Church cleaners

Each week, members of our parish do light cleaning in the church. By dusting and polishing various areas of our church, they ensure that our worship space is a fitting place for prayer. Call 201-384-0557 for more information.

Food Pantry

Our parish has a food pantry which is continually replenished through the goodness of our parishioners. At special times of the year, such as Thanksgiving or Christmas, and on a daily basis, we seek to provide food for those who come to us in need. Volunteers in this ministry take inventory of what is needed and prepare food packages for the hungry who seek our help. Call 201-384-0557 for more information.

Hackensack Shelter

Three or four times a year, typically on a Wednesday, the parishioners of St. Mary’s prepare a meal for men, women and sometimes children who go to the shelter for a meal. A serving team consisting of our parishioners brings the food and serves it to those who come to the shelter that same afternoon. Call 201-384-0557 for more information.

Newark Food Kitchen

Each month, parishioners of St. Mary’s prepare food and serve at a food kitchen in Newark, sponsored by the Missionaries of Charity. Although this ministry is coordinated by the Filipino community of our parish, any person may join them as they serve the hungry of Newark. Call 201-384-0557 for more information.

Family Shelter Volunteers

Our parish, along with other faith communities in Bergen County, work with the Interreligious Fellowship for the Homeless as they assist working poor families who reside at the Family Service Center at St. Cecilia’s Parish, Englewood. Volunteers in this ministry prepare meals for these residents and act as overnight hosts as well. Call 201-384-0557 for more information.

Giving Tree

Each Advent season, our parishioners are asked to purchase Christmas gifts for adults and children who would otherwise have no gifts to open during the joyful time of Christmas. Volunteers in this ministry prepare the tags that hang on our Giving Tree and prepare the gifts that are donated so that they can be picked up by the agencies which we serve. Call 201-384-0557 for more information.

Knitters & Crocheters

A group of our parishioners gathers each Wednesday evening to knit or crochet blankets and afghans for the needy in our area. Through the generous donation of their time and talent, these women provide a means of warmth for those who would otherwise be affected by the cold. Call 201-384-0557 for more information.

Office Volunteers

Parishioners volunteer for several hours each evening and on weekends as receptionists in our parish office. This volunteer work would include answering the telephone, taking messages, and completing other clerical work that our staff members need to have done. Call 201-384-0557 for more information.

Partners in Prayer

As a community of faith, we believe in the power of prayer. Members of our parish form a “prayer chain” and lift their voices to the Lord, asking his help for those who have called our parish office and requested prayers for themselves, a loved one or a friend. Call 201-384-0557 for more information.

Rosary & Altar Society

This parish society first and foremost seeks to deepen and strengthen devotion to Mary, the mother of the Lord and mother of the Church. All women of the parish are invited to become members of this society. Meetings are held the first Tuesday of the month at 7:30 PM in the school cafeteria of St. Mary’s School. In addition to prayer, members care for the linens used at Mass. They also bake and sell Irish soda bread at the annual Mass celebrated in honor of St. Patrick. Call 201-384-0557 for more information.

Carnival Committee

Each year, one of our major community buildings and fundraising events as a parish is our annual carnival which takes place during the first full week in the month of June. The carnival offers an opportunity for young and old, new parishioners and “veterans” to participate in the parish, to have a great deal of fun and to get to know other members of the St. Mary’s family. It has been dubbed the “Social Event of the Year.” Call 201-384-0557 for more information.

Knights of Columbus

The St. John’s Council the K of C includes men from two parishes – St. Mary’s, Dumont, and St. John’s, Bergenfield. This national Catholic organization invites men from both parishes to join their spiritual, social and charitable work and activities. Call 201-384-0557 for more information.

P.A.L.A.D.

The Philippine-American Lay Apostolate of Dumont (P.A.L.A.D.) invites Filipino parishioners of St. Mary’s to become involved in this parish soc-iety. Some activities would include feeding the homeless at a parish in Newark, “Linedancercise” held every Wednesday evening, and the weekly praying of the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help as well as the yearly celebration of Simbang Gabi (Mass before Christmas). Call 201-384-0557 for more information.

