Happy Easter from the Pastor

Dear Parish Family,

On behalf of my staff and the clergy of the parish, I want to extend to you and your families a happy and blessed Easter season.

The reason of our faith, our Lord Jesus Christ, is risen today. Alleluia! Alleluia! Let us rejoice together as a parish family, a renew our faith.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who commit every day to make our parish vibrant and joyful. My time among you has been challenging, but with your help we have had many accomplishments. I can see myself as a different priest and a different person in a positive way.

With joy and sadness at the same time, I would like to announce that I have an opportunity to continue my education. Therefore, I will be leaving the parish to take another position where I will be a Parochial Vicar and no longer a pastor. This will give me the time to focus on my pastoral work as well as my studies. I will provide more details over the next few weeks as everything is confirmed.

You will remain in my heart and in my prayers, as I hope I will remain in yours.

In Christ Resurrected,

Fr. Fernando
Pastor

Saints by the Sea Youth Group News

The Saints by the Sea Youth Group would like to thank all of you who helped with our Diaper Drive. Due to your overwhelming generosity, we were able to collect over 6,000 diapers and over 75 packages of wipes. Many Monmouth County families will be helped with these donations. Thank you!

2019 Diocese of Trenton Blue Mass

The 20th annual Mass and Celebration of Law Enforcement, also known as the Blue Mass, sponsored by the Diocese of Trenton for law enforcement personnel

of all faiths who live or serve in Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean Counties will be held on April 30, 10:30 a.m. in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton.

The event is offered to build support, and show visible appreciation for the efforts of law enforcement in keeping the public safe, and to ask God to protect them in this critical work. The Mass also offers an opportunity for the law enforcement community to honor and pray for fallen officers and their families.

A luncheon donation of $20 per person is requested. Immediate families of law enforcement personnel are included at no cost. For further information, call Anna at 609-403-7199 or visit www.bluemass.org.

Former Abortionist Dr. Levatino at Virginia Tech University

Check out this video about Former Abortionist Dr. Levatino explains the horrors of abortion while speaking at Virginia Tech. It’s worth the watch!

About Students for Life of America

Students for Life of America (SFLA) is one of the nation's most active pro-life organizations and the largest youth pro-life organization. We are the only national pro-life organization dedicated to training and equipping college, high school, medical, and law school students. Our approach is uniquely effective, and the methods we have developed are a combination of time-tested techniques and cutting-edge technology.

Entering the desert of Lent 2019: These 40 Days

Dear: Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

During the days and weeks of penance that lie ahead -- from Ash Wednesday, March 6, 2019 until Holy Thursday, April 18, 2019 -- the Catholic Church throughout the world commemorates the penitential season of Lent. The model Jesus gave us for “these forty days” was his own experience in the desert and the temptations that followed him there where he encountered Satan face to face. And yet, Jesus, there in the desert -- alone, fasting and in intense prayer -- beat back the devil and triumphed over temptation, as strong and as unrelenting as it was throughout those forty days.

We enter the desert of Lent like Jesus, led by the Holy Spirit, to face our devils, our temptations head on. But we are not alone. The Lord Jesus Christ is with us. And so, too, is the Church, the entire community of faith observing Lent. Here is what the Catholic Church in the United States requires of us as baptized Catholics:

The days of FASTING (only one full meal) are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. No dispensations are granted on these solemn days except for reason of sickness or those provided in canon law below.

All other are Fridays of Lent are days of ABSTINENCE (no meat).

Those between the ages of 18 and 59 are obliged to FAST (only one full meal) as above. From the age of 14, people are also obliged to ABSTAIN (no meat: this obligation prohibits the eating of meat, but not eggs, milk products or condiments of any kind, even though made from animal fat).

The obligation to observe the laws of fast and abstinence is a serious one for Catholics. Failure to observe one penitential day in itself is not considered a serious sin. It is the failure to observe any penitential days at all, or a substantial number of penitential days, that must be considered serious.

The obligation, the privilege really, of receiving the Eucharist at least once a year --- often called “Easter duty” -- for those in the state of grace should still be fulfilled during the period from the First Sunday of Lent, March 9th-10th to Trinity Sunday, June 15th-16th. However, the Church’s law does permit this precept to be fulfilled at another time during the year when there is a just cause.

