SIXTH SUNDAY DAY OF EASTER - MAY 17, 2020

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Dear Brothers and Sisters of Our Lady of Lourdes,

This is the full text of my report to an Archdiocese of Newark Communications article about the pandemic

and parish ministry. We were published (https://

www.rcan.org/amid-lockdown-parish-priests-find-creative-ways-reach-faithful). Below is the full text of what I submitted. The article could only reflect a portion. Of course, no words can fully capture all that God is doing through your cooperation with his mercy and grace at this time. Thank you! [Start of statement] As the state of emergency and stay-at-home orders were put in place, I felt called to provide some way for us to gather virtually as the Lourdes parish family. At Lourdes, telephone conference-calling has connect-ed us for weekly prayer and information, including the Town Hall (Monday), Rosary (Thursday), After-noon prayer (Saturday), Morning prayer (Sunday), and Holy Week Morning prayer. The toll-free number is publicized via our website and e-mail. Ministry leaders are encouraged to share the number with their members. There are 30 to 50 participants on the con-ference calls. The call-in experience has prompted people to report that they feel “connected and loved during these times of uncertainty” and that “the love just came through the telephone receiver.” Appreciating both God’s presence and each other, our parishioners have embraced this opportunity to gather. Their apprecia-tion is audible in their spoken and personal petitions, reminding us we walk the walk and talk the talk of prayer together. The pandemic reminds me that contact – while virtual – is virtuous. And, contact with our Risen Lord teach-es us we are victorious over our own sins, fears, sick-ness, and death in community. Salvation is experi-enced both with and for others. This is a spiritual necessity. St. Paul reminds us that the eye cannot say to the hand: "I do not need you." The pandemic reminds us that we need our whole body to be healthy and the whole body of Christ to assist in heal-ing and carrying out Christ's command to serve rather than to be served. In the Lourdes parish family, I am inspired by - and grateful for - those who serve each day by their pray-ers, by making and donating of masks, by

food offerings, by caring for our church and people in so many ways and, not least of all, by making about 1,000 individual wellness check phone calls. During the pandemic, those of us with large networks of friends and families and technological know-how have been able to socialize virtually and electronical-ly. This is not true for everyone. We have parishion-ers without any such “virtual” social network. They rely on those whom they see as neighbors, those whom they see at church and other places they visit. As a result of the restrictions imposed on travel, we need to go to them. I think what has also been affirmed strongly - perhaps not changed at all - is the true hospitality and warmth of the Lourdes parish family. It's not just our house of worship but our home. Your home is our home. The prayers over the phone also allow us to connect with parishioners and friends who are more distant geo-graphically. As far as a future goal, we are looking carefully at what we do in Religious Education and Faith Formation and how we can connect effectively with our youth and families. I am grateful to our Religious Education leaders and volunteers for their research for the future and their endeavor to stay connected with our young people with meaningful educational and spiritual activities and families during this state of emergency. For the future, I would like to do a full video record-ing of our parish devotional prayers including our St. Joseph Novena and our Stations of the Cross. Currently, I am posting my Sunday homily video on the website each week. Yes, livestreaming of Sunday Mass is also a possibility. Perhaps, the Archdiocese of Newark may consider issuing a white paper on virtual prayer, education and sacramental celebration should we be faced with a situation that causes us to shelter-in-place in the future. [End of statement] I pray you remain safe and healthy, Father Jim Ferry

In Christ’s Peace, Father Jim Ferry

OUR LADY OF LOURDES CHURCH - MAY 17, 2020

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SATURDAY 16 MAY 8:30 am 5:30 pm

Ann Iannacone Carmaleta Harris

SUNDAY 17 MAY 7:30 am

9:30 am 11:30 am

People of the Parish Vivian C. Petrillo Colleen Blasi

MONDAY 18 MAY 8:30 am

Judy & Ed Petrone

TUESDAY 19 MAY 8:30 am

Christian & Grace Okeke

WEDNESDAY 20 MAY 8:30 pm

Dummoname & Alexander Dossous

THURSDAY 21 MAY 7:00 am 8:30 am 7:30 pm

The People of the Parish The People of the Parish The People of the Parish

FRIDAY 22 MAY 8:30 am

Virgin del Carmen

SATURDAY 23 MAY 8:30 am

5:30 pm

Virgin Guadeloupe Vivian C. Petrillo

SUNDAY 24 MAY 7:30 am 9:30 am

11:30 am

People of the Parish Cristiano James Ombrellino (1st Ann.)

