Everyone is invited for a Thanksgiving Eve Holy Mass on Wednesday, November 21st at 7:15 p.m. Let us give thanks to the Almighty Father for all His gifts which we so often take for granted.
Our parish decided to donate $1,000 to assist the victims of devastating Hurricane Sandy. On Thursday November 15th the parish presented a check to The Salvation Army.
Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are will all those who were affected by the hurricane.
Solemnity of All Saints Day is a Holy Day of Obligation. This year this feast will be celebrated on Thursday, November 1st. We remember and pray with all holy saints. Special Holy Masses will be celebrated at 9 am and 7:15 pm with the reading of All Souls Remembrances.
All Souls Day Envelopes – Are available in the vestibule of the church. On Friday November 2nd the Church will commemorate All Souls Day. On that day Holy Mass with the reading of All Souls remembrances will be held at 9 am. It is our Catholic custom to remember the souls of the faithful departed on that day and throughout the entire month of November.
Please use All Souls Day envelopes and print the names of the departed you wish to remember and send it to the parish office or place it in the collection basket on Sunday. The envelopes with the names will be kept on the altar during the month of November. In addition to that, Father Joseph will celebrate Holy Masses for their intentions in the upcoming weeks and months. Please propose the date when you wish to have the Holy Mass celebrated for the intention of your departed loved ones. Fr. Joseph will confirm the availability of the date. These Masses will be listed in the bulletins as All Souls Day Masses.
All Souls Cemetery Service – will take place on Sunday, October 28th at the PNCC section of East Ridgelawn Cemetery, Clifton beginning at 2 pm. For this annual event the clergy and faithful from four parishes, SS Peter and Paul; Passaic, Transfiguration of Our Lord; Wallington, The Most Holy Name of Jesus; Passaic, and from our Holy Cross Parish; Woodland Park are invited to attend. Please remember your departed loved ones who need your prayers and they depend upon your remembrance.
Our annual Blessing Of Pets will take place on Sunday, October 7th at the beginning of 11am Holy Mass. The Holy Mass will take place in the parish hall. Well behaved dogs, cats, fish, birds and all God’s creatures are invited with their owners. The blessing will be given in commemoration of the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi (Oct. 4). As we know, animals trusted St. Francis and he treated them with courtesy. Near the end of his life St. Francis composed a song of praise and thanks to God for all his creations, called “Canticle to Brother Sun” – also known as the “Canticle of the Creatures.” From this song we know that St. Francis did not perceive himself isolated from other creatures. He simply assumed that all creatures – not only humans – form one family of creation. So we are encouraged to bless and praise God with cats, dogs, birds and all God’s creatures.
On Saturday, September 29th we will celebrate the Feast Of St. Michael The Archangel. Holy Mass will be celebrated at 9am.
In Hebrew, Michael means “who is like God” which is traditionally interpreted as a rhetorical question: “Who is like God?” (which expects an answer in the negative) to imply that no one is like God. In this way, Michael is reinterpreted as a symbol of humility before God. In the Old Testament Michael is mentioned three times in the Book of Daniel, once as a “great prince who stands up for the children of your people.” The idea that Michael was the advocate of the Jews became so prevalent that in spite of the rabbinical prohibition against appealing to angels as intermediaries between God and his people, Michael came to occupy a certain place in the Jewish liturgy.
In the New Testament Michael leads God’s armies against the forces of evil in the Book of Revelation, where during the war in heaven he defeats Satan. In the Epistle of St. Jude, Michael is specifically referred to as an “archangel.”
Icons of St. Michael appeared in the 4th century, when he was first seen as a healing angel, and then over time as a protector and the leader of the army of God against the forces of evil. By the 6th century, devotions to Archangel Michael were widespread both in the Eastern and Western Churches.
Central Diocese Clergy gathered for their annual retreat at the Villa of Our Lady Retreat House in Mt. Pocono, PA. In the picture are the clergy after the celebration of Holy Mass along with this year’s retreat master, Bishop Tikhon of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania (OCA) who was presenting spiritual advice. Following the retreat, the clergy had one day conference to discuss various matters of the Church, and our diocese.
Our Oldest parishioner ś.p. Estelle Jablonowski, passed away on August 21, 2012. She recently celebrated her 100th Birthday on April 17, 2012. She was an active member of the parish, singing in the choir and helping parish with many social events. She is missed by many.
