November 12, 2023 – From the Pastor Dear Parishioners of Our Lady of Mercy, Greetings in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ! I hope you are doing well. There may be some of you who are struggling with challenges in your life. Whatever those challenges may be, I still hope that at the end of the day, all of us are grateful to God for what we have, especially the gift of life. As this liturgical year draws near to its conclusion, Sunday’s Gospel reading points to the end times that Jesus describes as a heavenly wedding banquet. Jesus speaks about ten virgins who are awaiting the arrival of the bridegroom. He urges us to be vigilant for that day when he himself will return in glory to welcome those who are prepared to enter that heavenly banquet. Let us not be like the foolish virgins who doubt Jesus’ revelation. Rather, let us pursue wisdom and keep vigil for the Lord’s return. We have been given the task to store up good “oil” that brings the light of gladness and joy into our world. When the Lord comes, may we not be found in the darkness holding unlighted lamps without oil. Speaking about the five wise virgins with their brightly shining lamps, last week, our Holy Name Society was a light in the darkness with its collection for a local food pantry. That food drive to alleviate hunger is one of the many ways we can be a light to others. So, in the name of the whole OLM community, I thank the members of the Holy Name Society for this worthy endeavor to help our less fortunate brothers and sisters. Many thanks also to all those who donated food or money. Here at OLM, as always, we try to bring light to all of you. So please sign up for our upcoming events that are described in this bulletin. There are quite a few of them. Thank you. God bless us all! Love, Father Marty (Previous Week) New Lectors at OLM Our Lady of Mercy would like to introduce Maria Flores and Ramon Alonso. They were installed on November 12, 2023 as our new lectors. Congratulations and thank you for serving our church community, Maria and Ramon! A Successful Food Drive Last Sunday, November 4, the final day of the OLM Holy Name Society Thanksgiving Food Drive produced two truckloads of non-perishable food items and $1,000 in monetary contributions. These donations were presented to Carol Harris to benefit the Our Lady of Sorrows Food Pantry at The Mary House here in Jersey City. Thank you to the Holy Name Society members who volunteered their time to assist in the food drive; namely, Carmine, Elsa, Gigi, Guiz, Marie, Michael, and Sandra. Thanks also to Grant and Devon of The Anasazi Chapter of Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino Fraternity, Inc. who assisted in unloading and organizing the food items at OLS. Most of all, thank you to those who donated. You helped many in need. May God bless you.