THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD JANUARY 10th

Mass Intentions

SATURDAY Jan.. 9th 8:00 AM PEOPLE OF THE PARISH 5:00 PM JOHN KONOPCZYK (TERRY FERIO) SUNDAY JAN 10th 8:00 AM PETER TAURIELLO (EVELYN TOLAND) 9:30 AM DICK BURCHFIELD (THE FAMILY) 11:00 Am INTENTIONS OF BOB & JANET ESTELLE (MARILYN RAMA)

MONDAY 8:00 AM RAYMOND WITLE III (JOHN, DENICE, & JOSEPH LUSCIK) TUESDAY 8:00 AM THOMAS JOSEPH CORDARO (THE POSKONKA FAMIY) WEDNESDAY 8:00 AM EUGEN HEBDING (THE POSKONKA & CZAPIA FAMILY) THURSDAY 8:00 AM PATRICK DIMICCO FRIDAY 8:00 AM INTENTIONS OF FATHER JIM MULLIGAN (MIKE & RITA WENNING)

SATURDAY Jan. 16th 8:00 AM LINDA M. GROCHOWSKI 5:00PM DOROTHY KAPELA (THE LAPINSKI FAMILY) SUNDAY JAN 17th 8:00 AM JOHN STOBER 9:30 AM LUCY ALBANESE (THE FAMILY) 11:00 Am SISTER GENEVIVE KURATH

Please remember in your pray-ers all the sick of the parish and of our families.

The week of Jan. 10th the Sanctuary Lamp Burns for:

Nicholas A. Marino

Mon. 1/11 Eucharistic Adoration /Benediction 7:30 pm

Wed. 1/13 Fundraising Committee 6:00pm

Sat. 1/16 & Sun. 1/17 Gifts From Bethlehem in the Hall

Mon. 1/18 Eucharistic Adoration /Benediction 7:30 pm

Thurs. 1/21 Healing Mass 7:30 pm

Fri. 1/22 March For Life Bus Trip 6:00 am , 5:30 am Mass

Sat. 1/23 Religious Ed. & Confirmation

Mon. 1/25 Eucharistic Adoration /Benediction 7:30 pm

Sat. 1/30 K of C Recruitment Weekend After All Mass

Sun. 1/31 K of C Recruitment Weekend After All Mass

Sun. 1/31 K of C Open House in the Hall After the 11am Mass

Jan. 2nd & 3rd $4,139

Diocesan Assessment $1,028

Total $5,167

Actual Weekly Cost: $6,500

Envelopes Mailed: 219

Envelopes Received: 129

*If you are not already doing so, please use your envelopes each

week. Only contributions in your numbered envelope are

recorded for documentation required by the IRS.

Eucharistic Adoration

7:30 pm – 8:30 pm Monday

and 8:30 am -9:30 am Friday

(after the 8:00 am Mass)

Come join us and spend some quiet time in

prayer before the Lord.

Dear Parishioners,

Today the Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord. Jesus goes down into the waters of the Jordan River to be baptized by St. John the Baptist. It is the last day of the Christmas Season and in the evening we return to the Church’s season of Ordinary Time. Jesus did not need to go into the waters of the Jordan River to be baptized by his cousin John because Jesus’ human nature is without sin. Jesus is both human and divine. In his human nature He is like us in all things but sin. Jesus had no need to enter the waters of baptism because he was without sin. He went down into the waters of the Jordan River to unite himself to all of sinful humanity, that is, to take all the sins of humanity upon himself and to eventually nail them to the Cross. His going into the waters symbolizes his death and his coming out the water symbolizes his Resurrection from the tomb. In a similar way at our Baptism the water symbolized death – death to a life of sin, and coming out of the water symbolizes our new life with Christ.

The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River reminds us of the Israelites that after wandering through the dessert for 40 years entered the Promised Land through the Jordan River. It is through the waters of Baptism that we die to a life of sin, share in the life of Christ, and the promised land of Heaven is opened for us.

