Couples, were you married in 1995? The Diocese of Paterson invites you to celebrate your 25th wedding anniversary during a special Mass to be offered at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, NJ. Bishop Sweeney will serve as main celebrant on this joyful occasion to be held: Sunday, November 8th, 2020 at 3:30 pm. Arrangements can be made by contacting the parish office. The deadline to register is Thursday, October 1st, 2020. You will receive additional information from the Office of Family Life once your registration has been processed. Congratulations on this joyous occasion!

This is the final weekend that Father Cerilo Javinez will be with us. Father begins his new assignment as parochial vicar at Saint Mary Church in Wharton on August 15th. We wish Father well in his new assignment and we thank him for the pastoral care he has provided us for the past three years. God bless you, Father!

Father Zig has invited our new Bishop, His Excellency, the Most Reverend Kevin J. Sweeney, Bishop of Paterson, to make a pastoral visit to our parish to celebrate our parish patron feast day. The Bishop will celebrate the 12:15 pm Mass on Sunday, November 22nd, which is the Feast day of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr. Please mark the date and plan to attend as we welcome our new Bishop to Rockaway.

Monday evening Holy Hour will resume in church on Monday, September 14th from 7 to 8 o’clock. The Blessed Sacrament is exposed during this time for adoration. A priest is also available for the sacrament of penance during this time.

Join us on Friday evenings at 8 o’clock in the parish cemetery for Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament. The 30 minute service will include quiet time, reflective music and prayer for a given social concern. Please bring a lawn chair and facial covering. In the event of rain the service will be cancelled (a FLOCKNOTE of the cancellation will be sent). The final outdoor service will take place on FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11th..

The live streaming of the celebration of the Holy Mass takes place, Monday through Saturday at 8:00 a.m. with the Holy Rosary being prayed at 7:30 a.m. The Sunday Holy Mass is live streamed at 10:45 a.m. The Divine Mercy Chapel is live streamed on Fridays beginning at 3:00 p.m.

Our Diocesan-wide Corpus Christi Food Drive will conclude on Friday, but there is still time to feed the hungry throughout our Diocese. Visit www.ccpaterson.org/corpus to make a monetary donation or for more information about this important effort. Visit www.yougivegoods.com/ccpaterson-fooddrive2020 to find our parish, and shop for Catholic Charities’ pantries in need. You may also email: Info@ccpaterson.org or call (973) 737-2077 ext.403 with any questions. Thank you for supporting this important effort during this critical time. God bless you all!

Father Zig will bless an image of Saint Charles Lwanga at the 8 o’clock Mass on Friday morning, July 24th. The image is the donation of Father Zig to the parish. Saint Charles Lwanga is one of 21 Christian martyrs who lived in Uganda. He was a devout Catholic teenager who was burned alive for his refusal to deny his faith and abandon virtue on June 3, 1886. Saint Charles is the patron saint of African Catholic youth. SAINT CHARLES LWANGA, PRAY FOR US!

“Catacombs,” our parish youth group will gather on Friday evening July 24th at 7 o’clock. All protocols will be enforced to allow for a safe and enjoyable time. Contact Jim Clancy by calling the parish office for additional information.

Due to the closure of the church during Holy Week the annual Chrism Mass was cancelled. His Excellency, Bishop Kevin Sweeney has rescheduled the Chrism Mass for Wednesday evening, July 22nd at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Paterson. Due to restrictions this liturgy is by invitation only. Holy Oils will be distributed to all the parishes to be used for sacramental purposes until Holy Week 2021.

Join us on Friday evenings at 8 o’clock in the parish cemetery for Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament. The 30 minute service will include quiet time, reflective music, and prayer on a specific social concern. Please bring a lawn chair and a facial covering. In the event of rain the service will be cancelled.

Father Zig has been asked by 206 CATHOLIC TOURS to lead a pilgrimage to the Holy Land next year, April 12-22, 2021. Information about this trip can be found on the website: https://www.pilgrimages.com/frpeplowski/

This weekend we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi and Bishop Serratelli is asking all parishes to participate in our Diocesan-wide Corpus Christi Food Drive. This year, the drive has gone virtual, and you can shop online and have items directly shipped to Catholic Charities Food Pantries. Visit www.ccpaterson.org/corpus to make a monetary donation or for more information about this important effort. Visit www.yougivegoods.com/ccpaterson-fooddrive2020 to find our parish, and shop for our pantries in need. You may also email: Info@ccpaterson.org or call (973) 737-2077 ext.403 with any questions or to donate food directly to Catholic Charities Food Pantries.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted those living in poverty the most and Catholic Charities, Diocese of Paterson's 3 Food Pantries (Father English Center, Paterson; Hope House, Dover; and Partnership for Social Services, Franklin) are giving out more food than ever before. Most months, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Paterson gives out food to 5,000 - 7,000 people at their 3 food pantries. In April of 2020, this number practically doubled, as they helped over 11,000 individuals who are feeling the direct economic impact of COVID-19. Bishop Serratelli has authorized a Catholic Charities Diocesan-wide food collection in all parishes. This year, the drive has gone virtual, and you can shop online and have items directly shipped to Catholic Charities Food Pantries. Visit www.ccpaterson.org/corpus for more information and visit www.yougivegoods.com/ccpaterson-fooddrive2020 to find our parish, and shop for our pantries in need. You may also email: Info@ccpaterson.org or call (973) 737-2077 ext.403 with any questions or to donate food directly to Catholic Charities Food Pantries.

The clothing bins in our lot that support the work of Catholic Charities have been re-open! Your support is appreciated!

Good and gracious God, we stand on the threshold of a new time for our diocese. As we cross that threshold in thankfulness, we ask you to pour out an abundance of grace on our Bishop-elect Kevin Sweeney that he may faithfully assume his ministry among us and that, together with him, we may work for the building up of our local church. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

“All Catholic cemeteries in the Paterson Diocese will be open to visitors from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. beginning this Sunday, Mother’s Day, and remain open for visitation every Sunday thereafter. Beginning on Monday, May 11th, visitation will be from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, allowing the public to visit the cemeteries after all interments are completed. This is to allow cemetery staffs the time to handle internments earlier in the day. Those who visit the graves of their loved ones must observe the requirements of social distancing and maintain a group of no more than 10 persons. These changes will remain in effect at each cemetery as long as health and safety regulations are observed.”

‘LIVE FROM ROCKAWAY…’ – Join the priests and nuns every Thursday evening at 7:30 for a half hour of presentation and discussion on a religious topic, followed by 10 minutes of “Q & A”. It’s an opportunity to continue with our faith formation until we are able to return to our normal religious education program at the church.

BEWARE OF HACKING – Unfortunately evil is always at work and so I share with you a matter that has recently been brought to the attention of churches live streaming liturgical services. There have been reports of hackers breaking into live streaming services and interrupting with obscene language and images. Please know that we are doing everything possible to maintain the integrity of our parish broadcasts. Parents should stay vigilant. May St. Michael the Archangel protect us from this evil. – Fr. Zig

The Mayors of Rockaway Borough and Township have requested that all churches ring their bells each Sunday at 10:00 am to draw attention to the need of prayer for relief from Coronavirus. St. Cecilia will honor this request. Please remember to pray each Sunday at 10:00 am by saying the “Hail Mary”.