July 10, 2016

Welcome to Saint Virgil’s
This Week at St. Virgil’s
Mass Intentions for the Week
Sat., July 9
5:00pm
Sun., July 10
7:30am
9:00am
10:30am
12 noon
Mon., July 11
6:30am
12:10pm
Tues., July 12
6:30am
12:10pm
6:30am
12:10pm
6:30am
12:10pm
6:30am
12:10pm
Wed., July 13
Thurs., July 14
Fri., July 15
Sat., July 16
Sun., July 17
8:00am
5:00pm
7:30am
9:00am
10:30am
12 noon
Daniel Gilmore
Angelo Spinola
Jack O’Brien
Phil Nodoro
Gabe LoSapio
Mary Young
Arlene Mortillo
Dolores Brennan
Kathy Franz—Special Intentions
Charles Coe
Herb Miller
Louis Montemarano
Theresa Tapko
Kathleen Ward
Franklyn Caruso
Bob Thomas
Ann Negri
Walter Appell
Mary Rugo
Grace Perret
Beth Burdette
Lew Ludwig
Donna Marie—Special Intentions
Mary & Jack Smith—Special
Intentions on their 72nd Wedding
Anniversary
Betty Bowden
George Nunn, Sr.
James Miller
Angelo & Mary Spinola
Jack O’Brien
Mary Jane Barratt
Henry Fogleman—25th Anniversary
Robert Austin
Bob Thomas
Edward Samuel Richards
Saturday, July 9
Confessions, 3:30-4:15pm, Church
Tuesday, July 12
Knights of Columbus Meeting, 8:00pm, TC
Thursday, July 14
Bible Study, 10:30am, TC
Divine Mercy Novena, 6:30pm, Church
Bible Study, 7:00pm, Library
Friday, July 15
Eucharistic Adoration following the 6:30am Mass
Saturday, July 16
Confessions, 3:30-4:15pm, Church
Please remember our family and friends in your prayers,
especially:
Fred Conforti, Marie & Carl Reasor, Betty Gaynor, Olinda
Carvalho, John LoSapio, Anthony Soriano, Jeff Miller,
Dorrien Hughes, Marisa Smith, Domenico & Teresa
Procopio, Daniela Cardamuro, Linda Ripkey, David Brager,
Denise Pedrotty, Tom B., Helen Underhill, Barbara Bock,
Kara Gullo, Stephanie Morgan, Kamisha Redhead, Pam
Antonaccio, Theresa Mohr, Christopher Mohr, Gene
McGuinness, Jean Ruth Warrick, Glenda Bellanca, Doris
Biache, Dorothy O’Neill, Antonio Francé, Marie Welby, Bob
Roche, A. Logan, Annalyse LaHood, Baby Emma Scannelli,
Michael O’Connor, Mary Maffeo, Louise Gibilico, Eileen
Gibilico, Rose Marie Warrick, Eric Rotella, & Francis Merlo.
We offer our prayerful condolences to the family and friends
of Louis Montemarano and Betty Bowden who was called
home this week. May Louis & Betty rest in the Lord’s
peace.
Through your generous donations, the collection for the
weekend of June 18/19 was $7,946. We are grateful for your
kind support.
Parish Office Summer Hours
Monday, June 13 – Friday, September 2
Monday – Friday
9:00am – 2:00pm
The Altar Flowers honor the memory of
James P. Miller
From his wife, Grace Miller
Ministry Schedule for the Weekend of July 16/17
Cantor
Lector
Altar Servers
Extraordinary Ministers
5:00pm
M Hashagen
S Welsh
L & N Dyer
W Nunn
H Salerno
S & J Scannelli
7:30am
M Flory
UNFILLED
J Diamond
S Fleury
Joan Sambrowski
9:00am
N Rangel
L Stevens
UNFILLED
E Fogleman
C Letta
M Para
P Para
A Rangel
10:30am
N Fenimore
E Potter
I & J Gringeri
M Kelly
P Law
K Schwingel
K Sisler
12:00 noon
K Coughlin
B Horne
A & P Loia
M Aloia
B Loia
F Miller
S Rosanio
I Selitto
Fr. Lance’s Letter
Our Catholic churches have statues and images, stained-glass windows and paintings of Jesus and the
saints. Ever visited an Orthodox Catholic Church? These are “stuffed” with “icons”. An icon is not a mere
painting or an image of the Divine or of saints. An icon is a “writing” (not a painting) of an iconographer who
desires the “icon” to be a living witness of holiness.
