Winter 2017 Archdiocese of Newark Call to Stewardship Inside this issue: Searching for the Longest Marriage 2 The 20/20 Project Prayer 2 Stewardship in St. Joseph, Bogota 3-4 Giving Tuesday 4 Considering Cremation English 5 Considering Cremation Spanish 6 After 70 Years... 7-8 Planned Giving 9-11 Men’s Conference 12 Women's’ Commission 13 Relevant Radio 14 Box Tops Update 15 Bulletin Reflections: English & Spanish 16-21 Office of Development & Stewardship Tatiana Paredes Special Events Coordinator Office of Development and Stewardship 171 Clifton Avenue Newark, NJ 07104 973-497-4046 [email protected]Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from The Office of Development & Stewardship! _____________________________________________________________ Christmas Greetings, I have learned that Christmas magic is powerful, but the power in our hearts is even more magical. Our ability to love one another, to renew our faith and bring hope into our lives and the lives of others, are the greatest of gifts to bestow and receive. Christmas is indeed a time for gift giving and celebrating. And yet, the greatest gifts are not those wrapped in fine papers or dressed in colorful bows. They are those given with an open heart, one wrapped in the lovely ribbons of faith, hope, and love. To quote Charles Dickens’ classic tale, “A Christmas Carol,” “I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.” Words of wisdom that should be echoed on this day and all the days yet to be. Peace, prayers & blessings, Lynn Gully Associate Director Office of Development & Stewardship The biggest happiness is when at the end of the year you feel better than at the beginning. Henry David Thoreau
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Archdiocese of Newark Newsletter...Winter 2017 Office of Development & Stewardship Archdiocese of Newark Call to Stewardship Inside this issue: Searching for the Longest Marriage 2
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Searching for the Longest Married Couple in the US
In anticipation of World Marriage Day, February 12, 2017, Worldwide Marriage Encounter is searching for the longest married couple in the United States. Along with our Anniversary Masses once again being held in the Spring of 2017, this is another way to honor those couples who have lived the values of their marriage vows and loved each other as Christ loves His Church. For more information you can go to wwmelmc.com Blessings, Deacon James Detura Director of the Office of Family Life Ministries Archdiocese of Newark 171 Clifton Ave. Newark, NJ 07104-0500 973-497-4324 [email protected]
The 20/20 Project Prayer : Babies in the Womb Feel Pain
St. Joseph Church in Bogota hosted a Thanksgiving Dinner for the first time this year. They were able to serve about 80 people which included seniors from the parish, young immigrant families and others from the area. Those who served were pleased to help others
continued... Stewardship is Alive at St. Joseph, Bogota
#GIVING TUESDAY 2016
Archdiocesan Center employees participated in #Giving Tuesday on November 29, 2016.
Employees collected nonperishables and socks for Catholic Charities and donated blood.
Did you know that 98 countries participated in #GivingTuesday, with 20 of those countries
organizing independent national #GivingTuesday Movements. Talk about Great giving!
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After 70 years, it’s still a wonderful (Catholic) life
By: Terry Mattingly
December 6, 2016
“There’s no question that
Capra’s great enough” to
be listed among
Hollywood’s greatest
Catholic filmmakers,
said critic Steven D.
Greydanus of
DecentFilms.com and
the National Catholic
Register. He also serves
as a permanent deacon in
the Catholic Archdiocese
of Newark.
After receiving 30 pieces of silver for betraying
Jesus, Judas Iscariot repented, threw the money
away and hanged himself.
Religious authorities used the money, according
to St. Matthew’s Gospel, to buy the “potter’s
field, to bury strangers in,” which became
known as the “field of blood.”
Anyone who thinks it was a coincidence that the
slums owned by bitter banker Henry F. Potter in
“It’s a Wonderful Life” were called “Potter’s
Field” isn’t paying attention to the gospel
according to Frank Capra.
“It’s a Wonderful Life,”
he stressed, is also Capra’s greatest film and
the one that best captures his Catholic view
of life. Capra directed, co-wrote and
produced the film, which was released just
before Christmas in 1946. The movie’s 70th
anniversary will be celebrated Dec. 9-11 in
Seneca Falls, New York, the model for the
fictional Bedford Falls.
“Capra worked harder on this film than any
other,” said Greydanus. “He was passionate
about it and the themes in it. ... I think his
worldview was shaped by his Catholic
upbringing and, whatever idiosyncrasies he
added as an adult, that faith shaped this
movie.”
The star who played the movie’s protagonist
-- George Bailey, who sacrifices his dreams to
provide for family and friends -- described
that worldview in an interview included in
“The ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Book.”
“You’ve got to go back
to the value that Frank
puts on life, on work,
on responsibility and on
genuine family
togetherness,” said
Jimmy Stewart. “Those
are the values he has
and he has them very
strong. Love of country,
love of God -- he’s
tremendously strong on
those. And he’s able to
get them up on the
screen without
preaching.”
The film was initially considered a flop, in
part because of the dark, even angry scenes
in its story arc, with Bailey ending up on a
bridge considering suicide because of a
business scandal. Even after a whimsical
guardian angel is sent to his aid, Bailey
faces horrifying visions of what the world
would have been like if he had never been
born.