Vilma Kahn

Daphne Brown Catherine Gascoyne Nicholas Larusso Ramon Marmol Mary McGuines Matthew McHugh

Dolores Otero Mark Quarno Gregory Roxborough Mary Lou Ruppel Pat Schoeler Katerina Zachos

A PRIVATE MASS will be offered for the following Mass Intentions this week.

Mass will not be offered in church.

SUNDAY 17 MAY 8:30 am

MOTHER’S DAY

Virtual Morning Prayer with Fr. Jim Ferry via Zoom video & audio. (See Page 5 for details)

Video of Lourdes West Orange weekly Sunday Mass will be posted Saturday at 5 pm on our website: lourdeswestorange.org

MONDAY 18 MAY 6:30 pm

Virtual “Town Hall Meeting” followed by social time via Zoom video & audio. (See Page 5 for details)

WEDNESDAY 20 MAY 7:00 pm

Christian Book Club—KOC (CANCELED)

THURSDAY 21 MAY 10:00 am

1:00 pm

Deadline for News & Announcements for May 31st bulletin email: lourdesbulletin@aol.com.

Virtual “Pray the Rosary/Divine Mercy with Fr. Jim Ferry via Zoom video & audio. (See Page 5 for details)

FRIDAY 22 MAY 6:30—7:30 pm

Virtual “Eucharistic Adoration”, via Zoom video & audio (See Page 5 for details)

SATURDAY 23 MAY

4:30 pm Virtual Evening Prayer with Fr. Jim Ferry via Zoom video & audio. (See Page 5 for details)

SUNDAY 24 MAY 8:30 am

9:30 am

Virtual Morning Prayer with Fr. Jim Ferry via Zoom video and audio. (See Page 5 for details)

Anointing of the Sick Mass (CANCELED)

This week’s Sanctuary Candle, a gift of Rachelle

Brown, is in memory of ROGER APOLLON

MAY 23—MAY 24, 2020

Mass Lector Eucharistic Ministers Altar Servers

5:30 pm Annlynn Fernandes Judith Albore Emily Kunz

Francesca Appolon David Broking Jordan Broking

7:30 am Bless Bernardo Howard Casey Louis Volpe

Paul Parada Ross Parada

9:30 am

Adult Choir

JoAnn Melhorn Espie Cain Joseph Petrillo (C ) Myrna Regino

Briana Sampson Volunteer

11:30 am

Adult Choir

Faith Nzegwu Virginia Dimapilis Michelle Gizzi

Ikenna Odoemene Leslie Odoemene

ASCENSION THURSDAY - May 21, 2020

5:30 pm 8:30 am 7:30 pm

Novoa Daily Lector Dizon

Casey, Rosario Cain, Volpe Petrillo, Reilly

Volunteers Volunteers Volunteers

SIXTH SUNDAY DAY OF EASTER - MAY 17, 2020

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GIVING TO LOURDES If you are able, the Lourdes church family also needs your support so that we can sustain our ministry to you even during this time without Mass and maintain our infrastructure. It is difficult, I know, to pray and stay connected when we cannot come to church and to Mass. I just remind you that we are trying to remain a vital presence for you here, with online information and with preparation for re-opening. Your gift for Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday is a great participation in our mission. If you have any questions, please call Father Jim Ferry at 973.325.0110.

Dear Family and Friends of Lourdes:

I miss you and know that we all miss seeing each other at church on Sundays. To keep a connection with both our Lord and each other, as your pastor, I invite you to join us—via Zoom/telephone—every Saturday at 4:30 pm or every Sunday at 8:30 am for biblical readings, a reflection (homily) and our own prayers for God’s help. The prayer lasts for about 30 minutes.

And, we’ll continue every Saturday/Sunday while Our Lady of Lourdes church is closed. There will be prayers in both English + Spanish. All are welcome.( See Page 5 to participate.)

Please check LOURDESWESTORANGE.ORG for more information. Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Te extraño y se que todos extrañamos vernos dominicalmente. Para mantener conexiones espirituales—con nuestro Señor y entre nosotros—como su pastor, los invito a unirse a nosotros, por teléfono, el sábado a las 4:30 pm o el domingo a las 8:30 am para lecturas bíblicas, una reflexión (homilía) nuestras propias oraciones por la ayuda de Dios. La oración dura unos 30 minutos.

Y vamos a seguir cada sábado/domingo mientras Our Lady of Lourdes Church esta cerrada. Habrán lecturas y oraciones en ingles + español. Todos son bienvenidos. (See Page 5 to participate.)