For example, recall a painting by of George Washington by the American artist Gilbert Stuart. The painting shows Washington at
64 years of age renouncing a third term as U.S. President. It is full of symbolism, drawn from both American and ancient Roman
symbols of the Roman Republic. Stuart painted Washington from life, showing him standing up, dressed in a black velvet suit with
an outstretched hand held up in an oratorical manner. In the background behind Washington is a row of two Doric columns, with
another row to the left. Wrapped around and between the columns are red tasseled drapes.
Washington's suit is plain and simple, and the sword that he holds on his left side is a dress sword and not a battle sword
(symbolizing a democratic form of government, rather than a monarchy or military dictatorship). In the sky, storm clouds appear
on the left while a rainbow appears on the right, signifying the American Revolutionary War giving way to the peace and prosperity
of the new United States after the 1783 Treaty of Paris. The medallion at the top of the chair shows the red, white, and blue colors
of the American flag.
On and under the tablecloth-draped table to the left are two books: Federalist—probably a reference to The Federalist Papers—
and Journal of Congress—the Congressional Record. Another five books are under the table: the three to the right are General
Orders, American Revolution, and Constitutional Bylaws—symbolizing Washington's leadership as commander-in-chief of the
Continental Army and president of the Constitutional Convention.
The pen and paper on the table signify the rule of law. The leg of the table is shaped like some fasces, an ancient Roman symbol
of power and authority (imperium). On the far left of the table is a silver inkwell, emblazed with George Washington's coat of arms
(see Syng inkstand). A white quill rests upon silver dogs, ancient symbols of loyalty. Behind the table is a large black hat.
The iconic painting of George Washington “speaks” volumes to those who can “perceive” the message. In the very same way,
our statues, images and paintings in our church “talk” to those who want to see the witness of these holy icons.
We know that Moses was commanded to tell us: “Thou shall not make unto thee any graven image” (Exodus 20:4) and we
shouldn’t go against this command. However, the Giver of this commandment Himself changed the rule when He became
“incarnate”, took on our human flesh and blood in Jesus Christ. Jesus has become the “ultimate warrant of religious art”.
An “icon” is not an idol but an image of the Image. The making of images begins with God Himself: “for the Son is the Image of
the Father, and through this Image - this Second Person of the Trinity - God creates the world. Everything in our world is part of
his great chain of images. As Catholics we believe that we can be touched by God and even touch our God in Jesus.
You will often notice Catholics praying in front of a statue, image or relic of a saint. Our common faith allows us to use these
“icons” to “read” the Divine message, to converse with the sacred, to be touched and reach out and touch the Holy.
The best of all “icons” is the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus Christ who is the very Image of God present to us in the Eucharist. May
this reflection help us in our love for God and His Holy Ones. - Have a great summer, and may God bless us all - Fr. Lance
OUR PARISH CENTER
Meeting with our Religious Education coordinators, we realize that our Faith needs to be constantly formed in ways that “equip us
to live as disciples of Jesus”. Our PREP (stands for Parish Religious Education Program) and our Confirmation Program FISH
(stands for Fellowship In Spirit with Him) are a means of Faith Formation with an emphasis on teaching and learning the
fundamentals of our Faith: Doctrines, Bible, Sacraments, Morals, Tradition... Its goal is the faith formation and teaching on how
to live religiously by means of spiritual practices rooted in our Catholic Tradition. The thought behind Religious Education is to
have programs that can “inform, form and transform” the individual. Or to put it in a practical sense: “from the way of the head, to
the heart, and through our hands”.
For your information, we shall continue to hold on to our PREP and FISH program as it has been our practice in the past. The
schedule and times will remain the same: for K thru 4: on Sundays, bi-monthly from 10:15 AM to 11:45 AM; for Junior High 5th
thru 8th on Sundays, once monthly from 1:00 PM until 3:15 PM. For FISH on Sundays once monthly from 6:30 PM until 8:30 PM.
