CHURCH OF ST. William the abbot Eighth Sunday in ordinary time March 3, 2019

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1 CHURCH OF ST. William the abbot Eighth Sunday in ordinary time March 3, 2019 Fr. Thomas Maher, Pastor Fr. James Redstone, Weekend Assistant Deacon Michael Abatemarco Deacon George A. Prevosti Deacon Kevin Smith Mass Times Sunday: 8:00, 10:15, 11:45 Monday, Tuesday: 9:00AM Wednesday: 9:00AM, 7:00PM Thursday, Friday: 9:00AM Saturday: 9:00AM, 5:00PM

2 March 3, 2019 Page 1 #566 Parish Office 2740 Lakewood Allenwood Road, Howell, NJ Fax Hours: Monday thru Friday 9:00AM to 3:00PM Website: stwilliam@optonline.net Welcome We, the parish family of St. William the Abbot, a welcoming Catholic community, led by the Holy Spirit, are called to proclaim, and to witness to, the Good News of Salvation, so that we may grow together, among all generations, and advance the Kingdom of God, in our love and service of God and neighbor. Office Staff Maureen Cisek, Secretary Elaine Ferraro, Accountant School of Religion Dawn Cappetto, Administrator, ext. 202 Director of Music Billy Lawlor Novena Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, after the 7PM Mass on Wednesday. Novena to the Blessed Mother after the 9:00AM Mass on Saturday. Sacrament of Reconciliation Confessions are heard on Saturday after the 9:00AM Mass and 4:00PM, Wednesday 6:00PM, and 1/2 hour before each Mass. Baptism Baptisms may be arranged for any Sunday of the year at 1:00PM. First time parents must attend a Baptism Preparation Class, which is offered on the third Monday of the month at 7PM. Please call the parish office to schedule a baptism and/or the class. Weddings Engaged couples should call the parish office for an interview appointment one year before the wedding date. Anointing of the Sick Call the parish office anytime for urgent visits. RCIA Any adult who is interested in learning about our Catholic Faith should call the parish office. We also have classes for children and teens who are missing a sacrament. Memorial Bricks Please come to the parish office to purchase a memorial brick. They are placed in the Prayer Garden by the statue of Mary. New Parishioners Welcome to St. William! Please call or visit the parish office to get a registration form. Number of registered families: 1,453 Number of families that received envelopes: 410 Number of envelopes used: 156 February 24: $4, (The 11:45 Mass had to be cancelled) Votive Candles: Children s Envelopes: Total: $4, Thank you for your generosity! Thank you very much to the Howell Police Department and the Monmouth County Sheriff s Department for making sure our building is safe. Every Friday during Lent, starting on March 8th, we will have Stations of the Cross, at 7PM. Deacon Mike will be holding a Reader Training Session on Monday, March 4th, at 6:30PM. Anyone interested in Reading at Mass please attend.

3 March 3, 2019 Page 2 #566 Please bring health, healing and hope to those in our community who are sick especially Francesca Tortora, Jonathon Capriotti, Emily Capriotti, Dakota Schick, Marianne McVeigh, Don Goletz, Mary Disimone, Ann Nucciarone, we also ask you Lord, to watch over all those with incurable autoimmune diseases and for all those who are afflicted with MS, CF, Lou Gehrig s disease, for those who suffer from Alzheimer disease, dementia, addictions, and their families. God of all consolation, give life and health to our sisters and brothers for whom we pray in your Holy Name. Amen. The Season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on March 6th. Ashes will be distributed at the 9:00 Mass, Noon Mass (new this year), 4:00 Service and 7:00 Mass. Reflections First Reading: Sirach 27:4-7 For this author, speech is the main way to evaluate a person. It thus becomes a test of their character. Second Reading: I Corinthians 15:54-58 Paul urges perseverance in doing the Lord s work, because by so acting a person will attain victory over sin and death. Gospel: Luke 6:39-45 The disciples are blind until Jesus teaching opens their eyes. The splinter in the brother s eye vs. the beam in one s own eye makes for a powerful comparison. Parish Rosary Program Thank you to everyone who handed in their tally sheets for praying the rosary. So far we have prayed the rosary 323 times. Keep up the good work! Remember to pray one decade for St. William the Abbot Parish. If you haven t started, it is not too late. There are flyers and tally sheets on the table near the bulletins. Last weekend was Pledge Sunday for the Annual Catholic Appeal throughout the Diocese of Trenton. Each year the Bishop seeks the support of all of the members of the diocese to further the work of our ministries. Each of us can share in all we do with a gift to the Annual Catholic Appeal. Our single Act of Faith propels the works of love that build up our Church. You make that happen with a generous gift to the ACA. This year St. William the Abbot s share of the goal is $27,206. Which is the same as the last two years. As the people of the Diocese of Trenton, you have an opportunity to help others see Christ working in our midst. I ask you to take a moment and truly reflect on any help you can give. We truly need everyone to participate. This year we again are striving to reach our goal of 7 million dollars. As a parish we have reached our goal the past three years. Please help us to do that again. Remember some of the money raised does come back to St. William the Abbot. Thank you!

