Dear Parishioners of Our Lady of Mercy,
Greetings in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ!
This Wednesday, February 26, is Ash Wednesday. It marks the beginning of Lent. A season during which we prepare ourselves for the celebration of Easter and for the renewal of our baptismal promises. It is a season for prayer, fasting, works of mercy, acts of penance, turning from sin, and many other practices. We do those things every year with the hope and prayer that we will make those Lenten practices and discipline a part of our daily lives. We have to make them a habit.
As we announced last weekend, Appreciate the Word, Live the Word is a fine way to reflect on the Word of God. Those who participated in the past had a great experience. Besides coming to know more about the Word of God, they had the opportunity to come to know other members of the parish. So, I strongly encourage you to participate in the Appreciate the Word, Live the Word program.
Also, the Holy Name Society invites you to join them every Friday evening in reflecting on the suffering and death of Our Lord Jesus Christ as they pray the Stations of the Cross. See the schedule posted in this bulletin.
I would like to remind you of the coming Annual Appeal Pledge Weekend which is scheduled for March 7 and 8. Please be generous in sharing the blessings you have been given by the Lord. Remember that we will receive 100% of whatever is collected above our parish goal. You can place your pledge in the collection baskets or drop it in the parish office or send it directly to the Archdiocese of Newark.
I also would like to inform you that we will send the proceeds of the Taal Volcano collection to the Social Action Commission Office of the Archdiocese of Lipa in Batangas, Philippines.
Last but not the least, I would like to re-enforce what Father Tom announced last weekend regarding the Jersey City Together meeting. I encourage you to attend the meeting tomorrow, Monday, February 24, at 7:30 pm and to strongly voice what needs improvement in our neighborhood. After the shooting that happened a few months ago, safety is our top priority. Then there are issues about cleanliness, homelessness, parking, education and others. I pray that those issues will be addressed and resolved.
Thank you and God bless our community!
Love,
Father Marty
LENT BEGINS THIS WEDNESDAY!
This Wednesday, February 26, is Ash Wednesday. On this day, Christians are marked with ashes as a sign of our desire to make good use of the season of Lent to turn from sin and to grow in our faithfulness to the Gospel. Ashes will be distributed on Wednesday, February 26, during the Masses and the Prayer Service listed below.
7:00 am Mass
8:30 am Mass
3:00 pm Scripture Service
7:00 pm Mass