annual report of stewardship - stmaryscoltsneck.com · annual report of stewardship his master said...

Annual Report of Stewardship

His master said to

him, ‘Well done,

good and faithful

servant; you have

been faithful over a

little, I will set you

over much; enter

into the joy of your

master.’

Matthew 25:23

One Phalanx Road Colts Neck, NJ 07722

stmaryscoltsneck.org

Fiscal Year July 1, 2015 - June 30th, 2016 Calendar Year 2015

The Parish of Saint Mary A Catholic Community Proclaiming the Greatness of God in our Time

In this Report:

The Community at Service 2

Worship & Evangelization 3

Charitable Appeals 8

Music Ministry 9

Facilities 10

Fiscal Overview 13

Sacramental Statistics 17

Community Building &

Communications 21

Faith Formation & Life

Long Learning 25

The Community at Service

Reverend Fr. Jeffrey E. Lee, MDiv, MA, ThM

Fifth Pastor

Jesus gives us a living tangible witness to help us through our journey of life.

Gathered with the Apostles for the Last Supper, Jesus presides in charity by

washing the feet of his closest followers. This washing was more than the

customary prescribed by the law. This washing was a witness to loving service,

an example that His followers would struggle to embrace. Service is the most

basic aspect for us as Roman Catholics. Service shapes our spiritual lives and

guides our pastoral visioning. Service reminds us that the mission of the

Church is not entrusted to the few but the many. Each of us is called to share

our time, talent and treasure generously and prudently.

His Holiness, Pope Francis reminds us that we have not created the Church,

God has created the Church and continues to call us forth to sustain the

church. It is God's Grace that penetrates the darkness of sin and indifference

to shine forth as hope for those who might have become alienated or cynical.

This Jubilee Year of Mercy has been called to help us re-focus our efforts of

service as disciples of Jesus Christ. The Year of Mercy has not been proclaimed

so that a culture of anything goes might rise up. This Year of Mercy has been

proclaimed so that we might carefully discern our mission in the world,

stripping away the excesses that have blurred our vision. This Year of Mercy

has been a time to put aside the temptations of religious anarchy in order to

strengthen the bonds of communion that are essential for the Church to fulfill

its mission.

Jesus washed the feet of the Apostles. Then in the greatest act he gave the

Eucharist, His Body and Blood, to forever bind them together in the ultimate

act of selfless love. The Eucharist remains the greatest act of our faith.

Everything else that we are or do as a community of faith must flow from our

experience of Christ in the Eucharist and lead us back to Christ in the

Eucharist.

I invite you to carefully read the following pages. It is our way of being

transparent to you our parishioners and stakeholders. There are areas of

strengthened resolve and progress and other areas where continued

improvement is needed. I am very grateful to our Parish Staff for their

commitment above and beyond the requirements of their "job". I am equally

grateful to the many, many volunteers and those who generously serve in the

ministries that help us bring Christ to others. To our faithful parishioners and

stakeholders who enable us to move forward in our service to others… I say

THANK YOU! Peace.

“As I have

done . . .

So You must

do!”

John 13:15

Worship & Evangelization

Deacon Vincent Rinaldi

Pastoral Associate

In Paul’s letter to the Hebrews we are reminded that it was by faith Abraham

obeyed the Lord and went forth. (Heb 11:8). As we move forward by faith, we

must at times check that we are indeed on that path and have not gone astray.

The past year has been one of stability, giving us the opportunity to review

changes made in past and make adjustments as necessary, not for the sake of

change, but, rather for the glory of God and the needs of the people.

Continued Growth

I am pleased to report for the second year in a row, an increase in weekly Mass

attendance at St. Mary Parish as validated by our “October Count.” Equally

important is the result of our new parishioner initiatives which has given rise to an

increase in incoming younger families.

Sunday and Daily Worship remains at the very heart of our Church and each of us

is called to serve to the best of our abilities to give praise to Almighty God. It is

important for each of us to consider if we have answered “our call” and if we are

giving God all that we can. We are certainly encouraged by the increase in Mass

attendance and the increased participation of our children. We are also grateful

for the definitive increase in Obligatory, Solemnities, Feast Days and Civic Holidays

that fall on a weekday. Yet, attendance is only one facet, we seek to grow and

thrive as a living community of the faithful. To do this, we must look to participate

actively and not just observe. Our Mass and our whole Parish is a reflection of the

members who belong. We seek to create the environment where all our

parishioners participate and each of us benefits from the many talents of our

members.

Continue to Tell Us

Parishioner feedback remains important, assisting us in the decision making

process and our ability to assess whether recent changes are effective or if they

need further adjustment. By listening carefully and implementing your suggestions,

we offer a Liturgy that is welcoming, inspirational and supportive of our faith. As a

matter of fact, the first question asked of anyone interested in joining our parish

from outside parish boundaries is whether they have worshipped with us before

committing. An affirmative answer, in almost all cases is the very reason why they

wish to join, it is in the quality and the reverence of our Liturgy along with

programs offered for our young families, such as Liturgy of the Word dismissal for

those between the ages of 4-12.

And he said to

them, “Go into

all the world and

proclaim the

gospel to the

whole creation.”

Mark 16:15

The Parish of

Saint Mary

VOLUNTEERS

Masses per Weekend:

4 from May-September

5 from October-May*

*subject to Standard Time vs.

Daylight Savings Time

Altar Servers:

14 experienced

7 potential new servers

Fall Campaign targeted for

Third Graders

Extraordinary Ministers of

Holy Communion:

78 in total

(no change from prior year)

Readers:

27 in total


Ushers:

29 in total

(down from 37 prior year)

Greeters:

14 in total


If you have an interest in

learning more about any of

these ministries please do not

hesitate to contact us through

the office, phone call, or

email.

We welcome your

many talents.

Men’s Morning Office

As we continue to build the patrimonial needs of the parish, memorials of liturgical

items still continues with the addition of four (4) new sets of vestments, while not

at the rapid rate of previous years, the need for these items still exists.

In terms of patrimony and décor, we continue to be good stewards in utilizing all

that has been entrusted to us in past, as well as newly acquired items. When

spotting an item not seen before, people often ask if it’s new and are surprised to

learn it had been donated in past and has sat in storage in some cases over 20

years, items such as artwork, sacred vessels, vestments, and yes, even a

monstrance.

We are blessed to have a Patrimony Committee consisting of three (3) dedicated

volunteers who weigh in on the decision making process in regards to colors,

vestments, vessels, and artwork. A Floral Committee consisting of two (2) lead

volunteers a many others decorate the Church Sanctuary and Lenten Chapel for

Seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and Confirmation.

In the interest of brevity, here is a recap of other Liturgical Ministries who assist at

four (4), or when applicable five (5) Weekend Masses:

Altar Servers: currently fourteen (14) experienced Altar Servers, seven (7)

potential new servers, up three (3) in total, with a Fall campaign targeted at grade

three (3) in plan.

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion: seventy-eight (78) in total, no change

from last year.

Readers: Twenty-seven (27) in total, no change.

Ushers: Twenty-nine (29) in total, down from 37 prior year. As dedicated as they

are, additional help is needed especially for special liturgies such as Advent & Lent

Penance & Reconciliation Services, Confirmation, First Holy Communion Masses,

and the Easter and Christmas Masses.

Greeters: Fourteen (14) in total, no change.

As you look at these numbers, they may seem to be many however they all fall

short of the needs of the parish. One must also take into consideration that for

many, many years, each ministry has been and continues to be staffed by many of

the same dedicated people, for which we are grateful and blessed.

This has unintentionally led to a stagnation in growth because we have become

overly comfortable relying upon the same people volunteering. This trend may not

be clearly visible in the numbers because while the number might be the same as

last year - the actual volunteers are not the same: some have died, some have

moved, and those who have replaced them are the new parishioners joining the

parish. As you read this ask yourself not “IF I can help” but “WHERE I can help”.

As for other ‘behind the scenes’ ministries, we have only

one (1) person laundering and ironing the linens used at

Mass. We are in great need of a designated sacristan, as

we currently rely on a few volunteers who help from time

to time.

Sacraments

Last year twelve (12) couples were prepared for marriage,

(11) weddings were celebrated at the parish with the

twelfth (12th) being a Convalidation, taking place in Italy.

We have one (1) volunteer who assists at both the

rehearsal and at the Nuptial Mass/Nuptial Ceremony.

Forty-eight (48) infants were baptized, with one (1) long-

time dedicated volunteer assisting at each.

We had twenty-four (24) anointings.

In regards to new parishioners living outside of parish

boundaries (defined as Colts Neck), they are required to

meet with Michele McCue and myself on a one-on-one

basis prior to registering. This gives us the opportunity to

query that their intentions in joining are sincere and that

they will attend Mass and consider volunteering in some

capacity. It also gives us the opportunity to meet and

welcome people and understand their needs as well as the

opportunity to stress the importance of sharing their

time, talent, and treasure. Those meetings totaled twenty

(20) families. We have begun the practice of a 6 month

follow up to ensure they have kept their word, and I am

happy to report that almost every family has!