Youth Ministry

Our parish seeks to reach out to our youth – grades 7-12 – in order to minister to them spiritually, socially, educationally and to involve them in the service life of the parish and the Church. Under the direction of our parish Youth Ministry Coordinators, adults work with our youth so that they may come to a greater realization of their place in our parish and the Church as a whole. Call 201-384-0557 for more information.

Softball

Coming soon!

Readers

At every Sunday and daily Mass, men and women proclaim the readings taken from the word of God, the Bible. This ministry allows those who attend Mass to hear God’s word so that they may be nourished to lead the Christian life more fully and to be comforted by this gift from God. Readers receive proper preparation before they proclaim God’s word at Mass.

Call 201-384-0557 for more information.

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion

When we gather for the celebration of the Eucharist, men and women minister the Body and Blood of the Lord. These ministers allow those who come to Mass to receive not only the Body of Christ, but the Blood of Christ as well. They also bring the Eucharist to those who are homebound or confined to nursing care facilities due to sickness of advanced age. They receive appropriate preparation in order to minister the Eucharist with dignity and respect. Call 201-384-0557 for more information.

Ushers/Greeters

We always want those who come to worship with us to feel welcome. At St. Mary’s, we invite men and women as well as teenagers to minister as greeters, people whose primary ministry is to welcome those who come to pray with us. In this capacity, they help those who have difficulty with walking or with coming into the church. In addition, these ministers take up the collection at Sunday Mass.

Call 201-384-0557 for more information.

Music Ministry

Music is an essential part of our prayer together since it touches the heart as well as the mind. When we sing, we pray twice. Our music ministry has many areas where people’s talents can be used: adult choir, youth choir, children’s choir, hand bell choir (adults and children), instrumentalists (keyboard, guitar, brass, percussion). Your talents allow us to praise God in word and in song.

Call 201-384-0557 for more information.

Altar Servers

Adults and children alike are invited to become altar servers, assisting the priest who is celebrating Mass. For children, those in the later part of 4th grade and in upper grades are invited to become altar servers. Usually, boys and girls act as altar servers at Sunday Masses, while adults usually serve at daily Masses or funeral Masses.

Call 201-384-0557 for more information.

Liturgy of the Word with Children

Since it may be difficult for young children, up to the 5th grade, to understand the readings and homily at Sunday Masses, children at our 10:00 Sunday Mass are invited to go to the lower church for a celebration of the Lord’s word, presented at a level that they can understand. Men and women volunteer to lead these celebrations each Sun-day or to assist the leader.

Call 201-384-0557 for more information.

Liturgy Committee

A group of parishioners, interested in deepening the communal worship of the parish, works with the Pastoral Associate for Liturgy to offer their input and suggestions for ways in which our celebration of the Eucharist and the sacraments can be enhanced. These men and women are often liturgical ministers themselves with liturgical resources available to them.

Call 201-384-0557 for more information.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)

The RCIA is the process through which adults are fully initiated into the Catholic faith community. Those who would like to become a Roman Catholic, adults who have never been baptized as well as those have been baptized into another Christian religion, participate in this process. The RCIA process is also open to baptized Catholics who have not yet received First Communion and/or Confirmation and who have received little or no formal religious instruction. Those who be-come catechumens (the unbaptized) or candidates (baptized Christians) meet on a regular basis with team members who assist them on their spiritual journey. Those who seek to be a part of the RCIA team “walk” the journey of faith with these adults and share their own faith with them.

Call 201-384-0557 for more information.

Art/Environment Committee

A group of our parishioners dedicate themselves to decorating our church for particular liturgical seasons, such as Christmas and Easter as well as other months of the year. They work in conjunction with our Pastoral Associate for Liturgy and our parish Liturgy Committee.

Call 201-384-0557 for more information.