REMINDERS when coming to mass at OLM
A Message from Pope Francis on Racism
Dear Parishioners of Our Lady of Mercy,
I hope this finds you safe and well.
This past week, we experienced the re-opening of our church. I don’t know about you, but I was so happy to see you again (of course I am speaking of those who returned). I could feel how much you missed your church.
For those who were not able to make it, I understand why. You need to know that our doors are wide open for all of you to come back with extra precautionary measures. We all have to adjust to the new ways, the new normal, when we return to church. There is no holy water at the doors. There are hospitality ministers to greet you and usher you to your seats. You need to wear mask the whole time and keep yourself six feet away from others. I am begging you to follow the directions given by our staff and our ministers of hospitality or ushers for everyone’s safety and protection.
I am so proud and grateful for our ministers of hospitality. They not only did so well in welcoming you back and ushering you to your place, but most of them stayed after Mass and helped Jojo, our maintenance director, to sanitize and disinfect the church. I am also proud of all of you and grateful for your cooperation. You listened well and did what you were asked to do.
I am aware that you missed the usual amount of singing at our liturgy, myself included, but for everyone’s safety the singing is limited. Please see Michael Rivera’s article in this bulletin explaining why we limit singing. For those at home who follow the live streaming of Mass, you can sing at the top of your voice. But in church with the faithful in attendance, the situation is different.
Please continue to pray for everyone and for our parish family. Also please send in your financial support. As you can see, we did well this past weekend. May it be so again in the weeks and months ahead since we are in dire need. I thank all those who have been faithful in supporting our parish.
This Saturday, July 4, we celebrate Independence Day. We commemorate the day in 1776 when the thirteen colonies declared their independence from Great Britain. Let us pray for our country, more so now when there is so much turmoil and civil unrest. Let us pray that God may guide our leaders in doing what needs to be done to end injustice, racism, and to bring us all together as Americans. Happy Independence Day!
God bless you and may God bless America!
Love,
Father Marty
A Prayer for Our Country
God of justice and Lord of all, you guide all creation with fatherly care. On this Independence Day, we recall the day when our country claimed its place among the family of nations.You reveal that those who work for peace will be called your sons and daughters. Continue to send your Spirit to touch the hearts and minds of all who cherish the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.As you have called us to be one nation, grant that under your providence our country may share your abundant blessings with all the peoples of the earth.We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
A Message from Pope Francis: Words of Challenge and Hope
My friends, we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life. At the same time, it has to be recognized that the violence of recent nights is self-destructive and self-defeating. Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost.
I pray for the repose of the soul of George Floyd and of all those others who have lost their lives as a result of the sin of racism. May there be national reconciliation and peace.
Today I wish to emphasize that the problem of intolerance must be confronted in all its forms: wherever any minority is persecuted and marginalized because of its religious convictions or ethnic identity, the well-being of society as a whole is endangered and each one of us must feel affected. With particular sadness I think of the sufferings, the marginalization and the very real persecutions which not a few Christians are undergoing in various countries. Let us combine our efforts in promoting a culture of encounter, respect, understanding, and mutual forgiveness.
Scapegoats are not only sought to pay, with their freedom and with their life, for all social ills such as was typical in primitive societies, but over and beyond this, there is at times a tendency to deliberately fabricate enemies: stereotyped figures who represent all the characteristics that society perceives or interprets as threatening. The mechanisms that form these images are the same that allowed the spread of racist ideas in their time.
Let nobody turn their back on society and feel excluded! No to segregation! No to racism!
FREE COVID-19 & Anti-Body Testing Near Our Lady of Mercy
Jersey City Together has partnered with the State of New Jersey and Interfaith Urgent Care to host free COVID-19 & Anti-Body Testing at religious congregations.
This week, this coming Wednesday (July 1), Thursday (July 2), and Friday (July 3), there will be testing at Cityline Church from 12 noon to 7 pm.
Cityline Church is close to Our Lady of Mercy Church. Cityline Church is located at 1510 Kennedy Boulevard (at the corner of Kennedy Blvd. and Pamrapo Ave.), across the street from the BP Gas Station and Shopping Plaza.
All are welcome (regardless of insurance). A photo ID is requested.
Pre-registration is strongly encouraged and can be done at www.njtogether.org/testing.
During this time, consistent access to local testing will be important. Please consider joining others across Jersey City for this opportunity.