4 March 3, 2019 Page 3 #566 It is a holy and wholesome thing to pray for the living and the dead. II Mac. 12:46 Saturday, March 2 5:00 Josiah Brown r/o Michele Fleischman Sunday, March 3 8:00 Rosemary Ferraro r/o The Ferraro Family 10:15 Janice Ciardiello r/o Sal Ciardiello 11:45 William Jones r/o The Dimino Family Monday, March 4 9:00 Jean Carlin r/o The Evans Family Tuesday, March 5 9:00 Ronald Neal, Sr. r/o M/M Ron Neal Wednesday, March 6 Ash Wednesday 9:00 Special Intention for George Custance r/o Bill Raiser Noon Fr. Lee Inverso r/o St. William the Abbot Parish Family 4:00 Service 7:00 Anna Morreale r/o M/M George Weis Thursday, March 7 9:00 Special Intention for Tony Cecala r/o M/M Ron Neal Noon Anthony Truisi r/o The Dimino Family Friday, March 8 9:00 Annie Barrett r/o Fr. Jim Saturday, March 9 9:00 Raymond Downey r/o The Downey Family 5:00 Lorraine Crawford r/o M/M Rich Capitan Sunday, March 10 8:00 Stanley Radziszewski r/o Cathy Ferraro 10:15 Nicholas Peter Murgolo r/o M/M Neil Bryant 11:45 Tom Gallucci r/o The Blom Family The Sanctuary Lamp is lit this week in celebration of Liz Cerbie s birthday, requested by Bill and Susan Aberer. The Faithful Departed As a faith community, let us remember those who have recently died, may they enjoy eternal peace in the company of God. Worldwide Marriage Encounter No reason why Valentine s Day should be just one day each year. Why not give your spouse a gift that lasts every day! A Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend gives you the time and tools to revitalize romance, deepen communication, and nourish the spirituality in your marriage. The upcoming Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekends in Central New Jersey will be held on March 22-24, July and October 4-6. Early registration is advisable as space is limited. Phone or visit us at to register or for additional information. We are asking any parishioners with used eye glasses to donate them to the Joe Mazzarella Eye Glass Donation Program. An eye receptacle is located in the parish hall. All eye glasses are donated to the Eye s for Needy Program who since 1932, provide over 8 million needy people in the United States and throughout the world the gift of better sight. We thank you for all your donations and support. Ashes Many ancient people used ashes for religious, magical and medical purposes. Ashes of certain burned objects were considered to have a sacred character. They also signified mourning, penance and mortality. In the Old Testament, ashes sprinkled on the head or over the whole body were a sign of repentance. The Christian use of ashes is drawn from the Jewish tradition. Since the eleventh century, receiving ashes on the first day of Lent has been a Christian practice. Wearing a cross of ashes on one s forehead a person publicly acknowledges their need for penance and the fact that they are mortal. It also expresses their solidarity with all the members of the Church on earth as they enter together into the Lenten Season. -The Lenten Season

5 March 3, 2019 Page 4 #566 Bishop David sent a letter to the New Jersey State Legislators to consider consequences of Aid in Dying Act. This is what he wrote: Never before in the history of our country has the life of innocent and vulnerable human beings faced such jeopardy. Never before in the history of our country have the inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness of our citizenry, affirmed by our Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence, been subject to such denial by those responsible for their legal protection. Never before have our constitutional obligations to provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity been exposed to such danger as they are at the present moment. The Aid in Dying for Terminally Ill Act (S1072/A1504) which allows physicians to prescribe drugs to end the lives of terminally ill individuals considered to have six months to live a prognosis that is not always accurate embodies such jeopardy, denial and dangers to human life. Where will such legislation, commonly known as physician assisted suicide, lead? I shudder to imagine. What other consequences for human life will it directly and indirectly introduce? I dread to think. The practice of medicine purposefully seeks to eradicate illness. Physicians pledge an oath to do no harm. Taking a life before natural death violates that vow and there is no turning back. Their duty and our duty as caregivers and legislators is to assist those who are facing death, not to kill them. Medical science has made advances in our lifetime unlike the world has ever known. The care we can and should give to human beings with life-threatening illnesses reveals both the moral nobility of the efforts of physicians and caregivers to accompany the dying, and their right to face the natural end of human life that all of us will eventually face, a right that is no one s including physicians, caregivers and, yes, legislators to take away. I am a Catholic bishop and priest and cannot turn my back on the moral dictates of my faith. But I am also a human being and a son who sat with my father and mother until they drew their final breaths. My vocation did not make those moments easier to endure. I did not, however, and never will regret that I had the chance to be with them until the natural end of their lives, until their Creator who gave them life called them home. Yes, I oppose S1072 as a Catholic bishop, a priest and a man of faith. But I also oppose this proposed legislation as a human being and a son. And I ask you to consider all the consequences of the legislation that is in your hands. Never again will your responsibility be greater or your decision more important. Respectfully yours, Most Reverend David M. O Connell, C.M, J.C.D. Bishop of Trenton Just a reminder: If the Howell Public Schools are closed because of weather, then we are too. The parish office is closed and school of religion is cancelled. Cursillo Corner Want to grow deeper in your relationship with God? Want to rediscover the sense of Christian community? Participate in the joyful experience of Cursillo. Visit our website at Everyone is invited to join us in fellowship at Leaders School (we are all leaders in Christianity) Saturday, March 16th, in the All Purpose Room at Epiphany Church at 10AM, and learn more about the beautiful Cursillo Movement. Catholic Women of Zion Retreat Day All women of the parish are invited to a Retreat Day here at St. William the Abbot. The day consists of Mass, prayer, music, speaker, sharing, networking and prayers for healing. This month s speaker is Dr. Adrian Gullotta-Gsell. She is a licensed psychologist with a private practice in Red Bank. Adriane is certified in bereavement ministry and is a Commissioned Lay Ecclesial Minister for the Diocese of Trenton. She invites us to join her as she shares: Heart of My Heart on Saturday, March 9th, 9:00AM to 1:00PM. The cost is $20 and includes lunch and is payable at the door. Reservations are necessary. Please register on line at or call , no later than Tuesday, March 5th.

