PARSIPPANY It is considered the best selling book of all time, but for Catholics, the Bible is more than a best seller. So to mark National Bible Week, St. Peter the Apostle Parish here hosted a family Bible Study and created a unique display room featuring St. Paul and the story of his conversion on the road to Damascus. The parish also answered the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ invitation to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Second Vatican Council and “Lumen Gentium,” the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church.
The week-long event was based on the theme “The Bible: A Book for the Family,” building on this year’s Synod of Bishops on the Family and Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families this past September. Father Yojaneider Gracia Ramirez, parochial vicar, and Deacon Bob Lang led the events.
“National Bible Week proved to be an excellent opportunity for both Bible beginners and parishioners who participate regularly in parish Bible Study Programs conducted by Father Yojaneider and Deacon Bob all during the year,” said Msgr. Herbert Tillyer, pastor. “Parishioners said they experienced the Bible in a very engaging and spiritual light through our National Bible week programs.”
During the celebration, 20 members who regularly attend Bible study at St. Peter’s visited 10 parish families. Msgr. Tillyer said, “These 100 families opened their homes for friends and neighbors to join them in praying and sharing their love for the Holy Bible under Father Yojaneider’s direction.”
Deacon Lang also offered two evening Bible Week presentations for all interested parishioners to learn more about the Bible and incorporating it into their everyday lives.
To highlight the event, the parish created a display, which presented a museum-style atmosphere at St. Peter’s as it retold the story of St. Paul the road to Damascus in which he experienced a life-changing encounter with Jesus. The “museum” featured the artistic talents of Spanish-speaking parishioners at St. Peter’s, who created drawings and statue of St. Paul. The display featured seven stations, which were about St. Paul, his conversion story, a video about the saint, his scrolls and letters, seven words with the basic message of St. Paul and a world map with where St. Paul traveled as a missionary after turning his life over to Jesus Christ.
Father Ramirez said, “We used this theme because the events that happened on the road to Damascus relate not only to the apostle Paul, whose dramatic conversion occurred there, but they also provide a clear picture of the conversion of all people. While some have an extraordinarily dramatic conversion known as a Damascus Road experience, the conversion of all believers follows a similar pattern of Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus.”
In addition to parishioners at St. Peter’s, the parish also welcomed students from All Saints Academy, which serves all three Parsippany parishes, and children of St. Peter’s religious education program as well as people from nearby St. Ann’s and St. Christopher’s in Parsippany. The parish also sold inexpensive copies of the Bible, which many people took the opportunity to purchase to have in their homes.
“Each visitor was able to take a scroll with verses from the letters by St. Paul home with them to continue learning about the Bible,” said Father Ramirez.
Because of the positive response, the parish hopes to continue this tradition next year for National Bible Week.
Msgr. Tillyer said, “We offer special thanks to Father Yojaneider and Deacon Bob for planning several National Bible Week experiences for everyone.”