Dear Fellow Parishioners,

I hope you are enjoying the start of summer! From June 22-29 the USCCB invites
Catholics to pray, reflect, and act to promote religious freedom. Religious freedom
allows the church, and all religious communities, to live out their faith in public and to
serve the good of all. In thinking about our fundamental freedoms and democratic rights,
we as Americans enjoy, but perhaps even more important and enjoyable, we as
Christians, have been chosen to freely act in going into the whole world, to proclaim the
Gospel to every creature. We are the heritage of the Lord and have been given the
commission to evangelize.

When the mother of our church is present in our lives, we show gratitude, kindness, and
a loving heart to all. Living a life as a witness for Christ, can be challenging in our
modern world. When we embrace God fully and love Him back unconditionally, our
heart will mirror the one of a servant. As God’s children we have be chosen and
instructed to spread the good news, so the word of God will be heard throughout all
nations.

Last weekend, Father Marc mentioned during his farewell mass that 1 of his top 5
priorities here at Saint Cassian Church, is to slowly evolve our CCD program into a
Family Faith Formation program. Currently, our public school students have access to a
religious education program that operates in the CCD model. Each year getting
volunteer catechists is tougher and tougher. Below is short summary about our religious
education program:
We serve a little over 300 students across the board, in grades 1-8. Starting in
September, our program will meet on Sunday 10:30-11:30, Monday 5:00-6:00, and
Tuesday 5:30-6:30. Students attend one session per week. Our small class sizes are
tailormade for impactful faith-filled activities and exercises. Our program’s goals are
both qualitative and quantitative. We want our students to take in the teachings of the
Catechism and to build a closer connection with our Lord through the wisdom and life
experience our Catechists share, alongside the utilization of top-of-the-line resources,
mainly powered by Sadlier, to inspire peer to peer learning. For over 200 years, Sadlier
has been committed to providing learning materials to meet student needs for both
academic advancement and faith formation. As previously stated, we want our
students to learn proper Catholic teaching and to receive this vital information, but
really, we pray the Spirit transforms our students. This is when transformation is greater
than information.

This past year, our catechists did an amazing job fostering a safe learning environment,
where educational risks could be taken, to get the tough questions answered so our
students can explore the depths of their faith further We cannot thank our catechists
enough for all they do. They are a pillar of strength and a source of knowledge and
wisdom.

Presently, Judy Nash and myself have been working to recruit catechists for the
upcoming school year. Our program has achieved its present level of success, largely
due to our dedicated volunteers. In the past, we had a total of 24 classes offered each
week, led in total by more than 30 teachers, many of them CCD parents. As you have
heard many times, the best way to learn your faith is through teaching it.
 
Romans 12:4-5 states “For as in one body we have many parts, and all the parts do not
have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually
parts of one another.”
 
As you meditate on this sacred scripture, you might ponder how living in the purpose
God designed uniquely for you, is important. We are all called in different ways. When
we live our lives as a witness for Christ, we walk the path to missionary discipleship.
God has placed a calling on all of our lives. When we spread the good news, we can
touch hearts and supply hope, through sharing the gift of faith.
 
We hope you will think about joining our teaching staff and consider sharing your
spiritual gifts with our students by voluntarily serving as a catechist. If you are not sure
about your plans yet, we ask for you to please give it some thought; and of course, pray
on it, pray over it, and pray through it. 
 
After you have spent time discerning, please confirm your decision via email or by
calling our Parish Office at 973-744-2850. In your email, please share your interest and
include your ability to serve (Sunday 10:30-11:30, Monday 5:00-6:00, and Tuesday
5:30-6:30) by directing your message to nfallivene@stcassianchurch.org. If you have a
preference in the grade you would like to teach, of course, please let us know, and we
will do our absolute best to accommodate you and your family.

Thank you for all you are doing to help grow God’s Kingdom!
 
