1 Lloyd Avenue ~ Florham Park, New Jersey 07932 OFFICE HOURS

The office is open Monday-Thursday from 8:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Rev. Thomas Rekiel, Administrator Rev. Krzysztof Liwarski, Parochial Vicar Rev. Frederick Walters, Pastor Emeritus Deacon Peter M. Fiore Deacon William Ward, Retired Virginia Akhoury, Pastoral Minister Dawn Sacco Paskalides, Holy Family School Principal School Secretary, Toni Fiore School Bookkeeper Tammy Zebick Director of Religious Education, Anne Giedlinski Director of Music Ministry, Randy Hertzog Parish Bookkeeper, Robyn Morris Parish Secretary, Celeste Walsh

RECTORY rectory@holyfamilyfp.org

Phone 973-377-1817 Fax 973-377-6350

www.holyfamilyfp.org

HOLY FAMILY YOUTH MINISTER rectory@holyfp.org

SCHOOL 973-377-4181

Www.holy-family-school.org

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

973-377-3101 hfreducation@gmail.com

MAINTENANCE COUNCIL Ralph Aurilia - 973-951-6508 Gene Miranda - 973-583-2469 Roger Siara - 973-822-1661

FINANCE COUNCIL Ralph Aurilia 973-951-6508 Bob Cottam 973-887-1232 *Anne Feith 973-966-1314 Peter Fiore 917-880-9601 Gene Miranda 973-583-2469 Roger Siara 973-822-1661 *Michael Prokop973-301-0678 Bob Scirocco 973-377-1387 Fred Summa 973-822-3362

*Parish Trustee

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT-DECEMBER 11 2016

Sunday Mass Schedule Saturday 5:30 pm

Sunday 7:30, 9:00, 10:30 am, 12:00, 7:30 pm

Daily Mass Schedule

Monday-Saturday, 8:15 am

Holy Day Schedule Vigil Mass, 7:30 pm

7:30, 9:00 am, 12:10, 7:30 pm

Mass Schedule

“The blessing of the Bambinelli” [Baby Jesus figu-rines] as they are called in Rome, reminds us that the crib is a school of life where we can learn the secret of true joy. This does not consist in having many things but in feeling loved by the Lord, in giving oneself as a gift for others and in loving one another. Let us look at

the crib. Our Lady and St Joseph do not seem to be a very fortunate family; their first child was born in the midst of great hardship; yet they are full of deep joy, because they love each other, they help each other and, especially, they are certain that God, who made himself present in the little Jesus, is at work in their story. And the shepherds? What did they have to rejoice about? That Newborn Infant was not to change their condition of poverty and marginalization. But faith helped them recognize the “babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger” as a “sign” of the fulfilment of God’s promises for all human beings, “with whom he is pleased” (Lk 2: 12, 14).

We invite all to bring their “Baby Jesus Figurine” to church next weekend for this special blessing at all the masses.

Bishop Serratelli will join us next Sunday,

December 18th to celebrate the 10:30 Mass and

for the “Blessing of the Bambinelli”

(Baby Jesus Figurines).

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MONDAY, December 12, 2016 Our Lady of Guadalupe 8:15 - Liber Panella - Elinor G’s Family TUESDAY, December 13, 2016 St. Lucy 8:15- Theresa Stone, 4th Anniversary - Jonathan Tagorda Birthday - Joseph Chauvette, 16th Anniversary WEDNESDAY, December 14, 2016 St. John of the Cross 8:15 - Anne Paccione, 7th Anniversary THURSDAY, December 15, 2016 Advent Weekday 8:15- Trudy Poett - Anna Prokop FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2016 Advent Weekday 8:15 - Ronald Landon, Sr. - Angelo and Catena Tosi SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2016 Late Advent Weekday 8:15 - 5:30 - Peter Brogan - Mark McCabe - Mary Ambooken SUNDAY, December 18, 2016 Fourth Sunday 7:30 - Carl Krah of Advent - Theresa Del Sordi 9:00 - Stanley Strand, 5th Anniversary - Karen Clayton - David Coovert 10:30 - Frank and Kay Powell - Thomas Hoferer - Mary Koprowski 12:00 - Patrick Pepe - Maureen LaSapio - Lawrence Brancaccio 7:30 - People of Holy Family Parish THE MARIAN CANDLE will burn in memory of The Radon and Chauvette Families.

