THE EVENTS OF MAY 3, SUNDAY beginning at 2:30 PM

See photos of past SANTACRUZAN and MAY CROWNING
http://picasaweb.google.com/stjosephinformationservice

THE FLOWERS OF MAY - MAY 3, 2009

A very beautiful Catholic Tradition during the month of May is to offer flowers to the Blessed Virign. At St.Joseph Chruch, this activity is integrated into one big Event honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary at the First Sunday of May. We encourage the children who made their First Communion to come back to church for this event wearing their communion dresses and participate in the Floral Offering which willtake place right after the Coronation Rites.

MAY IS THE MONTH OF MARY, COME AND CELEBRATE THIS SUNDAY,MAY 3

"The mood of springtime informs the church's interior; nature's blossoming, the warm air of May evenings, human gladness in a world that is renewing itself -- all these things enter in. Veneration of Mary has its place in this very particular atmosphere, for she, the Virgin, shows us faith under its youthful aspect, as God's new beginning in a world that has grown old. In her we see the Christian life set forth as a youthfulness of the heart, as beauty and a waiting readiness for what is to come." (Pope Benedict)

May is the month which the piety of the faithful has long dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God. Our heart rejoices at the thought of the moving tribute of faith and love which will soon be paid to the Queen of Heaven in every corner of the earth. For this is the month during which Christians, in their churches and their homes, offer the Virgin Mother more fervent and loving acts of homage and veneration; and it is the month in which a greater abundance of God's merciful gifts comes down to us from our Mother's throne.

We are delighted and consoled by this pious custom associated with the month of May, which pays honor to the Blessed Virgin and brings such rich benefits to the Christian people. Since Mary is rightly to be regarded as the way by which we are led to Christ, the person who encounters Mary cannot help but encounter Christ likewise. For what other reason do we continually turn to Mary except to seek the Christ in her arms, to seek our Savior in her, through her, and with her? To Him men are to turn amid the anxieties and perils of this world, urged on by duty and driven by the compelling needs of their heart, to find a haven of salvation, a transcendent fountain of life.

May she who experienced the cares and hardships of earthly life, the weariness of daily toil, the hardships and trials of poverty, and the sorrows of Calvary, come to aid the needs of the Church and the human race. May she graciously lend an ear to the devout pleas of those all over the world who beg her for peace. May she enlighten the minds of those who rule nations. And finally, may she prevail on God, who rules the winds and storms, to calm the tempests in men's warring hearts and grant us peace in our day. What we seek is true peace grounded on the sturdy foundations of justice and love—on a justice which recognizes the legitimate rights of the weak as well as those of the strong; on a love which keeps men from falling into error through excessive concern for their own interests. Thus each person's rights may be safeguarded without the rights of others being forgotten or violated.

Mense Maio: Encyclical of Pope Paul VI promulgated on April 30, 1965.

MAY CROWNING ON SUNDAY, MAY 3

Images of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus have been revered by Christians from ancient times. The reverence for the image is directed to the persons represented. Crowing a statue of the Lord's Mother is symbolic of the honor we give her as the one chosen by God to bear His Son, our Salvation.

During the Month of May -- a month both named for and dedicated to Mary - Catholics have long honored her by placing a crown on her image. The tradition in the United States and many other countries has been for school children to have a "May Crowning" ceremony, with a procession, pretty dresses and a wreath of fresh flowers that one child gets to place on the statue. A song for these festivals, "Bring Flowers of the Fairest", with its refrain "O Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today, Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May..." has been a familiar favorite for generations.

The queen symbol was attributed to Mary because she was a perfect follower of Christ, who is the absolute "crown" of creation. She is the Mother of the Son of God, who is the messianic King. Mary is the Mother of Christ, the Word Incarnate... "He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High; the Lord will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there will be no end" (Lk 1:32-33). Elizabeth greeted the Blessed Virgin, pregnant with Jesus, as "the mother of my Lord" (Lk 1:41-43). Mary is the perfect follower of Christ. The maid of Nazareth consented to God's plan; she journeyed on the pilgrimage of faith; she listened to God's Word and kept it in her heart; she remained steadfastly in close union with her Son, all the way to the foot of the Cross; she persevered in prayer with the Church. Thus, in an eminent way she won the "crown of righteousness" (II Tim 4:8), the "crown of life" (Jas 1:12; Rev 2:10), the "crown of glory" (I Pet 5:4) that is promised to those who follow Christ.

PRAY THE ROSARY AS A FAMILY ON SUNDAY, MAY 3

I’m sure nine out of ten parents would agree: Praying the Rosary as a family can be a participation in the Passion of Christ. It’s a form of redemptive suffering unlike any other. With the nomadic tendencies of little ones and the other struggles of family life sure to interrupt this needed prayerful meditation, we could easily ask ourselves, Why even begin a tradition of prayer which will only end in frustration? Why place ourselves upon this path of agony?

Deep down, we know that this suffering has life-giving repercussions. Let us look at the need for a parental call to prayer, the Rosary’s connection with the rhythm of life, the application of suffering, and the culmination in our resurrection with Christ.

The Call
To establish the habit of praying the Rosary as a family, the first step—and not the least daunting—is the call. Just trying to gather the children for family prayers can be quite a feat. In fact, I daresay the parting of the Red Sea can seem at times a small act of divine intervention compared to gathering all the kids into one location for a bit of prayer time.

One of the biggest challenges is simply how busy families are these days. In many homes, it is rare to have everyone gathered together for a family meal, let alone an established prayer experience. Take the simple step of picking a few nights during the week to embark on this prayer adventure. Then make the call heard throughout your homes. As the parent, it is your job to make prayer time a recognized priority. It must be as important to you as attending your child’s sports events.
As a father of eight, I know how it is to get discouraged by the seemingly endless struggle of gathering young children for the family Rosary. But consider this when you are tempted to despair after giving the call over and over . . . and over again: We exert the extra effort to prepare and gather the children for school, doctor appointments, or even a trip to the zoo. Does not their spiritual health have far greater implications than these events?

The Rhythm of Life
The Rosary has a rhythm that models our life: Joyful and sorrowful events unfold before us daily. By meditating upon the mysteries found in the Rosary, we can unite our experiences—even the experience of family prayer!—with those of the Holy Family.

Children will occasionally become distracted while praying the family Rosary—or rather, they will occasionally be engaged in prayer. All of the Hail Marys and the tedious task of incorporating both vocal and meditative prayer can challenge the attention span not just of the young ones but of all of us who have been nursed upon the electronic pabulum of our age. Kids today—and adults, too—are constantly entertained through television and computers. The Rosary, on the other hand, does not offer constant feel-good gratification, and without the glam and glitz of modern technology it can seem a bit pointless for spiritual development in young people. Isn’t there a more attractive way to invite our children into prayer? One that is “fun”?

The Rosary is hardly an invitation into the latest expression of something “fun.” But neither is it an ancient prayer needing the latest technological boost to lure the masses into its beauty. The Rosary is an opportunity for us to settle into the rhythm of God’s life through the Person of Jesus Christ. Rather than being one more thing in this world that offers to gratify our personal desires or needs, the Rosary is an exercise in self-donation. We can instill this virtue in our children by encouraging them to offer the Rosary for those with no one to pray for them.

The struggle for spiritual growth within family prayer has beautiful ramifications. We may not “feel” that our children are being touched during this time, and it may seem they are overly disinterested, but the truth is that they are formed and shaped through the repetition of these prayers and meditations upon the mysteries of the Rosary.

Pointless Suffering?
As we gather for the family Rosary in our home, exhaustion often overwhelms me the moment I sit down. I feel unfortunately very much like Peter and the disciples who fell asleep in the garden during Jesus’ agony. I have actually drifted off in the middle of a Hail Mary only to be startled awake by my wife praying a little louder, inviting me back into the land of the living.

