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6th Sunday of Easter

In my family, we can hardly speak about orphans without tears. My father was adopted as a baby. He frequently told us stories of how his parents welcomed him not just into their home but into their hearts. It was never merely a relocation or a legal transaction. It was the joy of being chosen, of receiving a family, a name, and a place where he belonged forever. Even in his later years, recalling that gift still moves him to tears of tender gratitude. That is the kind of tenderness behind Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel: “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:18) He is going away, but not abandoning us. Instead, He sends us the Advocate, the Holy Spirit — His own Spirit, shared with the Father — who dwells in us. Through the Spirit, Christ is present in us, and we are present in Him. His Spirit gives us a home and a family. We deepen this knowledge in the sacraments, in prayer, and in the daily life of the Church. The Spirit is the bond of belonging, the power that makes us God’s sons and daughters, not spiritual orphans. And this is not a one-time event. There is always a deeper outpouring of the Spirit available to us, a fresh appropriation of the promise that we are never abandoned. If only we could be as grateful as my dad is for his adoption, realizing that we have been adopted by God Himself. In Christ, we are never left as orphans. — Father John Muir
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Every year when we celebrate Mother’s Day, I think of and pray for a friend of mine who lost his mom at a young age. This day is a tough/rough day for him, and he struggles each year, while most of us celebrate, he is mourning. I try to remind him each year that even though his mom is not here physically with him, I am sure she is here in spirit. I am sure that for all the years that have gone by that she has been watching over him every day, loving him, comforting him and giving him advice even if he cannot hear her with his physical ears or feel her arms around him physically, he can do so mentally by listening and feeling with his heart and soul. My brothers and sisters, this is true for any of you who have lost your moms, they are still with you always. For those of us who still have our moms, let us remember to pray for those who don’t, for those who wish to become moms and those who never will be, that they be comforted and uplifted on this day.
Happy Mother’s Day. God bless our mothers and all of us.
God Bless you and have a wonderful week, Fr. Michael

SCRIPTURAL REFLECTIONS ON STEWARDSHIP

“For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be God’s will, than for doing evil.”
The old line says “if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.” Many of us are diligent in our planning and making sure things are progressing smoothly. Then disaster strikes, we don’t get the result we anticipated or an unforeseen problem arises. Many time we may respond negatively and ask, “Why me? I did everything right!” Here’s the thing – adversity humbles us and reminds us of our dependence on God and not on our own self-reliance. Rest assured, God has a better plan in store for you.

Everyday Stewardship

The road to Emmaus is one of my favorite Gospel stories because it shows a Jesus that is masterful at reaching people. First, when He comes upon those walking on the road, He asks them what they are talking about and then asks them to explain. How often are we too eager to just start talking at people when we feel they need to hear what we have to say? Jesus offers an invitation for them to share first. Allowing them to share first opens them up for what Jesus will do next. Second, Jesus takes time to interpret for them the words of the prophets. He gave them their turn and now it is His. Not only wise, but a movement of respect. After a long walk, they invite Jesus to stay with them and dine. Third and finally, Jesus breaks bread with them and they are able to see that He is no ordinary traveler. He is the risen One. He could have just told them who He was, but allowing them by their experience to uncover who He was had the greater impact. Jesus demonstrated to us in these actions how to be gracious and impactful when sharing the good news. If we are to be good stewards and fruitful disciples then we must imitate Him in this regard. This Easter season let us practice the following: 1) Allow others first to share what they have to say. 2) Then be willing to take the time to explain fully or to the best of our ability our faith. And 3) help others find a way to experience firsthand the message you have shared. No one can understand love without witnessing love. In this way, your words and deeds will become a pathway to Jesus for others. -Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS

2026 Archbishop’s Annual Appeal

We have $13,345.00 pledged toward our Archdiocesan directed goal this year of $13,746. The Archdiocese has sent out letters to past donors announcing the 2026 Appeal. If you wish to participate you can either mail your pledge directly to the Archdiocese or you can put it in our collection and we will forward it for you. If you do decide to mail it in directly, we are asking that you let Sue know in the office so we can be sure our account is properly credited. You can drop a note in the collection, call the rectory, or send us an email. Thank you.
SEND A SEM A SENTIMENT
On the bulletin board in the vestibule is a list of seminarians. The Archdiocese is encouraging the faithful to send cards, letters, and well wishes to the seminarians. Take a picture of the list with your phone and send one (or more) of them a little uplifting message. Thank You!
 PRAYER REQUESTS
That God will relieve their suffering and restore them to health.
Please pray for: 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, Stephen West, Bryan Westfall, Cathy Bruno.
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.

To ALL Our New and Existing Volunteers Readers, Eucharistic Ministers and Catechists

We would like to thank the Perpepaj Family for reupholstering the chairs on the altar as a gift for our parish. We truly appreciate their generosity. The Perpepaj Family owns D&D Upholstery & Window Treatments in Hackensack.

The gift of Bread & Wine for the first two weeks of March has been given in memory of Frank Pizza by the Pizza Family.
The Sanctuary Lamp for the month of March has been given in memory of Josephine & Anthony DeGrosa by Joann DeGrosa.
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.