Faith Formation Schedule

Christmas Mass Schedule

Sunday, December 24th is both the 4th Sunday of Advent & Christmas Eve. 

There will be Masses in the morning for the 4th Sunday of Advent.

Christmas Masses

Sunday, December 24, 2017

4:30pm - Christmas Pageant featuring children from our parish and the Children's Choir

5:00pm - Christmas Eve Family Mass

9:30pm - Christmas Carols

10:00pm - Christmas Vigil Mass

Monday, December 25, 2017

7:30am  9:00am  10:30am  12 Noon

4th Sunday of Advent

3rd Week of Advent

Sunday, December 17 - Bambinelli Sunday, Blessing of the Nativity & Breakfast with Santa

This is a very exciting time of year... Tree Lightings, Christmas Specials on TV, driving around and looking at the lights on display, wonderful smells and flavors coming from the kitchen.  With so many fun things going on, it certainly can be looked at as "the most wonderful time of the year!"  

The 4 weeks of Advent always seem to pass too quickly as we prepare our homes and families for Christmas.  One thing that we should not overlook preparing is our hearts.  On the Faith Formation website, we will be posting some simple ways for you and your family to grow closer to Christ as he looks to come ever closer to each of us. We have prayers for your Advent Wreath, Blessings for your Christmas Tree and Nativity, as well as daily things to do with your family. We hope that each day of Advent can be another opportunity for you and your family to receive Christ's hope, peace, joy, and love.

Sunday, December 17- Bambinelli Sunday/ Blessing of the Manger/ Breakfast with Santa

On Sunday, December 17 following the 10:30am Mass, we invite all of our families to take part in our Bambinelli Sunday.
Each year, on the Third Sunday of Advent, children gather with their families in
St. Peter's Square for "Bambinelli Sunday."  The children bring with them figures of the Baby Jesus - the Bambinelli - from their family's Nativity scene. During the noontime prayer, the pope blesses the children and the figurines they have brought.  

While, we might not have the pope here to bless our Bambinelli, we will have Fr. Tom, who will bless the figurines of the Baby Jesus and all who gather with us at our outdoor Nativity scene.  So don't forget to bring your Bambinello with you!

After the blessing, we invite all of our Religious Ed. Families downstairs for Breakfast with Santa! 

Week 2 of Advent - Family Activities

Week 1 of Advent - Family Activities

Advent is Here --- A Time to Get Ready

This is a very exciting time of year... Tree Lightings, Christmas Specials on TV, driving around and looking at the lights on display, wonderful smells and flavors coming from the kitchen.  With so many fun things going on, it certainly can be looked at as "the most wonderful time of the year!"  

The 4 weeks of Advent always seem to pass too quickly as we prepare our homes and families for Christmas.  One thing that we should not overlook preparing is our hearts.  On the Faith Formation website, we will be posting some simple ways for you and your family to grow closer to Christ as he looks to come ever closer to each of us.  We hope that each day of Advent can be another opportunity for you and your family to receive Christ's hope, peace, joy, and love.

Save the Date: Sunday, December 17 for Bambinelli Sunday/ Blessing of the Manger/ Breakfast with Santa

On Sunday, December 17 following the 10:30am Mass, we invite all of our families to take part in our Bambinelli Sunday.  Each year, on the Third Sunday of Advent, children gather with their families in St. Peter's Square for "Bambinelli Sunday."  The children bring with them figures of the Baby Jesus - the Bambinelli - from their family's Nativity scene. During the noontime prayer, the pope blesses the children and the figurines they have brought.  

While, we might not have the pope here to bless our Bambinelli, we will have Fr. Tom, who will bless the figurines of the Baby Jesus and our outdoor Nativity scene.  So don't forget to bring your Bambinello with you!

After the blessing, we invite all of our Religious Ed. Families downstairs for Breakfast with Santa! 

Happy Thanksgiving

Sending Some Joy

Celebrating 100th Anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima

Just a Reminder.... No Class on Tuesday, October 31

Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima

Last week, the students of the Religious Education Program celebrated the 100th Anniversary of our Blessed Mother appearing to three cousins in Fatima, Portugal.  The Blessed Mother first appeared to them on May 13, 1917 and then asked them to visit her on the 13th of each month. During these visits, she told them of God's desire to bring all sinners back to Him. She asked the children to pray for peace, the end to war for the country of Russia and for all sinners.  She told them to pray the rosary daily so that they would grow closer to Jesus.  On October 13, 1917, she appeared to the the children a final time.  It was a rainy day, but Lucia, Francesco, and Jacinta were joined by over 70,000 people who came to see the miracle of our Lady.  At this last appearance, Mary told the children she wanted a chapel to be built on the spot and for the children to continue to pray the rosary for peace and for sinners.  Then the sky cleared, and the sun appeared and began to zig and zag and dance through the sky. The people became frightened because the son looked as though it was going to fall to the earth, but then it stopped and returned to its spot in the sky. All of the people were now completely dry and clean. 

