Our Lady of Mercy Church Park Ridge, New Jersey 07656

Rev. Vincent D’Agostino, Administrator Rev. Charles P. Granstrand, Pastor Emeritus Rev. Robert T. Ulak, Parochial Vicar Rev. Patrick J. Seo, Parochial Vicar Rev. Msgr. James C. Turro (in residence) Rev. Mr. Joseph S. Romano, Permanent Deacon Rev. Mr. Edward Stoker, Permanent Deacon

MASS SCHEDULE (Register to Attend) Daily: Monday—Friday 6:30AM, 8:30AM, Saturday 8:30AM Saturday Evening: 5:30PM Sunday: 7:30AM, 9:00AM, 11:00AM, 12:30PM (Spanish)

BAPTISM Parents should contact the rectory for dates of Baptism and Preparation Sessions.

MARRIAGE Couples planning to be married should contact the rectory at least one year prior to the wedding date.

John Rokoszak, Pastoral Associate Debra Wyka, Minister of Music Evelyn Paglieri, Director of Religious Education Jennifer Kavanagh, Youth Minister Donna Quinn, Finance Manager Maria Kistler, Rectory Office & Communications Mgr.

RECONCILIATION Monday: 7PM in the Church Vestibule Saturday: 1:00-1:30PM

SCHOOL Our Lady of Mercy Academy National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence 25 Fremont Avenue, Park Ridge, NJ 07656 Michelle Powrie, Principal

Rectory Catechetical Center Youth Minister Music Minister School 201-391-5315 201-391-3590 201-802-1771 201-358-2994 201-391-3838

www.UROLM.org www.OLMRE.org www.OLMyouthministry.com www.OLMAcademy.org

olm.church@gmail.com urolm.religious.ed@gmail.com olmyouthminister@gmail.com 25 Fremont Ave

2 Fremont Ave 50 Pascack Rd

December 20, 2020

Fourth Sunday of Advent

https://urolm.org/https://urolm.org/mass-registrationhttps://urolm.org/baptism-1https://urolm.org/marriagehttps://urolm.org/confession-timeshttps://www.olmacademy.org/http://www.urolm.orghttps://www.urolm.org/http://www.olmre.orghttp://OLMRE.orghttp://www.olmyouthministry.comhttp://OLMyouthministry.comhttp://www.olmacademy.orghttp://OLMAcademy.orgmailto:olm.church@gmail.commailto:Urolm.religious.ed@gmail.commailto:olmyouthminister@gmail.com

OUR LADY OF MERCY PARISH MISSION STATEMENT Our Lady of Mercy Parish is a Catholic community that worships God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, celebrating Mass, proclaiming the Gospel Message and uniting in prayer. We strive to welcome all and to educate ourselves and others in the Good News of Jesus Christ. We support one another in times of joy and sadness and attempt to serve each other by reaching out to those in need in our community and beyond. We are imperfect people on a journey. Our goal is that the life of each person leads to the Lord.

LET US PRAY In your love and kindness please pray for the sick

of our parish, especially: Louise & Pasquale Vascimini, Deacon Joe Romano, Carl Hansen, and for the intentions you hold in your heart.

Please also remember the deceased of our parish especially: Mary-Ann McElrone, Louis Weston, Linda VanSickell, and William T. Lovett.

THE SANCTUARY LAMPS IN THE CHURCH burn this week for People of the Parish.

LIGHT AN ONLINE CANDLE We know that Our Lord, Our Lady, and all the Saints hear and respond to our prayers. Light an online candle and share your prayer intention so we can pray with you as well. Click here to add your intention.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19 Jgs 13:2-7, 24-25a/ Lk 1:5-25 8:30 Ralph & Ferdinando Forcellati 5:30 James (Seamus) Cavanagh

Fourth Sunday of Advent SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16/ Rom 16:25-27/ Lk 1:26-38 7:30 Mary Tarabocchia 9:00 Frances Covitz 11:00 Ellen & Peter McCullough 12:30 People of the Parish

Saint Peter Canisius, Priest & Doctor of the Church MONDAY, DECEMBER 21 Sg 2:8-14/ Lk 1:39-45 6:30 Katherine Catalano 8:30 Gaetano Ferraino

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22 1 Sm 1:24-28/ Lk 1:46-56 6:30 James Parsons 8:30 Michael Adone

