MONDAY, December 4, 2017 7:00 AM Adolfo Gomez, r/o Loftus Family 8:45 AM Marie Bastan, r/o Shearman Family TUESDAY, December 5, 2017 7:00 AM Mae Trowbridge, r/o Rocky & Tony Pagano 8:45 AM Audrey Angrisani, r/o SJV Altar Rosary Society WEDNESDAY, December 6, 2017 7:00 AM Margaret McClellan, r/o Bacsik Family 8:45 AM Ellen & Charles Eichler, r/o M/M Connie O Donnell THURSDAY, December 7, 2017 7:00 AM Florence Sisco, r/o M/M Specchio 8:45 AM Margie McCabe, r/o Prayer Group 7:00 PM Thomas Mannion, r/o SJV Faculty and Staff FRIDAY, December 8, 2017 HOLY DAY -THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY 7:00 AM Anna Terranova, r/o Lucy Campanella 8:45 AM Joan Cassidy, r/o Jack 7:00 PM Michael Keker, r/o Wife and Family SATURDAY, December 9, 2017 8:00 AM Paul Hughes, r/o Kathy & Phil Kohn 5:00 PM Rosita Vano & Willen Yu, r/o Children & Grandchildren 7:00 PM Margaret Hanley, r/o Doreen & Michael Duffy SUNDAY, December 10, 2017 7:00 AM Jane Alencewicz, r/o Maryjane Alencewicz 9:00 AM Living and Deceased Members of our parish 10:45 AM Sr. Patricia Carson, r/o Ann Ruth 12:15 P Madelina Ricciardelli, r/o Hueston Family Remember and pray for the sick of the parish, those who are hospitalized, and their caregivers:, Ronald Harvey, Hedy Moskwa, Rose Thompson, William Kriston, Salvatore Aloe, Ann Marie Puchala,, Annie Panaccione, Sister Rose, Pauline Mendicino-Franke, Sadako Vargas, Robert Grecco, Finny Saporito, Maeve Cullinon, Sophie Ryan, Victor Rosales, Johnny Marques, Kelly Bayer, Kathleen DeFabio, Gina Metts, Joseph P. McCann, Jeff Robinson, Gloree Parker, Alex Perialis, Mary Bowkley, Baby Matteo, Danny Sheldon, John Mihalko, Artie Palumbo, Eileen Reilly, Baby Lucas DeCarlo, Sandra Lynn Place, and please remember our service men and women in your prayers. ADVENT & CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE Advent Confessions: Saturdays, December 9, 16, 23 11:00 AM and after the 7:00 PM Mass Advent/Christmas Lessons & Carols Choir Concert: Sunday, December 17, 2017 3:00 PM Christmas Eve Masses & Events: Sunday, December 24 Christmas Pageant 3:45 PM 4:00 pm Children s Choir 5:30 pm Mass Christmas Carols 9:30 PM 10:00 PM Mass NO MIDNIGHT MASS Christmas Day Masses December 25: 9:00 am, 10:45 am and 12:15 pm No 7:00 am Mass on Christmas Day Sunday, December 31 7:00, 9:00 and 10:45 am, 12:15 pm Monday, January 1, 2018 Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God 9:00 am (Not a Holy Day of Obligation) The Bread and Wine have been offered in loving memory of Anna Terranova from M/M MacIntyre The Sanctuary Light Has Been donated in loving memory of Anna Terranova from M/M MacIntyre Next Baptismal class will be December 19th, 2017. Please call the Rectory to register. e welcome our littlest members born to new life Baptized in water and the Holy Spirit November 19, 2017 PAIGE ELIZABETH SCHNEIDER Child of Robert Jr. and Stephanie Pajak Schneider CARTER JOSEPH LESKO Child of John and Layla Gursaly Lesko November 26, 2017 RORY FROST MAZZOTTI Child of Anthony and Michelle Frost Mazzotti Let us pray for our recently departed brothers and sisters, Dennis O Day, Leonard Holdridge, Benjamin Wilder, Mary Hammer and reward them a place in heaven and eternal rest. Everyone is invited to our monthly St. John Vianney Parish Breakfast in the school cafeteria after the 9AM Mass today Come see old friends and make new ones! Our hosts this month is SJV Basketball and Cheering.
