All men of the parish are invited to join us on Saturday, February 11 for the next meeting of our Men’s Group. This is a group of brothers who meet once a month to learn from one another how their faith can enrich every part of their lives. It’s a great group of guys and we always have an interesting and inspiring conversation. We will gather in the parish center at 7:30 A.M.- yes, that’s right! We chose that time so that you would have the rest of the day to do what you need to do. Please join us and bring a friend- there’s no commitment by attending but we do hope you will be part of this community of faith. Come and spend some time with other men of faith.
All the members of the parish are invited to a morning of prayer, reflection and sharing on Wed. February 15 from 9:45- 10:45 A.M. in the parish center. We will be guided through an experience of Lectio Divina, a method of praying with scripture. This method involves reading a scripture passage four times with pauses for personal reflection and prayer after each reading. Please join us and bring along a friend. If you have any questions, please contact Sr. Elizabeth Anne at 845-255-7462 or [email protected]
Our Knights of Columbus Council #5800 will be hosting a Father and Daughter Dance in our church hall on Friday, February 17 from 6:30-9:30 P.M. This wonderful event is for all ages and there is no cost to attend. Casual/semi-formal attire is requested. Please RSVP by January 31 at [email protected] or 845-597-8516.
The season of Lent begins on Wednesday, February 22. Lent is a time to step back and to see how we can better reflect a spirit of prayer, penance (conversion) and charity throughout our lives. There is a booklet on the tables in the church listing the services and faith formation opportunities that will be offered throughout the season, as well as guidelines for fasting and abstinence. Please pass this information on to people you know, including those who have no access to a computer. We want as many people as possible to celebrate this holy season with us! On Ash Wednesday, we will distribute ashes within the 9:00 A.M. and 7:00 P.M. Masses, and the 12:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. Services of the Word.
Stories have the power to bring people together. We learn to value each other as unique individuals when we share stories that come from the heart. On Sunday, February 26 at 2:00 P.M. in the church there will be a storytelling concert called “Peace and Hope: Tales for Our Times – A Story Concert. Storytellers Lorraine Hartin-Gelardi and Karen Pillsworth will share traditional tales and personal stories to uplift the spirit, touch the heart and tickle the funny bone. Refreshments will be served. Please note that the story concert is geared toward teens and adults.
One of our fellow parishioners, Sara Vinciguerra, will be offering a Lenten Journaling Workshop on Wednesdays At 7:00 P.M. in the conference room of the parish center, beginning March 1 and running through April 5. In this workshop, we will write about our Lenten journeys by using prompts that will bring us closer to our personal intentions and reflections on various themes that relate to the Lenten season and our overall experience of faith. Please join us for an opportunity of faith sharing and support as we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us closer to Christ through writing. If you would like to participate, you would need to sign up, and you can do so by contacting the parish office at 845-255-5635 or [email protected], or you can send an email to Sara at [email protected] The deadline for sign-ups is Friday, February 24.
Our Spring Gala will take place on Friday evening, April 28 at Novella’s and will be a semi-formal dinner dance. This has been a very important fundraiser for us and is of course also a way for us to strengthen our parish community. More details to come soon, but please mark this date on your calendar and join us! And there also will be “special raffles” and the raffle tickets for those will be available beginning in late March. The “special raffles” this time will be an overnight stay at Mohonk Mountain House; collection of gift certificates from local restaurants; and an Italian dinner for up to 20 people prepared by Fr. Salvatore. And we’ll see if anything else comes up!