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Nicholas Fallivene
Director of Faith Formation

Dear Saint Cassian Church Families,

I hope the start of your 2023 is going well. I would like to thank everyone in our parish who already has signed up to help and donate items to support our Midnight Run relief mission. Saint Cassian Church will be making a Midnight Run Relief Mission on March 4, 2023. 

Information about Midnight Run

St. Cassian Parish has reconnected with Midnight Run, the volunteer organization that “coordinates over 1,000 relief missions per year, to distribute food, clothing, blankets, and personal care items to the homeless poor on the streets of New York City. The late-night relief efforts create a forum for trust, sharing, understanding, and affection. That human exchange, rather than the exchange of goods, is the essence of the Midnight Run mission.

Ways to Help

As the expression goes, “Many hands, make light work.” We are grateful to those of you who have been involved in this ministry in the past, and to those looking to get involved for the first time. As we continue to raise awareness, remember we can all make a difference. Below is information on how you can help.

If you would like to volunteer, please review the SignUpGenius at the following link:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c094ea4ab2ba7ffc34-saint#/

If you would like to donate to this effort, please review the registry on Amazon at the following link:

https://www.amazon.com/registries/custom/1OLZCT0AES8PM/guest-view

We are still in need of men’s and women’s underwear, plain long sleeve shirts for both men and women, and travel-size toothpaste, soap, and lotion. If you are not an online shopper, feel free to drop off donated items in person, at the parish office. 

Thank you all again for your service. You are not only making a difference in our parish, but on a larger scale, you are delivering lasting results to help grow God’s Kingdom.

Best Regards,

Nicholas Fallivene

Director of Faith Formation

Dear Parishioners:

I hope this message finds the Parish well and enjoying the beautiful days of summer.

I write to inform you of a couple of changes here at St. Cassian Parish. I would like to introduce Mr. Nicholas Fallivene who will be the Parish’s new Director of Faith Formation. This is a newly created position here. These changes at the Parish will be part of our Parish’s pastoral restructuring. Mr. Fallivene will have several responsibilities, in that he will be directing our religious education program; lead the sacramental preparation, as well as Adult and Family Faith formation. In the restructuring process, the director of religious education position, which had been a part-time job this past year, is now part of Mr. Fallivene’s responsibility. At the same time, directing our evangelization program is also absorbed in the restructured position.

Nicholas Fallivene comes to us with great educational experience. He has been a special education public school teacher since he graduated college. He is also a devout and practicing Catholic who is very excited to join our staff. To say that he brings great energy to the position would be an understatement!

After four years, Mr. Gregory Hann, who was the Director of Evangelization, is no longer with us. Also, Miss Mary Flanagan, the Director of Religious Ed last year, has taken a new position closer to her home. I want to thank them both for their service to the Parish and I want to welcome Mr. Nicholas Fallivene to our Saint Cassian staff.

Another change that I want to inform the Parish of is that, while we just began our summer Mass schedule of Sunday Masses at 7:30 am, 9:30 am, and 11:30 am, after long thought and consideration, that will be the permanent schedule moving forward. In years past, we would ordinarily return to our four Masses on Sunday, but the current summer schedule will be permanent.

Some have asked me why we are changing this permanently. The answer is simple: after the pandemic, our weekly congregation numbers have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. At the same time, while Msgr. Anthony Kulig will continue to help at the Parish, generally, it has become more difficult to find “helper” priests when they are needed. Finally, we will also be able to reduce some costs by keeping the schedule.

The time for CCD classes on Sundays will change slightly to 10:30 am; the choir will be singing regularly during the 11:30 am Mass, and the children’s Liturgy of the Word will be within the 9:30 am Mass.

Just a reminder that the celebration of the Feast Day of St. Cassian will take place at the 11:30 am Mass on Sunday, September 25. Bishop Manuel Cruz will be the main celebrant and homilist.

Again, I just wanted to keep you all updated on what is going on at the Parish and let you know that I am praying for your during these summer months, as we continue to return to normal, especially come September.

