Dear Parishioners:

This time of year is such a blessed time for us as a parish and as a local community; there really is nothing like it! It is incredible how, for the past few weeks, we have this building crescendo of excitement growing: all the while, baking cookies, buying the perfect gifts, singing the Christmas carols on the radio stations, decorating our houses; all this adds so much to the spiritual festivities! These Christmas days are a time of joy because of the gifts left under the tree, but also the gift of joy and peace that came on that first Christmas day and hopefully will be present throughout the whole year to permeate our lives!

What a profound thought: that God became incarnate; He took on human flesh in Jesus Christ and lived among us! This means that Jesus, who is God, for thirty-three years, lived just like you and I do. With His birth, he brought the promise of freedom from sin, salvation and eternal life, all wrapped up in swaddling clothes in a manger. What an incredible thought! So, when we see Jesus in a nativity scene, we can imagine Him as the cute little baby that no doubt He was, and at the same time, let us see Him as the source of our salvation and conqueror of sin!

It is not just the “Season” that we embrace, really, but it is the celebration of the great Solemnity of the Birth of Jesus who ushered into the world with him the promise of salvation, eternal life and the Good News which is happiness with the Father in heaven! This is what we truly celebrate. Remembering all this makes the celebration of Christmas even more meaningful because then it is not just a fun day of cookies and get-togethers, but a solemn and wonderful day that we as a Christian people praise God with the family get-togethers and the gifts to each other commemorating the Birth of Our Savior and the many other activities we take part in that give glory to God as a little Child.

To those who are our regular, come-every-week parishioners, thank you for being here and your wonderful support. To those who have been away from this parish or are just finding your way back to the Catholic Church, I am excited that you are with us at Saint Cassian and hope that you feel comfortable enough to keep returning. And if you are visiting from another church, I wish to wholeheartedly welcome you here, as I do to everyone who has joined us.

I pray that the joy that can only come from knowing and loving Jesus Christ will be yours, not just on Christmas, but always and look forward to seeing you this coming weekend.

Blessings,
Fr. Marc A. Vicari,
Pastor

Dear Parishioners,

Many people ask why we priests wear the color rose on this 3rd Sunday of Advent. In the midst of Advent and the wearing of the violet, why do we take one day to wear this other vestment? (Remember, we do it again in the middle of the Lenten Season on the 4th Sunday as well.)

This Sunday we do it for a couple reasons. Firstly, we call this Sunday “Gaudete” Sunday which is Latin for “rejoice” or be “joyful.” It gets this name because the first prayer that we say, the opening antiphon, just before the opening song, tells us to “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.” This is where the name of the Sunday comes: from the directive before the Mass to rejoice. And, we rejoice because the Lord is, in fact, near!

At the same time, rose can be seen as a change in the darkness of the liturgical season to something more festive and joy-filled, as we approach the coming of the Lord. With it being so dark outside and with us feeling so somber during these days, the rose breaks it all up and lets us remember that the Light of the World and the reason for our rejoicing is on the way. We are halfway through Advent, so we joyfully anticipate the Lord’s coming.

Hopefully, we are preparing well for the coming of Jesus, both on Christmas Day as well as at the end of time. Praying, acting charitably, celebrating the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Confession are all ways for us to celebrate and prepare for Jesus. It is my prayer for all you that when the Lord comes again, whenever that is, he will find St. Cassian Parish prepared and waiting!

Many Advent blessings,
Fr. Marc A. Vicari,
Pastor

Dear Parishioners,

Happy Advent! May this time of waiting, preparing and being watchful for the coming of the Lord be grace-filled and joyful for you and your loved ones. This season of anticipation is time for us to get ready to meet Jesus when he comes again at the “Second Coming,” but, also, to fully celebrate the birth of Our Lord on Christmas. Throughout this great season, we hear St. John the Baptist remind us to “repent” and the prophets encourage us to “make straight the paths” for easier access to the Lord. These are always good practices for us as Christians, but particularly during this Advent season. May we be found ready.

