October 1, 2023 – The Pastor’s Column Dear Parishioners of Our Lady of Mercy, Greetings in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ! We have so much to be thankful for. This past Sunday’s Gala Dinner for Our Lady of Mercy’s 60th Anniversary was a great success! There were close to 280 parishioners and friends who attended the event at the Hudson House on Chapel Avenue in Jersey City. Everyone came in formal attire. It was such a lovely sight to behold people enjoying their conversations and dancing. Besides OLM parishioners and friends, the guests included: Bishop Gregory Studerus, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark; Sister Donna Ciangio, Chancellor of the Archdiocese; Msgr. Joseph Masiello and Father Jack Cryan, who previously served here as pastors; my brother priests who had been assigned to OLM; and some priest friends. In addition, the guests included ex-Governor James McGreevey, several members of the Serra Club, and Meg, Jeff, and staff of the Greenville Memorial Home. In the name of the parish pastoral staff, I thank all of you. The Gala started with Chit de la Rama, President of the Parish Pastoral Council. reading the history of our parish. In between dancing, there was a formal welcome and acknowledgement of those in attendance and a surprise presentation of awards to some individuals to acknowledge their service to OLM. Their photo appears on the front page of this bulletin. In the name of the parish pastoral staff, I thank Ate Chit de la Rama together with the members of the Parish Pastoral Council, the Finance Council, the Trustees, and members of our different parish ministries for their team effort that made this event possible and successful. Kudos to all of you! The staff and I thank Shilo and Melissa, Tiffany along with Liam and Krystelle for lending us their singing talent for the event. Thank you, Father Ricky Manalo for your gift to OLM, the hymn “Holy Mary Revealing Your Son” and for accompanying us in singing it. Thank you, ushers and usherettes for welcoming our guests. I cannot thank you all enough. May God who sees everything, even what is done secretly, bless you and your loved ones in return. Future events at OLM include the Living Rosary on Friday, October 6, at 7 pm and the blessing of animals in honor of Saint Francis on Saturday, October 7, at 9am. Please make an extra effort to attend. There are other upcoming events that are announced on the next pages. God bless you all! Love, Father Marty October 1, 2023 Men’s Breakfast at Our Lady of Mercy, Jersey City We are inviting all the men parishioners to come join us for OLM Men’s Breakfast on Saturday, October 14, 2023 from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM at the Maria Room. Theme: Answering the Call in All Seasons of Life Speaker: Deacon Michael Giuliano, MD Deacon Michael Giuliano, MD is a husband, father, grandfather. He has worked as a clinical neonatologist for 35 years now. Most recently, he has been the director of the NICU at Hackensack from 2005 to 2019. His other professional passion is teaching. He has worked as a medical educator in parallel with his clinical practice. His journey to the Deaconate has been a bit long starting with an initial invitation from his Pastor back in 2003. After a Cursillo weekend in 2007 and a pilgrim trip to the Holy Land in 2011, he finally said yes to the invitation. Deacon Michael studied at Seton Hall from 2012 to 2016 and was ordained on June 4, 2016. He has been blessed to serve his home parish, Our Lady of Mount Carmel since that time. His other primary mission is working with the Sisters of Life. Please RSVP by Sunday, October 8, to reserve your spot. Breakfast will be served. Register here. Flu Shots at OLM, October 8, 2023 Our Lady of Mercy Parish Wellness Ministry is hosting a Flu Shot Clinic on Sunday, October 8, from 9 am to 2 pm in the Maria Room presented by Walgreens. While walk-ins are welcome, we encourage you to register in advance using the sign-up form available in the back of the church to help us provide an estimate number of vaccines needed. These are on a first-come basis. Those 65+ are recommended for the high-dose flu vaccine so please note if you are over the age of 65. Encourage your friends and family to get their flu shot to protect them during the coming months. Click here for the Online Sign-Up Form. Sharing The Good News of The Gospel Last Sunday, September 17, was Catechetical Sunday. We are grateful to our Faith Formation teachers who plant and nurture the seeds of the Catholic faith in the children of our parish. Our catechists pictured here are : Jayvee Dacasin, Mike & Marj Catuncan, Annjo Balbutin, Geny & Dario Montecastro, Vena Cheng, Alyssa Bacay, Jackie Deleon, and Sandra Valanzola. Included in the photo are Fr. Marty, our Pastor, and Jeng Villa, our Faith Formation Director. (Previous Week)