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Pope Francis has sent a letter to the People of God on August 20, 2018, in the wake of the findings of the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report. Here is the Vatican-provided text. "Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis to the People of God." Click on the title above to read.

In the world of church ministry there are some, but frankly not many, great career opportunities that come along. Most of ministry involves either parish work in religious education, or youth ministry, or faith formation or perhaps coordinating various ministries within the parish. There are chaplain and pastoral counseling positions in hospitals, colleges and schools, and many end up teaching – as I did – in Catholic high schools or colleges. The salaries aren’t always great, and usually the demands for advanced degrees can make the balance difficult to justify either the education or the workload. The primary focus always has to be the passion for sharing the faith. Before that, of course, one must be passionate about living the faith. As the business of running or conducting ministry takes over one’s life, burnout is a consistent problem. Read more.

This week is the beginning of the mass exodus of college students. We had our college blessing a couple of weeks ago, if anyone missed that and would like to receive a blessing before heading off, please present yourself to either Father JM or myself after Mass or at the parish office during the week. Read more.

Have we hit the dog days of summer yet? Coming off of two unsettled weeks of weather it looks like the next heat wave is ahead. That’s a good way to kick off the traditional vacation month. Here is to hoping that everyone has a chance to enjoy some downtime over the next few weeks. Read more.

This past week we had the last week of the Summer Religious Education Academy. This summer 393 students will have attended religious education classes for the year. Although the bulk of the hard work is already done, they are still required to attend family days throughout the year. Read more.

I guess the summer has gone by more quickly than I thought as this is the last weekend that seminarian, Chris Ziegler, is with us. He has had, I hope, a busy and good summer, he has felt welcomed and, importantly, has learned a great deal from his involvement here. This week he is on retreat with the rest of the seminarians of our diocese at the Loyola House of Retreats in Morristown. Please remember to pray for all of them as they continue their discernment towards ordination.

The summer season is well underway and each of us has settled into the routines that we enjoy this time of the year. For some that might mean an extended vacation, for others an opportunity to get to the shore, and for others the many outdoor activities that living here affords. Whatever your routine, some element of fun and relaxation are, hopefully, a part of the mix. Read more.

Happy Feast Day! Although the actual feast is Wednesday (11th) we are celebrating it here today as we have the right to transfer the feast of our patron to the preceding or closest Sunday. I know we have not done this in years past, but our liturgical committee felt that since we could we should. It is good way to learn more about and appreciate the intercession of our patron. Read more.

While many people look at the Fourth of July and utter “summer is half over” it’s really just begun. There is plenty of summer ahead of us. I hope everyone has some time to relax, refresh, and enjoy. Read more.

This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. There are only three birthdays celebrated by the Church in the Liturgical calendar: John the Baptist (June 24th); Mary (September 8th) and Jesus (December 25th). These three, integral to the plan of salvation, were each born without Original Sin. It is for that reason that we celebrate their births as liturgical solemnities. The Nativity of St. John the Baptist is so important to the life of the church that, as with this weekend, it supersedes the Sunday of Ordinary Time. Read more.

In response to certain challenges that have been before the Supreme Court to the integrity of the religious freedom as secured by the First Amendment to the US Constitution, the USCCB inaugurated the Fortnight for Religious Freedom several years ago, now called Religious Freedom Week. While some are hopeful that a recent Supreme Court decision a few weeks ago securing the rights of a Colorado baker would bring some resolution to these challenges, that case does not establish any precedent. I encourage all of you to be alert to various challenges to our freedoms – not only our religious freedom, but our basic rights to privacy, freedom of speech, and freedom to exercise our conscience. The national dialogue on these matters – indeed the international dialogue as well – is at times very disconcerting. We need to be vigilant, intercede with our congressional representatives and state legislators, and persevere in prayer. When we vote for state and federal officials, we need to be mindful of the whole package and work towards the clarification of our rights and freedoms. The national prayer is observed from June 22nd – 29th. Read more.

First off, Father Michael DeSaye was humbled and honored by the presence of so many at his First Mass here last Sunday, and he is grateful for the prayers, support, and generosity of so many of you. It was an honor to have him here and I hope to have him back before he begins his ministry at St. Joan of Arc, Marlton. Read more.

This weekend at the 9:30 a.m. Mass we welcome newly ordained Father Michael DeSaye as he celebrates his First Mass with us, along with his family (parents Greg and Debbie; brother Christopher; sister Marie and her husband, Doug; and sister Kathleen) and friends. We are honored and blessed to have them with us for this great celebration. Please join us for a light reception and First Blessings after the 9:30 a.m. Mass. Father DeSaye has been assigned as parochial vicar at St. Joan of Arc in Marlton. Read more.

As mentioned previously newly ordained Father Michael DeSaye will celebrate his First Mass here on Sunday at the 9:30 a.m. Mass. While many concelebrants, seminarians, and family members will be present, this is also an ordinary Sunday Mass – for the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ (Corpus Christi) and as such, all parishioners are invited to attend. It is an honor and a privilege for our parish to celebrate a First Mass of a newly ordained priest, and we are happy to have Father Michael DeSaye celebrate with us. Father is assigned as parochial vicar of St. Joan of Arc in Marlton (Burlington County) effective on July 1st. Read more.

Another school year is winding down. We welcome home for the summer the members of our parish who have returned for summer break and congratulate those who have been graduated from institutions of higher learning this past Spring. We will be celebrating your return shortly, and invite all those of college age to our annual Coffee House on June 7th. Check the bulletin for further details. Read more.

Finally some wonderful spring weather! We have come to the final weekend of the First Holy Communions for our parish. I am, as ever, grateful to Mrs. Contino, Mr. Santucci, Mrs. Cesario, and a host of catechists who work so hard and diligently to prepare our students for the reception of this great Sacrament. Let us pray now that they continue to grow in their regular reception of the Eucharist. Read more.

On Saturday evening May 19th at 5:00 p.m., we will begin celebrating Pentecost with Praise and Worship and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by a presentation given by Rev. Monsignor Eugene Rebeck, Pastor Emeritus of St. Catharine Church in Holmdel. Confessions will follow and then the Mass will be at 7:00 p.m. (Last week I said 8:00 p.m., but we reconsidered that). This is an ancient (though new to us) and prayerful way to welcome the Holy Spirit among us. I look forward to it and hope to see many of you there. Read more.

Greetings from aboard the Splendid sailing in the waters of the Croatian Adriatic Sea. I must say that while I have heard it’s beautiful here, it really is beautiful here. After arriving in Zagreb we went to visit the Marian Shrine at Medjugorje in BosniaHerzegovina. It is an interesting place. It is Tuesday afternoon here and we’ve been sailing since Thursday. I’ve been to the birthplace of Marco Polo (well one of them anyway) to a town that celebrates St. Blase as their patron as he saved the town from destruction centuries ago, and to the reputed birth city of St. Jerome. Thursday we disembark and drive through Slovenia to Venice and then to Milan. I will be home Monday night. The weather has been absolutely amazing. Read more.

One of the obligations of a pastor is to make sure that the parish receives an annual statement of financial accounts. In the fall we published details in the bulletin, though a straight ledger format doesn’t necessarily make sense to everyone. Hence, a more detailed use of presentation with more visuals – graphs and pie charts – seems to be more in order. Read more.