It isn’t just a personal struggle, though. With children weeping and gnashing their teeth, instead of being a heavenly experience this prayer time seems to reflect a manifestation of purgatory. Many evenings my little ones gather into the living room with rosaries in hand not for the purpose of participating in the prayers, but with intentions of creating and implementing upon their siblings new devices of torture. Some have created what could possibly be marketed as a new workout program, enabling you to stretch your legs further than one could imagine. The preferred use of rosaries in our house has been to whip siblings into shape.

My wife and I invite the little ones to look at picture books with images of the Sorrowful, Glorious, or Joyful Mysteries, yet inevitably any given book becomes the one which every child must hold in his or her lap. It is a struggle to continue in prayer with the phone ringing, homework looming, babies crying, little ones arguing, teenagers mumbling, food digesting, and exhaustion overwhelming. And all the while we wonder: Will any of this really make a difference? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?

A Resurrection Moment

On Good Friday several years ago, my 4-year-old son led the fourth sorrowful mystery for the first time. We all clapped as he finished. Everyone in the family was so proud and excited at this beautiful moment. I had known that he could pray some of the prayers before, but he had never led a mystery. That night he wanted to. It was a glorious moment that would not have come had we not been persistent in praying the family Rosary.

In the end, teaching our children to focus on the beauty of God’s love within time, and our invitation as His children to spend eternity with Him, is the catecheses we as parents are asked to convey. I am given these children by God in order to bring them to heaven.

Our children are trained by the world to embrace the popular, star athletes, or those who are financially successful. As Catholic parents, we are to instill in our children the futility of worldly attachment and approval in order that they might pursue the Pearl of Great Price. We are to lead our children to the beauty of Christ Jesus, imploring them to seek God above all else. Entrusting our families to the maternity of the Blessed Mother Mary, especially by praying the family Rosary, enables us to achieve our goal as parents. The Blessed Mother is willing and able to instruct us as we train up our children in the way they should go.

One sure way of getting in step with our Mother’s teaching is to meditate upon the mysteries of the Rosary. Leading our family into this meditation is not easy, nor is it always contemplative or the conduit for warm and fuzzy feelings. The importance and value of the Rosary is there nonetheless. Patiently finding new ways to bring out the mysteries, through Scripture reading, looking at photos, or asking for reflections after each decade are small ways to engage them into these moments of prayer.

Make the call heard in your family, invite them into the rhythm of life by meditating upon the beauty of God in time, take all of the struggles of this Rosary time and place it upon the Cross, realizing that the impact you are making in their lives is leading them to the beauty of the Resurrection.

Chris Padgett is a musician, speaker, and a devoted husband and father of eight. He resides with his family in Steubenville, Ohio. For more information about his various outreaches, visit www.chris-padgett.com.

SHARING THE JOY TO OUR SENIORS THIS MAY

My Soul Proclaims the Greatness of the Lord - these words of the Blessed Virgin Mary is being echoed by St. Joseph Parish Family by bringing joy to the Senior Citizens living in nursing homes and retirement houses. Through the initiative of the SJPM POLO (Parents of Little Ones), parishioners are asked to make small bouquets of fresh flowers to be bleed during the May Crowning and SantaCruzan events on Sunday, May 3, beginning at 2:30 PM. The blessed bouquest of fresh flowers willbe delivered personally by POLO members and their kids to the seniors.

This is a very wonderful event reachingout to those who need to feel the warmth and embrace. This is one way in saying to those in nursing homes and retirement houses that they are remembered and cherished especially during this Month that we dedicate to the Blessed Virgin Mary who, in her own way, visited her cousin Elizabeth to give her joy and assurance in times that she needed them.

