Call to Stewardship. Spring is Here!

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1 Call to Stewardship Spring 2015 Archdiocese of Newark Inside this issue: Spring is Here! Funds 2 Org 2 Epiphany Community Food Pantry 3 Baptismal Boy Outfits 4 Media About St. Michael s Medical Center 5 Relevant Radio 6 Sharing God s Blessings Annual Appeal We Are Living Stones Capital Campaign Newark Evangelization App Bulletin Reflections Bulletin Reflections: Spanish Tatiana Paredes Special Events Coordinator Office of Development and Stewardship 171 Clifton Avenue Newark, NJ paredeta@rcan.org I do not know about you, but I m sure glad spring is here! This winter has hit us hard. This cold weather and snow has really put a sad face on me. Thank God for spring. I m ready to enjoy the beautiful warm weather, the sun, flowers and even the rainy days. Together let us thank God for giving us a variety of seasons so that we all may enjoy them in our own way. He is the God of all creations and of course he couldn t limit Himself to just one season. Thank You Lord!

2 PAGE 2 CALL TO STEWARDSHIP SPRING 2015 Holy Family in Nutley raised $1, collecting old shoes! Holy Family in Nutley recently organized a fundraiser with Funds2Orgs ( The parish collected used and new shoes for the month of November The parish raised $1,061.20!!!!! The parish Stewardship Committee received permission from the pastor to organize this and to use one garage to store the shoes and process them. Funds2Orgs supplied 100 clear plastic bags and a box of rubber bands once they receive the paperwork with the start date. They were delivered right away to the parish at no cost. Holy Family s Stewardship Committee gave the bags out after each Mass and asked parishioners to take a bag if they thought they could fill it with 25 pairs of shoes. If they didn t have 25 pairs for the bag we asked them to just bag them and drop them off at the garage. Parishioners were asked to drop off shoes, boots, sneakers, etc. that they were donating at the garage for volunteers to process before or after Mass. Volunteers sorted and rubber banded the shoes together (another requirement) and made sure each bag had 25 pairs and all the shoes still had some sole left! This is an awesome opportunity to put the shoes that are too small or too big to good use, and you get to make room in your closet for some new shoes! Once the parish had collected 75 bags of shoes they were able to schedule a pick up. The truck came on time and a volunteer met the driver at the garage. Each bag had to be tagged and loaded in truck. Holy Family collected a total of 107 bags. The parish is tithing 10% to the grammar school (Good Shepard Academy) and they would like to purchase books to give to parishioners in hope of starting a book club. If you are interested in giving this fundraising idea a try you will need to commit to a minimum of 100 bags; you will need a place to store and process the shoes and a few volunteers to help. The shoes collected impact individuals, families, and communities in developing nations around the world. If you would like to give this fundraiser a try you can contact Funds2Orgs directly at asap@funds2orgs.com or I would also be happy to answer any questions you have. I helped organize this fundraiser at Holy Family, it really was easy. Contact me, Lynn Gully at gullylyn@rcan.org or for more information or if you have any questions.

3 SPRING 2015 NEWS LETTER TITLE Epiphany Community Food Pantry PAGE 3 I had the privilege of visiting Church of the Epiphany in Cliffside Park last month. The Church is beautiful and almost 100 years old. I felt right at home as soon as I walked in. Father Ken Evans and his parishioners made me feel welcome. I attended their 5:00 pm anticipated Mass and after Mass I was able to visit the food pantry Epiphany Community Food Pantry. The Epiphany Community Food Pantry has been serving the needs of the community for over thirty years. It started out small, helping nine families. It grew into a full-time ministry in 2009 under the direction and vision of Nicholas Sertich. Nick is a parishioner and a senior at Seton Hall University. The shelves are stocked by parishioner s donations and donations received from different groups. Temple Israel of Cliffside Park organizes food drives for the pantry because they think Pope Francis is a good guy! How great is that! Ministry volunteers keep all donations organized by category and they also pack the bags and have them ready for pickup. Their hours of operation are Monday Friday, 9:00 am 2:00 pm (closing for lunch from 12-1 pm). They serve anyone from anywhere, regardless of race, faith, gender, age or background. I also met about a dozen of the food pantry volunteers that evening. What a wonderful group of people doing God s work. All this takes place in the Church basement. It is very well organized and Nick and volunteers everything is neat and tidy! I was amazed that all the Progresso soup cans were lined up perfectly! I also noticed signatures on a beam while touring the food pantry. Nick said, in the same way that a beam supports and holds the weight of a building, the faithful of the Church hold up and support the Church as a whole, therefore reminding us that the Church is not a building, but is the united Body of Christ spread throughout the world. The ministry has grown substantially due to the rising cost of living, unemployment and the closing of the Cliffside Park Town Food Pantry. For more information on the food pantry visit