Consulte LOURDESWESTORANGE.ORG para obtener mas información sobre como orar con nosotros. No lo dudes ponerse en contacto conmigo si tiene alguna pregunta.

Ascension Day is the 40th day of Easter. It occurs 39 days after Easter Sunday. It is a Christian holiday that commemorates Jesus Christ's ascension into heaven, according to Christian belief.

Ascension Day is one of the earliest Christian festivals, dating back to the year 68. According to the New Testament in the Bible, Jesus Christ met several times with his disciples during the 40 days after his resurrection to instruct them on how to carry out his teachings. It is believed that on the 40th day he took them to the Mount of Olives, where they watched as he ascended to heaven.

Ascension Day marks the end of the Easter season and occurs ten days before Pentecost. Depending upon the phases of the Moon in a particular year, Ascension Day is celebrated on a Thursday. However, some churches, particularly in the United States, celebrate it on the following Sunday.

Ascension Day celebrations include processions symbolizing Christ’s entry into heaven and, in some countries, chasing a “devil” through the streets and dunking it in a pond or burning it in effigy – symbolic of the Messiah’s triumph over the devil when he opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

In England, eggs laid on Ascension Day are said to never go bad and will guarantee good luck for a house-hold if placed in the roof. In Devon, it was an ancient belief that the clouds always formed into the familiar Christian image of a lamb on Ascension Day. If the weather is sunny on Ascension Day, the summer will be long and hot. If it rains on the day, crops will do badly and livestock will suffer from disease. According to Welsh superstition, it is unlucky to do any work on Ascension Day.

In Portugal, Ascension Day is associated with wishes for peace and prosperity. Traditionally, in rural commu-nities, people make bouquets from olive branches and sheaves of wheat with poppies and daisies. The olive and wheat are symbolic of abundant harvest; the poppy stands for peace and the daisy for money. Wheat is kept in the house throughout the coming year as a symbol of prosperity.

(Excerpts from “timeanddate.com”)

OUR LADY OF LOURDES CHURCH - MAY 17, 2020

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SectSect. 1-a ► Rosary + Divine Mercy Thursday 1:00 pm Est. 45 minutes

Sect. 1-b ► Eucharistic Adoration (Month of May) Friday 6:30 – 7:30 pm Sect. 1-c ► “Saturday Afternoon” + “Sunday Morning” Prayer Est. 30 minutes

Saturday, 4:30 pm, “Afternoon prayer” and/ or

Sunday, 8:30 am, “Morning prayer”

Sect. 1-d ► Town Hall Meeting Monday 6:30 pm

At this virtual/parish “Town Hall”, we share needs, information, prayer.

Video of Lourdes West Orange Sunday Mass, posted Saturday 5 pm on website

Section 2. Online Prayer via “TV” or “internet”

Section 3. How to help charitably FOOD PANTRY GIFTS/Needed Items O.L. Lourdes accepts donations which will be given to Holy Trinity Episcopal Church (“Christine’s Kitchen”) ● Ramen noodles ● Peanut Butter ● Spaghetti Sauce ● 48 ounce juice bottles ● Progresso

Chicken Soup ● Instant Oatmeal ● Snacks in individual bags as “snack packs”: cookies, crackers, potato

chips, pretzels ● Cleaning supplies ● “Gift Cards” also accepted. We suggest $25 or $50 Shop Rite Gift Cards, but accept any amount! Please call # above for drop-off.

TV channels

EWTN, FIOS Ch. 285 / Optimum “135” / Comcast “1668” / Direct TV “370”

C.F.N. Catholic Faith Network, FIOS Ch. 296 / Optimum “137”

Internet online

LOURDESWESTORANGE.ORG, “Find us on Facebook”

REDHAWKCATHOLIC.COM (Father Jim Chern @ Montclair State Univ.)

RCAN.ORG, EWTN.COM, RELEVANTRADIO.COM

Section 1. Connect to us spiritually, via these ZOOM video & telephone events:

“Zoom Website Link” will be emailed to you, as “invitation / access”.

Zoom has a voice/telephone option for those without computer or video. Please give phone number + meeting i.d. + password, to friends/neighbors without computer.

Please email FERRYJAM2@AOL.COM or call 973.325.0110 for “invitation/access”.

(v.30)

Date: May 10, 2020

From: Father Jim Ferry ferryjam2@aol.com

Coronavirus-COVID-19 Update for

Our Lady of Lourdes Church

One Eagle Rock Avenue, West Orange, NJ 07052

973.325.0110 LOURDESWESTORANGE.ORG