PRAY FOR THE SICK Please pray for our parishioners, relatives and friends who are ill: Alison Walters Soderburg, Brian Connolly, Fr. Fred, Alyssa Blatt, Peggy Schneyer, John Mahoney, Kate Monteforte, John Schneyer, Stephen Matuszek, Bernie Dorn, III, Carol Padden, Ramona Baumgaertner, Theresa Veverka, Steven Reich, John Veverka, Dave Kreutzer, Mary Ann Senko, Curt Price, Ted Gleichmann, Bedley Byers, Helene Searle.

PLEASE REMEMBER IN PRAYER those serving in the armed forces: Major Timothy Renahan USA Sgt. Jared K. Nucci, USA Matthew Manzione, USA AS1 Brian Schramm, USN HT2 Thomas Dwyer ESWS, USN Master Sgt. Jennifer Sweetin USAF PFC Patrick Montuore USMC Lt. Stephen Scirocco USMC

SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM - First, second, third and fourth Sundays of each month at 1:30pm. Baptism preparation for parents first Tuesday of the month. Phone rectory for details and information. SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION - Saturdays, 4:30 to 5:15pm. HOLY FAMILY SCHOOL - An environment for growth in faith, values and knowledge. Tiny Tots (2 1/2 yrs. old) through 8th grade. For further information, please call the school office, 973-377-4181. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION - A program of religious instruction for grades 1 through 8. Confirmation preparation for high school students. For further information, call the Religious Education Office, 973-377-3101. SOCIAL MINISTRIES Ministry to the Homebound: Mary Scirocco,973-377-1387 Ministry to the Hungry: Anne Platoff, 973-822-0430 Sharon Carr, 973-568-5932 KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS - Dr. McDowell Council - For information, call Charlie Pane 862-368-8585. For Hall rentals, call Ralph Aurilia at 973-301-0297. PRO-LIFE MINISTRY - Frank and Barbara Tinari, 973-822-0084. Important Contact Information: New Jersey Right to Life (njrtl.org) 732-562-0562. CENTERING PRAYER meets at 7:30 p.m. in the O’Connell Room (convent) on Monday nights. ROSARY is prayed each day at 7:50 a.m. (before the 8:15 Mass). MIRACULOUS MEDAL NOVENA is prayed on Mondays after the 8:15 a.m. Mass. EUCHARISTIC ADORATION The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for veneration on the First Friday, after the 8:15 mass until 10:00 a.m., and every Thursday after the 8:15 mass.

MASS INTENTIONS

MASSES AROUND THE COUNTRY - To find the closest church in the U.S., or go to www.masstimes.org A televised Sunday Mass is now airing on ABC Family from 6:30 to 7 a.m. each Sunday morning. For more information, go to www.TheSundayMass.org.

FOOD PANTRY Thank you for your con-tinued generosity to our Food Pantry. We wish you a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year. (Please remember we cannot accept expired items.) Sharon Carr @973-568-5932, Anne Platoff @ 973-822- 0430.

TITHING: Last week’s collection was $12,960.00, (last year was $7,533.00). Thank you for your continued generosity.

WE WELCOME INTO OUR COMMUNITY: Leah Kathryn Raphael; Daughter of Michael and Nicole Raphael.

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December 11 K of C Breakfast with Santa Gym CYO Games December 12 HFS Pre-K Christmas Concert Church 9:30AM Centering Prayer Group 7:30pm Rectory Men’s Cornerstone 7:30pm Church Hall December 13 Prayer Shawl Ministry December 14 HFS Christmas Concert 7:00pm Church December 15 Bible Study Church Hall 9:30am Men’s Cornerstone 7:30pm Church Hall December 18 Giving Tree Gifts Due Back by 1:00 Blessing of Baby Jesus Figurine All Masses Bishop Serratelli 10:30 Mass CYO Games December 19 Bishop and Seminarian Christmas Dinner Centering Prayer Group 7:30pm Rectory December 20 Prayer Shawl Ministry December 21 Confessions 9:00 AM-10:00 PM December 22 Set up Gym for Christmas Eve Mass December 24 Christmas Eve Mass Schedule: 3:00/Church, 4:00/Gym, 4:30/Church 6:30/Church, 10:00/Church, Midnight Mass/Church December 25 Christmas Day Mass Schedule: 7:30 & 10:30 AM, 12:00 Noon December 22-30 Gym is Closed

HOLY FAMILY SCHOOL NEWS FAITH, FAMILY, ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE!

