is what we call him, and so we believe him to be: the one conceived at the word of an angel and the yes of a young woman; the one born on that silent, holy night; the one wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger; the one adored by angels and shepherds and kings. Nursed by his mother,

cared for by the man who took Mary as his wife, Jesus chose to be like us in all things, including the joys and the sorrows, the pleasures and the pains of life in the midst of a family.

you taken your family to the City this Christmas? Have you seen it? It’s beautiful: the lights, the trees, the stores, the people. It’s like magic, but more than a little troubling, too. Have you noticed? Have you seen them? You don’t have to search. You don’t have to go far from all the wealth and the splendor.

In fact, they’re right in the middle of it all. The homeless seem to be everywhere in the City this year. And most troubling of all, the families living out there on the streets. Moms and dads, right there with their kids. It’s just shocking. And you can’t help but wonder: how can this be? New York is surely one of the wealthiest, if not the wealthiest, cities on the planet. It may well be the wealthiest city in the history of the world. How can there be so much wealth and yet so much need? How can children be living homeless on streets “paved with gold”? I wonder what Jesus thinks of it all. I wonder what the Holy Family makes of all those homeless families.

is our prayer. May the Lord have mercy on those poor people on the streets. And may the Lord have mercy on us, we who all together, as a society, are somehow failing the neediest and the weakest among us. May the Lord help us help them.

One look at the homeless and it’s clear: how great is our need for mercy, and how this Jubilee Year of Mercy that we’ve just begun couldn’t come at a better time. We’re looking to open the doors of our hearts to the Lord and his mercy and to open the doors of our hearts to one another, especially the most needy among us, in kindness and tenderness and mercy. How? Prayer is always a good place to begin. Going to confession this year would also be a great way to “open those doors.” We could reach out to someone who’s hurt us and choose to forgive. We could read maybe one good book this year, something that really “feeds” our hearts and souls, something that strengthens our faith and hope, something that urges us on to mercy and love. And do you remember the classic “spiritual and corporal works of mercy”? If not, look them up. We could choose one spiritual work and one corporal work and focus on them this New Year. There’s so much we can do. And the need is so great. Let’s help one another, that together we may make our families, our church, our cities, and our whole world a home of mercy. Peace, and a happy, merciful New Year…. Love,

Fr. Colin

Lord

Have

Mercy

Worship…Called and formed by the Word of God, we

worship our Lord primarily in the Mass. The Eucharist is

the center of our Christian life. It grounds everything else

we do, from prayer to our daily tasks to our ministries. If you

have any comments, please feel free to contact any of the

following Pastoral Council Representatives: Fr. Colin

Kay, Deacon Rich McGarry and Michael Kohler.

Pray for the recovery of: Mary Ludlow, Margaret Schneider, Dave Owens, Sam Samir, Craig Buksar, Ven Hammonds, Fr. Jim Moran, Timothy Dolan, Manny Chirico, Margaret Chirico, Facundo Daniel, Helen Kohler, Nicki Conaway, Ray Hofmeister, Virginia Sprague, June Passarelli, Barbara Spreer, Ron Barbarulo, Janet Blumka, Emma Marie Wyman, Evelyn Hedderich, Jason & Justin Leider, Kevin Barnett, Dianna Miranda, Jack Hermans, Joanne DeCaro, Brandon Higgens, Ann Millstein, Carol Gravel, Wendy Gratale, Richie Policastro, Jackie Manning, Stanislaw Tecza, Jean Calabrase, Louis Frances, Jarret Adamo, Matthew McGovern, Gloria Ranieri, Sarah Valenti, Dennis Crosby, Stan Tomon, Violeta Arva, Ken Macagna, Todd Hodge, Vickie DePadova, Louise Garcia, Emily Rao, John Rao, Carol Verbovsky, Kenneth Bodzak, Janice Ward, Carol Crosson, Anne Llewellyn, Amy Joosten Butler, Les Wolf, Gary Beal, Diana Lambouras, Thomas Brown, Mary Ann Cavana, Nicole Schepps, John Falcone, Elise Bord, Vicki Purpura, Liz Morano, Baby Regan Doyle, John Cooney, Msgr. Joseph Slinger, Jayden J. Miranda, Brenda Reef, Mary Garripoli, Kenneth Michael Bodzak, Kelly Ann Ross, Kay McAteer, Frank DiGiaimo Jr., Michael T., Mildred Adamo, Patricia Salvi, Aliysha Malone, Peter Mastrangelo, Olga Marino, Tyler Dixon, Richard DeLorenzo, Brandon Patory, Alice Giegler, Ruth Rizzo, Patrice Foster, Gertrude Mahon, Sean Cox, Ken Lisa, Kevin Considine, Baby Kaedon Ross, Glenn Endresz, Sarah Wilder, Krista Jentzsch, Patricia Hinchliffe, Helen Krajacic, Robert O’Byrne, Andrew D’Amico Sr., Anthony Frank, Janet Blumka, Anna Coletti, Patricia Castiglia, Linda DeLorenzo, Jean Conerly, Ruth Corsi, Rick Owen, Jeannie Girovasi, Natasha Santana, and Jay Paolella.