In terms of clergy, Saint Mary Parish has only one (1)

priest/pastor in residence and two (2) permanent

deacons, one (1) of which who is retired still assisting,

faculties renewed annually by the Bishop. Continuing

education, which includes Annual Convocations and

directed retreats, workshops, as well as spiritual and

homiletic resources, are provided for by the parish within

the guidelines set forth by the Office of Clergy/ Diocese

of Trenton.

Although we have only one (1) priest in residence, we are

blessed to have two (2) priests who consistently assist on

weekends, and two (2) others who assist on week days.

We maintain a good relationship with many others who

come to help at Advent/Lent Parish Penance &

Reconciliation Services which require the help of as many

as sixteen (16) priest confessors in total.

All visiting clergy (priests and deacons) wishing to minister

at the parish in any capacity such as at weddings, funerals,

baptisms, and Mass, as well as give ‘talks’ or mission

representation, are required, as prescribed by the five

Diocese of the State of New Jersey, to submit in advance

Testimonials of Suitability signed by their Bishop/Provincial

and addressed to our Bishop for his approval that they are

in good standing and this is strictly enforced.

Technology

We have become more dependent upon better

technology to assist in efficiently serving the needs of the

parish. For example, voice messages are automatically

emailed upon receipt, giving us the option of responding

quickly in the event of a real emergency. Phone calls

coming in through the designated Emergency Line are

automatically redirected to a cell phone. Access to and

sharing of Sacramental and Clergy schedules with

electronic devices continues to assist in planning of

Sunday/Solemnity Worship as well as weddings, baptisms,

and funerals. The use of this rapid technology has

assisted in twenty-one (22) people quickly receiving the

Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, an increase of one

(1), as well the planning of funerals, to be discussed later

on.

Ministries

Women’s Morning Office, which meet on Friday mornings,

remains steady with seventeen (17) members in total,

overseen by one (1) volunteer coordinator.

Men’s Morning Office, which meets on Thursday mornings,

has increased by three (3) members to thirty (33)

members and two (2) volunteer coordinators.

Saturday Men’s Prayer Group meet the second (2nd)

Saturday of the month for prayer, fellowship, and faith

sharing with a topic and speaker selected in advance.

Overseen by one (1) facilitator, attendance varies from

ten (10) to twenty (20) per session.

Last year our Ministry of Care, fifteen (15) volunteers in

total, brought Eucharist to fifteen (15) who are

homebound, an increase of five (5) from last year. In

addition they continue to visit Hospitals and assisted living

facilities such as Brandywine, Care One, Monmouth

Crossing and Madison Rehabilitation, bringing Eucharist, as

well as ministry of prayer and presence.

Our Lazarus Ministry consists of two (2) leaders who meet

with families to help in planning their loved ones’ wake

and funeral liturgies and another thirteen (13) who assist

in other capacities at the Funeral Mass. During the past

year, thirty-seven (37) funerals took place at the parish, an

increase of four (4), and one (1) Memorial Service. They

also assist in the planning and staffing of the Annual Mass

of Remembrance held on or about All Souls Day.

Ministry of Consolation is there to assist those grieving after

the funeral is over and family and friends have gone back

to their daily routine. Last year they assisted twenty-four

Facilities cont. Worship & Evangelization (cont.)

(24) people in total over two nine-week sessions. There

are three (3) dedicated and trained facilitators with a

fourth (4th) available for one-on-one counseling.

Singles Journey, a ministry dedicated to those over the

age of forty (40) who are divorced, widowed, or never

married has assisted twelve (12) people in total in their

ministry of sharing and caring for those who are single

due to life’s circumstances, overseen by four (4)

facilitators.

Saint Mary’s Men’s Prison Ministry consists of four (4)

members who continue their Friday visits to the NJ State

Prison in Trenton as Christ teaches, ministering to the

spiritual needs of up to eighty (80) prisoners bringing

Eucharist, religious materials, spiritual counsel, ‘presence’

and hope to the forgotten members of society. Due to

security changes at the NJ State Prison, Women’s

Ministry are unable to visit as before.

Saint Mary’s, through outreach efforts has aided

countless families through distribution of about 145

Thanksgiving Baskets/Turkeys plus an additional 57 bags

of food items.

Through the Advent Tree of Love and the efforts of

twelve (12) volunteers, over 800 Christmas gifts were

distributed to Mercy Center, Project Paul, John L

Montgomery Care Center, Mother of Mercy RE

Program, Golden Age Boarding Home and SMCN Social

Concerns.

Through the efforts of twenty-four (24) volunteers,

Sponsor-a-Family, has assisted sixty-six (66) families and

eight (8) foster children with Aslan Youth Ministries in

Red Bank as well as The Center in Asbury Park, The

Highpoint School, Saint Mary's community, and the

Family Resource Associates

Weekly food collections, not weighed at present, has

more than doubled since the addition of the bin in the

gathering space. Once filled, it is emptied and contents

delivered to two (2) locations on an alternate basis,

Mercy Center and Freehold Open Door.

Project Backpack, run by three (3) volunteers and in

conjunction five (5) other local Houses of Worship,

netted a grand total of 215 backpacks, filled with school

supplies, and distributed to needy families and schools in

the Freehold area.

Tai Chi continues to grow with nearly 45 participants

overseen by one (1) certified volunteer instructor.

Efforts through our Social Concerns Ministry has aided

over 100 families with $43,251.00 paid out for housing

and utilities, up $576.00 from last year.

As reported last year, the items covered are the more

prominent ones, noticeable to the average weekend

worshipper. Much more takes place during the week

going by unnoticed, such as daily Mass, setting up of all

weekend Masses, the Lenten Chapel, and other Liturgical

events such as weddings, funerals, baptisms and those we

host. Ongoing operations include the changing of the

Liturgical Seasons, each requiring its unique set of

vessels, vestments, Altar Cloths, and décor. Oversight of

host, wine, candle, incense, and charcoal inventory along

with the household chores such as washing and ironing

of purificators and albs, care of vestments and vessels,

filling and care of Holy Water fonts, candles, candle-wax,

just to name a few.

We hope you will consider volunteering your talents

and abilities as a way to further worship, give praise,

and glory to God.

Facilities cont. Worship & Evangelization (cont.)

“God is spirit,

and his worshipers

must worship in the

Spirit and in truth.”

John 4:24

Facilities cont. “Holy Year of Mercy”

“Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.”

In response to Pope's call,

Bishop O'Connell designates the Parish of St Mary

as one of 13 pilgrim churches in the Diocese of Trenton

On April 11, 2015, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, issued a

bull of indiction, designating Dec. 8, 2015 - Nov. 20, 2016 as a Jubilee

Year, a "Holy Year of Mercy" throughout the Catholic Church. In his

announcement, Pope Francis wrote that "in every local church, at the

cathedral - the mother church of the faithful in any particular area - or,

alternatively, at the co-cathedral or another church of special significance,

a Door of Mercy will be opened for the duration of the Holy Year. At the

discretion of the local ordinary, a similar door may be opened at any

shrine frequented by large groups of pilgrims, since visits to these holy

sites are so often grace-filled

moments as people discover a

path to conversion."

At Saint Mary Parish, the two

outside center doors to the

church have been designated for

this purpose. They will be locked on December 8th and will be re-

opened at the 12noon Mass on Sunday December 13th, Gaudete

Sunday. The doors, as well as portions of the gathering space, will be

decorated appropriately and include the necessary informational

signage, as well as the Coat of Arms of Pope Francis and Bishop

O'Connell.

The "Holy Doors of Mercy" shall be opened Dec. 13, 2015

through Nov. 20, 2016. All Catholics of the Diocese of Trenton

who visit one of these churches and its Holy Door of Mercy on

pilgrimage and who fulfill the conditions ordinarily attached to an

indulgence (remission of temporal punishment for sins already

forgiven, see canon 992) shall, with the proper intention and

disposition, receive the plenary Jubilee Indulgence available during the

Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.

Charitable Appeals: Renewing Our Commitment to the Poor & Needy

Direct Support $43,251

Food Collections Double from last year

Adopt a Family (Sponsor and Adopt Combined) 66 Families & 8 Foster Children

Tree of Love (800+ gifts @ $25.00 per) $20,000+

Direct Charitable Appeals $7,475

Non-Diocesan Collections $14,500

By providing adequate meeting space, The Parish of Saint Mary generously hosts a

number of community based self-help, occupational therapy, social service, ecumenical

prayer and personal enrichment programs. This would not be possible without the

generous sacrificial stewardship of our parishioners to maintain our physical facilities.

2015 Annual

Catholic Appeal

Parish Goal: $71,276.00

Pledged: $73,165.38

Amount Collected: $71,789.74

Number of Gifts: 301

Avg. Gift: $238.50

The categories listed below are funded primarily through Parish Tithing of net proceeds from: Fundraising

Efforts, The Christmas & Easter Collections, Restricted Gifts…with additional funding provided from the

Sunday Stewardship Offerings to offset needed revenue.

Music Ministry Lauren Walters

Music Minister

Over the course of the last year, we have yet again increased the amount of

choral Masses on the schedule, totaling over 40 appearances. All major church

events and sacraments had choral representation. The cantoring program

continues to grow with three new cantors in the training program. The Marian

Handbell choir has gained membership, as has the Magnificat (Adult) Choir.

