MASS SCHEDULE

Saturday: 7:00 & 8:00 AM 6:00 PM (Vigil Mass) Sunday: 7:30 & 9:30 AM English 11:00 AM Italian 12:30 PM English (Family Mass) 7:00 PM Portuguese Holy Days: 6:30, 8:00, 10:00 AM & 7:30 PM Weekdays: 7:00 & 8:00 AM Other Services & Activities: Monday to Saturday: 7:40 AM Morning Prayer Tuesdays: 9:00 AM Legion of Mary 7:30 PM St. Padre Pio Group (Feb 24) 7:30 PM H.R.S.—Church Hall (Feb 24) 8:00 PM Holy Rosary in Portuguese Wednesdays: 7:30 PM Holy Rosary in Italian Thursdays: 2:00 PM Bible Study in Italian 6:15 to 7:15 PM Holy Hour for Vocations (Feb 26, March 12, 19 & 26) 7:30 PM Bible Study in English 7:30 PM V.A.U.S. 8:30PM Rosary by Brazilian Men (Mar 12) Fridays: 8:30 PM Brazilian Prayer Group 1st Fridays: 5:30 to 8:30 PM Bl. Sacrament Adoration (March 6)

Served by the Vocationist Fathers Fr. Stephen Ehiahuruike, S.D.V., Pastor Fr. Louis Caputo, S.D.V., Parochial Vicar Fr. Christogonus (Chris) Iwunze, S.D.V., Parochial Vicar Church & Rectory 442 E Brinkerhoff Ave Palisades Park, NJ 07650 Tel. 201-944-1154 Fax. 201-944-9510 Email. stnicholas07650@live.com Website. www.stnicholasrcchurch.org Office Hours Mon, Wed, Thu & Fri 11:30 AM - 6:00 PM Tuesdays 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Mornings by appointment only)

ADMINISTRATION OF THE SACRAMENTS Baptisms: On any available Sunday during the 11:00 AM (Italian), 12:30 PM (English) & 7:00 PM (Portuguese) Masses. Please, contact the rectory at least one month prior to desired date. Confessions: Saturdays 5:00 to 5:45 PM, or during the week by appointment. Marriages: Please contact the rectory at least six months prior to desired wedding date. Sacrament of the Sick: If you are hospitalized or un-able to come to Church for health reasons and would like to be visited by a priest for Confession, Commun-ion, or Anointing of the Sick, please call the rectory. Religious Education Program (CCD): For children 1st to 8th grades who are not attending Catholic School. Classes are held on Sundays from September to May at 11:30 AM, with attendance to the 12:30 PM Family Mass. Confirmation: Teens will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation on 8th grade. They will attend classes at 11:30 AM from September to December; and from January to April classes will start at 11:00 AM in the church hall, with attendance to the 12:30 PM Family Mass.

ST. NICHOLAS RC CHURCH

1st Sunday of Lent February 22, 2015

I will set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth (Genesis 9:8-15).

ST NICHOLAS RC CHURCH Parish Trustee: Giovanni Simone & Michael Massaro Parish Secretary: Débora Moreira Music Ministry: Addie Luers, Giovanni & Karen Simone, and Kelly Oliveira Vocationist Sisters Community Sr. Benedita Carvalho, S.D.V., Superior & Pre-K Director; Sr. Antonietta Cioce, S.D.V., Sr. Meltiana Ding, S.D.V. and Sr. Sali Antony, S.D.V. 223 14th Street - Palisades Park, NJ Tel. 201-947-2413 Parish Pre-K “Fr. Justin Learning Center” Tel. 201-944-1376 NOTRE DAME ACADEMY 312 First St—Palisades Park, NJ 201-947-5262 Principal: Mark Valvano

MASS INTENTIONS SATURDAY, February 21 7:00AM Pasqualina Orsini by M/M Carmine Magnone 8:00AM Gaudenzia Suttora by sister Maria 6:00PM Vincent Luciano Sr. by Blanche & Tony DiBona

SUNDAY, February 22 7:30AM Fr. Thaddeus Aririele, SDV by Vocationist Fathers 9:30AM Agustino Morin by wife Maria 11:00AM Mauro Allegretta by wife Carmela 12:30PM Pasqualina Orsini by M/M Salvatore Molinaro 7:00PM People of the Parish

MONDAY, February 23 7:00AM Mario Lisica by Jackie Picinic 8:00AM Dominick Mirkovich by Antonia Mattessich

TUESDAY, February 24 7:00AM Antonia Piccinich by sister Anna 8:00AM Mateo Scrivanich by sister Regina

