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1 Mission Statement April 19, 2015 e, Church of the Nativity, are a welcoming faith family committed to living the gospel values of Jesus Christ, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. e are called through Word and Sacrament to be strengthened in holiness. e recognize and are thankful for all that we have received from God and therefore declare ourselves a Stewardship Parish. e proclaim our mission to prayerfully serve the people of God, through our gifts of Time, Talent and Treasure and thus continue to be the hands and feet of Christ. Pastoral Staff Rev. Peter K. Funesti, Pastor Rev. Alexander Orozco, Parochial Vicar Rev. Msgr. Robert Harahan, Weekend Assistant Rev. Msgr. James A. Burke, In Residence Olivia L. Harrington, Religious Education Coordinator Janet Nemec, Director of Lay Ministries Lorraine DeLuca, Religious Education Assistant Mary Lou Balog, Pastoral Associate for Stewardship Kaye Zbonack, Parish Secretary Jack Polito, Business Manager/ CTC School Liaison Jim Kenny, Pastoral Associate Jim Chiappini, Organist Ciarán Sheehan, Cantor Roberto Hurtado, Maintenance Supervisor Pedro Herrera, Maintenance Staff Russell Kamp & Tia Patterson, Parish Trustees Ronaldo Bustamante, Seminarian Saturday: Sunday: Holy Days: Daily: Masses 5:00 pm 8:00, 10:15 am, 12 Noon Consult Bulletin Monday - Friday 12:10 pm (chapel) Parish Membership Every family participating regularly in the spiritual life of our parish is encouraged to register. Forms are available in the church or at the rectory. If you move or change your home address or address, kindly notify the rectory. If you want to add your cell phone to your family information contact the rectory. If you move or no longer worship with us, kindly contact the rectory. Anointing Communal celebration of anointing is celebrated twice a year. The next celebration will be scheduled for the Spring of At any time during the year, if anyone is ill, homebound, or in the hospital, please notify the Rectory. Marriage The Common Policy for Marriage for all Dioceses of the State of New Jersey require notification of marriage at least ONE YEAR in advance. Please contact one of the parish priests to set a date. Religious Education Office Hours: Mon-Thurs - 9:00 am - 4:30 pm Classes Grades K-6 Sun - 9:00 am -10:00 am Thurs - 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm Grades 7-8 Sun - 9:00 am - 10:15 am Mon - 3:30-4:30, 7:30-8:30 pm Tues - 7:30-8:30 pm Home Classes (special scheduling) Good News for Little Ones (ages 2 ½ - 5) During the 10:15 am Mass October - June Rite of Christian Initiation (R.C.I.A.) Anyone interested in becoming a Roman Catholic, or any adult Catholic who has not received all the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist and would like to receive these Sacraments, please contact the Rectory. Penance/Reconciliation Saturdays 4:15 pm in the vesting sacristy in the lobby of the church, or by appointment in the Rectory. Baptisms The Sacrament of Baptism is scheduled for the following dates in 2015 are: May 31st, June 28th, July 19th, August 30th, September 27th. Arrangements are made by contacting the Rectory before the birth of the baby. Baptismal catechesis is required of all parents. Please call the Rectory for details. A member of the Baptism Preparation Ministry will contact the parents prior to the Baptism. Rectory FAX Nativityrcc@aol.com Parish Website Prospect Street Midland Park, NJ Religious Education Office NativityRelEd@gmail.com

2 Mass Please Remember Mass Requested Saturday April 18th 5:00 Mass Sunday Gallagher & O Connor Families April 19th Vince & Mary Gallagher 8:00 Mass Anna Lou Kuenzler Anne & Ray Hale 10:15 Mass Peter Quercia Phyllis & Andrea Quercia 12:00 Mass Jack Caldiero 11th Anniversary Monday April 20th Tuesday April 21st Wednesday April 22nd Thursday April 23rd 12:10Mass Friday April 24th Saturday April 25th 5:00 Mass Sunday Gary Borchers For all the souls in Purgatory especially deceased members of FOSS Gary Borchers Margaret & Eugene Keane Marie Romero Margaret Lasher Arnold Rhodes 11th Anniversary April 26th Anna & Joseph Caldiero Don & Helen Demers Victor & Judy Bastis Pope John XXIII Council 5498 Knights of Columbus Catherine & Ambrose McGarry Rosary Society Ray & Marge Latterner Mary Ann Szczesney & Karen 8:00 Mass John Oates Pat & Fred Shaver 10:15 Mass Rose Mastrangelo Marie Logatto 12:00 Mass Vera Reilly Susan & Neil Borchert The