Stations of The Cross at Our Lady of Mercy
Let us journey with Jesus Christ this Lenten season. The Stations of the Cross bring us closer to Jesus as we meditate on the great love He showed us in His most sorrowful Passion!
7:00 p.m. on the following Fridays:
March 2, 2018
March 9, 2018
March 16, 2018
March 23, 2018
Dear Parishioners of Our Lady of Mercy:
Greetings in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ!
First of all, I want to thank the Wellness Ministry for another wonderful service to our community this past weekend. Father Tom gave an enlightening talk about the importance of taking care of our bodies based on the Scriptures. Then there were few important information on this matter given by Physical Therapists Ben and Concie Aguila and a Zumba workout given by Rowena Cayetano. Thanks to Kathleen Pormento who chair this ministry here at our parish. I encourage each one of you to attend to the next event that will be announced once the date is determined because just like we take care of our soul and spirit we also have to take care of our body.
Brothers and sisters, we are in the Second Sunday of Lenten Season and we are being reminded that we have to continue to work on cleaning up our soul and spirit. The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospel is a call for us to do so. God sent His Son Jesus to show us the way that leads to eternal happiness. God asks us to “listen to Him (Jesus).” God knows us so well and that temptations to sin are around us. Even Abraham had been tempted but because of his faithfulness to God he was spared to do the wrong thing. Weak, though, we may be, God gave us the power when we were baptized to resist temptations. Let us not forget that moment, in our baptism, when Christ (in the person of the priest) anointed us with the oils of catechumen and the chrism of salvation. They are signs given to us, claiming us as God’s children. Let us turn to God and live life under His guidance and direction. We will never go wrong if we pattern our life with that of Jesus, our quintessential model in living good and holy life.
And speaking of living a holy life, there are two conferences coming up in our Archdiocese of Newark: Women and Men’s Conference. Women’s conference will be next Saturday, March 3rd and Men’s will be March 10th. For information on how to register please see flyers at both entrances of the Church. Also, here at Our Lady of Mercy, there will be a Lenten reflection or retreat for everybody. Check out the announcements in this bulletin (Parents and guardians: pay attention to the announcement regarding a session on the dangers our children and youth face when they use modern technology. That session will be next Sunday, February 4th. I urge you to attend it for your children.)
Last but not the least, I ask you to excuse our appearance in our church. As you can see, we started doing some aesthetic work by painting the walls. With Jojo Paloma and the maintenance crew, we are trying to finish it before Holy Week. Those dark stripes have gotten worse during Hurricane Sandy, a few years back. As you well know, I am trying to make our worship space a nice place with what we can afford. Thanks to some of you who, with the extra you give, we can do some aesthetic jobs. I continue to appeal to you all to continue your support to the church. Increasing your weekly contribution a little bit will definitely make a big difference and will be able to do more. With regards to the ceiling, it will take a little time before we do it. A contractor came over and took a look at it and his estimate was over $75,000.00. That is more than we expected. So, we will wait for a while. I am hoping and praying that in due time a fund will come along the way. Keep praying brothers and sisters and if you are compelled by the Holy Spirit to lend a hand with your financial resources please approach me.
Thank you and God bless you all!
Love,
+Father Marty
Please pray for the sick:
Paul Calefati, Elaine Staltari, Othelia G. Laurena, Jean Karycinski, Dorothy Darcy, Erlinda Jacinto, Leonora Loyola, Eric Bautista, Lilian Kryczkowski, Ellen Iorio, Jessica Pavone, Ian Malesiewski, Ruben Catipon, Angela Salvador, Clarita Salvador, Teresita Cordon , Vincent Mastria, Maria Svaligma, Bill Macchi, Craig Rutkowski, James Seaman, Makenzie Cadmus, Manuel J.Juson, MD, Gina Marquez, Daniel Tamayo Santos, Marie Ronzitti, Lucia Vanderburg, Betty Scerbo, Philip Scerbo, Alejandra Ancheta, Cindy Popolo, Mario Banaag, Oscar Alladin, Antonio Roldan, Esperanza Galarza, Carmen Tuazon, Susan Ranola Rivera, Conrado “Boy” Tanada, John Broderick, Joanne Diaz, Ligaya Tan, Leonarda DeCarlo, Dolores Steinhauser, Eugenio Cacananta, Austin Macalintal, Carolyn Taliaferro, Nonong Dava, John Gaito, Elsa Concepcion, Ricardo Vales, Virginia T. Mercurio, James Leung, Tran Phouc, Sophia Gonzalez, Jocelyn Tuazon, Florentino Chanco, Edgardo Cruz, Luchie Vivas, Deacon Nick Fargo, Mark Dudek, Eugene Manlongat, Sandra M. Escoto, Marcelita S. Fusco, Clement Rodriguez, Genedina B. Mohan, Walter Wasinewski, Luke Dee, Rosario Bernabe, Renato Caguioa, Raquel Yapp, Roberto Yapp, Armando Gloria.
2018 Lenten Regulations
Lent is a time for prayer, fasting, and charity as we prepare to renew our baptismal promises at Easter. The practice of penance forms a necessary part of this preparation. The Church gives us the following regulations to help us make the season of Lent a particular time of penance and preparation for Easter.
1. Ash Wednesday (February 14) and Good Friday (March 30) are days of Fast and Abstinence.
2. All the Fridays of Lent are days of Abstinence.
3. A Day of Fast means that only one full meal is permitted. Two smaller meals may be eaten. There is no food taken between meals. Those between the ages of 18 and 59 are obliged to fast, though others are encouraged to fast. The days of fast are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
4. On a Day of Abstinence no meat may be eaten. Those 14 years of age and older are obliged to abstain from meat. For a serious reason, the Code of Canon Law allows the pastor to dispense an individual from refraining from meat on a Friday during the Lenten Season.
5. The obligation to observe the laws of Fast and Abstinence “substantially” or as a whole, is a serious obligation.
6. Catholics should go to Holy Communion at least once between the First Sunday of Lent (February 18) and Trinity Sunday (May 27). If necessary, they should celebrate the Sacrament of Penance.
Holy Land Pilgrimage
There will be a trip to the Holy Land in November 4-15, 2018 with Father Marty. Father Marty is thrilled to go back for another spirit-filled experience by walking in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. For those interested please see flyers at the vestibule of the church for details. Payment schedule: $ 500.00 due immediately (for Reservation); $ 1,445.00 due in May and $ 1,445.00 due in July. For those who want to pay by Credit Card please take a form at the parish office and give it to Father Marty.