Happy Memorial Day weekend. We remember now those who lost their lives in service to our country. Given the long and rich history of New Jersey, we can reflect on the struggle here for independence as many died in that cause just a few miles from here, and continuing through the many wars, conflicts, and military actions up and until the present. Remembering the past also brings challenges for the present and future as we pray that peace will prevail in our times, and that the conflicts presently raging in Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Sudan, Burundi and elsewhere come to quick, peaceful, and sustainable resolutions. I am sure that many of your families, like my own, have lost relatives to war over the years. Read more.

May seems to be speeding along at a rapid rate with Memorial Day already next weekend. I know the weather hasn’t felt much like Spring, yet, but we are now closer to the Summer Solstice than to the Spring Equinox. Read more.

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. This feast, commemorating the moment when Jesus, forty days after his resurrection, delivered his final instructions to the disciples and ascended to the Right Hand of the Father, propels us to Pentecost Sunday. We are reminded of the commission from Jesus to preach the Gospel and to baptize all nations. Read more.

This weekend we observe the May Crowning at the 11:00 am Mass. This time-honored tradition draws our focus to the intercession of the Blessed Mother in the life of the church, reminding us of her role in salvation history, and in our own spiritual lives. This is a good time to add the Rosary to our daily prayer devotion, and to seek her intercession in our needs. However, it is also a noble thing to take the time to express our gratitude for her presence with us, her on-going intercession, and the inspiration that she is and offers to us and to the church. Read more.

Here we are, the last week of April, a month that seems to have moved very quickly along. May brings a whole new energy to the parish. We are hoping that Spring is in full-swing by then, as April has been a bit chilly and wet. The landscaping companies that we use have been hard at work getting the property well-groomed and ready for the onslaught of flowers and blooms. Read more.

We have been celebrating the First Holy Communion of our parishioners over the past few Sundays, and will be doing so for the next several weeks. It is a joy to celebrate at the parish Mass with them and their families. Let us continue our prayers for them on this important journey in their lives of faith. Read more.

This past Tuesday we were again blessed with the presence of Bishop David O’Connell, C.M., as he celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation for 122 students from our parish and school. The bishop carefully and clearly explained the gifts of the Holy Spirit and challenged the Confirmandi to remain open to their faith and those gifts in their lives. We pray for them and their families as they continue their journey in faith as now fully initiated members of our Catholic community. Read more.

This is Divine Mercy Sunday, a time when we are particularly reminded anew of the reason for the passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. As we reflect today on the forgiveness of our individual sins through the work of the church, at the very instruction of Jesus on the day of his resurrection, we are invited to participate more fully in the life of faith. Please join us for the Divine Mercy prayers and devotions beginning at 3:00 pm on Sunday afternoon. Read more.

The Holy Church rejoices at the resurrection of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ: Resurrexit Sicut Dixit! Alleluia!

A most Blessed Holy Week to everyone. This weekend we begin our walk with Jesus along the path to Mount Calvary and the gruesome events of Good Friday. As we bless the palms which will grace our homes, we do so as a reminder of how quickly our faith can become, as these palms will quickly become, discolored and hardened. Let us make this walk, not just out of a sense of duty, but out of a real desire to follow the Lord on his path, with the full confidence that he walks with us on our path. Read more.

We have been blessed with many visitors to the Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit, yet there remains plenty of time this week to stop in and take a walk through the presentation. It is very well done and very interesting and spiritually enriching. Read more.

Happy Laetare Sunday! Marked by the rose colored vestments and the slightly more festive celebration, we know that our Lenten journey has now passed the midway mark. This means that there is still plenty of time to strengthen your Lenten resolve or perhaps take up a new path of penance. Read more.

Happy March! I am writing this before the first so I am not sure if the month has come in like a lamb or a lion. Since Easter Sunday is the 31st of the month, we are all hoping that the month goes out like a lamb. Read more.

The Second Sunday of Lent always draws our focus to the Transfiguration of the Lord. This stands as a reminder of the paradox of the Cross. Jesus, the Incarnate Son, dies so that he might be raised from the dead and take his seat at the Right Hand of the Father. The Transfiguration connects Jesus to the history of salvation (Moses and Elijah) and the promise of salvation to come through his own paschal sacrifice. Read more.

A most blessed Lent to everyone. The Lenten Season is our gift each year that enables us to prepare properly for the Easter Celebrations. However, Lent also provides us the opportunity to transform our lives through acts of prayer, charity, and penance. We all have those bad habits, vices, and shortcomings that we need to overcome. In Lent we can take one of those and consciously work to overcome it, perhaps even replacing it with a virtue instead. It isn’t easy, but then personal growth is meant to be a challenge. This is the only way it takes root. Read more.

Today many of us are swept up in the annual Super Bowl activities and are rooting either for the Chiefs or Forty-niners (or neither), and still others are wondering how many glimpses of Taylor Swift we will get during the game. It should prove to be an enjoyable day. Don’t forget to support the SBS Drama Club and purchase desserts for the day at their annual bake sale. Read more.

As we enter February our schedule of events in the parish really kicks off in a big way. This weekend we are hearing from Deacon Steve Scott who is speaking about the small group initiatives around the Eucharistic Revival. Also this weekend we are offering the Blessing of throats under the intercession of Saint Blaise. Read more.

Hopefully the bitter cold is behind us and the promise of spring comes early. This week we do indeed hit the midpoint of Winter -- February 2 -- as we observe the Solemnity of the Presentation of the Lord. At that Mass (Friday 9am) we will bless all of the candles that are used for Masses in the coming year. Read more.

It sure feels like winter out there these past few days. All things considered, it is nice to see snow, especially as we had no significant snow over the past two winters. I recall that several years ago when Father JM was speaking with his then three-year old niece in the Philippines she asked him what snow felt like. He told her to “go to the kitchen, open the freezer, put your hand inside, and leave it there.” I think that was great advice. When it’s 14o outside, even the freezer is warmer! Read more.

With the Christmas Season over and all of the lights and decorations stowed, the darkness and starkness of winter has finally set in. We are now on that road to Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten Season in just a few weeks time. Ash Wednesday is, as you heard chanted in Epiphany Chant of Moveable Feasts, on February 14th. As there is a popular secular holiday celebrated that day (based on the legends around another saint of the church) you should consider making those Valentine plans on a date other than the 14th as it is a day of fasting and abstinence. Read more.