WEDNESDAY, February 25 7:00AM Mario Lisica by mother Regina 8:00AM Giuseppe Martino by M/M Gianni Gramuglia

THURSDAY, February 26 7:00AM In honor of St. Lazarus by Eduardo Lorenzo 8:00AM Genaro & Giuseppina Pate by granddaughter Giovanna

FRIDAY, February 27 7:00AM Maria Tarabokia by M/M Bozo Picinic 8:00AM Robert Hroncich by parents

SATURDAY, February 28 7:00AM Matteo Piccini by wife Maria 8:00AM Frank Silva by Pappalardo family 6:00PM Vincenzo Parisi by Karen & Ricardo Osso

SUNDAY, March 1 7:30AM John Pappalardo by family 9:30AM deceased members of Holy Rosary Society 11:00AM Giuseppe Arfuso by M/M Giuseppe Panuccio 12:30PM Rosaria Caratozzolo by son 7:00PM People of the Parish

STATIONS OF THE CROSS - Every Friday at 7:30 PM in church during Lent. We invite all to participate.

HOLY ROSARY SOCIETY will meet this Tuesday, February 24 at 7:30 PM in the church hall.

ST. PADRE PIO GROUP will meet this Tuesday, February 24 at 7:30 PM with Mass in Church.

DAY OF RECOLLECTION & CONFESSION FOR CONFIRMATION CLASS—All teens receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation this year will go for a day of retreat at the ARCHDIOCESAN YOUTH CENTER in Kearny, this Saturday, February 28 from 9:00 to 4:30 PM.

ST. JOSEPH’S TABLES - “Poor Man’s Dinner” in honor of St. Joseph will be on Saturday, March 14 at 7:00 PM. On Sunday, March 15 we will have the St. Joseph’s Tables with sale of ZEPPOLE, homemade breads, cakes and Italian goods from 8:00AM to 2:00 PM. On Thursday, March 19, Feast of St. Joseph, we will celebrate mass at 7:30 PM followed by coffee and cake in the Church Hall. Tickets for the “Poor Man’s Dinner” are $25.00 (6-12 years old—$10) - on sale at the rectory’s office.

LENTEN PARISH RETREAT—“Pursuing Nonviolence with Jesus in Our Lives” - with presenter: Mary Jane Ricci, MSN, RN, BC, Adjunct Faculty Coordinator, Assistant Clinical Professor of DREXEL UNIVERSITY. It’s open to all. You won’t want to miss it! Please save the date: Saturday, March 28 from 10:30 AM to 3:00 PM.

SPRING AUCTION 2015 will be held on Saturday, May 23 from 7:00 to 11:00 PM in Church Hall. We are collecting any items to be auctioned: gifts, toys, games, electronics, kitchen appliances,

News of the Parish

Holy Hour for Vocations Every Thursday from 6:15 to 7:15 PM in church

~ Except on eve of first Fridays ~

In Memory ALTAR CANDLES

donated this week in memory of Vincent Luciano Sr.

by Gina Louise DiBona

Shoprite Cards are available after each Sunday Mass or during the week at the office. Our church will get 5% of what you spend.

Ministers’ Schedule for March 1

6:00 PM: Lector - Carmela B. E.M. - Claudia 7:30 AM: Lectors - Michael and Linda E.M. - Sr. Sali and Sr. Bene 9:30 AM: Lectors - Gina E.M. - Suzanne and Carol 11:00 AM: Lectors - Lucia E.M. - Frank and Italia 12:30 PM : Lector - Youth E.M. - Rita, Wendy and Roberto 7:00 PM Lectors - Marcia, Leny and Viviane E.M. - Cida / Leo

Page 3 February 22, 2015

1st SUNDAY OF LENT

THE MEANING

OF OUR BAPTISM

Lent is the time of year that we devote to scrutinizing our lives in the light of our baptism into the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Today's readings are a nice shorthand catechism of what our baptized lives mean. As Noah passed through the waters of the flood to a covenant with God, so did we enter into a covenant, a promised relationship with God through our baptism. The psalm reminds us that if we truly keep the covenant, the way of life God expects us to follow will not be a burden, but a source of love and truth. Peter's letter gives one explanation of what our baptism means: it is an appeal that we make to God for a clear conscience. How do we obtain this clear conscience? The words that Jesus proclaims immediately following his temptation show us the way: "Repent and believe in the gospel." It might be a good spiritual exercise to keep these readings before us throughout the entire season of Lent, a means to help us return to a life lived in our baptismal promises. Copyright (c) J. S. Paluch Co.

TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION

Fasting may be a priority in your Lenten spring-cleaning regimen. Almost every religious tradition recognizes that fasting is a key to heightened spiritual awareness. You know this from your own experience. When you are engaged in a hobby, painting a room, keeping vigil near a delivery room, or standing watch at a sickbed, you may simply forget to eat. What you are doing so fills you that the intensity of the action is itself nourishing. In fasting from food, or drink, or habitual behaviors, you make room for what is truly important. Even though Lenten Sundays stand apart from the Lenten fast, you will notice traces of fasting in our liturgy. We fast from singing the Gloria and Alleluia, we fast from flowers bedecking the altar, and there may be a noticeable drop in the number of infant baptisms as parents elect to wait until Easter. This hints that fasting is a prelude to feasting, and the vigor of our Easter alleluias is rich fare after a long silence. In the same way, even a small fast--no cream in the coffee, no pepper in the soup, no radio in the car--can not only point to deeper hungers, but help us rejoice more fully in the feast when we break our fast together. --Rev. James Field, Copyright (c) J. S. Paluch Co.

Pastoral Care Holy Communion was brought last week to: Valentine Miele, Alexander Mauro, Sheila Hutchinson, Arthur and Amelia Mazzarella, and Gloria Pezzolla.

Pray for our sick: Mateus Ribeiro, Domenica Dinaro, Pete Giannantonio, Anne Ring, Lorenzo Cafasso, Josephine Dolberry, Eileen Murphy, Mercedes Schindler and Angela Tina.

Pray for our deceased: Michael Murtagh

Tuesday, February 24 9:00 AM - Legion of Mary in the Blessed Mother’s room 7:30 PM - Holy Rosary Society meeting in church hall 7:30 PM - St. Padre Pio Group meeting with Mass in Church 8:00 PM - Holy Rosary in the Brazilian families Wednesday, February 25 7:30 PM - Holy Rosary in Italian at Bl. Mother’s room Thursday, February 26 2:00 PM - Bible study in Italian at Bl. Mother’s room 6:15 to 7:15 PM - Holy Hour for vocations in church 7:30 PM - Bible study in English in the Bl. Mother’s room Friday, February 27 8:30 PM - Brazilian prayer meeting in church hall Saturday, February 28 9:00 to 4:30 PM - Confirmation Retreat in Kearny, NJ

Events of the Week

STEWARDSHIP OF TREASURE

For collection amount please see bulletin paper edition This weekend second collection will be

UTILITY & ENERGY COSTS

STEWARDSHIP OF TIME AND TALENT

We are grateful to the children Ashley Gomes, Dylan and Kyle Katjomuise,

Thomas Porco, Marco Rinaldi and Anthony Surace who accepted the invitation to become Altar Servers. Their installation will be

this Sunday during the 12:30 PM Mass.

Vocationist Corner

Grant me that I may react to any form of evil with

every offensive and defensive weapon, with all

human and divine reasoning, with natural and

supernatural means; grant that I may lead and involve all the brethren

in this fight which is so worthy of You, my God.

O my God and my All…

Blessed Fr. Justin Russolillo, SDV, Spirit of Prayer, page 94 For information about the Vocationist Fathers and Sisters please call 973-966-6262 or visit their website at www.vocationist.org

50th Anniversary Dinner Dance & Journal

We are reaching a very important milestone—50 years of St. Nicholas Parish’s

largest fundraiser event.

SAVE THIS DATE: Friday, October 23rd, 2015

at The Palisadium in Cliffside Park, NJ

ATTENTION: Please be aware that in case of heavy snow and ice on the ground, the 7:00 AM week-day Mass will be canceled. You may attend the 8:00 AM Mass. If in doubt, call the rectory at 201-944-1154 before leaving your house.

BIBLE STUDY IN ENGLISH

If you are interested in attending a Bible Study Group to learn more about your faith, please come and join us. The classes are held every Thursday from 7:30 to 8:30 PM in the Bl. Mother’s room (office) — For more information please contact the rectory’s office at 201-944-1154 or by email: stnicholas07650@live.com

LENTEN PARISH RETREAT Saturday, March 28

10:30 AM to 3:00 PM “Pursuing nonviolence

with JESUS in our families & daily lives”

- OPEN TO ALL - Lunch included . Babysitting available

Don’t miss it!

