Holy Spirit R.C. Church 318 Newark-Pompton Turnpike Pequannock, NJ 07440 Rev. David Monteleone Pastor In the Spirit Volume 3, No. 4 July/August, 2018 My dear parishioners, I hope this update is finding you and your loved ones well and enjoying the summer weather. After a long winter and fickle spring, it is nice to have longer, sunny days and restful summer nights. I am so happy to report that the new church air-conditioning is working beautifully. I am reminded of your generosity every time I walk into church. Without your generous spirit, this would never have happened. Work is being done to refresh our downstairs ladies and men s rooms. After the work is done, we will have two beautiful restrooms. Work is slowly continuing on the church conversion from oil to gas. I am hopeful that by the end of the summer; all of that work will be finished. All of these improvements would be impossible without your prayers and support. The parish has raised over $14,000 for the new lift. I am very pleased with this amount. We are almost halfway there for the full amount that is needed. Holy Spirit is truly a wonderful place to be assigned and our parish family makes all the difference. I am a very lucky priest. Please know you are in my prayers as summer continues and please say a prayer for me as well. Peace, Fr. David Monteleone
First Eucharist... Come to the banquet, come to the feast. Eat the bread of life! Share in the singing, share in the joy. Drink the cup of love! On the weekend of May 5/6, 2018, our parish family celebrated as twenty four young parishioners were welcomed to the Table of our Lord for the first time. I want to walk as a child of the light. I want to follow Jesus. 2
May 5 & 6, 2018 FIRST COMMUNICANTS Franco Arevalo Henry Bluteau Liam Bolan Mario Brattoli Matthew Breen Amanda Caputo Nicholas Cundiff Isabella DeChristophano Montgomery Fortunato Andrew Galiano Matthew Gertler Raphael Ginolfi Oscar Gonzalez Jack Kernan Stephanie Lobo Dominick Malfitano Katherine Moore George Rosenthal Melissa Tafro Danielle Turro Nathaniel Valentin Luke Wyka Evan Yodice Marc Zarriello 3
May Crowning At a school Mass on Thursday, May 10, the second graders who are Holy Spirit parishioners and had received First Eucharist the previous weekend participated in the Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 4
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Last School School Mass for Class of 2018 On Friday, June 1, Msgr. Jack Carroll, pastor of Our Lady of the Magnificat parish in Kinnelon presided over the last school Mass before graduation for the Class of 2018. Msgr. Carroll spoke with the students about the importance of prayer in their lives, explaining that prayer can be constant through our words and our actions. Addressing the 8th grade class, Msgr. Carroll spoke with them about their achievements, as well as the challenges they will face, Always remember your roots, and your roots are here. Don t hesitate to look back to where it felt a little safer, a little more secure, and that is Holy Spirit School. Offering additional advice about how their faith will see them through difficulties in the future, Msgr. reminded the soon-to-be graduates that Everyone in this church is sharing in your achievements and in your joy. Your happiness is our happiness. Forever a part of the Holy Spirit School family. 6
Living the Corporal Works of Mercy The Corporal Works of Mercy are found in the teachings of Jesus and give us a model for how we should treat all others, as if they were Christ in disguise. Works of Mercy are charitable actions by which we help our neighbors in their needs". They respond to the basic needs of humanity as we journey together through this life. The seven Corporal Works of Mercy are: Feed the Hungry, Shelter the Homeless, Clothe the Naked, Visit the Sick, Visit the Imprisoned, Bury the Dead, and Give Alms to the Poor. Through the generosity of Holy Spirit parishioners, we Feed the Hungry through our ShopRite gift card collections and through the annual Diocesan Corpus Christi Collection. Eight boxes of toothpaste, oatmeal, Farina, and some miscellaneous food items were collected on Corpus Christi weekend, observed on June 2/3, 2018.. We provide help to 22 families through our ShopRite gift cards year-round. A small group of Holy Spirit Parishioners serving as Eucharistic Ministers, and led by Lou Piccoli and Linda D Amico, Visit the Sick at Chilton Memorial Hospital on the third and fourth Thursdays of each Month. Our Lazarus Ministry consists of members who attend funerals (Bury the Dead) at Holy Spirit Church, providing comfort items such as tissues, water, and directions, and serving in liturgical ministries as needed. Shown at right is RitaAnn Gilfedder, head of our Lazarus Ministry. During the Months of May and November, the Rosary Altar Society collects baby items for new mothers at Birth Haven to Clothe the Naked. Shown at left is just a small sample of the gifts given by Holy Spirit parishioners. We give Alms to the Poor through the various National and Diocesan collections. We also provide for the needs of others through Operation Christmas Child, our annual coat and sweater collection, and the Angel tree gifts, and the special projects of our Religious Formation classes. We are thankful for.you! 7
Happy Birthday, Holy Spirit Church! On Pentecost Sunday, May 20, Holy Spirit Parishioners celebrated the feast day of our church and our 68th birthday. We are grateful to Fr. David Monteleone as he works to ensure the secure future of our parish. 8
Farewell to Deacon Gary and Kathy Zack To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under Heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 Thanks to Mary Lou Weinberg for the photographs! Deacon Gary and Kathy: Please accept our heartfelt thanks to both of you for your years of ministry at Holy Spirit. We love you and we will miss you. God Bless You! 9
Last Day of School The final Mass for the 2017-2018 school year was held on Monday, June 25. Fr. David spoke to the students about judging a book by its cover, explaining that people and situations are not always as they seem. Take the time to see the goodness inside, Fr. David advised. Live what you have learned at Holy Spirit these past nine months. Many of you will receive the Body of Christ today and it is your duty now to become what you receive. Become Christ for each other and become the light that this world so desperately needs. As part of the Mass, Fr. David conducted the traditional commissioning of the grades. As he invited the different grade levels to stand, Fr. David administered the following blessings and commissions: I bless you and charge you with. Seventh grade: I bless you and charge you with your place as the oldest in our school: be examples of fair play and friendship this summer. Remember to be the hands and the voice of Jesus to others. Sixth grade: I commission the sixth grade. You are now members of the junior high. I bless you and charge you to now to accept your new position and new responsibilities with happiness and humility. Be kind to one another. Fifth grade: I commission the fifth grade. I bless you and charge you to rely on God this summer. Be gentle with the younger children. Fourth grade: I commission the fourth grade. I bless you and charge you to remember you belong to God. Be helpful and loving to your family and neighbors. Third grade: I commission the third grade. I bless you and charge you to pray often and be a friend to everyone. Second grade: I commission the second graders. I bless you and charge you to pray for each other at Mass each week and remember that you are full members of the Catholic family. First grade: I commission the first grade. I bless you and charge you to play safely this summer. We pray that we all have a very restful and safe summer. We pray for each other that God will continue to be in our lives and in our hearts. Remember to go to Mass or to your place of worship because vacation does not mean vacation from God. ~Sr. Marie 10
Operation Christmas Child Returns! For the second consecutive year, Holy Spirit Church will participate in Operation Christmas Child. Your generosity in 2017 was overwhelming, with a collection of 1365 items, filling 80 boxes with miscellaneous hygiene products, small toys, stuffed animals, pens, pencils, crayons, markers, writing pads, etc. Watch our website, Facebook, and bulletin and Mass announcements for additional information as we get closer to our collection dates of September 29 to October 7, 2018. 11
Parish Life 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 www.holyspiritparishnj.org www.holyspiritschoolpequannock.org https://www.facebook.com/holyspiritparishpequannock/ https://www.facebook.com/holyspiritpequannock/ HolySpiritPequannock 12