†Pray for the happy repose of † Josephine Quartarone, Caroline Marchuk and

Mary Staniszewski

The Bread and Wine will be offered this week in loving memory of William Scott Yarmchuk as requested by his family.

The Altar Candles will burn this week in loving memory of William Scott Yarmchuk as requested by his family.

The Sanctuary Lamp will burn this week in loving memory of William Scott Yarmchuk, as requested by his family.

Monday, December 28th

7:30 – Lisa Thornberry (Living) – Family

Amanda Marshall (Living) - Family 8:45 – Albert Canger – Family John & Ann Zboray - Son

Tuesday, December 29th

7:30 – Ann Thornberry (Living) – Paul Darren Reilly - Paul 8:45 – Kevin Dalton – Family

Kerry Sauner – Mary Brennan Wednesday, December 30

th

7:30 – Edgardo Arevalo

– Michelle Macasaet & Family Patricia Caporale - Mother 8:45 – Gladys Desarden – Sonia Desgarden

Mary Gionnotti – Sonia Desgarden Angie Gionnotti – Sonia Desgarden

Thursday, December 31st

7:30 – Brendan Hodnett – Family

Frances Hlava - Family 8:45 – Frances & Stephen Rosty – Rosty Family Sara Kovarik “1

st Anniversary” – Ellen

5:15 – People of St. Anne Parish Friday, January 1

st

8:00 am - People of 10:00 am - Saint Anne Parish

Saturday, January 2nd

8:45 – Mary Saad

– The David, Scordo & Doerner Families Christine Bergin (Living) – Joan & Dan 5:15 – Betty Reilly - Jack & Antoinette Ferreri

Tom Clarke – Hessman Family Mary Cook – 5:15 Mass Ushers Robert Ruymaker – Helen & Jerole Massone

Sunday, January 3rd

7:30 – Trisha Christie O’Brien – Peggy Long Adeline Russo-100

th Birthday (Living)

– Joan Reid Ann Thornberry (Living) - Paul 9:30 - Nancy Greco – Joe & Alan Quinn Alfredo & Carmela Marinelli – Frank Marinelli Mary Mortell – Barbara Bender 11:30 – Edward Bender – Wife, Barbara Antoinette Matsko – St. Anne CWV #1076 Carmine Federico – The Rooth & McParland Families 6:00 PM – People of St. Anne Parish

Let us pray for those in our armed forces especially

for: PFC Richard Marchese, US Army; Lt. Col. Phillip Christy, US Army; Army Natl. Guard; Pvt. John

Pagios, US Army; Pvt. Kristoffer Burger, US Army;

SPCE4 Kyle Milnes, US Army; PO 2nd

Cl Jimmy

Guerra, US Navy, PO 2nd

Cl Nicholas J. Vanni, US Navy; Major Gregory Sugalski, US Army; MM2

Nicholas J. Magarelli, USN, Master Sgt. Michael

VanPamel, USAF; Sgt. Michael Bourke, US Army;

PFC Lindsay Newarski, US Army; PFC Jason Dawson, US Army;Staff Sgt.. Matthew Bauer, USAF; Brandon

Motto, USMC; Lt. Marc Sabatino, USN; LCPL Storm

Odom, USMC; Airman Michael Diffin, USAF; Sgt Major Joseph R. Lobban, US Army; CPL Justin Scales,

USMC; LCPL Dominick Rizzo, USMC; PFC Jonathan

C. Sulinski, Warrant Officer Alan Harty, US Army; Sgt. Bert J. Frullo, US Army; LCPL. Harrison James

Bruining, USMC; LCPL Steven D’Argenio, USMC;

Capt. Kip Rainey; SP4 Monica Saucier, US Army; Spec.

