Welcome Deacon Matthew Pfleger - Our Lady of Good Counsel

Vol. 4 No. 2 | April 26, 2012 | 75 cents 

Good-Bye Father 

Jim! God’s 

Blessing Be 

Upon You! 

See page 2 

www.olgcnj.org 

Alleluia 

Christ the Lord is Risen Today 

See pages 11-14 for 

Triduum Coverage 

Non-Profit 

US Postage 

Paid 

cherry hill, NJ 08034 

Permit #149 

Our Lady of Good Counsel CHURCH 

42 W. Main Street 

Moorestown, NJ 08057 

Welcome Deacon Matthew Pfleger 

Bishop David O’Connell 

has appointed Deacon 

Matthew J. Pfleger to 

serve at Our Lady’s parish 

as an associate. He will 

commence his assignment 

on June 30th, following his 

June 9, 2012 ordination at 

the Cathedral of St. Mary of 

the Assumption in Trenton. 

Deacon Matthew was 

born in Livingston, New 

Jersey and grew up in 

Lakewood at St. Mary of the 

Lake Parish, attending Holy Family Elementary School 

and Monsignor Donovan High School, in Toms River. 

He attended college at Rowan University in Glassboro 

majoring in Communications, with a minor in English 

Literature. 

After working at the Ocean County Library System 

and as an editor for the Department of Defense, Deacon 

Matthew entered St. Mary Seminary & University 

studying for the Diocese of Trenton. 

During his seminary years, Deacon Matthew has 

served in Sacred Heart Parish, Trenton; St. Benedict 

Church, Holmdel; St. Dominic, Brick; and he is now 

serving his year as a transitional deacon at St. Catherine 

Parish, Spring Lake. 

He is the nephew of Rev. Phillip C. Pfleger, Pastor of 

St. Isaac Jogues Church in Marlton. Welcome Deacon 

Matthew, our thoughts and prayers will be with you on 

June 9th. May God continue to bless you. See you soon!

2 | The Good Counsel Courier Vol. 4 | Issue 2 | April 26, 2012 


Good-Bye Father Jim! God’s Blessing Be Upon You! 

It is difficult to fathom but Father Jim 

O’Neill has been with us for five years now! 

Father Jim has received a new assignment as 

parochial vicar at Visitation Parish in Brick 

Township. 

How do we thank Father Jim for his time 

with us in celebrating Sabbath liturgies, 

Penance Services, Priest Appreciation Day 

liturgies, healing masses, school masses, 

daily mass, and especially ministering to 

us in Father Damian’s time of bereavement, 

particularly at Christmas this year. 

Father Jim remarked to the parish staff after 

the 4:00 Mass on Christmas Eve, “ What will you do next year without a 

priest who was a math major” Staff reply: “Save all the memos!” Father 

is phenomenal in organizing multiple liturgies and logistics. He has a 

gift of thinking mathematically and is most organized when it comes to 

formatting, editing, planning, and proofreading. 

We have appreciated and benefitted by these abilities and his presence 

among us as he goes about anointing the sick and visiting the elderly. 

St. John Henry Newman has written, “ Faith by its very nature is the 

Good Counsel Afternoon Bible Study 

acceptance of a truth that our reason cannot attain simply on the basis of 

testimony.” 

Father Jim gives us tremendous faith witness through his priesthood, 

his testimony on pro-life issues, and his dedication to Catholic education. 

Many children of the parish wrote Priest Appreciation Cards to him. Mrs. 

Robenhymer’s seventh grade RE class wrote, “ We know that you have not 

been at this Church quite as long as Father Damian but we think you have 

quite lived up to the expectation of our parish. We think you have a great 

job in building our Church as a whole.” 

His exemplary homily on Christmas, “ Be still and know that I am 

God” still resonates with us. Thank you, Father Jim! 

Father Jim was awarded the Our Lady of Good Counsel medal for five 

years of faithful service at the catechist dinner in January. The parish will 

host a farewell social for him on the same Sunday as the Baccalaureate 

Mass for graduating seniors. Father Jim has been most active with the 

parish Youth Group and they will take this opportunity to render thanks to 

him as well. 

Father Damian will present a gift from the parish to him and all 

parishioners may wish him well on a personal level at the Gathering Time 

which will follow the 10:30 liturgy on Sunday, June 3. 

May God’s blessing be upon you! 

of the Good News put forth in the Bible. The Afternoon Bible Study 

group helps us to unravel the sacred mysteries of our faith and ultimately 

understand God’s everlasting love for us. 

As we study together, we grow closer in our Christian family, the Body 

of Christ. We anticipate and look forward to the next season’s scripture 

theme, when we begin again. 

Please come, join us for an hour or two of sharing our faith and 

Christian camaraderie, as we continue to break open the Bible and 

discover the prophetic messages revealed for us through the scripture 

readings. 

By Lorraine Santarlas 

“Afternoon Bible Study Group” read and re-read the scriptures, for 

each of the Sundays of Lent and Palm Sunday. 

We initiated each of the Sunday Gospel readings with a Lectio 

Divina type meditation. The Gospel passage was read aloud, next we 

concentrated on the word or phrase that spoke to our heart with a few 

moments of meditative music. The sessions continued with discussion, 

spiritual reading and insights gained through articles from the “Good 

Ground Press” pamphlets. 

Each season as we pray and read the scriptures, we are reminded 

Who are the Knights 

By Joe Graham, Grand Knight 

We are often the man sitting next to you in church. We may 

be the men serving you at the Pasta Dinner or Pancake Breakfast 

or someone you played golf with at our annual golf outing. 

Occasionally, we are the men standing outside church after Mass 

collecting money for various causes. You have been generous to say 

the least and we think you deserve an accounting of your money. 

This year, the Golf Outing amounted to $5,181.00 profit, of 

which $2,591.00 went to Catholic Charities Emergency Services. 

Providence House received $1,295.00 and Good Counsel Homes 

also received $1,295.00. 

The God’s Special Children Drive receipts were $2,363.00. St. 

Vincent DePaul Society received $307.00, Options for Women 

$500.00, OLGC School Spirit Award $100.00 and a $1,000.00 

scholarship went to a graduating high school senior. Also, we gave 

$120.00 to a Boy Scout candidate for his Eagle Scout project. There 

were smaller gifts for Mass cards and gifts to priests totaling $360.00. 

We trust that every dollar went to something worthwhile. 

Our Fourth Degree Assembly members, who sell the Cruise-Raffle 

tickets outside of church in May, are responsible for 34 seminarians 

receiving checks for $750.00. The checks were presented at a dinner 

in their honor on March 14th. This money is for their daily living 

expenses as they continue their journey to priesthood. In addition, 

our council presented checks for $500.00 each to three seminarians. 

We helped prepare for and conducted the Church phase of 

The Options for Women Annual Baby Bottle drive which this year 

amounted to $11,257.00. 

Moorestown Council #1082 has received the support of the 

parishioners of OLGC since our incorporation in 1905.

April 26, 2012 | Issue 2 | Vol. 4 


Meet Our EMs who Serve the Nursing Homes, 

Homebound and Hospital Ministries 

(Final Article in a Series of Seven) 

Compiled and Edited by Toni Mulqueen 

We would like to introduce to you some of the EMs that 

are committed to serving the elderly, sick and infirmed of our 

Parish and beyond. This article completes our sharing of 

the inspiration and a bit of the personality of more than 50 of 

your fellow Parishioners. 

Suzanne Wilson 

I am serving as an EM for about one year because God called me to do so. 

When I registered with the parish, I asked about service organizations and was 

told to go to the church website to learn about the different ministries within 

the church. 

The next Sunday, Father Damian spoke about the good work done by 

people of the parish, and he wanted to mention one specific ministry that was 

very important, those of the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion that 

visited the nursing homes! 

“I am inspired by my 

son’s dedication of time 

helping others; my 

mother’s patience and 

unconditional love; my 

father’s persistence; my 

aunt’s generosity of spirit.” 

I just happened to sit next to an 

EM that distributed Communion that 

Sunday. After Mass, I sought her out 

and told her that I had been looking 

for information about the nursing 

home ministry and asked if she knew 

who I could talk to about it. She 

smiled warmly and said, “Yes I do. 

That would be me.” 

Toni Mulqueen navigated me 

through all I needed to do. I received 

training and have been serving the Residents at the CareOne facility for about a 

year. It is a very rewarding experience. 

I am inspired by my son’s dedication of time helping others; my mother’s 

patience and unconditional love; my father’s persistence; my aunt’s generosity 

of spirit. 

I am currently a Marketing Manager for a corporation in Mount Laurel. 

An interesting fact about me is I recently received my MBA from Drexel 

University. 

I enjoy traveling, reading, playing cards, visiting with my family. 

Cindy Onofrio 

I have served as an EM for about 6 years and it is a blessing and an honor 

to serve God in this special way. Being able to bring the Eucharist to the 

homebound has helped me in so many ways. I am blessed to share my faith 

and prayers with those who are 

homebound. The priceless moments 

serving Communion and praying 

with others brings clarity to my own 

life. 

I am inspired by all things holy 

in everyday living from the tiniest 

insect to the graceful clouds in the 

sky. The sacred wealth of God’s 

creation takes my breath away. 

