The Catholic Community of Saint Joseph

Comunidad Católica de San José

Founded 1882

January 6, 2019 The Epiphany of the Lord

C : Corner of Jackson & Watchung Avenue P C C : 99 Westervelt Avenue North Plainfield, NJ 07060 P O P : 908.756.3383 H : 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday - Thursday

W S : www.SJNP.org Visit us on Facebook and our page The Catholic Community of St. Joseph

PASTORAL STAFF

Rev. George A. Farrell, Pastor / Párroco (ext 15) fathergeorgef@aol.com

Rev. Ronald Machado Parochial Vicar / Vicario Parroquial (ext 12) ronymac68@outlook.com

Deacon Cesar Augusto Ortega

Sr. Susana Islas, MCSH Pastoral Associate Parish Catechetical Leader (ext 19) susislasmc@hotmail.com

Mary Foy, Pastoral Associate (ext 13) sjnpmaryfoy@yahoo.com

Carol Pawlowski, RCIA Leader carolpawlowski90@gmail.com

Jean Valencia, Parish Secretary (ext 10) jjvalencia@aol.com

Rev. Msgr. Richard J. Lyons, J.C.L., In Residence

M S Saturday Vigil 4:00 PM

Sunday Masses 7:30 AM Spanish 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 12:30 PM Spanish

Daily Mass (M-F) 12:10 PM Parish Center Chapel

Holy Days 12:10 PM, 7:00 PM

Holy Hour - First Fridays 7:00 PM

S R Saturdays 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM

Also by appointment PARISH MEMBERSHIP The Catholic Community of St. Joseph is a place of welcome. If you are new to the parish, you are requested to register. Forms are available in the vestibule of the church or at the parish cen-ter. Please contact the parish office for more infor-mation 908.756.3383 or visit the parish website www.SJNP.org Thank you, and welcome! For information on sacraments, religious for-mation, or on how to become Catholic….please call the office at 908 756-3383. MEMBRECÍA DE LA PARROQUIA La Comunidad Católica de San José es un lugar acogedor. Si Ud. es nuevo en la parroquia, debe registrarse. Los formularios están disponibles en el vestíbulo de la iglesia o en el centro parroquial. Para cualquier información adicional que requiera, contacte a la oficina parroquial al teléfono 908.756.3383 o visite la página web de la parro-quia www.SJNP.org. Gracias y bienvenido!

SATURDAY, January 5 4:00 P.M. †Joseph Cummins r/o Family

SUNDAY, January 6 7:30 A.M. †Jesus Cordova, Olinda Lizano & Luis Flores, Jr. r /o Kitty Flores 9:00 A.M. †Lorraine Kuntz r/o Lorraine Coons 11:000 A.M. †Deceased members of the Buendia Family r/o Beatriz Buendia 12:30 P.M. For the People

MONDAY, January 7 12:10 PM †Antonio Scirocco r/o wife, Gelsomina & Family

TUESDAY, January 8 12:30 PM †Jose Resurreccion r/o Marc & Dawn Hudock

WEDNESDAY, January 9 12:10 P.M. †Tina Cahill r/o Gary & Joanne Cogswell

THURSDAY, January 10 12:10 P.M. Ana Lobelo (living) Happy Birthday & Good Health r/o son, Hector

FRIDAY, January 11

12:10 P.M. †Holly Kotusky r/o Chuck & Patti Kinney

SATURDAY, January 12 4:00 P.M. †Ernestine Petritsch r/o Mark & Marianne Petritsch

SUNDAY, January 13 7:30 A.M. †Jesus Cordova, Olinda Lizano & Luis Flores, Jr. r /o Kitty Flores 9:00 A.M. †Severina Fong r/o Marie & Pauline Fong 11:000 A.M. †Gene McMahon r/o Maynard Family 12:30 P.M. For the People

A TIME TO HEAL…..Please pray for those in our Parish, who are sick, especially those names listed in our Book of Petitions and those residents in our local Nursing Homes, especially: Rosemarie Caruso Avalon, Hillsborough, NJ

Sacrament of the Sick & Homebound Parishioners

The Parish Office may be called at any time for the Sacrament of the Sick as well as arrangements for Eucharist to the sick and homebound.