4 Brian Tarantino, US Army; PO 1st Cl. Mike

Tarantino, USN; Lt. Col. Marshall Denney; Lance

Corp. Marshall Denney IV; EO2 Michael Yondolino,

USN; Col. Patrick Frank; Capt. Daniel Curtin, US Army; Capt. Erik Mineo, US Army; Staff Sgt. Joseph

Sullivan, USMC; A1C Richard Baldassari, USAF;

Capt. Donald Pump, USMC; and all those serving in

Iraq and Afghanistan.

ALTERNATIVE TO ABORTION If you know someone who is considering having an abortion, here is a number they might call that could be of help to them to consider an alternative to this practice. The number is 1-800-395-HELP (4357).

BACK TO OUR ROOTS

Will not meet this week.. BTOR will resume on January 21st

from 1-2 PM in the Faith Center

Worldwide Marriage Encounter The search is underway for the Longest Married

Couple in the U.S. Do you think you know who

they are? Maybe it’s your parents…

grandparents…That nice couple who live down the

street… Nominating a couple is easy! Just send

their names, wedding date and where they live and

your contact information to:

wwmelmc2015@gmail.com Nominations accepted

until January 10. 2016. Winners will be announced

February 2016 to celebrate World Marriage Day.

Nominate a couple you know today!

MEDITATION

Mary and Eliza -Joyce Rupp

Mary and Elizabeth

two strong women

whose wombs

carried two strong men

Mary and Elizabeth,

two generous women,

nurturing nests,

embracing seedling life

in their bodies’ secret homes

Mary and Elizabeth,

two loving women,

blessing one another

with the grace of affection,

strength of communion

Mary and Elizabeth,

did they know the dance

within their wombs

might change a hurting heart,

transform a languished life

Mary and Elizabeth

two holy women

wombs gestating goodness,

source of nurturing grace

yeast for every inner birthing

STEWARDSHIP REFLECTIONS Feast of the Holy Family

“See what love the Father has given us, that

we should be called children of God; and so

we are.” – 1 John 3:1

During this season of giving, let us remember the

most important gift we have received – being

children of God. As God’s children, it’s important

that we express our love for others as well. Tell

you spouse, children and other family members and

friends that you love them, frequently.

HOLIDAY OFFICE HOURS This holiday season, there will be a number of changes to the office hours here at the Rectory. This applies to times that the front desk is staffed for Mass cards, info., etc. Priests are always available for emergencies, and can be reached by calling the Rectory number (201-791-1616).

Word… St. Anne’s is a family of faith formed by the Word of God, especially as this is expressed in the person of Christ, in the

Scriptures, and in the Tradition of the Church. As we hear this word and take it more and more deeply into our lives, we

become ever more truly the People of God.

If you have any comments, please feel free to contact any of the following Pastoral Council Representatives:

Donna Stickna, John Hill, Carmie DeMerchant, Melissa Rovetto-Ruffner & Marianne Cummins

SAINT ANNE SCHOOL NEWS

Sunday, January 31, join us for mass at 9:30 am to kick off Catholic Schools Week then stop at the school for a student-guided tour and a chance to meet the principal, teachers, and current parents.

It’s time to begin thinking about the upcoming school year. St. Anne School offers an amazing preschool with several attendance options as well as full-day Kindergarten. Both will put your child on the right track to the outstanding academics that continue in all grades.

FAITH FORMATION NEWS

SUNDAY/TUESDAY FAITH NEWS Here is the schedule of classes for the next few weeks…

Sunday: No classes December 27; classes resume January 3

Tuesday: No classes December 29; classes resume January 5. All Sunday/Tuesday Faith students brought home progress reports: please sign and return at the next class! Merry Christmas and a peace-filled New Year to all!

RECONCILIATION PREP - Completed Reconciliation books are due in the Faith Formation Office NOW!

