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Summer certainly began in beautiful fashion this past Memorial Day Weekend. I hope everyone had a chance to enjoy the weekend. It feels really good to have things back to normal now that all of the pandemic protocols are ended. Read more.

Happy Memorial Day weekend -- the “unofficial” beginning of the summer -- and all of that. Of course, and with far greater importance, this weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost -- the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples and the birth of the church. Read more.

It has been a very challenging and difficult week here for the SBS and SJV communities as we deal with the tragic passing of Lauren Hewski, SBS ‘19. Our prayers for her parents, Dennis and Kim, as well as our continued support for them are of prime importance now and in the days ahead. Read more.

Let us begin this weekend by shouting: “Happy Mother’s Day” to all of the wonderful women of our parish who are celebrating and being celebrated today. Today is always a great reminder of the importance of the women role models -- especially our Mothers, Grandmothers, Great Grandmothers -- who shared and spent so much of their lives with and for us. I will get to Pennsylvania later today to see my Mother, who recently turned 90, and celebrate Mother’s Day with her. Read more.

One of the beautiful and long-standing traditions in the church is the annual May crowning celebrations. The school students held their May crowning on Friday after the school Mass, and this weekend after the 11am Sunday Mass we will, hopefully, process outside for the parish event. Please join us in praying and celebrating. Certainly this month our private devotions to the Blessed Mother should highlight prayers for peace throughout the world. Read more.

Hard to believe that May begins Monday, meaning that another school year is coming quickly to an end and summer is just around the corner. May always proves to be a busy month around the parish. Read more.

April seems to be flying by, here we are already on the third Sunday of Easter. It has been a rough season with the allergies for everyone I meet -- certainly Father AL and I are both sneezing more than we would like. Yet, the beauty of the spring flowers offsets the inconvenience of a little congestion. Read more.

A most blessed Divine Mercy Sunday to one and all! This more recent observance, introduced to the Church for the Sunday within the Octave of Easter by Pope St. John Paul II, calls us to appreciate and celebrate more specifically the hope and promise of God’s mercy in our lives. Specifically through the lens of the visions and diary of St. Faustina Kowalska, Divine Mercy focuses on the fulfillment made to St. Margaret Mary Aloqoque in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Read more.

This week is the week we walk the journey together with Jesus from triumph to the tomb. Our focus has shifted now to the intensity of the shortest liturgical season of the year: the Triduum, where we focus intently on the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Read more.

It is always an awe-inspiring day to see our confirmandi lined up in their red robes being sealed with the sacred chrism and receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit. While way too many of them -- and to be honest even one is too many -- will fall from the practice of the faith, it is still our firm belief that the Holy Spirit works in and through us to achieve God’s plan for us. It can just take a long time for some. Let us continue our prayers for them. Read more.

This Thursday we welcome Monsignor Joseph Rosie, Vicar for Monmouth County and Pastor of St. James Parish in Red Bank, who will administer the Sacrament of Confirmation to the 115 members of our parish and school community who are now prepared to receive the sacrament, We congratulate them, but mostly we must pray for them. Too many young people leave the church -- even if only for a time -- after their Confirmation. This is especially risky as they head off to college where they all too easily find the opportunity to abandon the practice of their faith. While a number of them will find their way back, for most this is a long and arduous journey. I certainly encourage those of you with teenagers to model and promote the practice of the faith with and for them. Read more.

This weekend we are happy to welcome Bishop David O’Connell, C.M to our parish. As a successor to the Apostles and the chief shepherd of the Diocese of Trenton, the presence of the Bishop with us is a reminder of our connection to the church as a whole. As Catholics we are truly universal — we are in communion with one another through our common profession of faith, celebration of the sacraments, and apostolic succession. Read more.

Our Lenten journey is off to a good start. Hopefully you will be able to take advantage of some of the opportunities offered this season. Read more.

Finally the long shortest month of the year comes to a close this week, and the hope of Spring seems imminent. As we enter the Lenten Season it is a good time for us to take some time and assess where we are in the journey of our lives of faith. Each one of us could do a bit more than we are in the spiritual life. Read more.

Our Lenten journey begins on Wednesday as we observe Ash Wednesday. Please check the bulletin for details on the many services we will offer throughout the day. Although we celebrate Mass only at 9am, there are ample opportunities to receive ashes throughout the day. Read more.

World Marriage Sunday is a time for us all to reflect on the uniquely sacramental nature of marriage. While our parish seems to be bucking the national trends on marriages -- we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of marriages and convalidations over the past five years -- we all know that there is still some serious work to do. This weekend we offer a blessing to all of our married couples. For those of you who are celebrating special anniversaries this year, the bishop will celebrate a Mass for married couples sometime in the fall, usually October. Stay tuned for further details. Read more.

This coming Saturday, February 11th, we are hosting a diocesan gathering for Special Ministers of Holy Communion with a special emphasis on at-home and health care ministries. We begin with Mass at 9:00 am and then move on to some break-out sessions. Anyone involved in or interested in such ministries, are most welcome and encouraged to attend. Check the Diocese of Trenton website for information. Register atdioceseoftrenton.org/EMreflection. Read more.

This week we celebrate Catholic Schools Week. This annual celebration of the value and success of Catholic Schools certainly reminds many of us, myself included, of the wonderful (and perhaps not so wonderful) times we had in our various Catholic School experiences. Sadly both of the Catholic grammar schools I attended are now closed (St. Francis of Assisi, Allentown, PA and St. John the Baptist, Stiles, PA). But my HS alma mater, Allentown Central Catholic High School, is still doing very well. Read more.

As we reflect this week on the sanctity of human life my mind is working in two very distinct directions. First, of course, is the issue of abortion as it continues to divide our country, evoking strong emotions and responses on all sides of this issue. As this weekend (22nd) we note the fiftieth anniversary of the Roe v Wade decision that legalized abortion in all fifty states, we also note the reversal of that decision last summer in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The controversy remains, and many states, including our own, have taken abortion rights further than ever before. We continue our diligent prayers and support for the protection of all life, from conception until natural death. Monday is the observance of Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. Read more.