Mary, Holy Mother of God January 1st, 2012

MONDAY – January 2nd, 2012 6:45 AM Irving B. Cornell, Jr. r/o Lorraine Ricci 8:15 AM Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Cittadini r/o daughter 7:00 PM Patrocina Quinola r/o Tanchingco family TUESDAY – January 3rd, 2012 6:45 AM Franco Acquaviva r/o Maria Viera 8:15 AM Joan Eibach r/o William & Michelle Brugnoli WEDNESDAY – January 4th, 2012 6:45 AM Roseanne Lovell r/o Mr. & Mrs. Rick Esposito 8:15 AM Sigmund L. Kulessa, Sr r/o Mieszkowski & Serpico families THURSDAY – January 5th, 2012 6:45 AM Stanley Sczepanik r/o wife & son 8:15 AM Father Anthony Dandry r/o Carole Plumacher FRIDAY – January 6th, 2012 6:45 AM Catherine Przygoda r/o Martha Tyszkiewicz 8:15 AM Kevin Latham r/o Mom, Dad, Amy & Melissa SATURDAY– January 7th, 2012 9:00AM Mass Association 5:00PM Kathleen Norway r/o family SUNDAY– January 8th, 2012 7:30AM For the People 9:00AM Daniel W. Smith r/o Marie A. Smith 10:30AM Edward Patrick Mahalick r/o H. Glennon family 12:00PM June Chicalese r/o Debbie Chicalese

OUR PARISH FAMILY Please remember in your prayers the deceased members of our Parish family, and all of the souls of the faithful departed especially John J. Geraghty, brother of Cecelia Kwiatkowski, Theresa Lajewski, mother of Wayne Kronowski, and Lillian D’Apolito and all the homebound and infirm members of our Parish family, and especially for those names listed in our parish book of petitions.

ALTAR CANDLES

BLESSED MOTHER For the Safety of our Military families

r/o Lesinski family

ST. JOSEPH’S ALTAR Glenn Maldonado r/o daughter, Jane & son, David

Maran Perepolka r/o wife, Julia

MASS ASSOCIATION Lillian D’Apolito

r/o OLV Religious Education Catechists

COLLECTION REPORT

Dec. 25, 2011 Dec. 26, 2010 Regular Collection 6,186.00 7,152.00 Second Collection 731.00 1,102.00 6,917.00 8,254.00 Includes Faith Direct Christmas Contributions will be posted in next week’s bulletin.

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God – January 1, 2012 How lightly Mary held Jesus. She did not clutch Him to her but held Him out for the world to know. She knew that He did not belong to her alone. From the moment of His birth she was called upon to share Him with strangers who flocked to see Him. In the same way, we are also called to hold our blessings lightly, being willing to share what God has given to us with those whom God may lead to us. As this New Year begins, let us look to Mary as a grace-filled model of sharing all that God might ask of us.

SOLEMNITY OF MARY, THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD First Reading: Numbers 6:22-27 The Lord told Aaron to bestow his blessings on the Israelites. God wanted them to know that by invoking his name they would be blessed by him. Second Reading: Galatians 4:4-7 Paul describes how through Jesus' birth, we have been delivered from the laws that exiled Gentiles from God's community. Through Jesus, the Gentiles became God's adopted ones and would receive the same blessings that the Jewish converts had been promised. Gospel: Luke 2:16-21 The shepherds went to Bethlehem to see Jesus and immediately understood all that they had been told about him. They praised God for what they had seen, and Jesus was given the name that the angel had chosen for him.

