News - February 2018 RSS Feed

Just as the Spirit lead Jesus into the desert, so too does the same Spirit lead us to confession. They are heard every Monday from 7:30 to 8:30pm and Saturday from 4 to 4:45PM.

We are very grateful to those who contributed to the Deacon car fund. We received $1,900 which was used to purchase a 2000 Ford Taurus with 55,000 miles for $2,200.

During the 40 days of Lent there will be two daily Masses: 8:15am Monday to Saturday and 7:00pm evening Mass Monday to Friday in the Chapel. Stations of the Cross will be on Friday after Mass, morning and evening. Confessions will be every Saturday at 4:00pm to 4:45pm and Monday evenings from 7:30 to 8:30pm in Church. Almsgiving, fasting and abstinence are also Lenten practices. Ash Wed. & Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence, and we should abstain from eating meat on Fridays.

During these six weeks of Lent we are encouraged to pray harder than ever that the Spirit of God will touch our lives and make them holy. That is, more aware of God’s inspiration.

A special thank you to Gene Links who donated the new seat cushions as well as the repair and recovering of the kneelers in memory of his wife of 65 years, Terry Links. Terry was the first OLM secretary and the only secretary for Fr. Ryan. She had a degree in nursing and served as the OLM School nurse. On February 13th, their wedding anniversary, Gene, and family attended 8:15 Mass and a commemorative plaque was placed into the Chapel.

Now that it’s Lent, there is a feeling of spring in the air. And also there is a stirring of healthy feelings inside me. I’m looking forward to soon being well enough to return to celebrate Mass with you. Many thanks for your prayers and best wishes.

For clients who come to the Fr, English Food Pantry, often their monthly food money runs out too early. The food pantry helps keep them fed. Next weekend is 4Get Me Not weekend. Please help our families by leaving non-perishable foods in the church vestibule.

The teens of Rise would like to extend a "Heart"-felt THANK YOU for supporting their Valentine fundraiser bringing us one step closer to achieving our financial goal. The OLM community has been amazingly supportive of the work we do each summer to help families living in sub-par conditions, and for that we are immensely grateful. Look for our Irish Soda Bread Sale coming in early March. Stay tuned for more info.

Lenten booklets are available in the narthex. Also, there are a few calendars left in the minister’s sacristy Please take one.

ALL MASSES & SERVICES ARE IN THE CHURCH Masses: 7am, 8:15am, 7:30pm. Ash Service Only: 4:30pm. For more information on Lenten Practices please refer to the 4th page of this week’s bulletin.

Please take home a box, fill it with cash to share your 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) and return it at the end of Lent.

Thank you to the following volunteers who helped to serve at Eva’s Kitchen on Saturday, February 3rd: Kenny Mertz, Mary Smith, Eileen Donnelly, and Pat Brinks. In addition, thank you for all the volunteers who cooked the chicken casserole that helped to serve approximately 175 people.

We have been alerted to a system error that occurred when we processed the 2017 tax substantiation statements. If you need an updated form, please contact the rectory and we will be happy to send one out.

During the forty days of Lent there will be two daily Masses: 8:15am Monday to Saturday and 7:00pm evening Mass Monday to Friday. Stations of the Cross will be on Friday after Mass in the morning and evening. Confessions will be heard every Saturday at 4:00pm to 4:45pm and Monday evenings from 7:30 to 8:30pm in Church. Almsgiving, fasting and abstinence are also Lenten practices. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics and we should abstain from meat on the Fridays of Lent.

Congratulations! Your upcoming wedding is not only a very special day for the two of you but it is also a sacred event for the entire Church! Engaged couples wishing to enter the Sacrament of Marriage should consult with the Priest at least one year prior to their wedding. In addition, marriage preparation involves two programs. OLM Church will host both programs Life Skills on March 10TH and God’s Plan on May 19TH. Please call the parish office for information on how to register.

Show your love and support by purchasing chocolate Valentine pops and chocolate dipped pretzels for those you love. The youth of RISE are selling each package for only $3 or 2 for $5. Proceeds will defray trip costs of the participants for their mission travel in June to help fix homes of those in need in NY State. All of these delicious treats will be on sale after all Masses on the weekend of Feb. 10th & 11th. (Valentine pops are peanut-free and gluten-free and the chocolate is available in milk, white & dark). Enjoy a yummy treat and support a great cause!

This flu season is one of the worst in 15 years. Bishop Serratelli has issued the following guidelines for all Liturgies and the diocese until further notice. Nothing can absolutely prevent spread of the flu virus but a few common sense recommendations can help to lessen the possibility. 1. If you don't feel well and suspect that you may have the flu: Remain at home! 2. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol based hand cleanser. 3. Sign of Peace: If you feel uncomfortable with exchange of the sign of peace through a handshake you are under no obligation to do so. You may extend the sign of peace to your neighbors by a nod of the head. 4. Distributing and Receiving the Eucharist: Priests, deacons, and extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist must thoroughly wash their hands with soap and water or an alcohol based hand cleanser both before and after the distribution of the Eucharist. Receiving Holy Communion in the hand is the most practical means to distribute the Blessed Eucharist in a sanitary way. 5. Receiving the Eucharist by also drinking the Precious Blood from the chalice is discontinued until the level of flu cases is dramatically decreased. 6. Children’s Liturgy of the Word - Liturgy of the Word will be suspended until further notice during flu season.

OLM Knights of Columbus Council has established the Msgr. John J. Carroll Annual Scholarship. The Council will award two $1,000 college scholarships each year to eligible candidates, as follows: 1. Must be a graduating high school senior and a parishioner of OLM 2. Must complete an application (see below) and provide all requested information by the designated date of April 30, 2018 3. Must be accepted and planning to attend a 2 or 4 year college or university, or post-secondary trade or technical school in the Fall Term 2018. To download an application and more info visit our website at www.olmchurch.org or contact Patrick Cappucci ‭(973) 838-5513‬‬‬‬.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