Current Bulletin - Our Lady of Mercy Church

Our Lady of Mercy Church
Park Ridge, New Jersey 07656
January 18, 2015
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Rev. Charles P. Granstrand, Pastor
Rev. Robert T. Ulak, Parochial Vicar
Rev. Msgr. James C. Turro (Weekends)
Rev. Msgr. Carl D. Hinrichsen (In Residence)
Rev. John Chadwick (Weekends)
Joseph Romano, Deacon
Gary Tankard, Deacon
John Rokoszak, Pastoral Associate
Debra Wyka, Minister of Music
Amy Ballanco, Religious Education Coordinator
Jennifer Kavanagh, Youth Minister
Donna Quinn, Business Manager
RECONCILIATION
Saturday: 9-9:30AM & 1-1:30PM
Monday: 7-7:30PM
MASS SCHEDULE
Saturday Evening: 5:30PM
Sunday: 7:30AM, 9:30AM, 11:00AM, 12:30PM
Daily: 6:30AM, 8:30AM
Saturday: 8:30AM
BAPTISM
The Sacrament is celebrated one Sunday every month.
Parents should contact the rectory prior to the birth of
their child for dates of Baptism Preparation Sessions.
MARRIAGE
Couples planning to be married should contact the rectory
at least ONE YEAR PRIOR to the wedding date.
Rectory
Websites
School
201-391-5315
UROLM.org
201-391-3838
2 Fremont Ave. OLMAcademy.org
SCHOOL
Our Lady of Mercy Academy
2011 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence
25 Fremont Avenue, Park Ridge, NJ 07656
Laraine Meehan, Principal
CATECHETICAL MINISTRY
Grades K-6: 4-5PM Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Grades 7-8: 3:45-5:15PM Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Catechetical Center
201-391-3590
201-802-1771
Music Minister
E-Mail
201-358-2994
[email protected]
[email protected]
OUR LADY OF MERCY PARISH MISSION STATEMENT
Our Lady of Mercy Parish is a Catholic community that worships God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
celebrating Mass, proclaiming the Gospel Message and uniting in prayer. We strive to welcome all and to educate
ourselves and others in the Good News of Jesus Christ. We support one another in times of joy and sadness and
attempt to serve each other by reaching out to those in need in our community and beyond. We are imperfect people
on a journey. Our goal is that the life of each person leads to the Lord.
MASS SCHEDULE
SATURDAY, JANUARY 17
5:30
John Kashickey, Sr.
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
SUNDAY, JANUARY 18
1 Sm 3:3b-10, 19/ 1 Cor 6: 13c-15a, 17-20/ Jn 1: 35-42
7:30
People of the Parish
9:30
Daniel & Gertrude Clements
11:00
Donald & Kathleen Tonner
12:30
Maureen Ferguson
LET US PRAY
In your love and kindness please pray for the sick
especially: Ella Gamble, Brian Long, Colleen Strabone,
Fr. Peter Funesti, Lek Nikolla, Teresa Hurd, Patricia
McGowan, Violet Squellante, Vincenzina Mazza, Claire
Mangieri, Henry Dong, and Joseph D’Angelo.
Please also remember the deceased of our parish and
their families, especially: Angela Malara, George Roy,
Patricia Eichenlaub, Gertrude Dukes, Michael Pansini,
Margaret Pusterla, Stephen Asanio, Carol Iatarelli, and
Kenneth Hoppe, Sr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
MONDAY, JANUARY 19
Heb 5: 1-10/ Mk 2: 18-22
8:30
Ralph & Ferdinando Forcellati
Please join with us in praying one OUR FATHER
per day for all those who have no one to pray for
them.
St. Fabian & St. Sebastian
TUESDAY, JANUARY 20
Heb 6: 10-20/ Mk 2: 23-28
6:30
Kathleen V. McNicholas
8:30
Catherine Vaccaro
THE SANCTUARY LAMPS burn this week in memory
of: Albin Frenzel, Betty Finnegan and for a Special
Intention.