6 March 3, 2019 Page 5 #566 From Bishop David O Connell During the days and weeks of penance that lie ahead from Ash Wednesday, March 6th until Holy Thursday, April 18th the Catholic Church throughout the world commemorates the penitential season of Lent. The model Jesus gave us for these forty days was his own experience in the desert and the temptations that followed him there where he encountered Satan face-to-face. And yet, Jesus, there in the desert alone, fasting and in intense prayer beat back the devil and triumphed over temptation, as strong and as unrelenting as it was throughout those forty days. We enter the desert of Lent like Jesus, led by the Holy Spirit, to face our devils, our temptations head on. But we are not alone. The Lord Jesus Christ is with us. And so, too, is the Church, the entire community of faith observing Lent. Here is what the Catholic Church in the United States requires of us as baptized Catholics: 1. The days of FAST (only on full meal) and ABSTINENCE (no meat) are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. No dispensations are granted on these solemn Days except for reason of sickness or those provided in canon law below. 2. All other Fridays of Lent are days of ABSTINENCE (no meat). Those between the ages of 18 and 59 are obliged to FAST (only one full meal) as above. From the age of 14, people are also obliged to ABSTAIN (no meat: this obligation prohibits the eating of meat, but not eggs, milk products or condiments of any kind, even though made from animal fat.) The obligation to observe the laws of fast and abstinence is a serious one for Catholics. Failure to observe one penitential day in itself is not considered a serious sin. It is the failure to observe any penitential days at all, or a substantial number of penitential days, that must be considered serious. The obligation, the privilege really, of receiving the Eucharist at least once a year often called Easter duty - for those in the state of grace should still be fulfilled during the period from the First Sunday of Lent, March 9-10 to Trinity Sunday, June However, the Church s law does permit this precept to be fulfilled at another time during the year when there is a just cause. I want to encourage Catholics to go to Confession and to make use of the sacrifices and traditions that have always been part of our Lenten practices in the church. We do, indeed, fast and pray with the Lord Jesus and with our fellow Catholics. May this Lent be a time of penance leading to grace and joy for us all at Easter. Saint of the Week Saint Casimir, Feast day March 4, Patron of Poland St. Casimir was the third among the 13 children of Casimir III, King of Poland. He was born on October 5, Although educated in a royal court, he was horrified of luxury and practiced many mortifications in secret. Under the care of the holy canon, John Dugloss, he grew up in singular innocence. One of his principal devotions was to the Blessed Virgin, in whose honor he composed, or at least frequently recited, the well-known Hymn of St. Casimir. When the crown of Hungary was offered to him, St. Casimir marched at the head of an army of 20,000 men to the frontier, to comply with his father s will. The reigning King of Hungary whom the people wished to dethrone was Matthias Corvinus. On reaching the frontier and learning that the differences between King and people had been adjusted, St. Casimir gladly returned home. Realizing afterward the injustice of the attempt against the King of Hungary, he could never again be prevailed upon to assume the crown when the Hungarians again invited him. To the end of his life, St. Casimir preserved untainted his purity of soul and body, nor could he ever be induced to enter the state of matrimony. A lingering tuberculosis ended his brief career, which was brought to a close at Vilna, the capital of Lithuania, in 1482, at 24 years of age.