Worship & Music

Andrew J. Macirowski - Pastoral Coordinator for Worship & Music / Principal Organist

Worship@stmaryscoltsneck.org

Music@stmaryscoltsneck.org

Easter is a season. As such, there is much opportunity for repeated musical selections to add to the unified feel of the season. Conversely, much like Christmas carols, there are an abundance of Easter hymns appropriate to the season! So it is here that we enter into a dilemma: do we keep repeating certain hymns and songs or do we take advantage of the rich repertoire of Easter hymns?

Why not both? For the octave day of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday), you may have noticed a repeat of some of the hymns. As we progress through the season, we will use a very well known hymn for several weeks, “Hail Thee Festival Day”, appropriate for the season of Easter, as well as Ascension and Pentecost, as a common processional hymn. Other hymns throughout the Mass change weekly.

There is also the wealth of proper music prescribed for this season. Every day of the week and every Sunday has its own antiphons for the the Entrance, Offertory, and Communion, some of which we use at different times, in keeping both with the tradition of the Universal Church and for some variety in the liturgy.

Many have approached our music staff and volunteers to offer their thanks for the beautiful music at the Holy Week and Easter liturgies. If you are interested in joining, please contact us for more information.

Saint of the Week:

Damien, Priest, 1840-1889

Joseph De Veuster was born in Belgium in January 1840. As a boy, Joseph worked on his father’s farm where he learned not only farming skills but carpentry and, from his devout mother, a love for God. All of this knowledge would be put to good use in his later life.

At the age of eighteen, Joseph followed his brother, Pamphile, into the Sacred Heart order. At first thought not to have enough education to study for the priesthood, the young man was designated a brother of the order. At this time he took the name, Damien. So eager was he to become a priest like his brother, Damien persuaded Pamphile to teach him Latin. Read more HERE.

“Easter Duty”

The Catholic Church requires of us as baptized Catholics to observe the following:

The obligation, the privilege really, of receiving the Eucharist at least once a year often called “Easter duty” for those in the state of grace should still be fulfilled during the period from the First Sunday of Lent, February 26, 2023 to Trinity Sunday, June 4, 2023. However, the Church’s law does permit this precept to be fulfilled at another time during the year when there is a just cause.

Ministry Schedule: Fourth Sunday of Easter April 29 and 30

Saturday 4PM Servers Needed Bridget Farrow Jennifer Stubbs Charles Young

Sunday 8AM

Alexander Lennon (sub req) Sophia Lennon (sub req)

Sunday 10AM

Carly York Annette Raynor Kevin Swan

OH-Louise Habrack

TH-Susan Murphy

TH-Irene Weller

ALT-Martha Cowles

OH-Gina Shute

TH-Joseph Flanagan

TH-Mary Aiello

ALT-Lisa Aldridge

Sunday 12PM

Gabriella Penczak Chloe Cullen

Jack Schatzle Jimmy Schatzle

Carly York Julia Cullen Carl Simone

OH-Carol Donahue

TH-Winifred O’Doherty

TH-Amy Orrico

ALT-Gregory Calderaro

OH-Monica Barr

Carly York Dolores Lembo T Mullin

Speak with a Priest

 Struggling with a life event and in need of spiritual assistance?

 Want to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance outside the normal Confession times?

 Trying to find your way back to engagement with the Church?

 Discerning vocation?

 Looking to complete your Sacraments of Initiation and wish to chat about the journey?

St Mary is offering the opportunity for parishioners to chat with a priest who is only indirectly engaged with the parish. If interested please contact Fr Mike Walsh by phone 732-780-2666 x205 or email frmike.walsh@stmaryscoltsneck.org

TH– Minister Needed

TH-Minister Needed

ALT-Elvira Dapul

Liturgy of the Word Dismissal

This is the practice of having children, ages 4-12, leave the Sunday assembly during the Liturgy of the Word (readings) and gather in a separate environment to engage in the Liturgy of the Word at a level more appropriate to the children’s understanding. Join us every Sunday at the 10am mass

Sacrament Of Baptism

Parents wishing to baptize their children must be registered parishioners of St Mary Parish.

Please contact the Parish Office at 732-780-2666 x329 at least 3 months in advance of the desired date for baptism. More information can be read HERE.

Faith Formation

Our annual EASTER EGG HUNT was a success! Thanks to all who joined or helped out! It was truly a community effort…

Julia CullenPastoral Coordinator of Faith Formation / Religion Education

ReligiousEd@stmaryscoltsneck.org 732-780-2666 X 309

Rose FarrowCoordinator of Faith Formation / Youth & Adult Catechesis

YouthRE@stmaryscoltsneck.org

Faith Formation Calendar

30 April 2023

Spring Movie Day

INTERGENERATIONAL

Beginning at the 12pm mass, Following in the Spiritual Center Theater

RSVP below

30 April 2023

8the Grade Confirmation Interviews

3pm Spiritual Center

See page 7 for more info

6 May 2023

May Day Crowning & Fist Communion Lottery

3pm Madonna Hall

Followed by 4pm mass in the church RSVP below for May Day

Early Fall Religious Education Registration/Re-Registration is opened for Grades 1-8

Classes are first come, first serve and will be closed when capacity is met.