Currently I am employed by 

“I am inspired by all things 

holy in everyday living from 

the tiniest insect to the 

graceful clouds in the sky. 

The sacred wealth of God’s 

creation takes my breath 

away.” 

Freedom Mortgage Corp. as a Funder. An interesting fact about me is I was the 

first woman volunteer fireman for the Grenloch Fire Company back in 1979. 

I enjoy Singing! Also I love to read. I am a certified hobby ceramics 

teacher, enjoy knitting and I collect rosary beads. 

My experience of serving Communion to the homebound is a strong bond 

and lasting friendship that develops as a result of this honorable service. As 

I help others, amazing grace is what I feel. Unworthy as I am, pleasing God 

and service to His children is so fulfilling an experience. What a rewarding 

Ministry! 

Joann Cervantes 

I first served as an EM when Chris Dixon was here and was originally 

trained by him to do Prayer Services at Moorestown Estates. 

I love to bring “Jesus” to the sick. They are always grateful and I hear 

“thank you” all the time. I think I get much more than I give. It is also great to 

The Good Counsel Courier | 3 

be a part of a team of EMs who support each other at times when we are unable 

to make our commitment. 

My inspiration came one Sunday many years ago during a Sunday Mass 

in Sea Isle City, NJ. I heard a priest say immediately before the consecration 

“I love to bring “Jesus” to 

the sick. They are always 

grateful and I hear ‘thank 

you’ all the time.” 

Joan Seddon, Suzanne Wilson and Gina Lario. 

“Lord, I believe, help thou mine 

unbelief.” At that moment, I was 

healed of my own doubt about 

Communion. Shortly after I heard of 

a need for EMs, I answered the call. 

I worked as a Licensed Practical 

Nurse, LPN in hospitals and 

eventually a few years in nursing homes. I think it is cool to have 6 children 

ranging from the ages of 30 to 11. 

My hobbies are definitely, art, art, art, creating watercolor paintings, and 

drawing in my sketchbooks. My other hobby is writing. I have written over 

1,000 poems and two, complete- unpublished books.An interesting fact about 

me is I once gave a speech to an art association on opening day of baseball. I 

was asked to pick the 50/50 before my speech. A woman was waving her hand 

and saying, “pick me, pick me.” I pointed at her like Babe Ruth, swung an 

imaginary bat, and proceeded to pick her ticket. 

Chuck Gidel 

I have served as an EM for 9 years because I consider it both an honor and 

privilege to help administer the sacraments to those who want to receive them 

but are unable to attend Mass to do so. 

I am inspired that we as ministers 

carry the living Christ to people that 

would not otherwise receive Him 

that day. Words cannot describe the 

reception I receive from so many of 

those awaiting the Blessed Sacrament 

when they realize why I am there. 

“I am inspired that we as 

ministers carry the living 

Christ to people that would 

not otherwise receive Him 

that day.” 

Prior to retiring, I had a career in broadcasting. I retired from CBS in 1997 

and held the position of VP Employee Relations, Radio and TV Station Group. 

Helen and I have been members of OLGC since 1972. I am a substitute for 

regular EMs at CareOne when we are in New Jersey. 

Since retiring in 1997, we live in St. Augustine, Florida about eight months 

of the year. We are members of St. Anastasia Parish there where I serve as an 

EM each week. 

I was an avid sailor until I sold my boat three years ago. We sailed the 

Chesapeake for almost 25 years. Off shore adventures included a trip to 

Bermuda and several trips to New England which took us to Nantucket Island, 

Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod.



OLGC School PTA News 

Leslie Pellegrino 

PTA President 

Dear Parents, 

I hope that you and your families enjoyed 

a restful and joyful Easter. Summer will be 

here before you know it! 

Quickly approaching is the 54th Annual 

Fashion Show, “Shore to Please,” which will 

be held on Thursday, May 10 at The Merion 

in Cinnaminson. Please purchase your tickets 

if you haven’t done so already. It is an event 

not to be missed! Thank you to Kellie Kiefner 

and Angela Capozzoli for chairing this 

event and to all of the committee members 

and volunteers for their enthusiasm and 

dedication in making this event enjoyable 

and successful. 

I would like to congratulate all of our basketball teams for a fantastic 

season! Good luck to the baseball and softball teams this spring! 

The 8th grade students presented the Living Stations during Holy 

Week. The performances were inspiring and beautifully done. 

Congratulations and God bless our 2nd graders on receiving the 

sacrament of Holy Communion on April 21. 

Congratulations also to the cast and crew of “Thoroughly Modern 

Millie, Jr.” who gave wonderful performances that were enjoyed by many 

on April 20 and 21. 

Thank you for your continued support of the PTA. May God continue 

to bless you and your families with peace, health and happiness. 

Learning the Seven Sacraments 

Phyllis Schantz and her fifth graders 

weekly converge in Religious Education to 

study the sacraments. Recently, Mrs. Schantz 

presented their information through an infoboard 

array of posters and oral presentations. 

Dr. Dix was invited to the class and 

the posters were placed on display in the 

chapel to welcome back Father Damian and 

enhance the celebration of the 9:00 Mass 

worship experience. Mrs. Schantz has a great 

mnemonic device by which her students 

memorize the seven sacraments: “Be excited. 

Phyllis Schantz 

Come and Receive My Heart.” Translation: 

Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick, Reconciliation, 

Matrimony, and Holy Orders. 

Mrs. Schantz believes that Jesus invites us to receive the seven 

sacraments and in doing so, we receive his love and grace. We are 

brought closer to Christ and come to know his love. Mrs. Schantz recently 

accompanied the parish mission team for the first time to Jamaica. 

Principal’s Post 

By Jerry McGowan 

Our parish school is preparing for 

re-accreditation by the Middle States 

Association (MSA) Commission on 

Elementary Schools. The MSA accreditation 

process requires us to engage in a year 

long period of self-evaluation or selfstudy. 

Upon completion of the selfstudy 

a visiting MSA evaluation team 

of 4 educators will conduct an on-site 

inspection over a period of three and a 

half days next year at a time still to be 

determined. 

Our Self-Study year began at the 

first faculty meeting in September when 

information about the overall organizational plan of the process along 

with the formation of a 6 member steering committee composed 

of teachers and a school board member, the assignment of every 

teacher to one of the various sub-committees, the targeted timelines 

to complete each phase of the process and the identification of the 

specific State of the School areas and MSA Standards to be evaluated 

were presented. 

Our current Strategic Plan for 2009-2013 plays an important part 

in our self-study. As you may recall our school community spent a 

significant amount of time involving well over 80 teachers, school 

board members, parents and parishioners formulating our very 

successful Strategic Plan under the leadership of Mrs. Roxanne Adinolfi 

and Planning Consultant Dick Smith. We are very fortunate that much 

of the self-study work for Middle States parallels the work already in 

progress with our Strategic Plan. 

Our first task was to revisit our school’s foundation documents, 

namely, our school’s Mission, Beliefs / Core Values and Graduate 

Profile. Once these foundation documents were debated and 

approved by the faculty they were then presented for School Board 

approval. The second task was to survey all school families to get 

their input on different aspects of the school i.e. the school’s Catholic 

Our Lady of Good Counsel 

School is an exceptional 

learning institution providing 

a superb environment for the 

academic, spiritual, and moral 

development of our children. 

Identity, Academics, 

Student Activities, School 

Community , Finances 

and Facilities. The results 

of these surveys would 

provide necessary feedback 

in helping us to assess 

the 10 State of the School 

areas identified by the MSA 

and our school’s compliance with the 12 MSA Standards. As for the 

surveys you may recall that all families received 6 surveys in October. 

They were the exact same 6 surveys given to parents 3 years ago. Last 

time we received back 130 surveys. This time we received back 160 

surveys. In a comparison of results this year’s surveys clearly indicate 

a significant increase in higher satisfactory scores in almost every 

category – perhaps indicating that our strategic plan is working very 

effectively. 

With these results in hand our sub-committees went to work on 

the next 2 tasks. At every faculty meeting and in-service day so far this 

year our teachers have been working on both the 10 MSA State of the 

School areas and the 12 MSA Standards. Upon completion of each step 

along the way the entire faculty has reviewed, discussed and endorsed 

the final assessment. We are now working on our last but most 

significant task of the self-study process where our teachers will identify 

3-4 school goals along with specific action steps on how to achieve 

them over the next 3 years. 

It is our hope that the overall outcome of our self-study work and reaccreditation 

by Middle States will enable us to be a truly outstanding 

21st Century Catholic elementary school and will validate our belief 

that Our Lady of Good Counsel School is an exceptional learning 

institution providing a superb environment for the academic, spiritual, 

and moral development of our children.




PLEASE JOIN IN SUPPORTING OUR YOUNG MUSICIANS 

AS WE CELEBRATE our second annual 

OLGC Youth CONCERT 

Sunday, May 6, 2012 

7:00 PM, IN THE CHURCH 

Yes, I would like to receive information and a schedule for the 2012-2013 

school year! Please check the ministry you are interested in. 

____ Children’s choir, GRADES 2 –4, meets every 

Thursday, 3:45-4:45 pm 

____ Youth choir, GRADES 5 –9, meets every 

Wednesday, 5:00-6:10 pm 

“Make A Joyful 

Noise Unto 

The Lord” 

Reception in the cafeteria to 

follow featuring: 

• THE CHILDREN’S CHOIR 

• THE PRAISE BAND 

• THE STRING ENSEMBLE 

• GIRLS’ CHAPEL CHOIR & 

THE YOUTH CHOIR 

For more information contact Mrs. 