CONFIRMATION PREP - The next session is Sunday, January 3 from 7-8:30pm in the school. Please enter through door #4.

The time has come to say….. THANKS TO ALL!!

You have no idea how many people you have touched with your glorious gifts that are

filled with joy and love.

Our team of workers are the best elves…selfless with the amount of time and energy

they have donated. Their dedication to making sure that the right gifts went into the correct

families’ very large black bags, is unsurpassed. That is a chore that sounds simple, but it really

is not an easy task.

Thanks again and God bless you all. Have a blessed Christmas and healthy New Year!

Service… Impelled by the Spirit of Jesus, St. Anne’s strives to reach out to others. In works on behalf of justice, charity, and human

development, we seek to imitate Jesus in bringing glad tidings to the poor, liberty to the oppressed and captives, and healing to

the blind and the sick. If you have any comments, please feel free to contact Fr. Joe or Fr. Colin.

FROM THE OFFICE OF HUMAN CONCERNS

FOOD PANTRY NEEDS: Our Pantry is in dire need of all food!

Please be generous and give what you can to help us feed the poor families of Fair Lawn and Elmwood Park.

ITEMS MOST NEEDED: COLD CEREAL, CANNED VEGETABLES, CANNED FRUIT, PEANUT

BUTTER AND JELLY, TUNA, PASTA, PASTA SAUCE, MAC/CHEESE, FACE SOAP, LAUNDRY

DETERGENT!! Rice, instant potatoes, pancake mix, syrup, cake mix, healthy snacks, cookies, deodorant,

napkins, paper towels, house cleaning products.

Please check the dates on your donations prior to donating them. We do not hand out expired food. You can

drop off food anytime at the rectory.

Food coupons from Newspaper: Please collect the inserts from the Sunday papers. DO NOT CLIP

COUPONS! Bring them to the church and place them in the third drawer of the small wicker chest in the main

vestibule of the church. A parish family collects them and uses them when they purchase the food they donate

to our Food Pantry.

ST. CAJETAN MINISTRY

for the Unemployed & Under-employed

We meet every two weeks as follows: St. Catharine’s Ministry Center - next meeting: Thursday, Jan. 7th - first floor meeting room 7-9PM and at St. Anne’s Rectory on Saturday, Jan. 9th - from 10am-12 noon. If you think you may be interested please contact Ed Grzesiak 201-321-5144, John Lederer 201-286-9354, Lou Cuomo 201-657-3838, Eamon Jennings-917-841-2558, Steve Zmuda 201-819-9026. You can also email us at stcajetan@stannefairlawnnj.org

NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY

WITH THE ALAN QUINN FIVE PIECE ORCHESTRA AT

ST. ANN’S KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS HALL

When: December 31, 2015 8pm – 1am Cost: $75 per person Includes: Open bar, 5 course buffet dinner with appetizer, champagne toast at midnight, music, dancing & more Where: Knights of Columbus Hall 16-16 Maple Ave, Fair Lawn Deadline: Reserve early, seating is limited Contact: Frank Sylvester 201-966-5433 Please make checks payable to St. Ann’s K of C #2853. No Refunds…No Walk Ins!

Community… Formed by the Word and by the Eucharist, St. Anne’s

builds community in the ways that we live and work and

celebrate together. In these ways, we experience the living

presence of Christ.

If you have any comments, please feel free to contact any of

the following Pastoral Council Representatives: Junie

Fuertes, Peggy Long, Eamon Jennings, Danielle

Douglass, Stephanie Kedersha, Joe Barone and Terence

Curley

EVENTS FOR THIS WEEK Sunday, December 27th Monday, December 28th Choir – 7:30 – 9:00 pm – C Tuesday, December 29th

Wednesday, December 30th

Thursday, December 31st – New Year’s Eve Mass at 5:15 pm

Friday, January 1st – New Year’s Day Mass at 8:00 am & 10:00 am Saturday, January 2nd

AA – 7:30 – 8:30 pm – CAF

Are you a stay-at-home mom or dad of children age 5 and under? Or perhaps you care for your grandchildren during the week?