Additionally, the Religious Education Summer Intensives Intro to Music segments

led to new members joining the Caritas Youth Schola and piqued the interests

of children and parents alike.

During the Summer Religious Education Intensives, children have learned the

principal instruments for the Mass, the order and parts of the Mass, called the

Ordinary, and have even learned the chant Ave Maria. Imagine 50 children

singing together one of the oldest pieces of sacred music all together…it is quite

stirring!

Additionally, the Caritas Youth Schola has learned the basics of good vocal

techniques, sight reading skills, and several sacred chants including the In

Paradisum, Regina Coeli, Christus Vincit, Pange Lingua to name a few. They

have also sung with the Magnificat Choir, Marian Handbells, and other outside

instrumentalists, increasing their exposure to sacred music and collaborative

efforts.

Each choir has studied church music across the centuries: from Gregorian

chants of the early church to Renaissance and Classical Motets, Taize chants, as

well as contemporary contributions by our organist, Andrew Macirowski. All

have been incorporated into the Mass throughout the year for the appropriate

occasion.

The Marian Handbells successfully prepared pieces that broadened the scope of

techniques used by the group, requiring greater technical difficulty and attention

to detail. The Magnificat Choir not only added to their repertoire and the

repertoire of the parish, but prepared several difficult pieces with the help of the

Adult Schola, such as Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium and the Mass of the

Shepherds for Christmas and the entire chanted Passion of Our Lord Jesus

Christ According to John for Good Friday, as well as the vocally accompanied

Easter Vigil Exsultet. We have also contracted with outside musicians to bring

the highest quality standard of Catholic worship to Mass. From brass to strings,

the addition of the instrumentation adds to the beauty and dignity of Mass, as

well as everyone’s church experience.

In addition to the seasonal worship aids created, we have also begun comprising

materials for our very own hymnal and missal, to hopefully be in use by Advent

2016. This lengthy and extensive project commenced September 2015 and

hopes to be completed by November 2016.

“Sing praises

to God,

sing praises;

Sing praises

to our King,

sing praises.”

Psalm 47:6

Facilities Report

Joseph Noble

Pastoral Coordinator

This past fiscal year saw the facilities segment of the parish

put the finishing touches on some projects and add new

and exciting ones to this constant evolving fragment of our

parish community. We are now much more assertive to

our approach on maintaining our buildings and grounds

then we ever have been previously. Below is a glance of

the projects that have been completed or are “in process:”

Parish Offices

Last year was the first full year that we were in our newly

relocated parish offices. With the relocation, came a

change of our parish office work schedule and hours of

operation. These changes, which were a direct result of

the parish wide listening sessions, have worked out

extremely well. It has enabled our parishioners, especially

those that work outside of the home, to have access to

the parish office as late as 7:30 pm, Monday through

Thursday and from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm on Sunday

mornings. We have now begun to beautify our walls with

many of the different pieces of art that we have acquired

throughout the years. As you frequent many of the rooms

we have, take note of these various pieces as many of

them are truly remarkable.

Church & Parish Hall

During our Lenten season, we chose to decorate our

parish church with the donated hand carved wooden

crucifix hung on the reredos of the sanctuary. The image

of the Risen Christ was appropriately returned for the

Easter Season. This past year we were able to reap the

rewards of having our Nana wall available to us for the

entire year. This has given us a great deal of flexibility and

increased our seating capacity greatly which is especially

needed during Christmas, Easter, First Communions and

Confirmations. We have installed a sound system in the

parish hall. It had been on the “to do” list for a couple of

years. Our original intention was to upgrade the church

system and use some of the components to begin to build

the system for the parish hall. However, last year the

system in the church was “fried” during a severe storm.

We had been using “on loan equipment” since that time.

We had to go back to the plan and revaluate. And so, we

have installed a sound system where there was none in the

parish hall. We have additionally installed a new powered

microphone at the pulpit and at the cantor stand in the

church. This is a short term solution to some of our sound

feed issues. We will further evaluate in months to come.

Grotto & Prayer Garden

Work continued on the renovation of the Grotto and

Prayer Garden until its completion in August, 2015. Our

parish welcomed His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Bishop of Trenton for the Solemnity of the Assumption of

the Blessed Virgin Mary, patroness of our Diocese of

Trenton. Bishop O’Connell celebrated Mass on Friday,

August 14th at 7:00 pm. Afterwards, Bishop O’Connell and

hundreds of parishioners and friends processed to the

Grotto and Prayer Garden so that this newly renovated

place of prayer and solitude might be blessed by His

Excellency. This certainly was a milestone in the history of

the parish. The flag pole, given by the Boy Scouts in honor

of our founding pastor Father Raymond Griffin, has been

relocated to the prayer garden and repaired in honor of all

veterans who have served in defense of our country and

freedom. The work of renovating the Grotto and

expanding the Prayer garden was made possible through a

generous Charitable Bequest in loving memory of

Catherine “Kitty” Pancetti. This was made possible

through the efforts of her husband and our parishioner

John A. Pancetti. Throughout the years, John and Kitty

have supported our parish along the way and continue to

help us care for our parish facilities. The design which we

see is the work of Nicholas Ginther of DW Smith in

Farmingdale; General Contractor has been our parishioner

John Kling; the donor memorial sculpture was created by

parishioner Drew Weber; Legal Counsel in establishing the

Charitable Bequest was offered by parishioner John Aiello;

additional site engineering provided by parishioner AJ

Garrito. Each of these professionals has made this work

possible so that the grotto and prayer garden can be a

safe, accessible place of solitude and for personal prayer.

May these efforts continue to inspire generations to come.

Care of Grounds

Our parish campus encompasses 25 acres of property.

This amount of land at times can be difficult to properly

maintain. That is why we call upon our parishioners to

volunteer their time and talents and to come to our

aid. We want to acknowledge all those parishioners,

representing every age group, for the awesome care of

our parish grounds. So many have been present during

both our annual Spring and Fall clean ups. Parish

maintenance efforts involving parishioners included

mum plantings in the Fall and Summer plantings in the

urns and baskets in front of the church by Lisa

Ortenzio, exterior annual plantings with the childcare

center children in spring, the creation of the Door of

Mercy in collaboration with the Sewing Ministry and

several parish clean-up efforts. Thirty five + youth and

adults came together throughout the year to help with

interior parish Clean-up/Maintenance efforts. The

group cleaned all of the stained wood doors, the wood

of the pews, the chairs and the sills in both the church

and the chapel. Also throughout the year, adults/teens

vacuumed pews in the church, washed windows and

doors and helped to take care of the plants in the

church, hall and offices. Two exterior outdoor clean-up

efforts were held in conjunction with the community

building committee and youth ministry: Eighty-three

volunteers signed up to participate in a Fall clean-up

which was held on Saturday, November 14 from 11am-

3pm to aid in the removal of fallen leaves and branches

before the winter months. Low branches were also cut

back and removed from the property lines. A Spring

Clean-up was held Saturday, April 16 from 9am-1pm to

clean up debris deposited on the parish grounds over

the winter. Seventy-one adult/youth participants

accomplished much work on the North, East and West

property lines. Thank you to Troop 290 Boy Scouts

who helped out at each clean-up and their parents who

cooked and served the hotdogs at the Spring clean-up.

The Garden Club met on Wednesdays at 5pm

throughout the summer to begin the work of weeding,

restoring and beautifying the Butterfly garden, in need

of much love and care, which is in full view of the

Chapel and is enjoyed by daily Mass attendees. During

the Fall and Spring clean-ups many of the trees and

bush were cut back to allow more sunlight and rain

water to reach the plantings. Under the direction of

volunteers Tom Kinlin and Fred Sorrentino, a few of

the large rocks were removed and relocated to allow

Blessing of our New Grotto in the Memory of “Kitty” Pancetta by Bishop O’Connell

Facilities (cont.)

Our parish welcomed His

Excellency, The Most

Reverend Bishop of

Trenton for the

Solemnity of the

Assumption of the

Blessed Virgin Mary,

patroness of our Diocese

of Trenton. Bishop

O’Connell celebrated

Mass on Friday, August

14th at 7:00 pm.

for new plantings in the Spring. Thank you Tom for the

beautiful annual/perennial plantings that were added

when the weather warmed. The color palette was

spectacular.

The blizzard of 2016 dropped 25 inches of snow on us

and was coupled with tremendous winds that left us with

nearly insurmountable snow drifts. Although this was a

very costly clean up, we must be grateful that the damage

was minimal here in Colts Neck.

Catholic Child Care Center

The center continues to move forward on the plan to

develop its attendance. The primary reason for this

expansion of our parish formational and educational

program is to evangelize families with young children by

providing a caring, faith based environment for their

children.

The program is for children ages 2.5 – 6 years. There are

several attendance options available. The program is

curriculum based and is fully certified. Future Generation

administers the childcare program with our parish

resourcing the program’s religious and liturgical

formation component.

Currently, we are working

on constructing an

outdoor play area for the

children to enjoy. For

now, a temporary fence

has been delivered and

constructed to designate a

temporary outdoor play

area. This will remain until

the permanent area is

completed in the not too

distant future.