Continued…….
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“It’s a Wonderful Life” achieved classic
status after decades of Christmastime
TV exposure. But critics initially called
it “Capra-corn” and, if anything, some
critics have become even more venom-
ous over the years.
The 1946 New York Times review
called the movie a “figment of simple
Pollyanna platitudes.” A 2008 Times
essay called it a “terrifying, asphyxiat-
ing story about growing up and relin-
quishing your dreams ... of being
trapped, of compromising, of watching
others move ahead and away, of becom-
ing so filled with rage that you verbally
abuse your children, their teacher and
your oppressively perfect wife.”
In his autobiography, “The Name
Above the Title,” Capra stressed that his
film “wasn’t made for the oh-so-bored
critics, or the oh-so-jaded literati” and
defended it in explicitly biblical terms.
This was, he wrote, a “film that said to
the downtrodden, the pushed-around,
the pauper, ‘Heads up, fella.’ ... A film
that expressed its love for the homeless
and the loveless; for her whose cross is
heavy and him whose touch is ashes; for
the Magdalenes stoned by hypocrites
and the afflicted Lazaruses with only
dogs to lick their sores.”
It’s all there in the first frames of “It’s a
Wonderful Life,” as the hero’s friends
and loved ones are heard whispering
prayers during his crisis.
“I owe everything to George Bailey.
Help him, dear Father.”
“Joseph, Jesus and Mary. Help my
friend Mr. Bailey.”
“Help my son George tonight.”
“He never thinks about himself, God, that’s
why he’s in trouble.”
“Please, God. Something’s the matter with
Daddy.”
The stars twinkle and the powers of heaven
act.
“This is a movie about faith, family, sacrifice
and redemption,” said Greydanus. “But
there’s a bigger picture here, and that’s the
intercession of the saints. ... George Bailey
really had a wonderful life and all of the peo-
ple he touched call out on his behalf. Their
prayers are heard and God sends help. ...
“There’s nothing cynical and ironic about it.
That’s why this movie still connects with
people.”
Terry Mattingly is the editor of GetReli-
gion.org and Senior Fellow for Media and
Religion at The King’s College in New York
City.
Continued…….
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Charitable Gift Planning – December 2016
By Theresa Lynch, Planned Giving Manager
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! As the end of the year
quickly approaches, planning your estate and including the Church can signifi-
cantly reduce your income taxes, while making a meaningful difference. Planned
Giving involves a number of strategies to help you to save taxes and provide more
to your family, while also supporting your parish and the Church.
Take the first step and plan…
If you plan your estate, a wise step to take at any age is to find ways to
strategize and leave a legacy with your parish, rather than having a significant
portion of it go to the I.R.S.
If you don’t plan, someone else will plan for you….
The most basic type of planned gift is a bequest in your Will. If you haven’t
done so already, please write your Will and keep it up to date. Also, consider mak-
ing a Catholic Will by including elements of your faith in the charitable plans you
make. Without a plan, New Jersey state law will dictate how your assets will be
dispersed.
You can ensure that the programs and services of the Church that you have
supported and that many individuals have come to depend upon will be there for
generations of future Catholics. I have more information on creating a Catholic
Will if you are interested in learning more.
The Legacy Society: One of the benefits of being a planner….
If you have already named your parish in your Will, or plan to make your
parish one of your beneficiaries, you are already eligible to
become a member of the Legacy Society. Please contact me
so that I may enroll you in this special society and invite
you to special Archdiocesan functions throughout the year.
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Charitable Gift Planning – December 2016
By Theresa Lynch, Planned Giving Manager continued...
Charitable Gift Annuities….
A life income arrangement for the ultimate benefit of the church, such as a
Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA), creates a stream of reliable income you can never
outlive. If you are interested in supplementing your retirement income or that of
a loved one, the Archdiocese of Newark guarantees your annuity payments will be
locked in for the rest of your life. If you would like to receive a confidential illus-
tration of how a CGA would benefit you and current annuity rates, please contact
me for more information.
Advance Directives….
Please also consider creating your Advance Directives documents, such as a
Living Will and a Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare. These documents
will ensure that important decisions that need to be made in the event that you
are not able to make them for yourself are made according to your wishes and
with the direction of someone you trust. Please don’t leave these difficult decisions
to your loved ones.
Reduce Taxes…
If you are looking for income tax relief, there are some planned giving tools
that will generate substantial income tax benefits, if they are implemented before
the end of the year: Life Estate Agreements, Charitable Lead Trusts, and Charita-
ble Remainder Trusts are all gifts that the Archdiocese can help you facilitate to
benefit yourself, your family and also your parish.
Contact me today…
Express your faith by making a planned gift of kindness today. As Christ-
mas and the end of the year approaches, consider giving a gift that will help the
Church you love. What is your faith story? What will your legacy be? Please call
me today so I can tell you more about how you can enhance your financial situa-
tion while making a difference in the world around you at (973) 497-4042 or