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
NOVEMBER 23, 2025
SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING
DAILY MASS SCHEDULE
STARTING 1 DECEMBER 2025
PARISH OF ST. MARY, Colts Neck
9AM: Mondays, Tuesdays & Wednesdays
PARISH OF ST. CATHARINE, Holmdel
9AM: Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT Abbreviated Mass Schedule Saturday, Nov. 29 4 PM Sunday, Nov. 30 10 AM
MASS SCHEDULE & INTENTIONS
Saturday, November 22, 2025 - Sunday, November 30, 2025
Saturday, November 22
4 PM
Catherine Bowdish * Barbara Saake
Veronica Grabowski * The Grabowski Family
Carmella & Larry Sarapochillo* Sarapochillo Family
Sunday, November 23
8 AM
Helen & John Sionas * Eileen and Michael Stivala, Jr.
Mona Fitzpatrick * Geraldine & Eddy Henderson
Raymond Czarnecki * Nancy Czarnecki
10 AM
Carl Simone * Francine & Joseph Corcoran
Philomena Iacono * Catherine
S. Lee Ruslander * The Collins Sackstein Family
12 Noon
Pro Populo
Loving Family Members * Janet Munger
Deceased members of the Ambrosio Family * The Gruenling Family
Monday, November 24
9 AM Chapel
Anita Stutz * Jane Slattery
Paola Gerbino * Pina Valenti
Tuesday, November 25
9 AM Chapel
Mary Jo Scibetta * Mom - Ann Marie Dayton
Edna & Wright Poinsett & decesaed members of the Poinsett Family * Susan & Gil Levine
Wednesday, November 26
9 AM Chapel
Diane Anderson * Millie Kovacs
Andrew Lotano * Rosemary Lotano
Thursday, November 27
9 AM Chapel
Loving Family Members * Janet Munger
Angie & Anthony Sapoto * Pat & Ross
Friday, November 28
9 AM Chapel
Barbara Bischoff * Jean & Chet Galloway
Andrew Lotano * Salvatore Perry & Family
Saturday, November 29
4 PM
Veronica Grabowski * Janet Munger
Annibale Cappelleri * Cappelleri Family
Carl Simone * Barbara Saake
Sunday, November 30
10 AM
Pro Populo
DeStefano/Albruno Families * Franceschetti Family
Edith & Richard Gold * The Garito Family
SCHEDULE 2025 & 2026
MASS INTENTIONS & SANCTUARY LAMPS
Consider requesting a Mass Intentions or Sanctuary Lamp for all occasions (birthdays, anniversaries, sickness, etc.) for a loved one, deceased or living.
Click below to submit requests online for 2025 & 2026 dates:
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.
Please pray for the following members of our parish community who are ill:
Joe Brando
Lori Lettieri
Edward Habrack
Father William Bausch
To add or remove a family member
LIFELONG CATECHESIS: Week
READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Sunday, November 23
2 Samuel 5:1-3 /Colossians 1:12-20 / Luke 23:35 43
Monday, November 24
Daniel 1:1-6,8-20 / Luke 21:1-4
Tuesday, November 25
Daniel 2:31-45 / Luke 21:5-11
Wednesday, November 26
Daniel 5:1-6,13-17,23-38/ Luke 21:12-19
Thursday, November 27 (Thanksgiving Day)
Sirach 50:22-24 / 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 / Luke 17:11-19
Friday, November 28
Daniel 7:2-14 / Luke 21:29-33
Saturday, November 29
Daniel 7:15-27 / Luke 21:34-36
Please pray for our Military & First Responders
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
of November 23 to 29
FOR DEEPER REFLECTION
The day of the Lord is a day of hope and joy.
Question for Children:
Jesus teaches us that work is good for us. What kind of work do you do during the week? How does it help you?
Question for Youth:
Jesus tells us that even though bad things will happen, we are safe in God. When have you felt the safety of God’s life in your own life?
Question for Adults:
Paul's words to the Thessalonians are tough: if you want to eat, you must work! How does this translate into our society today? How do you reconcile this with Jesus' command to love and feed the poor?
SAINT OF THE WEEK
Miguel Agustin Pro, Priest and Martyr, 18911927
Born January 13, 1891, at Guadalupe, Mexico, to Miguel Pro Sr. and Josefa Juarez, Miguel might not have impressed people with his saintliness as a child.
From an early age, he was a practical joker whose mischievousness sometimes got him into trouble. Nevertheless, he maintained his sense of humor throughout his life.
Sadly, like many young people in our time, Miguel drifted away from his faith and the sacraments for a time as a teenager. However, when an older sister entered the convent, Miguel began to give some serious thought to his own calling. In 1910, nearing the age of 20, Miguel applied to and entered the Jesuit novitiate in El Llano, Michoacan. Unfortunately, this coincided with the beginning of the Mexican Revolution which soon led to the persecution of the Catholic Church, beginning with the overthrow of Porfino Diaz, the Mexican leader in 1911. In 1914, when the seminary in Mexico was forced to close, Miguel began a trek which would lead him through Jesuit schools in California and Spain before he was finally ordained in Belgium in 1925. Read more
WORSHIP & MUSIC
Andrew J. Macirowski - Pastoral Coordinator for Worship & Music / Principal Organist Worship@StMarysColtsNeck.org • Music@StMarysColtsNeck.org
The Solemnity of Christ the King was instituted by Pope Pius XI with the encyclical “Quas primas” (in the first) Key elements of faith that we celebrate today include:
Jesus is the Word of God made flesh, the Incarnate Lord. His kingship is founded upon the ineffable hypostatic union…Christ has power over all creatures. (Quas primas, 13) Jesus is fully God and fully man. He is both the divine Lord and the man who suffered and died on the Cross. In him, one person of the Trinity unites himself to human nature through the Incarnation and reigns over all creation as the Incarnate Son of God.
Jesus shares a law of charity to show the way to communion with God. Those who keep them show their love for their Divine Master, and he promises that they shall remain in his love. (Quas primas, 14) By being close to sisters and brothers who are suffering, we draw close to Jesus.
The Church acknowledges the reign of Christ, not only privately, but publicly. Thus by sermons preached at meetings and in churches, by public adoration of the Blessed Sacrament exposed and by solemn processions, men unite in paying homage to Christ, whom God has given them for their King. (Quas primas, 26) For Christians, when our faith is repeatedly marginalized in public life, we can fall into the habit of compartmentalizing our lives. We love Jesus in our private lives, but we shrink from acknowledging the kingship of Christ in social life. When we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King, we declare to the world and remind ourselves that Jesus is the Lord, not only of the Church, but of the universe.
Thanks to all who participated in the Fall cleanup and Thanksgiving Food Drive. We are blessed with an overwhelming amount of dedication and generosity here at the parish!
This weekend, we welcome RE families as well as parishioners of all ages to our Advent Wreath Making Intergenerational event.
We wish all a very Happy Thanksgiving next week! May God continue to bless us all with food and family and a parish fostering community!
CONFIRMATION PREP
December 7: Penance & Reconciliation
December 14: Next Virtual class
December 16: Next On-Campus class
Looking for service hours?
Advent Book Distribution—Click to volunteer
Sponsor a Family Email Roger.Zurro@gmail.com
23 November 2025
Advent Wreath Making 11 AM in Madonna Hall Space is limited! Click to register
30 November 2025
Christmas Decorating Following 10 AM Mass Rotunda Click to register
Sacrament of Penance & Reconciliation Retreat / Rehearsal Summer & Fall FHC-2 children only Begins at 10AM Mass in Church
7 December 2025
Advent Penance & Reconciliation All RE Students Use QR code to sign in
13 December 2025
Light Up a Memory & Christmas Tree Lighting Begins at 4PM Mass in the Church Click to register
20 December 2025
Blessing of the Infant Jesus At 4PM Mass in the Church
RELIGIOUS ED LINKS & RESOURCES
Confirmation Prep Schedule
Fall RE Schedule
RE Christmas Party/Nativity Play 5PM, Madonna Hall Click to RSVP
21 December 2025
Blessing of the Infant Jesus At 10AM Mass in the Church
22 December 2025 through 1 January 2026
Christmas Break No Religious Education Classes
Fall Clean-Up &
PASTORAL CARE & OUTREACH
Rosemarie Farrow Pastoral Coordinator of Pastoral Care & Outreach
Thanks to your generosity, we provided 350 bags of Thanksgiving groceries including:
200 Turkeys, 12 cases of potatoes, 12cases of rutabagas & 5 cases of onions Plus financial donations! Special thanks for the contribution made by the Live Like Cory Memorial Foundation
A big thank you to those who participated in the sorting of food, loading of trucks, or through donations, provided a family with a thanksgiving that may not have been possible otherwise.
TORCH ARRIVES SATURDAY, 11/22!
Join Us at 3 pm in the Church
Prayer intentions will travel with the torch and be sent to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadelupe in Mexico at the close of the torch pilgrimage. Please place intentions over the weekend in the intentions box in the narthex. The intention box will be located with the torch in the front of the church during the week.
OTHER UPCOMING PARISH EVENTS
Saturday, November 22 through Saturday, November 29: Birthright Collection in the Narthex Sunday, November 23: Rosary in Church at 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM Monday November 24, through Friday, November 28: Rosary daily in Chapel starting at 8:30 AM Saturday, November 29: Rosary Procession from Grotto beginning at 3 PM followed by handoff to Empress Torch Captains Click here to learn more
Thanksgiving Weekend A perfect time for a family portrait!
Friday, Nov. 28: 2PM-8:30PM
Saturday, Nov. 29: 10AM-4PM
“Light
Up a Memory”
Preparations for the "Memory Tree" lighting this year have already started. A $10.00 contribution signifies a light in memory of a deceased loved one, or in
His/her name will be inscribed in a special "Memory Book", which will be on display in the Church Narthex.
available in the Parish Office during regular office hours for those who want to pick them up.
The deadline for submissions is December 1, 2025
schedule
Submissions after deadline are included in the addendum of the Memory Book.
Participants are also invited to the joyous tree lighting ceremony, at the 4:00 pm Mass on Saturday, December 13, 2025.
here to sponsor a light.
Quo vadis...
My Dear Parishioners: Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King of the Universe. The good thief asked, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” This solemnity celebrates Christ as King, his kingdom has come. Weare living in God’s kingdom now. But we are called not to simply pay homage to our exalted King, but to do as he did. This means that each day we must live in self-sacrifice because only through the cross is God’s reign at hand. Living the paschal mystery means living the cross. Just as the cross was the means to Jesus’ exaltation, so is the cross the means to our own entry into Paradise. When self-sacrifice seems to swallow us up and we are tempted to choose a self-serving attitude, all we need to do is remember that the cross is THE door to Paradise…THE only way.
Thanksgiving Day is observed this coming week. As Roman Catholics we give thanks each and every time we celebrate the Eucharist. Being a thankful people is so essential to being a Christian Community. May we continue to cultivate in our lives and in the lives of our children and young people an attitude of gratitude. Come to mass Thanksgiving Day Morning at 9am so that, together as a community of faith, we can give thanks and praise to Almighty God for the many blessings we have received in our lives, most especially the great gift of faith. Many thanks to all those who have participated in our Thanksgiving Food Drive and all those who coordinated our efforts as well as those who generously delivered these food items.
The Liturgical Season of Advent begins next weekend. We will observe an abbreviated mass schedule. It is the beginning of a new Liturgical Year. This coming week our parish church buildings, office and exterior sites will begin to be prepared for the Advent-Christmas Seasons. It is a great task requiring much time, energy and cooperation. It is very important for us to include parishioners, new and
experienced, in completing these essential tasks. I hope that we will be willing to invite and welcome young adults and families to receive the mantle of responsibility for some of these aspects of parish life. It is in this way that they continue to learn from some of our longterm parishioners all of the details of preparing for the various liturgical seasons. It is wonderful to experience this passing on of the customs, traditions and pride that characterize our Catholic Community. As the pace begins to pick up in preparation for the Solemnity of Christmas, make sure that you are proactive in providing for your spiritual preparation. We are providing reflection guides for personal use. These daily reflections help us to embrace the images of the season. They are complimentary and are available first-come, first-served beginning this coming weekend. Make time to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation (confession). Our Penance Service is scheduled for Sunday 7 December 2025 at 3pm in our parish church. A guide for suggested arrival is in e-bulletin for your convenience to minimize wait times.
The Increased Offertory Program continues. I am grateful to all those who have participated through prayerful discernment to share from your resources in support of our parish. To those who have not, please consider taking a step to increase your financial support for our parish community.
I have been away taking some days off for rest and to flee the fall allergy perils in NJ. My plans were a bit upended when a deer, a very large buck, decided to hit my car on Route 33 in Manalapan as I was beginning my drive to Florida. No bodily injuries, the vehicle was not so lucky. I regrouped and made it happen a few days later having to reschedule my retreat. See you soon. Have a great week. Let us remember one another in prayer. Happy Sunday. Happy Thanksgiving. Peace. Father Jeff
TEMPORAL ADMINISTRATION & STEWARDSHIP
Edwin A. Sevillano— Pastoral Associate for Temporal Administration & Stewardship
TemporalAdmin@StMarysColtsNeck.org
Sign-up for Online Giving to make your parish offerings from your bank account or credit card! Click here to set up an online giving account!
Text SUNDAY to (732)-889-7800 and follow the instructions to complete your offering.
Should you require our assistance setting up your new account, please call the parish office at (732)-780-2666.
You can also download the ConnectNow Giving App for Android or iOS.
Thank you for your continuous support!
As Stewards of our Parish, we are called upon to take a step. We ask you to listen, review the brochure, pray about it and complete a Commitment Card or submit click to online
Consider AYear-End Gift to the Parish of Saint Mary
As you begin year-end tax planning, take advantage of the charitable tax deduction for gifts made before December 31 and consider making a gift to St Mary Parish. Your gift to our parish can make a great difference to us and help you as well. Online Giving is a convenient way to make your gift to St Mary Parish.
Click here to create or update your St Mary Parish Online Giving account. If you choose to make a cash donation, please prepare your check and mail it so that your envelope is postmarked or received by the Parish Office by December 31 to qualify as a gift in the year 2025.
Contributions received on January 1st or after will be treated as 2026 gifts.
Thank you! Your generosity has been a blessing to St Mary Parish throughout this past year. Your continued support allows us to continue our ministries and mission to proclaim the Gospel in our time.
Help Families Affected by Hurricane Melissa
Click here to donate
With sustained winds of 185 miles per hour, Hurricane Melissa swept through Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba, leaving destruction in its wake.
Your gift today can help Catholic Relief Services provide lifesaving support—including emergency shelter, clean water and essential supplies to families most at risk.
Across much of the Caribbean, Hurricane Melissa’s intense winds destroyed homes and buildings, uprooted trees, and left tens of thousands of people without electricity.
CRS has extensive experience supporting emergency response efforts across the region for decades, with a team of 100 staff in Haiti and local partners in Jamaica and the region. Our emergency teams are securing offices and warehouses, preparing prepositioned shelter and clean water supplies, and helping people secure their businesses, homes and fields.
