My
Dear Friends: As we start
the Advent Season, we begin the journey of focusing our lives on
God's love for us in Jesus Christ. Advent is the time
before Christmas to anticipate and prepare for the coming of
Christ. We prepare by offering extraordinary acts of
charity such as participating in the Giving Tree, visiting the
sick and homebound, or being extra generous in giving to the
Food Pantry or homeless. We anticipate Christ with
spiritual acts such as celebrating the sacrament of
Reconciliation, attending daily Mass or offering special daily
prayers to prepare our hearts for Jesus at Christmas.
When we meditate on Christ's coming at
Christmas, we know how there was no room for Him as Mary and
Joseph went house to house trying to find a place to dwell and
welcome the Savior. Each Advent, Jesus looks for a
dwelling not made of wood or stone, but in the human heart
beating with charity and love, reconciled with brothers and
sisters and faithful to His teachings of loving God above all
else. Each Sunday, another candle of the Advent Wreath
will be lit until all four burn with our desire to welcome Jesus
into the world. Each week, we are called to reflect on our
actions of the past week and our hopes of preparation for the
future week.
Jesus is not looking for a gift under the
tree, but rather the gift of our heart. He is not looking
for a well-decorated home, but rather a pure heart which is a
proper home for Him to dwell. He is not simply looking for
us to treat Him well in the manger in Bethlehem, but acknowledge
and revere Him in the presence of one another. As the
Giving Tree stands in our sanctuary, we are mindful of children
in our area who may not have a joyful Christmas because of
financial hardship. I invite everyone to take a tag off
the tree and brighten a child's Christmas by purchasing a
present. Also during Advent we are especially mindful of
the poor who are facing difficult times and maybe cannot provide
a meal for their families. Please be generous in bringing
a bag of non-perishable food items to Mass to keep our Food
Pantry well stocked -- as we treat the poor, so we treat Christ.
Finally, each week to a little something
extra. Invite someone to Mass who perhaps has not been to
church in a long while. It is our faith which drives these
acts of charity towards others. It is our faith which
calls us to evangelize and welcome the lost sheep and prodigal
sons and daughters of our area back home. Knowing of God's
love and sharing it with others enlightens the darkened soul and
offers hope to those who long for God's love and a sense that
God cares for them. You can be that instrument which God
uses to touch a person's life and draw them closer to Him.
In Christ,
Fr. Bob
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Weekend Liturgy
Schedule
Saturday,
December 6, 5:00 p.m.
Lector:
Barbara Monroe
Extraordinary Ministers:
Joann Muller, Paul Muller
Altar Servers:
Veronica Kiely, Anthony Lubrano
Sunday, December 7, 9:00
a.m.
Lector:
Rick Wenck
Extraordinary Ministers:
Marie Testa, Richard Glass
Altar Servers:
Brad Rauen, Kyle Rauen
Sunday, December 7, 10:30 a.m.
Lector:
Nancy O'Neil
Extraordinary Ministers:
Dan Curtin, Muriel Smith
Altar Servers:
Christopher Carhart, Angelo LaRocca
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Theme
Lord, rend the heavens and
come down. Come and save us from our sins. Let
us turn again to you and so be found blameless when you
return in glory.
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Upcoming Events:
Christmas Tree
Lighting
Saturday, December 6 at
6 p.m.
Christmas Carol
Festival
Celebrate the gift of
Jesus in the manger. Come to a festival of carols led
by our Adult Choir, OLPH Gymnasium, December 7, 11:30 a.m. -
1:00 p.m.
Senior's Mass &
Luncheon
Save the date! On
December 10, we will celebrate a special Mass at 11 a.m. and
luncheon at 12 noon to begin our Senior's Group at Our Lady
of Perpetual Help. We will have both the Mass and
luncheon in the church basement. There will be a hot
buffet, Barber Shop Quartet, games, prizes and lots of
laughs. To RSVP, please call the rectory office.
Pancake Breakfast
The KOC will be hosting
their annual Breakfast with Santa on December 14. More
details to follow.
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Help Needed for a
Family!
A family of three from
our community lost all their possessions in a fire last
Saturday morning. We want to reach out to them with
gift cards and cash so that they can begin to replace
clothing and other essentials. If you wish to donate,
please mail or bring your contribution to Our Lady of
Perpetual Help Rectory.
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Flowers
No flowers during Advent.
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Sanctuary Light
The Sanctuary Light this
week is in memory of the deceased members of the Smith &
Slavin families, requested by Muriel Smith.
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Flag
This week, the flag is
flown in memory of Richard Cecchetelli.
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Food Pantry
Hours of Operation:
Sunday (12 noon - 2 p.m.); Monday (7 p.m. - 9 p.m.)
Most needed items:
canned tuna or meat, soups, pasta sauce, spaghetti,
macaroni, etc.
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St. Jude Thrift Shop
Open 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Thursday, Friday &
Saturday
VOLUNTEERS
NEEDED!!!!!
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St. Vincent de Paul
Society
All were thankful this
holiday for your generosity this Thanksgiving drive.
Many families who are suffering financial hardship were able
to enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner thanks to your
kindness. Watch the bulletin next week for information
about the Christmas project: the Giving Tree, hosted
by the SVDP.
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Altar Servers,
Readers & Extraordinary
Ministers News
Extraordinary Ministers
of Holy Communion are needed to bring Communion to the choir
every Sunday at the 9:00 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. Masses.
Call the rectory if you can help.
There are sign-up sheets
in the Sacristy to serve for upcoming holiday masses.
Please sign up for as many as you can.
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CCD & Religious Education
News
The RCIA program is for
people who wish to become part of the Catholic faith or those
who are already Catholic and have not received the Sacrament
of Confirmation. The process begins with weekly meetings
centering on aspects of the Catholic faith and moves through a
community process that culminates with the reception of the
sacraments at the Easter Vigil. If you or someone you
know is interested, please contact the parish office at
732-872-1290, x201.
There will be a special
Penance service for CCD students on Saturday, December 6 at
10 a.m. in the church.
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St. Raphael Ministry
News
Anyone interested in
joining this exciting outreach ministry, please call the
rectory, see Roberta Pandolfo, or send email to
straphaelministry@comcast.net
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Rosary Altar Society
News
The Rosary Altar Society
meets the first Saturday of every month after the 8:00 a.m.
Mass (next meeting is on December 6). Recitation of the
Rosary and Novena to Our Lady begins at 7:30 a.m. All
parishioners are invited to join.
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The Knights of Columbus
News
Regular monthly meetings
are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 8:00 p.m. in
the church basement. Every Wednesday is the recitation
of the Rosary at 7:30 p.m. in the church.
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Music Ministry News
Adult Choir Rehearsals -
Thursday @ 7:15 p.m.
Children's choir sign-up
sheets are in the back of the church.
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Youth Group News
The Youth Group meets on
Sunday evenings at 6:00 p.m. in the gym.
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Knitting for the Needy News
Next Club Date:
December 21 after the 10:30 a.m. Mass in church basement
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Mother Teresa Regional
School News
Toddler Time
Starting the first week
in December, MTRS will be hosting "Toddler Time" from 1:30
until 2:15 p.m. each Wednesday. MTRS middle school
students and school librarian, Mrs. Janosko, will be hosting
toddlers for fun crafts, story time and some music and
movement. Families may sign up their toddler by
visiting the school website (www.mtregional.com).
Children ages 18 month to 3 years are welcome to join us.
Vendors/Crafters
Needed for MTRS Annual Christmas Bazaar
MTRS is holding its
annual Christmas Bazaar on December 6 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The cost for a table is $35. For a registration form,
please contact the school.
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