Paula Quann at the music office; 

235-5395. 

____ String ensemble, GRADES 7 –12, meets every 

Thursday, 6:45-8:00 pm; intermediate to advanced players 

____ praise band, GRADES 9 – 12, meets every 

Monday, 7:00-8:15 pm; singers and instrumentalists 

Please return entire page to: 

THE MUSIC OFFICE - heritage house, 122 W. Main St. 

Child’s name_________________________________Grade (2012/13)____ 

Parent’s name___________________________________________________ 

Address (street, town, zip)________________________________________ 

Home Phone #________________Email_______________________________ 

Information and schedules will be sent in mid august. 

For more information contact Mrs. Paula Quann @856-235-5395 

children & youth 

MUSIC MINISTRY



6th grade JV 

Boys Basketball 

The 6th grade JV Boys won 

the Burlington County CYO JV 

Big Team Championship, Sunday 

night, March 4, 2012 at Holy Cross 

High School by defeating St. Mary 

of the Lakes 43-36. 

All these boys played with 

their hearts and souls to win this 

championship. We are all blessed 

to have a gifted group of athletes. 

Bottom row from the left are Andrew 

Gallagher, Matt Ingersoll, John Kueny, 

Aidan Brown, Colby Clayton. The middle 

row is Jake Topolski, Vincent Lamina, 

Hunter Corragio, Brett Gallagher, Nick 

Procacci, Brandon Sheppard, Lucas 

D’Antonio. In the back row is Principal 

Jerry McGowan, Phil Sobosinski, Brock 

Jablonski and Coach Jerry Lamina. 

Missing is Asst. Coach Joe Procacci. 

The Mighty Macs - Revisited 

By Father Jim O’Neill 

Our parish had eight basketball teams during this last season. To my 

pleasant surprise, the basketball playoffs were rather exciting. I was able 

to attend several of the games including all four of the championship 

games. The most exciting game, for me, was the 5th grade girls 

championship win. After the game a woman I didn’t recognize called out 

to me, “Jimmy.” My extended family calls me, “Jim.” Only my immediate 

family and a few other relatives call me by the more familiar, “Jimmy.” 

She explained that she’s my Uncle Tom O’Grady’s sister, Kathy. Uncle 

Tom’s wife, Sue, is my mother’s sister, my godmother, and one of the 

Mighty Macs. Of course, Kathy would know me as “Jimmy.” 

Kathy O’Grady LaRosa was there watching her granddaughter, 

Katie English, play in the finals for Good Counsel. When I explained to 

Katie that we have the same Aunt Sue who played for the Mighty Macs 

and that the movie was just released on dvd, she was astounded. So, was 

I. After the game and at the banquet, I talked with Katie’s mother, Joanne, 

who is younger than me and looks very much like our common first 

cousin Susan O’Grady DiMaio. Joanne is related to Susan via Uncle Tom 

while I’m related via Aunt Sue. 

The connection continues beyond the discovery that Katie English, 

a 5th grade basketball player, and I share the same Aunt Sue, a Might 

Mac, from the first women’s collegiate championship team. Katie’s 

great-grandmother, Margaret O’Grady, turned 95 around Thanksgiving. 

Growing up, I saw Margaret many times at Forsyth parties. Katie was at 

her great-grandmother’s birthday party with my first cousins who are also 

her mother’s first cousins. They had sprung Margaret from the nursing 

home where my grandmother lived until she passed from this life. My 

mother continues to visit Little Flower to see her siblings and Margaret. 

She’s going to visit Katie’s great-grandmother again on April 13th. 

Our players pictured here with Fr. Jim and Mrs. Sullivan are as follows: Top Row Left 

to Right--Katie English, Lauren Monahan, Ashley Benson, Isabelle Kuzy, Brijit Corej, 

Gloria Hopkins, Maura Gallagher, Bottom left to right, Grace Hill, Victoria Sciortino, 

Olivia Hansen, Daniella Hernandez, Ava Antonucci, Olivia Coffey, Grace Kelly, and 

Sarah Burghardt. Coaches: Denise Monahan and Dave Benson 

Fifth Grade Basketball 

The 5th grade girls basketball team finished the regular season 

with a record of 8-3 and won the JV Small Championship. They won 

the deciding game defeating St. Mary’s by a score of 21-10. Our girls 

scored 13 points in the second half and held St. Mary’s to only 3 points 

during the same timeframe. 

The girls displayed great attitude, effort and togetherness all season. 

Our team was very grateful for the support we received from our 

school, parents, family and friends. 

Father Jim lead us in prayer before our Championship game and 

we were cheered on by many OLGC fans at Holy Cross high school. It 

was an exciting night and all the girls celebrated a well deserved team 

victory. Three representatives from our team, Victoria Sciortino, Maura 

Gallagher and Olivia Hansen, were named to the All Star Team.


6th Grade 

Basketball 



By Coach Cathy Radley 

The 6th grade JV Girls team 

finished their season with a 6-5 

record. They fought 

hard each game and had some 

tough 2 and 3 point nail biters that 

certainly made the 

season exciting! 

The best part about the team 

was the girls’ positive attitudes, 

along with their 

enthusiasm for learning the 

game (5 of the players had never 

played basketball before!). They 

quickly became a TEAM unit and 

supported each other throughout 

the season. 

On March 5th, the girls 

attended a basketball clinic before 

the Atlantic 10 Championship 

game at St. Joseph’s University. 

It is a testament to the character 

of these girls, that at the clinic, 

they were recognized by former 

Immaculata coach, Cathy Rush, 

for initiating supportive cheers of 

the other girls attending the same 

clinic. 

No one told them to cheer, but 

cheer they did...for other girls they 

didn’t even know! They led by 

example that evening and the over 

Sitting: Ellen Annas. Kneeling (L to R): Olivia Boucher, Kate Vasell, Kayla Baylock, Isabel Kelly, Lindsey D’Ambrosio, Julia Radley. 

Standing (L to R): Riley Snowden, Kaitlyn Tomes, Joanie Hartman, Meghan McLaughlin, Angela DiNunzio, Maggie Roccato, Madison 

Baylock. 

500 people in attendance followed 

their lead. 

In 11 years of coaching, it was 

absolutely one of my proudest 

moments! After the clinic, the girls 

got to watch the championship 

game together. For some, it was the 

first college women’s basketball 

Competitive Edge 

Sports Camps 

Summer Kick-Off Tournament 

Saturday & Sunday, June 16 & 17, 2012 

9:00 a.m. each day at EASTERN HIGH SCHOOL, Voorhees, NJ 

Tournament Format: 

- Each team GUARANTEED 5 Games 

- Each Game will consist of two 20 Minute halves 

- All Games will be Running Time 

- All Games will be Full Field 

game they had ever seen. It was a 

wonderful way to cap off a great 

season. 

LLC. 

Registration Process Details: 

- Individuals MUST register with a team 

- Teams will be accepted on a first come first serve basis 

- Teams must consist of at least 12 field players and a goalie 

- The deadline for early registration is May 16, 2012 

Entry Fee: $75 per player if postmarked by May 16; $90 after May 16. 

2012 Field Hockey Camps 

Top: Assistant Coach Jim Moran, Mackenzie Moran, Elizabeth Radley, Sofia D’Avanzo, 

Head Coach Catherine Overbeck; Middle: Vivian Overbeck, Tatum Dougherty, Mia 

Scott, Gianna Horsley; Bottom: Jackie Scarlett, Erin Feeney, Allison Risell, Mary Kiefner 

(Missing is Erica Wallace) 

8th Grade Girls Varsity Basketball 

The 8th Grade Girls Varsity Basketball Team ended their season with 

a record of 11 - 9. The team has many accomplishments to be proud of 

this season. They ended in 3rd place by winning the consolation games 

in both the Holy Cross Preseason Tournament and the Paul VI Holiday 

Tournament. 

Upsetting the first place team by a 19 point margin in the 

semifinal round of the BCCBL Playoffs, the Lady Chargers advanced 

to the championship game and also earned a spot in the Diocesan 

Tournament. The Lady Chargers, seen here, with their BCCBL 2nd place 

trophy. 

FEATURING 

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TopOfTheCircle.com “Coach of the Decade” 

Head Coach, Eastern H.S. 

July 9 – 13, 2012 Eastern High School, Voorhees, NJ 

Junior Division, Grades 1 – 5, 8:30 to 11:00 a.m. 

Senior Division, Grades 6 – 12, 9:00 to 12:00 p.m. 

13 consecutive Group VI State Championships 

National Record, 153 games, unbeaten streak 

#1 TEAM in the country, 2011, NOW 4 TIMES! 

AND Instructors from Top Division One Programs 

*Goal Keeping Instruction Available* 

Advanced Camp July 16 – 19, 2012 

- Four Days of High Level Field Hockey Training 

- Four Hours Each Day of the BEST Technical Instruction Available 

- Camp Enrollment is Limited to Allow for High Level Individual Instruction 

- Coach Heilig’s Instruction Will Be Enhanced by Top Division One Players 

Eligibility: 2011/2012 School Year, Grades 9 – 12. MUST HAVE Varsity Experience 

Eastern High School, Voorhees – TURF. July 16 - 19 | 8:00 am. to Noon 

If you’re striving to be one of the best, don’t delay, reserve your spot today. 

