Dear Parishioners of Our Lady of Mercy,
I hope this finds you safe and well.
It is a great joy to see you returning to church. At every Mass, I see people who are coming back for the first time since the lockdown. It is so good to see you in person after such a long time. I give thanks to God for all of you.
Our responsorial psalm this weekend echoes my prayer of thanksgiving for you: “I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise; I will worship at your holy temple. I will give thanks to your name, because of your kindness and your truth: When I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me.”(Psalm 138).
I continue to pray that all parishioners come back and join us in celebrating the Eucharist like you are doing. Your presence in the assembly is a powerful testimony of your faith in the Lord. You are like Peter in today’s gospel passage who convincingly proclaims that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God!
In this time of uncertainty because of the coronavirus pandemic, we all look for reassurance that life will get better. Certainly, go to God in prayer. It is easy to lose faith because we have so many questions that cannot be answered immediately.
I urge you not to lose the faith you have. We need to be like Saint Peter in the gospel –convinced that God is alive, we move forward in life without fear, doing what is right and just. Everything we do has eternal consequences in the next life. We must live loving God and loving and helping the people around us. In that way, we can be assured of our place in the heavenly kingdom.
Next month, we will be celebrating the feast of Our Lady of Mercy. The young people in our Youth Ministry and Jeng Villa, our Faith Formation Director, are inviting you to do something in honor of our feast and to digitally send it to them. An announcement with more information is in this bulletin, and also on our website olmnj.organd Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ourladyofmercyjerseycityofficial/.
The young people came up with this idea so that we can celebrate our feast in a special way because, unfortunately, we cannot gather in person to celebrate with food and festivities. So please do something to honor our Blessed Virgin Mary, to show your love for our parish, and to be of service to OLM. Thank you so much!
Take care of yourselves by staying safe and well.
God bless you all!
Love,
Father Marty
Register Now for Faith Formation 2020-2021
Our registration for Grades 1-8 Faith Formation is now open! The program this year will be VIRTUAL. We will abide by the guidelines and make adjustments in the future should in-person gatherings be allowed. For now, your family’s safety is our priority. We will utilize Google Classroom and other online platforms to journey with you to grow in faith. We will need the utmost cooperation and support of parents in order to navigate this “new normal”. Kindly fill out the form from our website-– olmnj.org/olmfaithformation
First Communions at Our Parish Last Weekend
Because of the closure of our church to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the children who were preparing to receive First Communion this past May were unable to do so. The children are now receiving their First Communion during the month of August at our 5 pm and 12 noon Masses.RYLAN, EMILIA, and ANTHONY shared at the Table of the Lord this past weekend, August 8 & 9.
Baptism at OLM Last Sunday
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Confession Schedule
We have resumed our usual schedule for the Sacrament of Penance / Reconciliation. One of the priests is available for confessions Monday through Saturday, following the 8:30 am Mass. Confessions are heard from 9 am to 9:30 am in the daily Mass chapel. Use the door located in the church vestibule.
The Sacrament of Baptism
We have resumed the celebration of Baptisms. They are now being celebrated on designated Sunday afternoons. To inquire about a baptism, contact the parish office (201-434-7500). Deacon Meynardo Espeleta, who coordinates our baptism program, will then be in touch with more information.