Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton: Most Reverend David M. O’Connell, C.M.
Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton: Most Reverend David M. O’Connell, C. M.
Pastor: Reverend Fr. Jeffrey E. Lee
Pastor: Reverend Fr. Jeffrey E. Lee
Pastor Emeritus: Reverend Fr. William J. Bausch
Pastor Emeritus: Reverend Fr. William J. Bausch
Parish Trustees: Annette Raynor & Roger Zurro
Parish Trustees: Annette Raynor & Roger Zurro
July 13, 2025
FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
PARISH OFFICE HOURS
Summer Hours in effect through August 29
Open Monday to Thursday, 9 AM - 2 PM
Closed Fridays & Saturdays
Open one Sunday per month
WEEKEND MASS SCHEDULE
Saturday, July 12: 5 PM Sunday, July 13: 8 AM 10 AM 12 Noon
Saturday, July 12
5 PM
MASS SCHEDULE & INTENTIONS
Saturday, July 12, 2025 - Sunday, July 20, 2025
Janet & Ralph De Biase * Diane Carnevale
Ruth I. Fiedler * Susan & James Gobat
Stephenie E. Gobat * Susan & James Gobat
Sunday, July 13
8 AM
John Gibbons * John & Molly Aiello
Sr. Domenica Troina, MPF * Edwin Sevillano
Ronald D. Johnson * Joyce & Jay Flynn
10 AM
Theodoor & Linda Damen * Janet & Scott Cinfio Family
Margaret & Al Miller * Susan Miller
David Haaf * The Parker Family
Noon
Pro Populo
Robert A. & Mary Joan McNamara * The McNamara Family
Rose Cantatore * Gabbard Family
Monday, July 14
9 AM Chapel
Loving Family Members * Janet Munger
Tuesday, July 15
9 AM Chapel
Joseph D'Errico * Lorraine Lee & Family
Wednesday, July 16
9 AM Chapel
Michael Arbolino * Linda & Brian Kelly & family
Carmel J. Vickers * Frank Maiorano
Teresa Benedicta of the Holy Cross, Virgin and Martyr, 1891-1941
Thursday, July 17
9 AM Chapel
Kathy Morgensen * Anne & Maury Baker
Friday, July 18
9 AM Chapel
John T. Coppola * Jack & Rorie Coppola
Intentions of Sarah Buzzard * Claudia Rizzo
Saturday, July 19
5 PM
Pro Populo
Mary Lou Smith * Barbara Saake
Muriel Lowe * Tom & Peg Parkes
Sunday, July 20
8 AM
DeStefano/Albruno Families * Franceschetti Family
John D. Maggs * Marguerite & Michael Fitzgerald
Anna Pancila * Fredda Family
10 AM
Wendy Moeller * John & Dawn
Lucy Gerrity * The Devine Family
Anna Pancila * The LaPotra Family
Noon
Robert Lo Castro * Richard & Maria Gerbino
Eleanor & Patrick Walsh * Maureen Beyer
MASS INTENTIONS & SANCTUARY LAMPS
Born into the family of a Jewish merchant in Breslau, Germany, in the fall of 1891, Edith Stein was the youngest of 11 children. Losing her father when she was 2 years old, Edith developed a strong love for her mother who kept the family, with seven surviving children, together at the same time she was continuing to run the family business. While she admired her mother’s strong faith, by the time she was a teenager, Edith was an avowed atheist. Read more HERE.
Click below to submit request online:
Request a Sanctuary Lamp ($25 stipend)
Request a Mass Intention ($10 stipend)
Requests may also be submitted in person at the Parish Office during operating hours.
LIFELONG CATECHESIS:
READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday, July 13
De 30:10-14 / Co 1:15-20 / Lu 10:25-37
Monday, July 14
Ex 1:8-14,22 / Mt 5:10
Tuesday July 15
Ex 2:1-15a / Mt 11:20-24
Wednesday July 16
Ex 3:1-6,9-12 / Mt 11:28-30
Thursday July 17
Ex 3:13-20 / Mt 11:25-27
Friday, July 18
Ex 11:10-12:14 / Mt 12:1-8
Saturday, July 19
Ex 12:37-42 / Mt 12:14-21
Ann Romano
Jack Coppola
Kaitlin Donahue Nagle
Nancy Niven
David Niven
Lorraine & Alan Smith
Lori Lettieri
Lauren Vinci
Dawn Reinhardt
Helen Prill
Please, also, keep us updated on your loved one’s
Week of July 13 to July 19
FOR DEEPER REFLECTION
“Go and do the same!”