St. Agnes
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21
Heb 7: 1-3, 15-17/ Mk 3: 1-6
6:30
John Johnson
8:30
John Johnson
2pm
Mass at the Plaza Regency for a
Special Intention
Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children
THURSDAY, JANUARY 22
Heb 7: 25—8: 6/ Mk 3: 7-12
6:30
Patricia Hinspeter
8:30
John Johnson
St. Vincent & St. Marianne Cope
FRIDAY, JANUARY 23
Heb 8: 6-13/ Mk 3: 13-19
6:30
Nancy Lovett
8:30
John Shanahan
If you would like more information about reserving
a Sanctuary Lamp in memory of a loved one or for
a Special Intention, please call the rectory office at
201-391-5315.
GOD’S PLAN FOR GIVING – Tithing
Christmas Collection to date: $109,434
Last Sunday’s Collection:
$ 17,453
Last Year’s Collection:
$ 17,613
Tithing is God’s plan to support His Church. Full
tithing means 10% of gross income to God. We ask
half of this, or 5%, for your Parish church. The other
5% goes to your favorite charities.
SCRIPTURE SHARING GROUP with Deacon Gary
Meets every Monday after the 8:30am Mass in the
Gathering Space. As has been the custom, the
scripture reading of the Mass of the day will be used.
All are welcome.
St. Francis de Sales
SATURDAY, JANUARY 24
Heb 9: 2-3, 11-14/ Mk 3: 20-21
8:30
Rudy Schemitz
5:30
Rose Aiello
THE FAMILY OF GOD PRAYER GROUP meets every
Tuesday at 7:30PM in the chapel to praise God and
pray for special intentions.
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
SUNDAY, JANUARY 25
Jon 3: 1-5, 10/ 1 Cor 7: 29-31/ Mk 1: 14-20
7:30
Ed Feddock
9:30
People of the Parish
11:00
Caroline Miller
12:30
Patrick & Kathleen Lavelle
THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL NOVENA will be recited
each Saturday in the Sacred Heart Chapel immediately
following the 8:30AM Mass.
ABUNDANT LIFE PRAYER GROUP meets Thursday
mornings at 9:30am in the Chapel.
THE RECTORY OFFICE will be closed Monday, January
19th in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. There is
one Mass, 8:30AM and no scheduled confessions will be
heard.
PASTOR’S COLUMN
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
At the 12:30 Mass on the Feast of the Baptism of
the Lord a great number of the families with young
children preparing for their first Holy Communion came
to take part in a ceremony of Enrollment. It was good
to see so many young children with their families and
filling all the front pews on every side. Father Turro
and Deacon Joe led the celebration of the Eucharist
and during the Eucharistic Prayer itself all the children
were invited forward to gather around the altar. It was
beautiful to see this youthful and respectful presence. I
thank Amy Ballanco and Diane Manzione and their
helpers for coordinating this special event and the
delightful reception afterward in the Gathering Space.
Please pray for these children as they prepare for their
special days after Easter.
I am also happy to welcome Father Bill McDonald to
celebrate our monthly Mass in Spanish this Sunday.
Father Bill is a friend from my days as a member of the
formation faculty of the North American College. Bill
then was studying for the priesthood and is now a
priest of the Diocese of Stockton in California. This
year he is helping out at our Seminary of the
Immaculate Conception on the campus of Seton Hall
University. I am glad he is helping me out while I am
away, but I wish I could see him in action at Our Lady
of Mercy.
Peace in the Lord,
The next installment of our Discovering Christ series,
Following Christ is scheduled to begin on Thursday,
February 12th at 7:30pm—9:30pm in the Lower
Gathering Space.
All those who have participated in the Discovering
Christ series are invited to attend.
The format of each Thursday night consists of a
teaching, dessert break and small group discussion.
The dates and topics are:
February 12th
February 19th
February 26th
March 5th
March 12th
March 14th (Sat.)
March 19th
March 26th
Daily Personal Prayer
Hearing God in Scripture
The Power of the Sacraments
Forgiving One Another
The Spirit Empowered Life
RETREAT DAY
The World, the Flesh, and the Devil
Advancing the Mission of the Church
Celebration Dinner
If you are interested, kindly contact our Rectory Staff or
email us at [email protected]. As always we look
forward to your continued support of Our Lady of
Mercy’s evangelization efforts.
SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Your Servant Is Listening
In today’s first reading, Samuel hears the
Lord’s voice, but mistakes it for Eli’s. Fortunately, Eli is
familiar enough with the ways of the Lord to help
Samuel make his response.
As we seek the Lord, it is good to have
someone like Eli who is familiar with the Lord’s voice.
There are many voices that bid us “Follow this way,”
and the Lord’s call is not always easy to discern. There
are people, too, who would pretend to know the Lord
and draw others to themselves rather than to God.
Eli could have taken advantage of Samuel’s
naïveté and claimed it was he who had summoned
Samuel. But Eli claims neither to be God nor to speak
for God. Instead, he encourages Samuel to listen for
himself.
What Are You Looking For?
Perhaps the most profound line in all of today’s
readings is Jesus’ question of the two disciples who
begin to follow him. “What are you looking for?” he
asks plainly and directly.
Finding the Messiah was partly a matter of
what one was looking for. If one lived with the
expectation of the Messiah’s coming, there would be a
certain alertness, a certain watchfulness to life, and a
certain openness to God’s movements. The two
disciples had followed John the Baptizer, but as soon
as John pointed to Jesus, they were ready to follow
him.
It has been said that what we find in life is
pretty much what we have sought. “What are you
looking for?” is a challenging question for each of us to
ask of ourselves. Our honest answer to this question
can reveal much about our faith and our values. Those
who, like Andrew and the other disciple, are looking for
the Messiah will find the Messiah, dwelling now, as
then, among the people. “Come and see!”
Copyright © 2005, World Library Publications. All rights reserved.
THE OLM MASSBOOK for February 2016 is open. If
you would like to schedule an intention, please stop by
the Rectory Office during Rectory hours: Monday—
Friday 9AM—7PM. Saturday 9AM—1PM. Sunday
9AM—-1:30PM (Second notice)
BIBLE STUDY—Nocturnal Adorers! Deepen your
love for Christ in the Blessed Sacrament by
participating in the spring bible study, “The Eucharist In
Scripture.” To register and get more information, come
to the Gathering Space on the weekend of January 1718 or see the web site. Study begins the week for
February 2.
OUR LADY OF MERCY ACADEMY HSA will be selling
calendar raffles after all Masses in the Gathering Space
and Vestibule January 24/25 and 31/February 1.
R.C.I.A The group will meet after the 9:30 Mass in the
Parish Center on January 25, February 8, March 8, 22,
May 3, June 7. For more information, or if you are
unable to make a Sunday Session, please contact John
Rokoszak at 201-391-3590 or call/text 201-264-6376 or
email [email protected]
HANDBELL RINGERS NEEDED for Holy Week
and Easter. Rehearsals begin in mid February on
Tuesdays for adults and children in Grades 6-12.
See Debra Wyka, Music Minister for schedule or call
201-358-2994.
N.I.C.E.
“Liturgy of the Word With Special Needs”
SESSIONS CALENDAR 2014-2015
JANUARY
18, 25
FEBRUARY
1, 8, 22
MARCH
1, 8, 15, 22
No sessions on Palm Sunday or Easter Sunday
APRIL
12, Last Session
April is Autism Awareness Month. A resource table
will be set up in the Gathering Space.
ALL DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. If you are
coming for the first time, please call to be sure we are
in session and for further instructions. Religious
Education Office 201-391-3590 Amy Ballanco/DRE
No fee required. Donations accepted.
OUR LADY OF MERCY ACADEMY
A National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence
celebrates Catholic education
Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and
Service
Are you looking for a better education experience for
your child? Along with an outstanding Preschool
Program, Our Lady of Mercy Academy offers an
excellent full day Kindergarten– 4th Grade Primary
School Program, a stand alone Grade 5-8 Middle School
Program, a Before/After School Program and additional
enrichment programs. We follow the curriculum
guidelines of the State of New Jersey and the
Archdiocese of Newark. Our students' standardized test
scores are well above national norms.
