The Roman Catholic Parish of St. Vincent de Paul 250 Bebout Avenue Stirling, New Jersey 07980 Phone: (908) 647-0118 Fax: (908) 647-5992 Parish Office—908-647-0118 In an emergency call 973-222-0720 Parish website: stvincentschurch.org Parish email: [email protected]PASTORAL STAFF Fr. A. Richard Carton, Pastor [email protected]Fr. William (Bill) Mooney Weekend Assistant Elena Bird Zolnick Director of Sacred Music 907-953-0128 [email protected]Vincent G. Clarke, Organist 908-647-4926 Sr. Krystyna Dziadkowiec Pastoral Associate [email protected]Sr. Elsa Jeronimo, C.S.JB. Director of Social Outreach [email protected]Deirdre Nemeth Director of Religious Formation 908-647-0421 [email protected]Amilee Beer Youth Minister 908-295-8104 [email protected]Peter O’Neill, Deacon 908-647-7258 [email protected]Parish Trustees Alan Tangreti and Timothy Wallisch PARISH OFFICE STAFF Vera Castagna Parish Secretary Maria DeLuca Religious Formation Secretary Teri Kesselmeyer Technology and Communications Mary Woods Parish Finance Coordinator We are a Catholic community rooted in the Eucharist and committed to the poor. Sunday Mass Schedule (Vigil Mass) Saturday —5:00PM Sunday 8:30AM, 10:30AM and 6:00PM Confession: Saturday at 4PM or other days by appointment. Weekday Mass Schedule 8:30AM Monday—Saturday “It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do so without the Holy Mass.” St. Padre Pio
Transcript
The Roman Catholic Parish of St. Vincent de Paul 250 Bebout Avenue
Stirling, New Jersey 07980 Phone: (908) 647-0118 Fax: (908) 647-5992
April 21st and 22nd Fourth Sunday of Easter Page Two
SUNDAY COLLECTION REPORT MASS INTENTIONS
MONDAY April 23rd
Saint George, Martyr Saint Adalbert, Bishop and Martyr
8:30AM James Sebold Joseph Rota Helena Rohal TUESDAY April 24th
Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest and Martyr 8:30AM Francesca DeVincentis (Living) Maria Crioilo Lane Metro WEDNESDAY April 25th
Saint Mark, Evangelist 8:30AM John Calabro (Living) Pawel Kania Reginald Stanton THURSDAY April 26th 8:30AM Annette and Tom Dolce (Living) Esther Michalowicz Frank Strouse FRIDAY April 27th 8:30AM The DeFabio Family (Living) Dale Gagliano Helena Rohal SATURDAY April 28th
Saint Peter Chanel, Priest and Martyr Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort, Priest
8:30AM Alice Capria Gerald Deering Mary and Matthew Sheridan
The Fifth Sunday of Easter
5:00PM (Vigil) Carmel and Joseph Connolly Edward Traub Anna Silva
SUNDAY April 29th 8:30AM Frank Ruggiero Mario Cerulo Richard and Doris O’Connell 10:30AM Victor Guidetti,III Mario Cerulo Deceased members of the parish 6:00PM Beverly Guldner Kathleen Orlando Schaan Helena Rohal
The weekend of April 14th and 15th Total amount in envelopes: $7,487
Loose: $1,600
Online We Share: $3,600
Total Offered: $12,687
PARISH MISSION IN HAITI—UPDATE As previously mentioned, the monies donated for our sister parish above the goal of $30,000 will be used solely to provide for the needs of the mission. To that end, and in discussion with Fr. Theo, a wire for $10,000 has been sent so that Solar Panels may be placed at the parish. This will be a great help as power is currently supplied via a generator. The generator can only be used sparingly as the gas to feed it requires a two hour journey from the mission each time and because of the cost factor. It is also not always possible to have the gas necessary each time. Using the natural resource of the sun, the panels will allow for electricity on a regular basis without incurring the cost of gas. This will also be very helpful for the future refrigeration of medical supplies and other items. Thank you to all who have contributed to make this happen.
Daily Mass Readings Monday Acts 11:1-18; Jn 10:1-10
Tuesday Acts 11:19-26; Jn 10:22-30
Wednesday 1 Pt 5:5b-14; Mk 16:15-20
Thursday Acts 13:13-25; Jn 13:16-20
Friday Acts 13:26-33; Jn 14:1-6
Saturday Acts 13:44-52; Jn 14:7-14
This weekend we welcome Christopher Bell, co-founder and President of Good Counsel which operates Catholic homes for homeless pregnant women and their babies and a national toll-free help line (800-723-8331). Baby bottles will be distributed for you to take and fill with coins, cash or checks to assist with their life saving work. Please return the bottles on May 5th/6th. More information and to donate online visit www.GoodCounselHomes.org.
