
at any point during the year

Elementary students are invited to attend this our ongoing religious education classes every Saturday at 11:30 AM.

Confirmation students are invited to attend this our ongoing religious education classes every Sunday at 4:30PM.

Families are invited to attend Family Catechesis on the 2nd Saturday of every month.

Babies and small children up to 5 years old
​ If the person to be baptized is a baby or a child up through kindergarten age, the parents or legal guardians must come to the rectory to arrange for the baptism. The baby's birth certificate must also be brought.

Parents must attend a baptismal preparation class, held on the second Tuesday of each month in English, at 7:30pm in the rectory. Godparents are encouraged to attend if possible.
Remember: Godparents must be at least 16 years old, have completed both their first Communion and Confirmation and cannot be the parents of the child being baptized. At least one must be a Catholic but the other can be Christian Witness, that is, a practicing Christian of another denomination whose baptism the Catholic Church recognizes.

Church Teaching
The sacrament of Baptism is the sacrament that begins the process of Christian Initiation, which means that it is the sacrament that makes a person a member of the Church.The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (263) states that:
'Baptism takes away original sin, all personal sins and all punishment due to sin. It makes the baptized person a participant in the divine life of the Trinity through sanctifying grace, the grace of justification which incorporates one into Christ and into his Church. It gives on a share in the priesthood of Jesus Christ and provides the basis for communion with all Christians. It bestows the theological virtues and the gifts of the Holy Spirit .A baptized person belongs forever to Christ. He is marked with the indelible seal of Christ'.
A person can be baptized at St. Teresa's at any age.