It has been so good to see you back at Mass. At this time we still have a restriction of 100 people at each Mass. so if you have been thinking about coming back, but have not done so yet ... PLEASE DO! You may reserve your spot on our parish website. It you are not comfortable with reserving online, please call the parish office and we can do it for you.

Dear Parishioners,
I am pleased to inform you that Reverend Mr. Gustavo Rodriguez-Perez, who is serving in our parish, has been called by the Most Reverend James F. Checchio, Bishop of Metuchen, to the Order of Priesthood.
He will be ordained a priest on Saturday, August 22, 2020. We are grateful to God for the gift of Deacon Gustavo to our parish and our Diocese!
Please keep Deacon Gustavo in your prayers as he prepares for his Ordination and begins his ministry among us as a Priest of Jesus Christ!

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Jerome Johnson,
Pastor

Dear Parishioners,

It has been so good to see you back at Mass on the weekend! At this time we still have a restriction of 100 people at each Mass. As of this last weekend we still have room at each Mass, so if you have been thinking about coming back but have not done so yet…. PLEASE DO! You may reserve your spot on our parish website. If you are not comfortable with reserving online, please call the parish office and we can do it for you. I know some of you are hesitant to return but please know we have taken every precaution possible to protect all our parishioners …from requiring everyone to wear masks to hand sanitizer to social distancing in pews to limiting the amount of singing to distributing Holy Communion as you leave Mass a pew at a time to disinfecting the entire church after every Mass. It IS safe to come back and we would love to see you!

Dear Parishioners,

We received good news that inside numbers can increase immediately to 100, so that is reflected on the sign ups on our website for weekends only: reopen.church/r/IoxBeHPr.

• Weekday Mass continues daily at 12:15pm in the church and no reservation is needed.
• Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Fri from 10:00-11:30am in the church, excluding Friday's when there is a funeral.
• In car confession Sat: 12:30pm
• Sat Vigil: 4:00pm, Sun: 8:00am, 10:00am, and 12:00pm (12:00pm includes distribution of Communion outside after Mass as well.). Masses will also be live streamed and available to watch on demand.

The office is now open Monday-Friday 10:00am-2:00pm. You must wear a mask and be socially distanced.

Dear Parishioners,

It has been so good to see you back at Mass on the weekend! At this time we still have a restriction of 100 people at each Mass. As of this last weekend we still have room at each Mass, so if you have been thinking about coming back but have not done so yet…. PLEASE DO! You may reserve your spot on our parish website. If you are not comfortable with reserving online, please call the parish office and we can do it for you. I know some of you are hesitant to return but please know we have taken every precaution possible to protect all our parishioners …from requiring everyone to wear masks to hand sanitizer to social distancing in pews to limiting the amount of singing to distributing Holy Communion as you leave Mass a pew at a time to disinfecting the entire church after every Mass. It IS safe to come back and we would love to see you!

Dear Parishioners,

We received good news that inside numbers can increase immediately to 100, so that is reflected on the sign ups on our website for weekends only: reopen.church/r/IoxBeHPr.

• Weekday Mass continues daily at 12:15pm in the church and no reservation is needed.
• Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Fri from 10:00-11:30am in the church, excluding Friday's when there is a funeral.
• In car confession Sat: 12:30pm
• Sat Vigil: 4:00pm, Sun: 8:00am, 10:00am, and 12:00pm (12:00pm includes distribution of Communion outside after Mass as well.). Masses will also be live streamed and available to watch on demand.

The office is now open Monday-Friday 10:00am-2:00pm. You must wear a mask and be socially distanced.

Dear Parishioners,

Starting Friday, June 12, 2020, the restoration of Masses with a congregation will begin. Please check our website for the latest details as they are changing constantly.

Weekday Masses will be celebrated at 12:15pm and will be limited to 25 people. Weekend Masses will be celebrated Saturday, at 4:00pm, Sunday, at 10:00am* and 12:00pm. They will be limited to 90 people, sitting socially distant as state guidelines demand. Restrooms will NOT be available.

Dear Parishioners,

The restoration of Masses with a congregation will be a phased approach and will begin on June 12, with a maximum of 25 available seats at 12:15pm. Weekend liturgies will begin on June 13/14 (The Feast of Corpus Christi) with 90 available seats with Mass at 4:00pm on Saturday, 10:00am and 12:00pm on Sunday. At the 12:00pm Sunday Mass, we will still offer distribution of Communion in the lot in a specific section. This schedule will be evaluated as we progress. Limited capacity and 6 feet physical distancing and the wearing of masks in the church will be practiced.

Dear Parishioners,

Starting this Sunday, May 24, we will distribute Communion in the parking lot after the 12:00pm live-streamed Mass. The Mass will still be live-streamed from the church, so that you may view or listen to it on your personal device in your car. In time, we hope to transmi over FM radio for those who may not have a smartphone. The Mass will be celebrated in its entirety then Holy Communion will be distributed in cars as they drive by the distribution station in front of the main entrance of the church. You may only park in the designated spaces. After the lot is filled it will be closed. Please bear with us, as these are unchartered waters. We will continue streaming our normal schedule: 4:00pm Vigil, 10:30am and 12:00pm.

My Dearly Beloved in Christ,

“In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways.. In these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son.” Hebrews 1:1-2

With deep joy and gratitude, I extend to you all...both parishioners and visitors alike, my prayerful best wishes for a holy and blessed Christmas! During this Advent Season, it was my prayer that each of us would find opportunities to reflect on our own faith and relationship with the Lord and His Church. Whatever it is that our hearts and souls desire, whether we realize it or not, our ultimate desire is Jesus Himself. For this reason, we are filled with joy and consolation at Christmas to know that all that we hoped for has been fulfilled in the person of the Christ Child.

Dear Parishioners,

Inevitably, Ash Wednesday will be a very crowded day in our church. People will no doubt come to “get ashes.” Despite the fact that the day is not a holy day of obligation in which we are required to attend Mass—psst, please don’t tell anyone!—people will be here throughout the day looking for those ashes. Sometimes, they will even come to the rectory door at all odd hours because they don’t want to be without those blessed ashes.

Dear Parishioners,

We are back to the time of the Church year that is known as Ordinary Time. Sounds so boring to our fast-paced society, doesn’t it? Many people seek the spectacular (entertainment), the exciting (vacations, travel), that which stands out and draws attention to ourselves (hairstyles, fashion, tattoos, piercings) anything not quite so mundane.

Some have asked ‘Why do we pray the Prayer to St. Michal before Sunday Mass?’ Pope Francis has suggested Parishes around the world pray this very powerful prayer together for good reason. We live in a time of abundant confusion and controversy. Politics, the Church, society (in general), all seem to be taking sides and settling into one camp or another. Is this just a matter of changing times or is there something greater behind it all? Something cosmic perhaps? As we see obvious manifestations of heroic good and extreme evil in the world, do we wonder about an ultimate cause or origin of it all?

Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into light.

I came upon those words of Helen Keller the other morning. As a priest, they profoundly moved me because I think about various people I know whose worlds have been shattered because of illness, setbacks, tragedies, and sorrow. I think of the worlds that have been shattered because of the fires in California, the ongoing challenge and divisions that exist in our world.