On March 19th, Pope Francis released his third Apostolic Exhortation on the Call to Holiness in today’s world. This is a summary of the 39 page document for those who may not have time to read it all. This is not an academic or doctrinal text. Its goal is “to re-propose the call to holiness in a practical way for our own time.”
CHAPTER 1: THE CALL TO HOLINESS There are many kinds of saints. Besides the Church’s officially recognized saints, many more ordinary people have been hidden from history books yet have been decisive in changing the world. They include many Christian witnesses whose martyrdom is a feature of our time. “Each saint is a mission, planned by the Father to reflect and embody, at a specific moment in history, a certain aspect of the Gospel.” Holiness is experiencing the mysteries of Christ’s life, “constantly dying and rising anew with him”, and reproducing aspects of his earthly life: his closeness to the outcast, his poverty, his self-sacrificing love. “Allow the Spirit to forge in you the personal mystery that can reflect Jesus Christ in today’s world”, in a mission to build the kingdom of love, justice and universal peace. Holiness is as diverse as humanity; the Lord has in mind a particular path for each believer, not just the clergy, the consecrated, or those who live a contemplative life. We are all called to holiness, whatever our role, “by living our lives with love and bearing witness”, and in the everyday turning to God. Among ways of bearing witness are “feminine styles of holiness”, of famous women saints and the “unknown and forgotten” women who daily transform their communities. As well as through big challenges, holiness grows through small gestures: refusing to gossip, listening with patience and love, saying a kind word to a poor person. Holiness keeps you faithful to your deepest self, free from every form of enslavement, and bearing fruit for our world. Holiness does not make you less human, since it is an encounter between your weakness and the power of God’s grace. But we need moments of solitude and silence before God, to face our true selves and let the Lord enter.
CHAPTER 2: TWO SUBTLE ENEMIES OF HOLINESS Gnosticism and Pelagianism, two “false forms of holiness” from early Church history, still lead us astray. These heresies propose “an anthropocentric immanentism disguised as Catholic truth” by exaggerating human perfection without grace. Gnostics fail to realize that our perfection is measured by the depth of our charity, not by information or knowledge. Separating intellect from the flesh, they reduce Jesus’ teaching to a cold and harsh logic that seeks to dominate everything. But doctrine “is not a closed system, devoid of the dynamic capacity to pose questions, doubts, inquiries”. Christian experience is not a set of intellectual exercises; true Christian wisdom can never be separated from mercy towards our neighbor. The same power that Gnosticism attributed to the intellect, Pelagianism attributed to the human will, to personal effort. Though modern Pelagians speak warmly of God’s grace, they suggest that human will is something pure, perfect, all-powerful, to which grace is then added. They fail to realize that in this life human weaknesses are not healed completely and once for all by grace. Grace builds on nature. It does not make us superhuman but takes hold of us and transforms us progressively. If we reject this historical and progressive reality, we can actually refuse and block the grace of the Lord. His friendship infinitely transcends us: we cannot buy it with our works, it can only be a gift born of his loving initiative. Only this permits us to cooperate by our own efforts in our progressive transformation. When they overvalue human will and their own abilities, some Christians can tend towards obsession with the law; an absorption with social and political advantages; punctilious concern for the Church’s liturgy, doctrine and prestige; vanity about the ability to manage practical matters; and an excessive concern with programs of self-help and personal fulfilment as well as certain rules, customs or ways of acting. The life of the Church can become a museum piece or the possession of a select few. This deprives the Gospel of its simplicity, allure and savor, and reduces it to a blueprint that leaves few openings for the working of grace.
CHAPTER 3: IN THE LIGHT OF THE MASTER The Beatitudes are Jesus’ portrayal of what it means to be holy in our daily lives. Here “happy” and “blessed” become synonymous with “holy”. We gain true happiness by faithful practice of the Beatitudes. We can only practice them if the Holy Spirit fills us with his power and frees us from our weakness, selfishness, complacency and pride. Pope Francis describes each of the Beatitudes and their invitation, concluding each section: ● “Being poor of heart: that is holiness.” ● “Reacting with meekness and humility: that is holiness.” ● “Knowing how to mourn with others: that is holiness.” ● “Hungering and thirsting for righteousness: that is holiness.” ● “Seeing and acting with mercy: that is holiness.” ● “Keeping a heart free of all that tarnishes love: that is holiness.” ● “Sowing peace all around us: that is holiness.” ● “Accepting daily the path of the Gospel, even though it may cause us problems: that is holiness.” In the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel (vv. 31-46), Jesus expands on the Beatitude about mercy. “If we seek the holiness pleasing to God’s eyes, this text offers us one clear criterion on which we will be judged.” When we recognize Christ in the poor and the suffering, we see into the very heart of Christ, his deepest feelings and choices. “Our Lord made it very clear that holiness cannot be understood or lived apart from these demands”.