Catholic Schools Week Open Houses
Sunday, January 25th 10:30am – 12:30pm
Tuesday, January 27th – Wednesday, January 28th
9:30am-11:00am & 1:00pm-2:00pm
Bring your child or come alone. Take a tour of our school
and have all your questions answered by members of
the Home-School Association. On Tuesday and
Wednesday we will have classroom visitation in addition
to school tours.
Questions? Call the school office at 201.391.3838.
Visit our website www.olmacademy.org.
THE OLM FALL NEWSLETTER can be viewed on line
at www.urolm.org.
NEW HOPE, INC.—The all-volunteer staff of New Hope
Pregnancy Resource Center sends our heartfelt thanks
to the parishioners of Our Lady of Mercy Church for their
wonderful Advent Tree generosity including $950 of
monetary and food cards and piles of baby supplies and
books. This enormously helps our outreach services to
first time mothers and their babies. Please continue to
pray for these needy mothers and for all who minister to
them. We, in turn, pray daily for you, our supporters.
Blessings! Please contact 201-408-4726 if you wish to
volunteer.
The Acoustic Café Music Series at OLM is
looking forward to our first show of the year on
Saturday, January 24th when we welcome
critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Ellis Paul! Ellis has
won 15 Boston Music awards, has 19 record releases, a
documentary film, a book of poems & short stories, an
award winning children's book project, as well as songs
featured on Hollywood soundtracks. More info about
Ellis here:www.ellispaul.com Special guest 17 year old
emerging artist Hayley Reardon will open the show.
Proceeds benefit the Vallieres, Haiti Scholarship
Fund. 8 PM in OLM Academy. Get your tickets now $20 advance online, $22 at the door.
www.cafeacoustic.org 201-573-0718 Refreshments,
accessible.
HACKENSACK SOUP KITCHEN - THANK YOU
A big thank you to all who donated and prepared food
and to the volunteers who served 100 men and women
at the Bergen County Health and Human Service Center
in Hackensack on January 8th. We will be hosting the
next dinner on March 12th. For more information please
contact Elaine Hart (201-391-5051) or Dolly
Diffendal (201-247-8102).
SOCIAL JUSTICE & PEACE MINISTRY NEWS: Just a
reminder that OLM will hold its own "S-OUPER BOWL
2015" food drive on the weekend of January 31February 1. OLM’s generous donations will be sent to:
Pascack Food Pantry, Park Ridge; Center for Food
Action, Mahwah; Buddies of NJ, Hackensack; Blessed
Sacrament, Newark. The list of food items will be in next
week's bulletin. Grocery Gift cards and cash donations
are always welcomed. SJPM will meet on February
24, March 25, April 21 in the Parish Center at 7:15 P.M.
THE TRI-BORO FAMILY CARE FUND wishes to thank
all of the parishioners at OLM for the certificates given
thru the Advent Giving Tree for local food supermarkets
and local clothing stores to be used during the year for
local families in need.
WOMEN’S RETREAT 2015—San Alfonso Retreat
House—Long Branch, NJ. “Where God & the Sea
Meet.” The Women’s Retreat weekend will be March 20
-22nd. The theme of the retreat is: “Living in Love.” The
cost is $200 for the weekend. A $50 non-refundable
deposit is required by March 1st the latest. Anyone
interested please contact Beth Gangeri at 201-391-2569
or email [email protected].
THE 2015 ANNUAL MARCH FOR LIFE will be held in
Washington, D.C. on January 22nd, on the 42nd
anniversary of the US Supreme Court decision in Roe v.
Wade legalizing abortion on demand. The chairman of
the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Sean O’Malley
of Boston, said before last year's March that the over 55
million abortions since the decision reflect “with
heartbreaking magnitude” what Pope Francis means by
a “throwaway culture. Yet our society relegates abortion
to a matter of personal choice, often denying the
integrity and even the recognition of the personhood of
unborn children." If you are interested in attending the
March contact Art Lavis at 201 391-6431 for information.