Be On Time For Mass and Don’t Leave Early
Please make every effort to arrive at least five minutes before the beginning of Mass. If you are not able to be present in time to be seated for the readings from the Word of God, then it might be better to plan to attend the next or earlier available Mass on that day.
If we rush in just in time for Communion, then we will not have truly experienced the transforming sacrifice of Jesus. We will not have been completely nourished by the Lord’s Word and his Body. If we who love Him had been there on the day He died, would we have been late?
Please do not leave the Church before the Celebrant (priest). The Mass ends officially when the priest leaves the Church. Even then, it is usually advised you sit or kneel in silent prayer of thanksgiving or simply gaze at Jesus in the Tabernacle, smile at Him and just be joyful.
God loves you!
Statement of the New Jersey Bishops
Reinstating the General Obligation to Attend Mass
The Pastor's Pen
Anguish, not Anger
07-18-2021Fr. Matthew R. Paratore, S.T.L., J.C.L.In the twentieth century Will Rogers was known for his laughter, but he also knew how to weep. One day he was entertaining at the Milton H. Berry Institute in Los Angeles, a hospital that specialized in rehabilitating polio victims and people with broken backs and other extreme physical handicaps. Of course, Rogers had everybody laughing, even patients in really bad condition; but then he suddenly left the platform and went to the restroom. Milton Berry followed him to give him a towel; and when he opened the door, he saw Will Rogers leaning against the wall, sobbing like a child.
READ MOREEveryday Stewardship
Rest a While
07-18-2021"He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." Mark 6:31
Do you spend time, every day, alone and in silence listening to how God is calling you? If not, you are missing out on a wonderful opportunity to develop a more personal relationship with Him. Unless we talk and more importantly, listen to God every day, how else will we know how He is calling us? Consider making a retreat this year, spend some "alone" time with God.
READ MOREGospel Meditation
God is Here. All is Good.
07-18-2021© LPiThere’s an ordinary pine grove located on a tree farm not too far from town where life’s stresses and demands seem to melt away. It is here that all that seemed so important out there no longer is and one can get lost in the rows of trees and majestic beauty. God is here and all is good. We need to connect with the Divine Source of all that is in order to understand what it is we are doing and why we are doing it. Otherwise, things stop making sense and bitterness can overcome one’s spirit. It’s okay to play once in a while and to discover that place of profound life and peace. People always have needs and there is constantly something to do. And while all of that is necessary and we are needed, there is also that inner solitude within that needs to be celebrated and released.
READ MORESunday Mass & Holy Day Obligation
It is both a precept of the Church and Church law that Catholics must worship God on Sunday and Holy Days of Obligation by participating in the Holy Mass. This follows from the fact that in the Mass it is Christ Himself who worships the Father, joining our worship to His. In no other way is it possible to adequately give thanks (eucharistia) to God for the blessings of creation, redemption and our sanctification than by uniting our offerings to that of Jesus Christ Himself.
