Welcome to the
Saint Joseph
Parish Religious Education Program (PREP)
Tuesdays - 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Classes for Grades 5 - 8 (2nd year Confimation Preparation)
Wednesdays - 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Classes for Grades 1 - 4
Livestream the Mass from the Diocese
https://diometuchen.org/cathedral-livestream
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Daily Mass
Monday - Saturday
at 7:00 AM
Sunday Mass
Sunday at 7:00 AM
Chrism Mass
Monday, April 6 at 4:00 PM
Sunday, 4th Sunday of Lent
Dear Parishioners,
Again I am writing you to encourage you in our faith. It breaks my heart that we can not be together at Sunday Mass or the many other times we gather together as community. But as I offered Mass this morning, I prayed for you. And when I received communion, I felt led to receive my communion for all of you. Somehow it made me feel closer to you in the presence of the Lord.
And yesterday, I was blessed to realize, that our Lord has a deep compassion on us all, in this our time of trial. Sometimes it is not easy to see God in the midst of our trials. But know that he is there for us. Still caring for us. Waiting for us to turn to him so we may be blessed by him.
I pray God keeps us safe, and for the grace of God to be active in our lives, as we continue to pray for an end to this crisis.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. James McGuffey
Dear Parents,
ALL scheduled PREP classes have been cancelled for the near future. You will be notified when classes resume.
Any projects that were due will be collected when PREP classes resume. Students who are preparing for the sacraments of First Holy Communion in May and Confirmation this fall are asked to work on the following:
- 2nd grade students - Continue to study the Communion responses as well as all prayers that have been taught so far this year.
- 8th grade students (2nd year Confirmation) - Continue to study for your Confirmation interview.
Fr. McGuffey and I pray that you all remain well.
Blessings,
Marcelle N. Doherty
Director, PREP
PLEASE NOTE:
Temporary Suspension of Public Masses
All public Masses throughout the Diocese of Metuchen will be temporarily suspended beginning no later than March 18 and resume no earlier than April 3, 2020, when the situation will be reevaluated as circumstances unfold.
Despite the suspension of public Masses, a private Mass will be celebrated daily at 7 a.m. in the Cathedral of Saint Francis of Assisi and can be viewed at that time on their website: www.stfranciscathedral.org.
Televised or online celebrations of the Mass and other religious programming are available for use of the faithful on several television channels.
Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals
The celebration of baptisms, funerals and weddings may continue at the discretion of the local pastor. Every effort should be made to follow the guidance regarding appropriate crowd size as suggested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and mandated by the State of New Jersey.
Priests should always remain attentive to the pastoral needs of their people, including those celebrating marriage, those grieving or those in immediate danger of death, who should be baptized without delay.
Additional information is available on the website for the Diocese of Metuchen
https://diometuchen.org/
LENTEN OBLIGATIONS
So that the Church of Metuchen may be spiritually one in a common observance of Lent, the following days of fast and abstinence are to be observed by all Catholics of the Diocese who enjoy the blessings of good health:
1. The days of fast and abstinence are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
2. All other Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence.
3. From the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday until the celebration of the Easter Vigil on the evening of Holy Saturday, the Easter fast should be observed so that, with uplifted and welcoming hearts, we may be ready to celebrate the joys of the Resurrection. This ancient tradition, intimately connected with the Rites of Holy Week and the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, is encouraged, especially in those places baptizing catechumens at the Easter Vigil.
The obligation to fast applies only to Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59. To fast in the Catholic tradition means to limit oneself to one full meal during the day so as to experience hunger. The obligation of abstinence affects all Catholics who have reached the age of 14. Abstinence in the Catholic tradition means to abstain from meat.
The obligation of fast and abstinence, as a whole, is a serious obligation. While failure to observe any penitential day in itself may not be considered serious, the failure to observe any penitential days at all, or a substantial number of them without good cause, would be considered a grave matter. Those unable to abstain for a valid reason on any given Friday of Lent are asked to perform some other penitential act, or to abstain on another day.
Will you please share your talent...?
As we prepare for upcoming changes (starting September 2020)
in our PREP
we ask that you consider helping...
There is a great need for
Catechists, Classroom Aides, Substitute Catechists
Please contact the PREP office at 732-969-8767 for additional information.
at St. Joseph's church
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