Question for Children:
Jesus tells us to love today. Name a time when you showed your love for your family or friends during the past week or two.
Question for Youth:
The Samaritan reached out to a stranger and helped him. Who are the strangers who you could reach out and help in the coming week or month? How will you respond?
Question for Adults:
Jesus tells us today to love God, our neighbor and our self. How will you love God this week? How will you love your neighbor this week? How will you love yourself this week?
Patty Kamertz
Rose Walch
Joyce Daniel
Edward Habrack
Jeff McBride
Owen Shoemaker
Peter Vickers
Debby Tanico
Names will be removed from the list after 3 months. Thank you for keeping our Parish informed.
Almighty and eternal God, those who take refuge in you will be glad and forever will shout for joy. Protect these soldiers as they discharge their duties. Protect them with the shield of your strength and keep them safe from all evil and harm. May the power of your love enable them to return home in safety, that with all who love them, they may ever praise you for your loving care. We ask this through Christ our Lord
AMT Colton Boag, USCG
Col. John Anthony Coppola, US Army
TSgt Stephen Witherow, USAF
LCpl Edward Zarzecki, USMC
Lt. Col. Douglas Coppola, US Army
Lt. Mary Herman, USN
SN Christian Houlihan, USN
LT. Jason Joseph Howe, USN
SPC Michael John Mento, US Army
LTJG Matthew Motola, USN
LCpl Bradley O’Ree, USMC
SPC Nicholas Poskonka, US Army
Captain Richard Savo, US Army
1st Lt. Adam Sjoholm, US Army
Captain Ryan Tanguay, US Army
WORSHIP & MUSIC
Andrew J. Macirowski - Pastoral Coordinator for Worship & Music / Principal Organist
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha—Virgin, First Native American Saint
Nine years after the Jesuits Isaac Jogues and Jean de Lelande were tomahawked by Iroquois warriors, a baby girl was born near the place of their martyrdom, Auriesville, New York.
Her mother was a Christian Algonquin, taken captive by the Iroquois and given as wife to the chief of the Mohawk clan, the boldest and fiercest of the Five Nations. When she was four, Tekakwitha lost her parents and little brother in a smallpox epidemic that left her disfigured and half blind. She was adopted by an uncle, who succeeded her father as chief. He hated the coming of the Blackrobes Jesuit missionaries but could do nothing to them because a peace treaty with the French required their presence in villages with Christian captives. She was moved by the words of three Blackrobes who lodged with her uncle, but fear of him kept her from seeking instruction. Tekakwitha refused to marry a Mohawk brave, and at 19 finally got the courage to take the step of converting. She was baptized with the name Kateri Catherine on Easter Sunday.
Now she would be treated as a slave. Because she would not work on Sunday, Kateri received no food that day. She told a missionary that she often meditated on the great dignity of being baptized. She was powerfully moved by God’s love for human beings and saw the dignity of each of her people.
She was always in danger, for her conversion and holy life created great opposition. On the advice of a priest, Kateri stole away one night and began a 200-mile walking journey to a Christian Indian village at Sault St. Louis, near Montreal. For three years she grew in holiness, giving herself totally to God in long hours of prayer, in charity, and in strenuous penance. At 23, Kateri took a vow of virginity, an unprecedented act for an Indian woman whose future depended on being married.
Her dedication to virginity was instinctive: Kateri did not know about religious life for women until she visited Montreal. Inspired by this, she and two friends wanted to start a community, but the local priest dissuaded her. She humbly accepted an “ordinary” life. She practiced extremely severe fasting as penance for the conversion of her nation. Kateri Tekakwitha died the afternoon before Holy Thursday. Witnesses said that her emaciated face changed color and became like that of a healthy child. The lines of suffering, even the pockmarks, disappeared and the touch of a smile came upon her lips. She was beatified in 1980 and canonized in 2012.
Liturgy of the Word Dismissal
Coming Soon also to Noon Mass!
