SAINT MARY OF THE LAKE CHURCH H O L Y F A M I L Y C H U R C H
Mission Statement
The Catholic Community of Saint Mary
of the Lake is dedicated to passing on the
the faith of the Catholic Church, to having our
Community experience the rituals, traditions,
and sacraments of the Church,
empowering all to serve as Jesus served.
Happy Easter, I hope everyone is doing well. I just wanted to follow up with everyone on new updates regarding PREP classes. Since the State of New Jersey extended the date of closure of schools we will not be returning for PREP classes this year. I suggest you continue home faith formation with the links I’ve been providing to help your children stay connected. In regard to the sacraments for this year:
• Confirmation- Bishop David O’ Connell has given delegation to Fr. Bou to celebrate Confirmation. At this point we still do not have a date yet for Confirmation ceremony.
• Communion – At this point we still do not have a date yet set for the communion ceremony.
• RCIA- At this point we still do not have a date yet for the RCIA ceremony.
• We are also in the process of developing a plan to hold a refresher course for sacramental levels only during the summer for a limited of classes. This is also depending on the reopening of the church and any precautions we receive from the State of NJ.
If you have questions, please feel free to email me and let us all pray for one another and remain united in faith.
https://dioceseoftrenton.org/faith-at-home
https://dioceseoftrenton.org/fe-en-casa
In Christ,
David Roman
Father’s Day is June 21st.
Please sign up for parish giving.
Under contribution type, scroll down to Father’s Day and In the memo, memorialize your love one.
We will he sure to add it to the list of intentions.
Thank you
“Know someone needing assistance with food, housing, drug addiction, mental health, domestic violence or immigration?
As you may be aware of the current situation regarding the Coronavirus, we at St. Anthony Claret and St. Mary of the Lake have been following the situation closely and following all recommendations from the Diocese of Trenton, the CDC, and The State of New Jersey. As a precaution we will be following the same procedures and guidelines of the Diocese of Trenton and the New Jersey Department of Education. As of now it is announced that all planned parish Masses and activities will be suspended at both parishes. This effects PREP classes, meetings, retreats, cultural school activities, RCIA classes, and re-registration. This suspension will be effective immediately and will last until further notice from the Diocease of Trenton.
Rev. Pedro L. Bou, SVD
Pastor of St. Anthony Claret & St. Mary of the Lake
Mass Schedule
All public Masses throughout the Diocese of Trenton will be temporarily suspended until further notice as the coronavirus pandemic evolves
Regular Sunday Mass Schedule
St. Mary of the Lake Church
Sunday - 8:00, 11:00 AM,
12:30 PM (Polish)
Note: Beginning
on January 19, 2020
St. Anthony Claret's 9 AM English Mass will be celebrated at Holy Family Church together with the 9:30 AM St. Mary's Parishioners.
Holy Family Church
Saturday - 4 PM
Sunday - 9:30 AM
Baptisms will be at 12:30 PM on 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month
Daily Mass St. Mary of the Lake
9:00 AM (Monday - Saturday)
Reconciliation
3:30 pm Thursday; 8 am Fridays
& 9:30 am Saturdays
In response to the growing concern regarding the spread of this virus, the Parish office will be closed to all visitors. All afternoon and evening meetings have been cancelled. If you have any questions or need assistance from office staff we ask that you email or call 732-363-0139, Monday thru Thursday between 9 am and 3:30 pm, and Fridays 9 am until 12 noon. Thank you for your patience at this time.
Normal Rectory Hours
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday
9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Wednesday, Friday
9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon
Prayers
Private Prayer
Notice Regarding Private Prayer
Beginning Monday, May 18, 2020, Saint Mary of the Lake Church will be open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10AM to 2PM for private reflection only.
We will be limiting church attendance to ten people every half hour, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10am to 2pm. We ask you to signup here to enter the church.
We pray that you and your family are doing well during these uncertain times. St.Mary of the Lake Parish is doing well despite these difficult times, when we have been forced to make unprecedented adjustments in response to the coronavirus. I wanted to share that we are still strongly committed to nurture and lead the Catholic Community of Lakewood and all its needs.
We kindly ask for your continued generous support in sustaining our Parish. We now offer "Parish Online Giving" through ParishGiving.org. Online giving is a secure and personalized way to give to the church, in which your contribution is debited automatically from your checking, savings or debit card account into the church's bank account.
Options are available for you to set up one-time or recurring gifts for the Sunday collection. Please use the link attached to find more information on Parish Giving. We urge you to donate here.
Click on the above image
How to video link:
We are deeply grateful for your support throughout this crisis. I will continue to hold each of you and your family in my prayers.
Let us all pray for one another and be a beacon of light to the community!
Phase One: “Reopening of Churches for Private Prayer beginning: May 18, 2020”Common Directives to be Observed by our Parish
• Please be aware that the parish is permitting a limited number of visitors at one time (no more than 10) according to NJ state guidelines and requires that social distancing (minimum of 6 feet between visitors) must be observed.
• Please remember that the faithful members of our community that are not feeling well must not come to church.
• Areas/pews for seating are marked reserved to facilitate cleaning afterward.
• Wearing of masks and gloves is required for all those making prayer visits
• At present there are limited days/times open for private prayer; Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 10am-2pm that you can come wearing a mask to the Church.
• Prayer time consists of 10 minutes, 15 minutes, to no more than 30 minutes (So that all can participate, please be aware of others waiting)
• The side door of the church (with the steps) is designated as the only entrance to control the number of visitors; no gathering at the entrance, the steps or the parking lots is permitted.
• Please keep social distancing spacing outside as well while waiting to get in the church.
• Be aware that public restroom facilities are closed as a preventive health measure.
• Visitors are encouraged to bring their own disinfectant wipes; trash receptacles are provided at church entrance/exit.
Approved by Most Reverend David M. O’Connell, C.M., J.C.D.Bishop of Trenton May 8, 2020
Other Directives Determined by the Bishop
• The Dispensation from Sunday/Holy Day obligation remains in force until further notice.
• Pastors may determine whether or not and when they can open their churches safely.
• No public Masses or other group liturgical/devotional celebrations until further notice.
• Sacramental celebrations in church (baptisms, confirmations, ordinary schedule of confessions, weddings) continue to be postponed until further notice.
• Live-streaming of Masses without congregations is to continue.
• Churches will be closed for private prayer and empty during live-streamed Masses.
• Faithful from at risk groups as identified by CDC/NJ DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH should remain at home.
• Regular sanitization of churches is in place after use.
Faith in Our Future Reminder of Timeline and Plan
July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020: The parishes of St. Mary of the Lake's and St. Anthony's http://stanthonyclaretnj.org/sacl/
ministry leaders and volunteers have been gathering with our new Pastor to prepare for our linked parishes to become one parish family. Many hapy events have already been shared. We look forward to a bright future.
July 1, 2020: The parishes of St. Mary of the Lake and St. Anthony will merge and be given a new name to be determined by our bishop. The newly merged parish will have separate Masses in three languages: English, Polish, and Spanish. It will continue to own and use the worship sites of St. Mary’s, St. Anthony’s, and Holy Family. These sites will retain their current names. The new parish will continue to own Holy Family School and St. Mary of the Lake Cemetery. There are no plans at this time in the parish or diocese to sell off any of these properties.
The new parish will have over 5,000 families. It will have nearly 1,000 children in religious education. And, it will continue to host The Polish School.
New Parish Resource:
FORMED Network
Our parish has joined FORMED, an online website that contains Catholic videos, and downloadable audio or e-books. The site contains series on Catholic Theology and Spirituality. Over the course of next few years, we will be utilizing these resources for group formation such as Bible studies, catechist enrichment, prayer groups, and small faith sharing groups.
The resources on FORMED can be used just by individuals, or, used in group settings. Of note is a weekly commentary on the Sunday readings and a series on basic Catholic theology called “Symbolon.”
The FORMED website is available to all registered parishioners and everyone who live within the parish boundaries, which is the boundaries of Lakewood. To access the website, you need to register first. You do that by:
Go to formed.org on your web browser
Click the button: ENTER CODE
Enter our parish code, all caps: YRP6YV
Enter your name, email, and a password. In the future, the next time you enter the FORMED site, all you will need is to enter your email address and password. On most web browsers, they have a feature that will automatically enter your info when you log on, if you care to use it to make logging on easier in the future. Since this is not a high target web site for hackers (we doubt anyone would want to steal your FORMED access), we suggest you keep your password simple and different from your high-value websites, such as your online banking. The site does require that the password contain at least one number and one special character (such as: ! $ #). Write your password down and keep it in a handy place.
A Message from Bishop O’Connell On Measures to Mitigate Spread of COVID-19
God has not abandoned us and is present among us. As we learn each day of the growing concern surrounding
the spread of the coronavirus in our communities, we need to have faith and confidence in God, especially in times like these, praying that He will see us through the present adversity safely.
Mindful of the Lord Jesus' own words in St. Luke's Gospel, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his Cross daily, and follow me (Luke 9:23)," the Coronavirus pandemic has placed such a Cross before us.
In response to the latest guidelines from national and state health authorities aimed at stopping thespread of the disease, I have directed the following:
MASSES, SACRAMENTS AND OTHER CHURCH SERVICES
All public Masses throughout the Diocese of Trenton will be temporarily suspended until further notice as the coronavirus pandemic evolves.
Social distancing practices (3-6 feet of space between participants) should be observed at all times.
Churches will not remain open for prayer, private devotion, and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, until further notice by the governor.
The Sacrament of Penance is only available in emergencies or danger of death. Public Penance Services are not to be conducted.