Telephone: (856) 802-0733 

competitiveedge1@comcast.net 

Fax: (856) 802-0365 

www.compedgecamps.com



Education is a Human Right 

By Dr. Linda M. Dix 

“To reach peace, we must teach peace,” proclaimed Cora Weiss, 

President of the Hague Appeal for Peace, amid a thundering applause at 

the annual CTAUN Conference at the United Nations on Friday, February 

3, 2012. Three hundred eighty-eight educators attended, including two 

parishioners: Roxanne Adinolifi and Dr. Linda M. Dix. The 2012 theme 

“Education is Human Right” brought forth a myriad of educational issues 

from the speakers and panel of assembled presenters. Foday Soko Sackar, 

a Graduate Student from Columbia University and a Liberian refugee 

survivor spoke to the issues of schools in Africa, particularly Zimbabwe 

stating that in crisis, “schools can lose their souls.” His passionate 

address touches the core of the UNICEF endeavor. He cited several ways 

which can improve schools in the African countries. These include: 

“Education is a tool to 

human development, social 

and economic growth.” 

outcome based approaches 

and curriculum development, 

training and re-training of 

teachers, knowledge based 

systems which would include 

libraries and the internet access 

and adequate teaching materials and textbooks. Meg Gardinier as the 

chair of the United States Campaign to ratify the Convention on the 

Rights of the Child asked participants to see themselves “as human rights 

defenders who have the right to persuade the United Sates Senate to ratify 

The Convention on the Rights of the Child with all deliberate speed.” 

Dr. Ashiro-Rose Migir, the first woman to be Deputy-Secretary- 

General, recognized that education is integral to the pace and the 

development of democracy. “Education is a tool,” she said, “to human 

development, social and economic growth. It brings a sense of normalcy 

during crisis and the UN emergency operations now include educational 

tools to enable children to fell a sense of belonging, safety, and structure 

in crisis situations. Education enables children to relate to each other 

and grow into responsible citizens.” UNICEF circulated information 

on “child-friendly” schools of which Schools for Africa was citied. CFS 

fosters “equality, respect for human rights and participation of all children 

along with instructional programs that promote relevant life skills such as 

HIV/AIDS prevention, community involvement and participation and a 

child-centered style of teaching and learning.” 

Parishioners Roxanne and Linda are involved in the Schools for Africa 

incentive through DKG, a teachers’ honor society, as President and UN 

Liaison, respectively. Schools for Africa is a joint campaign funded by 

UNICEF, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, and the Hamburg Society to 

promote education for children in Africa. The campaign increases access 

to quality basic education for children with a special focus on girls, 

orphans, and vulnerable children. Presently, the endeavor is building 

and rehabilitating nearly 1000 schools, training almost 100,000 teachers, 

providing school supplies, and ensuring that schools have safe drinking 

water as well as separate bathrooms for boys and girls. It benefits five 

million children by increasing access to education in 11 of Africa’s 

neediest countries which include: Angola, Burkina, Faso, Ethiopia, 

Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, South Africa, 

and Zimbabwe. Ninety million dollars thus far has been raised totally for 

this project. 

Sister Joan Chittister has written that “Life is not an endurance test; it 

is a journey to goodness through a world full of the poor who wait for 

the word that they are loved through the love they seen in us.” Through 

personal experience in promoting literacy efforts in the developing world, 

I have seen this goodness exuded by those who truly take to heart the 

responsibility of improving education wherever possible. I once worked 

with a government representative in Jamaica, Elaine Foster Allen, who 

encouraged teachers with these words: “The profession of teaching 

carries the burdens of a nation on its shoulder. Education is a major 

antidote to fight the social toxin of poverty.” 

As a UN Liaison, I certainly feel the responsibility to return to the 

vineyard of my influence, to work harder in the field of international 

literacy, and to share what I learn each year from UNICEF. Each person 

has a role in establishing education as a human right for all. We are 

ambassadors, promoting critical, collaborative, and creative thinking not 

only in the classroom but beyond those walls into the world focusing not 

only on access of education to 69 million children not in school but also 

on the quality of education which is presently provided to improve the 

educational experience for all global learners.



Ellis Island: Gateway to a Dream 


The third grade classes enjoyed a trip to see Ellis 

Island: Gateway to a Dream in Voorhees on Monday, 

March 19th. The play was a musical journey that follows 

a group of immigrants during their time on the Island. 

Their experiences are typical of the many, thousands 

who came to America in the early 1900’s. 

From the excitement and delight of a young woman 

who proclaims that in this land she too can “Run A 

Machine” to the humorous confusion of an interviewer 

who cannot pronounce an immigrant’s name; from the 

happiness of a mother about to be reunited with her son; 

to the poignant reflections of the father starting anew, 

their stories are varied and filled with wonder. 

The children learned that Ellis Island is a symbol of 

every person who ever came to the shores from a far 

away place to make a new home. They learned that Ellis 

Island was a gateway to dreams for many, but not all, for 

some immigrants were sent back to their homelands if 

they were considered too sick to enter America. 

The children were able to witness the courage, hope 

and challenges of the immigration experience through 

this high-spirited musical. 

Business Corner: Affording a Long Life! 

By Daniel Roccato, 

MBA, CPM 

I hope you are sitting down for this one. 

According to a recent MetLife survey, the average 

cost of a private room in a nursing home is now 

$70,080 per year. Instead of worrying about 

whether they will have enough money to retire, 

Baby Boomers are now wondering whether they 

have enough money to live! 

We’ve all heard or experienced depressing 

stories of families watching a lifetime of savings 

become depleted in order to provide nursing care 

for an elderly relative. The truth is that most people 

will never be able to save enough – or buy enough insurance – to protect 

against all possible scenarios. But you can take practical steps to help 

minimize the potential financial tsunami. 

Long Term Care insurance policies may be part of the plan. These 

are insurance policies that are designed to pay a future benefit if skilled 

nursing care is needed. Though theoretically sound, these may not be 

the perfect solution for many people. First, they may be too expensive or 

unavailable due to medical reasons. 

The owners of these policies often experience unforeseen premium 

increases in future years as insurance companies try to recoup their costs 

associated with the high cost of skilled nursing care. 

Several insurers faced with the grim economics of the business, 

have even stopped offering the product. Indeed, despite a widespread 

recognition of the value of this type of insurance, only 7 million policies 

are in force in the U.S. We suggest that you check to see if your employer 

offers this type of benefit as it may be cheaper than buying your own 

policy. 

But American ingenuity is at work. Faced with 10,000 baby boomers 

turning 65 every day, the insurance industry is beginning to create 

new innovative products. For example, it’s now possible to purchase 

life insurance with a rider that provides some long term care benefits. 

Similarly, there are a new crop of annuities being introduced that provide 

some long term care benefits. 

To date, our conclusion is that there is no perfect, affordable product 

that will work for everyone. While there has been some progress, most 

of these products are still expensive and overly complex. As always, we 

caution you to be especially careful (and skeptical) with annuities. 

Out of necessity, there will be further innovation. For example, 

we envision a rapidly expanding home health care industry and new 

community care initiatives. Senior housing communities will continue 

to evolve featuring on-site skilled care. The changing economy may 

also result in more multi-generational households where family 

members provide care for elders (similar to Japan) supported by outside 

professionals. 

Exploring potential insurance products, modifying your home to be 

“senior” friendly, changing your living arrangements and of course saving 

more money may all be part of your personal plan.



Freedom and the Resurrection 

By Father Jim O’Neill 

What is freedom Elements in society would have us believe that freedom 

is to do what we want. While that is an aspect of freedom, it is not enough and 

sometimes even detrimental to true freedom. We see a better, deeper, and truer 

answer in the Compendium to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, question 

#363. 

Freedom is the power given by God to act or not to act, to do this or to 

do that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one’s own responsibility. 

Freedom characterizes properly human acts. The more one does what is 

good, the freer one becomes. Freedom attains its proper perfection when 

it is directed toward God, the highest good and our beatitude. Freedom 

implies also the possibility of choosing between good and evil. The choice 

of evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to the slavery of sin. 

God the Father sent His Son to redeem us - to set us free from the slavery of sin 

so that we might experience the fullness of freedom, joy, peace, and love with Him 

in Heaven. We see this more clearly in the Resurrection stories we hear during 

the Easter season. Jesus appears to His disciples several times to forgive them, 

strengthen them, and commission them to proclaim Him to all the world. Jesus 

desires that all of us become freer, choose Him, and ultimately be with Him in 

Heaven. 

I recently heard about a survey regarding Heaven on the EWTN show, “Living 

Right with Dr. Ray.” People were asked to rank several celebrities on the likelihood 

that they would go to Heaven. Mother Teresa (who was living at the time) ranked 

first at 87%. They were also asked the likelihood that they themselves would go to 

Heaven. That came out to 92%. How could we as a society rate ourselves holier 

than Mother Teresa Dr. Ray offered his idea that many in our society think that we 

can define what is good for ourselves. 