We continue to celebrate this season as a parish with some special spiritual and fun communal events. This afternoon from 4:00PM – 6:00PM our annual Advent Wreath Making and optional Light Supper (a.k.a. pizza) will take place in Landers Hall (St. Cassian School gym). If you haven’t signed up (there’s more info and a form on page 6 of this bulletin) but would like to join us, you are most welcome.

Next Sunday, December 12th, will be the third and final game of the St. Cassian Olympics. This challenge will focus on the seasons of Avent and Christmas and will be held in the church after the 9:00AM mass. Points accumulated from this and the other two Olympic challenges will determine the Grand Prize winner. You need not have taken part in any other challenge to join this one. Play individually, as a family, against your parents or brothers and sisters.

If you haven’t already marked your calendars, you should now. Joined by some amazing musicians and perhaps a surprise performer from our own parish, our choir will be back together again to bring excitement, inspiration and fun to all of us days before Christmas at our Twenty-Third Annual Choir Sing December 19th at 5:00PM in the church. Clear away all the busyness of the season and relax in the beautiful and familiar music of the Christmas season.

Finally, next weekend has been designated for the Annual Religious Retirement Fund throughout our Archdiocese of Newark to help religious orders care for sisters, brothers and order priests (like Cardinal Tobin who is a member of the The Redemptorists) once they leave active ministry. Statistics provided by the National Religious Retirement Office advise that the average religious order sister, brother or priest remains in active ministry until the age of 74 and very many beyond that time. The number of retired women and men religious increases each year and the need for their living and health care, naturally, increases. The aging religious, who count on the generosity of those who were beneficiaries of their tireless ministry, pray and sacrifice daily for all the intentions of their donors. The religious women and men who have served us so well in the past continue to witness to the Light of Christ. We are indebted to them for that witness. Please be as generous as your means allow for those who sacrificed for all of the faithful.

Blessings,
Fr. Marc A. Vicari,
Pastor

Dear St. Cassian Parishioners:

Dear Parishioners,

This week, we find ourselves in Advent, the beginning of the Church year and the great season of preparation: getting ready for the Coming of the Lord on Christmas Day as well as his return to fulfill the Kingdom of God.

Throughout this great season, the prophets encourage us to “make straight the paths” for easier access to the Lord. Perhaps would could fulfill these admonitions by praying more so as to be receptive to the Lord and maybe doing some spiritual reading and scriptural meditation so as to hear the Word of God in our daily lives. Another way to get back on the ‘straight path’ is by going to confession (available every Saturday from4:15Pm—5:00PM in the church). These are just a few ways that we can help us be “ready” for the Lord when he comes!

As we enter into the Season of Advent, I want to invite you to the many events taking place over the next several weeks. Our Giving Tree is up in Larkin Hall and filled with name tags given us by the Essex County Division of Child Protection. Due to safety concerns while we are still in a pandemic, they are requesting only gift cards. Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Target, Amazon etc. Please return the gift card to the collection box in Larkin Hall.

For our Advent Series, this year we will be watching the acclaimed series “The Chosen” and using reflecting using a study guide. This series, available on many streaming services is extremely popular – the acting and scenery make you feel as if you are right there. Join us on the Wednesdays of Advent beginning Wednesday December 1st at 7:00PM in Larkin Hall to look at Jesus through the eyes of those who walked with Him!

We are also having our very popular Annual Advent Wreath Making and light supper event from 4:00-6:00pm in Landers Hall (school gym) on Sunday, December 5th from 4:00PM – 6:00PM. This is a fun way to spend a few hours with family and fellow parishioners. A reservation form is available on page 6 of this bulletin.

Then on Sunday, December 19th at 5:00pm the acclaimed voices of our St. Cassian Choir will present the Annual Carol Sing in the Church. This has been a part of our parish Advent/Christmas celebration for 23 years and continues to be a favorite with young and old alike.