Church of the Nativity Prayer Chain is accepting prayer requests. Please call the rectory with your request. Please remember in your prayers the sick who have asked for our prayers Fr. Peter Please remember in your prayers the recently deceased Maureen Parks, Vera Reilly, John Oates, Robert Smith, Josephine Chiara, Bridget Ann Park, Marilyn Brechbiel, Mary Vier, Charles Lama, Sr, Veronica Paolillo WEEK OF April 20th KEY Monday April 20 Tuesday April 21 Wednesday April 22 Thursday April 23 Friday April 24 Saturday April 25 Sunday April 26 7:30PM C - Parish Mission 7:30PM C - Parish Mission 11:00PM CHA - Legion of Mary 1:00PM MG - Scripture Study 7:30PM C - Choir Practice 7:30PM C - Parish Mission 9:30AM UR - Moms Group 3:30PM S/MG - Thursday CCD Classes 7:30PM C - First Holy Communion Practice Knights of Columbus Membership Drive 9:00AM S - Sunday CCD Classes Knights of Columbus Membership Drive 12:00 Mass C - Baptism C-Church OH-O Connell Hall MG-McGrath Room CHA-Chapel S-School KH-Kennedy Hall UR-Upper Room R-Rectory The Son of God became incarnate in the souls of men to instill the feeling of brotherhood. All are brothers and all children of God. Pope Francis

3 A Word from the Pastor I am pleased to have Ronaldo give us his reflection on the readings for the next few weeks. As a student of Theology, he is happy to share his knowledge of the scriptures with us. Dear brothers and sisters, after Easter, the Gospels record Jesus' appearances. For example, while the apostles were in the locked room, Jesus was in their midst he said to them, "Peace be with you At first, the disciples were startled but then rejoiced. Another example takes place on the road to Emmaus. The two disciples recounted what had taken place the last few days, and how Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of bread. While they were still speaking about this, Jesus stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you. They also were startled at first, then rejoiced. For the Christian community of that time, these apparitions were a support to strengthen their faith and to defend the resurrection of Jesus. For us today, we live the resurrection and the appearance of Jesus through our everyday actions. Even though we don t witness apparitions like the disciples, there are some similarities between the disciples and us. First, the disciples were afraid but Jesus always gave them the strength to move forward. Second, in Jesus they found peace. We, as living community in 2015, also feel our fears, our doubts, we feel lonely but Jesus will always give us the peace, the strength to fight and the support we need to continue his mission. Brothers and sisters, remember the words of our Pope in his Easter Sunday Mass when he said: Jesus shows everyone the way to life and happiness: this way is humility, which involves humiliation. This is the path which leads to glory. Christians, by the grace of Christ, dead and risen, are the seeds of another humanity, in which we seek to live in service to one another, not to be arrogant, but rather respectful and ready to help. This grace is strength, not a weakness, the Pope said. Rather, those who bear within them God s power, his love and his justice, do not need to employ violence; they speak and act with the power of truth, beauty and love. Jesus also showed us the way of life through his resurrection; we should follow his example of the resurrection for our brothers and sisters who are far from the faith and be a light to those who walk in darkness. Let us ask Jesus to open our minds to understand the scriptures. Like the apostles, we also need your help to understand the scriptures and the mission entrusted to us. Thoughts on Scripture: Jesus opened the minds of the disciples to grasp two things written in the Scriptures: that he would suffer and rise from the dead, and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations. Our repentance conversion of life turns us to the God who forgives and who fills us with the new Life of the resurrection. Ultimately, this risen Life within us empowers a way of living that witnesses to God s forgiveness of our sinfulness. We usually think of repentance of wrongdoing and forgiveness as difficult and negative experiences. All three readings remind us that these are Life-giving actions leading us to deeper participation in the risen Life given us. [Taken From the Living Liturgy] Living the Paschal Mystery The resurrection claims us as witnesses not