The reality is that God is the one who defines what is good. He is the ultimate 

good Himself. If we want to be truly happy and free, then we ought to seek out 

the ultimate good, the One who is already seeking us. He is ready to forgive us, 

strengthen us, and share His life with us. He already does so most especially in the 

Eucharist as preparation for seeing Him face to face. 

Prayer for the Protection of Religious Liberty 

O GOD OUR CREATOR, 

from your provident hand we have received 

our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 

You have called us as your people and given us 

the right and the duty to worship you, the only true God, 

and your Son, Jesus Christ. 

Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit, 

you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world, 

bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel 

to every corner of society. 

We ask you to bless us 

in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty. 

Give us the strength of mind and heart 

to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened; 

give us courage in making our voices heard 

on behalf of the rights of your Church 

and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith. 

Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father, 

a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters 

gathered in your Church 

in this decisive hour in the history of our nation, 

so that, with every trial withstood 

and every danger overcome— 

for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, 

and all who come after us— 

this great land will always be “one nation, under God, 

indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” 

We ask this through Christ our Lord. 

Amen. 

THE BIBLE: Acts of the Apostles 

By Richard J. Lohkamp 

In the weeks following Easter, the 

first readings in the Sunday liturgy are 

selections from Acts. They are mostly 

excerpts from the early testimonies of eye 

witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection. While it 

is placed after the Gospel of John in the 

Bible, Acts is actually the second volume 

of a two volume work by Luke. The first 

volume is the Gospel according to Luke. 

Luke begins Acts as follows: 

“In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt 

with all that Jesus did and taught until 

the day he was taken up, after giving 

instructions through the Holy Spirit to 

the apostles whom he had chosen. He 

presented himself alive to them by many 

proofs after He had suffered, appearing 

to them during forty days and speaking 

about the kingdom of God.” 

“While meeting with them, He 

enjoined them not to depart from 

Jerusalem, but to wait for ‘the promise of 

the Father about which you have heard me speak’” 

“… you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and 

you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, 

and to the ends of the earth.’ ’When He had said this, as they were 

looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.” 

(Acts 1:1-9) 

After the account of the Holy Spirit’s coming, Acts is the story of Peter 

and Paul with cameo appearances of other Apostles (James, Philip). It 

provides a broad survey of the spread of “the Way” from Jerusalem where 

the eleven retreated after Jesus was taken up to Paul’s first imprisonment in 

Rome, the point at which the book abruptly ends. 

Acts chronicles Paul’s work – his visits 

to the churches that he started in Greece, 

Macedonia, and Asia Minor. When read 

in conjunction with his epistles (letters 

that he later wrote back to these churches) 

you can see how Paul’s thinking about 

Christ and the “Way of Christ” develops. 

Acts ends with Paul in prison in Rome 

(about 50 AD). Rome was considered the 

“ends of the earth” suggesting that Luke 

believed that Paul had fulfilled Christ’s 

commission to preach to the “ends of the 

earth.” 

Acts, then, is the story of how the 

Christian Way began as a “sect” of 

Judaism with a small band of followers 

of Jesus in Jerusalem. The book tells how 

this small group learned by its uncanny 

experience what the “Way” really entails 

and that it was intended to be shared with 

other people who were not Jews and who 

did not have the Jewish heritage. 

Luke is very careful to point out that 

this “experience” and this learning process of the followers of Jesus is 

energized by the Holy Spirit, the Power from on high promised by Jesus. 

Through this Power, Jesus leads and guides the apostles and their fellow 

followers of Jesus. It is the power of the Spirit imparted by the risen Jesus 

that empowers their actions. 

If “Theophilus” is each one of us, then the promise of the Spirit is 

made to each of us, and the power exhibited in Acts is promised to each 

of us according to the role and vocation that we have. This Power and 

this learning through life experience are not reserved to the first century. 

People like Peter and Paul learned through prayer and honest, non-selfserving 

reflection to hear and to trust this Guide.


Palm Sunday 


Mission Team Preparations During Holy Week: 

An Experience of Eucharist 


By Dr. Linda M. Dix 

“We send them forth as messengers of salvation 

and peace marked with the sign of the 

cross.” Commissioned as the parish missionaries 

sent forth to the parish missions of Kingston, 

Jamaica, Father Damian profoundly prayed 

these words over 20 mission volunteers preparing 

to leave during the week of April 8-15 at the 

4:30 pm Sabbath liturgy on March 31, 2012. 

The commissioning Mass was followed by a 

dinner in Heritage House where the team gathered 

for the final departure information, packing 

instructions, and blessing of our pastor. Going 

forth is more complicated than it sounds. Bags 

need to be kept to a 50 lb. minimum and when 

so many supplies are needed by those we serve, 

sharing the load is the only way we can manage 

the task. 

The time spent at dinner is also a way of 

bonding with those on the journey as once we 

land in Jamaica, we hit the ground running, 

working in the centers, bathing and feeding 

children, and helping the religious brothers and 

sisters with rice, clothes, and bread lines. By 

the time we arrive, we are a closely- knit group 

ready to help wherever needed and work long 

hours to accomplish that purpose. 

We are so thankful to Father Damian and the 

parishioners of the parish for their donations of 

money, religious goods, medical and literacy 

supplies. Without their help much of what we 

do could not get done at the missions. This 

sacrifice of the people is received with so much 

thanksgiving by our team and the people of 

Jamaica. This also becomes a time of recollection 

and memorial as well. 

“We mark a time to remember how far we’ve 

traveled, and to appreciate those who shared 

the journey with us.” This is my sixteenth year 

of serving in the parish missions and so many 

memories come flooding back. One in particular 

from last April is etched in my memory. My 

late husband, Greg, and I found ourselves back 

in the shelter where we first began: Faith Center. 

The children with whom we had worked 

were now teenagers, so they looked forward 

to our coming, knowing that we bring not only 

crayons and paper but frisbies and baseballs as 

well. Greg always wore a baseball hat when he 

visited the centers—a sign that he would play 

ball with them so when we arrived, they came 

running with their baseball bats and balls. Greg 

had been ill and we were so lucky to be able to 

have made the trip at all. He could not play ball 

with them last year. They immediately recognized 

that, so without any complaints, they 

disappeared with the baseball equipment and 

re-appeared with a video and held that out to 

him. That he could do. 

As the heat of the day increased, Greg actually 

closed his eyes and tired while watching 

the video and when I looked over, there were 

the children we had once held, encircling him 

with their arms as they propped him up watching 

the video together. How like the God we 

know and love who encircles us with His Love. 

What a sense of peace came over me. 

They became a metaphor for me of God’s 

unconditional love that simply surrounds us 

with a total sense of peace in challenging times. 

Teilhard de Chardin has written, “Grant me to 

recognize in others, my God, the radiance of 

your own face.” In those children, that day, I 

saw the face of God. 

A great biblical scholar, Walter Brueggemann 

writes in his newest book An Unsettling 

The members of the missionary team. 

God: The God of Ancient Israel: “Relationships 

are intrinsic to the existence of God and human 

beings. They can bring peace to us and to those 

with whom we are in relationships.” God’s 

partnership with each human being becomes 

even deeper with Jesus, our partner, who died 

for us and rose to glory, which we celebrate 

this Easter season. This partnership, Brueggemann 

explains, is the only thing that travels 

with us through the passage of death to everlasting 

life. 

I know I will feel Greg’s presence in the 

Communion of Saints among us as we travel 

to the mission sites and with that a “peace that 

leads to the surrender to all that is and will 

be.” (1Cor. 1: 3-9) May this trip be a source of 

peace, love, and service to all those with whom 

we travel and meet this coming week. Please 

keep us in prayer! 

The Parish of Our Lady of Good Counsel recognizes 

the twenty mission volunteers of 2012: 

Tejumade Adesina, Lisa Baxter, John Bertagnolli, 

Annemarie Brownmiler, Angelo d’Antonio-Bertagnolli, 

John Vito d’Antonio Bertagnolli , Sondra 

De Antonio, Linda Dix, Claudio Fernandez, 

Elizabeth Jasolosky, Fatmata Kabia, Fyar Kabia, 

Donna Pherribo, Gordon Pherribo, Phyllis 

Schantz, Rebecca Stansbury, Lisa Trapani, Sarah 

Van Wagner and Brittney Zafonte. 

Father Damian blesses the missionaries going to Jamaica. 

Father Damian blesses the palms on Palm Sunday.





The Crucifixion of Jesus 

Chrism Mass 

By Colby Clayton, 6A 

“CRUCIFY HIM! 

CRUCIFY HIM!” 

My ears suddenly 

opened when I heard 

the word “crucify.” I 

was leaning against a 

small stone building 

next to a small fruit cart and tried to 

somehow find a way to glance over the 

large crowd to see what was going on. I 

got on the tips of my toes; I tried to stand 

up on the fruit cart next to me until the 

merchant shoved me off onto the hot, 

bumpy road. I didn’t see anything that 

was going on except the heads of the 

crowd turning to look at each other. My 

left check rested on the road for a few 

seconds feeling the warmth the road had 

to offer. 

It was a hotter day than usual, the sun 

beat down waves of heat so you could 

see them on the road which was getting 

warmer by the second. I decided the best 

option I had was to squeeze through the 

crowd. I held out my right arm and started 

to gently nudge people out of the way. 