Presenter: Mary Jane Ricci, MSN, RN, BC Adjunct Faculty Coordinator Assistant Clinical Professor

DREXEL UNIVERSITY

ST. JOSEPH’S TABLES

Poor Man’s Dinner Saturday, March 14

at 7:00 PM TICKETS : $ 25.00

(6 to 12 years old—$10) on sale through Maria Luvera

or at the rectory office

St. Joseph’s Table Sunday, March 15 from 8:00 to 2:00 PM

Sale of Zeppole and Italian goods

Feast of St. Joseph Thursday, March 19 at 7:30 PM

Holy Mass, followed by coffee & cake 2015 WEDDING ANNIVERSARY MASSES at the Cathedral Basilica of Sacred Heart in Newark for couples celebrating their 50th Anniversaries the mass

will be on Sunday, April 19 at 3:00 PM, and those celebrating 25th and 5th Anniversaries

it will be on Sunday, May 3 at 3:00 PM.

Please come to the rectory office for registration ~ Deadline is April 8 ~

CASINO NIGHT 2015 NOTRE DAME ACADEMY

presents its 6th Annual Casino Night at Fiesta Restaurant in Wood-Ridge, NJ on Saturday,

March 21 at 6:30 PM. Dinner, wine and beer $75.00

per person. Call for tickets at 201-947-5262

STATIONS OF THE CROSS Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving

help us prepare for Easter Come and pray, meditating on the suffer-ing of Jesus on the cross for our salvation

Every Friday during Lent at 7:30 PM in church followed by 5 minutes reflection by a priest

Lent is the penitential season of approximately 40 days set aside by the Church in order for the faithful to prepare for the celebration of the Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection.

Ash Wednesday is the clarion call to “Repent and believe the gospel” (Mk 1:15). For the next forty days, the faithful willingly submit to fasting and self-denial in imitation of Our Lord’s forty-day fast in the desert. It is in these dark and still nights, these desert-times, that the soul experiences its greatest growth. There, in the inner arena, the soul battles the world, the flesh and the devil just as Our Lord battled Satan's triple temptation in the desert. His battle was external, for Jesus could not sin; our bat-tle is interior, but with a hope sustained by the knowledge of Christ’s Easter victory over sin and death.

His victory is our renewal, our “spring” — which is the meaning of the Anglo-Saxon word, “lengten” or Lent. In this penitential season we have the opportunity to make an annual spiritual “tune-up”, a 40-day retreat with Our Lord. Have we allowed worldly cares and the “daily drama” to obscure our call to holiness? Have self-love and materi-alism eroded our relationship with God? Then let us renew our efforts, and through our Lenten observance, discipline the body and master it as we “follow in the footsteps of the poor and crucified Christ” (St. Francis of Assisi).

LENTEN SEASON

Lent presents us with the opportunity to meet Jesus in the desert of our heart. A heart we wish to be a witness to both our union and desire for God. We will hear, as we begin Lent once again, the story of Jesus fasting in the desert. Fasting is always a part of Lent. Following are some of good reasons to fast.

Fasting is the fourth precept of the Church . Fasting expands compassion. . Fasting is a way of preparing to meet a major challenge. A Positive Response to Materialism . Fasting can help you move from a negative to a positive spiritual outlook. . Fasting is encouraged by the spiritual giants of the faith. . Fasting benefits others. . Fasting creates more time for additional spiritual disciplines. . Fasting is good for the soul. . Fasting is a reminder that we do not live on bread alone. Good for Self-discipline . Fasting is a positive responsive against materialism. . Fasting creates more physical and mental energy. . Fasting strengthens virtues and weakens vices. . Fasting is good for self-discipline. . Fasting improves physical health. . Fasting can enlighten others. . Fasting is a way of following the example of Christ and the Apostles.

ARCHDIOCESE OF NEWARK 2015 LENTEN REGULATIONS 1. The days of both Fast and Abstinence during Lent are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. If pos-sible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the East Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the “paschal fast” to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily His Res-urrection. The other Fridays of Lent are days of Abstinence. On a day of Fast, only one (1) full meal is permit-ted, and two (2) smaller meals, which, if added together, would not exceed the main meal in quantity. Those between the ages of 18 and 59 are not ob-ligated to fast. On the day of Abstinence, no meat may be eaten. Those who have reached the age of 14 are obli-gated by the law of abstinence. 2. The obligation to observe the laws of Fast and Abstinence “substantially”, or as a whole, is a se-rious obligation. 3. The Fridays of the year, outside of Lent, are designated as days of penance, but each individ-ual may substitute for the traditional abstinence from meat some other practice of voluntary self-denial as penance. 4. The time for fulfillment the Paschal Precept (Easter Duty*) extends from the First Sunday of Lent, February 22, 2015 to the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, May 31, 2015. * Canon 920, 1. All the faithful, after they have been initiated into the Most Holy Eucharist, are bound by the obligation of receiving Communion at least once a year.