Gift Cards Come and order your gift cards before it’s too late! After December 31, 2016, we will no longer be offering the program. Stock up now and let us know which ones to order. This is an-

other great gift idea for teachers, coaches, friends, and family.

Mega Raffle Enter for your chance to win cash! Mega raffle tickets will be sold after church on De-cember 11th at the Santa breakfast. Drawings will take place once a month from January until June 2017, with

5 winners picked every month! Each booklet contains a ticket for each month (6 tickets), so you have 30 chances to win! (Those are great odds). The first drawing is on Friday, January 13th, 2017. You do not need to be present to win.

Spirit Wear Come and join the spirit and fun by wearing your Holy Family spirit wear! We have a new line of clothes which will be available to or-dersoon!

As always, if you have any questions, you can reach us via

e-mail at: hsa@holy-family-school.org

DEAR HOLY FAMILY PARISHIONERS, Please join us as we celebrate the Season of Christmas with our musical concerts! Dec. 12th @9:30 am in the Church: PreK 3&4. Dec. 14th @7:00pm in the Church: Kindergarten-8th Grade. We hope to see you there! The Faculty, Teachers and Students of Holy Family School

Holy Family Adult Choir As a result of several of our members relocating, and others about to move, we are in need of some additional choir members. We are cer-tainly in need of male voices, but our ranks are always open to any parishioner who is of high school age or older who has a love of singing - there is no audition, no questionnaire, and no lengthy list of previous musical experi-ences required. We gather for rehearsals at 7:30 on Thursday nights, and for the next two hours we laugh, we do detailed work on our anthems, and we pray. Then, on Sunday mornings, we gather at 10:00 to warm-up for the 10:30 mass. We're a caring community of singers within a larger worshiping community, and we need your voice, and your spirit, to continue our tradition of bringing vibrant choral music to the Eucharistic celebrations here at Holy Family. Please reach out to one of the choir members, or to Randy, with any other questions you may have about participating in our ministry.

THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS is an organi-zation of and for Catholic men. On Monday, De-cember 12th at 7:00 p.m., the Knights of Flor-ham Park/Madison will be holding an information-

al session at St. Vincent Martyr Parish, 26 Greene Village Road, Madison NJ. We will meet in the Library on the second floor of the Parish Center. Any men who are interested in the Knights of Columbus, our organization, our history, the work we do, are invited to attend. There will be discussion, a short film, a Q & A, light refreshments, and you will get a chance to meet some of the men of our Council. There is no commitment to join, but we do believe you will find the evening very inter-esting. You don't have to sign up to come, but we would appre-ciate your letting us know if you plan on intending to come in order that we may plan ahead. For more information or to let us know you would like to join us, please contact Jim Costello by phone at: 973-214-5886, or email at: denangle@optonline.net

Bible 101 Thursdays at 9:30am Bible 101 is facilitated by Dennis Corcoran and is a beginner’s study that focuses on the application of God’s Word to our everyday life as Chris-tians. Dennis has his master’s degree in church leadership from Boston College and has successfully brought this study to par-ishes in Bergen and Morris Counties. Each session acts on its own so you can join us any Thursday morning. We meet in the Church Hall from 9:30-11:00 am, (coffee and refreshmentst from 9:30-9:45 am. ) There is never a quiz and questions are always welcome. For information call Dennis at 908.693.5918.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES Please help support our local programs by donations of clothing, shoes and household itmes in our donation bin located in the parking lot.