only to God s forgiveness of us, but also to our forgiveness of one another. Repentance conversion of life opens new opportunities to touch and see the risen Jesus. Repentance opens us to God s gift of forgiveness. Repentance opens us to the new Life of resurrection Jesus offers. Ultimately, the resurrection is a pledge of new Life for us and makes visible God s forgiveness of our sinfulness. Forgiveness is part of the reality of risen Life; it is the effect of death and resurrection. Repentance and forgiveness do not belong simply to Lent there, that s over for another year. Instead, they are very much a part of the Easter mystery. Forgiveness is the virtue that enables us not to allow past hurts to determine our decisions and actions in the here and now. Forgiveness opens up the space for creating together with the one forgiven a new future where we can fall peacefully asleep (responsorial psalm). Giving and receiving forgiveness is a resurrection activity. Walking and acting like a forgiven and forgiving people is how we make known the risen Jesus. Don Bosco Prep Spring Open House for students (with their family members) interested in attending Don Bosco Prep Date: Tuesday, April 21, 6:30 PM Members of the school community will host formal and informal sessions throughout campus highlighting many school aspects including: Academic Excellence, Admissions, Spiritual Vitality, Leadership Training and Athletic Distinction. Families may register online at under Admissions. Don Bosco Prep is located at 492 N. Franklin Turnpike, Ramsey, NJ For information, please contact DBP Admissions Director George Mihalik at gmihalik@donboscoprep.org First Holy Communion Items Available The St. Elizabeth Church in Wyckoff has a gift shop in their parish center that is stocked with lovely rosaries, jewelry, boys ties, first communion Mass books, children bibles, frames, photo holders and statues. If you cannot find it we can order it! All proceeds benefit the Respect Life Ministry. For more information contact St. Elizabeth s

4 Catechesis about Liturgy K-8 PROGRAM: For grades K 8: Remaining Sunday sessions: Today April 19 th & 26 th Remaining Thursday sessions: April 23 rd & 30 th For our Junior High Students (Gr. 7 8) Service Project Forms are due back at the beginning of next school year All families presently enrolled in our program will receive re-registration letters for the Fall Program shortly. We are grateful to the catechists, assistants, students and parents for all they have done to make this year meaningful to so many. FIRST EUCHARIST PROGRAM: Just a reminder... Practice for First Holy Communion will take place on Thursday April 23 rd at 7:30 PM in church for all the children receiving Communion this year. Children and their parents must attend this practice, so they may be made aware of the procedure to be followed at the Communion celebration. Finished banners are to be brought to practice. We are happy to announce that on Sunday May 3 rd at the 10:15 and 12:00 Noon Masses, 32 children in our parish family will share in an event of great joy for them and for all of us. They will receive Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time. They and their families have been preparing for this event for some time now, learning what the Eucharist is about and what it means to be part of the Eucharist community of people. We invite all members of our parish community to celebrate with the children and their families. CONFIRMATION PROGRAM: Just a reminder Community Service forms are overdue. Sponsor forms and letters of certification forms are overdue. Make up session Today, Sunday April 19 11:30 am SUMMER PROGRAM 2015 Children attend 10 days, Monday Friday, 9:00AM 12:30PM and must attend Advent and Lent sessions, Masses during the school year for continued Religious Education. The program will run from Monday August 3 to Friday August 14, Registration forms will be mailed shortly and also they will be available at the Religious Education Office. Our reason for this option is to provide the best quality religious education at the most convenient time for the majority of our families. Sacrament of penance: Much is being written in the Catholic press these days about the demise of the sacrament of penance too few are making use of this sacrament of healing. Even participation in the typical twice-a-year (Advent and Lent) communal penance liturgies in our parishes is not always as robust as it could be. Perhaps