Our Lady of Czestochowa Catholic Church

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1 Our Lady of Czestochowa Catholic Church 120 Sussex Street, Jersey City, NJ Our Mission The mission of our Parish is to reach out to all people and encourage them to join us in joyfully giving praise and glory to God; to build a Christian community that, with trust in God, embraces the future, and in doing so, is a beacon of faith, hope and love on the Jersey City waterfront. Our History Our Lady of Czestochowa Church, or OLC, was founded in 1911 to serve Polish immigrants to Jersey City. Today, OLC is growing and changing as it seeks to serve all those who now live in our neighborhood. The Church takes its name from a city in Poland that houses a cherished icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary. A copy of that icon is centrally located in our historic Church Very Rev. Thomas J. Ciba, V.F. Pastor Rev. Michael Braden, SJ Weekend Assistant Rev. Anthony Azzarto, SJ Weekend Assistant Mrs. Anna Mae Stefanelli Principal Mr. Jonathan Blevis Pastoral Associate Mr. Ben Rauch Director of Music Ms. Kathleen Church, Licensed Clinical Social Worker Parish Office Fax pastor@olcjc.org bulletin@olcjc.org Websites Counseling The OLC School Little Harbor Academy Mass Schedule Monday - Friday: Saturday: Sunday: Note: 12:30 pm (Church open from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm) 5:00 pm, Sunday Vigil Mass 10:00 am, 12:30 pm and 7:00 pm St. Anthony of Padua, 330 Sixth Street, Jersey City, the Center for Polish Ministry in Jersey City, offers a Polish Language Mass at OLC, Sundays at 8 am. Faith Formation during 10 am Mass We provide a Faith Formation program called Children s Liturgy of the Word for children 2 years of age on up during the Sunday Mass. We dismiss the children from Mass after the Opening Prayer to the church hall, returning before the Offertory. Parents are welcome to accompany their child if they wish. Confessions/Sacrament of Reconciliation Saturday 4:00 pm to 4:30 pm in the church & at other times by appointment with the pastor. Weddings Those interested in celebrating the Sacrament of Marriage should contact the parish office one year in advance of their proposed date of marriage. Infant Baptisms Preparation for Baptism should ideally begin before the birth of the child. Expectant parents should visit the parish website for more information. The OLC School Quality Education on the Waterfront 248 Luis Marin Blvd., Jersey City, NJ Grades 1-8 Accredited by The Middle States Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools The Little Harbor Academy The Early Childhood Division of The OLC School 186 Grand Street, Jersey City, NJ Programs: Kindergarten; Pre-Kindergarten Program for 3 & 4 year olds; Montessori Toddler Program for 2 year olds The OLC Counseling Center Well Being on the Waterfront 120 Sussex Street, Jersey City, NJ Individual, Marriage, and Family Counseling To Register and Be Part of OLC We welcome you to register and to be part of our parish family. Please contact the parish office to arrange an informal appointment with the pastor. Saints Peter and Paul Church, Hoboken and OLC Church, Jersey City We work together to proclaim and live the Gospel on the Hudson River Waterfront by sharing our time, energy, and resources and in doing so, we more powerfully witness the presence of Christ. The Baptism of the Lord January 12, 2014