SUMMARY OF GAUDETE ET EXSULTATE—Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis (Part 1 of 2)
April 21st and 22nd Page Four PLEASE REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS
Those who serve in the military: James Minogue, Nick Ragazzo, Stephen J. Campbell, Sean Milde, Frank Fasano, Richard Lister, Eric Leverone, Jay Donato, Frank Messina, Eileen Murphy, Peter Giovanni, John E. Siedler IV
Those who are ill: Jane Moran, Frank Critelli, Cathy Bognar, John Daglian, Parker Watson, Annette McGrory, Lou Aroneo, Patrick Bergin, Lynne Coombs, Lucy Bustillos, Paula Matchen, May Hill, Caitlin Shea, Bill Wallisch, Larry Oster, Nanci Gamba, Elizabeth Early, Helen Munro and Eric Binner
Those who have died to this world Mary Horton, Joseph A. Galante, Donald Foster
and George Thoms
Requiescat in Pace May all the faithful who have departed this world rest
in your eternal peace. Amen
Reborn through the waters of Baptism and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we embrace:
Dominic Joseph Stenard son of James and Julia
Jackson Anthony Pepe son of Michael and Jaclyn
Matthew James Sillett son of Daniel and Milena
claimed now for the fullness of eternal life.
Getting Ready For Sunday with Fr. Richard Gain a deeper insight into the Scriptures for Sunday Mass and a deeper understanding of the readings and of the culture and context within which they were written. Discussions are held on Thursday afternoons in the Library at 1pm to 2:30pm and repeated in the evening at 7:30pm to 9:00pm.
ADULT FAITH FORMATION
READINGS FOR NEXT SUNDAY
First Reading: Acts 9:26-31 Paul the Apostle came to Jerusalem, where the other disciples were afraid of him. Then they learned that the Lord had spoken to Paul and he had preached openly in Damascus. When they learned that someone wanted to kill him, they protected him because they fully believed he had converted.
Second Reading: I John 3:18-24 John clearly states that we must love one another. All people who believe in Jesus Christ can show their faith only through their actions. If people believe in Jesus and love one another as he commanded us, they prove that they are true believers in Christ.
Gospel: John 15:1-8 Jesus compares himself to a vine, and compares his father to the vine-grower. He explains how God prunes the barren branches so that the rest might yield more fruit. He reminds them that apart from himself, his followers could not bear fruit.
Oremus: A Guide to Catholic Prayer
Join Fr. Richard for an inspiring study on the essentials for an effective and fruitful prayer life. Over the course of eight weeks discover how to place yourself in God’s presence. Oremus includes 8 video presentations, small group discussions and inspiring readings
and reflections. The sessions take place on Wednesdays at 7:30pm in the JP II Center. Participants must register. Visit our website or call the office to register.
The Knights of Columbus are sponsoring their Blood Drive on Monday, April 30th from 3:30pm to 8:30pm in the gym. Donor registration will take place in the vestibule of the church after Masses this weekend and next. Please
consider being a blood donor. For further information please contact Ken Schaefer at 732-356-6148.
The votive candle before the statue of Saint Joseph is in memory of
James Nix.
The Rosary is prayed daily Monday through Friday and on First Saturdays immediately following the 8:30AM Mass. All are welcome to pray the Rosary together as a faith community.
Our next Family Rosary and Adoration will take place on Friday, May 18th. Come join us with your whole family to pray the Rosary before the Blessed Sacrament beginning at 7:00pm. Potluck dessert and fun activities for families will take place after prayer, Adoration and Benediction. RSVP to
Our church is open daily from 7:30am to 9:00pm, closing on Saturday and Sunday after the evening Mass. On the third Friday of each month we have Adoration and the praying of the Rosary particularly focused on families – come, bring your children and grandchildren and teach them to speak to Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament. On First Fridays we have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament after the 8:30am Mass through the night until 8:00am on Saturday. If you are awake because you have many concerns, come talk to Him. Jesus is absolutely and truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament – many, many Saints became Saints because they knew and responded to this truth.
“Do you realize that Jesus is there…especially for you- for you alone? He burns with the desire to come into your heart.” St. Therese of Lisieux
PLEASE UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION
If you are new to our parish, or not receiving our weekly emails, please take this opportunity to register or update your information by visiting our website at www.stvincentschurch.org or by calling the parish office 908-647-0118.
