News - February 2018 RSS Feed

One of the features of the Lenten season is the praying of the Stations of the Cross which is done every Friday in Sacred Heart of Jesus Church and Saint Cecilia Church. The Stations begin on Friday, February 16th . Stations at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church will take place every Friday evening during Lent at 7 o’clock, with the exception of March 2nd , due to First Friday devotions, Stations will begin at 6 o’clock.

There will be a pilgrimage to a number of locations in the Washington DC Area on May 15th & 16th 2018. The Pilgrimage will visit the Franciscan Monastery, National Geographic Museum, Museum of the Bible and the St. John Paul II National Shrine.

Join the Children's Choir and sing for Easter Mass. Open to any child in grades 1 to 8. E-mail Derek Nelson at [email protected] if you are interested, or have questions. The rehearsals will take place in the choir loft. The children will sing at the 8:30 AM Easter Mass

All are welcome to join the choir to help beautify out liturgical celebrations on Holy Thursday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. Experience the Triduum in a new way this year. Music reading is helpful, but not required. Musicians are also welcome. Contact Derek Nelson at [email protected] if you are interested, or have questions. The rehearsals will take place in the choir loft. The choir will sing at the Holy Thursday Liturgy, The Holy Saturday Liturgy, and the 10 AM Easter Morning Mass.

A Lenten morning of reflection will take place on Saturday, March 3rd  at the Saint Francis Center in Denville. The registration fee is $25 and reservations can be made by calling the Saint Cecilia Parish office (973.627.0313) no later than March 1st .

As we gather to celebrate the Lord’s Day we come to the Second Sunday of Lent. In the Sacred Scriptures which are presented to us for our reflection we find in them the witness of love and its strength. In the Old Testament reading from the Book of Genesis we hear the story of the testing of Abraham and of his willingness to sacrifice his only son Isaac in obedience to God. In the Gospel account of the Transfiguration of Jesus we hear the words of God the Father, “This is my Beloved Son. Listen to Him.”  In the epistle reading from the Apostle Paul’s correspondence to the Romans we read, “He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all…”  All the Scripture readings for this Sunday make reference to the love between father and son, God the Father and His Son Jesus, Abraham and his son Isaac. This love manifests itself in sacrifice and sacrifice is that which we focus on in a very special way during this season of holy Lent. The “sacrifice of Isaac” in the Book of Genesis is a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Jesus.

The Men’s Society is sponsoring its 2nd Annual Beefsteak Dinner Dance Catered by Gireri’s Catering Saturday, April 28th at 7:00 PM in Hayes Hall.

Abstinence from meat (beast or fowl) is to be observed by all Catholics fourteen years old and older on all the Fridays of Lent.  This obligation prohibits the eating of meat, but not eggs, milk products, or condiments of any kind, even though made from animal fat.

The novena for the Solemnity of Saint Joseph will take place at Saint Cecilia Church following the 8 o’clock Holy Mass beginning on Sunday, March 11th . The novena concludes on Monday, March 19th . Following the 8 o’clock Holy Mass the traditional Saint Joseph Table will be blessed in Hayes Hall. Coffee and St. Joseph pastry will be served.

Divine Mercy Academy, located at 87 Halsey Avenue, Rockaway, NJ 973-627-6003, is now accepting applications for the 2018-2019 school year   The school offers a safe, secure and compassionate environment, with a high level of individualized attention, certified teachers, weekly liturgies and daily Religion class, academic curriculum with all core subjects, STEM , physical education, music, art, Spanish and library, with technology integrated throughout the curriculum.

The Annual Lenten Lunches sponsored by the churches of Rockaway will commence on Friday, February 16th . The weekly event takes place at the First Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall and begins promptly at 12 Noon. The program consists of a light lunch (donation is expected), followed by a short prayer service, conducted by a different clergyperson each week. You are invited to attend this ecumenical event which has been very successful over the years!

 Join Women at the Well on February 3rd. Women at the Well meet every First Saturday of the month at 6:30 PM at Sacred Heart of Jesus for the Women at the Well. This is a new group for women ages 18+ to grow in faith & friendship together.  The evening begins with a potluck dinner, followed by a speaker, and finishing with the Rosary & quiet prayer.

My Dear Parishioners,   Today we mark the First Sunday of Lent as we gather to celebrate the Lord’s Day. As per tradition on this first Sunday we hear the Gospel account of the Lord Jesus’ 40 days at prayer and fasting in the wilderness where He is confronted by Satan but emerges victorious over his assaults.

f you have had difficulty accessing Sacred Heart’s Website, there is a reason. Rackspace, the computer server hosting company that eCatholic uses to host our website, that a DDoS attack (distributed denial-of-service attack) was targeted specifically at them  (or their of their clients' websites; ie: a church).

Are you pregnant/need Help, or know someone who does? Call the Good Counsel Homes at 800-723-8331 for assistance. Good Counsel is a private Catholic agency whose primary mission is to help homeless pregnant women by providing a loving family environment in a safe and secure shelter. Good Counsel Homes was begun in 1985 by Fr. Benedict Groeschel and Chris Bell, both leaders in the pro-life movement.

St. Cecilia’s LIFE Runners are participating in the ‘Morristown Pro-Life 5K’ on Sunday March 4th , 2018, starting at Assumption Church, located at  91 Maple Avenue, Morristown, NJ.

Today is the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time and the final Sunday before the start of Lent which begins on Wednesday. In both the Old Testament reading and the Gospel we hear about a disease which brought terror in the hearts to those who lived in former times, LEPROSY. This skin disease brought with it pain, disfiguration and ostracizing from the community. Because of this contagion, lepers were forced to live separately and at the mercy of others. Their plight was pitiful and their suffering life-long. Today Hansen’s disease, as we name leprosy today, is treatable and not as prevalent as in former times.  

Save the Date for "An Evening with Sisters" on Friday, February 23rd from 7 to 8:30 PM at Morris Catholic High School (200 Morris Avenue, Denville). This event is open to high school and college aged women to enjoy an evening of conversation, prayer, food and fun! To RSVP and for more details, please email Sister Bernadette McCauley on or before February 20th : [email protected]

The extraordinary form of the Holy Mass in Latin will be celebrated at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church on Sunday, February 18th  at 12 Noon. Father Pawel will be the celebrant of the Mass and Father Zig will serve as the homilist.The Latin Mass was the norm prior to the Second Vatican Council. Bishop Serratelli celebrated a Latin Mass in the Cathedral this past October.

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 14th. All Catholics fourteen years old and older are required to abstain from the consumption of meat (beast or fowl) on Ash Wednesday and on all the Fridays of Lent.  This obligation prohibits the eating of meat, but not eggs, milk products, or condiments of any kind, even though made from animal fat. Fasting means limiting oneself to one full meal on a given fast day.