To commemorate this anniversary, Grade 1 watched a video on Our Lady of Fatima and learned the story of The Miracle of the Sun.  Grades 2, 3, 4, and 5 took a short pilgrimage to the statue of Our Lady of Fatima on the side of our church. They listened to the story of the Miracle at Fatima and learned how to pray the rosary. Then together, we prayed a decade of the rosary for peace. It was a wonderful to see that many of the children brought their own rosaries to pray along with us. During our Sunday celebration, we were joined by some of our parishioners as they were leaving 9am Mass and some of the members of the Rosary Society. We ended both days of our celebration by placing flowers at the feet of our Blessed Mother.

Thank you to Catherine Sergott and Karen Visco for sharing these photos.

Suggested Items List

Monetary Donations will also be accepted to purchase needed items. 

Please drop in collection basket in an envelope marked “Box of Joy”

TOYS

Handheld Toys                                                                     

Small plush animals

Small balls (tennis, etc.)

Ball (deflated) with pump

Cars / Trucks 

Doll

Mini puzzle

Finger puppets

Silly Putty

Bean bag / Hacky sack

Unopened fast food toys

Binoculars

Legos

Harmonica, kazoo or other small instrument

Jump rope

Paddle ball

Yo-yo

Slinky

Mini board games, Balloons

Craft kit (beads, elastic, etc.) Pom-poms

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

Pencils, colored pencils, solar calculator, sharpener

Small board books, erasers

Pencil case, crayons, pens, markers, ruler

Glue stick (no liquid) safety scissors, coloring books, notepads

Stickers

Self-inking stamp

Flash cards

HARD CANDY & GUM

Please seal in a Ziplock-Style bag (No chocolates)

Individual Cookie/Snack Packs (Costco multiple serving size boxes, etc.)

APPAREL

Socks

Shorts, Underwear, T-shirts

Flip flops, bandanas, hats shoelaces, plastic poncho

HYGIENE / HOME

Comb / Brush

Forks & Spoons

Cup / Bottle with lid

Bar Soap

Toothpaste (in the box) Toothbrush and floss, bandages

Hand wipes (no gels) Tissues

Lip balm

Manicure kit

Nail clippers / Emery board

ACCESSORIES

Watch

Purse or wallet, sunglasses, necklace

Hair ribbons

Hair / Head bands, barrettes, bracelets

Earrings

Scarf

Cross or Rosary

USEFUL ITEMS

Sewing kit

Utensils

Compass

LED keychain

Duct tape

No-battery flashlight

Drawstring bag

Calendar & Our First Family Gathering

FAITH FORMATION PROGRAM

We welcome all of our children and families to a school new year!  We are grateful to have the opportunity to serve each of you and to be with you on your journey of faith.  Like any journey, our journey of faith can take us to places that we never imagined and gives us the opportunity to experience the true beauty of a relationship with God. It is my sincere hope that as this year progresses that you will see your children not just grow in knowledge of our faith but grow deeper in relationship with our loving Father.  We ask that you keep all of us, especially our volunteer catechists, in your prayers.  We look forward to walking with you in this journey!

Important Dates to Remember:

Sunday, October 1 - Family Gathering - Turtleback Zoo

Thursday, October 5 - Confirmation Parent & Candidate Meeting

Wednesday, October 11 - First Penance Parent Meeting

It's Not Too Late to Register!

Families who were part of our program last year can still register online and new families can come into the Parish Center (Monday-Friday 9-4pm)

Religious Education Classes Begin September 17 & 19! Register Before Classes Fill Up!

We want to make sure that on the first day of class, your child will enter our program with everything that he or she needs to continue their journey of faith.  This means having a classroom with adequate space and having their own book to use. It also means that they will have a catechist, who will be there to give of his or her time & talents to help them in their journey of faith. We try to keep our class sizes under 15 students because of classroom sizes and to provide a better learning environment for our students.  By waiting until the last days or ay of to register, we may not be able to place your child in the class that they have been apart of in previous years. So don't wait, register online today! 

200 families (2/3 of our religious education program) have registered using our new online registration! 

The entire registration process now only takes a few minutes and can be done from the comforts of home or while sitting at the beach. Do it today and check it off your to-do list!