PRAYER FOR OUR TROOPS Please pray for the safety of our men and women in

the military service who are supporting our country faithfully.

Danielle Aponte, Nicholas Bellizzi, Michael Camp, Mario Daniel

Chambergo, Sean Cummins, Joseph A. Duffy,

Joseph Ellis, William N. Isele, Martha McMullen, John McMullen, Carlos Pareja,

Jeremy Pickens, Luke Rooney, Antonio Salazar Solis

CANDLE &

FLOWER INTENTIONS

Memory of Charles Jankoski

r/o Dolores & Monico Stanislao

What are you doing Tuesday afternoon? Join us for “Talk Tuesdays” after the daily Mass on Tuesdays at 1pm at the parish center. Come for mass, br ing

your lunch, or come later for an hour or so of cof-fee and discussion on current news in the Church, upcoming feast and Holy Days, or other interesting topics. Bring your ideas, and any questions you may have about our faith, its traditions and practic-es. Bring a friend! No registration is needed-just drop in! We will not meet on 12/25 or 1/1. Hope to see you there!

Talk

ATTENTION FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN IN CATHOLIC SCHOOL

If you have a child who will be eligible for either First Commun-

ion or Confirmation this year (usually in grades 2 or 8), please contact the parish center to make sure they are registered to receive these sacraments with their parish family here at St. Joseph. There is no cost, and the children do not need to attend classes weekly, but there are some workshops, retreats, and meetings that are MANDATORY for all children receiving their sacraments. The parish office is open Monday-Thursday 9am-4pm, or can be reached at 908-756-3383. Thank you for your cooperation!

Stress in Your Marriage! Do you feel lost, alone or bored in

your marriage? Are you frustrated, hurt or angry with

your spouse? Are you constantly fighting? Or, do you simply shut down?

Have you thought about separation or divorce? Does talking about it only make it worse?

…Retrouvaille is a Lifeline to Help Couples Heal and Renew their Marriages.

The program consists of a weekend experience for married couples (no group discussions) with six

follow-up sessions.

UPCOMING WEEKEND: February 8-10, 2019 For more information call the Family Life Office at

732-243-4573 TO REGISTER: Call Rich &

Annette Colasuonno 732-236-0671 or email 3024@retrouvaille.org

MOUNT ST. MARY HOUSE OF PRAYER 1651 U.S. Highway 22

Watchung, NJ 07069-6587

(908) 753-2091 * msmhope@msmhope.org Registration required; call 908-753-2091 or e-mail: msmhope@msmhope.org MID-WINTER MUSINGS “What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?”- John Steinbeck Warm your soul with reflections on hope in win-ter, with an opportunity to journal and share your own musings. Wed., Jan. 23, 9:30-11:30 a.m. OR 7-9 p.m. ($20-$30 as you are able) Facilitator: Mary Jo Kearns, RSM

Support St. Joseph parish…and reduce your taxes!

Who Donates? Americans gave $410 billion to charity in 2017. Religious institutions received 1/3 or $123 billion. Who Benefits? Thanks to recent tax changes, a Qualified Charita-ble Distribution (QCD) can save taxpayers a lot of money! A QCD is a withdrawal from an IRA account that is sent directly to a charity. After you reach age 70 ½ you are required to withdraw funds annually from your IRA and report it as income on your tax return. Under the new tax law many more people will be better off using the new and much larger standard deduction. But in not itemizing they will get no tax benefit for any charitable donations. This is where a QCD helps. Again, assuming you are 70 ½ or older, an IRA withdrawal of up to $100K going directly to a charity allows you to exclude that income from your tax return. In short, a QCD reduces your adjusted gross income, your taxable income and tax liability. And, as im-portantly it allows you to support your favorite charities. As always, review your individual situa-tion with your tax advisor.

