Parish Happenings

PARISH HAPPENINGS

The Parish Happenings for the week of 5/18/2008 are as follows:

MEMORIAL DAY

Monday, May 26 is Memorial Day. On Memorial Day, we will celebrate our annual Mass of Remembrance at Our Lady Chapel Mausoleum at Holy Cross Cemetery. Mass will begin at 9:00am.

Please plan to join us!

Faith Direct Enrollment

You can now take advantage of the modern convenience of making your church offerings through automatic payments from your credit card or checking account. You can either sign up online at www.faithdirect.net (our parish code is NJ1), or you can fill out the form that was mailed to each registered Parish family and return it to Faith Direct. (If you didn’t get a Faith Direct form in the mail, we may not have you listed as a registered parishioner.) For more information, please contact the Parish office, or call Faith Direct at 1-866-507-8757.

Diocesan Radio Show

Proclaim the Good News, the Diocese of Metuchen’s weekly radio show, can be heard on the internet anytime at pgn.podbean.com. Listen to this week’s episode, past episodes, or download episodes to your mp3 player.

MUSIC MINISTRY
Joe Cullinan (766-0079 ext. 6)
olphmusic@aol.com

OLPH Music on the Web!
The OLPH Music Ministry has changed website servers over to Yahoo! Groups in the interest of utilizing more features, such as the online calendar and improved message board. Our original sites should re-map directly to this site, or at least provide a link that does as of this past Wednesday, May 7.

ALL MEMBERS OF ANY OLPH CHOIR SHOULD BOOKMARK THIS PAGE! It will be a very useful tool as our ministry expands and grows:

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/OLPHChoirs/

For any questions regarding the new Music Ministry website, feel free to email Joe at olphmusic@aol.com.

Parish Choir
We are currently looking for more voices to add to our growing Parish Choir. If you or anyone you know has music on your mind and in your heart, please let us know, and we’ll all bring that music out together in harmony! Rehearsals are regularly Wednesday nights from 7:30 to 9:00 in the Church. Our next Parish Choir rehearsal will take place this Wednesday, May 21 at 7:30pm in the Church - All are welcome! We look forward to singing with you!

Children’s Choir
Our Children’s Choir is excited to be singing at our Parish Family Liturgies again, and we’re looking for some new members who love to sing! Join with us and make this year our most musical yet! Rehearsals are select Wednesday evenings from 5:30 to 6:30 in the Church. Our next Children’s Choir rehearsal will take place this Wednesday, May 28 at 5:30pm in the Church - All are welcome! Come and be a part of the music!

Contemporary Choir
Ready for more Mass & Pizza? Our Contemporary Choir provides the music for our monthly Sunday night Youth Ministry Mass, as well as other Parish events over the year. We’re always looking for more singers… why not you? Our rehearsals are select Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30 in the Church. Our next Contemporary Choir rehearsal will take place this Wednesday, June 18 at 6:30pm in the Church - All are welcome! We’re waiting for your call!

Parish Bereavement Support Group

Fr. Joseph is starting a bereavement support group in our parish for anyone who feels that they may need a place to turn to for emotional and spiritual support as they grieve the death of their loved ones. If you or someone you know could benefit from this group and would like more information, please call the parish office at (908) 766-0079 ext. 0. No one should have to deal with the pain of loss on their own.

SOCIAL MINISTRY
Julie Kieffer (766-0079 ext. 7)
olphsocialmin@aol.com

Cards for Deacon Joe O’Keefe
If you would like to send a card to Deacon Joe O’Keefe while he is recuperating out-of-state, please drop it in the basket so noted in the back of the Church or Chapel and Julie will mail them all to him. Please continue to keep Deacon Joe in your prayers.

Alzheimer’s Support Group
This is a support group for families and caregivers afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease and is open to everyone, regardless of religious denomination. The group meets on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7pm in the Church. Our next meeting is on Tuesday, May 20th. If you are interested or need more information, please call Julie.

The Arc of Somerset County
It’s time for The Arc of Somerset county’s annual Step Up For The Arc Walk! When people attend the Walk, they are “stepping up” for individuals with developmental disabilities. This year’s Walk will be held on Saturday, May 17th at Duke Island Park on Old York Road in Bridgewater. Registration will be at 10:00 a.m., and the Walk will begin at 11:00 a.m. For more information go to www.thearcofsomerset.org or call Tara Abbott at (908) 725-8544, ext. 610.