Let’s not forget, while we are all busy getting our homes ready for the holidays, that Jesus, the real reason for the season, deserves just as much of our attention and preparation. Praying, acting charitably, celebrating the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and confession are all ways for us to celebrate and prepare for Jesus

Blessings,
Rev. Marc A. Vicari,
Pastor

Dear St. Cassian Parishioners:

In this time of being mindful of our blessings and in showing gratitude appropriately, I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who is a parishioner here at St. Cassian Church. I am grateful for your presence, especially over these past couple of difficult years, as well as your kindness, generosity, and support. This is such a wonderful parish, and it is because of so many of you.

While we are still not “out of the woods” yet when it comes to the pandemic, I am grateful that the
Lord has protected so many of us and I so look forward to seeing more and more of you as you return, especially as we approach the holiday season. It will be an exciting and beautiful season, as we continue to gather, pray, and do all the good things we do in this Parish.

I thank God for all of you every day. Be assured of my continued prayers for all.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Rev. Marc A. Vicari,
Pastor

Dear Parishioners:

I pray you are all well!

This message this week is intended to give you all a heads-up about what we are going to be doing in the Archdiocese of Newark (RCAN) and in the Church Universal: locally, we are beginning the process of having a Church-wide Synod. The process will start at the local level, in every parish, and work its way throughout the Archdiocese with the information being collected and then sent on to the national Church level (the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops or “USCCB”) before the information is presented to Rome for a Church-wide gathering and discussion.

A few years ago, Pope Francis called for a Church-wide Synod to examine and discuss issues of Marriage and Family Life. Usually there are documents that come from the results of the Synod so that the Faithful can understand the results of the conversations and direction of the Church as a result of those discussions and conversations. Synods are not uncommon as sometimes the whole Church has them, as in this case, but sometimes different (arch)dioceses have them just for the practical, spiritual, and pastoral purposes and needs of that local (arch)diocese. Some of you may recall that the Archdiocese of Newark had an Archdiocesan-wide Synod in 1993.

Deacon Roberto mentioned this past Sunday in his homily, the process of having a Synod is made of the faithful gathering so that the local Churches (RCAN) can “encounter and listen” to the voices of the Faithful, hearing their thoughts, and desires for the Church. Once the listening sessions have been completed, the results and direction of the Church will be “discerned” as to what the Holy Spirit is calling the Church to do (or not do) at this time. This is all so that we can “encounter” God more fully and ultimately receive God’s blessings and salvation and continue to do His will as a Church. It is quite an undertaking for our local Church and the Universal Church. In a sentence, as Deacon Roberto said, a “Synod is the process of Encountering, Listening and Discerning.”

What this means for us in St. Cassian Parish and the Archdiocese of Newark is that in the next few months, there will be what are called “Synod Listening Sessions.” Originally, each Parish in our area (Deanery) was going to have these Sessions individually, however, Sr. Donna Ciangio, the Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Newark, has offered to lead our Deanery’s Listening Session. Our Deanery is comprised of the Catholic churches in Montclair, Nutley, Belleville, and Bloomfield.

The listening session for our Deanery will be on Thursday, January 20th at 7:00 PM in the lower level of Immaculate Conception Church, Montclair. All the faithful who wish to take part in this process are invited to attend. There will be more details to follow, but I ask you to please mark your calendars for this event and I encourage everyone who is interested to consider attending.

I wanted to make everyone aware of this important process so that the thoughts and insights of our Faithful can be heard and duly passed forward.

Lastly, and on a separate note, I want to say how impressed I am to see not only so many people returning to Mass, but the number of families that are attending as families. The family is the building block of our Parish, as well as our Society. Strong, prayerful, grace-filled families are what make the world better. So good to see you all.

Please be assured of my constant prayers for all of you and I look forward to seeing even more of you as we get closer to the wonderful holiday season.

Prayers and blessings,
Rev. Marc A. Vicari,
Pastor