After Jesus “had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”’ The Gospel today gives us a glimpse of the Blessed Trinity: God the Father’s voice, His beloved Son, Jesus coming out of the waters, and the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity descending upon Jesus in the form of a dove. The Gospel leaves us with a glimpse of the Blessed Trinity as our Christmas Season comes to an end; shortly after his Baptism Jesus began his public ministry. We too take with us the graces given to us from the Christmas Season and continue on our journey of doing the will of the Father.

The Gospel today gives us the hope that Jesus has gone into the waters of sin and death not to take away any sin of his own but rather to unite himself with sinful humanity. He has nailed our sins to the Cross and the graces that he won for us are given to us in the Sacrament of Baptism where we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit so that we can share in the very life of God. Through the Sacrament of Baptism, where Original Sin is washed away and through the frequent use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation where we keep our souls right before God, the skies are opened for us so that one day we will hear the voice of the Father say that we are his beloved sons and daughters and he will invite us into his kingdom of heaven to be him forever.

Our Lady Queen of Peace pray for us,

Father Ed

Administrator

Please consider joining us on Friday, January 22nd for a one-day Bus trip to Washington DC to promote the great gift of Life. The Men’s Club of our parish is sponsoring the bus trip and so there will be no fee. The day will begin with an early morning Mass in the Church. Please call the office for more details. Don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity to give witness to God’s plan for Life.

Jan. 9th– Jan. 10th

5:00 pm Barbara Bayles

8:00 am Patricia Pfeil

9:30 am Kate O’Connor

11:00 am Tom Hudak

Jan. 16th– Jan. 17th

5:00 pm Mary Dunleavy

8:00 am Ruth Tauriello

9:30 am Lori Opitz

11:00 am Debbie Carter

Altar Server Schedule

Jan. 9th– Jan. 10th

5:00 pm Jessica Pirello

8:00 am Brian O’Connor

9:30 am Nico Albanese

11:00 am Andrew Opitz

Jan. 16th– Jan. 17th

5:00 pm Jon-Paul Devetori

8:00 am Leia Ruvo

9:30 am Abigail Oras

11:00 am Samantha Price

Healing Mass

The Mass will be celebrated on Thursday Jan.21st at 7:30 PM

in the Church. The healing

service will take place

immediately after Mass;

Father Ed will be

celebrating the Mass.

Light refreshments will be

served in the parish hall at

the completion of the healing service. Healing has always been

a part of the Church. Jesus healed the blind man, the deaf

man, and the leper. We find in Sacred Scripture physical

healings, healing of relationships, psychological healing,

financial healing, and spiritual healing. Come with expectant

faith and join us, and experience the Lord’s healing power.

Food Pantry Hours

Monday 12pm-2pm

Year of Mercy

Come and join us for a time of study

and reflection of Divine Mercy.

Based on the Dairy of St. Faustina.

on Tuesdays in The Parish Hall from

9:00am to 10:00 am. You are

welcome to join at any time.

S382, a bill authorizing assisted suicide, could be voted on in the State Senate on January 11 or 12. This bill would allow a person who has a “terminal disease” to request a prescription from a physician for lethal drugs that would end their life. The Bill has many problems. Please send an email to your State Senator asking them to vote “NO” on S382.

Please use the link below to log in and send your message: https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/8CeIj6f-n5LXxZskXS-Eyg

FREE MARCH FOR LIFE BUS TRIP

The Men’s Club will be sponsoring a free Bus trip on Friday January 22nd to Washington DC for the March for Life. Starting with Mass at 5:30 am and bus leaving at 6:00 am. Approximate return 10 pm Come and experience the largest peaceful march on Capitol Hill. Join hundreds of thousands of Enthusiastic people who give witness to the great gift of life. For more information and to sign up call the office. 973-948-3185

SHOP-RITE, AND WEIS GIFTCARDS

Cards in $25, $50 & $100 denominations are available.

Please support this worthwhile fundraiser

PARISH CRUISE Panama Canal – March 4-14, 2016 – Reserve now and save!!! Contact Regina @ UNIGLOBE Travel Partners (973)810-8025

Bishop Arthur Serratelli PASTORAL LETTER (part 3 of 4) THE JUBILEE OF MERCY AND THE PROMISE OF CHRIST To all the faithful, religious, deacons and priests:

Peace to you all who are in Christ

[12] At the very center of Luke’s gospel, in chapter 15, the evangelist clusters the

parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin and the Prodigal Son. These three parables

reveal the overwhelming mercy of God. In the ministry of Jesus, God is not merely

inviting sinners to return nor is he simply accepting those who do. Rather, He is

actively going out to seek and find the lost. The heart of God beats with unrelenting

mercy for each of us sinners.

