Dear Parishioners, This coming Tuesday, March 14th, I will have five priests here to help me with our parish-wide confessions from 6 pm until 8:30 pm. Please come by yourself or as a family at any time that suits you and be prepared for the Easter season. I encourage parents to bring their children from Third Grade up to this sacrament and help them realize the importance of yearly or twice yearly confessions in the lives of Catholics. On Monday, March 13, Fr. Mike celebrates his birthday. We went out to dinner last Monday at the Brassiere in Califon. Fr. Mike is in good spirits, and it was great to be together and celebrate him! Happy Birthday Fr. Mike! Last Saturday morning, we celebrated First Confessions. Maureen is their catechist. I compliment her and their parents who prepared them so well for this beautiful sacrament. May they always come frequently to confession and always know God’s redeeming love. In this week’s bulletin we celebrate our beloved staff member, Jody Wozniak. Jody has been the parish secretary for many years and is the first face that you see when you enter the office building. Jody is kind, helpful and devoted to St. Luke Parish. She lives in Hackettstown with Mike, our retired facilities manager. They have two adult children both of whom are married and live in mid Jersey and Brooklyn. They leave for their favorite beach destination this weekend. We wish them a relaxing and wonderful vacation. Enjoy the Caribbean sun! Are you ready for the high holy day? We all look forward to St. Patrick’s Day. As you saw in last week’s bulletin, Bishop has given the dispensation so that we can all eat meat on a Friday in Lent. I am sure many homes will be busy cooking the corned beef and getting ready for this traditional Irish-American dinner. As we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, we give thanks for St. Patrick, who himself brought the Catholic faith to the Irish people. With great pride, we remember the many Irish priests and nuns who in turn have brought the faith to the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania and Africa. It is amazing how the gift of faith can be passed on by people who love God and love being Catholic. Little did St. Patrick know as he travelled to a small westerly island that his eyes to God would impact millions of people. On Sunday, we celebrate the feast of St. Joseph. This loyal and true man, husband of Mary who through the invitation of God the Father, became foster father of God the Son. We remember this patient and obedient man and strive to emulate him. Enjoy our two beloved saints’ days and may their holy lives inspire us with grace. Happy St. Patrick Day! Happy St. Joseph’s Day!