Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church 318 Newark-Pompton Turnpike Pequannock, NJ 07440

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1 Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church 318 Newark-Pompton Turnpike Pequannock, NJ Fr. David Monteleone Pastor In the Spirit Volume 3, No. 2 March/April, 2018 My dear parishioners, As we continue on our Lenten journey, we should reflect on our blessings in our lives and on some items we need to work on. Lent is a good time of year for selfreflection. This is not always an easy task for us to do. We many not always like what we see in the mirror. However, there is no need to despair or lose heart. St. Paul tells us to rejoice in hope. With this encouragement, we can change, we can become better people, and we can be the light this world so desperately needs. Listed below are some things we can fast from during Lent and chocolate is not one of them! Fear God is on my side. In Him I am more than a conqueror. The need to please everyone---i can t please everyone anyway. There is only one I need to strive to please. Envy---I am blessed. My value is not found in my possessions, but in my relationship with God. Impatience---God s timing is the perfect timing. Sense of entitlement---the world does not owe me anything. God does not owe me anything. Bitterness & Resentment---The only person I am hurting by holding on to these is myself. Blame---I am not going to pass the buck. I will take responsibility for my actions. Gossip & Negativity---I will put the best construction on everything when it comes to others. I will avoid toxic people. Comparison--- I have my own unique contribution to make & there is no one else like me. Fear of failure---you don t succeed without experiencing failure. Just make sure you fall forward. Pride---Blessed are the humble. Worry---God is in control and worrying will not help. Lack of counsel---wise decisions are rarely made in a vacuum. Be assured of my continued prayers as we journey from the cross to new life. Take time to go to confession. Do not be afraid to encounter Jesus in this sacrament of healing and mercy. On another note, the lift has broken down and cannot be repaired. It is over 25 years old and parts are not being made for it. It will have to be replaced. Please consider making a donation for this item. I feel terrible asking for more money, but this left will cost between $6000 and $10000 to replace. We are all getting older and may need this lift in our time. Again, thank you all. Fr. David Monteleone

2 Holy Week/Triduum Schedule Thursday, March 29 Friday, March 30 Saturday, March 31 Sunday, April 1 7PM Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord s Supper No morning Mass 3PM Good Friday: Passion of the Lord and Veneration of the Cross 7PM Stations of the Cross No morning Mass 8PM Holy Saturday: Easter Vigil No morning Mass Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord 7:30AM 9:00AM 11:00AM No 7PM Mass A Look Ahead... Thursday, March 15 through Sunday, March 18 Friday, March 16 Monday, March 19 Friday, March 23 Saturday, March 24 Sunday, March 25 Friday, March 30 Saturday, March 31 Monday, April 9 Friday, April 13 Monday, April 17 Thursday, April 19 Monday, April 23 Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29 Holy Spirit School s Production of The Little Mermaid 7:30PM Stations of the Cross led by the Parish Council 7PM Parish Penance Service 2:00PM Stations of the Cross led by the children of Holy Spirit School 8AM to 10AM Applebees Easter Bunny Fundraising Breakfast All Masses: Palm Sunday ShopRite Food Card Collection 7PM Good Friday Stations of the Cross led by the Deacons 10AM Holy Saturday. Volunteers are needed to help decorate the Church 2PM-4PM Garage Sale donation dropoff at rectory garage Holy Spirit School Tricky Tray. Doors open at 5PM. Calling begins at 7PM. 5PM-7PM Garage Sale donation dropoff at rectory garage Confirmation at Holy Spirit Church 6PM-8PM Garage Sale donation dropoff at rectory garage Parish Garage Sale Saturday 9AM-3PM Sunday 10AM-2PM 2

3 We All Need a Lift At Times! My Dear Parishioners: I pray that this Lenten journey has been one of peace and quiet for you and your families. I am writing this letter to inform you, the good people of Holy Spirit Church, of a small challenge we are facing. The lift that is located in the bell tower has carried its last person. Sadly, it is broken and because of its age, parts are no longer made. The one person who was able to create parts is not able to work anymore. This leaves the church inaccessible for a person in a wheelchair. I am asking for donations of any size so the parish can replace this much-needed lift. As we are all aging, I feel a new lift would be able to benefit many people and make Holy Spirit a more welcoming parish. In the past our parish family has always come together and raised funds for other projects. I believe a new lift is a necessity for our parishioners as well as family and friends who may need access to be able to attend Baptisms, First Communion, Confirmation, weddings and funerals. Thank you for your generosity and prayers. As funds come in, a new lift will be installed. May God Bless you now and always. Fr. David We Want You, We Need You! Gone are the days when churches can survive only on the donations of its generous and faithful parishioners. To address the needs of our church, help us to stay current with our expenses, and work to establish a reserve fund for emergencies and unexpected expenses, several Holy Spirit parishioners have recently initiated some fundraising projects. Please support these efforts by attending the Applebees Breakfast, donating to the Garage Sale, shopping or encouraging others to shop at the Garage Sale, and otherwise supporting the events that are sponsored by the church or the school. We have a small core of volunteers who have been leading these efforts. This group of volunteers would welcome any other interested person who might wish join them in researching and planning our fundraising opportunities, as well as working at the events. Contact information for the currently planned events is on the flyers on the following pages. If you have ideas for additional fundraisers which do not duplicate or directly conflict with those of our school, we would love to hear from you! Think outside the box! Each fundraiser not only benefits us financially, but also helps to build stronger unity and teamwork among those who participate. For more information, please see Fr. David, or contact Kim Rizzo at (973) Every person who walks through our doors matters, whether you re with us for a season or for a lifetime. 3

