Wednesday, January 24, 2018

New Year, New Ways of Learning for Grades 6, 7, & 8

It is the goal of our Religious Education program to introduce our children and their parents to a life giving relationship with Jesus and provide them with the opportunities to experience His love, peace, and joy.  We hope that the catechesis that goes on in each classroom allows our students to better understand and experience God's love and mercy in new ways.

As the second half of the school year kicks off, the 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade students will deepen their knowledge of Jesus through a new set of programs in their classes.

Grade 6 will be learning more God and his love for his people as they learn salvation history through the scripture focused  Encounter Bible Study program from Ascension Press. 

Grade 7 will focus on the life of Jesus through the Gospel of Mark in T3: They Kingdom Come Bible Study from  Ascension Press.

Grade 8 will be looking at how they are called into a relationship with the God who created them and loves them and calls them to live out that love. Using the Chosen series, also from Ascension Press, they will focus on the core elements of our Catholic faith.  

We hope that these DVD based lessons will challenge the students to think about who they are, how they are called to live as disciples of Christ and how they play a role in God's kingdom. 

Check it out and see what our students will be learning about this year!

Grade 6 - Encounter Bible Series

Grade 7 - T3: Thy Kingdom Come: Study of the Gospel of Matthew
  Grade 8 - Chosen Program


Friday, January 5, 2018

The Epiphany of the Lord

And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, 
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star, 
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures 
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Let us seek Christ with joy, 
give him thanks for his love, 
and offer our gifts to him and others to make this world a better place.



Thank You for Your Gifts
Each year the generosity of the parishioners of St. Mary's Parish in regards to the Christmas Giving Tree is absolutely tremendous and this year was no different. Because of your care and concern for our neighbors, we donated over 800 gifts and over $1,700 in gift cards to families and children in need. You helped to make their Christmas day brighter and allowed them to experience the hope, peace, love and joy of Christ. 
A special thank you to the Photo Arts Studio in Nutley, NJ and their entire staff who helped to collect toys for children, food for our pantry and made a donation that was used to help the children and adults in need this Christmas.
Here is whom your kindness and generosity helped:
Nutley Adopt-A-Family received over 30 gifts of toys, clothing and gift cards.
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Newark, which distributes food and basic necessities to families in the area, received over 120 gifts of toys, clothing and gift cards.
St. Joseph Home in Jersey City, which is a center for homeless and economically disadvantaged women and children, received many of our gift cards to be used for personal items for the mothers and children.
Children in Foster Care - this year over 170 children, who are victims of abuse and neglect, were in need and we responded by providing over 450 gifts of toys, clothing and gift cards.
Covenant House in Newark, which provides loving care and vital services to homeless, abandoned, abused, trafficked, and exploited youth, received over 220 gifts of clothing and personal care items.
Thank you to everyone who donated to our Christmas Giving Tree. Your love of God and of His children is evident in the the way you helped those in need. Let us be reminded that the true blessings that we have are not just those material things, but the love that we share with one another.

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Confirmation Class for January 4 is Cancelled

Tonight's Confirmation class is cancelled due to inclement weather.  
Our next class is Thursday, January 18






Just some reminders:
Our Confirmation Overnight Retreat is approaching (Saturday, Feb. 10 - Sunday, Feb. 11
In the red folder that you received at the beginning of the year is a permission slip that needs to be completed and returned by our next class on January 18. More information about the retreat will be sent home later this week.  

Confirmation Sponsor & Confirmation Name Forms are due back March 1. 
If you have misplaced the red folder with the forms, you can download them from our website. They are located in the Confirmation Section on the right side of the page.  

Up Coming Service:
Saturday, January 20 from 6:30-9:30pm - Family Bingo - Help with set-up, distributing prizes, giving out popcorn, helping with the ice cream station, and clean-up.  You will also have some time to play bingo. You can sign up at class on Thursday, January 18.