Mother and (Adult) Daughter Retreat May 11th—13th
Marianist Family Retreat Center Cape May Point, NJ 08212
Knowing that your relationship is special and the need to nurture it throughout the years, this is a
wonderful opportunity to walk upon common ground while celebrating your differences.
Celebration of the Eucharist will take place. There will also be small group sharing, prayer
experiences, and socials. The cost is $135 per person. Visit www.capemaymarianists.org.
You can register online or call 609-884-3829 for more information.
LIFE MINISTRIES BABY SHOWER
Please join us for our Life Ministries Baby Shower to benefit Good Counsel Homes for homeless mothers and babies. We will host a Baby Shower after the 10;30am Mass on Sunday, April 29th to welcome Moms from Good Counsel and “shower”
them with love and your gifts. Light refreshments will be served. If you are unable to attend the Shower please bring your gifts to the church meeting room prior to April 29th. Visit the parish website or see the Life Kiosk in the vestibule of the church for a list of requested items. For questions, contact Stacey Beer at 908-872-6996 or by email to [email protected]. Thank you for your generous and loving support of the gift of new life.
Where is the Spirit acting in your life? Where is the Lord encouraging you to go? Young men ages 15 to 25 are invited to participate in a time of recreation, fellowship, prayer and discussion to help them explore the Lord’s call in their life with priests and seminarians of the Paterson Diocese. “Quo Vadis—Where are you going?” is a time for vocations discernment. It is a time to share your faith and meet other young men seeking God’s will. Quo Vadis Days will be held June 27th thru 29th at the Saint Mary’s Abbey Retreat Center, Morristown. There is no cost. For more information and/or registration contact
the coordinators, Fr. Edgar Rivera and David Monteleone in the Vocations Office at 973-777-8818 ext. 711 or by email to
The winner of our eighth drawing was John Castagna.
Congratulations!
The ninth and final drawing takes place on Wednesday, April 25th with the winning prize amount
of $5,000. Parishioners are still needed to sell tickets after all Masses. Please visit the parish website to sign up. There is still time to purchase tickets after Mass or at the parish office.
Family and friend support group sessions are offered at Trinity House, Stirling for family and friends of those effected by addiction. These meetings are held the last Wednesday of each month at 7:30pm. The next meeting will be April 25th. The evening features discussions, speakers, spiritual consolation and light refreshments. If you or someone you know is suffering and would benefit from an evening of sharing and community support please consider attending one or more of these sessions.
Bricks are still available for purchase for the patio in the Our Lady of Fatima Garden. Please consider buying a brick that will be engraved with your name or the name of a friend, family member or loved one to ensure a remembrance of them. Bricks are
placed in the patio. Each brick is $100. Checks should be made out to St. Vincent de Paul Church. Details for engraving of the brick and order forms are available at the Parish Office. Please call the office to purchase a brick.
MEMORIAL BRICKS
CATHOLIC SCHOOL OPEN HOUSES
Union Catholic High School invites 5th, 6th and 7th grade students and their
families on Wednesday, April 25th at 7:00pm
to visit and learn all that is offered to support college and career goals.
For more information call 908-889-1600 ext.302 or visit www.unioncatholic.org
Morris Catholic High School
invites you to its Spring Open House on Sunday, May 6th from 2pm to 4pm. Visit the campus,
meet the faculty and learn about student life directly from Student Ambassadors. Register to attend at www.morriscatholic.org/OpenHouse/
St. Patrick School, Chatham
invites families with children currently enrolled in non-Catholic schools to consider the benefits of a parish school environment where Gospel values are combined with Blue Ribbon academics each
day. Learn more on Walk-in Wednesdays. Stop in any Wednesday between 9:00am and
11:00am for a guided tour or call 973-635-2311 to schedule a more convenient time.
NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER AND PROTEST
Join thousands of pro-lifers across the country who will be gathering peacefully at Planned Parenthood facilities to educate our communities about their true agenda, speaking out for unborn brothers and sisters and calling on state and federal governments to defund Planned Parenthood. Please join us on Saturday, April 28th beginning at 9:00am till 10:30am at Morristown Planned Parenthood, 196 Speedwell Ave., Morristown. Please consider joining this peaceful, prayerful protest.
The World Apostolate of Fatima, Blue Army Shrine in Asbury, NJ invites you to experience the 150 acre scenic beauty and serenity of their outdoor Shrine. On First Saturday, May 5th join them to honor Our Lady’s plea of December 10, 1925 requesting
Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Reparation with Confession at 11:30am and 2:00pm, Rosary, meditation and Mass at 12 noon. The celebrant and speaker will be Fr. James Walling. The Divine Mercy Chaplet will be prayed at 3:00pm. Bring your family and friends to answer the call of the Child Jesus. For more information call 908-689-1700 ext. 210 or visit www.bluearmy.com.
