A Message for Bishop David M. O'Connell, C.M. 

'A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS'

AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE DIOCESE

The clergy, religious and lay faithful of the Diocese of Trenton are invited to safely display a lighted candle in the window of their homes, (for example the type of electric candles used at Christmas), around sunset, (7:32 pm) on Holy Saturday evening, as a symbol of our unity with Catholics throughout the world while Paschal Candles are being lit at Easter Vigils.  This symbol will be for us in the Diocese of Trenton, "A Light in the Darkness", the darkness that has been the COVID - 19 Pandemic.  The following prayer from the Easter Vigil may be said as candles are lighted: "May the Light of Christ rising in glory  dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds."

“Know someone needing assistance with food,

housing, drug addiction, mental health,

domestic violence or immigration?

Contact Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton

www.catholiccharitiestrenton.org.”

ATTENTION

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ

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 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

Important Notice for All Employee – Covid 19 FFCRA”

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

Parish Giving Information

Dear St. Mary of  the Lake Parish Families,

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

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!

In Jesus and Mary,

Rev. Pedro L. Bou, S.V.D.

Pastor

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 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:

1. Go to formed.org on your web browser
2. Click the button: ENTER CODE
3. Enter our parish code, all caps: YRP6YV
4. 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.

Once you’re in, explore the site’s resources!

Saint Mary of the Lake FACEBOOK Page(link)

Online Masses

HOLY MASS
APRIL 05, 2020
PALM SUNDAY

Msza Swieta
5 kwietnia 2020

Msza swieta w j,Polskim
03/29/2020
Piata niedziela Wielkiego Postu rok A

St. Mary of the Lake

Palm Sunday Mass with Bishop David M. O'Connell, C.M.

Stations of the cross

Stations of the cross at St. Martha's

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 the

spread 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 through Easter, April 12,2020. That date is subject to change 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.

...For more information visit the Diocese of Trenton website:

Dioceseoftrenton.org