ALTAR ROSARY CHRISTMAS PARTY DECEMBER 7 AT 2 PM UPSTAIRS IN CHURCH Please bring items for the Baby Bundles which include: baby powder, size 1 diapers, baby shampoo and lotion, individual packs of wipes and baby oil. Also, please remember to bake a goodie for the party! ST. JOHN VIANNEY SENIORS Our next meeting will take place at the Evergreen Senior Center on Wednesday, Dec. 6 th at 12:30 PM. The Colonia High School Choir will entertain us. A collection box will be available for donations to the St. Vincent de Paul Society for Christmas. Don t forget to bring cereal for Ozanman Family Shelter. 7 th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Sponsored By Colonia Business Community Thursday, December 7th, 6:00 pm EvergreenCenter 400 Inman Ave. Colonia, NJ Sing-a-long with SJV Children s Choir Santa arrives at 6:15 pm to help us light the tree. There will be crafts, balloon maker and refreshments along with a few other surprises inside the Evergreen Center. Please bring a toy for Toys for Tots Collection and non-perishable food items for We Feed Woodbridge Food Bank The Giving Tree As you can see the Giving Tree is back! Please take an ornament and return it the weekend of December 9/10 with the tag securely attached to the (New, Unwrapped gift). Gift cards and monetary donations may be placed in the box provided. Please indicate the gift card amount. If you are a group, organization or family and would like to adopt a family to give to, please contact us for a family list. St. Vincent DePaul, SJV ProLife, Local Seniors, Catholic Charities, and SJV families in need will be the recipients of your generous gifts. Give and it shall be given to you. - Luke 6:38 Barbara Morrisey- 732-501-2195 Donna Worosila -732-381-1584 Parish Poinsettia Sale December 2nd & 3rd In the Church Foyer Following All Weekend Masses It s time to get out your Christmas Decorations! Please support your Parish Community Buy Your Poinsettias at St. John Vianney Again This Year! Red Pink White Marble Small or Large St. John Vianney School News The Student Council is sponsoring a Toy Drive to provide Christmas gifts for underprivileged children. The deadline for donations is December 4. They are accepting new, unwrapped toys or gift cards for children ages newborn to teen. Tuesday, December 5, is the deadline for purchasing tickets for Story Time with Santa which will be held on Friday evening, December 8, from 6:00-8:00 PM. Snacks and refreshments will be provided. Students will attend Mass at 9:30 AM on Friday, December 8, for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. There will be a 12:15 PM dismissal on December 8. If your child will be attending Aftercare, please send them to school with a lunch. Pre-School News On Friday, December 8, we will follow our half day schedule. Students who only attend school in the morning will be dismissed at 10 AM; full day students will be dismissed at 12 noon. Aftercare will be provided. SJV Parish Advent/Christmas Concert!! On Sunday December 17 th at 3:00 pm, our parish adult choir will be singing some of your favorite Christmas Carols. There will also be reading from sacred scripture as well as an opportunity to sing some carols together. Following the lessons and carols you are invited to join with us in the school cafeteria for a pre-christmas celebration of all your favorite Christmas Cookies. We will also have crafts and games for all the children. So bring the whole family out to join with your parish family!!! Hope to see you on the 17 th!!
Music Ministry News SAINT VINCENT de PAUL We need spaghetti sauce, cereal, pancake mix and syrup and rice. Please save the date for our adult choir s annual Lessons and Carols concert on Sunday December 17 th at 3:00 pm in the church!! CAR DONATIONS: 1-800-322-8284, OR GO ONLINE AT www.svdpusacars.com Adult Choir Our parish adult choir enhances our liturgies each Sunday from September through mid-june. The choir also sings for many special occasions during the year, such as: Midnight Mass, Holy Week, Confirmation, and our Mass of Remembrance in November!! The choir also provides two beautiful concerts for the parish, one during Advent and the other during Lent. We are always looking for new people to join with our very dedicated group!! We welcome all adults (And high school students) to be part of our choir! The adult choir sings weekly at the 9:00 am mass (And once a month at the 10:45 am mass). We practice each Wednesday from 7:30 to 9:00 Pm in the church. Our next rehearsal will be on Wednesday December 6th!! We will sing next Sunday December 10th at the 9:00 am mass. Children s Choir Our parish children s choir is made of students from our parish from grades two and up!! The children in the group love coming together to sing for Sunday liturgies as well as special events during the year. The choir sings for our parish Christmas Pageant and 4:00 pm mass on Christmas Eve, as well as the 9:00 am mass on Easter Sunday!! We practice on Tuesday afternoons from 4:00 to 5:00 pm in the church. We sing twice a month at either the 9:00 or 10:45 am mass! Our next rehearsal will be on Tuesday December 12th!! We will sing for the annual Christmas Tree Lighting this Thursday December 7 th at 6:00 pm at the Evergreen Center!! All are welcome to join us!! Folk Group Our Parish Folk Group enhances the 12:15 liturgy each week. The Folk Group is under the direction of Ms. Jennie Esposito. Rehearsals are held weekly at 11:15 Am in the conference room adjacent to the church gathering area. Jennie is always looking for more singers as well as instrumentalists to join with the Folk Group! Teenage/College Group This group of young adults in the parish generally enhances the 12:15 Pm mass on the fourth Sunday of each month. Rehearsal is held at 11:15 