PARISH STAFF MASS SCHEDULE Pastor: Reverend Jeffrey J. Kegley Mary Mother of God Church [email protected] Saturday Vigil: 5:00 p.m. Sunday: 8:00 a.m., Parochial Vicar: Reverend Richard Osborn [email protected] 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Parochial Vicar: Reverend Jordan Please note that all Masses will take place inside Mary McConway O.P. Mother of God Church & the 10:00 a.m. Mass will be Deacons: Carlo Squicciarini & livestreamed on our YouTube Channel. The Sunday 7:30 a.m. Martin K. McMahon Mass intention will be read during the 8:00 a.m. Mass. The Business Manager: Hank Pekarsky ext. 232 9:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. intentions will both be read during Sacristan/Altar Server Coordinator the 10:00 a.m. Mass until further notice. Mrs. Laney Wilkens The Daily Mass schedule remains: 8:15 a.m. and 12:00 Parish Trustees: William “Bill” Large & p.m. in Mary, Mother of God Church. John “Jack’ Kurkemelis RECONCILIATION/CONFESSIONS: Saturday 1:00 to 2:00 pm Faith Formation: Mrs. Peggy Dunne ext. 240 & Thursday 3:30 to 4:30 pm [email protected] SACRAMENT of BAPTISM: 1st & 3rd Sundays 1:30 pm Suzanne Pfirrman ext. 241 BAPTISM PREP CLASS: 2nd Thur. 7:00 pm - Bulman Center [email protected] To register call ext. 221 Director of Music: Malena Towers ext.239 [email protected] SACRAMENT of MARRIAGE ext. 222 Youth & Young Adult Ministry PERPETUAL EUCHARISTIC ADORATION ext. 240 Cassandra Abbud & Jake Thiringer RCIA - [email protected] [email protected] ST. VINCENT DEPAUL SOCIETY ASSISTANCE: HR/Finance Administrator 732-671-4062 Mrs. Sharon Crossnohere ext. 228 [email protected] Week ending June 22, 2021 Bulletin Editor: Jessica Parks Weekly drop offs and envelopes $ 14,286.00 [email protected] Parish Giving $ 5,909.20 Usher Coordinators George Rahey - [email protected] Children $ 18.78 Brian Dolan - [email protected] Ave Maria $ 893.10 E-Catholic $ 285.00 ST. MARY SCHOOL PARISH OFFICE & PRINCIPAL OFFICE HOURS Youth $ 112.00 Mr. Craig Palmer [email protected] 19 Cherry Tree Farm Rd. Ascension $ 15.00 Middletown, NJ 07748 ST. MARY SCHOOL Assessments $ 30.86 538 Church Street, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Middletown, NJ 07748 732-671-0071 Father's Day $ 280.88 732-671-0129 Fax: 732-671-6125 Easter $ 15.00 Jesus is Lord! Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Because of early bulletin deadlines, I usually write my pastor’s notes on Tuesday mornings for the following weekend bulletin. So, as I write these “pastor’s notes,” last night was the first night of the return of the Saint Mary Great Fair. It was an amazing night! Thousands of people with smiling faces. The joy and excitement of the children in the “Kiddie Zone” was priceless to see. A summer night filled with rides, games, food, music, fun and fellowship. I so look forward to the rest of the week. The Saint Mary Great Fair could not happen without the work of the fair committee and hundreds of volunteers. I want to thank all the volunteers for your love and service to Saint Mary’s, but I also want to thank you for the joy and excitement each one of your brought to the Fair. Your smiles and laughter speak volumes to your heart of service. I especially want to thank and honor Hank Pekarsky, the chairman of the Saint Mary Great Fair. I am convinced that Hank never sleeps. Last week, we didn’t even open the Saint Mary Great Fair and he is already talking to me about the Fall Country Fair in September. He is an amazing servant to the people of Saint Mary’s. Hank shared with me that each morning he and his wife Mimi pray to the Holy Spirit on how to serve our parish. The Holy Spirit certainly is directing and blessing Hank and Mimi, and us through them! As you know, Hank also serves as our parish business manager. He is a former school principal, vice chair of the Middle States Accreditation Committee, a state certified Business Administrator, accountant, and former Mayor of Hazlet, to name a few of his credentials. Hank works on a average of 60-70 hours a week for our parish and he does not take a salary, he is a volunteer! There are no words that can express our thanks to Hank (and Mimi!) for all their dedication and service to Saint Mary’s. May God continue to bless them abundantly! This past week all the Bishops of the United States met and discussed a