2023-24

Joan's Story

When I started seeing email for Discovering Christ, I was intrigued, but not really sure. It was constantly on my mind, but I really was confused. I thought I had a close connection to the Lord but maybe something was missing. I decided to sign up and give it a try knowing I could always leave it. Strangely enough, I never left. It was everything I hoped it would be and more.

The video presentations were exceptional. I started watching them over on my own and felt as though I had really been missing so much in my relationship with Christ. I loved our small group discussions; everyone had such interesting viewpoints discussing the topic of the film. It was amazing how helpful that was. Each week we were becoming a family growing in our faith, our journey together. It was a great feeling and I looked forward to the next week. I could feel the closeness to the Lord and I was loving it.

Discovering Christ was the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. It really has changed me in so many ways. I can’t get through a day without reading scripture and having private time with our Lord. I can feel Him with me all the time and I constantly talk to Him. He is my best friend. I hope to keep growing stronger in my faith. I hope that you will give this a try. You will become so much happier and fulfilled. You have nothing to lose, but everything to gain.

Joan SanGiacomo

Therese's Story

When asked what it was that motivated me to sign up and participate in Discovering Christ at St. Mary’s, I realized there were two reasons. One reason was practical (having to do with the earthly needs of this life) and one reason was spiritual (having to do with the life of my soul, both now and hereafter).

In a practical, earthly sense, I wanted to get to know parishioners in a manner that was more friendly and connected–something beyond a smile at the beginning of mass and a wave at the sign of peace. Spiritually, I felt as if my prayer life and relationship with God needed a boost of some sort. When I was just 19 years old, Jesus introduced Himself to me in a personal way, through a Bible study in my parish. I accepted His loving invitation to spend time with Him daily–in prayer and Bible reading.

Through many years, I’ve strived to keep that commitment to prayer and reading the Bible. It hasn’t been a perfect regime by any means, but God honored my feeble attempts to be faithful. I’ve grown more deeply in my faith and in love with Him by simply trying to ‘show up’ with Him every day. In my personal life though, challenges arose out of raising a large family, being involved in several volunteer services, and experiencing some unanticipated twists and turns in my life’s journey. My commitment to prayer was challenged daily.

The Discovering Christ program sounded inviting so I signed up for the program and stayed committed by attending the meetings at St. Mary’s on a regular basis. I was so blessed to become acquainted with members who shared their faith through the small group/table discussions which followed clear, informative and inspiring videos. There was a spirit of genuine authenticity – moments of both laughter and serious sharing. Oh, and this all happened after we had shared a wonderfully delicious meal served to us by other involved parishioners. Again, the practical and the spiritual–body and soul.

I encourage you to take a moment from your busy day to consider why you may want to attend, or have a need, for these parish discussion groups. Come and see, try it out! I have found the benefits, both spiritual and practical, to have blessed my life in ways I could not have imagined! God is full of surprises that rise out of His deep, personal love for each and everyone of us! - Therese Moccia

Karen's Story

We are made to be in community with others. I am so happy to have said yes to being part of the ChristLife program, “Discovering Christ”.

To be in a relationship with fellow parishioners, to make new friends, to listen to others and share our faith journey in a safe, trusted environment, to learn and grow in our faith together, and to be open to new and exciting messages from The Holy Spirit. All this and so much more was the outcome of our “Discovering Christ” sessions.

In the new series coming up in October, “Following Christ”, we will go deeper into our face-to-face relationship with Christ and each other.

Please join us and experience the awesomeness of God in this amazing community of faith. - Karen Coppola

Tina's Story

You might ask yourself what is this? You may say to yourself, I know Christ, I go to church, I love God. I'm a good person and I do my best.  These are all really good things within us. But with Discovering Christ, you are helped to dive deeper into your faith and you discover a personal relationship with Jesus.

Have you ever felt a time in your life where questions were unanswered, where you were at a dead end with everything and looking for a solution? Asking yourself, is this it? Is there something 
more? Is there something in you that doesn't quite feel fulfilled? When I decided to give Discovering Christ a chance to see what it was about, questions that I had no solution to were 
answered. It was shown to me that there is so much more to my life. My soul, my heart and my spirit were fulfilled more than I could ever imagine!

This is my fourth year participating in Discovering Christ and I now have a personal relationship with Jesus and he helps me through the most difficult times in my life. I practice my faith on a 
different level with our community. It has changed my way of thinking in a beautiful way. I thoroughly enjoy sharing my story with others in hopes that they can discover the same thing!

I would love to meet the faces I see in church and call them by their names. My friends, through my faith!

