Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton: Most Reverend David M. O’Connell, C.M.
Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton: Most Reverend David M. O’Connell, C. M.
Pastor: Reverend Fr. Jeffrey E. Lee
Pastor: Reverend Fr. Jeffrey E. Lee
Pastor Emeritus: Reverend Fr. William J. Bausch
Pastor Emeritus: Reverend Fr. William J. Bausch
Parish Trustees: Annette Raynor & Roger Zurro
Parish Trustees: Linda Dickinson-Pancila & Tom Nathanson MAY 17, 2026
MASS SCHEDULE & INTENTIONS
Saturday, May 17, 2026 - Sunday, May 23, 2026
Wednesday, May 20
Saturday May 16
9 AM at Saint Catharine, Holmdel
4 PM
Joseph Merck *Barbara Saake
Christopher Munger *The Grabowski and Munger Families
Renato Poscablo *Drs. Gener and Elvira Dapul
Sunday May 17
8 AM
Anne Marie Barth *Alice Ganley
Arnold, Marie and Richard Brundage *Huntley Family
John Grabowski *Eileen and Michael Stivala
10 AM
Eleanore P. Salvo *Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Longobardi
Raymond P. Shebell, Jr. *Linda and Michael Appolonia
Emma Rita Baudanza *Rima & Peter Goranites
12 PM
Living & Deceased Parishioners & Parish Benefactors
Richard Gerbino *Richard and Maria Gerbino Intentions of Loving Family Members *Janet Munger
Monday, May 18
9 AM
Emily Constanza Chavez *Martha-Jean Rosiello
Anthony Garito *Arlene and Family
Tuesday, May 19
9 AM
Loving Family Members *Janet Munger
9 AM
Carol Ann Kohler *Angela and Tom Kinlin
The Lombardi and Terranova Families *Richard Lombardi
Thursday, May 21
9 AM at Saint Catharine, Holmdel
Friday, May 22
9 AM at Saint Catharine, Holmdel
Saturday May 23
9 AM at Saint Catharine, Holmdel
4 PM
Living & Deceased Parishioners & Parish Benefactors
Dr. Jack Dugo Sr. *Coppola Family
William Lauto *Richard and Maria Gerbino
Sunday May 24
10 AM
Loving Family Members *Janet Munger
Elizzabeth Joyce *Joyce Family
Theodoor and Linda Damen *Janet and Scott Cinfio Family
Church Sanctuary Lamps Vivian & John Chimento Adria Retacco
Please pray for the following members of our parish community who are ill:
Rev. Msgr. Michael J. Walsh
Kathy Weber
Jack Coppola
Fr. William Bausch
Joe Brando
Lori Lettieri
a loved one. The Lamps burn for seven days in the You can request it at the parish office or accessing our online system The stipends is $25.
Edward Habrack
Mario Geneve
To add or remove a family member from the sick list, please email parishbulletin@stmaryscoltsneck.org. Names will be removed from the list after 3 months. Thank for keeping us updated on your loved one’s health. ($10 stipend)
LIFELONG CATECHESIS:
READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Sunday, May 17—7th Sunday of Easter
Acts 1:12-14/1 Pt 4:13-16/Jn 17:1-11
Monday, May 18
Acts 19:1-8/Jn 16:29-3
Tuesday, May 19
Acts 20:17-27/Jn 17:1-11a
Wednesday, May 20
Acts 20:28-38/Jn 17:11b-19
Thursday, May 21
Acts 22:30; 23:6-11/Jn 17:20-26
Friday, May 22
Acts 25:13b-21/Jn 21:15-19
Saturday, May 23
Acts 28:16-20, 30-31/Jn 21:20-25
Week of May 17 to May 23
FOR DEEPER REFLECTION
We remain at the heart of Jesus mission.
Question for Children: us be strong in our faith. When do you need to be really strong in faith?
Please pray for our Military & First Responders
Almighty and eternal God, those who take refuge in you will be glad and forever will shout for joy. Protect these soldiers as they discharge their duties. Protect them with the shield of your strength and keep them safe from all evil and harm. May the power of your love enable them to return home in safety, that with all who love them, they may ever praise you for your loving care. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
AMT Colton Boag, USCG
Col. John Anthony Coppola, US Army
TSgt Stephen Witherow, USAF
LCpl Edward Zarzecki, USMC
Lt. Col. Douglas Coppola, US Army
Lt. Mary Herman, USN
SN Christian Houlihan, USN
LT. Jason Joseph Howe, USN
SPC Michael John Mento, US Army
LTJG Matthew Motola, USN
LCpl Bradley O’Ree, USMC
SPC Nicholas Poskonka, US Army
Captain Richard Savo, US Army
1st Lt. Adam Sjoholm, US Army
Captain Ryan Tanguay, US Army
Question for Youth: Prayer is essential to being a disciple, because it is the way we build or relationship with God through talking and listening. What is one way you can take more time this week to listen to God in prayer?
