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On November 9 at 10:00 a.m. in St. Mary of the Lakes Church the “Women in the Bible Program” will host Sam Kauffman, international Christian performer who will present, “Women in the Manger.” Sam‘s unique style is hallmarked by her exceptional storytelling ability along with easy to sing music and memorable lyrics. She has developed over 50 theme based programs based on Scripture, supported by her original music, stories, poetry and dramas. Plan to spend this wonderful hour to experience Sam’s portrayal through song and drama: Sara, The Mother of a Great Nation; Ruth, the Immigrant Who became David’s Great-Grandmother; Hannah, who gave her only Son to serve God; Mary, the Unwed Mother of Faith; Elizabeth, Mother of a Voice in the Wilderness; The Woman Who Prepared for the Birth of the Savior and lastly, a Christmas Carol Sing-A-Long. Come enjoy this unique opportunity and leave inspired.

Boys and girls in grades four and up who have received their First Holy Communion are welcome as altar servers. Instruction classes will be held on Thursdays, November 8th and 15th from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in Church. The Mass of Installation will be celebrated on Sunday, November 18th at the 10:30 a.m. Mass. Please indicate which Mass(es) you would prefer to serve. Altar servers will be expected to wear slacks or trousers (boys/girls) or skirts (girls) under their cassocks with dress/casual shoes (no sneakers).

Join the St. Mary of the Lakes Church and School on the SOULTRAIN: which will travel down Main Street during the township parade. The float will leave from St. Mary of the Lakes School promptly at 7:00 pm. Students should be at the school parking lot by 6:00 pm. The students will disembark the float near Haines School and parents MUST pick-up their child(ren) directly from the Haines school lot once our float has passed the judging stand. Students will be chaperoned down Main Street by the Parish Youth Minister, Linda Xerri and other adult chaperones from our parish/school. Children under the age of 7 MUST be accompanied by a parent or other adult guardian. If possible, we ask students to dress in disco themed costumes in keeping with our theme of SOULTRAIN. NO DARK FACED MAKE-UP OR AFRO WIGS ARE PERMITTED. We are encouraging things like disco angels; dancing nuns. Think PEACE, LOVE FLASH DANCING & DISCO DANCING-reminiscent of the late 70’s-80’s! PLEASE BRING A BAG OF CANDY WITH YOU!

NATIONAL ALLIANCE TO STOP THE VIOLENCE SERVICE DAY Saturday November 17, 2018 Knights of Columbus Council 6520 & Y.E.S. will host a service trip to Camden, N.J. on Saturday, November 17. This is an outreach event for vulnerable youth at risk who live in the inner city and are confronted with the threat of gun violence and harm daily. Our group will provide lunch and host table games at Virtua Hospital in Camden. We will leave the SML Church parking lot at 10:00 am and travel to Camden as a group. Estimated return time is 1:00 p.m. This trip is open to students in grades 7-12 only. Permission slips are available at www.smlparish.org. Please RSVP via sign up genius at https://www.signupgenius.com/ go/4090F4BABAD29AAFE3-kocyes. Once church van reaches capacity, we will not be able to take any more students without parent drivers/chaperones. Questions contact yes@smlparish.org

The Knights of Columbus Council 6520 conducted Hunger Harvest on October 20 at four grocery stores in the Medford area. The Knights collected 80 shopping carts of food to restock the shelves of the St. Vincent's Food Pantry to help feed the hungry in the Medford area over the upcoming holiday season and $1,000 in donations that will go to the Christian Caring Center to feed the homeless! To see more photos of Hunger Harvest, please go to the News/Events tab above and click on Photo Album.

Another Mass Mob Mass will be offered on Sunday, Oct. 28 at 12:00 p.m. with Redemption, our contemporary music group.

Father Dan sponsored a bus trip to Emmitsburg, MD on Thursday, October 18. Pilgrims enjoyed a buffet lunch at The Mountain Gate Restaurant, and time to visit the Basilica of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton at the Motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity, Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary (Father Dan’s alma mater) where Mass was offered. To see more photos of the Bus Pilgrimage, please go to the News/Events tab above and click on Photo Album.