Gr. 1 & 2 on campus-Tuesdays 4:50-6pm Gr. 3-6 live virtual-Tue 4:30pm or Wed 4:30pm Gr. 7 & 8 Sun 5pm virtual or Mon 4:15pm on campus

Register Here

8th Grade Confirmation Interviews

Sunday, April 30, 2023

Please, report to the Spiritual Center at your assigned time based on last name. ALL Confirmation paperwork is due at this time.

Email YouthRE@stmaryscoltsneck.org with any questions or concerns.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS:

-Any 7th or 8th grader who was unable to attend the April 15 Service Project must attend the Blessing Bag event at the Co-cathedral of St. Robert Bellarmine on Saturday, May 20 at 10:00 am. Attendance will be taken.

-Soap sack Collection will launch on Sunday, July 16 and run through Monday, August 7

Confirmation Prep Service Project

The Blessing Bag Brigade

Congratulations to the 7th & 8th grade Confirmation Prep class! Blessing Bag Brigade service project was a great success. Thank you to all the parishioners who donated items and all the parent volunteers who helped make the morning a success. The project yielded 378 complete Blessing Bags as well as extra supply donations that went forward to the Blessing Bag Brigade’s next project.

Walking with Purpose News

Calling all women of the parish- please join us for our May/ June Bible study: ‘Reclaiming Friendship.’ Our sessions will be held on Thursdays, May 11 through June 15 from 10:00 am to 11-11:30 am. It is a great way to explore the Bible in a small group setting, and to meet new people too. This six week study is a very good way to ‘ test the waters’ to see if a WWP study is the right fit for you. We welcome all of our returning participants as well as anyone who is new to WWP.

We look forward to seeing you on May 11! Bring a friend! Online registrations will be available in the next couple of weeks. For further information, please contact Anne Baker at anne.t.baker@gmail.com

MARTHA MARY GUILD CLOTHING SALE WE NEED YOU!

The Martha Mary Guild is hoping to bring back the popular Clothing Sale in September. However, much help is needed! Ladies of the parish, please consider giving an hour or two of your time to help sort (Aug.21-25 & 28-31) and sell (Sept. 7,8,9). Our youth (12 & older) are a tremendous help and can gain community service hours. Kindly contact the parish office before May 15. We can't do it without you!! Thank you.

P.S. One more caller is needed to notify ladies about upcoming meetings. Call Kathy at 732946-8631 or Ellen at 732-946-2671. Won't you please consider doing this!?!

My Dear Parishioners:

This coming weekend we celebrate the Third Sunday of Easter. Jesus was busy on his resurrection day! No wonder the early Church from the very beginning chose the first day of the week for breaking bread— celebrating Eucharist. This is why, for us, Eucharist—“breaking of bread”—is so pivotal; here we encounter the risen Jesus, share in his meal, and become ourselves the risen presence for others. Here we engage the dying and rising that is the pattern of our everyday living. Here we promise to allow our own bodies to be broken so that others might have new life.

We continue our journey through the liturgical season of Easter. The music and environment for our liturgy reflect this reality. We maintain the seasonal music and mass part settings. The Easter Season is a time when the Universal Church celebrates in a very deliberate way the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.

Take a look at the upcoming events scheduled in our parish community. This June we will host a Theology on Tap event. Previously scheduled for June 2020 it was postponed due to the pandemic restrictions. I am pleased to announce that we will host this event on Tuesday, 13 June 2023 in the evening at The Source Brewery on Route 34 in Colts Neck. His Excellency, The Most Reverend Bishop of Trenton, David M. O’Connell, CM will be the feature presenter of the evening. There will be limited space. Registrations will be accepted online first come, first served. More details to be published in the coming weeks. Make time to participate in this informative community building opportunity.

I would like to acknowledge and thank the Colts Neck Township Committee and Board of Public Health of the improvements made to the retention basin located along Cedar Drive. These retention basins are an important part of managing storm and runoff water that enters the streams in town. They have been still water and have been a source among others for insect breeding especially mosquitos. The recent installation of water features puts air into the water and keeps the water moving to significantly reduce mosquito breeding. Already I heard some grumbling among our residents about wasting money etc.… I replied that this improvement was not a mere aesthetic improvement but a public health improvement and that reply came as a surprise. I more recently learned that this project was generously underwritten by a private donor. Thanks to all involved in this important project protecting our environment and strengthening our quality of life.

We will publish the final tally for our 2023 Easter Collection in the coming weeks. Please make your gift as soon as possible using the Easter Envelope that has been mailed to all of our registered parishioners listed in our parish census. Have a great week. Let us remember one another in prayer. Peace. Father Jeff