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The Real Meaning Of Christmas It's that time of year again. December has come and with it all the joys of Christmas. But what is the real meaning of Christ-mas? Is it the gifts under the tree, the lights in the windows, the cards in the mail, turkey dinners with family and friends, snow in the yard, stockings hanging in the living room, and shouts of "Merry Christmas" to those who pass us in the streets? Is this really Christmas? For many people, Christmas is a time of sorrow. They don't have the extra money to buy presents for their children, fami-ly, and friends. Many are saddened at Christmastime when they think of their loved ones who will not be able to come home for various reasons. Turkey dinners may be only a wish and not a reality for some. Yet, Christmas can be a season of great joy. It is a time of God showing His great love for us. It can be a time of healing and renewed strength. You see, Christmas is when we cele-brate the birth of the Christ child. God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to be born. His birth brought great joy to the world. Shepherds, wise men, and angels all shared in the ex-citement of knowing about this great event. They knew this was no ordinary baby. The prophets had told of His coming hundreds of years before. The star stopped over Bethlehem just to mark the way for those who were looking for this spe-cial child. Luke 2: 4-19 says: "So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he be-longed to the house and line of David. He went there to regis-ter with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, be-cause there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the peo-ple. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has hap-pened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hur-ried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." Why did He come? Why did God send His son to this sometimes cruel and hard world? He sent Jesus to us so that one day, He would grow up to become a very im-portant part of history. His story (history) is one of truth, love, and hope. It brought salvation to all of us. Without Jesus, we would all die in our sins. Jesus was born so one day the price could be paid for things we have done that are wrong. The Bible says that all have sinned. We are all born with a sin nature. We do things that do not please God. Through the sins of Adam and Eve, we have all inherited that sin nature. We need to have that removed. The only way is through Jesus. Jesus came so He could die on the cross for ALL of our sins. If we believe that Jesus died for our sins, we can ask Him to come into our hearts and forgive us. Then, we are clean and made whole. We can know that heaven is a place where we can go to when this life is over. "But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong." I John 1:9 We can truly be happy at Christmas! No mat-ter what may be happening, we can know that we are His children. We then become sons and daughters of God. Heaven will be our home one day. Look at Christmas in a new way this year. This is the year to invite Jesus into your heart. You will then have a "Merry Christmas." The joy and peace you will receive will last all year as you look to God for all your needs to be met. Jesus Is The Reason For The Season! Rejoice! Martha Noebel

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Dear Holy Family Parishioners,

The Students and Staff at Holy Family School would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas! Thank you for all your prayers, love and support.

Holy Family Pre School celebrates

Thanksgiving and Advent

With Fr. Thomas

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SECOND GRADE FAMILY PROJECT Introducing the Carlucci family - Bill, Angela, Billy (10) and Gabby (7). Bill grew up in Florham Park, made his sacraments at Holy Fami-ly, and we were married here. Holy Family is important to our family, as well as to our extended family. We are happy that the traditions of

this church are being passed down to our children. We are excit-ed that Gabby will be receiving her First Holy Communion in the spring.

The Morgese family have been parishioners since 2004. Luke is a sec-ond grader at Briarwood School. Luke is an active sports-minded boy who participates in football, wrestling and baseball. He has a 10 year old brother, Jack, who is a positive influence on him in many ways, especial-ly with sports and school work. His mom, Erin, is a Physical Education teacher and coach at Butler High School. Luke’s dad, Vito, is an Assistant Principal at Wallkill Valley High School. The whole family is looking forward to the spring and Luke’s First Holy Communion.

Kaimana Smith is from a blend-ed family of five children consist-ing of Robert Marciano (21), Jalen Blake (12), Makoa Smith (10) and Khayla Blake (9). His mom, Tamatha Blake and step-dad, Paul Blake were raised in New York and hold positions in the pharmaceutical and renewable energy industries. Our family has

been parishioners of Holy Family and part of the Florham Park community since 2013. As a blended family, we enjoy spending as much time as possible together and having fun. We are look-ing forward to Kaimana’s First Holy Communion in the spring.

The Chiarella family proudly consists of Thomas, Stacey, Bailey (16) and Parvati (8). We are proud and happy to be a part of the Holy Family Florham Park Parish. We enjoy spending time together as a fam-ily and with friends. We look forward to parvati receiving her First Holy Communion in the spring.

The Devane family includes Tom, Allie, Francesca (7) and Antonia (4). We are proud to be a part of the Florham Park and Holy Family communities. We enjoy spending time with our family and friends es-pecially during the holiday season. We love to take family vacations and explore new places together. We are excited for Francesca to receive her First Holy Communion this spring.

Toto family includes Matt, Lisa, Matthew (7) and two dogs Harley and Roxy. Our family is truly blessed, so we are ex-tremely grateful. We love family time, whether it is making breakfast together, snuggling in front of the fireplace, or going on new adventures together. We are so proud to call Florham Park home and to be part of this wonderful community. We are really looking forward to Matthew receiving his First Holy Communion at Holy Family Church.

The Zirpoli family enjoys doing many things. This time of year we love to decorate our house for Christmas and celebrate the season with family and friends. We are blessed to have our 3 beautiful children. Luca 13, Mia 10 and Rocco 7.