The Knights of Columbus has rescheduled its annual Pancake Breakfast in honor of Past Grand Knight Robert Norland next Sunday, March 16th from 8:00 am – 12:00 noon in the school cafeteria. Proceeds from the breakfast will benefit St. Matthias School Tuition Angels.
The cost is $12.00 for adults, $5.00 for ages 10-18 and children under 10 are free.
The breakfast menu is pancakes, eggs, sausage, bagels, juice, coffee, and much more.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Dear Friends, Greetings as we begin Lent!
Unfortunately, with the rainy forecast for tomorrow, our tradition of Drive-Thru Ash distribution is cancelled.
I am very grateful to all the volunteers who showed willingness to help out. If anyone asks about the cancellation, please let them know of the four Ash Wednesday liturgies in the church (Masses at 8 am, 9 am, and 12:10 pm; and a Prayer Service at 7:30 pm.).
Have a good start of Lent with Ashes on Ash Wednesday – a day of Fasting and Abstinence.
God bless.
Dear Parishioners of St. Matthias Parish,
Father Orapankal has informed you that he will be stepping down as your Pastor this summer. Bishop Checchio is grateful for Father’s service here at St. Matthias for more than the past 6 years and also for the support you have given him.
Bishop Checchio and the Priest Personnel Board will now take up the matter of choosing a suitable priest to succeed Father Orapankal. Pastors are appointed by the bishop to lead local parish communities and to provide for their pastoral care. They share in the bishop’s ministry of teaching, sanctifying, and governing. With the bishop’s mandate, and with the assistance and support of other clergy and the lay faithful, the pastor has full responsibility for shepherding the local church community.
To facilitate this appointment, Bishop Checchio has initiated a consultation process to elicit input from your entire parish community, including the staff, ministry leaders, and all parishioners, to determine what the people of St. Matthias hope for in its new Pastor. This consultation process includes meetings with both parish staff and interested parishioners.
The meetings for parishioners will be held on Monday, March 3rd, at 1:00 PM and Monday, March 10th, at 7:00 PM in your parish church. These general meetings will be facilitated by Rev. Msgr. John Fell, Vicar for Clergy for the Diocese. They will welcome staff and ministry leaders of your parish community and all parishioners—everyone is invited and encouraged to participate.
During these guided listening sessions, information will be gathered from parishioners that will assist the Bishop and Priest Personnel Board to better understand the parish’s current status and needs. Please understand that these sessions are for information gathering only and that the data collected from parishioners at these meetings will be one factor among several that the Priest Personnel Board will consider in recommending candidates and the Bishop will consider in ultimately choosing your next pastor. This consultation is not to solicit the names of individual priests, and these will not be discussed.
For any parishioners who might be unable to attend in person, there is also an option to be heard by emailing Msgr. Fell at jfell@diometuchen.org by March 12. If you choose this option, please reflect on the following points:
All parishioners are asked to join in prayer that the Holy Spirit may guide and illumine this process and are invited and encouraged to participate in person or by email to help the diocese more fully understand the status and needs of the entire St. Matthias Parish Family.
Thank you so much for your kind assistance in this important matter.
Rev. Msgr. John Fell
The St Vincent de Paul ministry first and foremost is intended to immerse its members in a Vincentian spirituality – seeing the face of Christ in those we serve, while being the face of Christ to those we serve.
Our St Vincent de Paul Society Conference aims to help those in need residing in Franklin Township. Anyone in need can come to us regardless of religious affiliation.
Based on the most recent census data, Franklin Township is the largest town by population in all of Somerset County with a population approaching 69,000 residents. The poverty level in Franklin Township is estimated to be from 4.2% to as high as 9.1% depending on the neighborhood (somewhere between 3000 to 6,279 men, women, and children).
In 2024, we assisted 200 households. Our assistance amounted to one hundred eleven thousand dollars, of which ninety-eight thousand dollars were utilized to provide housing for our Neighbors. In addition, we have sent contributions to help the victims of the fires in Los Angeles County, and we have continued a quarterly contribution to a school in Port-au-Prince Haiti run by the Daughters of Charity, a Vincentian religious order.
All this has been made possible because of the stewardship in this community which has a history of sharing of our Time, Talent, and Treasure. In the case of the St Vincent de Paul Society, we give of our:
The COVID pandemic severely impacted our client base, and the current economic situation has erased any wage progress made by our Neighbors over the past 5 years. In addition, landlords have become intolerant of even one day’s delay in rent payments. As a result, they will attach late fees and begin the court order eviction process that includes additional legal fees billed to the Neighbor.
Over the past couple of years, our member numbers have decreased for a variety of reasons. The work is sometimes hard but is extremely rewarding. What we ask is for you to discern whether you might be called to pray and work with us to help those in need.
For further information, you can reach us by email at SVDPatSM@gmail.com
Bob Cherill,
Conference President
SVDP at St Matthias
IMMIGRATION IMPLEMENTATION CONCERNS
Recently, there have been concerns about implementing the Immigration laws, creating some confusion in the general public. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a statement on its long-time partnership with the federal government to serve refugees:
“Faithful to the teaching of Jesus Christ, the Catholic Church has a long history of serving refugees. In 1980, the bishops of the United States began partnering with the federal government to carry out this service when Congress created the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Every person resettled through USRAP is vetted and approved for the program by the federal government while outside of the United States. …” To read the full text, please visit:
https://www.usccb.org/news/
If you need this information translated, please visit ONA website (click on the dropdown that says “more languages” beneath each resource).
