The fourth Sunday of Lent is known as Laetare Sunday which means “Rejoice” in anticipation of Easter. Parents that are expecting a child, either biologically or through adoption, will receive a special blessing and be given a rose at each Mass.
FIRST FRIDAY ADORATION – April 5, 2019 8:15am Mass will be followed by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament ending with Benediction at 5pm. FIRST SATURDAY ROSARY – April 6, 2019 8:15am Mass will be followed by praying the rosary as Our Lady requested.
Ushers and other helpers will be needed for Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. A sign-up sheet will be in the narthex of the Church. For questions, please contact Bob Morrisroe at bobmorrisroe@optonline.net
Palm Crosses will be on sale for $10 or a free will offering. The entire proceeds go to help our OLM Youth Ministry for their Steubenville Retreat Weekend in July. Your help is appreciated!
Caring Ministry Food Drive - We will be collecting non-perishable items for local families and Father English. Letters went home will all CCD students and we are asking that all items be returned to classes on April 7th and 8th. Confirmation Students - Please donate 3 of the following items - rice, cereal, soup, canned or bagged beans/lentils, coffee, tea, pasta, peanut butter, jelly, canned vegetables, fruit, oatmeal, breakfast bars, pancake mix and syrup. There will be bins by the school entrance before CCD classes on Sun., April 7th and Mon., April 8th. We will also have bins at the church, for Confirmation students to bring donations to Stations of the Cross on April 7th. Gift cards donations are appreciated from Stop and Shop, Walmart and Target. Thank you for your generosity! The families that you help are very appreciative of your gifts. For questions contact Melissa magiacoio@yahoo.com.
Volunteers, please take a pan/recipe and add your name to the volunteer list in the narthex. Please drop off frozen casseroles to the OLM parking lot between 8:30-8:45AM on Sat., April 13th. If unable to drop off on April 13th, you may bring it to the rectory during business hours. 2019 Dates for Eva’s are 6/15 and 8/3. Thank you, Kathy and Joe Gravino NOTE: Kathy & Joe Gravino will be stepping down from Eva’s Kitchen so we are in need of a volunteer to lead this amazing ministry beginning January, 2020. FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 973-830-0560
The Diocese of Paterson’s Partners in Faith campaign is winding down this year. We recently received another sharing check from the Diocese for $22,297 bringing our total sharing under this program to $347,547 based on total cash contributed of $1,066,328. Our goal under the campaign was $835,000. Thank you for your generous support of the ministries of the Diocese of Paterson. Our sharing is used to fund the many capital and maintenance projects here at OLM.
4-GetMeNot weekend is THIS Sat. and Sun. While fasting is so much a part of our Lenten tradition, it can remind us that, for some families in Paterson, it is not a choice. Please leave food in the Church vestibule. Thank you.
The Ladies Guild invites all parishioners to welcome Fr. Steve Shadwell, our new pastor, to OLM on Sunday, March 17TH. We will be serving coffee, tea and munchies after the 9am and 11am Masses. Please come, have some coffee and cake, and meet our new pastor!
This weekend, women of our parish enjoyed a faith-filled morning of prayer and reflection. The morning began with a light breakfast and then listened to an inspiring and engaging speaker followed by a soup lunch. Over 15 ladies brought homemade soups to share with all. These ladies are ready to begin their Lenten Journeys.
RICE BOWLS This is an opportunity for Catholic families to share 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 return filled cartons and place them in the large box marked “Rice Bowls” in the narthex.
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 in the Chapel. 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 all Fridays of Lent. Church regulations for Lenten fasting and abstinence are: 1. Everyone 14 + yrs. old is bound to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, all the Fridays of Lent and Good Friday 2. Everyone age 18 or older and under age 59 is bound to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. 3. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, only one full meatless meal is allowed. Two other meatless meals, sufficient to maintain strength, may be taken according to each one’s needs, but together they should not equal another full meal. Eating between meals is not permitted. When health or ability to work would be seriously affected, the law does not oblige. 4. Catholics should not lightly excuse themselves from these prescribed minimal penitential practices.
We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Kim Oliveira who has been our Youth Minister. She intends to remain as a volunteer in the Youth Ministry program until a successor is found. She will however, continue to work with the Core Team on Wednesday nights to ensure Life Nights keep going. Please pray for her and for our Youth program.