Some of the people didn’t appreciate my 

rudeness as I stepped on their feet, and 

I apologized as they swore at me. Now 

I was close enough to see that a man in 

shining armor with a large, sharp sword, 

stood there next to an innocent looking 

man with slightly long hair, a short 

beard, and his hands cuffed. “He shall be 

crucified!” the man in armor exclaimed 

and the entire crowd cheered, everyone 

except me. I starred hard at the innocent 

looking man trying to recognize him. 

Then it suddenly hit me as if someone 

threw a rock at my head and said “It’s 

Jesus!” Jesus Jesus! The name Jesus 

echoed through my brain. The one who 

comes in the name of the Lord; known as 

the Messiah. I’ve known about Jesus ever 

since the time my brother was fatally ill. 

It was a hot day and my brother lay 

in his bed with his eyes closed. My 

mother was off trying to find a doctor 

or someone who could help my brother 

Tom. I sat in a wooden chair next to his 

bed being there for him in case he needed 

something. Every few minutes he would 

make a request like “Patrick, could you 

please give me some water” or “Can 

you get me another blanket” I obeyed 

the request and provided it as quickly as 

possible. Suddenly, my mother walked 

into the bedroom where Tom was resting 

with a man. “This kind sir’s name is Jesus, 

and he is willing to help us revive Tom,” 

My mother said gently. I lifted myself out 

of my seat and looked at him, his eyes 

staring into mine. “Do you have faith 

that I can do this” He asked. “I do,” I 

said back to him. “Alright then,” he said 

as he touched Tom’s forehead. “Rise,” he 

commanded to Tom and Tom obeyed. Tom 

stood up looking better than he had ever 

in his life. We all stood in amazement. 

Jesus is condemned to death, Eric Sobocinkski, 

Troy Bloesch and Nick Belecanech is Pontius 

Pilate. 

A few years passed and his healing 

Ministry had grown. Jesus was known for 

the miracles he had performed. Now they 

are going to kill him for blasphemy. As 

the crowd cheered on like warriors who 

had won a battle a soldier standing in the 

crowd stood forward 

with a whip in his hand. 

He began to whip poor 

Jesus and I watched in 

horror as each whip at 

him was harder. I had to 

do something. I shoved 

through the crowd and 

started to make my way 

to the stone staircase to 

the large temple until 

two large soldiers twice 

the size of me stood in 

my path. “What do you 

think you’re doing” One says to me in a 

booming voice. I try to run past the two of 

them without an answer but they are too 

quick. One grabs me and the other throws 

a giant fist into my face and before I could 

feel the impact, I was out. I wake up lying 

on the hot road again. This time the crowd 

is flowing up the hill to Calvary where 

criminals go to be crucified. But Jesus 

was no criminal. I race through the streets 

Veronica wipes the face 

of Jesus Eric Sobocinski, 

Allison Risell is Veronica. 

Resurrection of Jesus! Eric 

Sobocinski is Jesus. 

crashing into people not caring that they 

curse at me. I run up the steep, sandy hill, 

some of the crowd members are walking 

down the hill, until I finally get to the top 

to see what is happening. 

Most of the crowd has left, but now 

there are only the ones 

who are crying. I look up 

to see that Jesus’ lifeless 

body is dangling from a 

cross with nails driven into 

his feet and hands. Blood is 

dripping from large gashes 

on his body and a crown 

of thorns is on his head. 

Tears slowly drip down my 

cheek as I try to choke them 

back. Never once have I 

seen death and I don’t wish 

to ever see it again. I can’t 

look at his body anymore so I walk down 

the hill almost tripping. I sit down on a 

sandy patch at the bottom of the hill and 

try to process what had just happened. 

As I think of Jesus, I think of one positive 

thing. All of the miracles he performed 

were true and his death was his biggest 

miracle. He may not have given faith to 

all, but he had given it to me. 

Source: Bible Luke, John 

Parishioners and confirmands from 

the parish attended the Chrism Mass on 

Monday evening, April 2, 2012 at the 

Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption. 

Most Reverend David M. O’Connell, 

Bishop of Trenton, was the main 

celebrant and homilist. 

The sacred oils were blessed for the 

coming year and all priests renewed 

their personal dedication to Christ. The 

renewal of commitment ended with an 

invitation from the Bishop to all present 

to pray, first for the priests of the Diocese, 

and then for him. 

Stephen Lucasi, the music director for 

our parish also leads the Diocesan Festival 

Choir and Dr. Martha Mercantini, cantor 

of Our Lady’s Parish, also cantored the 

Chrism Mass. 

All present were invited for light 

refreshments in the Dining Hall 

immediately following the Chrism Mass 

where a picture was taken with Bishop 

O’Connell, Father Damian, Father Jim, 

and the soon to be ordained, Rev. Mr. 

Matthew Pfleger, newly assigned as the 

Parochial Vicar of Our Lady’s Parish as of 

July 1. 

The following parishioners and 

students attended the Chrism Mass: Dr. 

Linda Dix, Laura Kowalick, Jean Kutteroff, 

Mary Kiefner, Morgan Snowden, Courtney 

Pellegrino, Katherine, Elizabeth, Natalie, 

Lucy, and Joel Graham, 

JoAnne Campbell, Annemarie 

Brownmiller, Sharon Brdlik, 

John Scanlon, Jeff Gueiss, 

Susan Dowiak, Kay and Frank 

Feeney, Julia Majewski, Bo 

and Norma Minnick, Carol 

Nash, Sister Rosemarie, Betty 

Wagner, Deacon Ed Heffernan 

and John and Maureen Sherry. 

Good Counsel Group at the Chrism Mass with Bishop O’Connell. 

Holy Oils and the Youth Group Presenters.


www.olgcnj.org



The Good Counsel Courier | 15



Congratulations and Welcome to the Church 

By Jane McCorkell 

At the Easter Vigil Mass six 

adults entered into the Catholic 

faith. We would like to welcome: 

Laura Altobelli, Jackie Cross, 

Jeffrey Gueiss, Jennifer Juice, Alicia 

Lee, and Wendy Mullen. We are 

excited to have them join us at the 

Table of The Lord. 

Two adults, Angeline Masishin 

and James Venito received the 

sacrament of confirmation along 

with our young teens: Dante 

Figureroa, Christine Kirmsse, John 

Scanlan, Kathryn Tsai, and Ian 

Verdon. 

The Easter Vigil wasn’t complete 

until we heard the waters of 

baptism flowing when Anjelina 

Figueroa, Marissa Lance and 

Colin Thomas were baptized 

into our faith. We completed the 

sacraments when Samuel Scanlan 

received his first Eucharist. 

Our parish would like to thank 

the catechists who spent many 

hours with tender care giving 

their time and talents to see these 

candidates to the Easter Vigil: 

Terry DiBlasio, Terry Wiebalck, 

Kristen Seltzer, Annemarie 

Brownmiller, JoAnne Campbell, 

Linda Dix, Jane McCorkell, 

Susan and John Scanlon. Guess 

speakers were so important to our 

process and provided outstanding 

presentations: Father Damian, 

Father Jim, Deacon Jim Grogan, 

and Richard Lohkamp. Deacon 

Dave Papuga and Father Jim 

presided over our special rites 

in the evening and we thank 

them for providing a welcoming 

atmosphere. 

Our hospitality following the 

Vigil was directed by Sharon 

Brdlik who did an outstanding job 

providing refreshments after a long 

Mass. Thank you to all our bakers 

who are so faithful in providing a 

bountiful table of delights. 

A special thank you to 

the choir, under the direction of 

Mr. Steve Lucasi , who provided 

original music each week at the 

10:30 Mass as the candidates 

were dismissed to go to Heritage 

House to reflect on the readings of 

the day. 

Following are a few reflections 

by our new Catholics on their 

journey through the RCIA 

Dr. Jennifer Juice MD: 

“The RCIA process has been a 

huge blessing! It has ultimately 

strengthened my relationship with 

God and has helped me find peace 

and joy in my life. It has also 

given me the privilege of meeting 

so many wonderful people, who 

with I will always share a special 

Left to right first row: Alicia Lee, Laura Altobelli, Jennifer Juice and Jackie Cross. Left to right second row: James Venito, Angeline 

Masishin, Wendy Mullen and Jeffrey Gueuss. 

bond”. 

Alicia Lee “I have been 

attending Mass every Sunday and 

have thought about becoming 

Catholic but I just didn’t know 

how or when this was going to 

happen. I spoke with a friend who 

mentioned taking RCIA classes. 

At the time I found out I was 

expecting a baby 

boy and realized 

that this was my 

calling from God, 

my chance to 

become what I’ve 

been practicing 

and to raise our 

family in the same 

way. It has been 

one of the best 

decisions I’ve 

made and has 

changed the way I 

go about my daily 

life. I find myself 

praying more each day and on a 

deeper level and it helps me find 

peace in my life. The RCIA team 

here is amazing and so supportive, 

same with the other candidates, it’s 

like having another family”. 