2 A WORD FROM OUR PASTOR Dear Parishioners, I extend grateful words of thanks and appreciation to all those who have contributed to the 2013 Christmas Gift program at OLC. This year s projected church projects and improvements are very needed. We must address the condition of the kitchen in the church hall. The kitchen floor is deteriorating, the sink needs improvement and we need to re-arrange the layout. While we are doing that, we need to improve the accoustics in the hall. Sound reverberates through the hall increasing the sound and noise levels. This creates problems when we have functions downstairs. We notice this at parish funtions and particularly when we conduct our children s programs in the church hall. In addition to the kitchen and church hall, we need to make some repairs to the church pews and kneelers. Along with that, the main church doors need repair, or even replacement. The panelling attached to the original doors has warped, the varnish is peeling away, the lock on the center door malfunctions, and there is damage to the wood on the bottom of the center door. Repairing the doors may not be an option and replacing the doors may be necessary and costly. If we replace the doors, the Historic Preservation Committee will need to approve their design. They may need to conform to what was originally on the church. The goal of our 2013 Appeal is $75,000. To meet this goal we have suggested a $400 Christmas Gift from each family. We understand that there are those who cannot give this amount, but if you are doing well occupationally and financially, you may be very capable of giving much more. Even though we have generous parishioners, the Christmas collection totaled $50,923. While this is a substantial amount, we are short of our $75,000 goal. Since many parishioners were away for the Christmas holidays, we encourage those parishioners, who haven t donated, to make their Christmas Gift to the parish. We also encourage families to make a pledge, fulfilling their pledge over a period of time according to their means. Your Christmas Gift this year will contribute to a lasting improvement that will benefit people for years to come. Just as as our ramp improved accesability into the church, our proposed projects are essential for the maintainence of the church. Again, I am grateful and thank all those who contributed so very generously to the Christmas Gift Appeal. This Appeal helps your parish make substantial improvements to an aged church without conducting a capital campaign. Please, help us make our upcoming projects a reality. We do not constantly ask for money, but in the spirit of Christmas giving, we ask our parishioners to make this special Christmas Gift to their parish. As I stated above, your Christmas Gift will allow us to continue to make improvements to the church; such as repairing the kitchen in the church hall, refurbishing the pews and repairing (or even replacing) the church doors which are all necessary and will be costly. May you enjoy a blessed New Year, BAPTISM PROGRAM & SCHEDULE AT OLC GATHERING TO REJOICE is the first component of our Baptism Program. This component is intended for those preparing for the birth of their child. It is required that you preregister for this program, or notify the rectory that you will attend. To register, go to our website, olcjc.org and reference Formation and Sacraments. Follow the link to Baptism of Children, or call the rectory. Upcoming dates are: March 2, 2014, May 4, 2014, July 6, 2014 GATHERING TO UNDERSTAND is the second part of our Baptism program. If you are preparing for the baptism of your child, this program is required. It addresses theology, the responsibilities and requirements of parents and Godparents, etc. You can register for this program by going to the parish website or calling the rectory, or you can just walk in (however, preregistration is extremely helpful). Please refer below for a list of up-coming dates and plan to attend accordingly: February 2, 2014, April 6, 2014, June 1, 2014 Please register to be parishioners before attending the baptism classes. You can register in the rectory Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. till 5 p.m.

3 MASS INTENTIONS Remembering someone in our prayers (whether alive or deceased) is always important. Because the celebration of the Mass is the highest form of worship the Church celebrates, the practice of having a Mass offered for an individual, deceased or living, or for a particular intention, is an excellent way of bringing our intentions to God. This is a long standing tradition in the church. It is also a devotional practice whereby we keep alive the memory of our loved ones. Through this practice we can maintain that loving bond between ourselves and those whom we love. A Mass can be offered on the anniversary of death or on a person s birthday, or at any time. You may also have a Mass celebrated for someone who is ill, in thanksgiving and for special intentions for family and/or friends. If you wish to have a Mass celebrated, simply stop by the rectory, call us at or send an e- mail to: secretary@olcjc.org EVENTS AT OLC 2 nd Grade Reconciliation Class: Group A will meet January 19, Group B January 26, 8:45 AM. 8 th Grade Confirmation Class: Next class, January 19 at 11:00 AM. Mass beforehand at 10 AM Children s Liturgy: Every Sunday during 10 AM Mass for 20 minutes. Ages 2 and older. Parents are welcome. No registration required join in! Coffee & Donuts: Follow the announcements at the end of Mass. SUNDAY SCRIPTURE READINGS Reflect on today s readings. Prepare for next Sunday Sunday, Jan 12, 2014 Is 42:1-4, 6-7; Acts 10:34-38; Mt 3:13-17 Sunday, Jan 19, 2014 Is 49: 3, 5-6; 1 Cor 1:1-3; Jn 1:29-34 JOIN A PARISH MINISTRY IN 2014! Please consider joining one of our parish ministries, which are always in need of new members. Schedules for Masses are flexible and take your preferences and availability into account. For information, call the rectory, speak to Fr. Tom after Mass, or contact one of the following persons: Altar Servers Sarah at the rectory, Choir Ben Rauch/ Directorofmusic@olcjc.org Eucharistic Ministers Sarah, rectory, Lectors Pat Duemig, Serve Donuts After 10 AM Mass Sarah, rectory. WEEKLY OFFERING Thank you so much for your financial support and for living your financial commitment to your parish. We are grateful for those who are especially generous and who wish to remain anonymous. We need your support for us to achieve our weekly collection goal of $6,000 per Sunday. Reaching this goal, and exceeding it, is essential to the financial health of your parish. For the weekend of December 28/29, 307 people attended Mass. The collection amounted to $7,065 of which $2,303 was contributed by those using ParishPay. This is $1,065 above our weekly goal. For the weekend of January 4/5, 331 people attended Mass. The collection amounted to $5,765 of which $2,171 was contributed by those using ParishPay. This is $235 below our weekly goal. If the weather kept you away from church last week, please make-up your contribution. Thank you. For Christmas, 765 people attended Mass. The Christmas collection amounted to $50,923, of which $7,380 was contributed by those using Parishpay. We thank you for being so generous. CATHOLIC MEN S CONFERENCE Be not afraid! This is the theme of the annual Catholic Men s Conference, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Newark this year. It will be Saturday, March 15, 2014, at Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ. This can be a prayerful, spirit-filled, life changing experience! The day begins at 8:00 AM and ends around 4:00 PM. Mass will be celebrated by Most Reverend Archbishop John J. Myers along with our local Bishops and Priests concelebrating. A dynamic line-up of speakers is scheduled for this day! They include His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Fr. Larry Richards and Gregory Floyd There is a ticket price of $25 for adults, $20 for students and senior citizens. This includes breakfast and lunch. For early bird registration please visit our website at for a $5.00 discount before February 1. Tel CatholicMen@rcan.org CHILDREN S CHOIR During Children s Liturgy at the 10 AM Mass, Ben Rauch, the OLC music director practices a song with the kiddos. Once they have perfected the song the children perform for the congregation, which is usually once a month. If you would like to be on Ben s list he will send out the song he is currently working on, and your child/children can practice at home. You can Ben at directorofmusic@olcjc.org.