Dear Parishioners, I would like to thank all of you for your generosity to Our Lady of Victories this Christmas season. In this time of economic uncertainty, your donations to the parish and those in need have been a sign of Christ’s light in all of you. On behalf of Fr. Vigil, Deacon Tom, Deacon Ed and myself, we wish all of you a very Happy and Healthy New Year. Fr. Ryan

PARISH EVENTS THIS WEEK Monday Parish Office Closed Tuesday School Resumes CCD Classes ALL Sessions Wednesday CCD Classes Grades 1 – 4 & 7th ONLY Friday School Early Dismissal 1PM – Senior Mtg. - MDH Saturday 9AM Mass

11:00AM - Confessions Sunday 2:00PM – Line Dancing - MDH

2012 Contribution Envelopes 2012 Contribution Envelopes are available in the parish office from 9am – 12Noon and 1PM – 5PM during the week. If you cannot pick them up during those hours, please call Carla at 732-257-0077 ext. 227 and other arrangements can be made.

Calendar Raffle Please join us in congratulating, Susan Crespo the final winner of $500 in this year’s Fall Calendar Raffle. Thank you to all who participated.

Catholic Schools Week January 28th through February 3rd

More information to follow.

SAVE THE DATE -- OLV ELECTRONICS BINGO OLV ELECTRONICS BINGO Fundraiser is scheduled for Friday, February 3, 2012, 7:00 p.m., Monsignor Dalton Hall (doors open at 6:30pm – SNOW DATE is Saturday, February 4). Prizes include E-Readers, MP3 Players, Digital camera, Flat Screen TV, game systems and much more. Ticket price is $30.00 and includes 12 games of bingo/1 bingo card per game. Additional bingo game sheets can be purchased at event as well as tickets for 50/50 and Tricky Tray raffle. BYO wine, food and refreshments. Coffee, tea and dessert will be provided. Please consider donating an item to our dessert table. Tickets can be purchased at the Parish Office or through school Attn: Debbie Patella c/o Dominique (Grade 6).

From the CCD office…Classes resume this week for all students except the 8th graders, in order for those students and their parents to attend student orientation at Sayreville War Memorial High School.

Prayer and Discernment for Our Lady of Victories Parish Pastoral Council

In response to our initial evening of reflection on the document of the "Norms for Parish Pastoral Councils", all interested parishioners are invited to a follow up reflection session on Tuesday, January 10 . We will meet in the basement of the church at 7:30 PM. Please call the parish office to reserve your space. All attendees must have read the document prior to the gathering. It can be found at the download section of our parish web site, www.olvsayrenj.com.

Beginning Tuesday, February 7th at 7:00PM in the lower church. This Bible Study Group on Revelation – the Yet to Come and will run for 10 sessions. Pre-registration is required. Cost is $25/per person. Please fill

out the registration form below and return to the parish office or you may place it in the collection basket. Deadline for registration is 1/3/2012. Checks should be made payable to Our Lady of Victories. If you have any questions or need further information, please contact Deacon Tom at 732-257-0077 ext. 226.

Bible Study Registration Form

Name ________________________________

Phone Number _________________________

E-mail address _________________________

Amt. Paid _____ Cash ___ Check# ____

OLV Senior Group January Meeting

The OLV Senior Group will hold their January Meeting on Friday, January 6, 2012 at 1PM in Monsignor Dalton Hall on Main Street in Sayreville. After a brief business meeting we will have our Annual Game Day. Bring your favorite game to share with other members. Don’t forget to wear your favorite winter attire. We are still collecting dues for this year. Dues for this year will be $10.00 a person for the year – September to June. Our meeting dates are: Feb. 3, Mar. 2, Apr. 12, May 4, and June 1. All meetings are held on Friday afternoon at 1PM except the April meeting which will be held on Thursday, April 12. Food donations to St. Vincent de Paul are always gladly accepted. Our group invites any senior who is 55 years and older to join our group. You do not need to be a member of OLV. Any questions please contact Teri at 732-727-7639.

Knights Of Columbus Free Throw Contest The Sayreville Knights Of Columbus will be sponsoring its' annual Free Throw contest on Saturday January 14,2012 from 1:00 to 4:00PM at Dalton Hall .All children ages 10- 14 are eligible to compete in their respective age divisions. All winners will progress into the District level. Everyone will be recognized for their participation. Contestants must provide proof of age and written parental consent. Entry forms will be available the day of the contest.

