Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Church Oradell / New Milford, NJ December 9, 2012

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1 Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Church Oradell / New Milford, NJ December 9, 2012 Our Parish Mission Statement As a family of faith, Saint Joseph Parish welcomes everyone to encounter Jesus Christ through Word, Worship, Community, and Service. Guided by the Holy Spirit, we are changed for the better and sent forth as disciples of Christ to continue his work in the world. Reconciliation / Confessions Saturday, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Baptism Contact the Parish Office before the fifth month of pregnancy. Marriage Arrangements should be made with a priest at least one year in advance. Sick / Homebound / Hospital Ministry Call the Parish Office. Rev. Andrew Park, parochial vicar Mrs. Colette Vail Principal of Saint Joseph School Mrs. Angela Gussoni Vice Principal of Saint Joseph School Sacramental Life Mass Schedule Sunday Mass Saturday 5:00 pm Anticipated Sunday 10:30 am 12:30 pm Daily Mass Weekdays and Saturday Holy Days as announced in the bulletin Pastoral Staff R e v. T h o m a s B. I w a n o w s k i, pastor Rev. George M. Reilly, pastor emeritus Mr. Heath Winborn Director of Operations Mr. Monroe Quinn Mr. Anthony Armando Director of Music Youth Minister Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament First Wednesday of the Month 9:00 am - 5:30 pm in Mary s Chapel Miraculous Medal Novena Monday, 7:00 pm in Mary s Chapel Christian Initiation of Adults RCIA Contact the Religious Education Office. Parish Registration Contact the Parish Office. Office Location Phone Website Rev. Roy Regaspi, parochial vicar Dr. Marianne Conway Interim Director of Religious Education Mrs. Arlene Kennedy Sacrament Coordinator Parish Office 105 Harrison St., New Milford office@sjcnj.org sjcnj.org Religious Education 300 Elm St., Oradell religioused@sjcnj.org sjcreligioused.blogspot.com Saint Joseph School 305 Elm St., Oradell office@sjsusa.org sjsusa.org the greenhouse-prek 305 Elm St., Oradell vailc@greenhouseusa.org greenhouseusa.org Parish Office Hours: Weekdays 9 am - 5 pm or by appointment Religious Ed. Hours: Mon. thru Thurs. 10 am - 6 pm / Fri. closed

2 Saturday 5:00 pm Sunday am 10:30 am MC 12:30 pm Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 5:00 pm Sunday 10:30 am 10:30 am MC 12:30 pm December 8, 2012 John Serocke SAINT JOSEPH CHURCH ORADELL/NEW MILFORD, NJ December 9, 2012 Second Sunday in Advent People of the Parish Grace Gaetano John Serocke Sean Ryan Patrick Gallo December 10, 2012 Jim Fluker Dolores Pinto December 11, 2012 John Dengel Anne T. Rieger December 12, 2012 Richard Bordes Deceased Members of the Egan and O Toole Familes December 13, 2012 Frank & Emanuella Scarano Raymond Coccioli December 14, 2012 Nancy Degan Arsenia Villena & Bernadette/Sylvia December 15, 2012 Wilbert & Ann Norton Michael O Brien December 16, 2012 Third Sunday in Advent People of the Parish Charles Barthel Judy McInerney Gladys Breyes Emily Elizabeth Martin 15th Anniversary Remembrance BREAD AND WINE INTENTIONS The Bread and Wine for the week of December 9, 2012 are offered In Loving Memory of The Deceased Members of the Legion of Mary donated and requested by The Current Members of the Legion of Mary. 2 PRAYER REQUESTS Let us remember those who are ill: Cara Kamrowski Let us remember all those who have recently died: Barbara Sweeney, Anthony Siliato Let us remember those serving in the military. SPECIAL COLLECTION FOR THE RETIREMENT FUND FOR RELIGIOUS Saint Joseph Parish will be taking up a special collection today during all Masses to provide vital funding for prescription medications, nursing care and more for the thousands of senior women and men religious who worked for decades for small stipends. You can make out your check to Saint Joseph Church /Retirement for Religious and drop it off at the rectory. Please give to those who have given a lifetime. YOUR PARISH NEEDS YOU Were you baptized at Saint Joseph? Were your children? Perhaps you were married in our beautiful church, or you watched your grandchild receive his or her First Communion at its altar. Maybe your child attends Saint Joseph School or you yourself are an alumnus. Did you seek the comfort of Saint Joseph Church when it was time to lay a loved one to rest? Saint Joseph Parish has been there for all of us at every important moment in our lives. Now it is time for all of us to be there for our parish. Please prayerfully consider increasing your donations to the support of our parish. Sunday collections are the primary source of revenue for our parish and what we depend on to meet our operating expenses. We all want Saint Joseph Church to be there for our children and grandchildren the way it has been there for us. A great way to offer your support to Saint Joseph is through Parish Pay, our electronic giving program. You can have your regular donation placed on your credit card or transferred from your bank account. Simply go to our parish website sjcnj.org and click on the box at the top right that says Electronic Giving. You will be given simple step-by-step instructions to plan your giving for the entire year. There is a 24/7 phone number you can call with any questions. Sunday Collection Week of December 2, 2012 Basket Parish Pay Total Need 11,205 $5,117 $16,322 $20,000