Saint John of Kanty, Priest WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23 Mal 3:1-4, 23-24/ Lk 1:57-66 6:30 Sue & Alex Vaccaro 8:30 Anthony Cipriano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16/ Lk 1:67-79 8:30 Roger Friedman Christmas Eve Readings for Vigil 2PM People of the Parish 5PM Carol Coppola 7PM Paul Clements 10PM Ed Klein Midnight: Christopher Rubestello

Christmas—The Nativity of the Lord FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25 8:00 George Catherwood 10:00 John Kashickey, Sr. 12PM Louis Macchiaoli

Saint Stephen, The First Martyr SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26 Acts 6:8-10,; 7:54-59/ Mt 10:17-22 8:30 Mildred Romani 5:30 Marina Bello

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27 Gn 15:1-6; 21:1-3/ Heb 11:8, 11-12, 17-19/ Lk 2:22-40 7:30 Patricia A. Christensen 9:00 Thomas McDermott 11:00 Mary Tarabocchia 12:30 People of the Parish

GOD’S PLAN FOR GIVING –

December 13 Collection: $16,873 Same time last year: $18,152

OLM offers online giving on the Parish Giving website. You can make a secure donation via electronic check or debit/credit card. You will be able to select from the various opportunities to contribute to OLM and other initiatives. An overview of some of the features:

Ability to make one-time contributions Ability to make recurring contributions Ability to select your billing date Ability to use Credit Card or Bank Transfer Ability to access end of year contribution reports

Make sure you include your envelope ID number when you create your account. CLICK BELOW TO ENROLL OR LOGIN https://www.parishgiving.org/index…

Video on how to set up an account https://youtu.be/HQQ23eTtIfA You may continue to use your church envelopes if you prefer. They can be mailed or dropped off in the Rectory interior door mail slot.

ONLINE PARISH GIVING

SHINING THE LIGHT OF CHRIST 2020 Annual Appeal Our Goal this year is $105,130. Pledged to date: $92,549. Thank you for your generosity.

MASS SCHEDULE

https://urolm.org/light-a-candle-request-formhttps://urolm.org/light-a-candle-request-formhttps://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.parishgiving.org%2Findex%3Fe%3D24C698BDBEDBC2B55C8FAE4655FA2422AB66A22F0D3372B4%26fbclid%3DIwAR0bSik5kqeNSH4gqyHoXdRI2OuKwr88A6k-9jPXBdylKtKVvgHVNrFQDwU&h=AT19OIORrWWFPPFlXO4cUGDYbSlECzRbyqZ1ZnPIeP45e6yfnpeXQtKhttp://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ykTscFZvPY0Tp4Z_jvRxokMFdYNr16KsP9i2OHf9aYAE1Tg4wloWqAJbm_1xcAqkpaiCJPISkUmu71sqSXAWefIxAkV7Q_jufBQZ1N2SnDS6YIaybtHG4hADkbilyLjp9sDVJwm7YN6T-CjB19MTVA==&c=7ibFLwAu1hfa2-Q3zTvr_WzHlqoGf39IYiivUn1EZOr6hn2BaSu1DQ==&ch=J5q86EqtRRC--

MSGR. TURRO REFLECTION

A Message from Fr. Patrick

REGISTER FOR MASS Why do I need to register for Mass? - Registering helps us manage welcoming and seating our parishion-ers to ensure social distancing at Mass. It is al-so essential for contact tracing in the event we are in-formed of a positive COVID test result from a parishion-er that has attended Mass.

We are grateful for your continued cooperation- it keeps our priests, staff and fellow parishioners safe and allows OLM to continue plans for offering more prayer opportunities in our Church. Click here to register

Dear My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Pax Vobis! Just recently, my sister sent this picture of her Kids / my Nephew & Niece:

I hope there’s color in the picture because then you’ll see that Louie’s tongue is Blue and Josie’s tongue is Red! I’ve always assumed, but now I am 100% sure that they are in fact my Nephew & Niece and I their Uncle. These 2 little ones have the nose of their Dad, the ears of their Mom (I don’t actually know if those are true), and the eating habits of their Uncle (that’s for sure!)! How wonderful that they take after their Ancestors! Just the other day, I received the happy news of the recent birth of Nicholas at our parish, 8 weeks early and yet stable and healthy and happy!