am in the conference room. If you sing or play an instrument, then this group is for you!! Please speak to Jennie Esposito after 12:15 pm for more information on both groups!! You can contact me at jframeiii@yahoo.com with any questions, Jamie Frame Dir. Of Music/Organist Adopt-A-Turkey update: This years Adopt-A-Turkey was a huge success. With your help 148 families were able to enjoy a Thanksgiving Feast. The shopping list included 132 pies, 660 lbs. of potatoes, 132 lbs. of carrots, 1,692 lbs. of turkey, an incredible assortment of canned vegetables, cranberries, and of course stuffing. Thank you for your generosity. PRO LIFE The next meeting will be held January 23. No December meeting. Maternity donations can be dropped in the crib in the foyer of the church. Diapers size 3 thru 6 are always welcome. Although we accept gently used items, they should be clean and ready to use. If it s suitable for your grandchild, we can use it. If you have larger items, please call Carolyn at 732-381-0499 to arrange for pickup. Thank you for your continued generosity. SJV Parish Children s Christmas Pageant All children in our parish (Pre-K and up) are invited to participate in our annual Christmas pageant on Christmas Eve! We are in need of readers, shepherds, angels, wise men, and animals for the living nativity! The pageant will take place on Sunday December 24 th at 3:45 in the church, following the pageant all students will be asked to sit with their families for the 4:00 pm Christmas Eve Mass. There will be one rehearsal for ALL participants on Saturday December 23 rd at 12 noon in the church. All costumes will be given out at the rehearsal. Information will be going home with ALL students in SJV School as well as religious education. Please call Mrs. Cowan at the religious education office or Jamie Frame at (908) 331-0471 with any questions. Mother Seton Regional High School s Scholarship Exam This exam for the Class of 2022 will take place on Saturday, December 9 at 8:30 am and on Wednesday, December 13 at 12 noon. For more information, please visit motherseton.org or call our Admissions Office at 732-382-1952. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time will come. - MARK 13:33 We all take things for granted. In particular, we take time for granted. Our lives are so busy, many of us are planning our time - our days, weeks, months, even years in advance. Remember, our time on earth is a gift. None of us knows how long we will be here. Start today and begin thanking God for each and every day. Take time in silence, every day, and listen to what God is saying to you.
A FRESH PERSPECTIVE ON THE SUNDAY READINGS HIS WORD TODAY by Rev. William J. Reilly Jesus said to His disciples: Be constantly on watch, stay awake. You do not know when the appointed time will come. It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge each with his own task, and he orders the man at the gate to watch with a sharp eye. Look around you. We begin a new season of grace, the wonderful time of preparing the way of the Lord, recalling His coming in history, His abiding presence among us now, and looking to discover the way He enters our lives. This year we have four full weeks to live advent. Like the person in Mark s gospel, the Lord has entrusted each of us with distinct, yet important tasks. My work is different from others, and if I fail to do it, it will remain undone. How am I going to begin this time of prayer? I can make a resolution not to get caught up only with the material things in our consumer oriented society. My prayer with my family, my reflection on the scriptures, will certainly point me in the right direction. As I consider what I am going to do, I want to include others, the elderly, the sick and the poor, those alone or lonely, to make their lives better. They are part of God s gift for me to take care of. May the closing words of the Bible become my mantra each day, simply repeating three words prayerfully Come Lord Jesus. CATHOLIC PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND With Fr. James Hagerman and Msgr. Edward O Neill MAY 8 17, 2018 $3,495.00 ALL INCLUSIVE FROM NEWARK NJ Brochures with more information and registration forms can be found at the Rectory. Pilgrimage Tours can be reached at 1-800-278-1351 or email at PilgrimageTours@aol.com Parish Mass Headcount What did we learn? Have you noticed people walking around with paper and pencil during the Offertory the past few weeks? Did you wonder what they were doing? Every year the Bishop s Office asks every Parish in the Diocese to count the number of persons attending every weekend Mass during the first four weekends in November. First a big THANKYOU to the Extraordinary Ministers who walked around counting people! We counted everyone not just people in the pews we counted: the Priest; the Deacon, if any, Altar Servers; the Organist; the Cantor, the members of the Choir; the people standing, and people in the crying room. So what did we learn? Using averages for the four weeks of November: Mass with the highest attendance: 5 pm average 275.5 people per mass Mass with the second highest attendance: 10:45am average 272.5 people per mass Curious about the others? 7:00pm average 114.5 people per mass 7:00 am average 112.75 people per Mass 9:00 am average 253.5 people per mass 12:15 pm average 255.5 people per mass What else did we observe? Unless there is something special happening like the Alter Server Commissioning, more people sit in the back two sections of the Church than in the front tow sections. With respect to the front, more people tend to sit in the front left (organ side) than in the front right Mary side) sections. So, if you are running late for Mass and want to get a seat head up to one of the front sections!