3 THE PASTOR S COLUMN This column contains an edited text of the homily that I preached last weekend. It is printed here for those who might not have heard it, or for those who might like to revisit its message. THE IMPORTANCE OF PARISH For me, this past week was not a good week. In fact, it was one of the most difficult weeks I have had in my life. Saturday, November 24, my friend, Father Arthur Humphrey, died after a long battle with melanoma. Father Art and I were close friends for 45 years, since we both entered the seminary together in September of In addition to being his friend, I am the executor of his will. As such, I was responsible for helping to prepare his funeral. I also had been selected by him before he died to preach the homily at his funeral Mass, an honor, but a heavy and emotional responsibility. What made the situation even sadder for me and for the people of his parish, St. Margaret's in Little Ferry, was the fact that during Hurricane Sandy, a levee broke in the area, and flooded the town. Homes were damaged, cars were destroyed, and Saint Margaret's church building, rectory, and parish hall were hit by that flood of water so badly that the church could not be used for the funeral Mass of its beloved pastor. The damaged church was only open for a few hours Tuesday afternoon, November 27, for the wake, so that people who had lost their cars in the flood could walk to the church and pay their respects to their pastor. The Vigil Service that evening and the Mass on Wednesday took place in the church of Saint Francis in the neighboring town of Ridgefield Park. During the services for Father Art, I was struck by the great faith of the people of Saint Margaret's and their love for their pastor of the past 12 years. Those people had lost their pastor and church, and many had literally lost their homes, and yet there they were supporting one another in their grief and reaffirming their faith in the Lord Jesus, who is with us in good times and in bad, and for them and for me, this was certainly a bad time. Being part of that funeral made me more appreciative than ever of what it means to be part of a parish, and grateful to be part of Saint Joseph Parish. To be part of a parish is to belong to a community of people who can address God as their Father, who recognize Jesus as their older brother who shows them the way through life. When you are part of a parish you have people in your life who care about you who share your joys and sorrows, and who are there to support you. Being part of a parish also does something else for me. It is the way I most powerfully meet Jesus Christ. That particularly happens when I celebrate Mass with you. SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT, DECEMBER 9, In the readings for the First Sunday of Advent, we heard how Jesus will return in glory. But I don't have to wait for that to happen tomorrow or in the future. It happens each time I am with you here at this altar. I could not be a faithful Catholic without you, without my parish. And that's the case because ultimately Christianity is a religion that needs others. It needs a community. Christianity is not about isolated individuals, but about people growing together in their love for God and love for one another. We have our challenges as a parish, but we can meet any challenge. God never gives a challenge to his church, or to a parish, without giving us the grace and resources to meet that challenge. A challenge that we currently have is that our Sunday collection is not at the level it needs to be for our parish to meet its operating expenses. As you do at home, your parish has to deal with inflation and rising costs. We need to treat the 55 people who work for us full and part time in a fair and just way. Just keeping up with increasing medical benefits is a challenge in itself. In addition, we would like to do more to serve you, particularly in the areas of religious education and faith development for all the children in our parish and also for us adults. We should never stop growing in our understanding and appreciation of our relationship with the Lord and his Church. Recently, we sent out a letter asking you to help keep our parish financially secure. We are asking those who do not contribute at least $10 a week to increase their contribution to that amount, to give $10 each Sunday. And we are asking those who do give $10 or more to increase their Sunday giving by at least $5 or more per week. If each of us gives a little more, good things can happen. Our parish depends upon you and me. We are its only source of revenue. Someone asked me if I was worried about our financial situation. I said yes, but I added, I know that we have the financial resources we need. God has put them into my hands and yours. Now we just have to let them flow through our hands to meet the needs of our parish. The week following November 24 was not an easy one for me, but it is one that made me very aware of how important a parish is and how powerfully a parish can make God present. I am asking you, I would say God is asking you (and me), to make our parish financially secure and a strong sign of God's presence by increasing your financial contribution. May we not take our parish for granted, but instead grant it the resources it needs to be a growing and vibrant community of faith.

