Fifth Sunday of Easter April 29, 2018 Pastoral Staff Pastor Father Vincent T. Euk Parochial Vicar Fr. John Chang Weekend Assistant Fr. Bill O Brien Deacons Tom Cechulski, Sr. Charles R. Daye, Jr. John Franey Gino (Louis) Esposito School Principal Sister Cherree Power, C.R. Religious Education Sr. Ann Norton, D.R.E. Linda Clayton Business Manager Deacon Gino Esposito Director of Music Emer O Mahony Youth Ministry Coordinator Sister Ann Norton Phone Contacts Rectory 732-363-4200 Convent 732-364-2361 School 732-364-4130 Religious Education 732-364-4137 Rectory Fax 732-370-3891 Rectory Office Hours: M-F 9:00-4:30 PM Second & Fourth Saturday 9AM 12:30 PM Baptisms: Every 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month,. Weekend Masses: Saturdays: 4:00 PM Sundays: 7:30, 9:00, 10:30, 12 noon, 5PM Daily Masses: Mon-Fri 7:20 AM & 12 Noon, Sat: 8AM Holy Days: As announced in the bulletin. Healing Mass every first Friday at 7:30PM Sacrament of Reconciliation Saturdays from 3:00 to 3:45PM and before each Sunday Mass
Mass Intentions for this Week April 29, 2018 7:20 Jack McGuire.Ed & Mary Althaver 12:00 In Thanksgiving for Healing..John Burke TUESDAY 7:20 Thomas Repko......Serge Family 12:00 For Prayers of Healing... John Burke WEDNESDAY... St. Athanasius, b. 7:20 Felice Maurizio. Vic & Priscilla Lagdameo 12:00 Maria L. Fionda... Daughter THURSDAY... Sts. Philip & James, a. 7:20 Lisa Bausch... Pat Muniz 12:00 Hedwig & Herbert Niemzyk... Rita Marquis 8AM Int. of Bob & Diana Morris... Children & Grandchildren 4PM Connie & Emilio Rubio... Lobell Family SUNDAY 7:30 Bonnie Yuro... Deacon Chuck & Denise Daye 9:00 Vinny Placanica... Madeira Family 10:30 Agnes Geary... Tom & Gloria Weg 12:00 Teresa F. Ali... Sister 5:00 For the People of the Parish Sanctuary Candle Week of April 29, 2018 Intentions of John Mitchell... Deacon Gino Chapel Candles-Week of April 29, 2018 Intentions of St. Veronica Environment Committee Events for this coming Week See our website www.stveronica.com Sacrificial Offering Update Readings for the Week of April 29, 2018 Sunday: Acts 9:26-31; 1 Jn 3:18-24; Jn 15:1-8 Monday: Acts 14:5-18; Jn 14:21-26 Tuesday: Acts 14:19-28; Jn 14:27-31a Wednesday: Acts 15:1-6; Jn 15:1-8 Thursday: 1 Cor15:1-8; Jn 14:6-14 Friday: Acts 15:22-31; Jn 15:12-17 Saturday: Acts 16:1-10; Jn 15:18-21 Sunday: Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48; 1 Jn 4:7-10; Jn 15:9-17
Pastor s Notes I would like to give you a little summary of what I experienced and learned during my trip to Rome regarding my being a Missionary of Mercy. This will be a reflection on the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Maybe in the future I can discuss the special privileges that I have which are usually reserved to the Holy Father, but I think his vision of this great Sacrament is very important and gives a deeper perspective on what Confession really is or should be. He began with two amusing comments which express his concern about difficulties people have in coming to Confession and which I can only remember hearing about from my parents generation. Some of the Missionaries of Mercy were appointed bishops, and I think that they may have lost their privileges because of that, but he did not really say. He said that he hoped that these bishops did not loose their capacity to be merciful. The second was that the prodigal son did not have to pass through customs and was welcomed back into the family without obstacles. The ministry of mercy that I have been called to live is a pastoral experience that is intended to express the richness of divine mercy that does not exhaust itself. Pope Francis does not wish us to receive this gift of being God s co-workers in vain. He sees us as Christ s ambassadors acting as an apostolate in bringing people to peace with God, but first with ourselves. In other words, to be co-workers of mercy it presupposes living the merciful love that we experienced first as sinners ourselves. The Holy Father gave the example of St. Paul toward the end of his life when he says, I was shown mercy. It was only at this point that St. Paul was able to discover the core of the Gospel. For myself, and I dare say for all priests and bishops, we must come to realize our own personal experiences of God s mercy. The fact that God treated us personally with mercy is the key to becoming God s coworkers. One must experience mercy in order to become a minister of mercy. Pope Francis says, God has chosen me; God trusts me, God has put His trust in me by calling me, despite being a sinner, to be His coworker to make it real, effective and to allow His mercy to be touched by hand. Reconciliation is not a private initiative of our own or the fruit of our commitment because this would mean that we do not need divine grace to assist us in this action. The Savior is God and not us. When a penitent approaches a priest or bishop, it is the first fruit of a meeting with the love of God that has already taken place. God s grace has opened the penitent s heart and made it willing to convert. Priests and bishops should perceive the miracle of a person who has met God and who has already experienced the efficacy of His grace. This gaze of faith is an event that finds its origin in God, the Shepherd Who has noticed the lost sheep and goes searching for it until He finds it. The task of the priest and bishop is to ensure the action of God s grace not be in vain, but supporting it and allowing it to come to fruition. In the parable of the Prodical Son, the father did not even let his lost son finish his prepared apology. Once the confessor has understood everything, the priest or bishop is actually strengthened by his personal experience of being a sinner, his humility and the gift of Holy Orders. Sin is turning one s back on God so that the sinner can look only at himself. It is a self-confidence which brings instability and inconsistency to life. Pope Francis expresses the isolation of those who have experienced serious sins, God is not idle to wait for the sinner: He runs to him, because the joy of seeing him come back is too great, and God has this passion to rejoice, to rejoice when He sees the sinner coming. It almost seems that God Himself has a degree of consolation. In summary, receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation is a mutual act of the Holy Spirit. First the sinner is moved by the Holy Spirit to confess his sins. Second, it is also an encounter of the priest s or bishop s recognition of the personal encounters of receiving God s mercy for their sins. No wonder why Pope Francis immediately identified himself as a sinner and why he ends most of his talks with Pray for me! Fr. Euk Scripture Meditation "Abide In Me, And I In You" Why does Jesus speak of himself as the true vine? The image of the vine was a rich one for the Jews since the land of Israel was covered with numerous vineyards. It had religious connotations to it as well. Isaiah spoke of the house of Israel as "the vineyard of the Lord"(Isaiah 5:7). Jeremiah said that God had planted Israel "as his choice vine" (Jeremiah 2:21). While the vine became a symbol of Israel as a nation, it also was used in the Scriptures as a sign of degeneration - a deformed state of spiritual growth and moral decline. Isaiah's prophecy spoke of Israel as a vineyard which "yielded wild grapes" (see Isaiah 5:1-7). Jeremiah said that Israel had become a "degenerate and wild vine" (Jeremiah 2:21).
OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE Please Pray for Our Sick Theology of the Body Please join Fr. Euk on Sunday night for a lecture series on the Theology of the Body. Meeting held in the Narthex at 6:30PM. Topics: 4/29 Creating a Climate Favorable to Purity St. Veronica School invites you to this year s School Play! Performance Dates: Friday, May 4th 7:30PM (Performance Only) Saturday, May 5th 7:30PM (Performance Only or Saturday, May 5th Dinner Theater Dinner at 5PM in the school cafeteria, prepared by the Knights of Columbus, followed by the Little Mermaid Jr. presentation. Tickets for Dinner theater are $15 pp., $25 a couple and $40 per family up to 4 people (additional members $8.00 pp.) Ticket price for performance only is $5.00 pp and can be purchased in advance or at the gym doors. Cash or check made out to St. Veronica School. Marian Shrine Pilgrimage Marian Shrines Pilgrimage, October 1-12, 2018. Do not miss this amazing opportunity to see some of the most known holy sites in Europe, including Fatima, Portugal, St. Ignatius of Loyola in Spain, and Lourdes, France. Join us this fall and explore some of the most beautiful and exciting holy sites in Europe. We will visit churches, cathedrals, significant historical places, plus other activities such as wine tasting in Portugal. This is a 12 day Pilgrimage with spiritual director Msgr. Peter Kochery and Deacon Tom Cechulski as tour coordinator. Airfare, hotels, all transportation, 2 meals a day, and health insurance all included for only $3,399 per person. Please contact Deacon Tom at 3marysway@optonline.net or 732-610-5434 for more information. Easter Flowers Tony Genecki, Anna Lyons Genecki, Jean Baker Barker Formed. Org Formed.org The Best Catholic Content, all in one place. It s EASY and FREE to Register 1. Go to formed.org/register 2. Enter access Code: 4WGYGJ 3. Enter your email and create a password (needed to log in later) 4. Enjoy and share with others in our Community
Goal- $200,000.00 To Date Donations: $41,800.00 May Crowning and Procession Please join us for our May Crowning and Rosary Procession on SATURDAY, May 19, 2018, 5:15 pm, after the 4 pm Mass. Fr. Chang will lead our Rosary procession from the Church to Mother Mary's grotto by the Rectory where we will crown Mother Mary's statue. Reception to follow in the Cafeteria. All are welcome to bring flowers for the procession and a food item to share for the fellowship. For questions, please contact the Legion of Mary: Irma Bennett at (732) 363-8386 or via email: Mary Anne M. at godis4life@optonline.net. St. Veronica Healing Mass Friday, May 4, 2018 at 7:30PM Exodus 15:26 - For, I, the Lord, Am your healer Come join us; pray for the healing for yourself, family and friends. Divine Mercy Prayers Look into My Heart and see there the love and mercy which I have for humankind, and especially for sinners. Look and enter into My Passion. (Diary of St. Faustina) Please come and join our parish family on Sunday, May 6th at 1:30 to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet. CIRCLE OF LIFE Retreat St. Joseph By the Sea Retreat House, May 18 th -May 20 th. Four Moments in Every Woman s Life: Loss, Change, Transformation, Fulfillment. Come to us again and again. Time will be offered for inspirational reflection, prayer, and scripture. This retreat invites us to come to know and love ourselves as we seek God within the experiences of our own journey. It allows space to ponder what it means to be a truly whole and spiritual woman living in the challenging time of our world today. Mass included. Arrival: 6:00-7:00 PM. Departure: 1:00 PM. Presenter: Paulette Cicero, M. Th., CSD Cost: $215. Please call 732-892-8494 to register or for additional information. Adoration Chapel Jesus waits for us in this sacrament of Love. Help us to maintain an unbroken vigil of love 24/7 by registering for a specific hour. Don't be afraid to take a fixed hour for fear that there may be times you cannot make it. Registered adorers insure our commitment to keep the chapel open 24/7. Give Him time and He will give Himself to you. Hours Most Needed, but you can name your hour also: Sunday : 4AM, 7AM, 5PM Monday: 1AM Wednesday: 12 midnight to 1AM, 2PM Thursday: 2AM, 3AM, 5PM Saturday: 3AM, 3PM, 7PM Contact Debbie drev514@aol.com or leave message 732-367- 7750. Annual Parish Plant Sale Fundraiser Thank you to all who supported our fundraiser last year and purchased all those beautiful plants. This year our plant sale will be held on May 5 from 1 PM to 5 PM. All types of plants and vegetables will be available for purchase. This is a wonderful way to start your garden, while supporting the parish! Church Decorating (Environmental) Ministry Volunteer Needed. If you have a passion for decorating and working with plants and flowers, and bringing God s creations into the Church, you may want to consider joining our Church Environmental Ministry and sharing your creative talents and time with our parish. We are in need of a lead person as well as helpers. If you are interested please contact Deacon Gino at the rectory office. Thank you. OUR NEEDS Donated If you are in need of a crib, please call Andrea at 732-245-9741. Help Needed We are in need of someone to refurbish collection basket linings. If you can help please call 732-363- 4200.