4 MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK Saturday January 11, :00 pm Julia Kyc, 28 th Ann. From Family Sunday January 12, :00 am Special Intention 12:30 pm Josephin Kunkiewicz From Catherine Drabik 7:00 pm People of the Parish Monday January 13, :30 pm Cecelia Wendolowski From Betty & Chris Skok- Tuesday January 14, :30 pm John Peter Dudrick From Donald Puckey Wednesday January 15, :30 pm Communion Service Thursday January 16, :30 pm Eugene Wydrzynski From Ted & Deana Johnson Friday January 17, :30 pm Cecilia & Mary Brajczewski From daughter Saturday January 18, :00 pm Special Intention Sunday January 19, :00 am Josephine Kunkiewicz From Loretta Kwiatkowski 12:30 pm John Hutt From Jeffrey, son 7:00 pm People of the Parish Attend daily Mass. It will make a difference in your life! STEWARDSHIP And a voice came from the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. MATTHEW 3:17 At the Baptism of Jesus, God made it clear that He was giving us the greatest gift He could give. He was giving us His only Son. When you really think about the magnitude of that gift of Jesus sent to save us, plus all of the many other blessings that God has entrusted into our hands, it is very humbling. God has given us so much. What do we give in return? LECTOR WORKBOOKS Lector workbooks for the 2014 liturgical year are available in the sacristy. All lectors should take a moment after mass to take their copy. Thank you.

5 REGISTER WITH YOUR PARISH! All Catholics should be registered with a parish. If you have been attending OLC it is fairly simple to make it official. Come to the OLC Rectory any time between the hours of 9:30 AM 5 PM, Monday Friday, and fill out a registration card. If you have any questions do not hesitate to call MARRIAGE ENOUNTER How do you rate your marriage? Excellent Good Average So So If you have checked any of the above, you are great candidates for a marriage enrichment presentation by Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend! It s a beautiful weekend experience designed for couples of all ages and backgrounds. It will take you from where you are to another level! Make 2014 special by devoting one weekend to one of the most important relationship in your life. For more information call Mike and Eileen Morgan at ext.7 or njwwme@peoplepc.com Military families, are you getting ready to deploy? Is your family trying to reconnect after deployment? Marriage Encounter offers tools of communication that have kept many military marriages strong and happy through out the ups and downs of military service. Contact your local chaplain or call ext. 7 for more information. SHOPPING CAN EARN MONEY FOR OLC! If you shop online, you can benefit OLC at no cost to you. Most major retailers participate in Goodshop.com. Select OLC, shop through Goodshop, and a percentage of your purchase will be donated to OLC. You can even download a toolbar to make it easier. You can also earn a penny per internet search using Goodsearch.com. If you have a Target RedCard, you can benefit OLC School by designating the school. 1% of your purchases on the card will be donated to the School, at no additional cost to you, through the Take Charge of Education program. SYNOD OF FAMILY: TAKE THE SURVEY! In response to the Holy Father's call to incorporate the thoughts of the laity into the work of the Extraordinary Synod on the Family in October 2014, The Archdiocese has prepared an online version of the Survey on Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelization. The link to the survey is in both Spanish and English and located on the Archdiocesan website You are encourage to participate in this unique opportunity in the life of the Church. The Survey can be a challenge and it is not perfect, however it is the best vehicle at this time to help in this effort.