[13] In Mark’s gospel, only after Jesus announces the coming of the kingdom does

he call for repentance. He says, “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent…” (Mk

1:15). The order is important. First, God’s grace; then, our response. God has come

among us to save us in Christ. This is pure mercy. His saving presence, then, leads us

to repentance.

[14] “God’s will is to save us, and nothing pleases him more than our coming back to

him with true repentance” (St. Maximus the Confessor, Epist. 11). But even our

repentance, our turning from our sins and directing our lives to God, is a gift of

God’s mercy. God himself works within us so that we both will and do what pleases

him (cf. Phil 2:13).

[15] The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy begins on December 8, 2015, with Pope

Francis’ opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Each diocese will

open a “Door of Mercy” on December 13, 2015, the same day that the Pope opens

the Holy Door of his cathedral church, the Basilica of Saint John Lateran. In the

Diocese of Paterson, a Holy Door will be opened at St. Margaret Church in

Morristown and at the Diocesan Shrine of St. John Paul II at Holy Rosary Church in

Passaic.

[16] The image of a Holy Door is very symbolic. In John’s gospel, Jesus calls himself

“the door.” He says, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the door (gate).Whoever

enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture…” (Jn

10:8-10). Entering the door or gate evokes the movement from the outside where

there is danger to the inside where there is safety. Passing through the Holy Door

manifests our desire to enter more fully into the sheepfold of the Good Shepherd

who protects us from sin and enfolds us in his grace.

[17] By calling himself the door to the sheepfold, Jesus is claiming to be the only way

of entrance into salvation. There is but one Savior of the whole human race. “There

is but one Mediator between God and man...Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2:5). In speaking

with Thomas at the Last Supper, Jesus clearly states this when he says, “I am the

way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through

me” (John 14:6). Jesus alone opens the way to comm union with God. Thus, our

passing over the threshold of the Holy Door representing Christ is a profession of

faith in Jesus in Christ as Savior of the world.

For More of Bishop Serratelli’s Pastoral Letter please visit

-http://patersondiocese.org/ or visit our website www.olqpbranchville.org

F

Don Bosco Knights of Columbus

Council 7784

Membership Drive and Open House

New member information

will be provided by members

of Don Bosco Council 7784

after each Mass on the

weekend of Jan. 30/31. An open house will

be held on Sunday January 31 after the

11AM Mass in the Parish Center. For

additional information contact Tom Hudak

at 973-903-1494 or tomh1644@gmail.com.

Gifts from Bethlehem

Olivewood Handcrafted from the Holy Land

A Traditional Art and Livelihood for

Holy Land Christians

January 16th and 17th in the Church Hall

The handicrafts trade evolved as a cultural tradition of Christians in the Holy Land for

many centuries. This indigenous form of art has since become an industry of great

importance to the local people of the Holy Land who rely on it for livelihood, and to

Christian pilgrims from all around the world whose holy pilgrimage can be memorialized

for a lifetime in cherished olive wood or mother of pearl souvenirs. The olive wood

carving market is the major source of income in the Bethlehem area. More than 65 percent of the income of the community in Bethlehem

comes from this work.

In recent years, however, the holy crafts trade has suffered many hardships due to social and economical pressures. Because of a sharp fall in tourism and also as a result of diminishing

numbers of craftsmen who leave their traditional trade and emigrate due to the

difficult conditions in their homeland, the Holy Land handicraft market is facing serious

danger, and so is the Christian community in the Land. Sixty five years ago the Christians

represented more than 28% of the total population in the Holy Land, today they are

less than 1.5%.The loss of Christians in the land of Christianity’s birth will represent a tragedy

of immeasurable proportions for the billions of Christians worldwide.

Thank you for your vital support for a Christian tradition and in protecting this very important

culture and industry.