If so, come join us for a weekly Play Group. We will meet again after the holidays on Wednesday, January 6th at 9:30 am for about an hour in the Church Hall. Hope to see you there! For info, please email Meghan at meghan.lobue@gmail.com

Felician Sister Christmas Concert “The Glory of Christmas” will take place on Sun., Jan. 3rd at Immaculate Conception Convent Chapel, 260 South Main St. in Lodi at 3:00 pm. No admission charge, but good will offerings will be accepted and proceeds to be given to the poor.

2015 CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE

Thursday, December 31st

Vigil of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God 5:15 pm

Friday, January 1st Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

8:00 am and 10:00 am

GROW (God Reaches Out to Women)

Epiphany: 1. a Christian festival held

on January 6 in honor of the coming of the three kings to the infant Jesus Christ

2. a moment in which you suddenly see or understand something in a new or very clear way

What is YOUR personal epiphany of faith? Join us for an Epiphany Prayer Hour on Wednesday, January 6 from 7:30-8:30pm in the Church Hall

Rosary News: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all Rosarians! There is NO meeting in January. Our next meeting will be February 2nd. Eucharistic Adoration will be January 8th at 12 noon until 6:00 for Benediction. Signup sheets will be in the back of the church.

Dried-out Christmas trees are a post-holiday hazard – Fair Lawn’s Mayor and Council hope

our residents have a joyous Christmas and remind everyone to not neglect fire safety in the post-holiday season. Although residents are encouraged to check the tree’s water level and add water twice daily, trees will however dry out altogether and pose a tremendous fire hazard. And that becomes obvious by the increasing volume of needles that accumulate on the floor. To avoid a tragedy, residents are urged not to be lazy about removing a dried out tree from the home and to dispose of it properly. For further information on Christmas trees or any other fire safety matter, please contact Fire Marshal Jay Bender at 201-794-5408. FireMarshal@FairLawn.org

Finance/Administration… A Christian community strives to steward its resources so that they can provide the material by which its various

ministries can reflect the parish’s mission to reflect Christ’s presence in all that we do and say. Finance Committee

Members: Ed Hughes, Bill Ball, Sally Quinn, Sheila Abate, Ed Trawinski, Loretta Stachiotti, Kristie Bednarz,

Karen Gillies, Steve Palermo and Jerry Cunningham.

Buildings/Grounds: Carl Shoemaker, Dave Lee, Kate Humble, and Steve Zmuda.

Heating & Air Conditioning ~ Everyone knows that there are some months in which our electricity bill or heating bill is higher than

others. Well, it’s the same with the Church. As you know, we use an additional way of paying for our extra

energy months. In the back of the church each Sunday you will find separate ENERGY envelopes. If you should

happen to hit the jackpot that week, and wish to throw a dollar or two in that envelope, we’d greatly appreciate

it! You can throw these special envelopes right in the collection with your regular envelope. The energy

envelopes will not be mailed to you. They will simply be in the back of the church, so if you don’t spot them, be

sure to ask the ushers at your Mass. Thanks so much. And special thanks to those who have already been doing it

regularly. It makes a difference!!!

Online Giving…

You have the opportunity to make donations to our Sunday collection online! To sign up, go to the St. Anne website – www.stannefairlawnnj.org

There are several ways to access the system:

1. Underneath the scrolling slideshow on the home page, on the bottom right-hand corner, you will see a

light blue icon with a $ sign. Click that icon to go directly to the system.

OR

2. From the homepage, check the left-hand menu options. The second to last menu option says

“envelopes & online giving.” Click that link, and a page with various giving options will appear. Select the

Online Giving option to be taken directly to the system.

Once you are taken to the new site, click on the section that says Create New Account. Next you will see New User Account Registration. Fill out the form and click “submit.”

When you are enrolled, you can go into Manage My Account, where you will see My Payment Methods. Here

you can choose to have the funds deducted from your checking or bank account (you will need your routing and account numbers on hand). Under Manage My Account, you will also see Give a New Gift. There you will

decide when and how much to give. (In the list, Offertory Collection means the Sunday collection.) You can select recurring or one time gifts. You also have the option to access all the other special envelopes you would normally find in your envelope packet and which are generally one-time donations.

Each time you go to Mass, get a card that says “I have made my donation online” and put it in the collection when the usher comes around. Thanks so much for giving online!