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Dear Parishioners,
We have begun our CCD program and Maureen has renamed our program as Cultivating Catholic Disciples. As we rename it CCD, we will be focusing this year particularly on how to make strong disciples through teaching, academic formation, teaching masses and reaching out to the poor and the alienated. Thus, helping to form our young people to be strong disciples as they mature into adulthood. We have also stopped using the term, “teacher” and now use the term, “catechist” for those who form our young people academically in the classroom. A catechist is a person who knows their faith and teaches that faith from their heart with a loving sense of passing on our gospel values in story and action. Maureen and our catechists in partnership with our parents and me, your pastor have the awesome responsibility to pass on our Catholic faith to the next generation and beyond. In our Confirmation program, we too, continue in cultivating Catholic discipleship as together we prepare our young people to do their part in the church in the coming years. I encourage all parents of CCD and Confirmation children and youth to attend the 9:30 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. family mass or the 6:00 p.m. Youth mass in which I will give a teaching experience through my homily and a theme for the week. I encourage our parents to discuss this theme with their child/children and through conversation, to open our young people’s minds to who God wants them to be. We look forward to welcoming our 9th grade Confirmation class this weekend. We will have a parent information piece at 5:30 p.m. in the church immediately followed by mass. We look forward also to welcoming our CCD catechists, assistants and children to the Cycle B program.
As a parish, we are blessed with many staff and volunteers who help us in so many ways for which I am very grateful. I take this opportunity to once again thank Lyn Ertle, who has been our pastoral associate for many years. Lyn is a warm, kind and caring person who uses her many gifts and talents to support the needs of our parish. Lyn recently celebrated a special birthday during the summer and has retired from her formal position as pastoral associate. It is her desire to spend more time with her daughter in South Jersey and visiting her sister in the Carolinas. Lyn will continue to help us as her schedule permits. A big thank you to Lyn for her support in the past and looking forward to working with her for many years to come. God bless!
I am thrilled to tell you that I have four adults who have already signed up to receive Confirmation on Easter Saturday. Our first inquiry session for anyone who would like to be baptized or to receive the sacrament of Holy Eucharist or Confirmation will take place on Monday, October 5th at 7:00 p.m. in the parish office. Please wear a mask. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact me directly.
As a reminder, I will host two bereavements sessions this coming week on September 22nd at 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. in the parish office. Please wear your masks.
We have been praying for Shannon Cleary these past months and sadly, Shannon passed away this past Sunday morning surrounded by her family. We extend our prayers and our love to her husband, Matt, their three daughters and to her father-in-law, Deacon Kevin. Shannon’s funeral mass took place this Saturday, September 19th in her home parish in Vineland, NJ. Let us keep Deacon Kevin, Matt and the family in prayer during these difficult days.
Fr. Owen