śp. Loretta Offman, passed away on March 24th. She was a dedicated member of our parish beginning in Paterson before our parish moved to Woodland Park. She was a member of Moniuszko Choir and treasurer of the Daughters of Holy Cross for many years.
A funeral Holy Mass was celebrated on Wednesday June 13th. Loretta was buried alongside her mother, Josefa Offman at St. Nicholas Cemetery, 2 Terrace, Ave, Lodi, NJ. May she rest in peace.
Ś+P Loretta Offman Read More »
To the Very Reverend, Reverend Fathers and the Reverend Messrs., and my dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus our Lord:
¡Viva el mes de junio! That’s Spanish for “Long live June,” “Hurray for June.” Hurray, indeed! And welcome to the month of vocations in the Polish National Catholic Church: June is Sacred Vocations month for us. June is the month we focus on our great need for priests, and on the need for significant donations throughout the PNCC to be made to the Clergy Pension Plan.
Our need of priests is dire and critical, but I am nonetheless hopeful and optimistic. Even though no Polish National Catholic families have sacrificed even one of their men, young or old, to our altars in the past twelve years, (and it doesn’t look like any family will in the near future), I remain optimistic. Even though our seminary has been empty for that period of time, except for the occasional priest from another Church orienting himself there to work as a priest in the PNCC, I have good reason to hope because I have experienced God’s providence. Our parish in Denver was declining but was pulled back from the brink of closure by an Hispanic priest from Mexico and 90 people of Mexican heritage who now comprise the great majority of that parish. St Francis, Denver, is growing, and is enthusiastically PNCC, and is flying 18 young people and 6 adults to Convo 2018 here next month.
Because Father Alfonso Castillo needs pastoral help there, I enthusiastically agreed to review applications from priest friends of his in Mexico to provide assistance to him, and subsequently serve our American parishes desperate for priests. In our Diocese, two priests, in fine parishes, are retiring next year. I have no one to fill them. A priest in our Diocese is on three parishes in Jersey. Three priests are on two parishes each. And there are ailing and aging priests all over the place! And yet I am hopeful. So I say, ¡Viva México!
With the increase in aging clergy comes the need for our Clergy Pension Plan to support them all. We collect for this vital entitlement throughout the year and especially in the month of June. We need more capital to invest, the interest from which the pension payments are made. From age 70, a PNCC priest can look forward to a monthly check in the amount of $600; and his widow, a check in the amount of $300. Please be generous in this drive. And so I say, in my optimism, ¡Viva el Plan de Pensión del Clero! (Hurray for our Clergy Pension plan!)
I believe God is showing us a potential direction for the future of our Church; and that pathway seems to be presenting itself from south of the border. For the Methodist Church, that pathway is from South Korea, and for the Roman Catholic Church, from India among other sources. In light of all of this, Bishop Hodur has indeed blessed us with a most optimistic motto for our Church when he penned: A través de la Verdad, el Trabajo y las Dificultades ¡Venceremos!
Yours in Christ,
Bishop Bernard
To read the original version as a PDF file.
Bishop Bernard’s Pastoral Letter on Vocations Read More »
We are excited to announce and invite you to a Movie Might sponsored by the Woodland Park Municipal Alliance Against Alcoholism & Drug Abuse.
Parents and children in grades K to 4 are invited to attend this Movie Night on Sunday, April 8th starting at 6:30 p.m.
Come in your pajamas, and enjoy free pizza, fresh popcorn and drinks! Registration is required by April 6 by visiting our website. There, you can vote on which movie we will be watching: ‘Coco,’ ‘Ferdinand’ or ‘Despicable Me 3’!
Find out the winning movie on April 6 on our Facebook page
This event and all refreshments, sponsored by Municipal Alliance are free of charge.
We are looking forward to seeing the children and parents from our community.
Christine and Paul Murphy – members of Municipal Alliance
Fr. Joseph and Staff Members of Holy Cross
Movie Night on April 8th Read More »
March 29th – Holy Thursday
7:30 PM – Liturgy of the Lord’s Supper.
Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament until 9:00 pm
March 30th – Good Friday
3:00 PM – Stations of the Cross with children and youth participation
4:15 PM – Liturgy of Good Friday/ Adoration until 7:00pm
April 31st – Holy Saturday
4:00 PM – Blessing of Easter Baskets
6:00 PM – Easter Vigil Liturgy
After Holy Mass – Blessing of Easter Baskets
April 1st – Resurrection Of The Lord – Easter Sunday
9:00 AM Easter Procession, Holy Mass of Resurrection
11:00 AM – Holy Mass of Resurrection
Christ is risen!
He is Risen indeed!
Fr. Joseph, family, and our Parish Committee
Holy Week and Easter 2018 Read More »
We invite you for our St. Valentine’s Luncheon on Sunday, February 11th after 11am Holy Mass. Requested donation is $10 for adults; children of our Sunday School and under 12 free of charge.
The menu includes: Chicken, Stuffed Cabbage, Pasta, Rice, Vegetables, Desserts. Drawings will be held for a Basket of Cheer and 50/50!
St. Valentine’s Luncheon Read More »
The first meeting of Woodland Park Clergy Association (since 2003) took place on Tuesday Nov. 21st hosted by Fr. Joseph at our parish. The next Meeting will be held on Wednesday January 17th at St. Ann’s Church. As Christians we respect our differences and together pray for the spread of Jesus’ teaching and the growth of God’s Kingdom on earth.
Woodland Park Clergy Association Re-Gathers Read More »
Dear friends, would you please join other parishioners praying daily especially at 12 Noon forming together A Prayer Chain in our parish. Please pray for each other, especially for our parishioners who are sick, home-bound and are in need of any kind of support and healing. God is listening to our prayers when we sincerely call for His blessing. Please ask God to increase our faith, dedication and zeal in His service. May our parish grow in faith and number so that we continue be the place of worship where many people will accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
We pray for the deceased victims of tragedies caused by violence of individuals especially for the recent deceased in New York and Texas, for the recovery of the injured and their families and friends in this heartbreaking time.
We pray for the victims of recent natural disasters. For those who lost their lives, their families and those who are missing. For those who lost their homes, businesses, and source of income. We ask God to be the source of strength in this time of sudden crisis, and chaos. Please say special prayers for the peace in the world to end any war and protect us from hatred and future terror. We also pray for the proper gun control in our nation.
Parish Prayer Chain Read More »
Dear friends, would you please join other parishioners praying daily especially at 12 Noon forming together A PRAYER CHAIN in our parish. Please pray for each other, especially for our parishioners who are sick, home-bound and are in need of any kind of support and healing. God is listening to our prayers when we sincerely call for his blessing. Also, please ask God to increase our faith, dedication and zeal in His service. May the Holy Cross parish grow in faith and number so that we would become the place of worship where many Christians will accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Special prayers for the peace in the world to end any war and protect us from hatred and future terror. In this time of devastation caused by the Hurricane Harvey and approaching Hurricane Irma, please pray for people’s safety and ask God to avert the storm.
