St. Philip the Apostle

Thanks to all those who participated and brought gifts and holiday items for the Christmas Party at Eva’s Village. The gifts were collected during our November meeting and brought over to Eva’s Village on Tuesday, November 9. Jennifer Doherty, the coordinator of volunteer services at Eva’s Village was extremely grateful for our donations.

Jennifer Doherty accepting donations

From the Rosary Society

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Rosary Society Communion Breakfast

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Please be patient while the pictures load!

The 66^th Annual Communion Breakfast was a success! Grateful thanks go to all those who set-up, cleaned-up, sold tickets and attended.

We especially want to thank our speaker Sister Margaret Muller, PBVM who gave an inspiring presentation about the Blessed Mother. Thank you Sister, for sharing your reflections and guiding us towards a closer relationship with Mary.

CONGRATULATIONS FR. PAUL!

25^th Anniversary of Ordination

Special congratulations to Father Paul who recently celebrated 25 years in the priesthood! We thank him for answering God’s call to become a priest and ask our Blessed Mother to keep him close to her.

OUR FIRST TELEPHONE ROSARY

On January 20, 2011, the Rosary Society of St. Philip the Apostle gathered its members in prayer using the telephone! Many of our members have difficulty getting out at night, especially in the winter. The goal was to enable them to come together in prayer without needing to be physically present. A conference call was pre-arranged and each member was sent an 800 number and instructions on how to call-in.

While the telephone Rosary will never replace actual meetings, it was a wonderful way to stay connected and enhance our devotion to the Blessed Mother. I know that she was pleased with our efforts.

Mission

St. Philip the Apostle Rosary Society is a spiritual organization whose primary focus is prayer and devotion to the Blessed Mother through the recitation of the Rosary and participation in Mass.

We welcome all women of the parish interested in deepening their faith in Jesus Christ through prayer and meditation on the Mysteries of the Rosary. We usually meet once a month for Mass followed by the Rosary and Fellowship in the Auditorium.

For more information, please call Diane VanBlarcom at

973-594-0130 or email geminimom50@aol.com.

67th Annual Communion Brunch

It is time to prepare for the Rosary Society’s 67^th Annual Communion Brunch to be held on October 2, 2011 in Marian Hall after the 10:00 a.m. Mass.

This year we have invited Mr. Vito Mazza, Knights of Columbus District Deputy, 4^th Degree Member and Bergen County Federation Past President to be our guest speaker.

He has an inspiring story to tell about his near death experience and miraculous recovery. Tickets are on sale now for $20.00. For additional information, please call Diane at 973-594-0130 or Beth at 973-818-3223.

White Elephant and Plant Sale

The White Elephant and Flower Sale was another huge success!!! Many thanks to all those who donated items, set-up the gym, worked the tables and/or bought our treasures!

Induction of New Members

May 23, 2011

A warm welcome to all of our new members (click here for pictures) who were inducted into the Rosary Society during a special Mass on Monday, May 23, 2011.

Fr. Kevin gave a poignant talk on one of the last things that Jesus said from the cross; “Woman, Behold your Son: Behold your Mother” (John 19:26-27). As we meditate on these words, we realize that God has put us together – one with the other. We have been blessed by the Holy Spirit and through His wisdom and guidance, will continue to share our love and devotion to the Blessed Mother.

We are all one body. We support each other. We encourage each other. We pray for each other.

Flowers of Our Lady

Also at our April meeting, Francesca Anthony gave a presentation about an organization dedicated to the development of gardens honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Gardening can be a prayerful work. A garden may be made edifying and instructive to children and adults. And now you, your family, and neighbors may honor Mary by prayerfully sowing, tending, harvesting and offering flowers and plants named for her in old popular tradition.

Mary’s Gardens was founded in 1951 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to research the hundreds of flowers named in medieval times as symbols of the life, mysteries and privileges of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus–as recorded by botanists, folklorists and lexicographers; and to assist in the planting of “Mary Gardens” of “Flowers of Our Lady” today. For more information, please paste this link into your browser:

http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/resources/m_garden/marygardensmain.html

Social Tea Party

Our first Social Tea Party held on May 15, 2011 was a huge success! Click here for pictures! Chef Todd prepared an amazing luncheon of sandwiches and desserts. There were 26 Tricky-Tray baskets and many winners. Even though the day was rainy, the tea party was well attended. Next year we will have a prize for the best hat!

A special thanks goes out to all those who helped, including Diane, Arlene, Elaine, Edvie, Anne, Beth and Paul. Also, thank you to the young people who helped serve, especially Erin Albright. Without everyone’s help, the Rosary Tea Party would not have been such a hit!

APRIL MEETING

On Wednesday at our April meeting, we prayed a beautiful scriptural Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of Mary. It was not our traditional Rosary but very moving and appropriate for Lent.

Much to our regret, Diane announced that she is stepping down as President of our Rosary Society.

To see pictures from our April meeting, click here.

Msgr. Kevin Flanagan Presents

“The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican”

At our March meeting, Father Kevin gave an inspiring talk on another Irish priest, Msgr. Hugh O’Flaherty, who helped save thousands of Jews, POWs and Allied Troops during the Nazi occupation of Rome. During the presentation, Father Kevin showed the first part of "The Scarlet and The Black", a wonderful moving starring Gregory Peck and Christopher Plummer, that tells the true story of Father O’Flaherty.

Thank you Father Kevin for sharing this exciting story with us and giving us such a memorable evening!