What JOY the Children bring to our lives, and this up-coming Friday, we celebrate the Great Joy of the Baby of Bethlehem entering our world! That Infant is the great Son of the Father on High, and He looks exactly like His Heavenly Father! The amazing thing is that at our own spiritual births at our Baptism, we were united to Jesus, we were adopted by our Heavenly Father! And while a lot of Grandfathers and Fathers and Uncles will hand down to their Grandkids and Kids and Nephews/Nieces their own Giants sports allegiance or Hair color or Brightly-Colored-and-Artificially-Flavored eating habits, our Father in Heaven hands down to His Children His complete and utterly selfless Love! St. Athanasius famously said: “God became man so that man might become God.” When God united Hu-manity to Himself in the Person of Jesus, He gave the rest of Humanity the chance of being united to God! On Christmas, we get to celebrate the JOY not just of Jesus being born as a Baby Boy, but our own birth as fellow Sons and Daughters with Jesus, of being loved by His and now our Father, and of our chance of looking and living like the Father by loving our families and friends and neighbors just like Him! So, to Jesus – Happy Birthday! To all of You, my fel-lows Sons and Daughters of our Heavenly Father, Mer-ry Christmas! Your Brother in XC,

CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE

CHRISTMAS EVE MASSES 2PM 5PM 7PM

9:30PM Instrumental Prelude 10PM

12 Midnight - Spanish

CHRISTMAS DAY MASSES 8AM, 10AM, 12PM

Please note that some of the Masses are filled to

capacity.

SOLEMNITY OF MARY THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD

NEW YEAR’S EVE 5:30PM

NEW YEAR’S DAY

10AM, 12PM

Click here to register for in-person Mass

All Masses will be live streamed.

Christ has been defined as GOD'S AMEN. A curious phrase. "Amen" means "yes".

To what has God said "yes" in sending us Christ? "Yes" to our best hopes. "Yes" to our struggle for peace. "Yes" to our soaring desire to grow. How just it is to say and sing of Bethlehem as we do each year at Christmas: "the joys and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight." For in Bethlehem on the first Christmas, God uttered a beautiful Word. That Word was his Son. That Word was "no" to our fears, "yes" to our joys.

https://urolm.org/homilieshttps://urolm.org/mass-registrationhttps://youtu.be/DSInlXRRPTghttps://urolm.org/mass-registration

THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT Reflection

APPRECIATING THE WORD – GOD IS WITH US (From the Advent book “Waiting with Joy – Weekly Reflections on the Sunday Readings by Sister Donna L. Ciangio, OP) When I read the Gospel story about the angel Gabriel coming to Mary, I always think of the painting by Robert Campin (1374 – 1444), the great master Flemish painter, who painted a very touching scene of the Annunciation. Rather than picturing Mary in a grand portico or a church setting, Cam-pin placed her in the kitchen, resting and reading scripture or the psalms after noon meal. The an-gel speaks to her while she is absorbed in prayer, and way up in the corner is a tiny baby Jesus car-rying a cross as he moves toward her, mirroring Gabriel’s words, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” The painting reminds us that God comes to us in the ordinary course of our everyday lives. We don’t always have grand revelations of God’s presence, but we need to open our eyes and hearts to see how God is made manifest. We might be inspired by a sunset, a person in need, a child’s won-der, or someone going out of his or her way for another. These are great signs of Emmanuel – God is with us. We can see God made manifest all around us if we take the time to look, listen, hear, and do for others. It is in our hands to carry on the mission of Jesus. Like Mary, we bring him into the world each day. That’s the true spirit of Christmas and the Incarnation. We are the hands, feet, and words of Christ today. Emmanuel, God is with us. And so we pray: Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us! Help us to look forward to the celebration of your birth. Keep us faithful to you and send us forth as your disciples to enliven our world by our actions and blessings we encounter this week. May we be watchful and ready as we wait for you. Come Lord Jesus!

Amen.

Bambinelli Sunday Blessing

God, our Father you so loved humankind that you sent us your only Son Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary, to save us and lead us back to you.

We pray that with your Blessing these images of Jesus, who is about to come among us, may be a sign of your presence and love in our homes.

Good Father, give your Blessing to us too, to our parents, to our families and to our friends.

Open our hearts, so that we may be able to receive Jesus in joy, always do what he asks and see him in all those who are in need of our love.

We ask you this in the name of Jesus, your beloved Son who comes to give the world peace.

He lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

OurLadyofMercyChurch07656 is on

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SUPPORT GROUPS

GENERAL INFORMATION RECTORY OFFICE NEWS

Our Lady of Mercy Pray For Us

VISITATION MINISTRY

Fears about the Coronavirus can take an emotional toll. It’s a very frightening time. CLICK HERE for Counseling and Mental Health Resources.

Click here to read Cardinal Tobin’s Vol. 2 #6 newsletter Click here for Archdiocese of Newark up-

Rectory Office hours: Monday—Friday 9:30AM—2:30PM. Please note the Rectory Office will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Mass book for December 2021 intentions is open. Parishioners may enter the rectory one person at a time with masks on to purchase Mass Cards. You may re-quest one Sunday per month, two weekdays per month for each of the months that we are opening.

OLM PARISH GRIEF SUPPORT MINISTRY See flyer on page 8

GET INVOLVED

A TIME FOR PRAYER

Prayer for Spiritual Communion

Dear Jesus, I believe that you are truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament

of the Eucharist. I love you above all things, and I desire to receive your Body

and Blood. Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally,

come at least spiritually into my heart. Stay close to me, Jesus, so that I may be

close to all our sisters and brothers, especially those who are most in need of

your loving care. Amen.

CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS—If you haven’t picked up your order yet, please call the Rectory office to make arrangements to pick up your order.

This is a very unusual and difficult time for all of us. We are looking for ways to stay in touch even though we can't all be together. Volunteers from the Visitation Ministry are offering a phone call to keep you connect-ed to our OLM community. If you are interested in hearing from a Volunteer or you know someone in need of a phone call, fill out our Request Form or con-tact the Rectory 201-391-5315.

The Visitation Ministry needs your help! To become a Volunteer, fill out the Volunteer Form or contact the Rectory 201-391-5315.

THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS will sponsor a Virtual Valentine Wine Tasting on February 5th from 8PM to 9PM. Details are on page 9

OLM Hat/Scarf Project Ministry Once again, thanks to the effort of 10 wom-en, a delivery was made to Family Prom-ise, based in Ridgewood, of 25 scarves, 52

adult hats, 43 child hats, and 7 lap blankets. It is heartwarming to us to know that the recipients of these items will be kept warm by our efforts! A big THANK YOU to these women and an invitation to oth-ers to join us in this year-round ministry. Knit/crochet patterns and yarn are available upon request. For additional information please contact Lauretta Miller at 201-391-6109 or by email at: lajim@optonline.net.

OLM Parish Newsletter The next newsletter will be out in early 2021. We are looking for contributions from you, for instance: Your experiences during the pandemic or your relationship with St. Joseph. (It is the Year of St. Joseph). Further details can be found by clicking here.

Our Lady of Mercy showed their generosity and support during the "Baking Buddies Food Drive". Three car loads of baking supplies were delivered to the TriBoro Food Pantry. Donations and gift cards were added in-gredients to make this drive a success. TriBoro Food Pantry extends its thanks to all who took part in the food drive during these challenging times.. "We couldn't manage without our faithful and caring friends at Our Lady of Mercy!"

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http://www.urolm.org/

Our Lady of Mercy Parish Grief Support Ministry

“Grieving

the Death

of a Loved One”

A Journey toward Healing and Hope Grief is a journey that we are never really prepared to take. It begins the day

you lose a loved one, and continues in many different moments of your life. It

will take you to places you have never known and places that you may not

want to go. GRIEF IS A JOURNEY YOU DO NOT HAVE TO TAKE ALONE!

Our support group is currently not meeting in person due to Covid 19 restrictions

and out of an abundance of caution for all of our participants. Please visit the

OLM website, urolm.org for additional resources for yourself or to support some-

one you know who has suffered a loss. Check the parish bulletin weekly for cur-

rent information and updates concerning bereavement ministry.

If you would welcome a phone call from one of our parish priests or a member

of our bereavement team, email John Rokoszak at john.rokoszak@urolm.org or

call the rectory, 201-391-5315 and leave your name, contact information and a

good time to receive a call. Please know that although we are not meeting in

person, we continue to pray as a ministry and parish for you and your family

during this difficult time of loss.

mailto:john.rokoszak@urolm.org

mailto:previe1@optonline.net

contact John Rokoszak by email john.rokoszak@urolm.org or call the Rectory 201-391-5315. INTERESTED IN SPONSORING? It’s a wonderful way to renew your own faith & knowledge of the church while journeying with someone interested in joining the Church!

mailto:john.rokoszak@urolm.org