MAY CROWNING AND SANTACRUZAN FESTIVAL

SUNDAY, MAY 3

See photos of past SANTACRUZAN and MAY CROWNING

http://picasaweb.google.com/stjosephinformationservice

THE RECITATION OF THE ROSARY - The word Rosary means "Crown of Roses". Our Lady has revealed to several people that each time they say a Hail Mary they are giving her a beautiful rose and that each complete Rosary makes her a crown of roses. The rose is the queen of flowers, and so the Rosary is the rose of all devotions and it is therefore the most important one. The Holy Rosary is considered a perfect prayer because within it lies the awesome story of our salvation. With the Rosary in fact we meditate the mysteries of joy, of sorrow, the glory of Jesus and Mary and the important events in the life of the Lord in the mysteries of the light.

THE FLORAL OFFERING TO MARY - Laying flowers before Mary's statue is deeply embedded in Christian tradition. We invite and encourage children to bring whatever flowers can be found: lilacs, dandelions... or even just green leaves or fresh tips of evergreens. Most little children know the joy of bringing mom a gift of a bouquet. The little bouquet stands for the love the child has for mom. This also applies to our love for Mary, Jesus' mother and our mother.

THE BLESSING OF BOUQUETS FOR THE SENIORS - This is a new introduction in our parish. If you wish to share the joy to the seniors in nursing homes and retirement houses, you can make a small bouquet of fresh flowers. These bouquets will be blessed and the members of the St. Joseph Parish POLO (Parents of Little Ones) will deliver them to the seniors. This will be the second activity by the St. Joseph parish POLO members, the first was during Christmas Season with cards made by small children of the parish. We also welcome requests from families of senior citizens who they want to receive the blest bouquet of fresh flowers on Sunday, May 3.

THE CROWNING OF MARY - May crowning became popular in the United States. This practice continues in our parish today. A statue of Mary is honored with a wreath of blossoms to indicate Mary's virtues, virtues that were to be imitated by the faithful. One of the defining aspects of being Catholic is devotion to Mary. This activity is led by the members of the Rosary Altar Society and the Catholic Daughters of America. This year, we would like to make a very special invitation to children who made their First Communion, wearing their beautiful communion dresses and coats to participate in the May Crowning.

THE SANTACRUZAN FESTIVAL - PROCESSION - The annual outdoor May Procession follows immediately after Mass. The procession will cover Hilton Ave, Tuscan Rd, Lexington Ave and Prospect St. The image of the Blessed Virgin Mary will highlight the procession. Beautiful young ladies and their escorts will walk in the parade under a beautifully decorated arches bearing the various Titles of Mary. The festivity commemorates the search of the Holy Cross by Queen Helena (Reina Elena) and her son, the newly converted emperor Constantine. After the Holy Cross was found in Jerusalem and brought back to Rome, there was a joyful celebration for thanksgiving.

THE FELLOWSHIP - The celebration always culminates with a fellowship. There will be food, music and dance. This is also the time to meet new acquaintances. This activity is open for everyone present.

THANK YOU DEAR CATECHISTS

RCIA TEAM
This past year, seven adults and two older teens came forward to complete their Christian Initiation by preparing for Baptism, Confirmation and/or First Eucharist. Their weekly gatherings helped them explore the Sunday scriptures and our Catholic beliefs. Leading them along this journey of faith were MARIE DORCE, TONY LEITNER, BEVERLY MOZONE AND MARK MUCCI. We thank them for sharing their commitment, their joy and their insights with our candidates and our catechumen.

INFANT BAPTISM TEAM
Parents seeking to baptize their first child prepare for their new and critical role of instructing their little ones in the practice of our faith. We offer our appreciation to MARY RIESETT AND RUTH SKARBEK who have come to our sessions over the past year and lovingly shared their experience and wisdom of parenting.

K-8 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PROGRAM
This is the last week of formal instruction for the children enrolled in our Sunday morning classes, but we send these young people forth for the summer confident that they will stay connected to the ways of prayer, community and service which they learned about and experienced this year. Thanks to the faith, love, example and knowledge of those who guided them, they have grown in faith and wisdom. Through their outreach efforts, they have shown us that they care about the poor and vulnerable in our world. We salute with gratitude our 2008/2009 catechists and aides who so generously gave their time to our program!

