ur parish held its annual St Patrick’s Day Luncheon on Sunday, March 12th in the parish hall. The menu consisted of Corned Beef, Cabbage, Irish Red Potatoes, Carrots, Baked Chicken – Variety of Vegetables, Assorted Breads, Irish Soda Bread, Homemade Desserts, soft drinks with Irish coffee. The green grab bags were part of the celebration giving an occasion for laughter and fun. Parishioners, friends and neighbors attended. We thank parishioner David Obssuth who headed the kitchen with a staff of church volunteers. We had good food, Irish music and a fun time for all.
Upcoming events are Agape celebration on Sunday, March 26th at 3:30 pm, A Picnic on June 4th (Woodland Park residents are welcome), and our Annual Tricky Tray on Saturday, October 21st.
Check our website and Facebook page regularly for updates or send us an E-mail for information on upcoming events. We thank everyone for coming to our annual celebration. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to everyone!
On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we celebrated the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We celebrated the greatest gift God ever gave us and all humanity His precious son, Baby Jesus, our Lord and Savior. With Christians around the world, we celebrated the reason for the season – The birth of Jesus born in the stable in Bethlehem. We listened to the Holy Scripture, especially the Gospel about what happened over two thousand years ago.
In Christmas time to continue to reflect about the mystery of God’s incarnation. It is a remarkable story that God’s Word became flesh in the womb of the Blessed Mother Mary through the divine intervention of the Holy Spirit and the message of the Angel Gabriel. The truth is that the Spirit of the Lord lives in us.
Mary was chosen to be the mother of Jesus, because she was humble and holy. With her trust, she accepted that noble role of the Mother of the Baby Jesus, our Lord and King. She is the Spiritual Mother of all of us. She accepted that special role with the remarkable and great support of St. Joseph the earthly guardian of Jesus, person of holiness. He didn’t say much in the Gospel but he did a lot. He followed the message of the angels, he listened to Mary and fulfilled God’s will in his life.
The Christmas message reminds us to suppress our selfishness and to think about others. We look for the opportunities to give rather than to receive. This is the truth, that happiness comes from serving others.
Wouldn’t it be that great that all mankind were made up of kind women and warmhearted men? The mystery of humanity is that we have more extreme thinking but shorter tempers, bigger ambitions but smaller families, larger houses but more broken homes. We have multiplied our possessions but diminished our values. We buy more but enjoy less. We have added years to life but not life to years. We have become more educated but lack common sense.
If we take the Christmas message into our hearts, we can change it. We need to be willing to accept the values which Jesus brought to earth for us. Jesus wants us to follow his example. How can we do so? Simply by doing good deeds in our life. He wants us to enrich others by serving others in His name. We are called to love and worship our God at least on Sundays, love our neighbors as ourselves, love tenderly and walk humbly with God.
Children and everyone are called to fulfill our daily tasks to the best of our ability, honestly and conscientiously. Why is it so important? Simply because the church members are the foundation of our society……
A Christmas Prayer
Come, Lord Jesus, Prince of peace and Beloved Savior; come into our hearts this Christmas and fill us with Your gifts of love and joy. With Mary and Joseph, we rejoice and thank God for You. With the angels and saints in heaven we sing, “Glory to God in the highest.” With the Magi and the shepherds, we bow before You with hearts full of wonder. Help us to follow You faithfully and to share the good news of Your coming with everyone we meet, this Christmas season and always. Amen.
Last week Natalie Lazar and Natalie Cyman delivered 32 poinsettias, 32 Christmas cards and ornaments to residents living at Hinchliffe Manor, Paterson NJ. We thank Sunday School teachers Ms. Natalie and Mr. Paul for organizing this project, children who prepared Christmas cards and parents who supported this project for the benefit of the elderly. Job well done!
On Sunday, December 11th, Lexie Alaya Vargas received the Sacrament of Baptism. We congratulate proud parents, Angel and Ana, godparents, relatives and friends on this special occasion.
On Sunday, December 11th, Serenity Yanette Reign FanFan received the Sacrament of Baptism. We congratulate proud Phillippe and Diodekmaris, godparents, relatives and friends on this special occasion.
On Saturday, December 3, 2022 Holy Cross Church welcomed Isaiah Huertas into the parish family through the Sacrament of Baptism celebrated with the Holy Mass. We congratulate his proud parents, godparents, relatives and friends on this special occasion.
The Sacrament of Baptism and later Confirmation is the foundation of our Christian faith, is a gateway to new life in the Spirit, and the door that gives access to other sacraments. Through the Sacrament of Baptism and Confirmation we are regenerated and incorporated into Christ’s body – His Church.
The Catechism of the PNCC
As God made the covenant with his people so through Baptism, Jesus makes a new and everlasting covenant with his followers. As Jesus won new life for us on the cross, with the symbol of the cross, Isaiah was marked to receive the new life in the Lord. As the waters of the Red Sea led the people of Israel to freedom so the water of Baptism gave new life and led to Salvation. Parents, godparents and all members of our parish pledge to help this child to grow in Christian faith.
Jaylanie Maria Batista, the daughter of Juan and Jacqueline Batista, was baptized on Sunday, October 16th. Proud parents were: Juan M. Santos and Nancy Acevedo. We congratulate Jaylanie’s parents, godparents, family members and friends. God bless you all!
On Sunday, October 9th the Solemnity of Christian Family, we celebrated a special Holy Mass of thanksgiving and asked God’s blessing for Michael Piascik on his recent 100th Birthday. In the picture is Mr. Michael with his immediate family. GOD BLESS and STO LAT, STO LAT!!!
On Sunday, October 2nd, in the Commemoration of St. Francis of Assisi, the annual blessing of pets took place at the beginning of the 11 am Mass. The Holy Mass was celebrated in the parish hall with good attendance.
We thank all for attending the Holy Mass and those who brought well behaved pets for this special day. St. Francis of Assisi showed his remarkable love for all the creatures. He called them brothers and sisters and wrote a Canticle of the Creatures, giving glory to God for all living things He created.
Parishioners expressed their special Happy Birthday wishes to Fay Goglia who celebrated her 100th Birthday. We shared a special cake on Sunday, September 18th.
Living 100 years is a gift from above. To be able to walk, talk and smile and celebrate her 100th Birthday is an extraordinary gift from God. Fay is a special, positive and happy person.
We express our best wishes to Fay, her daughter, Mary, family members and friends.