This is the practice of having children, ages 4-12, leave the Sunday assembly during the Liturgy of the Word (readings) and gather in the chapel to engage in the Liturgy of the Word at a level more appropriate to the children’s understanding.
MINISTRY SCHEDULE
Saturday, July 19 & Sunday, July 20
Altar Server Cantor Reader 1 Reader 2 EMHC
Saturday, 7/19 5 PM
Sunday, 7/20 8 AM
Sunday, 7/20 10 AM
Sunday, 7/20
Noon
Jonathan Stubbs NOT FILLED
Marybeth Jacobson Charles Young Jennifer Stubbs
Jack Main NOT FILLED
Diane Dragone Joe Ventura Rita Duenas
Chloe Cullen NOT FILLED Carly York Julia Cullen
Steve Rumbsy
Susan Murphy, Organ Host
Monica Barr, Tabernacle Host
Richard Gerbino, Tabernacle Host
Emily Santangelo, Alternate
Gina Shute, Organ Host
Cindy Ventura, Tabernacle Host
Richard Gerbino, Tabernacle Host
Joyce Flynn, Alternate
Fran Vaina, Organ Host
Maureen Geiger, Tabernacle Host
Amy Orrico, Tabernacle Host
Linda Dickinson-Pancila, Alternate
Ron Gabbard, Organ Host
Fifth
Jack Schatzle Jacob Barasky Carly York NOT FILLED NOT FILLED
Sunday After Pentecost
OLord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
LectionaryPage.net
Dawn Reinhardt, Tabernacle Host
Dolores Lembo, Tabernacle Host
Tom Nathanson, Alternate
OUR PROMISE TO PROTECT
The Diocese of Trenton is committed to the initiatives outlined in the U.S. Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and to its own policies and guidelines in regard to the reporting and investigation of sexual abuse allegations involving minors. If you have been sexually abused as a minor by a member of the clergy or anyone representing the Catholic Church, or if you know of someone who was, you can report that abuse through the diocesan ABUSE HOTLINE: 1-888-2962965 or via e-mail at abuseline@dioceseoftrenton.org.
The Diocese of Trenton reports any allegations of sexual abuse to the appropriate law enforcement agencies. Anyone with an allegation is also encouraged to provide that information to local law enforcement authorities.
Child Protection Efforts
FAITH FORMATION
Julia Cullen — Pastoral Coordinator of Faith Formation / Religious Education
We welcome all RE families to the July VIRTUAL summer RE Blessing Mass this Sunday at 12 PM! We pray for all the children, catechists and assistants who will be journeying together and growing in their faith. Along with our yearly curriculum, the children will be hearing and learning about the Jubilee year and our theme this summer, the Sacraments. The children will take a deep dive into these rituals that were instituted by Christ and are such an important part of our Catholic faith, helping us to grow in holiness.
“Train the young in the way they should go; even when old, they will not swerve from it.” ~ Proverbs 22:6
RELIGIOUS ED LINKS & RESOURCES
CALENDAR
13 July 2025
Opening “Blessing” Mass
For July Summer Intensive children and families Noon in Church
14-25 July 2025
July Summer Intensive (Virtual) Monday to Friday, 9AM to 12PM
27 July 2025
Grandparents Day (Intergenerational Event) Begins at 10AM mass in Church followed by continental breakfast in Madonna Hall CLICK TO REGISTER
3 August 2025
Opening “Blessing” Mass
For August Summer Intensive children and families Noon in Church
4-15 August 2025
August Summer Intensive (On Campus) Monday to Friday, 8:30AM to 12:30PM
Intergenerational
& Descriptions
PASTORAL CARE & OUTREACH
Rosemarie Farrow Pastoral Coordinator of Pastoral Care & Outreach
Periodically, we receive calls from elderly, shut-in, and/ or disabled Parishioners seeking help with some needed tasks such as food shopping, transportation to medical appointments, light cleanup, or just for an hour or so of conversation and companionship. If you feel that you may have the time and interest to share of yourself in this way, please call the Office of
Every week of summer (beginning of June to end of August), receive an email containing a Formed video pertaining to a saint from that week.
• Two options to opt-in to: Adults and Kids
• Each week’s email will include activity suggestions for families to help them apply what they’ve watched, keeping the summer both fun and faith-filled. Click here to get started!