Additional Updates

We are continuing our energy saving initiatives. Nearly all

of the light switches have been converted to sensor

types. This eliminates the mistake of leaving them on

after meetings which has proved to be a recurring

problem. We have purchased new thermostats to

update many of our archaic ones. The new ones will have

WIFI capability which should continue to reduce our

electricity usage.

Speaking of electricity, our Solar Farm continues to

operate at top efficiency and continues to save the parish

approximately $20,000. annually. As a reminder, no

parish funds were spent on this project. During the

Christmas season, trees and other decorations were

assembled in the Church, parish house and other public

areas in order to create a festive environment.

These improvements were all made possible through the

assistance of scores of parishioners who graciously

volunteer their time and talent.

“What a wonderful asset we have in our parish in the person of our faithful volunteers.”

Next Fiscal Year 2016-2017

Projects that we look forward to for next year are:

Wi-Fi in the church and parish hall. That would give

us full coverage in every common building.

Further advancement of our lawn irrigation

system to help encourage the growth of future trees

and shrubs.

The building of a new Parish House for all

parishioners to enjoy and be proud of.

Further beautification of our property.

Expanded compliance in the protection of our

children. This may include advanced technology in

our entrance door locking systems, cameras and

other security measures.

Facilities cont. Facilities (cont.)

Fiscal Overview

Year Ending June 30th, 2016

Susan Lambert, CPA

Fiscal year July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016 resulted in a surplus of revenue over expenses of $85,450 but was lower

than previous year.

Highlights of the year’s financial results are:

Although total offertory revenue increased from last year, Sunday Stewardship remained the same.

Golf outing was a success and brought in an additional $8,000 from previous year.

Building and Ground maintenance expense resulted in an increase of $52,000 over previous year.

Diocesan assessment and property/liability insurance increased $16,000.

Furthermore we paid back $155,766 of past due obligations.

The overall financial condition is as follows:

Financials are prepared on the accrual method and therefore expenses are recorded when occurred and not when

paid. After taking into account the principal mortgage payments of $74,675 and the capital additions of $55,733 the

overall deficit was ($44,958).

Vendor payables, diocesan payables, and catholic school support payables were decreased and projected to be paid

in full by end of calendar year 2018.

Amboy Bank mortgage loan was paid off with the proceeds from a new loan of $350,000 reducing the interest rate

from 4% to 3% . The principal loan payments of this new loan brought the loan balance to $311,816.

Capital additions included sound system upgrade to parish hall and start-up costs for Day Care.

We currently have an emergency reserve of $172,554 as we continue toward our minimum goal of one fiscal year

revenue reserve in order to provide for long term operational stability.

Going forward for June 30, 2017 a deficit of $29,816 is anticipated.

In response to this, the following actions should be considered:

Increase Sunday Stewardship giving.

Expand the use of online giving to steady revenues especially when families are out of town.

Consider bequests or legacy gifts to provide for the future.

Continue to address physical facility maintenance and care of grounds.

Parish Expenses Parish Revenues

Statement of Financial Operations July 1st, 2015 - June 30th, 2016

*

Statement of Financial Operations July 1st, 2015 - June 30th, 2016

*

* Carried over from page 14

Calendar Year 2015 Stewardship Offering All Funds: Sunday, Mortgage Christmas & Easter

Offertory Amount # of Households Total

$25,000 to 10,000.01 4 $62,578.00

$10,000 to 2,500.01 73 $286,564.00

$2,500 to 1,000.01 224 $337,533.00

$1,000 to 400.01 235 $153,765.00

$400 to 100.01 325 $72,358.61

$100 - to .01 348 $17,418.45

$0.00 715 $0.00

Total Households 1,924 $930,217

Checks and Loose CASH $74,734

Total Annual Offering $1,004,951

Calendar Year 2015 Average Weekly Stewardship Excluding Christmas & Easter: Inclusive of on-line and envelope contributions

8 42 56115 86 99

661

857

0100200300400500600700800900

# o

f Ho

use

hol

ds

Average Weekly Offering Amount

Offertory Amount # of Households Total

$135.00 to $100.01 8 $1,117.90

$100.00 to $50.01 42 $2,806.63

$50.00 to $30.01 56 $2,197.57

$30.00 to $20.01 115 $2,825.63

$20.00 to $15.01 86 $1,518.08

$15.00 to $10.01 99 $1,214.08

$10.00 to $.01 661 $2,070.88

$0.00 857 $0.00

4

73

224 235

325348

715

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

$25,000 to10,000.01

$10,000 to2,500.01

$2,500 to1,000.01

$1,000 to400.01

$400 to100.01

$100 - to.01

$0.00

Annual Offering By Amount

On-line & Envelope $702,124

Checks and Loose CASH $61,542

Total CY2015 Weekly $763,666

Weekly Average ( ) $14,974

Last Name First Name Last Name First Name Last Name First Name Last Name First Name

Aderton Jonathan Cremona Gabriel Kenyon Julia Sager Brielle

Agliata Vincent DiFoglio Eva Kohm Jake Santulli John

Allegro Michael Dipilato Joseph Kolakowski Claire Santulli John

Anzevino Isabella Domanski Sienna Lavery Jason Satter Morgan

Apolito Laila Raquel Duddy Nolan Manhire Marisa Satter Morgan

Astuto Dane Esposito Janelle Marretta Madeline Spiwak Benjamin

Bacile Justin Fazzolari Catherine Massimino Ava Steiniger Alexis

Bellisario James Feiler Cameron Medvin Mattea Thompson Matthew

Bellomo Maria Fitzhenry Ciara Moore Kyle Tierney Cooper

Bodak Sophia Flyn Michael Morfino Gabriella Tormey Brady

Brown Julianna Gagliardo Maxx Mundy Charlotte Tsompanidis Stephanos

Brush Kaylie Galski Braeden O’Connor Natalie Valesi Derek

Brush Ryan Garcia Eva Mary Parisi Alexandra Vela Camila

Bulger Gabriella Gershon Samuel Pastor Olivia Velba Charlotte

Burns Ava Hawthorne Blake Pellecchia Lia Ward John

Cammarata Francesca Hayden Nicholas Penczak Gabriellal Widmeier Mollie

Campitiello Gerardo Hennessey Ryan Pisano Tessa Woodford Sophia

Carroll Lilly Hoarle Michael Radic Alex Yaninas Danek

Chollick Katherine Hoeker Madison Radic Christian Zorn Chloe

Coffey Ryan Jordan Emma Ruiz Lily Bella

Facilities cont. Sacramental Statistics Calendar Year: 1 January 2015 through 31 December 2015

Baptisms Last Name First & Middle Last Name First & Middle Last Name First & Middle

Alicea Callie Lin Habib Jacob Paul Rykojc Matthew Peter

Barnett Kaitlyn Rose Herberger Aiden Adam Savage Julianna Catherine

Bellomo Giuliana Jaclyn Kapner Matthew Benjamin Soi John-Paul Alan

Berardi Matteo Massi Koempel Hannah Lynn Statile Natalie Ann

Bergin Justin Lawrence Kraszewski Bode Anthony Strouse Gavin Joseph

Berke Paige Isabella Krazewski Write Borden Tobia Kyra Suzanne

Bodak Sophia E. Lack Alina Rose Toolan Olympia Ward

Brennan Madelyn Marie LaRocca Jack Theodore Toolan Brian James II

Brown Griffin Robert Lennan James Brian Woodward Kelyn Kean

Brusca Victoria Ashley Linquito Olivia Marie

Buscemi Mia Regina Lugones James Justin

Buscemi Haley Marie Mahjouri Christian Mani

Ciniglia Katelyn Marie Marsh Michael Anthony

DeMatteo Alexander James McAlpine Emma Elizabeth

Eastman Jackson Liam Molinelli Dominic

Fedina Jake Anthony Montana Luca Ray

Fixter Clara Mae Musarra Viana Rosa

Gaglio Michael Paul, Jr. Nicholson Caia Serafina

Giuffrida Jayda Lynn Madison Panassidi John Edward

Glazier Abigail Josephine Penczak Gabriella

Glazier Emma Elizabeth Pires Charlotte Elizabeth

First Holy Communions

Sacramental Statistics Calendar Year:

1 January 2015 - 31 December 2015

Confirmations

Last Name First Name Last Name First Name Last Name First Name Last Name First Name

Andreyko Brandon DeMizio Nicholas Kiechlin Helen Pecoraro Isabella

Antico Gianna DeSaye Mikayla Kryzanekas Anna Petrosino Darren

Aufiero Brandon Divino Madelyn LaGrasta Olivia Powell James

Baker Arthur Doherty Patrick Lavery Amanda Renda Alyssa

Ballingall Parker Domanski Kaila Lazzsaro Randall Rizzuto-Flancbaum Zen

Barba Alyssa Eschert Sarah Lind Isabella Rocco Christopher

Barilka Zachary Esposito Marissa Lyons Jason Ross Delaney

Basile Isabella Farrow Bridget Maher Lindsey Salvo Jonathan

Belforti Ryan Favilla Michael Marchese James Salvo Sabrina

Boliver Michael Fitzhenry Isabella McGuiness Patrick Savino Victoria

Bongiorno Sarah Fricano Salvatore McNamara Robert Schauer Gemma

Brisco Terence Geraghty Katherine McNeill Emily Simmons Cristalla

Broglia Jenna Gibson Catherine Mikula Kristi Singer Jennifer

Bujnowski Lauren Gibson Eva Moldaver Daniel Sobal Vincent

Cafiero Matthew Greenstein Kelly Mondella Stephanie Strumeier Jaden

Calderaro Michael Grizzaffi Christina Naranjo Shirley Swidryk John

Casucci Ashley Hroncic Brian Nelson James Taylor Anastasia

Christopher Hannah Huntley William Neustater Michael Thomas Kaitlin

Ciasulli Robert Huys Madeline Noble Michael Thompson Philip

Clarke Megan Isso Dean O'Brien Maggie Trigani Mackenzie

Cleary Robert Jordan Walter O'Mahony James Whalen Elizabeth

Colaco Alison Kaminski John Ortenzio Kathryn Yaninas Valeska

Coppola Rafael Kastell William Pariente Isabella Zita Tomas

D'Angelo Amanda Kelly Jack Pariente Paloma

DeLuca Michael Kidd Nicholas Pastor Luke

Funerals

Marriages

Last Name First (M) Last Name First (M) Last Name First (M) Last Name First (M)

Clifford Eugenia Hagner Joseph March Annette Schatzle Susan

Colletti Mary T. Higgins John J Mousmovles Harry Segal Helen M.

