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As we enter the so-called “Dog Days of August” we are ramping up for the beginning of a new school year here at SBS. We have received approval from Holmdel Township to install modular classrooms to house two classes of PreK-3 students. This will be located between the first and second wings of the school. We still have spots available in all of the grades 1 – 8 if you, or anyone you know, is still considering Catholic education. Please make contact with the school office to schedule a tour. Read more.

This weekend we celebrate the first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. I must confess that I found this to be a bit of an unusual arrangement. I discovered, after speaking with several other people and a few priests, that I am not alone in this quandary. I appreciate what Pope Francis is trying to do. I just wonder about the optics and reality of it all. I understand Grandparents, - I had four wonderful Grandparents myself and after my paternal Grandfather passed away my Grandmother married another generous and wonderful man. As a celibate male I also know that I will never be a grandparent, and I am perfectly okay with that. I freely acknowledge that I am even a rather mediocre uncle and even less than mediocre great-uncle. I am all good with celebrating Grandparents. Likewise, I am happy to celebrate the elderly. I just don’t know who they are or how to define it. Read more.

At the Mass last weekend Bishop O’Connell blessed and dedicated the icon of St. Benedict that hangs prominently in the front of the church. The Bishop was very happy to be with us and commented on how friendly and welcoming that you all were after Mass. Read more.

Today we celebrate the 245th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the very beginnings of our democratic republican form of government. When we consider the monumental global political shift that our founding fathers inaugurated on this continent all those years ago we are reminded of the sacrifice and yet the hope in the midst of struggle that brought those revolutionary ideas to paper. We must be ever-mindful to work towards the protection and advancement of our “inalienable rights” enshrined in those founding documents, remembering that it is foremost God, who in gifting us with free will, insured and defined our existence and the fundamental principles of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” However you celebrate, a most blessed Independence Day to all. Read more.

Saying “good-bye” is certainly not easy, but it stands as a necessary part of life, and certainly a routine in the life of priests. This week Father JM takes his leave from us and embarks on his ministry as parochial vicar of St. Joan of Arc Parish in Marlton. He arrived here five years ago as a newly ordained priest, and has certainly made a positive impact on our parish community and, in a special way, with the students in our school as well as at St. John Vianney High School. I have enjoyed our collaboration and will certainly miss working with him. Read more.

Beginning this week the Bishops of the US have asked us to observe Religious Freedom Solidarity Week. In short, the issue at hand is stated thus by the USCCB: “Solidarity means much more than engaging in sporadic acts of generosity. It means thinking and acting in terms of community” (Fratelli tutti, 116). Read more.

School is out for summer! Congratulations to Mr. Donahue, Mrs. Keeling, and the entire faculty and staff of SBS for a successful school year amidst all of the challenges that the year presented. We are all most grateful for their hard work and all of their dedication to our students. They are now on a much deserved and well-earned summer vacation. Read more.

This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi – the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. We are reminded of the centrality of the Eucharist in our lives, making this the perfect weekend for the bishops to have removed the dispensation to attend Mass on Sunday and Holy days of Obligation. We welcome back those of you whom we haven’t seen in a long while, and for those of you still unable to come out for one reason or another, we continue our prayer with and for you during these challenging times. Read more.

It feels like we have just come to the end of a long and challenging nightmare – well, maybe that’s overstated, but finally this weekend we are able to enter the church without ribbons on the pews marking social distancing and, as we are comfortable, not mandated to wear a mask. Read more.

Happy Pentecost Sunday! Hard to believe that it is already fifty days since we celebrated Easter Sunday, but here we are, the last day of the Easter Season. This weekend we welcome into full communion five members of our parish community who are receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. It is most fitting that on this day when we commemorate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles that we would celebrate this Sacrament. Let us continue in our prayers for them, and for all who seek a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and his church. Read more.

It is with great joy that we welcome Deacon Paul Remick to our parish this weekend. Yes, Paul has been a parishioner here for many years, but on Saturday morning his life changed forever when, through the laying on of hands and the reception of the Gospel Paul was raised to the Order of Deacon by Bishop O’Connell. While only a limited number of guests were permitted to attend the Mass at the Cathedral in Trenton, hopefully many of you were able to view it through the livestream on the Diocese of Trenton website https://www.youtube.com/trentondiocese. It is archived there if you would like to witness this blessed event. We celebrate with Paul and his wife, Ellen, and their family and are happy to have Paul sharing his ministry in our parish. Read more.

As you likely have already learned, Father JM is being transferred to become parochial vicar at St. Joan of Arc Parish in Marlton. After five years of newly ordained service to our parish, it is time for Father JM to move to another assignment where he will gain exposure to a different pastor and parish setting, so as to prepare him for his eventually becoming a pastor. As much as I have enjoyed his collaboration and friendship over these past five years it is certainly in his best interest and development to broaden his horizons with new parish experiences. Read more.

What a beautiful Spring weekend! Welcome to May, the month when we celebrate our Mothers, and most especially the Blessed Mother. With some sense of a return to normal celebrations the school will hold the May crowning this coming Friday, May 7th. We take this opportunity to thank the Blessed Mother for her intercession and protection on our behalf during this time of pandemic, and pray that we will continue to be blessed in the days and months ahead. Read more.

Good Shepherd Sunday – a time for us to think and reflect first on Jesus as the Good Shepherd, the sinless one, who laid down his life for us. This is a beautiful image and one that, even as we are generally unfamiliar with the peculiarities of the lives of shepherds, does nonetheless offer us a very serene and gentle image of Jesus. Read more.

A great feeling is in the air as spring is moving forward and the property is starting to come alive. Of course, for those of us with seasonal allergies this is a mixed blessing, but a blessing nonetheless. Read more.

Our parish last weekend – Easter weekend to be precise – was more alive and abustle than at any time since the lockdown of March 2020. It was awesome seeing so many “old” faces back in the church, many of whom had not been here for a very long time. It almost felt like things were back to normal – almost. Read more.

In the midst of the trials and challenges of the world around us, we as Catholics and Christians live in the “sure and certain hope” of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. That is our defining belief – and the grace that sustains us during these most uncertain times. Read more.

It might seem like the Lenten Season has passed quickly, certainly I feel like it did. We now enter into the most sacred time of the year – the Easter Triduum. Due to the various restrictions still in place for churches we will need to exact great care and prudence, but after Christmas and Ash Wednesday, we seem well poised to do so. Read more.

The Fifth Sunday of Lent is our entry now into the deepest part of the Lenten Season. Our focus on the cross becomes clearer as we prepare for the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem with Passion/Palm Sunday next week. Let us take this opportunity to prepare ourselves well for the Triduum. Read more.

Spring is on the horizon! The weather this past week was a wonderful taste or perhaps tease for Spring, and with the thawing of the snow we were finally able to put the Lenten crosses on Bethany Road and to install the outdoor Stations of the Cross. If you go to the Lent page of the website the audio prayers for the Stations can be found there. Please feel free to come and drive through the property and pray the Stations of the Cross. We continue with the public prayer of the Stations on Wednesday evening at 5:30 pm in the church, followed by the speaker. Read more.