4 PREPARE YOURSELF FOR CHRISTMAS Advent Communal Penance Service Monday, December 17 Invite Jesus into your heart as you get ready for Christmas. There will be a special communal celebration of the Sacrament of Penance (also known as the Sacrament of Reconciliation) at Saint Joseph Church on Monday, December 17 at 7:30 pm in the upper church. Several priests will be available for confession. If you have been away from the Sacrament of Penance, this is a fine way to celebrate God s mercy and forgiveness and to find true peace during this Advent season. SAINT JOSEPH CHURCH ORADELL/NEW MILFORD, NJ TIME TO GIVE OUR GIVING TREE GIFTS All Giving Tree Gifts need to be returned no later than this Sunday, December 9. The gifts will be picked up by the various organizations this week. Once the organization picks up the gifts, there is no way to get late gifts to the families. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. Should you have any questions, please contact Anne Annunziato, our parish secretary, at the parish office at PARISH CHRISTMAS FLOWERS/DECORATIONS You are invited to make a donation toward the cost of flowers and other decorations that will adorn our church this Christmas Season. Donations may be made in memory of a loved one or for a special intention. Please use the Flower Envelope that you received in the mail. Extra envelopes are available in the rectory. Please print clearly on the envelope your intention, your name, and your phone number. The requested donation is $10 per name/family and is payable to Saint Joseph Church. Your envelope may be returned in the collection basket or to the rectory office. TARGET DECEMBER EVENTS DECEMBER CHRISTMAS TREE SALE: We need volunteers for our Christmas Tree and Wreath Sale on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This is a great way to receive community service hours and to get into the holiday spirit. You can sign up at all TARGET events or by ing Anthony Armando at target@sjcnj.org SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23 NEW YORK CITY TRIP: Our annual trip into New York City to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of the Christmas season will begin with Mass at St. Patrick s Cathedral and then on to see the Tree at Rockefeller Center. We will also make stops at FAO Schwartz and the Toys R Us in Times Square. Permission Slips are available at all TARGET events. TARGET CHRISTMAS TREE AND WREATH SALE NEXT WEEKEND: DECEMBER The TARGET Christmas Tree and Wreath Sale will be held in the rectory parking lot this Friday, December 14 from 6-9pm; Saturday, December 15 from 9am-6pm, and Sunday, December 16 from 9am-1pm. We have a great selection of high quality Balsam, Douglas Fir and Fraser Fir trees ranging from 5-10 feet in height. Please come support our youth ministry program and get a beautiful tree or wreath to help make your Christmas season bright. SING OUT JOYFULLY TO THE LORD! There are still a few performance spots open in our annual Christmas concert, An Afternoon of Christmas Joy, scheduled for Sunday, January 13. If you are a parishioner (an adult or student 14 years of age or older), who is also a singer or musician and interested in auditioning to perform a solo in our concert, please contact our Director of Music, Monroe Quinn at quinnm@sjcnj.org by December 17. CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE Masses for Christmas Eve Monday, December 24 5:00 pm (upper and lower church and school gym) 7:00 pm 10:00 pm Masses for Christmas Day Tuesday, December 25 10:30 am 12:30 pm (upper and lower church) 4

5 EVENING MASS Earlier this year, the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) conducted a survey regarding the potential for a Sunday evening Mass. Parishioners were asked if they would attend a Sunday evening Mass, if they would make it their regular Mass, and if they would volunteer to serve on the liturgical team for the Mass. Nearly 45 parishioners indicated that they would be willing to volunteer to serve as lectors, Eucharistic ministers, greeters and more. A meeting was held a few months ago to explore the potential for an evening Mass. All of those who expressed an interest in volunteering were invited, but unfortunately only 10 attended the meeting. Without a full liturgical team, the evening Mass cannot become a reality. Those in attendance had a good discussion regarding the pros and cons of establishing an evening Mass. Some of the concerns included additional costs related to keeping the church open later, the alteration to the priests' schedules, the need for additional volunteers, and more. It was decided at this time to forgo