Corley Eleanor Homan Margaret P. Neilson John Sheehan John

Crescente Antonio LaMarca Antonina Nichols Joseph Staudt Roberta

Finelli Leonard Lambert Barbara Varga O'Shea Barbara Valenziano Philip

Gardner Hallie LaSalle Christopher Pereira Olga Isabel Vasta Thomas

Gavinelli Giuseppe Latrenta Dorothy Salvo Vincent

Grubb Frances Madden Thomas Sanzari Delfina

Groom Full Name Bride Full Name Groom Full Name Bride Full Name

Battaglia, Michael Delisi, Gina Marie Migliori, Mark Anthony Oviedo, Natasha Theresa

Bradach, Bradford W. Weber, Alexia Anne Mullins, Shawn Michael Jakubowski, Jennifer

DalFonzo, Anthony M Jeanneret, Danielle A. Roe, Stephen Daniel McCue, Catherine Helen

Geneve, Craig J. Casciano, Mary M Salvati, Salvatore Plenzo, Alexandra

Giunco, John Albert III Christian, Carolyn Marie Wilk, Alexander Joseph Leonhardt, Elizabeth Ann

LaMorte, Christopher Lindemann, Quinn

Calendar Year 1975 1985 1995 2010 2015

Baptism 24 22 50 48 52

First Eucharist 50 39 66 117 77

Confirmation 48 66 35 81 99

Marriage 19 18 19 20 11

Anointing of the Sick 5 18 21 5 24

Baptisms 52 Confirmations 99 Infants 52 Children 99

RCIA Adult 0 RCIA Adult 0

First Holy Communions 79 Marriages 11 Children 77 Funerals 30 RCIA Adult 2 Anointing of the Sick 24

Sacramental

Comparison

Over the

Years

Sacramental Statistics Calendar Year: 1 January 2015 through 31 December 2015

Why consider the convenience of on-line giving:

Convenient, simple and secure alternative to the weekly church envelopes or cash giving

No need for writing checks

Option to remain anonymous

Financial planning allows you to align your paychecks with your parish offertory schedule

Support parish even if you are unable to attend Mass

Contribution amount is easily adjusted

Automatic deductions from bank account/credit card

Take advantage of programs such as airline mileage or cash bonuses with credit card option

Make your parish a priority in budgeting - Avoid compromising your good intentions by the pressure of

expenses and billing cycles

Benefit to Parish: Giving arrives on a designated day, in a designated amount, and is available for

immediate use while simplifying bookkeeping and budgeting efforts.

Offertory Cards can be provided to each online giving family if desired to be placed in the Offertory

collection basket each weekend. Cards are recycled each weekend.

Sign up for Online Giving today:

http://www.stmarycoltsneck.com/index.php/about-us/online-giving

Facilities cont. Stewardship: Benefits of Online Giving & Tithing

Seek the Right Path

God first and foremost wants us. He loved us before we were born. What He wants most of all, is our time. This begins with prayer. We must give our time to God in prayer, and listen to what God wants of us. Secondly, He expects us to use our talents for the good of others and our parish. He expects us to actively participate in

parish life with our many gifts. Finally, we are challenged to put our treasure in His hands, and be generous with the gifts God has given us.

Giving Guidelines for Prayerful Reflection

Of all the ways we are asked to be generous, giving from our treasure - giving money - can sometimes be the most challenging. God understands this. He calls us to tithe for this reason. Giving money to charity will do much good, but the most good it will do is free us from our attachment to money. This frees us to serve God and draw closer to Him. Tithing challenges us to see the difference between what we need and what we want. This is important for our spiritual well being. Tithing means giving 10% from our gross wages or income. We strive to give 5% to our parish, and 5% to the needs of the greater Chur ch and world – other charities. Giving freely is an important tool to develop in our journey to draw closer to Christ. For most, it takes time to reach a full tithe.

Weekly Challenge Giving Discipleship Giving Growth Giving Entry Level Giving

Income 15% 12% 10% 9% 8% 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1%

$500 75 60 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5

$700 105 84 70 63 56 49 42 35 28 21 14 7

$800 120 96 80 72 64 56 48 40 32 24 16 8

$900 135 108 90 81 72 63 54 45 36 27 18 9

$1,000 150 120 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10

$1,200 180 144 120 108 96 84 72 60 48 36 24 12

$1,500 225 180 150 135 120 105 90 75 60 45 30 15

$2,000 300 240 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20

$3,000 450 360 300 270 240 210 180 150 120 90 60 30

http://www.stmarycoltsneck.com/index.php/about-us/online-giving

Community Building & Communications

Linda Dickinson-Pancila, MA Pastoral Coordinator

FY July 2015- June 2016 was another notable year in both the communication and community

building cores with increased efficiency, steady progress and many volunteers stepping up to

assist in all aspects of these departments. As I become more entrenched in the “behind the

scenes” functionality of parish life as well as participating in the kick off of the two diocesan

campaigns, I realize that the work at hand is exceedingly more crucial to the future of the

Catholic Church and the existence of our parish. This has become evident in part due to the

parish’s part in the Faith in Our Future self-evaluation, planning and visioning initiative which

will collaborate, link or merge parishes and also due to the ever changing dynamic in our

parish, catholic households and in society in general. Secondly, understanding and accepting

that many Catholics are not practicing the faith and many may not recognize why attending

Mass or having a relationship with God is important in their lives makes it difficult to pinpoint

a starting point in making a difference and creating change. Thirdly, the staff changes at the

parish over the past year caused the intermingling of responsibilities and areas of oversight.

Due to this dynamic, the grave need and reliance on volunteers in the parish supporting all

areas of parish life increased greatly.

A Community of Engagement:

Last reporting, I challenged readers to ponder the thoughts, “the work at hand is up to each

one of us… the work we achieve together can never be accomplished by one.” That was an

invitation for each to consider how we (no matter age or ability, retired or full time, male or

female) are called to give time, talent and resources to make a difference in our parish, in our

community and in our world. I render this plea at each new parishioner orientation; the

invitation for each of us joining the parish to discern how we are called to help out. To those

who are involved in parish life, I invite to not only consider how your time and talent can

benefit the church but also to compromise rather than insist on one’s own way, to stick

around when times get tough rather than turn away or complain, to help make change

happen rather than create conflict and turmoil and finally to build up rather than break down.

A reminder that our parish and our diocese needs us; helps us to remain focused on the

work at hand so that the parish and staff can serve you in your time of need as well as make

available amazing programming, top notch communications, return phone calls and emails in a

timely manner, maintain adequate and clean facilities, celebrate Mass 5 times a weekend,

continue outreach to the needy, and provide various and enriching formation and community

building programming for all ages throughout the year. Knowing that our common bond is

that we are Roman Catholics and knowing that the one who unites us is Jesus Christ, helps

us to recognize that we are never truly alone in the mission. We can come together in social

cohesion as a driving force of interconnection with Jesus Christ as our center. We are linked

and dependent on each other whether we choose to be part of the community or not. I

image with over 2000 registered families on roll what could be accomplished in this beautiful

place of Saint Mary Parish, Colts Neck 07722 if each and every one of us contributed time,

talent and treasure to the whole of the community benefiting all inside and outside the

community.

Our Objectives

Over the past two and a half years the objective has been to transform and grow both the

Community Building and Communication Cores (inclusive of the parish office) initially by

identifying what was working in all areas, pinpointing each areas gifts, where the strengths

“So then,

as we have

opportunity,

let us do

good to

everyone,

and

especially to

those who

are of the

household of

faith.”

Galatians 6:10

and weaknesses were rooted, and how the energy and

the living presence flowed positively within each core.