The threat of immigration enforcement raises concerns among many residents of New Jersey. It is essential to remember that every person in New Jersey—regardless of citizenship or immigration status—has rights. This guide outlines crucial information for individuals, organizations, and businesses to help navigate interactions with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers.
Immigration agents are permitted to enter without your permission in an emergency, such as a threat to public safety or a threat to someone’s life. However, you still have a right to remain silent and document the interaction, including recording (so long as you don’t interfere with their law enforcement activities).
Be cautious of individuals claiming to be “immigration consultants” or “notarios.” Only licensed attorneys or accredited representatives authorized by USCIS can assist with legal immigration matters.
Know Your Rights (PDF) Individuals (English)
Know Your Rights (PDF) Individuals (Spanish)
A great email from Mariano Press, the company that prints and laminates our tree signs!
Thank you for your continued trust and partnership with us. Through your business, you’ve helped us create 64 meals for Americans in need through our Offsetting Hunger Initiative, in which we donate a portion of our gross sales to Feeding America. To learn more about this program or share your impact, please visit our website at www.marianopress.com/offset-hunger . Attached, you’ll also find your shareable virtual certificate.
As your dedicated printing partner, we would welcome the opportunity to provide competitive pricing on any projects you’re considering with other vendors. This includes paper printing, labels, packaging, mailings, signs, promotional items, and decorated uniforms and apparel.
We’re excited to announce that we’re expanding our Offsetting Hunger initiative through a referral program. For every referral that results in an order, we’ll donate the equivalent of 100 additional meals through Feeding America. If you know anyone seeking printing or promotional services, now is the perfect time to connect them with us. Together, we can multiply our impact and make an even bigger difference!
Your choice to partner with us for your printing needs means the world to us. If you’re satisfied with our services, we would be grateful if you would share our information with others. Every new project helps us put more meals on the tables of those in need. Let us help take projects off your colleagues’ plates while putting meals on others’.
Thank you again for your continued support!
Thanks to all of our customers we have now reached over 480,000 meals donated!
Jeremy Mariano
Mariano Press, LLC Working to Offset Hunger.
This will be your ideal companion as you gather weekly in your small group to gain inspiration during this Jubilee Year of Hope.
Come and Join the Journey of Hope
Start for the first time or continue with a St. Matthias Small Faith Sharing Group!
We have15+ groups that meet on various days/times of the week.
If you are new to this experience, please click here to sign up.
Facilitators will be contacting group members who have been part of their group. Each group likely will be meeting either on Zoom or in person, usually on the same date/time.
Groups will begin the week of March 2. New members, please sign‐up by February 28th. Most groups will be using the same resource.
In Small Faith Groups, there’s always new insights we receive from the Scriptures. Insights that benefit us the rest of our lives. For everyone there is a need to pause, reflect, and pray. Let us take this time during Lent to Journey in Hope with each other.
Saturday, April 5, 2025
8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Mary, Mother of God Church
157 S. Triangle Road Hillsborough, NJ
The Mission will continue…
Very Rev. Timothy Christy (St. Francis Cathedral, Metuchen)
Dcn. Sal Bonfiglio, OFS
(Mary, Mother of God Church, Hillsborough) Share In:
Mass, Stations of the Cross, Keynote Speakers , Adoration
Benediction, Confession
Please Register:
Breakfast Delights
No Admission Fee/Free Will Offering
Make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ
Open to the Community
Our next session will be on Sunday, February 2nd. We will start GIFT with the 12 Noon Mass. Then, immediately following in the church, we will gather to pray 2 decades of the Rosary, honoring the Rosary in a Year and offering our prayers to our Lady to instill HOPE into the hearts of families. The session will run until approximately 2:30 pm. We can’t wait to see you there! Let’s come together to celebrate and be inspired as we grow in our faith and support each other on the journey.
The School Advisory Council (SAC) is looking for new members. St. Matthias Parish members, who would want to contribute some of their time and expertise to help advise the Pastor and the Principal in making St. Matthias School better today, and well prepared for the future, are welcome. The individuals could be past, or current SMS parents or grand parents, who care deeply about the elementary and middle school Catholic education. Experience in education, finance, accounting, technology, engineering, property management, healthcare, procurement, or human resources is welcome.
The council generally meets once a month (6-7 times a year), in person and/or via zoom. The principal, the vice-principal and the pastor report on the current status and challenges. The council discusses the current issues and the ways to position the school in a better place for the future. The topics like academics, marketing, enrollment, technology and grounds improvements, giving (Tuition Angels, The Annual Fund) and others are discussed. The council member term is 3 years. As we currently have a few members close to the end of their term, we are looking to fill multiple positions.
Interested individuals can contact the current SAC chair Sue Lenczewski, myworld2@comcast.net or the school Principal Mrs. Lynch, mlynch@stmatthiasnj.org. If you feel, you would be a good contributor, please pray about it, and reach out to us, as we strive to be a diverse team of advisors (in culture and experience) who can use their time and talent to assist the school administration in making SMS the best it can be.
SAC website – www.stmatthias.info/school-advisory-council