Discipleship ministry at St. Joseph’s lovingly carries Christ’s message

The Disciples of Christ Mission ministry group meets every Saturday at 10 a.m. in the parish center of St. Joseph Parish, 454 Germantown Road, in West Milford.

The purpose and mission are clear and succinct: The Disciples of Christ is a non-profit Catholic ministry that seeks to help and lead all people to Jesus Christ, who gives us salvation. Our main focus is raising up disciples for Jesus, performing acts of charity, and raising money for the needy in our community, according to the Disciples of Christ Mission website (disciplesofchristmission.org).

“The mission of the parish is the mission of the Church, and the mission of the Church is Jesus Christ,” says Ron Bakalian. He has been a parishioner at St. Joseph’s for almost two years and introduced the Disciples of Christ Mission ministry to the parish. He also is an electrician by trade who volunteers his services to help the parish. “The purpose of the Disciples of Christ Mission group is to lead all to Christ Jesus, which is the Church. Jesus says he is the head of the Church, and we are all the body parts. As a disciple of Christ, if I want to lead someone to Jesus, the way to do it would be to lead them to the Church because Jesus is in the Blessed Sacrament. He’s in the tabernacle.”

The St. Joseph’s Disciples of Christ Mission ministry has offered events at the parish. Rather than a Halloween gathering, in October, Bakalian and his group hosted an All Saints gathering. No ghouls or goblins were permitted, but Saints and angels, yes.

“There was a whole group of angels and saints, and for the children, we had the ‘Best Dressed,’ who would get first, second, and third place prizes,” Bakalian said. “All of the proceeds go to the church — everything.”

The Disciples of Christ Mission also now hosts a hospitality get-together the last weekend of the month.

“After every Mass — the 5 p.m. Mass on Saturday, and the 8 a.m., 10 a.m., and 12 p.m. Masses on Sunday — we have coffee and cake and serve the parishioners. We’ll purchase all the cake and coffee, and whatever the donation, it goes right to the church,” said Bakalian. “We have many ideas, and we’re going to keep growing. I think the real objective is for this to happen just not in this parish, but for this to happen in every parish.”

And the worth and love of the group will head beyond the parish doors. For the future, the Disciples of Christ’s Mission hope to visit local hospitals and their lobbies, hand out free rosary beads and offer prayers for the sick, hospitalized, and their families.

“The ability to offer support, even to the loved one,” said Bakalian. “Maybe their heart is breaking, so we’ll offer support to them. The whole point of discipleship is to have some structure of support every which way that you can, just as Jesus did.”

Father Jakub Grzybowski has been Administrator at St. Joseph’s Parish since 2019.

“The Disciples of Christ group is not an extraordinary group of people,” he said. “They are very simple, humble, and faithful individuals who do the special mission which each one as a Catholic Christian and a follower of Christ is supposed to do. I see by myself a lot of different people who are searching and looking for extraordinary experiences in their spiritual life. And they’re searching here, there, and everywhere for signs of an emotional spiritual experience, an extraordinary experience. Meanwhile, we all have it available very, very close.”

“I tell my group, ‘You know what the mission is,’” said Bakalian. “You must look for the opportunity. I put all of my faith in Jesus; my life is in his hands. I ask him to guide me daily and give me my purpose.”