The next steps were to revive, renew and enliven the life

and energy that was identified year one and work on

growing each core while building trust, developing

relationships, deepening the engagement of parishioners

in the community while helping them identify the

importance of taking ownership of their parish as

stakeholders in the community. Only 2 ½ years in, this is

still a work in progress and at each twist and turn it is

important to reevaluate and define new goals to continue

to reimage and build our parish as a community that is

full of life, positive energy and the living presence of Jesus

Christ. This year, we continued to discover who we are

as parish by means of the self-evaluation portion of the

Faith In Our Future initiative, identified what worked and

didn’t work, outlined in what areas of parish life support

was needed to help create a more sustainable and

resilient parish, to more deeply define who we minister

to and how we can better meet the needs of those in the

community and lastly (and maybe most importantly) to

identify our shared understandings, expectations and

responsibilities as parish, friends and faith-filled believers

so that we can continue to provide the awareness that

The Parish of Saint Mary is that central place or safe

haven in our lives where giving of time, talent and

treasure flows naturally as we grow in faith and deepen

our relationship with Jesus Christ.

A Special Thanks to our Parishioners and the

awe-inspiring Results of their Volunteer Efforts

Thank you to all who made the following programming

possible: Nine Agape Sundays were held offering

parishioners fellowship, ministry and hospitality. Thank

you to chairs Jack, Rorie and Bob and dedicated

volunteers Jacqueline, Ien, Paul and Diana, for your

consistent efforts. At Agape the parish participated in a

knotted blanket service project offered by Onoro Health.

The Parish Directory (finalized over the summer and

distributed mid-November) came to a close. Engaging

200+ participants, the Project CARE Program

comprised of 16 programs/workshops/lectures consisted

of 39 sessions over the course of 7 weeks and culminated

with a Thank you reception at the August Agape for all

volunteers and participants. Five New Parishioner

Orientation sessions welcomed 100+ new parishioner

families to the parish. In July, close friends and

parishioners of Father William Bausch, Pastor Emeritus,

hosted a reception in celebration of his 60th

anniversary as a priest. It was a beautiful occasion for

all. In August, the core hosted a reception after the

blessing of the renovated Grotto and Prayer Garden

in the gathering space and on the patio in front of the

church. A heartfelt acknowledgment to the Prayer

Shawl Ministry and Sewing Circle for making and

donating hundreds of knitted, crochet or sewn articles to

organizations and individuals in need and for collaborating

efforts with the Spiritual Adoption Ministry. Thank you to

chairs Kathy Adleman and Kathe Flanagan for their

direction and oversight and ministry members, too many

to name, who made such selfless contributions to the

community at large. Your work is tremendously

appreciated by all who receive and are comforted by the

hand-made items. Thank you to dedicated chair Lori

Letteri for embracing the Spiritual Adoption Ministry.

Thank you to parishioner Barbara Schaflin for providing

the fitness opportunity and the ministry of Tai Chi, a

slow moving meditative exercise combining stress

reduction and good posture with movement to improve

health, to participants from the parish and community.

Barbara is a certified Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall

Prevention instructor and member of the Tai Chi for

Health Institute. Parishioners came together for fun

nights of baseball with friends and family at two Faith &

Family Blue Claws Baseball Games (August 25, 2015

and June 14, 2016); both games were exciting and well

attended. One of the goals of the Community Building

Core is to provide more fitness opportunities in future

programing both on and off campus.

Facilities cont. Community Building & Communications (cont.)

The Fall Festival Pot Luck Dinner in November was

a great way to begin the holiday season with homemade

food and a fantastic DJ at a $5 ticket price and many

thanks to committee chairs Maureen Staub, Colleen

Janiw, Diane Antico, Ginny Hamlin and community

service volunteers for all their efforts in making the adult

social tons of fun.

A Book Signing Reception and Presentation was held

December 9 at the LaLima Residence in Colts Neck for

Reverend Fr. Angelo Di Berardino, OSA. With most

tickets sold electronically prior to the event via the parish

website, The Advent Pancake Breakfast was better

prepared for the 700+ pancake breakfasts that were

served. Knowing in advance how many people are

planning to attend helped the event run more smoothly.

Thank you for the help of close to 100 volunteers and

event chairs Jim and Sue Coleman for another wonderful

Advent Tradition. Two Soup and Bread Friday evening

events were held during Lent connected to the Way of

the Cross offering parishioners an opportunity to build

friendships while sharing a light meal of homemade soups

before praying Stations together.

The Catholic Social Singles group grew in

membership to 80+ members from humble beginnings of

4 interested people with an idea. Thank you Kim Leshick

and Janet Anne Jurgielewicz who started the group, Barb

Daisak for assisting and to Marissa Busacca who took

over leadership in planning activities and staying in

contact with membership. The goal to expand the

group’s membership by offering a variety of monthly

social activities linked to Masses and including outreach

projects to all singles (widowed, divorced or never

married) was accomplished through great

communications and attendance at monthly agape events

throughout the year. Membership, open to other

parishes in the Diocese, welcomed members from 15

parishes.

The community Building Core collaborated with facilitates in

parish maintenance efforts. Please see the facilities report for

more information on these efforts.

Total Youth Ministry was incorporated in planning this

year by offering volunteer and leadership opportunities to

youth as a way to engage them in parish life, provide

service opportunities and involvement in parish events,

ministries, outreach initiatives and parish office projects.

This year youth of the parish chaired two events

Halloween Halls and the Easter Egg Hunt and two

outreach efforts Project BackPack and Souper Bowl

Soup Can Collection. I am proud Community Service

volunteers participated in every community building

event throughout the year. The contribution of time,

talent and treasure by our youth in the community is

priceless! More opportunities will be available in the

coming year.

Halloween Halls chaired by NHS leadership volunteer

and parishioner Emma Tucker brought together close to

200 participants and volunteers (trick or treaters, room/

table decorators, bakers and volunteers) for a parade, fun

games, trick-or-treating, activities and refreshments at no

cost to participants. Thank you to all who decorated a

room or table, helped run the event, and provided treats

and refreshments for the event. The “Soup”er-Bowl

can collection (collected a total of 474 pounds of food)

and Project Backpack (filled 200+backpacks) once

again made an extraordinary difference providing

hundreds of items and meals to those in our community

in need (many of the items collected are daily life needs

not wants). Thank you to all who participated in the

success of these collections especially Stephan

Hawthorne, Katie Ciccarone and Aileen Rivell. The


Fall Dinner

Easter Egg Hunt

Advent Pancake Breakfast

Easter Egg Hunt held the Sunday after Easter, April 3rd

was an eggs-travagant event with well over 250 attendees

enjoying faith-filled crafts, face painting & tattoos, live

bunnies, a visit from the Easter Bunny, homemade

refreshments and the Easter Egg Hunt (with 1800 filled

eggs hidden on parish grounds and in buildings). Thank

you to teen NHS leadership chairs Emily Gioacchini and

Dylan Klein for all their planning and direction and the 45

adult and youth volunteers who helped run the event.

Three fundraising events were held during the fiscal year.

The Super 50/50 2015 pulled in the Fall at the

September Agape had increased proceeds due to

additional ticket sales at the Colts Neck Fair and Rock

Fest. Thank you to first time chairs Roland and Maria

Nardini for a job well done and to all who participated in

this essential parish fundraiser! The 7th Annual Golf

Outing and Summer Social held at Eagle Oaks Golf

and Country Club in early June reached new heights in

fundraising as its best event ever raising needed funds to

support the parish operating budget and outreach

initiatives. Thank you to Bill Lenahan, Peter Griffin and

Monica Barr who chaired the Golf Outing, Ad Journal and

Summer Social dinner portions of the event. Thirty+

volunteers were on hand to help with the planning and

coordination of the event as well as the day’s registration

and activities. Much of the golfer registration was

accomplished on line or with the cube. Payment for the

auction items was accomplished the evening of the event

with the cube.

Light up a Memory also transitioned electronically to

offer the online purchase of lights in honor of living or

deceased family members/friends. A peaceful tree lighting

ceremony and reception followed Mass mid-December.

Thank you, Molly Aiello, Freda O’Doherty and the

devoted committee members for this annual opportunity

to honor those we love.

Communications

To keep parishioners up to date and to bring you the best

and fastest communications, the parish continues to reach

out to all registered parishioners in the following ways:

Parish website www.stmaryscoltsneck.org

Thank you to Catherine Love for her continued efforts to

maintain the parish website and other parish

communications. With information changing daily it can be

difficult to be a few steps ahead. However, the goal of the

communication Core is to continue to update and steam

line the parish website and to make it more user friendly

so that you can retrieve needed information easily and

quickly. Drop down boxes, page information, links, access

point were updated.

The Weekly printed bulletin is available at Mass each

week. Much work goes into this weekly publication which

many are not utilizing. The parish is now providing an

Electronic bulletin which is available on the parish

website as well as emailed weekly to all registered

parishioners with valid email address on file.

If you are not receiving an e-bulletin please update your

email address with the parish office. The Monthly e-


Fr. Angelo book signing

Annual Golf Outing & Summer Social at

Eagle Oaks Golf and Country Club

http://www.stmaryscoltsneck.org

Newsletter is emailed at the beginning of each month to provide parish families

with most if not all the parish happens, articles, and resources for that given

month. It is a priceless source of communication. Archived e-letters and bulletins

can be found on the parish website via the drop down box on the left side of the

homepage. The parish still uses paper communications so all communications

received for community events as well as parish and diocesan programming are

posted on the Communication Bulletin Board found outside Madonna Hall

and on the kiosk in the gathering space. Two new communication bulletin boards

were added at the side entrances to Parish Hall/Church for your convenience.