part of the problem lies in a rather narrow understanding of this sacrament that it is about acknowledging sins. This is true, but this is only one dimension of the sacrament. Far more important is that our seeking and receiving forgiveness, our firm resolve of repentance, and our doing some penance as an expression of our desire for conversion are all opportunities for encounters with the risen Christ. Like all liturgy, the sacrament of penance makes present the paschal mystery. Perhaps we focus too much on the dying aspect of this mystery (confession of sins) and not enough on the rising (encounter with Christ and the restoration of our relationship with God). Like all sacraments, the Rite of Reconciliation includes a proclamation of the word, even when it is celebrated as private confession. Perhaps a good practice would be to reflect on some New Testament passage on forgiveness for a significant time before confession; perhaps this Sunday s gospel would be a good choice since it reminds us so well of the connection of forgiveness and risen Life. Save the date... Angels In the Arts Committee (AITA) at the Academy of the Holy Angels, Demarest will hold its first Gourmet Food Truck and Arts Festival on the school campus Sunday, April 26 th from 12 noon to 4 pm. Pre-sale tickets to the event are $10.00 and $15.00 at the door plus the cost of food. Pre-sale tickets are now available online at

5 In the Gospel today, St. Luke presents Jesus appearing in the Upper Room and opening the minds of the disciples to understand the Scripture that Christ would suffer, die and rise again so that repentance for the forgiveness of sins might be preached to the whole world. This is Easter. Sin no longer will have a hold on us. Christ, the Victor over death is also the Victor over sin. The world needs to hear this from His disciples, from us. This brings us back to the second reading. Jesus is the expiation not for our sins only, but for the sins of the whole world. We are given the mandate to proclaim the good news that if we are united to Jesus, His sacrifice will unite each of us and all of us to God. In today s second reading St. John says that Jesus is the expiation for our sins and those of the whole world. First of all, what does that word expiation mean? The word refers to a sacrifice to atone or make up for sin. This might seem like a highly theological term, but we do this all the time. We just don t call it atonement. For example, a husband or wife or a child is sorry for snapping at members of the family. He or she makes up for it with a little gift or a special meal or perhaps doing some chores that are not on part of his or her normal responsibilities. These are minor things, but they are acts of expiation, acts of making up. Some people think that the Lord saved them, but not other people. They think that people of a certain class, with a certain disease, or who have committed this or that sin are excluded from the Lord s salvation. So they categorize whole groups of people as damned, or, at least, as evil. This is not the way of Christ. If we dare to look closely within ourselves, we would probably find some form of prejudice in each of us. We have to fight against whatever prejudices we might have. No group is better or worse than any other group. Jesus is our expiation for our sins and for those of the whole world. Today s readings warn us not to be so arrogant as to think that we have done something that can t be forgiven. Nor should we be so arrogant to think that others cannot be forgiven. God s mercy is available for all. Jesus gives. He forgives. And He calls us to follow Him. Life Source Hospice is seeking volunteers to be part of our patients end-of-life care. Volunteers serve as friendly bedside visitors to patients throughout Bergen County and provide them with much appreciated companionship by sitting, listening and praying with them. Life Source Hospice is seeking volunteers to be part of our patients end-of-life care. Volunteers serve as friendly bedside visitors to patients throughout Bergen County and provide them with much appreciated companionship by sitting, listening and praying with them. Volunteers determine their own schedules and can visit on evenings and weekends. Most volunteers donate 2 hours a week of their time for a minimum of one year. Volunteers receive ongoing hospice training and support by experienced hospice professionals. Volunteers must be 16 years or older. For more