St. Joseph Altar Rosary Society celebrated their annual Christmas Gathering on De-

cember 10 at Carpaccio Ristorante, in Mid-dlesex. A nice time was had by all the

members, Fr. George & Fr. Ron.

In God's Image, the Catholic Faith Sharing Group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people at Sacred Heart Church, South Plainfield, meets the 2nd Wednes-day of every month at 7:00PM in the Annex Build-ing. Our next meeting is January 9. The group is open to LGBT adults, 18 and over, and their families. All are welcome for faith sharing, prayer, conversation and support. For more information, contact Fr John at 908 756 0633, ext 125 or the group may be reached by con-tacting 908 822 5895 or by email-ing sacredheartigi@gmail.com. A Imágen de Dios, un grupo Catolicó de fé para perso-nas gay, lesbiana, bisexual y transgénero en la Iglesia Sacred Heart, South Plainfield, se reune el 2do miérco-les de cada mes a las 7 PM en el edificio anexo. Nues-tra próxima reunión será el 9 de enero. El grupo está abierto a los adultos LGBT, de 18 años y mayor, y a sus familias. Todos estàn invitados a compartir la fé, la oración, la conversación y el apoyo. Las reuniones se conducen en inglés. Para más información, favor co-municarse con el Pde. John Alvarado a 908-756-0633 x125 o con el grupo al llamar el 908-822-5895 o a tra-vés de correo electrónico al sacredheartigi@gmail.com.

What do Catholics believe regarding cremation?

It is an accepted practice of the Church, but still has a few rules behind it. Cremation is quickly becoming the new choice for families around the world. This is especially the case in the United States, where the number of yearly cremations has now surpassed traditional burials. For many, cremation is a cheaper alternative to a traditional burial and relieves a financial burden on family members. For Catholics, cremation is be-coming a popular choice as well, with Catholic cemeteries opening up mausoleums and giving families smaller plots for burying cremated re-mains. This is something new in the Catholic Church, as cremation was forbidden until 1963. Why is that? When Christianity began to spread across Europe, the Church wanted to distance themselves from pagan funeral practices, which included cremation. It was seen by many as a denial of the resurrection of the dead, a central belief in Christianity. Some people even chose cremation as a way to refute the teaching, taunting Christians as to how their body would rise on the Last Day when it was reduced to ashes. This official stance of the Church remained in force for almost 1,900 years, but has since been nuanced. The reason for the Church’s adjustment is that the intentions of most people who choose cremation is no longer in opposition to any Christian teaching. In recent decades, cremation is generally sought for economic purposes, not because of religious be-liefs. The Church thus began to allow cremation. To clarify this new stance, the Vatican released a doc-ument in 2016 that stated, “In circumstances when cremation is chosen because of sanitary, economic or social considerations, this choice must never vi-olate the explicitly-stated or the reasonably infera-ble wishes of the deceased faithful. The Church raises no doctrinal objections to this practice, since cremation of the deceased’s body does not affect

his or her soul, nor does it prevent God, in his om-nipotence, from raising up the deceased body to new life. Thus cremation, in and of itself, objec-tively negates neither the Christian doctrine of the soul’s immortality nor that of the resurrection of the body.” However, this does not include cremations that are done “for reasons contrary to Christian doctrine,” which are still forbidden. Also, the Church instructs Catholics to properly bury the created remains or inurn them in an above-ground sealed niche in a dedicated building or church space known as a columbarium. When, for legitimate motives, cremation of the body has been chosen, the ashes of the faithful must be laid to rest in a sacred place, that is, in a cemetery or, in certain cases, in a church or an ar-ea, which has been set aside for this purpose, and so dedicated by the competent ecclesial authority. This means that keeping ashes in a person’s home or scattering them in nature is not allowed. The Church gives the following reason behind the rule. The reservation of the ashes of the departed in a sacred place ensures that they are not excluded from the prayers and remembrance of their family or the Christian community. It prevents the faithful departed from being forgotten, or their remains from being shown a lack of respect, which eventu-ality is possible, most especially once the immedi-ately subsequent generation has too passed away. Also it prevents any unfitting or superstitious prac-tices. While traditional burial is still the “preferred” op-tion of the Catholic Church, cremation can be a valid choice for many families. In the end, whatever happens to our bodies, God will gather us together at the end of time and breathe life back into our bodies in a miraculous resurrection of the dead. Until then, we are given the task of using the time given us to lead a virtuous life, following Jesus to the Eternal Shores of Heaven. Philip Kosloski

