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Today is the formal inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican City. We join our prayers with the church throughout the world for his health, his wisdom, his courage, his safety, and for the guidance and consolation of the Holy Spirit upon him and those whom he chooses to serve as his collaborators in the Petrine ministry. Yes, all of us were a bit surprised that the Cardinals would elect a White Sox fan and Villanova graduate to the papacy, but the Holy Spirit does does seem to have a sense of humor. The few people I know who have known the now Pope Leo during their seminary days with the Augustinians are universally effusive in their praise for his intelligence, personal integrity, commitment to justice, and his sense of humor. Pope Leo said that he chose the name to reflect the significance of the last Pope, Leo (XIII) who issued the monumental encyclical Rerum Novarum, in 1891. In that seminal document, Pope Leo began the development of Catholic social teaching reflecting the challenges of the late industrial revolution. This was the time in history when concerns for the rights of workers to decent working conditions, hourly wages, and days of vacation and rest sparked the labor union movement. The pope then spoke out courageously demanding that workers received just compensation and had the right to form unions. He also gavea clear condemnation of child labor and their exploitation in the industrial age. Read more.

As I write this letter, we are just hours away from the first vote of the conclave, so I am not able to intelligently address any of the issues around the election of the 267th pope in the life of the church. Read more.

I am writing this letter from the pilgrimage in Paris, though I will be back in the parish by the time you read this letter anyway. This morning the bishop and priests on the pilgrimage concelebrated Mass at the recently restored Cathedral-Basilica of Notre Dame. Having been there previously, it is simply amazing the work they have done — and continue to do — in restoring the landmark from the fire of 2019. The cathedral masonry is bright, the artwork restored, and the appointments are beautiful. Although, the more modern altar of sacrifice and the presidential chairs perhaps do not fit into the thirteenth century so well. Read more.

The church throughout the world is saddened by the unexpected passing of our beloved Holy Father, Francis. While his health had been deteriorating steadily since the middle of February, we are still shocked by the suddenness of his demise. Read more.

ALLELUIA! It has been a while since we have been able to chant that glorious Hebrew word meaning “Praise God!” and so here we are, Easter Sunday. Read more.

Our Lenten journey now reaches its climactic end as we today enter with Jesus in triumph to the Holy City, with us all knowing the starkness of the week ahead. Read more.

Happy April! Things here are beginning to look more like Spring, which is always a good thing. You might have noticed that a new playground set has been installed in the school yard next to the church. The previous one was no longer meeting the safety protocols and was removed over the summer. We have also done some other improvements and upgrades to the playground equipment so that the children have a nice, safe yard in which to play. We have other plans for the summer, including the installation of new basketball hoops in the back lot. More on these projects later. Read more.

As we come to the first week of April, our hope for some consistent spring weather resounds along with the sound of the baseball bats and the appearance of the robins nesting onour property. Read more.

This Sunday at 2:30 pm we will celebrate our Lenten Penance Service. There will be some visiting priests here to hear confessions. There is no service, so confessions are heard on a walk-in basis. Please try to arrive before 3:30 pm. There are other opportunities for confession during Lent at the neighboring parishes as well. St. Catharine in Holmdel has their confessions on Thursday, April 10th, beginning at 7:00 pm. Read more.

Finally, it looks like the hope of Spring looms in front of us! Wasn’t it wonderful not to wear a winter coat this past week -- indeed even no coat at all?! Read more.

The First Sunday of Lent draws our attention to the temptations of Jesus in the desert following his baptism. Our Lenten journey can be easily distracted through many small temptations that come our way, and even from lack of attentiveness. While the journey has just begun, much like the New Year’s resolutions that we make each year, we can fall into old habits very easily. Fortunately, Lent is a time when we can pick back up and go forward. Read more.

This Wednesday we begin our 40-day Lenten journey. This provides us the opportunity to grow deeper in our faith, and to practice the disciplines of Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Read more.

It certainly has been an interesting winter. We are reaching new levels of cold that we haven’t seen in a long while. While it’s been good -- and especially that we have gotten some ground freeze, it is time to bring on the spring!Daylight Savings Time is only two weeks hence. Read more.

It does seem a bit strange this year that by now we are still not in the Lenten Season, but with Easter on April 20th, we still have two weeks to go before Ash Wednesday. That makes this time of the year seem somewhat slow with not much going on. Read more.

The Groundhog saw his shadow last weekend and we paid the price this past week as Winter does not seem to want to break its hold on us. Perhaps the very late Easter (April 20th) adds to the feeling that Spring is far away. Read more.

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. This means that we are forty days from Christmas and have reached the midpoint of winter. Many ancient cultures have observed this day in particular ways as they noticed that the transit of the sun through the sky quickens and days get longer more quickly. This is a reason for the celebration of Groundhog Day today. Read more.

We have not had a winter like this in quite a few years and, although it can be disheartening to leave home with temperatures well below freezing, it is also a bit refreshing! Read more.

This weekend affords us the opportunity to reflect on the great privileges and responsibilities that we all share as citizens and as residents of the United States. Tomorrow we will witness the swearing-in of a new president, yet one who has previously held that office. This is a peculiarity witnessed only once before in our history, the only president born in New Jersey, Grover Cleveland. At a time of great division in our country, we pray for healing and a positive vision for the future; with the uncertainty of global conflicts, we pray for peace; with the devastation we see in California caused by wildfires, and those who in North Carolina are still suffering from the hurricane last summer, we pray for their safety and security, and that they have the resources necessary to rebuild their lives and provide for their families. Read more.

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This is a good time for each of us to reflect on the meaning of our own baptism. Pope Francis has on several occasions challenged everyone to note the day of their baptism and to celebrate it as they would their birthday. Sadly, when asked, most Catholics do not know the day of their baptism (October 6th for me, by the way). It might be a fun thing to do as a family today. Look at baptism pictures and remember the moment when we became children of God and members of the Body of Christ. Read more.

Unfortunately the deadlines for printing the bulletins around the holidays make it so that I am actually writing this letter before Christmas. This means that I have no real clear updates and that I cannot really talk about the Christmas season and holiday, leaving this a more generic note.