information, please contact Stephanie Kip, Volunteer Coordinator, Life Source Hospice at # or kiplifesourcehospice@yahoo.com. We are once again preparing the annual tradition of honoring those couples in our Archdiocese who will be celebrating five, twenty-five and fifty years of Christian marriage in the year These anniversary liturgies for Bergen County will be celebrated by Archbishop John J. Myers in the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark as follows: May 3, :00PM...25 & 5 years married (registration due April 22nd) Call the Rectory to register Comedy Night with Uncle Floyd April 25 The St. Elizabeth Knights of Columbus is sponsoring a Comedy Night, featuring TV comedian Uncle Floyd, on Saturday, April 25, at 7:30 pm in the Parish Hall. Beer, wine, and snacks are included. Advanced tickets are $30/person ($40 at the door). Tables of 7-10 people may be reserved a great opportunity to join friends for an evening of guaranteed laughter. For tickets, call Gene Gallagher The 28th Annual Liturgy for Those Whose Children Have Died will be held on Friday, May 8, 2015 at 7:30 PM at Notre Dame RC Church, 359 Central Ave North Caldwell All parents who have suffered the death of a child of any age are invited to attend with their families and friends. A personal witness will also be offered as the name of each child is read during the Mass. Pre-registration is requested by calling the Family Life Office at

6 Diane Stern Mr/Mrs Ken Stern Mary, Edward & Donald Alois Mr/Mrs Joseph Saccomanno Our Children, Peter A & Carin L Cantilina Mr/Mrs Peter Cantilina Deceased Family Members Mrs Claire Staudt Christopher McGarry Mr/Mrs A McGarry Jim Callahan Mrs Josephine Callahan Deceased Members of the Allen & Convery Families Donald & Patricia Allen James & Cathy Collins & George & Irene Stix Mr/Mrs George Stix Deceased Family Members Anonymous Paschal Candle Memorials 2015 John J. Oates Louise Oates Ada C. Krieger Leonard Krieger Thomas Haarsgaard 5/5/14 Mrs. Anne Hale Martha & Richard Troncone Bill Troncone Knights of Columbus Scholarship Any 2015 High School graduate who is a member of Church of the Nativity is eligible to apply for a $1000 scholarship awarded by the Knights. Application forms and criteria information may be picked up in the rectory office. Deadline for submission of application is May 6, 2015 Also any th grade graduate who is a member of The Church of the Nativity Parish and attending a Catholic secondary school in the Fall is eligible to apply for a $1000 scholarship awarded by the Knights. Application forms and criteria may be picked up in the rectory office. Deadline for submission is May 6, Are you 65 years of age or older? A Charitable Gift Annuity to the Archdiocese of Newark may be right for you. It not only benefits you, it also benefits your loved ones and the Church. Find out today how to establish a gift annuity by contacting Theresa Lynch in the Planned Giving Department at (973) or by at lynchthe@rcan.org. Below are our current gift annuity rates: Age Rate % % % % % 90 + up 9.0% OPEN HOUSE: On Tuesday, May 5 th, from 6:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m., Saint Joseph Regional H.S., Montvale, NJ will be hosting an Open House for prospective students (6 th,7 th and 8 th grade boys) and their families to gain more information concerning St. Joseph Regional, its programs & the people who make up the SJR community. SJR students will provide tours (starting promptly at 6:30 p.m.) and guests will have the opportunity to speak with SJR faculty, administrators & parents. For more information & directions please call the school at or pre-register at If you wish to participate in adoration and quiet meditation on a regular monthly basis please contact the rectory. Contact Jim Kenny if someone you know, or perhaps even yourself, might be interested in this program, Please be sure to fill out a prayer card for Fr. Peter. There are enough cards for everyone in the family. And when you are done...take a bracelet! If you have 10 Catholic friends, chances are at least one of them has not completed the final Sacrament of Initiation to the faith. So as a very special gift, we are encouraging you to invite them to consider our RCIA Walk. With an emphasis toward young adults, we are offering a compelling re -introduction to Catholicism and a personal connection with Jesus, through open and honest discussion about God, religion, spiritual practices, and the issues of the day.