The pickup games at the St. Mary of the Lakes School gym at 9 p.m. continue in the Fall each Wednesday night. Contact Kevin Callahan at Kcallahan@smlparish.org for more information.

The Diocese of Trenton now requires anyone over the age of 18 who participates in parish ministry to attend a 3–hour VIRTUS session every four years. VIRTUS is a national program designed to equip adults with the tools to recognize inappropriate behavior towards children and vulnerable adults. Note that this is a change from the previous VIRTUS obligation. This means that every adult who currently works or volunteers for SML Church, School, or PREP and has not previously attended a VIRTUS session, or who has not taken a refresher course within the past four years, must attend a class as soon as possible. Upcoming sessions at St. Mary of the Lakes are as follows: 10/18 at 6:30 p.m. (just posted), and 10/22 at 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. These sessions will be presented in the Parish Meeting Room (at the back of the School). Pre-registration is mandatory at virtusonline.org. Space is limited, so register as soon as possible. Because of the size of the classes, walk-ins cannot be accepted.

Leo's Famous Yum Yum on Tomlinson Mill Road in Medford now makes its homemade Father Dan’s cinnamon cheesecake ice cream. We hear it is a Swift seller !

St. Mary of the Lakes attended the Catholic Schools Mass in Freehold on Thursday.

Students and Faculty are invited to meet in the Chapel for Rosary Wednesdays from 8:00 a.m. to 8:20 a.m. in October: Bring your Rosary and start your day by honoring our Blessed Mother in Prayer during the month of October. Questions, contact Mrs. Xerri at lxerri@smlparish.org or call 609-654-2546, ext. 111

In honor of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, there was a blessing of the animals on Saturday morning, October 6, in the church parking lot. To see more photos of the Pet Blessing, please go to the News/Events tab above and click on Photo Album.

Tux at work in his temporary office at the Emmaus Center during Parish Office Construction ! To see photos of the Parish Office Constuction, please go to the News/Events tab above and click on Photo Album.

Pastor’s Eye View during Parish Office Construction!

YES SERVICE SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, GRADES 6-12 10:00 a.m. to Noon in the PREP CONFERENCE ROOM Space is limited. Confirmation & NHS hours will be given. Community service forms are available at www.smlparish.org under the Faith Formation tab. Please bring them with you to obtain a signature! RSVP for this service event is required due to limited space! Contact yes@smlparish.org. EMAILS ONLY!

The morning session of Discovering Christ discusses who Jesus is; what sets Him apart; and who do we say that He is?

The Invest in Your Values meeting is Saturday, October 13, at 4 p.m. at the Medford Friends Meeting House.

Y.E.S. is sponsoring a trip to the Year of Youth Fest on Sunday October 14. We will travel by Van to Manahawkin to participate in the 3:00 p.m. Mass with Bishop O’Connell. Immediately following Mass there will be a Carnival/Fair on the grounds of St. Mary’s Manahawkin. Students in grades 5-12 are invited to attend and travel by van. Limited seating is available and will be reserved on a first come RSVP basis. ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND but once the van reaches capacity, students will need to make their own transportation arrangements to the festival. Since the festival is a FAMILY EVENT, we encourage you to plan to spend the day there with your family. Questions contact Youth Minister Linda Xerri at yes@smlparish.org or call 609-654-8208, ext. 111. If you wish for your child to travel with Mrs. Xerri via van, please complete the form by clicking on the Year of Youth Fest title above and return to the PARISH OFFICE by October 8.

The Mass with Anointing of the Sick on Tuesday, October 16, at 2:00 p.m. in the church. Who is to be anointed? Anyone facing serious illness Anyone who has chronic health problems Anyone facing significant surgery Anyone suffering from physical or emotional illness. We encourage all to attend. Join us to pray for all those being anointed and for all who need prayers.