Question for Adults: In these heartfelt instructions from a leader of the church, what are the ways in modern life that we sometimes suffer for our faith? Or are there no such ways?
SAINT OF THE WEEK
Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs, d. 1886
Charles Lwanga was the assistant to the master of pages in the court of King Mwanga of Uganda. Joseph Mukasa, a Catholic, was his superior. Mukasa chastised the king for his murder of a Protestant missionary, as well as for the king’s homosexuality and his corruption of the young pages. This served to intensify the king’s hatred of Catholics and Joseph Mukasa was ordered slain by the king.
Charles, having been under instruction in the Catholic faith, asked for and received Baptism on the day that Mukasa was killed. For his own unwillingness to submit to immoral acts and his defense of the other pages, Lwanga and fourteen other pages who were Christian were sent to a prison. Enroute, three of the pages, including Lwanga, were murdered, burned to death along with two soldiers.
WORSHIP & MUSIC
Andrew J. Macirowski - Pastoral Coordinator for Worship & Music / Principal Organist Worship@StMarysColtsNeck.org • Music@StMarysColtsNeck.org
The Ascension of the Lord
The Solemnity of the Ascension is traditionally celebrated forty days after Easter, intentionally mirroring the forty days of Lent that prepare the faithful for the Sacred Paschal Triduum. This numerical symmetry is not incidental; rather, it reflects the Church’s theological appreciation for sacred time and its rhythm. Likewise, the Solemnity of Pentecost observed on the fiftieth day after Easter creates space for the ancient and meaningful practice of a novena, the nine days of prayer that unfold between Ascension and Pentecost in anticipation of the Holy Spirit.
Within the United States, the ecclesiastical provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Omaha, and Philadelphia continue to observe Ascension Thursday as a Holy Day of Obligation. These provinces include Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania. In all other provinces, the celebration is transferred to the Seventh Sunday of Easter, effectively replacing that Sunday’s liturgical observance. While this transfer may offer pastoral convenience particularly in regions where priest shortages and significant distances between parishes present practical challenges it inevitably diminishes the liturgical symbolism embedded in the forty-day observance and results in the omission of the proper readings for the Seventh Sunday of Easter.
In 2022, the Bishops of Ecclesiastical Province of Newark permanently transferred the Ascension to the Seventh Sunday of Easter. Accordingly, this solemnity is observed this weekend within our local Church.
The Ascension commemorates Christ’s return to the Father and stands as a foundational tenet of Catholic faith, professed in both the Apostles’ Creed and the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed. The event is indispensable to understanding the postResurrection narratives and the revealed mystery of the Holy Trinity. The Ascension marks the Son’s return to the Father and immediately precedes the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles ten days later at Pentecost. Theologically, it also deepens our understanding of the Resurrection: while Christ is raised from the dead by the will and power of the Father, he ascends by his own divine authority. The Ascension thus becomes the final earthly manifestation of his glory and sovereignty, anticipating the day when he will come again in fullness.
Planning a Catholic Wedding?
First step is to make sure it is valid. (click for more info)
Why should Catholics celebrate America’s 250th birthday?
“Easter
Duty”
The Catholic Church requires of us as baptized Catholics to observe the following:
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, February 22, 2026 to Trinity Sunday, May 31, 2026. However, the Church’s law does permit this precept to be fulfilled at another time during the year when there is a just cause.
MINISTRY SCHEDULE
Saturday, May 23 & Sunday, May 24
Saturday, May 23
4:00 PM Alex Gruenling Anthony Gruenling Carly York Michele Gruenling Charles Young
Sunday, May 24
8 AM Sunday, May 24
10 AM
Sunday, May 24
12 Noon
OH-Monica Barr
TH-Elvira Dapul
TH-Emily Santangelo
ALT-Jane Slattery
NO 8 A.M. MASS ON SUNDAY MAY 24
Grace Collins Reagan Royal Choir w/ Cantor Steve Rumsby Mary Ellen Griffin
OH-Linda Dickinson-Pancila
TH-Sue Gitzpatrick
TH-Carol Donahue
ALT-Maureen Geiger
NO 12 NOON MASS ON SUNDAY MAY
OUR PROMISE TO PROTECT
The Diocese of Trenton is committed to the initiatives outlined in the U.S. Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and to its own policies and guidelines in regard to the reporting and investigation of sexual abuse allegations involving minors.