Constant Contact email notifications are used by various ministries to reach a

large segment of the parish population such as religious education families or

liturgical ministers. This avenue of communication is essential and continues to be

stream lined and updated.

The parish Facebook page was restructured to a user friendly format. It now can

be managed and maintained more easily and efficiently so to spread the Word of

God more effectively. The parish is able to bring you articles, events notifications,

formation opportunities and much more in real time without the delay of a weekly

or monthly publication.

Visit us at:

www.facebook.com

@the.parish.of.st.mary

Thank you to parishioner, Meghan

Disciullo, who helped us transition to our

new page and format. Visit us! Like us!

Tell your friends about our page and

invite them to "like" it too!

Staff and volunteers continue to work on

parish Archives including all parish files,

historical information and the pictures

and articles from two picture walls that

were dissembled (items hanging were

slowly deteriorating and needed to be

scanned and saved). The parish file

cabinets were moved to a central location

in the parish office where this vital

information can be accessed from one

principal location; so began the task of merging and purging paper files from individual staff members past and present to an

organized filing system. Thank you to parish office volunteers Charlotte Sterner, Kim Leshick, Arlene Garito, Susan Murphy,

Linda Fredda, Kathy Woolston, Cindy Iannelli, Ann Pancila and youth volunteers who support parish function and staff in

completing many of the parish’s daily responsibilities and special projects. The work at hand could not be accomplished

without them.

The Community Building and Communication Cores will continue to identify what is and is not working in all areas of

oversight; renew and enliven the life and energy that was discovered year one and work on growing each core while building

trust, developing relationships, and deepening the engagement of parishioners in the community. It is essential to help

parishioners identify the importance of taking ownership of their parish as stakeholders. This goal can be reached together if

we continue to build a parish community that is full of life, positive energy and the living presence of Jesus Christ. Let’s work

together and identify The Parish of Saint Mary as the central place or safe haven in our lives where giving of time, talent and

treasure flows naturally; where we can come together to worship, grow in faith and deepen our relationship with Jesus

Christ.


Easter Egg Hunt 2016

http://www.facebook.com/the.parish.of.st.mary

http://www.facebook.com/the.parish.of.st.mary

Faith Formation & Life Long Learning

Michele McCue, MA, Doctoral Candidate Pastoral Associate

It is difficult to know where to begin in order to report the progress of such a multi-

faceted ministry! What remains clear, however, is that none of the following programs

and events would occur without the generous volunteerism of our parishioners. Thank

you from the bottom of my heart; know you are truly appreciated and that you are

needed for our programs to continue. So, please return and please bring a friend! The

rewards of serving others are literally “out of this world!”

Children’s Religious Education

The following programs serve the faith formation needs of our parishioners from infancy

through 12th grade as well as their families.

Baptism Ministry

Approximately once a month, a Baptism preparation class is offered for parents who are

seeking this primary initiation sacrament for their children. The session is held in the

Chapel and consists of ice breakers, the parents’ role undertaken through the

presentation of a child for Baptism, a brief history and theology of the sacrament, and an

opportunity for questions.

Another component of this ministry is coordinated by Donna Sikorskas. As usual, Donna

has done a fabulous job with our post-Baptism program. Donna sends out mailings to

our parish families who have had their children baptized here and she continues to do so

every 6 months until the children are 3 years old. Donna also sends the children birthday

cards!

We are continually adding members to our parish family; this church year we have added

43 children to the program. At the present time, we have 118 participants.

Jesus Mommy and Me

For the third year, Elana Eng facilitated this playgroup for caregivers and their children,

who range in age from infancy to preschool. Elana provides developmentally appropriate

activities for the children while the adults have a chance to chat. Jesus, Mommy and Me

was available the first and third Mondays of the month from September through May.

Little Church

Once again, Lisa Colaco did a terrific job teaching Little Church to our “post-diaper”

preschool set! Little Church was available September through June; a Christian preschool

curriculum is taught under Lisa’s guidance and the assistance of her Mom and children: as

well as parent “co-oppers.”

Future Generation Catholic Childcare Center at the Parish of Saint Mary

Beginning in the fall of 2016, the Parish of Saint Mary has partnered with Future

Generation to provide a Catholic Childcare Center on our campus for children ages 2-

PreK. (5-10 for summer camp.) The Center incorporates the High Scope Curriculum

which is built around adult/child interaction, classroom arrangement, the daily classroom

routine, and curriculum content/assessment. The center has a convenient rolling

admission policy so that families may register at any time throughout the year.

There is full time, part time, Parents Day Out, Emergency Care for registered families

and Summer Camp alternatives.

“Feed the

hungry, and

help those in

trouble. Then

your light will

shine out from

the darkness,

and the

darkness

around you will

be as bright as

noon.”

Isaiah 58:10

Please call the center directly for more information. (732

-780-0135) The Future Generation Early Learner Center

website: www.fgkids.org

Liturgy of the Word Dismissal- Ages 4-12

Our Liturgy of the Word dismissal program continued

due to the commitment of many wonderful catechists:

Maria Greenstein, Jennifer Garcia, Cathy Limeri, Maureen

Beyer, Jennifer Stubbs, Fernando Pinquelo, Andrea

Donner, Barbara, Steven and Haley Hawthorne, Kathy,

Kathleen and Stephen Ciccarone. We offered LWD

most every 10AM and 12 Noon Mass as well as 5PM on

Saturday during Daylight savings time and 5PM during

Standard Time. The catechist or older assistance

proclaims the Gospel, discusses the Word, prays

intercessory prayer, proclaims the Apostle’s Creed and

ends with a Children’s Worship Aid activity.

Summer Intensive- Grades 1-6

We served 162 children in Grades 1-6 through our

Summer Intensive Religious Education program during

the Summer of 2015. This year, we opened enrollment

to Grade 1 and 2 as additional sacramental preparation is

available for our 2nd graders and their families

throughout the year. Once again, the program was a

huge success due to the wonderful work of our

professional teaching staff and the continuity afforded by

a daily program.

Schoolhouse Sacramental Preparation- Grades

1-2

Our Fall 2015 programs, which had all been initiated in

2014, ran smoothly this year. We continued with the

“school house” or “drop off” model on Tuesdays (4: 30-

5:45PM or 6-7:15PM) and Wednesdays (4:30-5:45PM) for

Grades 1 and 2 as an alternative to the summer program.

Each session began with prayer, the Gospel of the day, an

explanation of the Word, and often a short catechetical

piece. The classes ended with a review of what the

children learned and prayer. Kudos to our wonderful

catechists: Monica Barr, Tina Kazymirczuk, Trudy

Matrisciani, Anthony Sciarrillo, Jennifer Schell, Jennifer

Stubbs, and Maria Yaninas. By the end of the year, the

children were reciting their traditional Catholic prayers

with gusto!

Sacramental Intergenerational

Children preparing for First Penance and Reconciliation

and First Eucharist attended 5 intergenerational (parent/

family experiences) events throughout the year. These

events were planned and facilitated by Jennifer

Schlameuss-Perry, who we unfortunately lost to a

position in her home parish. Families selected from a list

of spiritual and formational events, which occurred

primarily during the Advent/Christmas/Epiphany or Lent/

Easter/Pentecost liturgical cycles.

Hats off to Monica Barr and Suzanne Schlesinger who

assisted at First Eucharist practices and Masses.

On l ine Re l i g i ous Educa t i on and

Intergenerational - Grades 3-6

For the third year, we offered the Faith and Life online

program for our children in Grades 3-6. These children

and their families were urged to participate at Mass,

attend Liturgy of the Word dismissals, and attend 4 out

of the 12 intergenerational events that were planned for

them. These intergenerational sessions were facilitated

by Jennifer Schlameuss-Perry and the themes were

Saints, Advent, Lent, and Easter. Thanks to Marianne

Lane, our Religious education liaison in the parish office,

follow-up of student/family participation improved

significantly this year. Kim Leshick continues to be an

amazingly generous volunteer for the RE Office, whose

assistance has been such an asset throughout the years.

Confirmation Preparation- Grades 7 & 8

Our 7th and 8th grade youth ministry model program

continued under the direction of Matthew Butler. The

paradigm included prayer, ice-breakers, videos,

discussion, and a catechetical piece. Matt resigned on

May 1st in order to take a coaching position at CBA; we

appreciated his enthusiasm and evangelizing efforts. Matt

offered a variety of exercise opportunities throughout

the year, which included kettle bell and Jiu Jitsu sessions.

Thank you also to our 7th and 8th grade facilitators:

Debra Boag, Lisa Brannan, Justine Buzzetta, Kara Casucci,

Lisa Colaco, Martha Cowles, Kathleen DeGaetano, Linda

Dickinson-Pancila, Diane Dragone, Ellen Farrell, Mary

Greenspan, Marianna Hendricks, Wendy Huntley, Shelia

Knox, Kari Mentonis, Traci Nodine, Aida Pereira-

Ruggieri, Marilyn Piperno, Michael Santamaria, Donna

Sysn, and Victoria Wilson. This was our first year

conducting Confirmation interviews (Deacon Fred,

Deacon Vinnie, and myself) and the children were

generally very well prepared. It was a pleasure to meet

them and get to know them more!