I want to encourage Catholics to go to confession and to make use of the sacrifices and traditions that have always been part of our Lenten practices in the Church.

We do, indeed, fast and pray with the Lord Jesus and with our fellow Catholics. May this Lent be a time of penance leading to grace and joy for us all at Easter.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend David M. O’Connell, C.M.
Bishop of Trenton

Journey through Lent - A Lenten Journey

Dear Parishioners,

We are called find and nurture a personal relationship with Christ and to deepen our faith, come closer to Christ, and to bring Christ to others. The Pope has spoken often of the “new evangelization” and bringing back to the Church those who have strayed. But it starts within each of us.

We at the parish may be new to the idea of small groups. We are ready to begin a new small group series called Journey through Lent. This is a six week program that will help us deepen our observance of Lent. If you have ever found yourself wanting to do something special for Lent but not know what it is, this program may be the answer. Giving up sweets is great. But how do we achieve spiritual growth this Lent in an intentional way?

This is how Journey through Lent comes in. This is a chance to do something about what we hear about every year. This is a chance to revive in our hearts the true spirit of the season of Lent- the spirit of anticipating, expecting, longing for, the Resurrection of Jesus. This is a chance to share our faith in a comfortable situation so that we can be prepared to be part of the “new evangelization” and speak about our faith, as our Pope says, to our places of work, our families, and friends. For some, this is a daunting thought. Yet, we are called to do it! It is up to each of us.

The groups meet on Sunday afternoon and Wednesday evenings. We will meet for six weeks beginning the week of March 10. Each session is ninety minutes in length. Each session will contain prayer and scripture, faith sharing and an invitation to put our faith into action. The materials are free.

I invite you to say yes to God. Sign-up sheets will be available in the Bulletin. Please return them before March 6th. Groups begin the week of March 10. If you have any questions, please call me at Deacon Somma at 908-433-4741.

Look forward to sharing with you and have a great Lent!

Father Lopez
Deacon Johnson
Deacon Somma

Sad news about Bishop Emeritus John M. Smith

Diocesan family gathers in prayer to remember Bishop Emeritus John M. Smith

Faithful from throughout the Diocese of Trenton and beyond gathered Jan. 25 and 26 to bid farewell to Bishop Emeritus John M. Smith in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton. Bishop Smith, 83, passed away after a long illness in Morris Hall Meadows, Lawrenceville, the morning of Jan. 22.

A Rite of Reception of the Body was held in the afternoon, Jan. 25. Later that same day, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., was principal celebrant of a Mass of Jesus Christ the Eternal High Priest at 7 p.m. Msgr. Lewis Papera, a priest of the Newark Archdiocese and longtime friend of Bishop Smith, served as homilist.

On Jan. 26, hundreds of people gathered for the Mass of Christian Burial, with Bishop O’Connell serving as principal celebrant. More than 100 priests concelebrated the Mass, which was also attended by visiting bishops from around the Province of Newark and beyond, and deacons and seminarians from the Diocese of Trenton. Msgr. Joseph Rosie, pastor of St. Paul Parish, Princeton, and former priest secretary serving under Bishop Smith, was the homilist. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of the Archdiocese of Newark conducted the Final Commendation.

In his column for The Monitor , Bishop O’Connell reflected on the life Bishop Smith, writing:

The passing of Bishop Emeritus John M. Smith at the age of 83 leaves an empty place in the Diocese he served as bishop for 13 years. The local Church he loved to call the “Great Diocese of Trenton” mourns the death of this “great” priest and bishop.

He will be fondly remembered for his great sense of humor and engaging personality, witnessed so often during his tenure and pastoral ministry throughout the Diocese’s four counties. He fittingly chose as his episcopal motto “Serve the Lord with Gladness” from Psalm 100.

You can read Bishop O’Connell’s full remembrance on Bishop Smith here.

The Monitor has also compiled a profile of Bishop Smith and the pastoral work he performed throughout his time as a priest and bishop. To read this article, click here.

For news and photographic coverage by The Monitor of the Funeral Rites for Bishop Smith, click here.

Early coverage of Bishop Smith’s death was published in the Jan. 24 print edition of The Monitor. A full coverage package will follow in the Feb. 7 issue.