Author: Nathalie Godet

The Giving Tree is Back! Please consider donating to someone in need.

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GIVING TREE 2024

The Giving Tree will be at the front of the Church beginning Tuesday, November 26th, and remain there until Sunday, December 15th.  During this time you will have the opportunity to take ornaments (gift tags) off the tree and purchase some or all of the items listed.

Gifts/gift cards should be dropped off at the Church on the weekends of December 7th/8th and December 14th/15th. PLEASE if you take a gift tag, return the gift.  ALL GIFTS ARE DUE BACK DECEMBER 15th.

St. Matthias parishioners and friends have been very generous in the past.  Your kindness is truly appreciated by the recipients at YES Early Learning Centers, Great Expectations, Ozanam Family and Men’s Shelter,  Naomi’s Way, Pregnancy Aid, Elijah’s Promise, and other local families. Thank you in advance for your continued support.

As always, we can use more elves before and after Sunday Masses and need drivers for deliveries the mornings of December 9th and 16th, after the 8:00 AM Mass.  If you can volunteer a bit of time, please contact: Joanne Diana at (732)322-6270 or j-diana@comcast.net.  Thank you.

 

CANCELLED – The Racial Justice Initiative Hosts ADVENT MOVIE NIGHT

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Unfortunately, our special Advent movie night has been cancelled.

   

Please join us for a special Advent movie night!  We will be watching Black Nativity, a musical based on the Langston Hughes play.  There will be refreshments and lots of fellowship.   We will have a free-will offering for dinner and ALL are encouraged to attend!

DATE:       Saturday, December 7th

TIME:        6:00 pm Dinner / 6:30 pm Movie

WHERE:   St. John XXIII Room

RSVP to matthiasracialjustice@gmail.com by Thursday, December 5th so we can be prepared.

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

 

Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

We are entering the last week in “Ordinary Time” beginning with the celebration of the Feast of Christ the King. It is the signal that the Church’s calendar year is coming to an end and that we are about to start the new year! Thus, the First Sunday of the New Year in the Liturgical Calendar is next Sunday as we begin the season of Advent! It is good for us to know that today’s feast was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925 as an antidote to secularism, a way of life which leaves God out of people’s thinking and living and organizes life as if God did not exist. The feast is intended to proclaim in a striking and effective manner Christ’s royalty over individuals, families, society, governments, and nations. May we all recognize this truth and continue our efforts to honor Jesus by living his values in our lives.

Our St. Matthias church door near the Tabernacle has been closed for over a year as part of the Eucharistic Revival. As we know, it was a reminder to keep the area around the Tabernacle as a sacred space. The innocent chitchats and socializing in that area have been reduced significantly. There is a greater sense of reverence shown to the Blessed Sacrament by those who pass by the Tabernacle. This Solemn Feast of Christ the King is an auspicious day to reopen that door so that we can enter/exit that way as before, while being more conscious of the need to continue the silence and reverence around the Tabernacle.

We are also entering the Thanksgiving Week! Some have asked me:

Is Thanksgiving a religious holiday or a secular celebration? Although the secularism of our present culture may have turned the focus more to indulging in food, fun, games, and family gathering, we must not forget the history and the religious significance of this quintessential American holiday.

It is definitely a religious holiday rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition of our country. So we need to pause to thank God. One lively song that has remained in my memory from my missionary seminary life is titled: Count Your Blessings, Name Them One by One. It has these wonderful and uplifting words in one verse:

Are you ever burdened with a load of care/Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, ev’ry doubt will fly/And you will be singing as the days go by.

Yes, we need to really take the time to be thankful for what we have been blessed with, especially for those simple things that we take for granted.

I invite you to begin the Thanksgiving Day by attending our special Mass to thank our loving God who is the source of all blessings. Welcome to join the 8 am Thanksgiving Day Mass this Thursday.

It is wonderful that many families have the tradition of not only saying a Thanksgiving prayer before meals, but also of going around the table and having each person say what they’re thankful for. In my observation, I’ve found that people most often neglect to mention material things. Instead, they say “family” or “friends.” This could be because Thanksgiving teaches us to appreciate the things we can’t buy — the important aspects of life. Yes, St. Paul is right: “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater..” (2 Thessalonians 1:3)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Your brother in Christ

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Dear Friends,

Our parishioners doing the “Fall Into Faith” Bible sharing sessions are having a greater understanding of the Word of God while experiencing true fellowship with one another. Some of them asked me a question about the Synod on Synodality. Many of us may or may not be aware that the Synodal process has been going on for the past three years and that it concluded last month – on October 26 in Rome.

