Due to a high volume of people from our Parish and the
Community, who wish to commemorate friends or deceased relatives, we are
starting a new Project in conjunction with the Claret Community Center. The Project
will be called: “The Commemorative Brick Fundraising Project.” This Project is
an effort to complete the improvements of the Claret Community Center, a
building which is part of Our Lady of Fatima Church, located at 348 Smith
Street, Perth Amboy, New Jersey, about half a block away from our Parish.
The Claret Community Center was an apartment building and
was transformed into a temporary chapel and parish hall, where religious
instruction, liturgical and service ministries converged. It was closed many
years ago and this left our Parish and its ministries negotiating for space in
our Parish Gym.
In spite of these challenges, it has made our congregation
stronger and more united. The parishioners continued to increase along with our
Sunday collections. Our Pastor, Rev. Albert M. Ruiz, CMF, had the vision of this
great opportunity to bring back the Claret Community Center to its heyday. One
can imagine how difficult is has been for 6 choirs, 20 ministries including a
religious education program with over 400 students, a basketball team, food
pantry, prayer groups, retreats, worship committees and more trying to find
suitable space.
The remodeling of this Center will offer the resources that
support faith formation for all of our children and their families in our Community
and will provide for our present facility needs and allow for future ministerial
programs.
The Engraved Commemorative Bricks will be beautifully displayed
forever in The Commemorative Garden, named in honor of our Pastor, Rev. Alberto
M. Ruiz, CMF, for dedicating his life to God and had the vision of the
renovation of the Claret Community Center.