4 SPRING 2015 NEWS LETTER TITLE PAGE 4 Just a friendly reminder from The Office of Development & Stewardship Boys Baptismal Outfits We still have boy s baptismal outfits available. There are three styles and assorted sizes. All are brand new and really nice. Please contact Tatiana Paredes at or paredeta@rcan.org if you are interested. There is no charge. The baby in the picture was baptized wearing one of the baptismal outfits. He was baptized in February and his grandma forwarded a picture and gave permission to use it. His first modeling job! Communion Dress and Suit Drive Our Communion Drive has begun. Dresses and Suits can be dropped off at the Archdiocesan Center, 171 Clifton Avenue, Newark. Please drop off Monday Friday between the hours of 8:30 am 4:30 pm. The last day for drop off is Friday, March 27th. If you would like to drop off on the weekend or after hours contact Lynn Gully and she will let the front desk know when you will be coming. Please make sure the dresses and suits have been washed or dry cleaned. We are off to a good start, we have received 51 dresses and 3 suits so far. Last year over 300 dresses and 100 suits were donated. Let s see if we can beat last year s numbers! Little Nikki s is donating communion dresses again this year!!! If your parish is in need of communion outfits or would like to participate by collecting communion outfits please contact Lynn Gully at gullylyn@rcan.org or or Tatiana Paredes at paredeta@rcan.org or

5 SPRING 2015 NEWS LETTER TITLE PAGE 5 Office of Communications and Public Relations FROM: Jim Goodness, KHS Vice Chancellor and Director of Communications RE: Media Stories about St. Michael's Medical Center DATE: March 5, 2015 This past week, there have been several news stories about a study of hospital services in the state and the potential for some hospitals either being closed or changed significantly in terms of the services they can or will offer. Saint Michael's Medical Center in Newark has been mentioned as one of the hospitals that will be affected if the state implements its plan. Sadly, some have misread or misunderstood these stories and have reached the conclusion that the Archdiocese is making the decision to shut down Saint Michael's and have called the Archdiocese to state that "because of our actions with Saint Michael's, they will not be giving this year to the appeal." The facts here are simple: The Archdiocese of Newark has not been involved in ownership or management of Saint Michael's Medical Center, or any Catholic hospital, in almost ten years. Saint Michael's Medical Center currently is owned by an organization called Catholic Health East, and has been in the news for about a year now because of a possible sale of the hospital to another hospital group, Prime Health. We are not closing Saint Michael's Medical Center. We ask you, for the sake of accuracy, to please make known to your parishioners. Thank you.

6 PAGE 6 CALL TO STEWARDSHIP SPRING 2015 Relevant Radio Relevant Radio, one of the preeminent Catholic radio networks in the country, has no established a presence here in the Greater New York area -- and especially right here in the Archdiocese of Newark. We are now blessed that Catholic talk radio in available to assist us here in New Jersey in our efforts to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. WNSW AM is Relevant Radio's most recent station, and is located in the Archdiocese of Newark Chancery offices on Clifton Avenue. We encourage you to spread the news of WNSW 1430 AM far and wide, and to tune in to the station and share with all in your parish and school communities this informative and entertaining tool of the New Evangelization for the good of the Church, her people, and all who seek the Truth. All about Box Tops For Education Please save your Box Tops (if you are not already saving for someone) and mail to Lynn Gully to benefit our Catholic Grammar Schools. Please mail to: Lynn Gully, Archdiocese of Newark, 171 Clifton Avenue, Newark, NJ Help make a difference! Box Tops for Education is one of the nation s largest school fundraising loyalty programs and has been helping schools succeed since With over 250 participating products, it s an easy way for schools to earn cash for the things they need. Each Box Tops coupon is worth 10 and they add up fast! Schools can use their Box Tops cash to buy whatever they need most, from books to field trips to playgrounds. So far, America s schools have earned over $600 million from Box Tops and counting. Once you start looking, you'll see these little pink coupons everywhere! Each eligible school participating in the Box Tops for Education program may earn up to, but not more than, $20,000 cash per year (beginning on March 2 of every year) from the Clip program. We are glad to share with you that we have collected over $100 and sent it to St. Joseph s in Jersey City. Thank You all. Please, please keep them coming!!!