If you have been sexually abused as a minor by a member of the clergy or anyone representing the Catholic Church, or if you know of someone who was, you can report that abuse through the diocesan ABUSE HOTLINE: 1-888-296-2965 or via e-mail at abuseline@dioceseoftrenton.org.
The Diocese of Trenton reports any allegations of sexual abuse to the appropriate law enforcement agencies. Anyone with an allegation is also encouraged to provide that information to local law enforcement authorities.
Child Protection Efforts
FAITH FORMATION
Julia Cullen — Pastoral Coordinator of Faith Formation / Religious Education
The Bible project is now on display in Madonna Hall for all to enjoy. CP-1 (7th grade) learners worked hard on these projects all year learning about the genealogy of Jesus. We will be displaying a select few each week in the narthex. Please check out the whole display in Madonna Hall at your convenience.
As a reminder, the Confirmation Retreat is scheduled for 19 September, beginning at the 4pm mass and following in Madonna Hall. This is for all children who will be making their Confirmation in October 2026.
Fall registration is open and the link for all learners in Elementary RE and Confirmation Prep will remain open until the end of May. REGISTER HERE
We are looking for more CP volunteers for our summer intensive program in July VIRTUAL and August ON CAMPUS. Please SIGN-UP HERE We are also in need of a few more parents to assist as well, please email for more information and to sign-up at religioused@stmaryscoltsneck.org
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CALENDAR
30 May 2026 Fall Registration/ Reregistration closes 12 July 2026 Blessing Mass 10 A.M. Mass & Orientation Summer Intensive July VIRTUAL 13-24 July 2026 Summer Intensive July Virtual M-F, 9 A.M.—12 P.M. 26 July 2026
Grandparents Day click here to register INTERGENERATIONAL
Beginning at 10 A.M. mass, following in Madonna Hall
To sign up or for more information please complete this form.
Visit the NCLL site for more information
This week we highlight our first NCCL project! “Advent Welcome” was a new initiative we started this past Advent. Each Sunday of Advent, at the beginning of mass, one parish family welcomed the congregation and announced the Sunday of Advent we were celebrating. At the conclusion of this two-minute welcome, it was encouraged for all to introduce themselves to their pew “neighbors”. We had a great response from the families presenting as well as parishioners experiencing this new initiative. If your family would be interested in presenting this coming Advent 2026, please email the RE office at religiosed@stmaryscoltsneck.org
PASTORAL CARE & OUTREACH
Rosemarie Farrow Pastoral Coordinator of Pastoral Care & Outreach
Congratulations to our newly initiated who came into Full Communion with the Church at the Easter Vigil.
Being a registered and active member of a parish is an important part of living out our Catholic faith in community. The Parish of St. Mary considers someone an active member when they:
Attend Mass regularly
Participate in the life of the parish
Juniper Barasky
Rachelle Deyo
And financially support the parish as they are able. We also encourage adult children over the age of 25 to register separately as parishioners, even if they continue to live in the same household. This helps them take personal responsibility for their faith journey and stay connected to the life of the Church. Non-residents are encouraged to register in the parish where they reside or attend Mass regularly.
Kirsten Lawson
Lucianna Manza
Angelica Weber
If you're interested in becoming a registered member of our parish, or need help with the process, we’d love to assist you. Please visit our parish website for more information or contact the parish office, we're here to help! Main Phone Number 732-780-2666
My Dear Parishioners:
Quo vadis...
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. Our Church teaches that the Lord Jesus, after having been raised from the dead, ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the almighty God. Our society glorifies being our own person and doing all we can to make our lives easy. This gospel and second reading make clear that to live the paschal mystery—continue Jesus’ work— means that we must remain in Jesus even to the point of taking up his suffering. Jesus’ prayer, then, doesn’t make our lives easier, but harder! It’s the share in glory that makes the choice to be a faithful disciple living the paschal mystery worthwhile.
Let us congratulate our 2026 graduates. Having completed their studies they are being challenged to begin a new chapter in their life. With that comes the uncertainty of what they will encounter in their journey. The community of faith can be a wonderful place to gain that necessary support that is needed during life’s transitions. May we, filled with God’s grace, be a people of hope and encouragement. There are lots of voices out there attempting to bring us down or distract us from our mission. Stay focusedandremember whywearehere: to build the Body of Christ in our midst. Also, please register or re-register for religious education and sacramental preparation opportunities for the coming fall. We want to provide the very best for our parishioner families. This requires preparation and planning. We have been treated to some beautiful Spring Weather. Take time to enjoy it with a walk…some gardening…or simply sitting outside and catching up on some
meditation or spiritual reading. Our parish team continues to be busy planning for the coming fiscal and liturgical years. I am grateful to all those who advise us in our exercise of oversight.