LINDA KUNKA
KAYLA ROSARIO
CLAUDIA BARRETO
DIANE LEBRON
LIZ PETROCCIA
JILL LANDICHO
SANDRA KUREK
KATHERINE PAREDES
VALERIE HENNINGSEN
ALFRED BRODERICK
DEDE LACKEY
ANTHONY PAREDES
ANN-MARIE LEUNG
MARY BOEHNER
MARGUERITE WAGNER-KRET
ANDRIA SZTOJKA
CARMEN MEADES
MONICA MATOS
MARY BROWN
BETSY SOSA
SUZZETTE THOMAS
MAURA WALSH
JOANNE VEON
BRENDA ALVAREZ-LADD
CATHY DOWD
MARY PAGLIUCA
MANI ARGUELLES
LAURIE READER
ELAINE WEILAND
JIM HILTON
CHRISTINE ETIENNE
CARMINE TABONE
SUZANNE RYAN
OEDIES WILLIAMS

Our catechists are supported beyond the classroom by those who volunteer to be Sunday supervisors. We greatly appreciate the commitment and weekly presence of Barbara Murray, Mary Hetherington and Judy Erlandsen.

IF YOU FEEL CALLED TO BE A CATECHIST
please contact Diane Pew or Jennifer Leitner information on ways to share your faith with others: call 973-761-5933
or email faith@stjosephmaplewood.org

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CLASSES
Current families are reminded that their re-registration forms are now due.
New families who may wish to enroll their children, grades K to eight, in our Sunday morning Religious Education program next fall are invited to call Diane or Jennifer at the rectory for information: 973 761 5933, extension 24 or 26. This program is provided by the parish for children who are not enrolled in Catholic school. It assists parents in the religious instruction of their children and includes the background required for enrollment in First Communion or Confirmation preparation.

IS GOD GIVING YOU A NUDGE?
· Have you thought about joining the Catholic Church?
· Do you want to be baptized?
· Are you a baptized Catholic who regrets never receiving First Communion or Confirmation?
· Are you married to or dating a Catholic and feeling drawn to learn something more about your partner’s Church?
· Do you have questions about what the Church teaches and believes?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, God may be calling you to inquire about the next step. Our parish offers adult faith formation sessions, informal inquiry sessions and baptism preparation for adults. To discover what might work best for you, talk to one of the priests or contact Jennifer Leitner at the parish office for more information: call 973-761-5933, ext. 24, or email jleitner@stjosephmaplewood.org.

Annual Communion Breakfast

Sponsored by the
Holy Name Society and Knights of Columbus
Our Lady of Sorrows Parish and St Joseph Parish

Honoring
Mark Mucci- Outstanding Catholic Layman of the Year
Russell Pace – Ernie Cushing Service and Spirituality Award
Solomon Louis - Young Catholic Layman of the Year
Sunday, April 26, 2009
9:00 Mass at St. Joseph, Maplewood
Followed by Breakfast and Awards Presentations in Bernard Hall
Lower Church at St Joseph

Guest Speaker
Liliana Soto-Cabrera
Coordinator for Evangelization for the Archdiocese of Newark
“Praise His Holy Name”

For reservations, please fill out the form below and return to the Parish Office or mail to Holy Name Society, 217 Prospect St., South Orange, NJ 07079. Or call Tony Leitner (973) 762-2721 to make reservations. Please make reservations as early as possible.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Communion Breakfast – Sunday, April 26, 2009
Please make checks payable to “Holy Name Society”

Name:____________________________________________________

Number of adults ____________ @ $15.00 = $_____________

Number of children (under 12) ____________ @ $10.00 = $_____________

(Family Maximum $40) Total $_____________

CHRISM MASS, MONDAY, APRIL 6, 8PM

HOLY THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 7:30 PM

GOOD FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 3-M

EASTER VIGIL, APRIL 11, 8PM