By the way, our Religious Education Department will soon move from the Fr. Fallon House into the School - hopefully known now
as our Parish Center.
What is now more available to our Parish is the school building itself. There are endless possibilities if we have the personnel
and volunteers to make the school a Parish Center. From Mondays to Fridays, our school building is available for: after school
programs; CYO basketball; offer programs for those interested in learning more about our Catholic life (Bible Classes, Lives of
Saints, Catholic Spirituality); Young Adult ministry (18 to 30 years); Family Life programs; enrichment for married couples;
Programs for Seniors and retired persons... While the space is available, we need personnel and volunteers.
For all interested in the “renewal of our parish”, I welcome you to a meeting on Thursday, July 14, at 7:00 PM in the Tracy Center.
Our objective will be to “understand our mission and purpose as a parish”; to trust God for our parish renewal, to find ways and
the means through God’s grace and help to imagine and realize “a church of Spirit-filled people overflowing with God’s love; a
body deeply touching and transforming lives, marriages, and families; a people proclaiming good news to the poor and freedom
to the oppressed.”
Looking forward to seeing you on Thursday, July 14, 2016 at 7:00 PM in the Tracy Center.
FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME/ JUBILEE YEAR OF MERCY
Luke 10:25-37
Today’s Gospel is one of the most well-known stories among those of very diverse cultures and religions. It might surprise you
to know that it is only found in one of the Gospels, which would of course be the Gospel of Luke, again the Gospel of Compassion.
The story highlights compassion by first telling us what compassion is not. It is not leaving a hurt, beat up man alone on the side
of a road, even if those leaving the poor man there are the leaders of their religions. Then we are shown what compassion is. It
is stopping, with caring and concern, to help the man; protecting that poor person’s future by leaving money behind for his care,
even if that person were a member of a despised religious group, the then-hated Samaritan. We are told clearly it is not your
social group or religion that defines you, it is your actions that define you.
One might wonder why this story is so popular. It is the element of controlling our own fate that makes this story appealing to us.
It is not the accident of our birth that gives meaning to our lives, but what we do, what our actions are. This story is told in answer
to the question put to Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” The answer is surprisingly simple: no matter who we are, we
must act with compassion to our fellow man. It doesn’t matter if we are the high priest, the captain of the football team, the beauty
queen, the class clown, or the class brain. This simple story tells us we must care for others.
Religions from all over the world have many complex beliefs, rituals by which to live. Christ makes all that very simple: HELP
SOMEONE!
Lord, have mercy on a hurting soul!
WHY WOULD GOD WANT ME?
I'm not perfect. I have all kinds of problems. I have no ability. I have no gifts. I'm just not worthy. Why would God want me?
Well, did you know that:
Moses stuttered.
David's armor didn't fit.
John Mark deserted Paul.
Timothy had ulcers.
Hosea's wife was a prostitute.
Amos' only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning.
Jacob was a liar.
David had an affair.
Solomon was too rich.
Jesus was too poor.
Abraham was too old.
David was too young.
Peter was afraid of death.
Lazarus was dead.
John was self-righteous.
Naomi was a widow.
Paul was a persecutor of the church.
Moses was a murderer.
Jonah ran from God's will.
Miriam was a gossip.
Gideon and Thomas both doubted.
Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal.
Elijah was burned out.
John the Baptist was a loudmouth.
Martha was a worry-wart.
Noah got drunk.
Did I mention that Moses had a short fuse?
So did Peter, Paul - well, lots of folks did.
But God doesn't require a job interview for salvation. He's our Heavenly Father. He doesn't look at financial gain or loss. He's not
prejudiced or partial, not judging, grudging, sassy, or brassy, not deaf to our cry, not blind to our need. He know who we are and
what we are and loves us in spite of ourselves:
Satan says, "you're not worthy."
Jesus says, "so what? I am."
Satan looks back and sees our mistakes.
God looks back and sees the cross.
He doesn't calculate how you failed in '14’. It's not even on the record.