proposal for a “Eucharistic Revival” that would begin in 2022. The proposal is to address the concern that 31% of Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Because of our almost 25 years of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration at Saint Mary’s, I am convinced that we are much higher than the 31%, however, I am excited for this “Eucharistic Revival.” In a real way, since we moved the Adoration over to Saint Mary Chapel, we have been experiencing a “Eucharistic Revival” at Saint Mary’s. Not only do we have almost 400 committed adorers, but since the Chapel re-opened on Ash Wednesday we have had over 2000 visitors to our Eucharistic Lord…. that is “Eucharistic Revival!” Thank you Jesus! Have a blessed week! In Jesus and Mary, Father Jeff Kegley Pastor Pope Francis: 'to have faith is to live our lives with joy' (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Tuesday encouraged Christians to get on with things, living life with joy. Speaking during the homily during Mass at the Casa Santa Marta, he urged them to avoid complaining and not to let themselves be paralyzed by the ugly sin of sloth. The Gospel story at the heart of Pope Francis’ reflection tells of a man who had been ill for thirty- eight years. He was lying at the side of a pool called Bethesda with a large number of ill, blind, lame and crippled who believed that when an angel came down and stirred up the waters the first to bathe in the pool would be healed. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him: “Do you want to be well?” “It’s what Jesus repeatedly says to us as well” the Pope said: “do you want to be well? Do you want to be happy? Do you want to improve your life? Do you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit?” When Jesus, the Pope pointed out, asked that strange man if he wanted to be well, instead of saying “yes” he complained there was on one to put him in the pool while the water is stirred up and that someone else always got there before him. His answer, Francis said, was a complaint, he was implying that life had been unjust with him. “This man, the Pope noted, was like the tree planted along the bank of the rivers, mentioned in the first Reading, but it had arid roots, roots that did not reach the water, could not take nourishment from the water”. The Pope said this is clear from his attitude of always complaining and trying to blame the other. “This is an ugly sin: the sin of sloth” he said. Pope Francis said this man’s disease was not so much his paralysis but sloth, which is worse than having a lukewarm heart. It causes one to live without the desire to move forward, to do something in life, it causes one to lose the memory of joy, he explained, saying the man had lost all of this. Jesus, the Pope continued, did not rebuke him but said: “Take up your mat, and walk”. The man was healed but since it was a Sabbath, the doctors of the law said it was not lawful to carry a mat on that day and they asked him who was the man who told him to do so. The sick man, the Pope noted, had not even thanked Jesus or asked for his name: “he rose and walked with that slothful attitude “living his life because oxygen is free”, always looking to others “who are happier” and forgetting joy. "Sloth, he said, is a sin that paralyzes us, stops us from walking”. Even today, the Pope said, the Lord looks to each of us sinners - we are all sinners - and says “Rise”. The Lord tells each of us, Pope Francis concluded, to take hold of our life, be it beautiful or difficult and move on: “Do not be afraid, go ahead carrying your mat” and remember to come to the waters and quench your thirst with joy and ask the Lord to help you get up and know the joy of salvation. Events at St. Mary, Mother of God St. Mary's Women's Discipleship begins summer break following our June 30 meeting at 7:30 PM on Zoom. We will return September 22 with more wonderful teaching from Darlene Line, MDiv. Please watch the bulletin for details! Have a wonderful summer and come back to us, hungry for more of God's Word! Come, Holy Spirit! Tuesday, the 29th, is the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. Fr. Rick will celebrate an evening Mass at 7:00 PM in Mary, Mother of God Church. Please come and invoke the prayerful intercession of the Holy Apostles. The Respect Life Ministry of St.