Washington Township parish ministry cares for those in need #Catholic – Missy and her family were running a business that was doing so well that they had moved to Morris County in New Jersey. Then, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the business retained its main residential clients, but lost almost all of its commercial clients. “Everything was just changing so fast. I did not handle it mentally, emotionally or spiritually well. I did not have faith. I was still in our world, and I panicked,” Missy, who wished to remain anonymous, said. Last year, Missy finally shared her struggles and received help from the Angels of the Mountain ministry of Our Lady of the Mountain (OLM) Parish in the Long Valley neighborhood of Washington Township, N.J. Carol Novrit, an OLM parishioner, founded and runs the outreach. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. “She [Novrit] was empathetic to everything. She helped me by first coming up with a plan, and then we stabilized. The biggest thing was that she helped with gift cards for food,” Missy said. “When you have a home and a car, you do not ever think that you are going to be in a position to need something. Not only did the ministry help us to get back on our feet, figuring things out, but it helped me to feel like I had value again by finally being able to help other people, too.” Under the banner of “Living the Gospel — Neighbor Helping Neighbor,” the year-old ministry assists people who are in need by offering support services such as referrals and advocacy for community services, friendship, budgeting, housing-related issues, health-related referrals, food, employment assistance, and help with completing applications. All visits, including to clients’ homes, and interactions are managed with respect, dignity, confidentiality, and Catholic spiritual reverence. Missy was available to return the help her family received by helping a woman clean her apartment and, eventually, became a companion to her. Novrit once ran the Human Services Department in Morris County, then proceeded to Sussex County, where she is now retired as the administrator of Health and Human Services. She most enjoyed connecting people with services. People would learn about Novrit’s background and approach her at OLM when they had needs, and she would help them. Then somebody said to her, “You have to start a ministry.” She did so last January, and in 2025, the ministry received the Vivere Christus Award from the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey for its efforts. “Father Marcin [Michałowski, OLM’s pastor], our parishioners, and the Knights of Columbus have been wonderful,” Novrit said. “Recently, they helped with snow shoveling and volunteered to take a parishioner to Church weekly. When we ask for help, they always say, ‘Yes.’” Father Michałowski said, “We are happy that we can help those who are in need — our parishioners, and sometimes non-parishioners. Some people say something, and some people don’t say anything, so we try to reach out to those who come to us and also those who do not come to us. The main focus is, of course, to look at our parishioners, but if we can go beyond the walls of the parish, then we try to do that as well.” For information about the Angels of the Mountain ministry, call Carol Novrit at 908-797-0813.

Missy and her family were running a business that was doing so well that they had moved to Morris County in New Jersey. Then, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the business retained its main residential clients, but lost almost all of its commercial clients.

“Everything was just changing so fast. I did not handle it mentally, emotionally or spiritually well. I did not have faith. I was still in our world, and I panicked,” Missy, who wished to remain anonymous, said.

Last year, Missy finally shared her struggles and received help from the Angels of the Mountain ministry of Our Lady of the Mountain (OLM) Parish in the Long Valley neighborhood of Washington Township, N.J. Carol Novrit, an OLM parishioner, founded and runs the outreach.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

“She [Novrit] was empathetic to everything. She helped me by first coming up with a plan, and then we stabilized. The biggest thing was that she helped with gift cards for food,” Missy said. “When you have a home and a car, you do not ever think that you are going to be in a position to need something. Not only did the ministry help us to get back on our feet, figuring things out, but it helped me to feel like I had value again by finally being able to help other people, too.”

Under the banner of “Living the Gospel — Neighbor Helping Neighbor,” the year-old ministry assists people who are in need by offering support services such as referrals and advocacy for community services, friendship, budgeting, housing-related issues, health-related referrals, food, employment assistance, and help with completing applications. All visits, including to clients’ homes, and interactions are managed with respect, dignity, confidentiality, and Catholic spiritual reverence.

Missy was available to return the help her family received by helping a woman clean her apartment and, eventually, became a companion to her.

Novrit once ran the Human Services Department in Morris County, then proceeded to Sussex County, where she is now retired as the administrator of Health and Human Services. She most enjoyed connecting people with services.

People would learn about Novrit’s background and approach her at OLM when they had needs, and she would help them. Then somebody said to her, “You have to start a ministry.” She did so last January, and in 2025, the ministry received the Vivere Christus Award from the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey for its efforts.

“Father Marcin [Michałowski, OLM’s pastor], our parishioners, and the Knights of Columbus have been wonderful,” Novrit said. “Recently, they helped with snow shoveling and volunteered to take a parishioner to Church weekly. When we ask for help, they always say, ‘Yes.’”

Father Michałowski said, “We are happy that we can help those who are in need — our parishioners, and sometimes non-parishioners. Some people say something, and some people don’t say anything, so we try to reach out to those who come to us and also those who do not come to us. The main focus is, of course, to look at our parishioners, but if we can go beyond the walls of the parish, then we try to do that as well.”

For information about the Angels of the Mountain ministry, call Carol Novrit at 908-797-0813.

Washington Township parish ministry cares for those in need #Catholic –

Missy and her family were running a business that was doing so well that they had moved to Morris County in New Jersey. Then, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the business retained its main residential clients, but lost almost all of its commercial clients.

“Everything was just changing so fast. I did not handle it mentally, emotionally or spiritually well. I did not have faith. I was still in our world, and I panicked,” Missy, who wished to remain anonymous, said.

Last year, Missy finally shared her struggles and received help from the Angels of the Mountain ministry of Our Lady of the Mountain (OLM) Parish in the Long Valley neighborhood of Washington Township, N.J. Carol Novrit, an OLM parishioner, founded and runs the outreach.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

“She [Novrit] was empathetic to everything. She helped me by first coming up with a plan, and then we stabilized. The biggest thing was that she helped with gift cards for food,” Missy said. “When you have a home and a car, you do not ever think that you are going to be in a position to need something. Not only did the ministry help us to get back on our feet, figuring things out, but it helped me to feel like I had value again by finally being able to help other people, too.”

Under the banner of “Living the Gospel — Neighbor Helping Neighbor,” the year-old ministry assists people who are in need by offering support services such as referrals and advocacy for community services, friendship, budgeting, housing-related issues, health-related referrals, food, employment assistance, and help with completing applications. All visits, including to clients’ homes, and interactions are managed with respect, dignity, confidentiality, and Catholic spiritual reverence.

Missy was available to return the help her family received by helping a woman clean her apartment and, eventually, became a companion to her.

Novrit once ran the Human Services Department in Morris County, then proceeded to Sussex County, where she is now retired as the administrator of Health and Human Services. She most enjoyed connecting people with services.

People would learn about Novrit’s background and approach her at OLM when they had needs, and she would help them. Then somebody said to her, “You have to start a ministry.” She did so last January, and in 2025, the ministry received the Vivere Christus Award from the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey for its efforts.

“Father Marcin [Michałowski, OLM’s pastor], our parishioners, and the Knights of Columbus have been wonderful,” Novrit said. “Recently, they helped with snow shoveling and volunteered to take a parishioner to Church weekly. When we ask for help, they always say, ‘Yes.’”

Father Michałowski said, “We are happy that we can help those who are in need — our parishioners, and sometimes non-parishioners. Some people say something, and some people don’t say anything, so we try to reach out to those who come to us and also those who do not come to us. The main focus is, of course, to look at our parishioners, but if we can go beyond the walls of the parish, then we try to do that as well.”

For information about the Angels of the Mountain ministry, call Carol Novrit at 908-797-0813.