Our sympathy to her son and daughter–in-law Stanley R. and Joy Jablonowski, grandchildren Richard and Tina Jablonowski, Llairi Jablonowski, Jeffrey & Lisa Jablonowski, and her eight great grandchildren and one great-great granddaughter. A requiem Holy Mass was held on Friday August 24th followed by and internment at Cedar Lawn Cemetery, Paterson, NJ.
Eternal rest grant unto her O Lord, and may the perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen.
This year there were 29 participants at the Central Diocese Acolyte Retreat held at the Bishop Hodur Retreat and Recreation Center in Waymart, Pennsylvania.
Bishop John Mack gave a presentation and celebrated the Holy Mass for our altar servers on Wednesday.
There were five priests involved in the program: Fr. Joseph Cyman, Fr. Gregory Mludzik, Fr. Mariusz Zochowski, Fr. Andrew Bieganowski, and Fr. Zbigniew Dawid. Mr. Joe Kolonko served delicious meals. The children helped him in the kitchen cleaning the dishes and helping set up for meals.
We thank all for coming and spending a great time together at the beautiful location. The weather was gorgeous. The children and adults enjoyed swimming in the pool with the supervision of Andrew, our lifeguard. Because of the hot weather we experienced on Thursday and Friday, there was plenty of time for the pool. There were also outdoor games such as volleyball and basketball. After we hiked to Kin Lake, our acolytes enjoyed the playground and kayaked with adult supervision wearing life jackets.
During the retreat we had Holy Masses, prayer services, and a special Candlelight service. Fr. Andrew Bieganowski led the children in singing Christian songs. The bon-fire on Thursday was enjoyed until mosquitoes chased us away.
We welcomed visitors including Prime Bishop Emeritus Swantek with his wife, Fr. Carmen Bolock and some parents. Thank to all for sharing a great time!
On Friday June 22nd, a Special Synod of the Polish National Catholic Church took place at St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr Cathedral and its Youth Center in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The Synod was held to elect two candidates for the office of Bishop within our Holy Church. Four nominees were put before the Church, Rev. Stanley Bilinski, Rev. Raymond Drada, Rev. Bernard Nowicki, and Rev. Jerzy Rafalko. There were 218 delegates from the Church’s five Dioceses as well as guests who witnessed this solemn and special occasion.
Holy Cross was represented by Fr. Joseph and two lay delegates, Renata Cyman and Richard Daum. Each Nominee for the Office of Bishop spoke, giving his plans for the growth of parishes and expansion of the Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC). The PNCC has parishes throughout the United States, in Canada, as well as in Poland, Norway, Italy, Sweden, and soon in Germany.
The Church sought the intercession and working of the Holy Spirit during Holy Mass before the Special Synod and before the election. Based on the information presented to the delegates and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Synod body chose Rev. Stanley Bilinski and Rev. Bernard Nowicki as candidates for the office of the Bishop.
There are two dioceses, Buffalo-Pittsburgh and the Western Diocese, in need of Bishops. The date of the the Bishop elects’ Consecration and their assignment will be announced by the Prime Bishop’s Office.
On Sunday May 20th five children of our parish received the presence of Jesus in Holy Communion for the first time. They went through lessons learning the basics of Christian faith. The Sacrament of Confession took place on Friday May 18th after their rehearsal for this special event.
During Holy Mass the children read the Prayers of the Faithful.
We congratulate:
Natalie Joanne Cyman daughter of Fr. Joseph and Renata (Bujak) Cyman,
Kaylee Ann Gonzalez, daughter of Julio Gonzalez and Ella Anaya,
Ariana Rixana Rubio, daughter of Carlos Rubio and Sonia Garcia,
Vanessa Smith, daughter of Claudio Negrini and Lisa Smith, and
David Edwin Torres, son of Edwin Torres and Maria E. Morales.
We had the privilege of Fr. Stanley Kural’s presence to concelebrate Holy Mass. Fr. Kural served Resurrection Parish in Brooklyn for many years.
I thank parents for their input in preparing their children for the First Holy Communion celebration. They sponsored flowers that beautified the sanctuary and the soloist who with our organist Neil Estanislao performed solo pieces such as Ave Maria (Hail Mary) and Panis Angelicus (Bread from Heaven) – Father Joseph