Pope Francis is very passionate about restoring the church as the people of God. He wants the church to be a communion and not a corporation. So he initiated one of the most consultative processes in Church history, when he called for the Synodal journey in 2021, asking all the Catholics around the world to send their input to him through their respective dioceses, to be discussed in the assembly of delegates in Rome. Instead of the usual gathering of bishops, he included lay people in the synod for the first time with voting rights. Some critics of the synod (including priests, bishops and cardinals) did not agree with the pope’s vision as they accused him of democratizing or protestantising the Catholic Church which they claim must always be hierarchical. But Pope Francis aimed to balance traditional Church teaching with contemporary pastoral needs while promoting greater inclusivity and transparency in Church governance.

The 52 page Final Document, approved by 355 synod members in attendance, outlines substantial proposals for Church renewal, organized into five main sections and calls for five forms of conversion: spiritual, relational, procedural, institutional, and missionary. The document contains the following main proposals (condensed by Pierre-Alain Giffard):

Study Areas for Groups: The Synod encourages specialized groups to delve deeper into ten critical areas, such as the relationship between Eastern and Latin Churches, supporting the poor, and adapting mission efforts to the digital world, to better align Church life with modern challenges and synodal ideals.

Transparency and Accountability: The proposal emphasizes that transparency in Church governance, especially through public reports and audits, can help build trust and ensure the Church is responsibly managing resources, while also upholding values of inclusion and equality, such as balanced gender representation in decision-making bodies.

Empowering Episcopal Conferences: By strengthening the role of Episcopal Conferences, the Church can allow for more locally responsive doctrinal and pastoral care that respects cultural diversity, while still preserving the unity and integrity of the Catholic faith worldwide.

Inclusivity for People with Disabilities: This proposal suggests an Ecclesial Observatory on Disability, aiming to foster active involvement of individuals with disabilities, ensuring their unique contributions enrich Church life and outreach.

Strengthening Family and Marital Support: Recognizing families as vital contributors to the Church’s mission, this proposal advocates for networks that support families in pastoral roles, allowing them to actively participate in evangelization and service within their communities.

Promotion of Synodal Decision-Making: Encouraging synodal processes at all levels aims to make decision-making more inclusive and reflective of the broader Church community, fostering shared discernment and updating canon law to clearly define consultative and decision-making roles.

If these wonderful proposals are implemented, the Church will move from being a corporation to a communion of the people of God.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO SPREAD THE LIGHT!

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As our Spread The Light campaign grows closer please know, that there are still a number of trees that can be sponsored. To sponsor a tree, click here, get a form in the back of church, or see a staff member in the parish office.

 We will be in need of help on two Saturdays, November 23rd and the 30th.  On the 23rd we will need help taking the trees off of the truck at delivery.  The time has not yet been determined.  If you can help that day please email your phone number to Jo-Ann at mrspiag@aol.com, or Pat at fitpro436@gmail.com. In that way we can call you as soon as we have a delivery time to avoid a wait at the church.

On the 30th, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we need MANY volunteers to decorate the trees with lights. We start at 9AM and will need at least 40 people. Lots of you are veterans at this project but we could use some new faces.  Many hands make quick work so please make every effort to join your fellow parishioners as we kick off this most joyous and sacred season as a family of St. Matthias!

Visit www.stmatthias.net/trees to sponsor a tree.

 

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

This is Veterans Day weekend – an occasion to remind ourselves of the importance to honor all those who have risked life, limb and mind for our country. We bring all of these heroes and heroines in prayer to God at all the Masses this weekend. We also thank and pray for all the law enforcement officials who live and work tirelessly to keep us safe.

At our 10 am Mass today we honor St. Martin De Porres who is the patron of our Parish St. Martin De Porres Society. Martin was born in Lima, Peru. At fifteen he began his long relationship with the Dominican Order and later took his vows as a brother. His painful childhood taught him compassion and generosity. As a Dominican he doctored Lima’s sick. While surgery was primitive in his day, he had a vast knowledge of herbal medicines. In addition to his free services as a doctor, he distributed thousands of dollars worth of food and clothing to the poor each week. He founded an orphanage for abandoned children and staffed it with the best teachers, nurses and guardians he could hire. On the hills near Lima, he planted fruit orchards for the poor. He is also remembered for his love of animals. Pope John XXIII remarked at Martin’s canonization on May 6, 1962, that Martin excused the faults of others and forgave the bitterest injuries. He tried with all his might to redeem the guilty; lovingly comforting the sick and providing food, clothing and medicine for the poor.

This week there are a number of interesting saints In the liturgical calendar:
St. Martin of Tours (Monday), St. Josaphat (Tuesday), St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (Wednesday), St. Albert the Great (Friday), and St. Margaret of Scotland & St. Gertrude (Saturday). Among these, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini – the first US citizen to be canonized – is of special importance to us. Many of us may have visited the Cabrini Shrine in Manhattan and seen her partially incorrupt body under glass.