4 Mass by Candlelight/Followed by Hospitality Come all without, come all within You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn Come all without, come all within You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn (Manfred Mann, 1968) On the weekend of March 3-4, winter storm Quinn downed trees, disrupted power, and left Pequannock Township, including Holy Spirit Church and School, buried in of heavy, wet snow. The storm was mighty, but Holy Spirit parishioners and friends were mightier! Communications was limited, but through , our website, Facebook, and word of mouth, the news got out that Fr. David was celebrating the weekend Holy Masses as scheduled, cautioning all to be safe and use their best judgement about venturing out. Using candlelight and cellphone flashlights where needed, we had great numbers at the Masses, and an unprecedented number stayed for our hospitality Sunday after the 11AM Mass. The March 4th Sunday morning Mass by candlelight was beautiful, and without indoor electrical lights, the stained glass windows throughout the church were more greatly illuminated by the sun. Thanks to Joan Bollerman-Cunningham for this Facebook post!

5 Altar Server Appreciation Day The Bishop Navagh Columbiettes hosted an Altar Server Appreciation pizza party at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Pequannock on Sunday, February 25. Altar servers and their families from Holy Spirit, Good Counsel, and St. Joseph s were joined by Fr. David from Holy Spirit, Fr. Peter from OLGC, and Sr. Ellen, Deacon Luke and Deacon Steve from St. Joseph s. Pictured above are the Holy Spirit altar servers. Also in attendance were seven altar servers and their family members from OLGC, Pompton Plains, and five altar servers and their family members from St. Joseph s, Lincoln Park. Parish (Property) Priorities In the new few months, you will be hearing about more projects to upgrade and refresh our beautiful country church! Next projects on the list of priorities will include: Installation of the new A/C unit Repair and refreshing of the women s and men s restrooms in the church. Oil tank remediation for the church and rectory Painting of the sanctuary We take pride in our church!

6 Celebrating the Sacraments Claimed for Christ Laetare Sunday: It s Not Pink! The fourth Sunday in Lent is called Laetare Sunday. Laetare means rejoice. Laetare Sunday is approximately the midpoint of the long and penitential season of Lent. Since the fourth Sunday is about halfway through, the Church tries to give people encouragement to make it through the rest of Lent. The use of the rose color, rather than the normal violet for Lent, is brighter and meant to be a happy difference. Shown above is Fr. David at the altar servers just before the 9AM Mass on Laetare Sunday, March 11.

7 Preparing For First Eucharist On Sunday, March 11, Fr. David and Suzanne Unger, Director of Religious education, conducted a meeting for the parents of children who will be receiving First Eucharist in May. The focus of Fr. David s part of the presentation was the importance of attending Mass regularly as a family. As Catholics we believe that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ, explained Fr. David, It looks like bread and wine and it tastes like bread and wine, but it is the body and blood of Christ. I tell the children that each time they go to Mass, they witness a miracle. How lucky are we that, as Catholics, we can receive the Body and Blood of Christ! What we receive we become, Fr. David continued. By receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, we like to think that we become more Christ-like. We try to align our attitudes, our feelings with those of Christ. That s not easy to do. There are some days when we don t feel very Christ-like when we get up late, the washing machine broke, we can t find our phone or our car keys, or a child is sick, but those moments of darkness are when we should cling to our God more often and certainly ask him for the grace to continue on. Fr. David cited his own first-hand knowledge of the challenges of parenthood through observing his own brother and sister-in-law with their children. He expressed his gratitude that they make the effort to take their children to Mass every weekend. I beg you to bring your children to church. If you can take them to soccer practice and cheer practice and lacrosse practice, you can take them to church. God gives us 168 hours in a week, and asks us for only one hour in return. Faith is the greatest gift you can give your children. Fr. David concluded his presentation by inviting anyone who has questions or concerns to contact him for a discussion about their faith, and the church. Fr. offered the following prayer: May Almighty God bless these parents. May they continue to grow in grace, strength and hope. Let them be the example that their children need to see and may they be strong in their faith. Amen For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. John 3:16

8 Please support our church!

9 Please support our school!

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11 Find Us On Our Websites and Social Media Check our websites regularly Holy Spirit Church Holy Spirit School Find us on Facebook Holy Spirit Church Holy Spirit School Follow us on Instagram Holy Spirit Church and School HolySpiritPequannock Holy Spirit School s The Little Mermaid Show days and times are: Thursday, March 15, 10:00 AM Friday, March 16, 7:00 PM Saturday, March 17, 7:00 PM Sunday, March 18, 3:30 PM

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