JULY 19 & JULY 20
The Church’s observance of World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, July 27, 2025, is also a time to remember and care for our “spiritual grandparents,” Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., said in announcing the annual collection for retired and elderly priests.
Scheduled in the parishes of the Diocese of Trenton at Masses July 19 and 20, the special collection for the Retired, Elderly and Infirm Priests Fund is a way for the faithful to thank the more than 80 retired priests who have given the witness of their lives of faith, many of whom still continue to offer Masses and share the Sacraments in our parishes.
The Bishop states, “I invite all the clergy and faithful of the Diocese, once again, to show the generosity for which I have come to know you so well by contributing to the fourth annual collection for the priests who truly are our spiritual grandfathers. They, too, deserve our love and gratitude in their twilight years!”
2025 Missionary
The Diocese of Gallup (NM)
At the weekend Masses of July 26 and 27, special collection in support of church annual Missionary Cooperative Program Diocese of Trenton. This year we will have missionary to present the appeal in person ministry and needs. Thank you for your support!
Click here to learn more or donate!
26 & JULY 27
My Dear Parishioners:
Quo vadis...
Today we celebrate The Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Our reflection on this Sunday’s gospel isn’t really setting up an opposition between keeping the law and doing good for others. Probably in our society and Church today we need to become more aware of the value of keeping laws. Our reflection does alert us to the fact that keeping laws alone isn’t enough. All our actions are directed to the good of others and the furthering of God’s kingdom. Keeping laws promotes good order in any community; doing good for others promotes right relationships in those same communities. Law is something external to us, rather easily measured. Mercy and compassion are internal to us and can be measured only in terms of the good we actually do for others. Laws are internalized when they are kept for the sake of others. We are to do as the Samaritan in the parable: let the law of mercy and compassion gain for us eternal life.
This weekend we will welcome those families who are participating in the July Summer Intensive RE Program. Let us keep these families in our prayer as they discover the beauty and richness of our Catholic Faith. There will be a second module during the month of August to accommodate the large number of participants. The July module is conducted virtually; the August module is conducted in person on campus.
The Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne is observed annually on 26 July as prescribed by the Ordo for the liturgy. His Holiness has proclaimed a worldwide celebration of grandparents. It is a time to reflect on the wisdom and lived experience of older
members of the church and society. This year we welcome our Mission Cooperative representative. Our parish has been assigned Father Peter Short from the Diocese of Gallup, New Mexico, which serves seven Native American tribes in New Mexico and Arizona. There will be an opportunity for your financial support of the missionary activity of our Catholic Church
It is never too early to begin thinking about what you might have to share for the Martha Mary Clothing Sale. The ladies will begin to collect and sort these items at the end of August. Look through your wardrobe and locate those items that are now too big for you to wear…consider donating them to this noble cause. The ladies work very hard and the proceeds support women and children's charities.
Welcomeback Father Mike Walsh. It isgood to have you back safe and sound after your trip to Ireland visiting with family and friends. Our Diocese of Trenton has and continues to benefit from the faithful service of many international priests. These men came to our country to serve the Catholic population leaving behind parents and family members. It is important that we continue to support them and acknowledge the sacrifices they make for us.
Later this month is the Annual Collection in support of our Retired Diocesan Priests. I am grateful for your continued effort as we care for those faithful servants of our local church. Please consult the ebulletin for more details.
Have a great week. Let us remember one another in prayer. Happy Sunday. Peace. Father Jeff
Get ready for the Martha Mary Guild’s
CLOTHING
September 4-7 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! DONATIONS WANTED!
Clean Out Your Closets! Drop off between 8/17-8/31 in Madonna Hall. Click for details! Sign Up to Volunteer! Anyone 12+! Get service hours! Click to sign up!
WE NEED YOUR HELP FOR OUR PARISH PHOTO DIRECTORY!
Photos for our Parish Photo Directory will be taken this Fall, and we are in need volunteers to help facilitate scheduling appointments after Mass! Sign up for any Saturday evening or Sunday mass from August 30 through September 28. Also, remember to save the date! Photos will be taken by appointment as follows:
Includes game ticket, hot dog, soda, novelty ice cream and one game ticket for boardwalk
Click to buy tickets!