Sure, there are lots of reasons why God shouldn't call us. But if we are in love with Him, if we hunger for Him, He'll use us in spite
of who we are, where we've been, what we have done, or the fact that we are not perfect! - Author Unknown
Evangelization Corner
There are those who are called to be evangelizers and those who are called to be prophets. As Christians and
Catholics we are called to be both, evangelizers and prophets, in some way for the good of the Church and for
proclaiming the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ.
In last week’s gospel we read that Jesus, in preparing to send His 72 disciples to evangelize and be bearers of peace, compared
the task ahead of them to a rich harvest ready for reaping and He warned them of the challenging demands that would be made
on those who follow Him.
During this and the next two weeks Saint Luke describes, in the framework of a “Journey to Jerusalem,” Jesus’ teaching’s to the
disciples who follow him.
In this week’s gospel, Saint Luke describes a chance encounter with a lawyer who asks Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal
life?” Jesus does not answer the lawyer’s question directly but asks him “What is written in the law?” After responding correctly,
Jesus replies, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.”
However, like all of us, we tend to complicate the simple. The lawyer then goes on to ask Jesus “Who is my neighbor?” In this
gospel we encounter one of the most familiar of Jesus’ parables; the parable of the Good Samaritan. In concluding the parable
Jesus askes, the lawyer “Which of the three do you think was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by robbers?” Here Jesus
indicates that the real question is not “Who is my neighbor?” but “Who am I a neighbor to?”
You might think that Jesus missed a perfect opportunity to gain a convert by not telling the lawyer to repent and believe in the
gospel — to have faith. However, in His process, Jesus also gives the lawyer insight concerning what or who really matters most
in life. And, that what you decide now will determine where you go later.
Giving people answers and resolving their dilemmas apparently is not Jesus' approach to evangelization. It would appear that
Jesus wants to be in a relationship with each of us, with the idea as we begin to understand it and with the process of
transformation itself. Thus the questions are worth examining because they, along with the parables, reveal His basic style of
evangelization.
As we can see from the various gospels Jesus typically responds to a question with a question and quite often with a parable.
You might be asking, why? It may be because He is not seeking converts; he’s engaging hearts. Too often, in evangelizing, we
look to give answers — to deliver the doctrine, to win the argument, to check the box with little emphasis on developing a
relationship with Jesus. As a result, all too often our efforts at evangelization reduce people to projects. We must always
remember that Jesus died so we could have a living, vital relationship with God.
May His grace be with each of us as we continue on our journey with Christ.
St. Virgil’s Evangelization Ministry
St. Virgil’s Academy
"Life is Cabaret Old Chum, Come to the Cabaret"
Date: Saturday, July 30, 2016
Doors open at 5:00 pm, performance at 6:00 pm in the SVA Gym
SVA Alumni, Students, & Friends Broadway Music Cabaret "Our Children" - An evening of Broadway music--A way for our
SVA Musical Theatre performers to come back, give back and support SVA. Bring your dinner, sit back, and relax and relive some
great musical moments of SVA Musical Theatre: "The Wizard of Oz", "The Sound of Music", "Fiddler on the Roof", "Annie" and
many more. Directed by Anna Gelpke, SVA Class of 2012. Suggested donation $20 per person. To reserve tickets or your table,
please email egelpke@aol.com or call 973-895-2725.
Ministries ~ Outreaches ~ Community
1st Annual Father James Fallon & Jack O’Brien
Knights of Columbus Golf Outing
September 19, 2016, @ 1:00pm; Shotgun Start
Msgr. James Fallon
Jack O’Brien
Price of $150 includes: Golf Fees, Buffet Dinner, Unlimited Beer & Wine and a chance for great prizes.
Flanders Golf Course, 81 Pleasant Hill Road, Flanders, NJ
For more information, contact: Chuck Havers @ (908) 451-1134 or chuck.havers@gmail.com
Urgent Current Food Needs
100% Fruit Juice, 32 oz
Pasta (Regular)
Parmalat (Shelf Stable 32oz size)
Dry Milk in 1 qt. packages
Peanut Butter, 18 oz size
Rice-A-Roni
Hearty, Low-Sodium & Regular Soups
Stage 1 Fruits Baby Food and Stage 3 Vegetables & Meats
Boost or Ensure, regular
Boost Glucose Control or Glucerna