Jeff Gueiss said “I had 

contemplated RCIA in the past 

but never experienced a defining 

moment that would move me to 

conversion. My wife had grown 

up in the Catholic Church and 

attended parochial school, we 

were married in the Catholic 

Church, and our children were 

baptized Catholic. After much 

contemplation last year, we 

decided to enroll our children 

Hannah and Harrison into OLGC 

School. This was an important 

year because they received two 

sacraments: Penance and First 

Communion. The defining moment 

came to me during my daughters’ 

First Holy Communion; I was 

so emotionally moved when 

I witnessed her receiving the 

Eucharist for the first time. Then 

it hit me—this was the moment 

that I had 

been waiting 

16 years for! 

I immediately 

enrolled in the 

RCIA process. 

This has truly 

changed 

my life in 

every way 

imaginable. 

I have found 

the peace that 

comes with 

daily prayer. 

I feel that I 

am truly trying to live my life as a 

disciple of Christ. The catechists 

are amazing, the process has 

been life changing, and most of 

all – I look forward to the Easter 

Vigil when I receive my First 

Communion and Confirmation. 

Then I can truly say, “I am a 

Catholic.” 

Laura Altobelli said, “I wanted 

to join OLGC to share in the faith 

of my husband, Jerry, and to raise 

our son Ryan Catholic. I have 

attended services at many houses 

of worship but felt for years that 

something was missing from my 

life. I finally feel at peace and that 

I have come home.” 

Jackie Cross reflection on 

her time in the RCIA stated that 

“she have been to many different 

churches, but always felt like a 

visitor and never a participant. In 

the Catholic Church I finally feel 

that I belong to the Body of Christ 

and can worship and serve the 

Lord in the way He has called me. 

Our two adults, James and 

Angeline who were preparing for 

the sacrament of confirmation, 

sat in on the teaching aspect of 

our sessions and would like to 

share their reflections about their 

experience in the short time they 

were with us. 

Angeline Masishin reflects, 

“Becoming part of the 

confirmation program at Our Lady 

of Good Counsel’s parish has 

been an inspirational experience. 

The warmth and welcome by all 

made an environment that fostered 

learning, growth and understand. 

I am truly excited to be confirmed 

and to continue my spiritual 

journey”. 

James Venito adds his thoughts, 

“I attended OLGC through 5th 

grade and to return as an adult 

has truly been an awakening 

experience. Being a part of the 

confirmation prep has created 

a desire to become a more 

active member of the church, 

as well as an urge to further 

develop my spiritual growth and 

understanding. I look forward 

to many rewarding years as a 

member of the OLGC community. 

If you know of someone 

who would like to complete 

their sacraments or to enter the 

Catholic faith please contact Jane 

McCorkell at 235-2374 or email 

mccorkellj@olgcnj.org



The Good Counsel Courier | 17



Sister Rosemarie, Myles Drayton, Brigid Falese, Tula Maria Pappas, Collin Cribben, and 

Mrs. Mary Rose Adams in front of the altar. 

The children in pre-k and kindergarten at the Early Childhood Center 

participated in an Easter Prayer Service on April 2nd. They led the 

congregation in prayer, sang songs and presented paper butterflies listing 

their good deeds for Lent. 

From right to left Madeline Csolak at microphone, Brenden Berna, Lia Sanfilippo, Jake 

Lenox, Daniel Cantwell, Jennifer Higgins. 

Don’t 

Keep It To 

Yourself 

Have an idea 

for a story or article... 

perhaps there’s 

something you’d like 

to see in the pages 

of our 

Good Counsel Courier. 

Well don’t keep 

it to yourself... 

let us know about it. 

Send me an e-mail to 

deaconheffernan 

@comcast.net 

or call me on my cell 

856-905-5019.




The children in 

Kindergarten A 

and B enjoyed an 

Easter egg hunt on 

Wed., April 4 on 

the grounds of the 

rectory. Photos by 

Michelle Molz 

Mrs. Mary Rose Adams and 

the children from KB show 

off the eggs they found. 

Children from KB line up 

after the egg hunt. 

Sister Rosemarie and Mrs. Kathy 

Cummings with the children from 

KA after the hunt.



Baskets of Easter Joy 

By Mrs. R.A. Conners, Grade 8 ILA Teacher, 

Student Council Moderator 

In the parable of the Multiplication of the 

Loaves and Fishes, Jesus feeds a multitude of 

people by miraculously transforming several 

loaves and a few fish into so much food that 

several large baskets were needed to hold the 

leftover food after the hunger of the crowd who 

had come to hear Jesus speak had been satisfied. 

During this Lenten Season, our school students, 

their parents, and the Student Council of 

Bancroft School participated in an event which, 

while not a miracle, was something just short of 

miraculous. 

On Friday, February 17, 2012 I received an 

email from Mrs. Darlene Altschuler, the mother 

of two of our students, asking if our school 

would be willing to once again participate 

in a fund raising activity that would benefit 

Catholic Charities Food Bank and the students 

at Bancroft School, a school which educates 

students ages 3 to 21 with multiple disabilities 

who cannot be educated in a typical classroom. 

Proceeds from the sale of baskets made by the 

Bancroft students would be used for “Walk 

Now for Autism Speaks”. 

With Mr. McGowan’s approval the Student 

Council, under my direction, and the Student 

Council members at Bancroft School, under the 

direction of Ms. Donna Vukicerich, Supervisor 

of Bancroft Student Council and Administrative 

Assistant to Bancroft Principal Bob Lenherr, 

began a joint project which culminated in the 

collection of 100 Easter Baskets donated by the 

parents of Our Lady’s school. In addition to 

those 100 baskets, our parents also purchased 

and then donated 150 baskets which were 

made by the Student Council members at Bancroft 

School. 

As the days passed and the baskets started 

filling up my classroom it became increasingly 

difficult to walk across the front of my room or 

write on the chalkboard. We had baskets on 

bookshelves, windowsills, and chairs. If I left 

the door to my classroom open, I could hear 

the students passing in the hallway exclaiming 

to each other about the growing number of 

baskets each day. Dare I say the baskets were 

multiplying like rabbits The students whom I 

teach began checking the baskets and trying to 

decide which was their favorite. 

In previous years, we collected baskets 

and then the Student Council members would 

load them on a truck and they would go off to 

Catholic Charities and that would be the end of 

things. This year we put a new twist on things. 

On Tuesday, April 3, Ms. Vukicevich and seven 

(7) Student Council members from Bancroft 

came to our school to meet our Student Council 

members and to show them some of the baskets 

they had made. 

The meeting took place in my homeroom 

and it was a wonder to behold. 

The students from Bancroft, who were 

very excited to meet with our students, were 

met with smiles and waves. One young man 

from Bancroft walked right into my classroom 

and introduced himself to Mr. McGowan, my 

students, and me and then directed his fellow 

students to line up for pictures in a fashion 

Right: Student Council 

from Bancroft School 

and OLGC, along with 

Mrs. Rosemary Conners 

with the Easter baskets 

collected from the 

school. 

Middle: Student Council 

members load the vans 

with Easter baskets 

Bottom: Left to right: 

Mrs. R.A. Conners, 

Lauren Belecanech, 

Grade 8 Home Room 

Student Council 

Representative, Dominic 

Colon, Grade 8 Student, 

Erin Feeney, Student 

Council President. 

similar to the way our students were arranged 

and pretty much made sure things went as they 

should. His enthusiasm was infectious and he 

had our students and the adults laughing as they 

followed his directions. Mrs. Altschuler later 

told me that the Bancroft students felt they had 

made many new friends that day. 

After several moments of picture taking, the 

students carried the baskets out to the playground 

where they loaded them onto trucks for 

delivery to Catholic Charities Food Bank. Two 

of our Student Council members, Erin Feeney 

and Robert Sheppard, were given permission to 

accompany Dr. Dix and Mrs. Laura Kowalick to 

the Food Bank. This was a unique opportunity 

for our students who reported, “The people at 

Catholic Charities were very surprised to see 

how many baskets we brought, so many baskets 

that we lined the hallway and filled the offices 

of the people working there. When we left, we 

felt very happy because we did a nice deed for 

others.” 

Our students and the students at Bancroft 

School combined their efforts in a project which 

had far reaching effects on our home, school, 

and local communities. The students at Bancroft 

used their skills to create beautiful Easter 

baskets for others, our parents purchased and 

donated those baskets, and our students helped 

with the collection and delivery of those baskets. 

The ripple effect of those simple acts is 

wide spread. Our students benefitted by helping 

others, Bancroft students benefitted by developing 

real life work skills, Catholic Charities 

and the food bank benefitted from our donation 

of baskets, and “Walk Now for Autism Speaks” 

also benefitted. This one “nice deed” touched 

the lives of hundreds of people. 

So, following in the footsteps of Jesus, all 

involved contributed in a variety of ways to take 

one simple act and multiply the effects of that 

act to impact the lives and well being of hundreds. 

With a grateful heart I would like to offer 

a sincere “Thank you!” to all involved.




8th Grade Battle of the Books 

The 8th Grade Battle of the 

Books team participated in the 

regional competition held at 

Burlington City Junior School on 

March 27, 2012. Our team came 

home with third place medals after 

answering almost 120 questions on 

the fifteen book they had read. 

Pictured here are OLGC’s proud and happy team members: standing are Robby 

Sheppard, Vivian Overbeck (team captain), and Michael Altschuler; sitting are Liz Radley 

and Abby Mullen (team secetary). 