Earlier this year, the movie ‘Cabrini’ was in theaters nationwide. For those of us who watched, it was a beautiful experience to know more about her life and legacy. Born in 1850, Cabrini nearly drowned as a child, her lungs were damaged, and she was rejected by several religious orders on the basis of ill health. Ultimately, she founded her own Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and added Xavier to her name, after the Jesuit saint Francis Xavier. Since her early childhood in Italy, Frances had wanted to be a missionary in China but, at the urging of Pope Leo XIII, Frances went west instead of east. She traveled with six sisters to New York City to work with the thousands of Italian immigrants living there.

She found disappointment and difficulties with every step. When she arrived in New York, the house intended to be her first orphanage in the United States was not available. The archbishop advised her to return to Italy. But Frances, truly a valiant woman, departed from the archbishop’s residence all the more determined to establish that orphanage. And she did. In 35 years, Frances Xavier Cabrini founded 67 institutions dedicated to caring for the poor, the abandoned, the uneducated and the sick. She was canonized in 1946 by Pope Pius XII.

This daring woman’s determination to follow God’s will in her life with such dedication and compassion for the sick and poor is truly remarkable and inspirational.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

Sunday, November 3, 2024

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

This weekend and for the whole of November, we fondly remember all our near and dear departed ones. Some of the earliest Christian writings outside the New Testament, like the Acts of Paul and Thecla and the Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity (both written during the second century), refer to the Christian practice of praying for the dead. Praying for the deceased members of the family as part of their family night prayers was also an ancient practice of oriental Christians. The early Fathers of the Church encouraged this practice which they believed had been inherited from the Apostles. Tertullian (A.D. 160-240) wrote about the anniversary Masses for the dead, advising widows to pray for their husbands. St. Augustine remarked that he used to pray for his deceased mother, remembering her request: “When I die, bury me anywhere you like, but remember to pray for me at the altar” (Confessions, Book 11, Chapter 13, 35-37).

What is a Mass intention? Offering a Mass for our departed family members is an age-old and venerable custom. This is why we have Mass intentions announced at every Mass.  A Mass intention may be requested for: a deceased loved one, a living person who is sick or suffering, a living person who is celebrating a birthday, anniversary or other special moment in their life, in thanksgiving to God for His blessings, in thanksgiving for a favor received through the intercession of a Saint, or for a prayer intention (so long as the intention does not contradict Church teaching). We announce these intentions at every Mass here at St. Matthias.

Opening our 2025 Book of Mass Intentions: In our parish there are many requests for scheduling Mass intentions. Our 2025 Book of Mass Intentions will be opened on Monday, November 11, 2024, 8:30 AM in the Parish Office. There have been increasing requests for additional Mass intentions during unforeseen special occasions such as death, month’s mind, etc., Last year, considering these, I had allowed additional intentions with the existing intention for the Mass.  In such cases, we will be accepting only one additional intention, which will be announced in the Universal Prayers (Prayers of the Faithful). It may not appear in the bulletin. Please know that, as per the laws of the Church, stipend/offering for these additional Mass intentions will be sent to the Mission Office of our Diocese or to missionary priests overseas.

So, is stipend the cost of a Mass? It is very important for us to know that the stipend is NOT the cost of a Mass. In fact, the Code of Canon Law uses the word “offering,” not “stipend” – to highlight that this is a suggested amount of offering. To require payment would be wrong, and in fact the code specifies that priests should “celebrate Mass for the intention of the Christian faithful, especially the needy, even if they have not received an offering” (945.2).  In my 40-plus years of priesthood, many people have asked me, “How much does a Mass cost?” I always answered that there is no cost or fee because the graces flowing from Mass are of infinite value. I further clarified that there is a suggested offering, but if that’s unaffordable, you can donate something less or nothing at all, and the Mass will still be offered for the intention you desire. More details will be in next Sunday’s bulletin.