RCIA- Initiation Ministries for Children

(please see under Adult Faith Formation)

Youth Ministry

We (Linda Dickinson-Pancila and myself) are currently

Faith Formation & Life Long Learning (cont.)

working on bringing a Total Youth Ministry Process to

the Parish of Saint Mary. This will require a solid core of

adults who will be willing to work with the youth of our

parish on a variety of formational, social, and service

activities. We will keep you posted; if you are interested

in being part of the adult group, please let us know!

Adult Faith Formation

Initiation Ministries- RCIA

RCIA- 2015-16 was an exciting time for the Christian

Initiation Ministry in our parish! First, Irene Weller

became our new coordinator for the ministry; Irene

brings a serene and indomitable spirit to the RCIA, which

the catechumens and candidates genuinely appreciate.

Second, 9 (2 Adults and 7 Children) individuals celebrated

the Rite of Acceptance and Welcoming during 10:00AM

Mass on January 17, 2016. The witness of these

catechumens and candidates was both profound and

inspiring. Third, we are forming a team to minister to the

children of initiation age. Maria Gerbino, Chuck Young,

and Phil & Cathy Limeri have joined Amanda Ruppel, each

taking a session per month to journey with our children

who are preparing for full initiation or completion of

initiation sacraments.

Confirmation Class- I have been working with individuals,

high school age and older, who wish to complete their

Christian initiation through the celebration of the

sacrament of Confirmation. This year, 3 people

completed the process.

Bible Studies

This past year, we offered through Ascension Press The

Great Adventure Bible Studies, which featured videos by

Jeff Cavins, an internationally known Bible scholar and

lecturer. During the summer of 2015, we offered an 8

week Men’s Bible study, A Quick Journey Through the

Bible, with 33 participants in attendance. In the fall of

2015, a 23 week Men’s Bible study The Bible Timeline:

The Story of Salvation, which surveyed the entire Old

Testament, was offered from September into March, with

24 men in attendance.

The studies were well received and, for the Summer

2016 course, the core team decided to welcome women

into the process, and ran the new 8-week introductory

course on Tuesday evenings and Wednesday mornings

from May through June. This course, Unlocking the

Mystery of the Bible served 29 women and men.

All of the Great Adventure Bible studies include an

instructional video, group discussion, a study guide, and

some homework; all sessions were found to be

informative and enjoyable. The group is in the process of

planning a short course on the Mass beginning in the Fall

of 2016 and the group is hoping to engage some female

facilitators for the session! Thank you Phil, Dering,

Deacon Fred, Chuck, and John for all of your

Martha Mary Guild

This terrific group of dedicated women continued to host

monthly meetings from September through May with

excellent speakers and plenty of opportunity to socialize

within a loving community. An especially intriguing variety

of informative topics were presented this year including

how the environment is impacting bees and honey making

and a one-women act, which incisively demonstrated the

humanness of Eleanor Roosevelt.

The MMG is also noted for its spirituality, which was

particularly demonstrated during a retreat day with Sister

Fran Lomeo, RGS at St. Joseph by the Sea in the Fall and

a Lenten spirituality day with Sr. Trudy Ahern, SSJ.

And, last but not least, MMG hosted their annual clothing

sale, which raised significant funds for groups ministering

to women and children.

Kudos to the MMG board for making the year so

successful: Tracy Borut and Barbara Matuscak, co-

Presidents; Audrey Finan, Past President; Linda Hayne

and Barbara Schaflin, Co-Vice Presidents; Sue Gobat, Past

Vice President; Marilyn Simone, Treasurer; Jeanne

Cerbone, Recording Secretary and Jane Davis,

Corresponding Secretary. Thanks, also, to Committee

Chairs: Kathy Adleman, Sue Coleman, Eleanor Crawford,

Marge Delaney., Barbara Keefe, Mary Ellen Griffin, Carol

Donahue, Anne Marie Dayton, Gail Hall, Elia Gallello,

Treasure Herman, Linda Rossano, Ellen Balestiero and

Kim Leschick. MMG members keep Barbara Varga,

membership co-chair, in thought and prayer as Barbara

died suddenly this past November; she is truly missed.

Koinonia/Spiritual Reading Group

Koinonia or the Spiritual Reading Group met every

Tuesday morning in room 14. Organized by Treasure

Herman with semi-monthly visits by Sister Fran Lomeo, a

Sister of the Good Shepherd, this group of approximately

15 wonderful women meet to discuss scripture and its

application to their daily lives. The women meet weekly,

throughout the year, and use Exploring the Word to

extract relevancy from the scriptures.

Sunday Evening Lecture Series

For five Sundays in the Fall, Matt Butler arranged for a


lecture series, which was held in the Helen Hayes

Theater. The time was set as a matter of convenience for

Confirmation parents who could drop-off their children

and attend, however, all adults of the parish and their

friends were invited.

Walking with Purpose- Catholic Bible Study for

Women

This year, under the loving guidance of Angela Kinlin and

Molly Aiello, WWP provided an oasis along the personal

faith journey paths of 62 women! Walking with Purpose is

a national Catholic bible study that aims to bring women

to a deeper personal relationship with Jesus. The program

offers personal study and small group discussion that link

everyday challenges with the solutions given through the

teachings of Jesus and the Catholic Church. This 22-week

course began in October 2015 and concluded in May 2016

and was available on Thursday afternoons and evenings,

with babysitting provided.

Advent and Lenten Faith Sharing Groups

Groups were once again formed to meet during the 4

weeks of Advent and the 6 weeks of Lent in order to

reflect upon the lectionary readings of those Sundays and

apply them to daily life. Both groups had access to Renew

Internationals Advent Awakenings or Lenten Longings

materials. Thank you to group facilitators Sue Coleman,

Sue Gobet, Lisa Aldridge, Barbara Schaflin, Una McLeod,

and Linda Dickinson-Pancila, who took time during busy

seasons of the year to serve the spiritual needs of fellow

parishioners!

Parish Mission “Surge of the Heart”

A highlight of the year was our parish Mission, “Surge of

the Heart” featuring internationally known speaker and

author, Jon Leonetti. Jon spoke at all of our weekend

Masses, met with our youth, and presented talks to

parishioners and their friends Sunday through Tuesday

evening, April 10-12. The topics “Chosen,” “Redeemed,”

and “Delivered” were received well by this dynamic

speaker; I would attest that his message was uplifting and

helped to renew us all as we continue along our individual

and communal spiritual journeys. Thanks goes out to

Linda Dickinson-Pancila and Monica Barr for their

assistance throughout the three evenings and beyond.

Laudate Si- Talk by Father Victor Hoagland

On Sunday, March 6th, Father Victor Hoagland presented

“Caring for Our Common Community: Some Reflections

on Pope Francis’ Laudato Si “. Fr. Victor Hoagland offered

an overview of the Pope’s environmental encyclical as well

as some reflections and practical implementation

strategies. I contributed a section on the sacramental

aspects of creation and the environment. About 30

people enjoyed the lecture and light lunch. Thanks Father

Victor!

Our Kiosk

The kiosk, located in the Gathering Area of the Church, is

constantly updated with materials that correspond to the

particular liturgical season. In addition, Care Notes on the

subject of bereavement as well as other “stock” items

(Catholic Updates, Monastery Notes and Our Sunday

Visitor pamphlets) pertaining to spirituality, doctrine,

dogma, and current Church- related issues are available.

Please visit our kiosk!

The Faith Formation Core meets 4 times a year in the

faith formation office. All Faith Formation Ministry heads,

or their representatives, are in attendance; catechists and

parishioners at-large are also invited. We come together

to share what we are doing within each aspect of the

parish faith formation matrix as well as to give

constructive criticism, suggestions, and advice to one

another regarding current and future programs and

events.

The Faith Formation vision for 2016-2017 includes refining

the programs we offer as well as planning a Mission for

the Fall of 2017 and continuing to explore the possibility

of a Cornerstone Retreat being held at the Parish of Saint

Mary. With God’s good grace, we will move forward and

enjoy another wonderful year!!


Parish Mission

FAMILY LIFE PRAYER

Gracious God

You have created humanity through your Divine Love

and You have ordered the family as the locus of this Love.

In these times,

families are in need of your Divine Grace

as we strive to live righteously in the center of much busyness and distraction.

We ask You to bless all parents

as they struggle firstly to discern your will

and then sustain them as they seek to travel along Your path of goodness and

truth.

We ask that you pour forth the Light of Christ upon us

as choices are many and deceptions abound;

help us to discern Your will in our lives as we travel along the path of life.

Illumine us to Your ways of peace and joy

through simplicity and, more importantly,

through trust in you.

Expand our hearts

so that we may prayerfully seek Your friendship each day

and know that You are always with us as we strive to guide our children purposefully.

And most importantly,

teach all families that You await us in the Eucharist and long for us to share richly in the fullness of Your Life

as you strengthen us along the disciple’s journey.

We ask this through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. AMEN!

Holy Mary, Seat of Wisdom……….PRAY FOR US!

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