Blessings to you,
Fr. Marc A. Vicari,
Pastor

Dear Parishioners:

I want to wish a Happy Father’s Day to all our fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, godfathers and
those in our lives who have been like a father to us. For all those fathers who have left us, we
remember you in our prayers today.

This weekend we celebrate The Most Holy Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, also
traditionally known as Corpus Christi. A couple reminders about what we believe regarding the
Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Jesus:

• We believe that the Host is truly Jesus and not a symbol of Him.
• The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all Divine Beings of the same “substance,” meaning that they have the being. This is what “consubstantial” means.
• “Transubstantial” means to “change substance or being.” For example, when the bread changes into the Body and Blood of Jesus it is transubstantiation.
• Jesus promised us that if we “eat His Body and drink His Blood” we will have eternal life.
• Jesus gave us the Eucharist at the Last Supper and He becomes present at every Mass.

Perhaps we can all spend a little extra time in prayer this weekend, thanking Our Lord for
becoming present to us, and, hopefully, we never tire of this great gift and miracle.

Just a reminder – our Summer Mass Schedule begins next Sunday June 26th. The schedule is
the same as it has been in the past years: Sunday Masses are: 7:30AM, 9:30AM, and 11:30AM.
Saturday evening Mass stays at 5:30 pm and confessions are still being heard on Saturdays
from 4:15 to 5:00PM.

Congrats as well to our St. Cassian school graduates and all graduates in our parish. Well
Done!.

Blessings,
Fr Marc
Fr. Marc A. Vicari,
Pastor

Dear Followers of Christ,

Today we celebrate The Ascension of the Lord. This feast may seem confusing. In the western part of the United States, this feast is celebrated on Sunday. In the eastern United States, The Ascension of the Lord was celebrated last Thursday, the traditional forty days after Easter. The feast was moved to Sunday because it is a major feast of Jesus and could be celebrated by the majority of Catholics.

The first reading from Mass today is from the Acts of Apostles. This text, Acts 1:1-11, tells the story of the Ascension of Christ Jesus. There is one phrase that always captures my attention, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?” I am always with the disciples who must have been so intrigued and confused about all of Jesus’ actions. His death was not expected and then he rises from the dead and they wondered about the meaning of his resurrection. And now he disappears into the sky! Can you imagine what the disciples must have thought about that?

Many years ago, I had a dream about the Ascension. I was in a crowded Jerusalem street in the market place, shoulder to shoulder with people in the hustle and bustle of life. Suddenly at the end of the street amid all the people, Jesus began his ascending into heaven. As he left the ground, he turned to all the people in the crowded street. He seemed to look into all of our eyes at once, including mine. As he left, he said to all of us, “Okay, you guys, you do it, you take over

I always found this dream so empowering. I felt he was talking to me in this very vivid dream. As the years go by, I still believe he was speaking to every one of us who follow him. He was asking us to take his place and to do the things he did on earth. He wants us to learn how to heal people, how to invite people into forgiveness, how to raise the dead and offer his touch to the marginalized. He wants us to find in him a gracious way of being tender to people and to put down our armor that keeps people at arm’s length. He wants us to find his peace in the world by working for justice. He wants us to create community and make sure every person belongs in such a space. He wants every person to realize that no matter who they are, the Father has created them, and in the end, they will be just fine.

I believe this dream is not just whimsy. The Ascension is a call and challenge for all of us to get to work. This work means that we witness to all people that we believe in Christ Jesus who walked the earth and that his mission is worthwhile. The Ascension is not meant for us to look up into heaven and reminisce about the past. This feast means that we will focus on the ground, where the work needs to be accomplished in Christ Jesus. So get to work, everyone, and enjoy your life inspired by God for the benefit of our poor, lonely and marginalized. Don’t look up; look around.

Blessings to you,
Fr. Ron

Used by permission of Fr. Ronald Raab, C.S.C.