Category: Uncategorized

The Alzheimer’s Association & St. Matthias Catholic Church are co-hosting a Support Group for those affected by Alzheimer’s and Dementia

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

The Alzheimer’s Association and Saint Matthias Catholic Church are co-hosting a monthly Support Group for people living with Alzheimer’s and Dementia and their care partners. Our next meeting will be Wednesday, November 9th, from 2 pm-3 pm on Zoom. 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.

Retreat for Our Altar Servers!

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

As announced, the Diocese is organizing a retreat for Altar Servers on Saturday, November 19th from 2:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. with Mass at 5:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen. The retreat is directed by Colleen Kelly-Rayner/CKR Retreats. I’m sure many of you are familiar with Colleen as she has led many Confirmation retreats throughout the diocese, including here at St. Matthias.

There is no cost associated with the retreat. Parents, please register your altar-serving children for the retreat either by returning the attached form to Gerald Wutkowski at communications@diometuchen.org or by visiting https://diometuchen.org/altarserverretreat and completing the registration form online.

All Are Welcome to Movie Night With the St. Matthias Racial Justice Initiative

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

Please join us on Saturday, October 22nd at 6pm in the St. John XXIII room (formerly the Parish Meeting room) for a special movie night celebrating the 55th anniversary of Thurgood Marshall’s appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court as the first Black Supreme Court Justice! We will be watching “Marshall”, starring Chadwick Boseman. There will be pizza, beverages, cookies, and lots of fellowship. There will be a free will offering for dinner and ALL are welcome to attend. Dinner will be at 6pm and the movie will begin at 6:30 pm.

RSVP is preferred so that we have plenty of pizza and beverages.

Please RSVP to matthiasracialjustice@gmail.com by Friday, October 21st so we can prepare accordingly.

ALL ARE WELCOME!!!  HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Join Us For St. Matthias School’s 2nd Annual Corn Hole Tournament!

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

Come Out and Play Some Cornhole !!!
Saturday, October 1st, 12:00-4:00 pm!!!
SPREAD THE WORD!!!

Join us in the Saint Matthias School Parking Lot for our school’s Second Annual Corn Hole Tournament!
Open to all SMS school families, parish families, and friends!!
Invite others, the more teams the better!

*ALL FAMILIES ARE WELCOME TO COME AND ENJOY THE DAY*

*CORNHOLE TOURNAMENT OPEN TO ALL CHILDREN 8 AND UP*

2 adults per team, double elimination.
$25.00 per adult team (21 & up)
$10.00 per children team (8-20)
2 children per team ( we can pair children up according to their age)
Grand Prize to be awarded to 1st place team 21-up
Prize to be awarded to 1st place team age 14-20
Dress Down Day Passes, free lunch & free lunchtime ice cream tickets awarded to 1st place children’s team age 8-1 3
Bring your own coolers with drinks...please no glass bottles.
Hot Dog Truck and ice cream truck will be on site!
To sign up please click here

Please use the QR code below to make a payment, or checks payable to Saint Matthias School HSA
*Cash accepted day of event.

ALL Proceeds will go directly to SMS!
Let’s have a few hours of fun while we support our wonderful school!!

Volunteers Needed for the 60th Anniversary Picnic This Sunday!

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

COME CELEBRATE ST. MATTHIAS CHURCH’s 60TH ANNIVERSARY!

Sunday, September 18th, 2022

1 PM- 4 PM

Behind the School Building

Hamburgers and Hotdogs Provided

Bring your own drinks or other food items.

Bring an extra chair! 🙂

FUN FOR THE FAMILY!

FACE PAINTING, TATTOOS, GAMES, MUSIC, AND MORE!

If you are able to help volunteer please click here to sign up. 

Please Consider Joining a St. Matthias Small Faith Group This Fall

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

FALL INTO FAITH

Small groups, in fact, are where much of the theology taught in our pulpits begins to be fleshed out in conversation and action.

The implications of the Biblical passages come alive when we hear how each member of the group shares his/her story of struggling to make sense of God’s will in their own lives. The sharing of struggles and challenges, joys and triumphs provide great mutual spiritual support. Small faith-sharing groups also meet a very practical and human need: the need to belong.

We are communal creatures: we were made by a community of love called the Trinity and because community is our origin, we’ll always find life and direction within a community better than we will on our own. That means small groups deliver deeper friendships that double as accountability. When people know you, really know you, your life becomes far more transparent, including your shortcomings and imperfections. Others learn to read you and will call you out for those areas you wish to improve. Thus it creates opportunities to deal with real-life difficulties as they surface. This is part of what we should expect from good friends.
So, why not sign up if you have never tried this small group experience?  Visit “Small Groups”- www.stmatthias.net/faith-formation for details or click here to register.

Groups begin October 10.

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

Just a week ago, we had the funeral of Marion Fischer who was the librarian for St. Matthias School for 45 years. She and her husband Francis “Frank” Fischer were among the founders of our parish. She passed on her faith to her children and grandchildren by her example of living the faith and participating both in the church ministries and community activities. Her family said that she would not be deterred by the most dire weather conditions from attending Sunday Mass! May she rest in peace. As we mourn the passing away of this vibrant disciple of Jesus, and become aware of the decreasing number of the founding members of our parish, we need to ask ourselves this important question: how seriously are we taking on the mantle of these pioneers in living and passing on our faith?

Today is national Catechetical Sunday – a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the role that each person plays, by virtue of Baptism, in handing on the faith and being a witness to the Gospel. This year’s theme for the Catechetical Sunday is: “This is my body given for you” (Luke 22:19). We have heard so many times that the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. The term “Eucharist” originates from the Greek word eucharistia, meaning thanksgiving. In the celebration of the Eucharist, bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and the instrumentality of the priest. The whole Christ is truly present — body, blood, soul, and divinity — under the appearances of bread and wine, the glorified Christ who rose from the dead. This is what the Church means when she speaks of the “Real Presence” of Christ in the Eucharist.

Catechists are the ones who are teaching this and other truths about our faith to our children who attend our religious education/GIFT and sacramental preparation programs. We, here at St. Matthias, are blessed with wonderful women and men who give their time and energy as Catechists. We are very grateful to them. Today at all the Masses you will hear some of them speak to us about their passion as Catechists. I hope their testimony will inspire some of you to volunteer as Catechists. Being part of St. Matthias is life-giving as is the experience of so many – including Marion Fischer who, in the words of her children, “found her strength in her work among the children.”

Learning of our faith is not to be relegated only to children. We all need this learning. Don’t we all have many doubts about what we believe and practice? That is why we all need to choose something intentionally from the opportunities our parish offers. We are preparing to begin the RCIA sessions and the Fall Into Faith small faith sharing groups. These are excellent ways to learn more about the Word of God and our faith in a setting where we have ample time and freedom to clarify many of our questions on faith matters. I invite us all to consider this seriously and make a decision in the coming weeks as you will be hearing more about these two programs.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

The 60th Anniversary Edition Cookbooks are in!

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

Are you ready to get cooking delicious and fantastic food? Then wait no more!!! The 60th Anniversary Edition Cookbooks are in!!!!! They look fabulous and are just loaded with mouthwatering recipes!!!! Thank you to all who submitted new recipes to be included. They added to the already 224 incredible recipes from the original cookbook created ~30 years ago by the Rosary Altar Society.

The 60th Anniversary Committee will be distributing the advance sale books after all Masses the weekend of Sept. 17 & 18th. There are a limited number of cookbooks available for sale that will also be available after all Masses the same weekend. Cookbooks are $20 ea.

*No advanced books or additional sales will be available prior to 9/17 & 18*