establishing an evening Mass. However, the potential for an evening Mass is being put on the back burner as a possibility down the line--for example, it could become a youth Mass as our youth program is overhauled in the coming year. The PPC greatly appreciates the thoughtful responses to the initial survey and the productive discussion that was had at the meeting. RACHEL S VINEYARD RETREAT for Post Abortion Healing January 18-20, 2013 and March 8-10, 2013 The retreats take place from Friday at 6:30 pm until Sunday at 5:00 pm. They are sponsored by the Respect Life Office of the Archdiocese of Newark. The cost is $100 and includes all retreat materials, room, meals and registration. Financial assistance is available. For more information or if you have any questions, contact Michelle at The Respect Life Office at from Monday-Friday. The retreat and registration are strictly confidential. NEW JERSEY RIGHT TO LIFE NEWS The winners of the New Jersey Right to Life Raffle were: 2013 Volvo Joel Cohn, Keansburg $1,000 Shoprite Gift Card Nancy Moskowitz, Freehold $750 Shoprite Gift Card K.A. Costello, Rockaway $500 Shoprite Gift Card Nicola Burset, N. Brunswick, Many thanks to all who participated. SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT, DECEMBER 9, 2012 ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CAROL SING AT THE BASILICA Wednesday, December 12 at 8:00 pm Thursday, December 13 at 8:00 pm Now in its forty-second consecutive year, the Carol Sing has become one of the most significant Christmas concerts in northern New Jersey. The ambiance of candlelight and seasonal de cor, along with the Cathedral Choir, organ, brass, percussion and thousands of participants, combine to create an event that truly must be experienced. A free will offering will be accepted. THANKS FOR 2013 CALENDARS A special thank you to Boulevard Funeral Home of New Milford for donating our 2013 Parish Calendars which were distributed at our Masses last weekend. KIDS CHRISTMAS NJ Along with the Oradell Rotary Club, Kids Christmas NJ invites you to enjoy the holiday season while helping those less fortunate at their annual event on Saturday, December 15 from 8:00 pm to midnight at the Blauvelt Mansion. There will be beer/wine, 50/50 raffle, light fare, dancing, and great memories! Tickets are $65 in advance/$70 at the door. Checks payable to KIDS CHRISTMAS NJ can be mailed to P.O. Box 35, Oradell, NJ For more information, call The proceeds will go toward helping those affected by Hurricane Sandy as well as other local charities. ST. FRANCIS GIFT SHOP FAIR The Christmas Fair at the St. Francis Gift Shop, 253 Knickerbocker Road, Tenafly, will be held through Sunday, December 23 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm daily (except Mondays). There are collectibles, toys, household items, religious gifts, clothing, delicious homemade baked goods, and much, much more...something for everyone on your holiday list! For more information, contact Sister Trinity at Visit our websites: Parish: sjcnj.org School: sjsusa.org and greenhouseusa.org Religious Ed.: religioused.blogspot.com 5

6 SAINT JOSEPH CHURCH ORADELL/NEW MILFORD, NJ Compiled by the Liturgy of the Word With Children Committee The Gospel is the Good News about Jesus. The Gospel Reading for today is from Luke 3:1-6. In today s Gospel, John the Baptist travels throughout the land telling people about the coming of the Savior. John proclaims that baptism is a way to get ready for the Savior s coming, to ask God for forgiveness for the things we have done wrong, and to be cleansed of our sins On this Second Sunday of Advent, we light the second purple candle which is called the Candle of Preparation. As we prepare to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day, John the Baptist asks us to think about our actions. Do we need to ask forgiveness of other people? How can we do better as followers of Jesus? Perhaps we can do better this Advent Season by being more helpful to our parents during this busy time. We can also try to be better students and show respect to our teachers. We can try to be kinder and more forgiving to our brothers and sisters. Each week the Advent Wreath will get brighter and brighter to remind us that Jesus Christ, the Light of the Word, is coming and that we need to prepare for him. When we were baptized we were cleansed of our sins and became children of God. MISSION OF THE WEEK Each day before Christmas, I will say this prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to be a better person. May I be helpful to my parents, obedient to my teachers, and not hurt anyone s feeling by my actions. 6