¿Qué creen los católicos con respecto a la cremación?

Es una práctica aceptada de la Iglesia, pero todavía tiene algunas reglas detrás de ella. La cremación se está convirtiendo rápidamente en la nueva opción para las familias de todo el mundo. Este es especialmente el caso en los Estados Uni-dos, donde el número de cremaciones anuales ha superado los entierros tradicionales. Para muchos, la cremación es una alternativa más barata a un entierro tradicional y alivia una carga financiera para los miembros de la familia. Para los católicos, la cremación también se está convirtien-do en una opción popular, ya que los cementerios católicos abren mausoleos y les dan a las familias parcelas más pequeñas para enterrar los restos cre-mados. Esto es algo nuevo en la Iglesia Católica, ya que la cremación estaba prohibida hasta 1963. ¿Por qué es eso? Cuando el cristianismo comenzó a extenderse por toda Europa, la Iglesia quería distanciarse de las prácticas funerarias paganas, que incluían la cre-mación. Muchos lo vieron como una negación de la resurrección de los muertos, una creencia central en el cristianismo. Algunas personas incluso eligie-ron la cremación como una forma de refutar la en-señanza, burlándose de los cristianos sobre cómo se levantaría su cuerpo en el último día cuando se redujera a cenizas. Esta postura oficial de la Iglesia se mantuvo vigen-te durante casi 1,900 años, pero desde entonces ha sido matizada. La razón para el ajuste de la Iglesia es que las in-tenciones de la mayoría de las personas que eligen la cremación ya no se oponen a ninguna enseñanza cristiana. En las últimas décadas, la cremación se busca generalmente con fines económicos, no por creencias religiosas. La iglesia comenzó así a permitir la cremación. Para aclarar esta nueva postura, el Vaticano publi-có un documento en 2016 que decía: "En circuns-tancias en las que se elige la cremación debido a consideraciones sanitarias, económicas o sociales, esta opción nunca debe violar los deseos explícita-mente declarados o razonablemente inefables de

los fieles fallecidos. La Iglesia no plantea objecio-nes doctrinales a esta práctica, ya que la cremación del cuerpo del difunto no afecta su alma, ni impide a Dios, en su omnipotencia, elevar el cuerpo del difunto a una nueva vida. Así, la cremación, en sí misma, no niega objetivamente ni la doctrina cris-tiana de la inmortalidad del alma ni la de la resu-rrección del cuerpo". Sin embargo, esto no incluye las cremaciones que se realizan "por razones contrarias a la doctrina cristiana", que todavía están prohibidas. Además, la Iglesia instruye a los católicos para que entierren adecuadamente los restos creados o los devuelvan en un nicho sellado sobre el suelo en un edificio dedicado o espacio de la iglesia conocido como columbario. Cuando, por motivos legítimos, se ha elegido la cremación del cuerpo, las cenizas de los fieles de-ben depositarse en un lugar sagrado, es decir, en un cementerio o, en ciertos casos, en una iglesia o un área que se tiene apartada para este propósito, y así lo ha dedicado la autoridad eclesial competente. Esto significa que no está permitido mantener las cenizas en el hogar de una persona o dispersarlas en la naturaleza. La Iglesia da la siguiente razón detrás de la regla. La reserva de las cenizas de los difuntos en un lu-gar sagrado garantiza que no se les excluya de las oraciones y el recuerdo de su familia o de la comu-nidad cristiana. Evita que los fieles difuntos sean olvidados, o que se muestre a sus restos una falta de respeto, cuya eventualidad es posible, especial-mente una vez que la generación inmediatamente posterior haya fallecido. También impide cualquier práctica supersticiosa o impropia. Si bien el entierro tradicional sigue siendo la op-ción "preferida" de la Iglesia Católica, la crema-ción puede ser una opción válida para muchas fa-milias. Al final, pase lo que pase con nuestros cuerpos, Dios nos reunirá al final de los tiempos y devolverá la vida a nuestros cuerpos en una milagrosa resu-rrección de los muertos. Hasta entonces, se nos asigna la tarea de utilizar el tiempo que se nos ha dado para llevar una vida vir-tuosa, siguiendo a Jesús a las orillas eternas del cie-lo. Philip Kosloski