7 PAGE 7 CALL TO STEWARDSHIP SPRING Annual Appeal Sharing God s Blessings Annual Appeal We are often reminded by our Holy Father Pope Francis and Sacred Scripture that in order to love one another we must share the blessings which God has provided to us. In Acts, Chapter 4, we learn that the early church shared all possessions with one another so that the Apostles and early Christian communities could fully proclaim the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all. There was no needy person among them. We are called to similarly share what is granted to us by God and return it to Him so that not one of our brothers and sisters goes without: without the gift of faith; without the essential human needs; and without a personal relationship with Our Lord. We are called to Share God s Blessings, and when we do, we find freedom and joy in proclaiming the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus, just as the Apostles did over 2,000 years ago! Will you join your brothers and sisters in Sharing God s Blessings? PLEDGE DOWN PAYMENT TEN MONTHLY PAYMENTS Have YOU considered Sharing God s Blessings? $5,000 $500 $450 $2,000 $200 $180 $1,000 $100 $90 $800 $80 $72 $500 $50 $45 $300 $30 $27 $200 $20 $18 $150 $15 $13.50 $100 $10 $9 Only you can decide what gift is right for you in light of your circumstances and in light of the blessings God has given you. The ideal way to give is to select a gift that you can manage on a monthly basis rather than a one-time gift. Pledging a monthly gift enables you to give more generously in balance with other important economic responsibilities. Thank You for your consideration!

8 PAGE 8 CALL TO STEWARDSHIP SPRING 2015 We are Living Stones Capital Campaign We Are Living Stones will allow each of us to join our gifts with those who made the parishes and programs of this Archdiocese a reality in years past and will ensure that we remain a strong, vibrant and faithful Church in the years to come. We know that our greatest strength is our Catholic faith and the faith of our people. This campaign is centered primarily on the spiritual growth and development of our people s faith. We are relying on your generosity to create a legacy for this generation -- a legacy of faith that will pass on to those who will cherish and take it into a new time, gratefully adding their own gifts to what you have so generously given. Case for Support The We Are Living Stones Capital Campaign will provide the solid foundation upon which our Church will continue to build and enhance the future for all one million Catholics across Northern New Jersey. Financial resources are essential to enable our parishes to continue supporting the journey of faith, spirituality and ministry of our expanding Catholic community. The goal is to raise more than $90 million in pledges to support six priorities: As we embark on the We Are Living Stones Capital Campaign, we look forward to the future, confident that all of our Brothers and Sisters of Christ will consider a sacrificial gift and join together to raise the important funds.

9 PAGE 9 CALL TO STEWARDSHIP SPRING 2015

10 PAGE 10 CALL TO STEWARDSHIP SPRING 2015 Stewardship Bulletin Reflections April, May and June 2015 April 5, 2015 Easter Sunday Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. - COLOSSIANS 3:2 On this day we thank God for His Son, Jesus, who died and rose for us. We celebrate and sing Alleluia. Let s try to keep the joy of this Easter season in our hearts throughout the year! Pray daily and listen for God s response on how we should use our gifts to fulfill His plan. April 12, nd Sunday of Easter The community of believers was of one heart and mind and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own. - Acts 4:32 All that we are and all that we have is a gift from God! Think of your family, your friends, your talents and abilities these are all gifts from God. We aren t really owners of anything, we are merely stewards of the gifts God has blessed us with. April 19, rd Sunday of Easter Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, Peace to you. But they were startled and frightened. - Luke 24:36-37 Throughout the day we have many opportunities to see the face of Jesus in others and provide some peace in their lives. Just because the person is a stranger, maybe looks different than us or is someone we don t particularly care for doesn t let us off the hook. April 26, th Sunday of Easter I am the good shepherd...and I lay down my life for the sheep and they will heed my voice. -John 10:14-16 When you pray, do you only ask Jesus for things that you want? Do you ever ask Jesus what He wants you to do? How do you listen for the response? The answer is usually in quiet whispers. Take time in silent, daily prayer to hear His answer.