Let us make this traditional prayer ours: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

Opening of our Book of Mass Intentions

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

Our 2025 Book of Mass Intentions will be opened on Monday, November 11, 2024, 8:30 AM in the Parish Office. To accommodate all our parishioners, we will continue the limit of four (4) Masses, that is, two (2) weekday Masses and a maximum of two (2) Weekend Masses. You can return on or after December 10 for additional Mass requests. It is good for us all to know of the different kinds of Mass intentions:

 

  • Announced Weekday Mass Intentions: The suggested stipend for weekday Mass remains the same: $10.00. The intention will be printed in the bulletin and announced during Mass. Please be sure to indicate if the person for whom the Mass requested is living (L) or deceased (D).
  • Announced Weekend Mass Intentions: The suggested stipend for Weekend Mass is $15.00. The intention will be printed in the bulletin and announced at Mass. Please be sure to indicate if the person for whom the Mass requested is living (L) or deceased (D).
  • Multiple Intentions: With increasing requests for additional Mass intentions during unforeseen special occasions such as death, month’s mind, etc., it is a pastoral practice to better accommodate such needs of our parishioners by allowing additional intentions with the existing intention for the Mass. In such cases, we will be accepting only one additional intention, which will be announced in the Universal Prayers (Prayers of the Faithful) but not necessarily in the bulletin. Please know that the stipend for this additional intention ($10 for weekdays and $15 for Weekends) will be sent to the Mission Office of our Diocese or to missionary priests.
  • Unannounced Mass Intentions: There will be no limit on unannounced Mass requests. These Masses are available at any time and are sent either to the Office of Missions of the Diocese of Metuchen or to missionary priests. The suggested stipend remains the same: $10.00.
  • Mass for the People (Missa Pro Populo): One Sunday Mass per weekend is offered for the intention of the living and deceased parishioners of St. Matthias.

SmyleWithBraces teens with the Franklin Township Mental Health Stigma-Free Council invite you to…

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Our Turn To Talk – Documentary & Discussion

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

7:00 P.M. – 8:30 P.M.

Franklin Township Community Senior Center

505 Demott Lane, Somerset, NJ 

From Skyrocketing rates of anxiety and depression to the impacts of racism, social media, and the pandemic, teenagers are putting an end to mental health stigma by telling their own powerful stories of struggles and triumph.

Teens, please join us for “Our Turn to Talk,” a movie and candid conversation about critical topics in your life and the lives of those you love.  Storytelling SAVES lives.

Discussion moderated by Sheila Gillin, MSS, LCSW

Refreshments will be served. Pre-Registration appreciated, but not required at stigmafree@franklinnj.gov

Students & Adults welcomed. Content is appropriate for ages Middle School and Above.

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

In a few days, we enter some very important events in the church’s calendar.

All Saints Day is this Friday (November 1), a Holy Day of Obligation. We have three Masses that day: 8 am, 12:10 pm and 7:30 pm, so that we can attend any Mass at our convenience. The Bible reminds us that the number of those saved are “a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue.” (Revelation 7:9). This includes the canonized saints whose number keeps on increasing. Pope Francis canonized 14 new saints just last Sunday (October 20). They are:

  • Manuel Ruiz López and Seven Companions of the Order of Friars Minor, and Francis Mooti and Raphael Massabki, lay faithful, martyrs.
  • Joseph Allamano, priest, Founder of the Institutes of Men Missionaries of the Consolata and Women Missionaries of the Consolata.
  • Marie-Léonie Paradis (born Virginia Alodie), Foundress of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family.
  • Elena Guerra, Foundress of the Congregation of the Oblates of the Holy Spirit, known as the “Sisters of Saint Zita.”
  • Carlo Acutis, the modern teen web designer who had special devotion to the Eucharist.

Among the newly canonized saints is St. Giuseppe Allamano (1851–1926), an Italian diocesan priest who founded the Consolata Missionary Priests and Sisters. Allamano, though he spent his entire life in Italy, left a global legacy by training missionaries who carried the Gospel to remote corners of Africa, Asia, and South America. We, here at St. Matthias, have a special connection to the Consolata Missionaries as the Consolata priests have been a great help to us for many years and still continue to be whenever they are available to minister to us. In the name of us all, I congratulate them for this great honor of their founder’s canonization.

All Souls Day is on Saturday (November 2). Though not a Holy Day of Obligation, we will have a Holy Mass at 8 am. A separate Mass to commemorate all those who passed away this year will be held on Sunday evening (November 3) at 5:30 pm.

We know that November is dedicated to the departed souls. At all the Masses this weekend, we are remembering in prayer all our dearly departed ones.  Explaining the true concept of Purgatory as an “existential state” and not a place, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI wrote that it is “the fringe of heaven, a state where heaven’s eternal light has a refining effect on the “holy souls” (not ‘poor souls’), who are held in the arms of Divine Mercy.” 

The doctrine of “Communion of saints” that we profess every Sunday is a happy reminder to us of all those who are gone to God. Pope Francis calls it a “spiritual connection that exists between those who continue their pilgrimage on earth and those who have passed the threshold of death into eternity.” So let us happily depend on their intercessions for us even as we remember them with gratitude in our prayers especially during the Holy Eucharist. This is one reason why we give a ‘Mass Card’ to those who are grieving the loss of a family member or arrange for Masses to be offered on the anniversary of our dear departed ones.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal