Church Activities

ALTAR AND ROSARY SOCIETY
ALTAR SERVERS
BIBLE STUDY
CHOIR
EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS
HOLY NAME SOCIETY
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
LECTORS
LITURGY COMMITTEE
PARISH FINANCIAL COUNCIL
PASTORAL ADVISORY BOARD
PRE CANA MINISTRY
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PROGRAM
SOCIAL CONCERNS
USHERS
YOUTH GROUPS

ALTAR AND ROSARY SOCIETY
The rosary confraternity is one of the oldest of the church and perhaps no other is enriched with so many indulgences and privileges.The primary purpose of the rosary society is to praise and honor theBlessed Virgin Mary and to secure her patronage by the recitation of the rosary for the mutual spiritual benefit of all the members throughout the world.The meetings are held from September thru June on the first Tuesday of each month, at 7:50 p.m. The members meet in the church to recite the rosary and celebrate Benediction. A business meeting follows in the parish meeting rooms.The members attend Mass as a group, on the first Sunday of the month, September thru August at 8:00 a.m. The society gathers twenty minutes prior to Mass to recite the rosary. They assemble in the front of the church, in designated pews. Members do the readings and also take part In the offertory procession.Activities consist of: tidying up the church, laundering the altar linens, supplying flowers for the Blessed Mother and on special occasions for the main altar, decorating the church for the Christmas and Easter liturgies, preparing and distributing food baskets for the needy of the area. They sponsor a Communion Breakfast annually, lead the Rosary Rally in May and October, under the guidance of the Spiritual Director and the Pastor, organize the annual Valentine Celebration and other special celebrations, when needed and sponsor a day of recollection for the parish.All women of the parish are encouraged to participate.

ALTAR SERVERS
Altar servers assist the priest at Mass and all special services throughout the year. It is a very important duty and honor, because as Catholics nothing is more important than the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.Upon completing their training, the servers will understand the importance of the celebration of the Mass. A knowledge of the principles of the Mass enables the server to perform his duties better and be more effective in assisting the priest. The scheduling is presently set up in three month intervals on a rotating basis. Those eligible to become altar servers are young men who have received their First Holy Communion and who will give a commitment to serve faithfully at the table of Our Lord.

BIBLE STUDY
The function of this group is to study the word of God in Scripture which will integrate the gospel into our daily lives.Membership is open to anyone who wants to attend. Everyone is welcome to join us on Monday evenings, 7:15-9pm. We look forward to seeing you. Join us on this Spiritual Journey.

CHOIR
The members share a common goal, that is, to enhance the liturgy through music. Few members have any professional training, but all have a sincere desire to sing. They prepare music for various church liturgies such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Holy Week and Easter, as well as Confirmation and First Communion. They normally sing two Sundays each month at the 10:00 and 11:50 a.m. Mass. Men and women are welcome and encouraged to join the choir. Practice is held weekly on Thursday evenings in the church at 7:50 p.m.

EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS
Ministers are those entrusted to perform a special function for the members of their community. One of those ministries is assisting priests in the distribution of Holy Communion at Mass and at other times when the Eucharist is taken to the homebound and hospitalized. The people who do this are called extraordinary ministers of theEucharist. Some people are asked to perform just one of these services, some assist in all phases.The man or woman who has been appointed by the Bishop, as recommended by the Pastor, to be an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, should distinguish themselves by their Christian life, faith and morals. They should also cultivate the devotion to the Holy Eucharist and be an example to others, by always showing reverence for this most holy sacrament. It is the Bishop's decision as to the length of one's term. The scheduling is presently set up in three month intervals.

HOLY NAME SOCIETY
The goals of this organization are to set an example of Christian life, provide assistance for social needs, and provide assistance to the Pastor for parish needs.Together with the name of God the Father and the Holy Spirit, the name of Jesus is the most revered in the language of Christians. The Holy Dame Society Is an indulgenced confraternity of men whose purpose is to promote love and reverence for the Holy name of God and of Jesus, and, to discourage profanity, blasphemy, perjury, unlawful oaths and improper language.The monthly Mass is the second Sunday of each month, September thru June and the meetings are on the Wednesday following the second Sunday of the month. The men meet in the parish meeting rooms at 7:50 p.m.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
The Knights of Columbus, Our Lady of Fatima Council 7755. is not a formal organization within the parish. However, the Knights and the Ladies Auxiliary are very supportive of our parish efforts and organizations. The knights preach charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism. These four guideposts, all leading from and flowing back to a solid belief in Catholicism, are the principles on which the Order is based and from which its practice is derived.

LECTORS
The function of the Lectors is to proclaim the Word of the Lord at Mass and other liturgical services. Lectors are required to combine faith and skill when they read the scriptures. Together with the priest, the lector is a minister. Both ministries are responsible for effecting the presence of God among Christians gathered in worship. Just as a priest effects the presence of God in the Eucharist, the lector effects God's special presence in His scriptural word. Thus, both priest and lector are ministers to the Christian community. In our parish, scheduling is presently set up in three month intervals on a rotating basis. Both men and women and the youth of our parish are encouraged to become members.

LITURGY COMMITTEE
Our parish liturgy committee is dedicated to all aspects of liturgical life. It consists of up to ten persons, from various sectors of the parish. They meet periodically with the Pastor, and pray for guidance and Inspiration from the Holy Spirit, to bring the community closer to Our Lord. They plan, develop, implement the actions, words and music and the environment of worship which are called the liturgy. One important continuing function is the preparation of theme. They are responsible for the introductions and Intercessions for the Sunday and daily Masses and on Holy Days. They combine their efforts and together plan various parish liturgies such as Christmas and Easter celebrations. Penitential Services. Advent and Lenten Program and Missions. The liturgy committee coordinates the activities associated with parish religious functions.

