St. Bernard Parish at 500 Route 22 East, Bridgewater, NJ 08807 US - Evangelization Commission

This commission studies the fundamental issues that surround the work of evangelization, especially on the parochial level. It also examines several important questions which pertain to it - including outreach to estranged or inactive Catholics and the nurturing of ecumenical and inter-religious dialog in the larger community. New Beginnings-New Friends, the Ecumenical Board, and the Women's Prayer Groups are among the ministries which comprise the Commission for Evangelization.

Evangelization Commission Contact Person - Debbie Sims DJSims2000@msn.com

Some groups and ministries which fall under the "umbrella" of Evangelization:

The Women's Prayer Group

For many years, women of our parish have gathered every Thursday night to pray, reflect upon scripture, share thoughts, and raise their voices in song to the glory of God. During the months of May and October, they also gather early in the Daily Mass Chapel, to lead the parish in praying the Holy Rosary. Please feel free to join the Women's Prayer Group any Thursday night at 8 PM in Room C of the church building. ALL ARE WELCOME! Please feel free to call Chris Madlinger at 908-526-2085 or email her at Chrism51100@aol.com with any questions or for more information, or you may e mail the parish office directly at stbch@aol.com - We look forward to hearing from you!

New Beginnings, New Friends

If you are interested in becoming a registered member of the St. Bernard of Clairvaux faith community, we ask that you call Joan at the Parish Office at extension 800, to pre-register. At that time, Joan will record some information for our records and will invite you to attend our New Beginnings, New Friends Meeting. At this meeting you will meet your Pastor, Fr. Joseph Celano, your Associate Pastor, Fr John Barbella as well as some other representatives of the parish who will tell you a little about St. Bernard and give you a feeling for the kind of faith community you are being welcomed into. It is our hope that you will choose to officially register at that time. Please feel free to let Joan know if you are unable to, or would rather not attend, but would prefer to register over the phone. Hopefully you will choose to allow us the priviledge of welcoming you in person. It is important to the clergy and the rest of our staff, that we do our best to personally meet as many parishioners as possible,and New Beginnings is a great way to do so.As always, please feel free to call the Parish Office at extension 800 if you have any questions or would like more information, or you may e mail us directly from this website. We really look forward to hearing from you and welcoming you!

Please contact the Parish Office at 908-725-0552 or by email at stbch@aol.com to find out the date of our next New Friends Meeting.

The Ecumenical Council

In January of 1997 a group of lay members of the congregations of North Branch Reformed and St. Bernard Catholic Church gathered with their respective pastors with the goal and hope of bringing the two congregations closer in the spirit of Christian Unity. Before long the very first joint Tenebrae service was celebrated on Good Friday at North Branch Reformed Church. The congregation's respective pastors, Fr. John Brundage and Pastor Peter Paulsen sent each other's congregations a letter, explaining the development of this council. The second joint celebration took place, appropriately at Thanksgiving.

Each year since then we have shared events during Christian Unity Week in January as well as having a full schedule of shared services each Holy Week. An example would be the "Good Friday Walk" when members of both congregations gather at North Branch Church and together carry a large wooden cross along Route 28, culminating at St. Bernard Church. Three stops along the way are included for prayer and hymns.

There have been several Adult Forums aimed at a better understanding of similarities and differences within our faith traditions, including talks on The Eucharist, Role of Women in the Church, Salvation by Grace or Good Works?, The Role of Mary, Stem Cell Research, Baptism, and Islam - A Religion of Peace.

In the Millenium Year, a Red Oak tree was planted on the property of each church. The dedicatory plaques read as follows:

Tree of Unity - This tree will show to future generations our hope for all churches and peoples to be united in the love of God. North Branch Reformed, and St. Bernard Catholic Churches - Easter, 2000.

As the seventh year of this Ecumenical Council begins, the plan is continue the traditions we have established, and to expand efforts to interest more congregations, including faiths, other than Christians, to join us.

If you might be interested in finding out more about the Ecumenical Council, please email Walt Steele at kawasteele@earthlink.com or to call Walt at 908-537-9868, or you may e mail the office at stbch@aol.com or phone us at extension 800 (Joan) or 802 (Rose).