The People of Texas Need Our Help
By BISHOP DAVID M. O'CONNELL, C.M.
Torrential rains and devastating flash flooding have brought disaster to parts of central Texas, with over 100 people including children at Camp Mystic killed as the search for survivors continues.
I remember as though it were yesterday the catastrophic damage experienced by the people of New Jersey, especially along the Jersey Shore, as a result of Hurricane Sandy when it made landfall on Oct. 29, 2012, leaving over two million households, parishes, churches, schools, hospitals and nursing homes without power. Hurricane Sandy claimed the lives of 38 people in New Jersey and some sources cite even a higher number depending on how indirect fatalities were counted.
Vehicles sit damaged after deadly flooding in Kerrville, Texas, on July 5, 2025. (OSV News photo/Sergio Flores, via Reuters) (Sergio Flores)
With the help of state police, first responders and government agencies, I visited some of our parishes along the Jersey Shore. During one of those visits, I recall celebrating Sunday Mass at St. Rose Church in Belmar with no electricity, joining parishioners in praying for needed relief for families and all those affected by the superstorm in New Jersey.
The Catholic Church in our Diocese responded with incredible generosity along with considerable support offered from dioceses across the United States. What a tremendous witness to the Gospel call to love our neighbors! Once again, the Gospel reminds us to reach out in love, charity and prayer to the victims of a natural disaster, this time in Texas.
At his Angelus message this past Sunday, July 6, our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV prayed for the victims and families of the recent devastating floods in Texas. Speaking in English, Pope Leo XIV expressed his heartfelt condolences “to all the families who have lost loved ones – in particular their daughters who were at summer camp – in the disaster caused by the flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas in the United States. We pray for them.”
As always, Catholic Charities USA was quick to mobilize a response. Here in the Diocese of Trenton, we cannot forget how people – Catholics and otherwise – reached out to us in New Jersey in our time of devastation and need 13 years ago: dozens perished; 346,000 homes damaged or destroyed; entire neighborhoods flooded or swept away; billions in economic losses. Now is the time for us to respond in prayer and generosity to yet another national tragedy. The people of Texas need our help.
Please donate today to Catholics Charities USA (catholiccharitiesusa.org) – all funds will support local recovery. May God be with the people of Texas in their time of devastation and need.
Bishop
O’Connell
OCTOBER 19, 2025
All couples celebrating their 1st, 25th or 50th (or more) anniversary of Catholic marriage
For more information, visit https://dioceseoftrenton.org/bishops-anniversary-blessing
Francis House of Prayer
Trenton Diocesan Spiritual Center and Retreat House 84 Walnford Road, Allentown, NJ 08501 ~ 609-877-0509 or FHOP@verizon.net
OFFERINGS
Please check www.FHOP.org for dates, registration, directions and for our other offerings! All programs will be offered online and in-person unless otherwise indicated.
YOUNG ADULT (Ages 19-30) DINNER & RETREAT—AWARENESS OF GOD’S CALL (In-person only)
Wednesday, July 16 6:30 - 9:00 PM
If you are curious about God’s call, its meaning and ways to become aware, please join us! We will begin with a delicious dinner at 6:30 PM followed by music, animated discussions and prayer together. Donation: $25
PERSONAL RETREAT DAY (In-person only)
Thursday, July 17 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM
Come to Francis House for silence, personal prayer and optional spiritual direction. The day begins and ends with a brief prayer together. Please bring your lunch. Donation: $10; $40 with spiritual direction.
LESSONS FROM THE LITTLE PRINCE
Tuesday, July 22 9:30 AM – Noon
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery is full of precious life lessons. We will discuss together the main lessons which are a major part of living our lives full of love and compassion for one another. Donation: $25
SPIRITUAL DIRECTION INTERN PROGRAM
Francis House offers an intense 3-year Intern Formation Program for those desiring to become Spiritual Directors. This program has four critical aspects: The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola; Ignatian Discernment; Study of the Spiritual Masters and Practicum in the Art and Discipline of giving Spiritual Direction. Time commitment: 2 Thursdays each month, 3 weekends a year, and a 5-day directed retreat. Please contact Sister Marcy (609) 877-0509 before August 1 for further information. Begins in September.