PARISH FINANCIAL COUNCIL
The council was formed to assist the Pastor in his financial administration in a competent fashion. The primary function of the council is consultive.It assists the Pastor in making administrative decisions and policies on both the ordinary and extraordinary level of administration. The members of the council will contribute their time and talent by assuming administrative positions. The financial council will operate as a consultive and service council.The Pastor is central to the functioning of the council. The Pastor, without abdicating his pastoral authority and leadership, must encourage and enable the members of the council to assume various leadership roles in the best spirit of 'shared responsibility'. The members of the council must recognize that the Pastor is the ultimate authority. The council will work together in the spirit of cooperation in developing a consensus of action to be taken. The members and the pastor work together at praying, reflecting and evaluating a trusting and respective spirit so that together they can find the direction and strategies needed for the parish community. The operating procedures and structure of the financial council dictate that a constitution, by-laws and parliamentary procedures are not needed nor should they be established. Meetings for the five member group occur once a month.

PASTORAL ADVISORY BOARD
This seven member board shall assist the Pastor in addressing and solving any issues brought to the attention of the board by the Pastor. They make recommendations to him about the operations within the parish and in conjunction with the Financial Council, discuss the major building programs and social programs within the parish. Meetings are the second Tuesday of each month and by special appointments. Membership is for two years with an optional third year.

PRE CANA MINISTRY
According to Father Joseph Champlin's ‘Together for Life’. Weddings are and should be occasions filled with joy and laughter. But we also need to prepare the bride and groom for both the mountains and valleys of married life.' This is precisely what we attempt to do at Pre Cana.Several couples are involved in the one day program which consists of presentations of specific topics dealing with their own personal marital experiences. Topics include Communication, Family Life.Sexuality, natural Family Planning and Spirituality. The engaged couples are also encouraged to communicate to one another, the various aspects of these topics with materials presented to them as a guide.As in Catholic married life. prayer is an essential component of our Pre Cana program. The informal atmosphere lends itself to a more relaxed interaction.It is our feeling that although a wedding is a very special day. a marriage is a lifetime.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PROGRAM
The Saint John Neumann Religious Education Program currently serves 665 children.  The parish and students are blessed to have 114 volunteer Catechists.  As all of our teachers and aides are volunteers we have a nursery for their younger children, while classes are in session.  Classes meet on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons from 4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., beginning in September and ending at the end of April. We have classes for children in First through Seventh Grades.  Our Second Grade students receive the Sacrament of Penance in Jan/Feb and the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist in April/May.  Children must attend both First and Second Grade Religious Education Classes to be eligible to receive the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Eucharist. Our Eighth Grade students receive The Sacrament of Confirmation in March.  Your child's preparation for Confirmation is occuring with each year that they attend Religious Education classes and so your child must attend grades Three through Eight to be prepared and eligible to receive The Sacrament of Confirmation.   The programs attendance policy states that your child may be absent from two classes without having to attend a make-up class.  If your child needs to make up a class they can do so by attending any class in their grade on the alternate day.  Class room numbers for make-up classes can be obtained by calling the Religious Education Office.  Your child must adhere to the attendance policy in order to move on to the next grade.  A year end test will be administered at the end of each grade.  Your child must pass in order to move on to the next grade.  Re-registration begins in April and New Registration begins in June.  For important information and more details around the Religious Education Program please click on the Religious Education tab on the St. John Neumann website homepage - sjncatholicchurch.org.  Should you wish to speak with anyone at the Religious Education Office our office and fax number is (856)235-6555 or you can e-mail us at stjohnneumannmtlre@comcast.net.  Every parent has a duty and obligation to ensure their child receive instruction and we look forward to partnering with you. 

SOCIAL CONCERNS
To achieve the objectives of the Mission Statement of the Diocese ofTrenton on Social Justice, the Social Concerns Committee directs the attention of Parish organizations and parishioners at large to take action on issues of peace and justice for all peoples.Current functions and activities include organizing yearly collections for Providence House and Delaware House as well as weekly collections of casseroles, non-perishable foods and diapers for Emergency Services. It oversees the Caring Tree for Birthright at Christmas, solicits volunteers for Interfaith Caregivers, provides a Lenten message, facilitates voter registration and gives information about specific community needs. In addition. Social Concerns arranges for speakers at Masses to inform the parishioners about essential community services.Social Concerns will continue to strive to achieve the objective of identifying among us the people who are poor, hungry, lonely, alienated or suffering in any way and search for every possible means to answer their needs.

USHERS
Our ushers are responsible for the smooth flow of events during liturgical services. The usher is usually the first person the parishioners meet upon entering the church. In addition to greeting people and putting them at ease, they take responsibility for directing people to their pews, initiating the lines for receiving Communion, organizing the offertory procession, collection of offerings, maintaining good climate control and always being prepared for any unexpected emergency.

YOUTH GROUP
In order to extend and develop the formation of a mature Christian attitude, the St John Neumann Youth Group was created. Building upon the elementary Christian education provided in religious education classes, the Youth Group places more responsibility upon the youths to make decisions, plan activities and develop leadership skills. The group is comprised of students in Grades 8-12 and they meet twice a month.There are three main aspects to the group: spiritual growth, community/ parish service and re creation /social activities. The meetings are planned and run by the YOUTH with the assistance of adult advisors.