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27th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C
A priest friend of mine received a call from a family whose elderly mother was dying. Within thirty minutes, he was at her bedside, offering the consolation of the sacraments, anointing her with the oil of the sick, and commending her soul to God. She passed not long after, and for months, her family spoke of their deep gratitude for his presence. When I phoned him to commend his faithful ministry, he simply said, “I was just doing my job.” His words brought to mind Jesus’ teaching this week in Luke 17:10: “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” In a world that often seeks recognition and applause, the Lord invites us into a different mindset — one of humble service. The priest did not see his response as extraordinary; he saw it as a grace to fulfill his vocation. How tempting it is to seek affirmation for doing what I ought to do! Yet Jesus reminds us that true discipleship is not about grandstanding but about quiet faithfulness. It is enough to have served. It is enough to have loved. It is enough to be grateful that we were given the chance to do our duty in the first place. Whether in priesthood, parenthood, or any vocation, what peace-soaked freedom there is in simply doing what is asked of us. No more, no less. Jesus, that is how you quietly love us. — Father John Muir
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
As I sat looking out over the pews at 8 a.m. mass on Sunday and noticed there were only 18 people in attendance, I suddenly realized why the diocese is looking to do what it is planning to do and that is to possibly merge parishes. What you will hear at the meetings on Saturday, October 11th & 18th is that the plan right now is to possibly merge our parish with St. Joseph parish which is just up the street from us and even possibly also merge us with St. Francis. The reason is the two or three parishes combined into one parish would make the parishes stronger. People have asked me if there is a way to avoid this happening and the answer is yes, but it means filling the pews at each and every one of our Sunday masses every single weekend. Also, it is important that everyone attend one of the meetings on either October 11th or 18th and let your voice be heard on how you feel about the churches being merged. Of course, we also need to pray and not just that it does not happen but if it does happen that we find the positives, which there may be some, for one we would be a larger community; there would be new people to meet. In the end, may God’s will be done. Pray for the parish, pray for one another and pray for me please.
God Bless you and have a wonderful week,
Fr. Michael
PRAYER REQUESTS
That God will relieve their suffering and restore them to health. Please pray for:
Kellie Salata, Kelly Chinchar, Jessica, Daniel Breslin, Stanley, Joseph Marrone, Anthony, Michael, Joseph, Jessica Esopo, Steve, Audra, Bernadette, James Weiss, Baby Ford, Rosemary Malangone, Elizabeth Malangone, Sue West, Danny, Colleen Emery, Richard, Joan Russo, Christina Martin, Mornia Evans, Valerie Valverde, Diana McGuckin, Manny Scarangella, Cheryl Prinjinski, Ron Barth, Stephen West, John K. Hammel.
Holy Name Medical Center is looking for Eucharistic Ministers, volunteers, who are willing to help out in giving out Holy Communion to their patients. If you are interested, you can email them at pokafor@holyname.org or call their office at 201-833-3243 or stop by their Pastoral Care Office, behind the chapel, lobby/ground floor at Holy Name Medical Center.
St. Peter’s Preparatory School will hold its Fall Open House on Sunday, October 19, from 1-4pm at the school’s campus in historic downtown Jersey City. Faculty and staff as well as coaches, students and parents, will be present to answer questions and tours of the campus will be provided. St. Peter’s Prep is an independent, college preparatory school for boys and it remains NJ’s on Jesuit high school. For more info, call 201-547-6465 or visit www.spprep.org.
SCRIPTURAL REFLECTIONS ON STEWARDSHIP
“For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.”
Many of us compartmentalize our Faith, we bring it out only when we attend Mass or when we attend a parish event. Being a good steward requires discipline and striving to put God first in everything – all the time. The next time you are at a neighborhood party or at work or out shopping, would your words and actions signal to others that you are a good and faithful servant of our Lord? bridge that gap between those who have much and those who have little, or we may find ourselves on the wrong side of the chasm in the next life.
The gift of Bread & Wine for the first two weeks of September has been given in memory of Louise & John Hansen by Mr. & Mrs. Raymond DeRiso. The last weeks of September is in honor of St. Padre Pio.
The Sanctuary Lamp for the month of September has been given in memory of Cecelia Jashembowski by Linda J. Sylvestri.
Please consider sponsoring our Bread & Wine, Altar Flowers, and the oil for the Sanctuary Lamp.
Opportunities for Parish Support
There are several ways you can help support our parish and honor loved ones at the same time. As you may have noticed on the first Sunday of every month in our bulletin, we thank the donors of our Altar Gifts. You can donate the Bread & Wine, Altar Flowers, or the Sanctuary Lamp in a two-week block for $50 in someone’s memory. We have blocks open for this year. We also need to purchase a new Easter candle each year (the tall candle on the altar) for $300-$400 which can also be donated in someone’s memory. You do not have to fund the entire amount, anything you wish to donate towards the purchase of our Easter candle is appreciated. We also have masses available for your intentions. If you wish to honor someone in any of these ways, please call the rectory.
Prayer for our Nation
God our Father, giver of life, we entrust the United States of America to your loving care. You are the rock on which this nation was founded. You alone are the true source of our cherished rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Reclaim this land for your glory and dwell among your people. Send your Spirit to touch the hearts of our nation’s leaders. Open their minds to the great worth of human life and the responsibilities that accompany human freedom. Remind your people that true happiness is rooted in seeking and doing your will. Through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, patroness of our land, grant us the courage to reject the “culture of death.” Lead us into a new millennium of life. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Praying the ROSARY
The Rosary is a meditation, a time to recall and think about the life of Jesus as seen and experienced by Mary. As the model of faith, Mary’s life sets a pattern that we strive to follow: saying ‘yes’ to God’s will in our lives and sharing His love and message with others. The Mysteries of the Rosary form a mini lesson of faith, using the highlights and significant moments of the life of Jesus. Like paging through a family scrapbook, we see in brief the events of salvation history that are the core of our belief and the hope of our eternal life.
WE NEED BULLETIN ADVERTISERS!!
We would like to thank all the advertisers who have supported us throughout the past year. Our parish benefits greatly from the ads you see in the bulletin. The revenue pays for the printing which is an important means of communication for the parish. If we do not have enough advertisers, the cost of our bulletin goes up. We thank the local businesses that advertise with us especially in these tough economic times. We have some spaces on the back of our bulletin that need filling so if you would like to advertise your business as well as benefit your church, please contact John Patrick Publishing at 1-800-333-3166.
Please support our advertisers at the back cover of bulletin.