The word epiphany means the manifesta-tion, the revelation of something not known be-fore. Of the four gospels, only Matthew’s re-counts the story and intrigue of these magi who arrive from the east following Bethlehem’s star. The point of this is Matthew’s conviction that Jesus came not only for the chosen of Israel, but for God’s people everywhere: even for Gen-tiles, for folks like you and me. Our God is a God who reveals Himself, who revealed Himself in Jesus, disclosing the di-vine, enfleshed in our humanity. And what God revealed in Jesus 2,000 years ago is still being revealed to folks like you and me. In the scriptures? Yes. In the Church and its life? Yes. But in you and me, too. Our God wants us to see with our own eyes, to understand with our own minds, to re-ceive into our hearts the grace, the peace, the love of Him who always was, who is, and who will be forever. Perhaps the most important questions for Epiphany should be these: Do you believe that God reveals Himself to you? Not just to Mary and Joseph, and the shepherds and the magi 2000 years ago, but to YOU? And do you believe that if you looked more often and more carefully you might find, if not a special star in the sky, other ways in which God is pointing you towards a deeper faith, towards grace and truth, towards Jesus? The epiphany, the manifestation of who Jesus is in our lives, didn’t end with the visit of the magi it only began there. It has never ended.

La palabra epifanía significa la manifesta-ción, la revelación de algo que no se conoce antes. De los cuatro evangelios, solo Mateo cuenta la his-toria y la intriga de estos magos que llegan desde el este siguiendo la estrella de Belén. El punto de esto es la convicción de Mateo de que Jesús vino no solo por los elegidos de Is-rael, sino también por el pueblo de Dios de todas partes: incluso para los gentiles, para personas co-mo usted y yo. Nuestro Dios es un Dios que se revela a sí mismo, que se reveló a sí mismo en Jesús, revelan-do lo divino, enfundado en nuestra humanidad. Y lo que Dios reveló en Jesús hace 2.000 años toda-vía se está revelando a personas como tú y yo. ¿En las Escrituras? Sí. ¿En la Iglesia y su vida? Sí. Pero en ti y en mí, también. Nuestro Dios quiere que veamos con nues-tros propios ojos, que entendamos con nuestras propias mentes, que recibamos en nuestros corazo-nes la gracia, la paz, el amor de aquel que siempre fue, quién es y quién será para siempre. Quizás las preguntas más importantes para la Epifanía deberían ser estas: ¿Crees que Dios se revela en ti? No solo a María y José, y a los pastores y los magos hace 2000 años, sino a USTEDES. ¿Y crees que si miras más a me-nudo y con más cuidado podrías encontrar, si no una estrella especial en el cielo, otras formas en que Dios te está apuntando hacia una fe más pro-funda, hacia la gracia y la verdad, hacia Jesús? La epifanía, la manifestación de quién es Jesús en nuestras vidas, no terminó con la visita de los magos, solo comenzó allí. Nunca ha terminado.