11 PAGE 11 CALL TO STEWARDSHIP SPRING 2015 May 3, th Sunday of Easter Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth. - 1 JOHN 3:18 Do you walk the talk? Does your action reflect what you say? If not, spend time every day in prayer, give some of your talent to help one of your parish s ministries and give some of your money to support the work of the Church. May 10, th Sunday of Easter This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one s life for one s friends - John 15:12-13 Do you love Jesus? Do you consider Him your friend? Jesus says that if we love Him we should be willing to offer whatever we have to Him, not because we want praise and glory, but simply because we love Him. May 17, 2015 Ascension of Our Lord Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 1 John 4:15 How strong is your faith? When you have an opportunity to defend your faith or clarify a question about your faith, do you do it? Or, do you remain silent so that others don t think you are weird? Pray for the courage to be strong in your faith and share your witness with others. May 24, 2015 Pentecost Sunday There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. - 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 By giving each of us different gifts, God made sure that the Church would have the right combination of time, talent and treasure that was needed to do His work. However, if one of us does not utilize our gifts, God s plan goes unfulfilled. Some important work is left undone. May 31, 2015 Feast of the Holy Trinity The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ - Romans 8:16-17 If we are heirs to the kingdom of God, shouldn t we work to build up His kingdom? Shouldn t we be good stewards of our inheritance, using our time, talent and treasure to care for the Church that God has left to us? Our Church is a treasured heirloom from God. Do we treat it that way?

12 PAGE 12 CALL TO STEWARDSHIP SPRING 2015 June 7, 2015 Feast of Corpus Christi Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them and they all drank from it. - Mark 14:23 Jesus, the perfect steward, gave thanks, just before He gave Himself to us completely for our salvation. He offers us the chance to drink from His cup. In the Eucharist, we meet Christ personally and, if we listen to Him, we know what drinking from His cup means for each of us. Often, it means our own sacrifice giving up some of our time, talent and treasure to do His work on earth. June 14, th Sunday in Ordinary Time For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body. - 2 Corinthians 5:10 We are all accountable for the gifts God has given us on Earth our time, talent and treasure. One day each of us will be asked by God what we did with those gifts. How will you respond? June 21, th Sunday in Ordinary Time He said to them, Why are you afraid? Have you no faith? Mark 4:40 Most of us like to be in control. Loss of control makes us fearful. Try changing your perspective, let God be the pilot! There s an old saying do you want to make God laugh? Tell him your plans. Put your trust in God, He always has a better plan! June 28, th Sunday in Ordinary Time as a matter of equality your abundance at the present time should supply their want, so that their abundance may supply your want, that there may be equality. - 2 CORINTHIANS 8:14 Not only are we responsible for our own lives, but we are responsible for the lives of those around use. Not only is it important that we grow, nurture and share our gifts, but we should teach our children this same lesson and encourage others to do the same.

13 PAGE 13 CALL TO STEWARDSHIP SPRING 2015 Boletín de Reflexiones sobre el Espíritu de Servicio Abril, Mayo y Junio de abril, 2015 Pascua de Resurrección "Poned la mira en las cosas de arriba, no en las de la tierra." - Colosenses 3:2 En este día, le agradecemos a Dios por Su Hijo, Jesús, quien murió y resucitó por nosotros. Celebramos y cantamos "Aleluya." Tratemos de mantener la felicidad de esta Pascua en nuestros corazones durante todo el año! Oremos a diario y escuchemos la respuesta de Dios sobre cómo debemos usar nuestros dones para cumplir con Su plan. 12 de abril, o Domingo de Pascua "Todos los creyentes eran de un solo sentir y pensar y nadie consideraba suya ninguna de sus posesiones." - Hechos 4:32 Todo lo que somos y todo lo que tenemos es un regalo de Dios! Piense en su familia, sus amigos, sus talentos y habilidades - todas estas cosas son regalos de Dios. No somos dueños de nada, solo somos "servidores" de los dones con que Dios nos ha bendecido. 19 de abril, er Domingo de Pascua Jesús mismo se puso en medio de ellos y les dijo: Paz a vosotros. Entonces espantados y atemorizados, creyeron que veían un espíritu." - Lucas 24:36-37 A lo largo del día tenemos muchas oportunidades de "ver el rostro de Jesús" en los demás y traer un poco de "paz" a sus vidas. El hecho de que una persona sea un extraño, alguien que se ve diferente a nosotros o alguien que no nos importa mucho, no quita la responsabilidad que tenemos para con ellos. 26 de abril, o domingo de Pascua Yo soy el buen pastor... y doy mi vida por las ovejas... así ellas escucharán mi voz." - Juan 10:14-16 Cuándo usted ora, le pide a Jesús cosas que quiere? Le ha preguntado alguna vez a Jesús que es lo que El desea que usted haga? Cómo escucha estas respuestas? La respuesta generalmente es "en susurros silenciosos". Tómese momentos de silencio, ore todos los días para escuchar Su respuesta.

14 PAGE 14 CALL TO STEWARDSHIP SPRING de mayo, o domingo de Pascua "Queridos hijos, no amemos de palabra ni de labios para afuera, sino con hechos y de verdad." - 1 Juan 3:18 Usted "practica lo que predica"? Sus acciones reflejan lo que dice? Si no es así, déle tiempo a la oración todos los días, dé algo de sus talentos para ayudar a alguien de la parroquia y dé algo de dinero para las obras de la Iglesia. 10 de mayo, o domingo de Pascua "Y éste es mi mandamiento: que se amen los unos a los otros, como yo los he amado. Nadie tiene amor más grande que el dar la vida por sus amigos" - Juan 15:12-13 Usted ama a Jesús? Lo considera su amigo? Jesús dice que si lo amamos deberíamos estar dispuestos a ofrecer cualquier cosa que tengamos para El, no porque queramos gloria y alabanza, sino porque lo amamos. 17 de mayo, 2015 Ascensión de Nuestro Señor "Si alguien reconoce que Jesús es el Hijo de Dios, Dios permanece en él, y él en Dios." 1 Juan 4:15 Qué tan fuerte es su fe? Cuando usted tiene la oportunidad de defender su fe o clarificar alguna pregunta sobre su fe, Lo hace? O se queda callado para que los demás no piensen mal de usted? Ore para tener la valentía y la fuerza en su fe para compartir su experiencia con los demás. 24 de mayo, 2015 Domingo de Pentecostés Ahora bien, hay diversos dones, pero un mismo Espíritu. Hay diversas maneras de servir, pero un mismo Señor. Hay diversas funciones, pero es un mismo Dios el que hace todas las cosas en todos." 1 Corintios 12:4-6 Al darnos diferentes dones a cada uno de nosotros, Dios se aseguró que la Iglesia tuviera la combinación correcta de tiempo, talento, y riqueza que se necesitaba para hacer Su trabajo. Sin embargo, si uno de nosotros no utiliza sus dones, el plan de Dios no se cumple. Parte del trabajo importante se queda sin hacer. 31 de mayo, 2015 Celebración de la Santa Trinidad "El Espíritu mismo le asegura a nuestro espíritu que somos hijos de Dios. Y si somos hijos, somos herederos; herederos de Dios y coherederos con Cristo..."- Romanos 8:16-17 Si somos herederos del reino de Dios, No deberíamos trabajar para construir Su reino? No deberíamos ser buenos servidores de nuestra herencia, usando nuestro tiempo, talentos y riqueza para cuidar la Iglesia que Dios nos ha dejado? Nuestra Iglesia es una preciada reliquia familiar de Dios. La tratamos como tal?

15 PAGE 15 CALL TO STEWARDSHIP SPRING de junio, 2015 Celebración de Corpus Christi "Después tomó una copa, dio gracias y se la dio a ellos, y todos bebieron de ella." - Marcos 14:23 Jesús, el servidor perfecto, dio gracias, justo antes de que se entregara a nosotros por completo para nuestra salvación. Él nos ofrece la oportunidad de beber de Su copa. En la Eucaristía, nos encontramos con Cristo personalmente y, si lo escuchamos, sabemos lo que significa tomar de Su copa. Muchas veces, significa nuestro propio sacrificio - como donar algo de nuestro tiempo, talentos o riquezas para hacer Su trabajo en la tierra. 14 de junio, o domingo de tiempo ordinario "Porque es necesario que todos comparezcamos ante el tribunal de Cristo, para que cada uno reciba lo que le corresponda, según lo bueno o malo que haya hecho mientras vivió en el cuerpo." - 2 Corintios 5:10 Somos todos responsables por los dones que Dios nos ha dado en la Tierra - nuestro tiempo, talentos y riqueza. Un día, se nos preguntará a cada uno de nosotros qué hicimos con esos dones. Cómo responderá usted? 21 junio, o domingo de tiempo ordinario " Por qué tienen tanto miedo? Dijo a sus discípulos. Todavía no tienen fe? MARCOS 4:40 A la mayoría de nosotros nos gusta tener el control. La pérdida de control nos causa temor. Trate de desafiar su perspectiva, deje que Dios sea el piloto! Hay un dicho antiguo que dice " Quieres hacer reír a Dios? Cuéntale tus planes." Confíe en Dios, sus planes son siempre mejores! 28 de junio, o domingo de tiempo ordinario " para que en este tiempo, con igualdad, la abundancia vuestra supla la escasez de ellos, para que también la abundancia de ellos supla la necesidad vuestra, para que haya igualdad" - 2 CORINTIOS 8:14 No solo somos responsables por nuestras propias vidas sino que también somos responsables por la vida de los demás. No solo es importante que hagamos crecer, cuidemos y compartamos nuestros dones, sino que también es importante que les enseñemos la misma lección a nuestros hijos y que incentivemos a los demás para que hagan lo mismo.