For Our Families Returning from Last Year:

Through John Patrick Publishing (JPP) and Parish Giving, you are now able to register your children for Religious Education Classes ONLINE and pay using your credit card or checking account through the secure site that we also use for our parish online giving. We hope that moving the registration process online will help make it easier for you to register your family in a timely manner during the summer months. If your family is not returning, please let us know.

Religious Education is an on-going journey of faith. Each year, we hope that our students grow in knowledge, but also grow deeper into a relationship with the God who loves them. Therefore, children should be enrolled in Religious Education classes beginning in Grade 1 and continue through the reception of Confirmation in Grade 9.

Registration for our Sacrament Programs for 1^st Penance & Holy Communion and for Confirmation (Grade 9) were mailed home. Please do not register your 9th grader for Confirmation using the online form.

For Families New to Our Program:

We ask that all new families come into the Parish Center to register for our program. You can schedule a time to come in by calling Diane Addesso at 973-235-1100 or by emailing Anthony Armando (armandoa@stmarysnutley.org)

When you do come in to register your child, please be sure to bring their Baptismal Certificate and/or Letters of Transfer (if they are coming from another parish religious education program).  We would also appreciate if you registered with our parish at this time.

Children should begin Religious Education classes in Grade 1, to help them prepare for the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion in Grade 2. We do also offer a wonderful Kindergarten program on Sundays that is great way to get them started!

St. Mary's Religious Education Program 

Classes will begin on September 17 (Sunday) & 19 (Tuesday) and will end in late April. 

Classes meet on Sunday mornings 9-10:15am or Tuesdays 3:45-5pm in the Phoenix Center School building (across the street from the Church) and in Walsh Hall (Church basement).  The cost for 1 child is $130 -- 2 or more is $155.

We Need You! Our Children Need You! God Needs You!

Our classes are taught by our volunteer staff of catechists. We are currently in need of more people willing to help pass on the faith to our children on both Sundays and Tuesdays. We Need Your Gifts & Talents to provide quality religious education and provide the best classroom experience possible for our 400 students. We are looking for people who are willing to serve and share their faith as a Catechist or an Assistant Catechist. 

You do not need to be a theologian, you just need a servant's heart and a love for God, we can help you with the rest! If you are nervous about doing it alone, ask a friend and you can teach together as a team!!  We will equip you with the tools to help you pass on the faith and to help the students in your class. In addition to the rewards of sharing your faith and helping our parish, you will also receive a $50.00 discount off of the registration fee. 

Registration for 2017-18 Religious Education Classes

St. Mary's Religious Education Program 

Classes begin on September 17 (Sunday) & 19 (Tuesday) and will end in late April.
Classes meet on Sunday mornings 9-10:15am or Tuesdays 3:45-5pm in the Phoenix Center School building (across the street from the Church) and in Walsh Hall (Church basement).  

The cost for 1 child is $130 -- 2 or more is $155.
Registration for our Confirmation Program (9th Grade) will be mailed out in July.

For Our Families Returning from Last Year:
You should have received an email with the notification and link to our online registration form.  Through John Patrick Publishing (JPP) and Parish Giving, you are now able to register your children for Religious Education Classes online and pay using your credit card or checking account through the secure site that we also use for our parish online giving. We hope that moving the registration process online will help make it easier for you to register your family in a timely manner during the summer months. 
The entire registration process now only takes a few minutes and can be done from the comforts of home or while sitting at the beach. Do it today and check it off your to-do list. We ask that you please complete the registration by August 1, 2017.  This will allow us to properly plan for supplies, classroom space and to ensure that we have a catechist for each class. 

Religious Education is an on-going journey of faith. Each year, we hope that our students grow in knowledge, but also grow deeper into a relationship with the God who loves them. Therefore, children should be enrolled in Religious Education classes beginning in Grade 1 and continue through the reception of Confirmation in Grade 9.

For Families New to Our Program:

We ask that all new families come into the Parish Center to register for our program. You can schedule a time to come in by calling Diane Addesso at 973-235-1100 or by emailing Anthony Armando (armandoa@stmarysnutley.org)

When you do come in to register your child, please be sure to bring their Baptismal Certificate and/or Letters of Transfer (if they are coming from another parish religious education program).  We would also appreciate if you registered with our parish at this time.

Children should begin Religious Education classes in Grade 1, to help them prepare for the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion in Grade 2. We do also offer a wonderful Kindergarten program on Sundays that is great way to get them started!

We Need You! Our Children Need You! God Needs You!

Our classes are taught by our volunteer staff of catechists. We are currently in need of more people willing to help pass on the faith to our children on both Sundays and Tuesdays. We Need Your Gifts & Talents to provide quality religious education and provide the best classroom experience possible for our 400 students. We are looking for people who are willing to serve and share their faith as a Catechist or an Assistant Catechist. 

