News - February 2016 RSS Feed

Crosses are on sale in the narthex for $10.00. They cost us $5.00 thanks to the Corrado Family. The profit goes to help the parish is St. John’s Cathedral in Paterson.

This is an opportunity for families to share in almsgiving during Lent. Please take home one of the boxes fill it with cash and return it by March 20th.

I am happy to report that our parish recently received a check from our Diocese for $36,450. This represents the third rebate returned to us as part of the Partners in Faith campaign. With these funds we will continue to address the ongoing facilities- related needs of the parish. These funds are only available because of those parishioners who are making ongoing payments on their Partners in Faith pledges. I am so grateful to all who are consistent in paying their pledge, and ask any who may have fallen behind to re-commit to their pledge if possible. It is important to the work of the Diocese and to our parish. May God bless you for your generosity! Msgr. Carroll

FIRST FRIDAY ADORATION - Friday, March 4th - 8:15am Mass will be followed by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament ending with Benediction at 5pm. FIRST SATURDAY ROSARY - Saturday, March 5th - 8:15am Mass will be followed by praying the rosary as Our Lady requested.

March 20th: All Confirmation candidates are REQUIRED to attend the Living Stations of the Cross. Attendance will be taken. April 16th & 17th: ANTIOCH RETREAT this 10th grade mandatory retreat helps candidates come to an ever-deepening relationship with God and a better understanding of what it is to be a disciple of Christ in today’s world.

This past Saturday, we welcomed our sophomore confirmation candidates and their sponsors to the 'Sponsor-Candidate' Retreat. It was an opportunity for the candidates and sponsors to take time out of their busy schedules and just talk with each other on a spiritual level, while having a little fun as well. These teens are one step closer to receiving their confirmation later this year in September! Thank you to all who participated and to the teen leaders who helped guide the successful retreat.

Serving Christ Among Us If you received a final request from our Bishop asking for your support of the 2015 Bishop’s Annual Appeal, please respond as your means permit. The Appeal is essential to the work of the Church in reaching out to those in great need who come to our Catholic Charities agencies. It also supports seminarian education, inner-city area education and our priests' retirement residence. Every gift is important so whatever you can do is a blessing. Please respond today. May God bless you for your support!

The Sisters of The Dwelling Place, a shelter for homeless women in Manhattan, will be speaking at all of the Masses on the weekend of February 27-28. A second collection will be taken to benefit their ministry for women facing the trauma of homelessness. The Dwelling Place is very grateful for the support received over the years and asks for your continued generosity. For more information visit their website at www.thedwellingplaceofny.org.

Summer Program Grades 1-5 need to attend the mandatory Lenten program from 9am to 12noon on Sat., 3/19 (originally scheduled 3/12 but changed due to Destination Imagination Competition). Second Grade 1st Eucharist Books are due for review so remember to bring your book. Summer Program Grades 6-8 need to attend the mandatory Lenten program at 7pm in the church on Monday, 3/7. Each Lenten season, we as Catholics are called to renew our commitment to Spiritual Practices of praying, fasting and almsgiving. We encourage you to attend mass with your child to increase your prayer life. Also we ask that your family, especially your child, experience almsgiving by putting spare change into the baby bottle that each child was given in the Rel. Ed. class. This money will go directly to Good Counsel Homes and Hope for Babies and Mothers. This non-profit is a Catholic pro-life ministry that operates homes for pregnant women and their babies in NJ and NY. Please return the baby bottles, filled or not on Sunday, 3/13 or Monday, 3/14 to your child’s CCD class.

Every weekday there is a 7:00pm Mass and 7:30 Stations of the Cross in the Chapel for those who cannot attend the 8:15am Mass.

Monday evenings during Lent from 7 to 8:30pm with Fr. Henry.

This is an opportunity for Catholic Families to share their resources with people around the world so that they might rise above poverty and provide for their families and communities through CRS (Catholic Relief Services). Please take home one of the boxes and fill it with cash and return it at the end of Lent. Thank you.

Lenten booklets for children are on the Lenten table for families to use during Lent. We apologize that we are out of the booklets for adults. Next year we will order more.

4GetMeNot Sunday is Feb. 28 this month. As we are conscious of the Lenten call for sacrifice, please consider giving non-perishable food to the poor at the Catholic Charities Fr. English Food Pantry by leaving it in the vestibule of the Church.

Mary and Martha - The Spiritual Virtue of Savoring - Savoring as a virtue in the spiritual life has a long tradition. Come for a morning of renewal as we explore this call to deepen our Lenten faith journey. Our guide will be the rich witness in the three Gospel stories of the sisters, Mary and Martha; and their abiding friendship with Jesus. How can we make their journey into wonder, praise, and grace our own? Join us on Saturday March 5, 2016 9:00 AM- 1:30 PM. Our speaker will be Linda Baratte. Location: OLM Auditorium - Continental breakfast & light lunch will be served. For more info call Judy Gillespie at 973-492-1671 or the Religious Education Office at 973-838-0567.

There are no classes on 2/14 and 2/15 - schools are closed. 1st Eucharist Retreat Day for both winter and summer programs is on Sat., 2/20, 9:30am sharp in the church. Parent and child need to attend. The day concludes at 12pm. Summer program grades 1-5 need to attend the mandatory Lenten program from 9am to 12noon on Sat., 3/19 (originally scheduled 3/12 but changed due to Destination Imagination Competition).

Please join our Baptism Prep team. Monthly, a session is held for couples who are preparing for a baptism. Sessions are held in the home (or the rectory) of the facilitator. A team member is assigned 1 or 2 months per year which is approx. 1 hour where they play a video and supply refreshments. This year, our team is in need of facilitators for Feb., April and Dec. It’s a special ministry where you to meet the newest members of the Catholic Church. Please call the rectory at 973-838-6838 x103.

Students are needed for our Living Stations of the Cross. Please contact us and let us know. This is good for community service hours for those who need it. Contact the confirmation office if you are interested.

Youth Ministry is looking for big cardboard boxes for an event later in the Spring. If you buy any large appliances (fridge, dishwasher, washer/dryer), please keep the boxes for us! Feel free to email YM and we can come pick it up.

Since we have added additional Masses during Lent, we have room for more Mass intentions and we will be offering them at a reduced rate of $10. We would like to fill up the intentions for the 7pm weekday Masses and they are a lovely way to remember those who have died or for a special intention.