- Tina Regina

Mary Lou's Story

I didn't realize how much closer to Jesus I needed to be until I attended the Discovering Christ program at St. Mary's-Stony Hill Church.

I first learned about the program at Sunday Mass. It was an intriguing opportunity -- gather once a month with fellow parishioners to share a meal to learn more about my faith. But I wondered. How much more could I learn? I've been a practicing Catholic all my life. I lector at St. Mary's and have done so at other churches where I grew up. What more could I discover? Yet, something was drawing me to explore this opportunity.

That something was someone -- it was Jesus. He was calling me to explore my personal relationship with him in a much different and deeper way than I had experienced before.

By coming together with other parishioners in an informal setting over a meal, I learned more about what it's like to have a personal relationship with Jesus. Through the videos we watched, songs we sang, prayers we said, meals we shared, and the open, honest conversations we had, together we explored our faith in a deeper, more personal way -- and we had fun! I was so inspired after the first session that I brought my husband with me to the rest of them.

Through the experience I now understand what it means to have Jesus not only be my Lord and Savior, but also my best friend. I talk to Jesus in prayer differently now. I express more gratitude, continue to ask for guidance and strength, and feel a deeper level of faith than I ever have. In turn, I've received many blessings and have seen good things happen in my life since participating in Discovering Christ. That's not a coincidence.

If you have doubts or reservations about participating, let's talk. I'd be happy to share more about how deepening your relationship with Jesus can help you with whatever challenges you face. You'll also have the blessing of St. Mary's parishioners by your side, too.

- Mary Lou Panzano Bujalski

Joe's Story

During my working years, I often thought about attending various parish events and gatherings when they were offered. I never followed through. My excuse was always time restraints due to my family and work responsibilities. Discovering Christ was offered shortly after my retirement from the workplace, and I found I had no excuse for finally committing to it. I had always felt an urge to increase my knowledge of scripture and the teachings of Christ, so this seemed a good time to start. I have always been a very solitary individual so the thought of meeting with a group of strangers was daunting to me. What I quickly discovered was a surprising feeling of calmness and clarity of thought when interacting with others in my group. As we discussed the various topics being presented, I was struck with an urge to make bold and unabashed statements regarding my personal religious beliefs! This felt a bit strange at first, but I quickly learned that many others shared these same beliefs. As each topic was presented, I slowly began to understand what Christ wanted from me personally. I began to feel how He was working within and around me. This feeling began to stick with me more and more and I found myself thinking and acting on them during my daily life. My personal discovery and revelation in Christ would have been unattainable had I not taken the initiative to participate in this wonderful program. My suggestion to anyone who has ever thought about making this commitment and then dismissing it, try it once. I’m certain you will find the same fulfillment and peace of mind that this introvert has discovered in Christ! - Joe Maresca

Diane's Story

When I read about the monthly ChristLife meetings in the church bulletin, I thought that I would sign up for possibly two dates to see what exactly these meetings entailed. After attending the first session, I signed up for all the remaining six sessions

. A short video presentation was informative and thought provoking. I also enjoyed the meal with fellow parishioners, some familiar to me and some that I had just met, even though we have seen each other at Mass. We shared, in small groups, our thoughts that were inspired by the video and how Christ can affect our life and faith growth. I encourage anyone to try a session or two and see how it can impact your life with Christ. It has mine. -

Diane Curran

Jeff’s Story

A year or so ago when a friend from church asked me to participate in the Discovering Christ series, I was very intrigued, but could not make the commitment to once a week, but when they made it once a month – I was ready to sign up. I joined because I liked the idea of a small group setting where I could share my story, and listen to others. I moved to New Jersey in 2007, and was looking to meet more people that I worship with at St. Mary’s.

I knew a lot of faces when attending Church, but now I actually know many of my fellow parishioners. The connections and conversations I had during these monthly gatherings were really special. The video presentations were very beneficial to the program; they really made you think about how you look at your life, and the relationship you have with Christ and the Church. As a man in my 60’s, who has always gone to church, I found that my connection with God needed a “boost”, that I had gotten a little complacent with my religion. The gatherings really encouraged me to put more thought into the words we hear and repeat in our mass.

One of the most important things that changed my life during the program, was how much the Holy Spirit has been part of my life, how it has guided me, and how present it is on a daily basis. I truly discovered the importance of the Holy Spirit, and the significant role it plays in the Trinity. For some reason the Holy Spirit seemed to take a back seat during my religious ed classes growing up! I would encourage anyone who wants to grow and share their faith journey to give this a try….you will not regret it.

-Jeff Allen