OLV Senior Trip to Mackinac Island, Michigan

The OLV Seniors are sponsoring a bus trip to Mackinac Island, Michigan, from Saturday, May 26 to Friday, June 1, 2012. The cost of the trip is $980.00. This price includes: transportation on a deluxe coach bus, bus driver gratuity, hotel accommodations for 6 nights, including two nights at the Inn at Mackinac on the island, admission to Greenfield Village, Ford Rouge Factory, carriage ride on Mackinac Island, Mackinac Butterfly House, Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, 3 full breakfasts, 3 continental breakfasts, lunch at the Grand Hotel on the island, and 3 dinners. Come and travel with us on this exciting tour. For further information, to request a flyer or to make a reservation, please contact Teri at (732) 727-7639 or Geri at (732) 257-4351.

OLV Seniors Trip to American Music Theater Featuring Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons The OLV Seniors are sponsoring a bus trip to the American Music Theater in Lancaster, Pennsylvania to see Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The date of the trip is Thursday, May 17, 2012. The price of the trip is $150.00 which includes: the price of the show ticket, bus transportation, bus gratuity, dinner at Shady Maple, and snacks on the bus. The bus will leave OLV lower parking lot at 3PM and return approximately at 11:30 PM. For further information or to make a reservation, please contact Teri at (732) 727-7639.

March for Life Bus Trip - January 23, 2012 Our Lady of Victory Knights of Columbus Council #2061 and St. Bartholomew Council #11873 will be co-sponsoring a bus trip to Washington D.C. to participate in the Annual March for Life on Monday, January 23, 2012. This is the 39th year of this march to repeal the 1973 Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision that made abortion on demand the law of the land. Participation by parishioners is strongly encouraged to show support for this most important issue facing our nation. There will be a 6:30 A.M. Mass at St Bartholomew Church 470 Ryders Lane East Brunswick followed by a continental breakfast. The bus will depart at 7:30 AM from St. Bart’s church parking lot. Lunch is also included. A minimum donation of $20 ($10 for students) is requested. If you support this cause but are unable to make the trip, a donation to help defray costs will be greatly appreciated. For further information about the trip or to reserve a seat, please contact Michael Yetsko at (732)727-7639 or e-mail at mtyetsko@aol.com.

Trenton Pro Life Rally – January 23, 2012 For those of us who cannot participate in the March for Life in Washington, DC on January 23rd, we will be sponsoring a bus to Trenton for the Pro Life Rally that same day. The bus will leave the Church upper lot at approximately 8:45AM and return at approximately 1:00PM. Please call the parish office at 732-257-0077 if you are interested in attending. Message From Our Lady of Victories for Life An early Christmas present was received December 19th! There are people from respect life groups who pray at abortion mills, and also try to help mothers choose Life for their babies if they are willing to listen. A car pulled up to the sidewalk in front of the Woodbridge abortion mill December 19th. Two young women were in it. They sat in the car for about a minute talking and gathering up things. Then the passenger got out. We were afraid that she was going into the abortion mill. Instead, she approached one of the men who prays there. In her hand, she had a box wrapped in green paper with a bow. It was a Christmas present for him. She stayed for a while thanking him for helping her. One could see that she was well along in her pregnancy. As she left we asked her to come back with her baby and she said that she would. A perfect Christmas present for all of us. Joy! Praise God! Blessings and peace!

A New Year’s Prayer

Lord, this year I want to change, and I’ve said that in the past, but now my prayer is different

‘cause I understand at last.

I wanted my own way before, I ignored your loving plans.

But now I’m putting everything into your nail-scarred hands.

I promise to obey you,

out of gratitude and love. I won’t be giving orders to my Father up above.

I finally realized the truth,

and so I’ve changed my prayer. The safest place for me to be

is in your gentle care.

Please be my shepherd, Jesus, that’s all I ask of you.

In good times and in bad this year, take my hand and lead me through.

Amen