You do not need to be a theologian, you just need a servant's heart and a love for God, we can help you with the rest! If you are nervous about doing it alone, ask a friend and you can teach together as a team!!  We will equip you with the tools to help you pass on the faith and to help the students in your class. In addition to the rewards of sharing your faith and helping our parish, you will also receive a $50.00 discount off of the registration fee. 

We Got Flocked!!!

Did you notice a flock of flamingos landed on our lawn the morning of Sunday, April 30th?  Yantacaw Girl Scout Troop 20099, many of whom are St.Mary's parishioners, took part in a fundraiser for the 11th Annual Nutley Relay for Life.  Since early March, the flamingos have landed on lawns all over town each night.  They only remain for 24 hours at which time the scouts would arrive to collect them and move them to the next unsuspecting neighbor.  A $25 dollar donation to the team would enable you to send the flock to surprise a friend.   Due to this successful fundraiser the girls raised over $7,200 for the American Cancer Society.   

"The Pink Flamingos"  participated in the Relay for Life at DeMuro Park on Friday May 19th and won the award for having the most team members stay overnight! 

Members of the Pink Flamingos with our Pastor Fr. Rich after St. Mary's Church got flocked.

Relay for Life Prayer Service

On Wednesday, May 10, St. Mary's Church hosted the Nutley Clergy Association's Relay for Life Prayer Service to honor all those touched by cancer.  Fr Rich was the celebrant and spoke about finding comfort in God.  The music led by Bruce Mauro, our Music Director continued this theme as we listened to a beautiful meditation song, Matt Maher's Lord, I Need You. I invite you to take a moment to play the song (below) because it is a powerful and prayerful way to invite Jesus, Our Savior into our moments of suffering and weakness.

Relay for Life helps communities to remember loved ones lost, honor survivors of all cancers, and raise money to help the American Cancer Society make a global impact on cancer. On May 19-20, Nutley held its 11th Relay for Life. 70 teams participated in this annual event, which this year raised over $73,000!   You can find out more information by checking out their page Nutley Relay for Life

It is especially fitting that it takes place in May because May 1 is the feast day of St. Peregrine, who is the patron saint for persons suffering from cancer.  

Most of us know someone who has been affected by cancer, as we stand together as a parish family let us offer our prayers to St. Peregrine that he may intercede for us to God for healing, courage and hope.


Prayer to St. Peregrine

St. Peregrine, whom Holy Mother Church has declared Patron of those suffering from Cancer, I confidently turn to you for help in my present sickness. I beg your kind intercession. Ask God to relieve me of this sickness, if it be his Holy Will. Plead with the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Sorrows, whom you loved so tenderly and in union with whom you have suffered the pains of Cancer, that she may help me with her powerful prayers and loving consolation.

But if it should be God’s Holy Will that I bear this sickness, obtain for me courage and strength to accept these trails from the loving hand of God with patience and resignation, because he knows what is best for the salvation of my soul. St. Peregrine, be my friend and patron. Help me to imitate you in accepting suffering, and to unite myself with Jesus Crucified and the Mother of Sorrows, as you did. I offer my pains to God with all the love of my heart, for his glory and the salvation of souls, especially my own. Amen.

First Holy Communion

For the past three weekends we have had the joy of sharing in the celebration of 81 of our boys and girls coming to the table of the Lord's Supper for the first time.  We hope that this is a day that helps them begin their spiritual journey in an even more personal way.  Each time that we receive the Eucharist, Jesus gives us His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity to nourish us on our journey of life.  This spiritual food gives us the power to love.

Today in the Gospel of John, we hear Jesus tell his disciples that He is going to send them an Advocate to be with them. This Holy Spirit that Jesus promises is given to each of us so that we can follow Jesus’ command to love one another. Loving people sounds easy, but can be challenging to actually do. We are called to love those that hurt us or are indifferent to us. We are called to love even when it is not convenient or profitable to us. We are called to love and live out God's love each day.  That is tough stuff!!! Jesus never promises that it will be easy, but He does promise that He is there with us through it all.  He gives us not just a promise, but also the sustenance, His own Body and Blood to go through the twists and turns in life.  God also gives us the Holy Spirit to direct us and to give us the graces and gifts that we need to love as He loves us.

As we watch these young people, filled with joy and excitement for their First Holy Communion, we welcome them to the table of the Lord’s Supper.  They have heard the voice of Jesus calling them to this table so that His Body and Blood can nourish them. Let us continue to pray for them that they may always follow Jesus’ example of love.