On Saturday,December 9th, and Sunday, December 10th all SMYLE members are asked to volunteer to help with the collection of the following items for Unity Square after all the Masses:
Thank you!!!
The Alzheimer’s Association and St. Matthias Catholic Church are co-hosting a monthly Support Group for individuals living with Alzheimer’s or Dementia, their care partners, and others dealing with the disease. Our next meeting will be Wednesday, December 13th, from 2:00 PM -3:00 PM in the Parish Office at St. Matthias. Registration is required.
To register, call 800-272-3900 and mention the St. Matthias group.
The Group provides a safe and supportive environment and offers dementia-related education, emotional support, and connections with resources so that the group members may enhance their lives in the midst of the journey.
For more information, visit alz.org/NJ.
Good News!!! The deadline for Our Christmas Tree Campaign has been extended!!! The donation to sponsor one of these beautiful trees is $200. If you would like to sponsor a tree, please complete the Christmas Tree Form 2023 and return it, with a check made payable to “St. Matthias Church”, to the Parish Office. If you would prefer to make an online payment via ParishGiving, please click here. (Note: Families or groups may join together to sponsor a tree.)
If you are able and would like to help, volunteers are needed on SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25th to move the trees to the field and light them up. We need at least 25 to 30 people to light the trees. This is an excellent opportunity to earn service hours for our high school students! We need at least 25 to 30 people to assist. Please bring scissors and wear gardening gloves. We work in pairs so bring a friend if you can. Work begins at 9 AM, with a good group, we will be finished by noon! Call the parish office if you have any questions.
We will bless and light the trees on SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2023, following the 5:00 PM Mass. The trees will remain lit every night from 4:30 PM until 11:00 PM, through the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6, 2024. People are welcome to come to visit the trees and read the plaques throughout this time. Everyone driving by on JFK Boulevard will be reminded of the hope and peace that breaks into our darkness at Christmas time.
Be part of this beautiful Christmas celebration and “Spread the Light!”
Letter of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to the People of God
October 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
On October 22, as we observe World Mission Sunday, we stand in solidarity with the Missions of the Church in this annual worldwide Eucharistic celebration.
Pope Francis reflected on this year’s theme: “Hearts on fire, feet on the move.” The Holy Father invites us to kindle the fire of Christ’s love in our hearts and to actively share this warmth with the world around us. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, we go forth and bring the Good News to all corners of the world.
Founded by French laywoman Blessed Pauline Jaricot in 1822, the Society for the Propagation of the Faith is an essential source of aid for the Church’s missionary work. In the United States, we benefited from these donations: up until 1908, we received close to 7 million dollars, the equivalent of over 250 million today. Those dioceses in our country, considered mission territories, continued to receive subsidies. Fairbanks, Alaska, was the last of those dioceses and received its final subsidy payment this year!
The World Mission Sunday collection assists the Holy Father meet his Petrine obligation to build up the Church in over 1,100 dioceses and territories that are too young and/or too poor to sustain themselves. Offerings support the formation of seminarians and religious men and women, assist in the construction of schools and orphanages and enables missionaries to build churches in remote and resource-limited areas, and to meet essential works to proclaim the Gospel and celebrate the Sacraments.
Embodying this year’s theme, I urge you to keep your hearts aflame and your feet moving this World Mission Sunday. Your prayers are invaluable, and your financial support provides life giving aid to our brothers and sisters in the world’s most vulnerable communities.
Gratefully in the Lord,
MostReverend James F. Checchio, JCD, MBA
Bishop of Metuchen
For additional resources about World Mission Sunday, please visit onefamilyinmission.org/resources
To download a copy of the letter and the form to donate, please click the link below.
There are NEW Mass Intentions Guidelines this year.
Mass Intentions: It is an ancient and noble practice to pray for the living and the dead during Mass. The greatest and most powerful prayer we have is the Mass, since the fruits of the Mass are the very fruits of Jesus’ redemption made present to us. Therefore, so many of us seek to book a Mass intention for our loved ones, living or deceased.
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 (including the Lord Jesus or the Holy Spirit); in thanksgiving for a favor received through the intercession of a Blessed or a Saint; or for a prayer intention (so long as the intention does not contradict Church teaching).
In our parish, there are many requests for scheduling Mass intentions. Our 2024 Book of Mass Intentions will be opened on Monday, October 16, 2023, at 8:30 AM in the Parish Office. To accommodate our parishioners, we will continue the limit of four (4) Masses – two (2) weekday Masses and a maximum of two (2) Weekend Masses. You can return on or after November 15 for additional Mass requests. Here are the details 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 two (2) additional intentions, which will be announced in the Universal Prayers (Prayers of the Faithful) but not in the bulletin. Please know that the stipend for these additional intentions ($10 for weekdays and $15 for Weekends) will be sent to the Mission Office of our Diocese.
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.
Join us for a fun-filled day at the SIGHT AND SOUND THEATRE in Lancaster, PA!
To See
“DANIEL Live on Stage”
Saturday, April 20, 2024
TRIP HOSTED BY:
Senior Ministry and St. Martin De Porres Society, of The Catholic Community of St. Matthias
TO SECURE TICKETS:
$70 deposit/ticket due by November 1st
Final payment due by Feb 16th
(Note: After March 1st, Tickets are Non-Refundable)
Make checks payable to:
“St. Martin De Porres Society” with “Sight and Sound” in the memo and mail to the Parish Office.
PRICE INCLUDES:
– Roundtrip Transportation
– Light Breakfast on the Bus
– Ticket to “DANIEL” Live on Stage
SHOWTIME – 11:00am
– Lunch Buffet after the show at “Bird-In-Hand” Restaurant
TRANSPORTATION:
BUS DEPARTS 7:30am Sharp!
From The Catholic Community of St. Matthias, 168 JFK Blvd, Somerset 08873
BUS RETURNS approximately 6:30pm
For More Information and To Purchase Tickets Contact:
Pearl Scott – pearlkscott12@gmail.com or Dolores Christmas – deechristmas@aol.com
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!! Our annual Christmas Tree “Spread the Light” campaign is in full swing! We would like to thank all of the parishioners and friends of the parish who have already arranged for their trees. If you have not sponsored a tree yet —GOOD NEWS!! The deadline has been extended!!! There are both Personal and Business forms in the back of the church and on the website. You can either pay at the parish office, through Parish Giving, or by placing a sealed envelope marked ‘Trees’ in the collection basket during mass. Don’t miss out on honoring a loved one, friend,
business, or group! Join in this wonderfully moving tradition that helps support our church and brings joy to so many.
Help us to ‘Light the Night’ here in Somerset! But, don’t wait, numbers are limited, get your request in now!
Join in this wonderfully moving tradition that helps support our church and brings joy to so many. For more information on how to order a tree, click here. Flyers are also available in church.
The death toll in Maui is 114 as of 8/21 but over 800 people are still missing. The wall of flames that ravaged this beautiful island has left survivors with nothing in their hands. Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) is actively doing relief work on the ground. For those who wish to contribute to the relief effort, donations can be made online directly to CCUSA. www.diometuchen.org/mauirelief