Habitat for Humanity ReStore

Everyone wins when you donate to the Morris Habitat ReStore, a resource recycling store benefiting the entire community. They accept new or slightly used building materials, furniture, and appliances in good working order. The ReStore REuses, REcycles and REsells functional building materials and tools, thereby diverting thousands of tons of usable materials from local landfills. They are a non-profit organization so all donations are tax deductible.

If you have a donation, please call the ReStore directly at (973) 366-3358.

We Still Need You
To help Christ be visible in our Parish community and to help with the social mission of the Church, please consider helping in some way. Your involvement in any of our Parish and Outreach services can be as little as a one-time situation, or an on-going commitment. Remember - no donation of time is too small! We are updating our volunteer lists for all programs and services. Interested? Call Julie.

Outreach to our Parishioners
Do you know of a parishioner who is homebound or is experiencing crisis and needs our assistance? We have volunteers who want to help – visiting, food shopping, drive to doctor appointments. Please call Julie.

YOUTH MINISTRY
Katie Bray (908) 766-0079 ext. 8
OLPHYouthMinistry@yahoo.com

Parents Needed
We are looking for Parents that will be able to help out with the 8th Grade retreats on May 17-18 and June 21-22. Please email Katie if you are willing to help.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Sr. Martha Kavanagh (908) 766-5638
olphreligioused@aol.com

Re-Registration for 2008-2009
Registration packets have been mailed out to all families currently enrolled in the OLPH religious education program - please mail those back to us ASAP to ensure your choice of day & time for next year’s classes!

Confirmation Paperwork Overdue
Confirmation Paperwork is now overdue. If you are planning to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in the Fall please send in your paperwork immediately!

A Matter of Safety

Please remember that all traffic should be entering the church parking lot ONLY from Claremont Road. It is NEVER permitted to enter from Seney Drive. Thank you for your cooperation.

Capital Campaign Payments

To help the Parish expedite your pledge payments and reduce our debt as quickly as possible (as we have promised), please either mail your donations to 111 Claremont Road or drop them in the collection basket in a separate envelope, using a separate check clearly labeled Capital Campaign.

St. Vincent DePaul Society

The St. Vincent DePaul Society at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish stands ready to offer helpful advice on managing money and resources during difficult financial times. If you or someone you know is experiencing monetary difficulties, please phone the rectory and speak with one of our Parish priests or to Julie Kieffer, our Social Ministry Coordinator at (908) 766-0079 ext 7. If you would like to make a contribution to our Society, envelopes can be found at the main exits of both the Church and Chapel.

Supporting Our Church

“Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be…”

(Luke 12:32)

We are grateful to all those who contributed to the collection for May 11. The weekly Parish collection totaled $14,141 and represented $12,371 from identified givers (262 envelope users, as well as those who used loose checks, plus 70 parishioners who contribute through FaithDirect), as well as $1,770 in loose cash.

Let your love for Christ’s ministry live on… please remember your parish in your will.

Please help our money counters perform their service to our Parish more efficiently - we ask that you do not use tape to double-seal your contribution envelopes.

Thank you for your generosity, and for your kind attention.

Celebrate Life – A Day for Seniors

The Family Life Office is pleased to announce the 3rd annual “Celebrate Life Day for Seniors” on Friday, June 20, 2008 from 11AM - 2PM at the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway. This holistic day for seniors includes spirituality, good food, entertainment, door prizes and fellowship. Please call (732) 562-1990 x1624 for more info.

$15 per person

First Name_______________________________________________________________________

Last Name_______________________________________________________________________

Street Address___________________________________________________________________

City/Town/Zip Code_______________________________________________________________

E-mail___________________________________________________________________________

Home Phone #____________________________________________________________________

Please detach and mail with check (payable to the Diocese of Metuchen)

To Family Life Office, P.O. Box 191, Metuchen, NJ 08840

Community CONTACT NUMBERS

Pregnancy Aid Center: 908-526-8121

Natural Family Planning: 1-800-334-06999

Domestic Violence Hotline: 908-685-1122

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