Never say never: Text Messaging in the Classroom 

By Larry Pizzi 

Students are permitted to have a cell phone at school but the cell 

phone must be turned off and kept in the book bag at all times while at 

school. Text messaging is never allowed. (Parent-Student Handbook, p. 

11.) 

Never say never. 

Check out the photo, and you can clearly see an entire seventh grade 

class breaking the rules. Or are they Our seventh grade Language Arts 

class recently experimented with using cell phones and text messaging 

to analyze and understand the plot and characters in the novel, The 

Outsiders. 

Reading S. E. Hinton’s novel of teens struggling with cliques, violence, 

loneliness, school and love is a rite of passage for thousands of middle 

school students across the nation every year. It has been a staple for 

OLGC seventh graders for five years. 

Normally, after finishing the novel, students write several essays to 

explore and demonstrate their knowledge of the characters and themes. 

This year, students accomplished these goals in an exercise designed 

to take advantage of their primary means of communication outside of 

school: text messaging. 

The novel takes place in 1967. Students transported the setting to 2012 

and asked the question, “What if the major characters had cell phones 

What would they text to each other” The rules were simple: do not 

change the novel’s plot or change a character’s personality. Students were 

paired off as characters and assigned an event in the novel. They then 

were given time to text each other. Afterwards, they presented their text 

conversations to the class. 

The results were encouraging. Each text conversation showed 

significant insight into the characters’ thoughts and feelings The 

presentations were quite animated. Students critiqued their classmates, 

which brought out further insights. Students were able to connect those 

insights to the themes of the novel and then to their own lives. 

The experiment went so well that the next day we repeated the 

exercise using different characters and settings, this time for a grade. 

Besides the slightly guilty pleasure of using their cell phones in school, 

students were excited. Afterwards, they anonymously wrote their thoughts 

about the test. 

One student wrote, “The texting made it easier because I got to build 

off of what the other character was saying.” Another student noted, “I had 

to understand the character to text his words. I also had to understand the 

character I was sending my text to.” 

Many students wrote that because the exercise was fun, they learned 

better. One even said, “I completely forgot that I was taking a test!” 

Seventh grade students continue to write weekly assignments using 

paper and pen. Traditional writing is still the backbone of learning 

to write and think. As time passes, though, technology must play an 

increasing role in student learning. Regardless of method, only one thing 

is important: authentic, real-life learning must occur. 

Did it this time One student summed it all up: “If I had not done this 

exercise, I probably would not have learned as much as I did. It made me 

want to learn. And I did!” 

Andrew Gallo (l) and Dominic Lario create a text conversation between two characters in 

a novel they have just read. 

Seventh grade students use text messaging to explore character development in the 

novel, The Outsiders.



News from 1A 

The children in 1A completed several creative writing projects related 

to Saint Patrick’s Day. They each wrote directions for how to catch 

a leprechaun, made a list of what they would do with a pot of gold, 

described what they would wish for on a four leaf clover, and wrote a 

journal story about a leprechaun visiting their homes. 

We also read about Saint Patrick and made Holy Trinity Shamrocks to 

illustrate the concept of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three in one. 

They practiced their estimation skills by participating in The Great 

Estimation Challenge. Using a small jar containing ten beans as a 

reference, the children estimated the number of beans in progressively 

larger jars. 

They also recently completed a science unit about how simple 

machines help us do work. At our Invention Convention they had the 

opportunity to build and explore some of the principles using ramps, 

marble, wooden blocks, Kinex, and gears. Master Builder Jack Paddock 

and assistants built a swing and seesaw set to demonstrate how a lever 

(seesaw) and pendulum (swing) work with their muscle power. 

Pictured demonstrating several writing projects are (from left to right) Luke Sisolak, 

Lauren Buono, Sophia Gonzalez, and Dylan Moran. 

The Great Estimation Challenge 

Pictured are the students whose estimate was closest to the target for each jar. From left 

to right are Fiona Torchia (with the reference jar), Joseph Cortez, Jude Perrucci, Thomas 

Kohler, Malulani Mountcastle, and Brandon Foster. 

From left to right are Robert Les, Francesca Ward, Jack Paddock, and May Sukkarieh. 

News from 1B 

Can you hear me now 

Mrs. Biancaniello’s first grade class uses “Whisper Phones” to practice reading in class. 

Lukas Christ, Courtney Snyder, Will Kelly, Adriana Kirwin, 

Marley Carolan. 

Elle Rufino, Isaac Havener, Michael Caulder, Autumn Brutschea. 

Don’t 

Keep It To Yourself 

Have an idea for a story or article... perhaps there’s 

something you’d like to see in the pages of our Good 

Counsel Courier. Well don’t keep it to yourself... 



deaconheffernan@comcast.net 

or call me on my cell 856-905-5019.


Korean Culture Day in First Grade 

By Linda Halpin 

First Grader Grace Halpin was born in Seoul, 

South Korea. Every year she likes to share her 

Korean heritage with her classmates. This year 

Grace wanted to teach her first grade classmates 

about Korean food and traditions. She 

was joined by 4th grader Jay Kim and 7th grader 

Casey Lee who are also Korean. 

Grace wore her hanbok, the traditional 

Korean dress. She taught the class that the 

Korean meal starts with small side dishes called 

“pajeons”. At the Korean table, children must 

wait for the elders at the table to start to eat. 

Then the children can begin to eat. This is a 

sign of respect for their elders. Rice and a spicy 

cabbage dish called Kimchi is eaten with every 

meal. Bulgogi is a common beef dish served in 

Korean homes and restaurants. 

Grace demonstrated to the class how to 

prepare the marinade for bulgogi. Casey told 

the story that at McDonald’s in Korea, you 

can order a sandwich with bulgogi instead of 

hamburger. Jay explained about the traditions 

of food served at the time of funerals. Grace, 

Jay and Casey talked about Rice Cake Soup and 

the traditions of Lunar New Year, the biggest 

holiday in Korea. 

The first graders had the chance to taste 

some Korean food. They had rice, dumplings, a 

noodle dish called jap chae, fruit salad and Korean 

cookies. The children enjoyed eating their 

food with chopsticks. 


The day was a wonderful opportunity for 

Grace to share her Korean heritage with her 

classmates. She was happy that Jay and Casey 

were able to join her and share their knowledge 

and experiences of Korea and the Korean 

culture. 

Grace Halpin in her hanbok, the traditional 

Korean dress. 


Grace and her mother show her classmates how to prepare a 

Korean meal together. 

Jay Kim, Grace Halpin and Casey Lee. 

100th Day of School 

Mrs. Biancaniello’s first grade class celebrates the 100th Day of School. 

They made necklaces with 100 beads and shared their collections of 100 

things from home. Nice job 1B !!!! 

Lukas Christ, Marian Howson, Will Kelly, Adriana Kirwin, and Isaac Havener show off 

their 100th Day glasses. 

Bishop Eustace’s Spring Production was recently held at the Scottish Rite Theatre in 

Collingswood. Pictured are graduates of Our Lady of Good Counsel School from left to 

right Liz Homer, Samantha Testa, John Elmer, Anthony Lario, Kim Johnson and Rachel 

Kueny all of whom attend Bishop Eustace Preparatory School. These students were 

active in the successful Theater Program at Our Lady of Good Counsel School run by 

MTC and their involvement and love of theater continues... Congratulations! 

Grace Halpin, Autumn Brutschea, Courtney Snyder, Alexandra Petroski, Marly Carolan, 

and Taylor Pitts (back row left to right). Tyler Mendys and Michael Caulder (front row left 

to right) with their collection of 100 things from home. 

Don’t Keep It To Yourself 

Have an idea for a story or article... 

perhaps there’s something you’d like to see 

in the pages of our Good Counsel Courier. 

Well don’t keep it to yourself... 



deaconheffernan@comcast.net 

or call me on my cell 856-905-5019.



Fashion Show 

Tickets to the 54th annual PTA fashion show 

are on sale now! This year’s theme is, “Shore to 

Please,” and will be on Thursday, May 10th at The 

Merion. 

Our auction baskets promise to be better than 

ever featuring baskets from our favorite shore 

towns. The silent auction includes a one-week stay 

at a beautiful Stone Harbor shore house as well 

as tickets and tailgate package to a Notre Dame 

football game. You will not want to miss this year’s 

show! 

To purchase tickets, please contact Nancy 

Sheppard at (856) 914-0030 or e-mail to 

shep715@comcast.net . If you are interested in 

advertising in our program book, contact Andrea 

Vlastaris at (609) 702-5905 or e-mail acvlastaris@ 

yahoo.com. 

If you would like to donate merchandise or 

a gift certificate to our auction baskets, contact 

Linda Halpin at (609) 694-5199 or e-mail linda. 

olgc@gmail.com. 

Those in the Parish who died 

in our parish: 

Rita Verderome 2/7/12 

Muriel Leslie 2/13/12 

Bernice Hubbs 2/24/12 

Charles Barry Middleton 2/23/12 

James McGorry 3/2/12 

Bernard Hynes 3/6/12 

Mary Cassidy 3/ 14/ 12 

Rita Volpe 3/27/12 

Philip Green 3/27/12 

Margaret Slook 3/29/12 

Bernard O’Reilly 3/31/12 

Ruth Anne Moccia 4/2/12 

Robert Middleton 4/10/12

Welcome Deacon Matthew Pfleger - Our Lady of Good Counsel

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