Next weekend we will celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost, the fulfillment of the New Covenant in the sending of the Holy Spirit to continue the ministry of Christ’s Church. Don’t forget to wear something RED next weekend when you come to celebrate mass! We will observe the “Abbreviated Mass Schedule” which is Saturday at 4pm; Sunday at 10am. The Saturday anticipated mass will remain at 4pm throughout the year as was announced last fall. Saint Catharine Parish offers an anticipated mass on Saturdays at 5pm. Next Monday is Memorial Day. Mass will be celebrated in the Chapel at 9am. Come, let us pray for all those who have made the supreme sacrifice for the freedom that we enjoy.
Last week I began the 14th year as Pastor here and this weekend I began the 35th year of priestly ministry. Have great week! Let us remember one another in prayer. Happy Sunday. Peace. Father Jeff
TEMPORAL ADMINISTRATION & STEWARDSHIP
Edwin A. Sevillano— Pastoral Associate for Temporal Administration & Stewardship
TemporalAdmin@StMarysColtsNeck.org
Please Remember Our Parish this Easter Season
Annual Catholic Appeal Parish
Goal: $84,000.00 Pledged: $66,787.99 (80%)
$57,902.99 (69%) Total Donors: 158 (62% towards participation incentive) Average Gift: $422.71
Total donors needed to qualify for the participation increase incentive: 251
Our 2026 Easter Collection is a major annual collection to support our parish.Ithelps to fund capital projects as well as our regular operational expenses. If you haven’t madean Easter offering yet, kindly use theEaster envelopeyour received in themail and drop it in thecollection box as soon as you are able. Alternatively,you may make an offering electronically at our online giving system HERE
Celebrating 100 years of retreat ministry in Long Branch, NJ
San Alfonso Retreat House
755 Ocean Avenue
Long Branch, New Jersey 07740
"COME TO THE WATER" RELAX & RENEW WEEK
JULY 19 - 24
We invite you for a week of rest and renewal at San Alfonso. Design your own schedule with time for quiet prayer, daily Mass, and various optional activities.
Note: This retreat is open to all; women and men, clergy, and religious sisters.
To Register, click HERE
Save the Date Annual ~ Family Pilgrimage Day ~ Saturday, September 19, 2026 | 9AM - 3:30PM
This year the annual family day pilgrimage will be hosted by the Franciscan community, in the Diocese of Trenton at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Long Beach Island (Southern Ocean County), New Jersey. It is the perfect place for families to enjoy quality time together. Truly a family-friendly pilgrimage offering a range of activities, and quality time together. All are Welcome! We invite you to spend the day with us at St. Francis, Long Beach Island, NJ. For more information please contact: Josue Arriola 609-403-7155
Offerings at Francis House of Prayer Trenton Diocesan Spiritual Center and Retreat House 84 Walnford Road • Allentown, NJ 08501 www.FHOP.org * 609-877-0509 * FHOP@verizon.net
SPRING CLEANING WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
Thursday, May 28 9:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Spring is the perfect time to refresh not only our homes and gardens, but our spiritual lives as well. Spend the afternoon with the Holy Spirit as we “dust off” His gifts and discover how they are alive within us. Enjoy quiet moments of personal prayer and guided reflection, as together we open ourselves to grace, clarity, and renewal. Led by Laura Sarubbi. Donation: $25, with lunch; Zoom $20.
IN-PERSON AND ON ZOOM THE CHALLENGE OF WAITING
Wednesday, June 3 9:30 AM – Noon
If you are challenged by having to wait for God, others, and circumstances, please join us! We will open our hearts to the wisdom of Scripture, Teilhard, Merton and Hildegard so we can discover the peace that comes from praying, waiting, and trusting in God. Donation: $25.
IN-PERSON AND ON ZOOM
THE PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD
Friday, June 5 9:30 AM – Noon
Brother Lawrence had the knack of teaching us how to stay close to God when we are “not praying.” So many people notice that they lose focus during the day as the demands of everyday life capture them. How can we be more attentive? Donation: $25.
IN PERSON ONLY
PERSONAL RETREAT DAYS
Wednesday, June 10 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM
Come to Francis House for silence, personal prayer and optional spiritual direction. The day begins and ends with a brief prayer together. Please bring a bag lunch. Donation: $10; $40 with spiritual direction.
The Grotto Candles are available for your prayer intentions.
