Our Patroness - Saint Teresa of Calcutta
Welcome to the Parish of St. Teresa of Calcutta!
The Parish of St. Teresa of Calcutta is a Roman Catholic parish, under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Trenton, serving the Jersey Shore communities of Avon by the Sea, Bradley Beach, Neptune, Neptune City, and neighboring areas. Our Parish community was formed on July 1st, 2018 by uniting the Church of the Ascension, Bradley Beach, with St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church, Avon by the Sea. We hope to meet you at one of our community churches as we walk hand in hand, united in Christ, doing the Lord’s good work here along coastal New Jersey and beyond.
Coronavirus Update
The Parish of St. Teresa of Calcutta due to the financial crisis created by the Coronavirus has had to furlough the Rectory Staff Effective April 22, 2020. The rectory will remain closed until further notice. If you need to call the rectory please call Deacon Robert Armstrong at 732-774-0456 ext.102. Please limit calls to urgent matters. We thank you for your understanding in these trying days.
ORDINARY TIME
The Easter Season ends with the Feast of Pentecost.
Ordinary Time resumes on Monday, June 1 with the Ninth
Week. We will remain in Ordinary Time until the Season of
Advent. The liturgical color is green. While we will return to
the season of Ordinary Time this Monday, the first two
Sundays after Pentecost are special feasts, The Most Holy
Trinity (June 7) and The Most Holy Body and Blood of
Christ (June 14).
|
Directives to be Observed by All Parishioner’s For Private Prayer At Ascension Church Beginning May 13, 2020
Ascension Worship Site Will Be Open Monday Thru Friday 8am – 6pm For Private Prayer and Closed Saturday And Sunday.
Please Use The Side Door(School Side & Handicap Ramp). This Will Be The Only Door To Enter The Church And Leave The Church.
Only 10 People Allowed In The Church At One Time.
Please Use The Front Pews Only. The Rest Of The Church Is Closed To The Public – Restrooms Are Closed.
Please Do Not Leave Anything In The Church.
Wearing Of Facial Coverings Required In The Church.
This Is The First Step In Reopening Our Churches.
Our Lady, our Queen and our Mother. In the name of Jesus and for the love of Jesus, we place this cause in your hands. Please grant it good success.
Mass Intentions
There is still plenty of availability to have a mass said for your loved ones through year end. You can mail in your request to the rectory; 501 Brinley Ave, Bradley Beach, NJ 07720; please include the Worship Site, the mass day and time along with a phone number to reach you. Please also include who it should be for and also who it should be requested by. Please let me know if you need a card, I can place one in the mail to you. All masses are $10.00.
CONFESSIONS DURING CORONAVIRUS EMERGENCY
Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., issued the following guidance April 2, 2020, on seeking Confession and the Sacrament of Penance during the current health crisis:
During this time when our churches and chapels are closed, and when the risk of transmitting COVID-19 is of such grave concern, Confessions should only be requested of our priests in times of emergency or other extreme circumstances.
I ask the faithful to reflect on the advice of Pope Francis and the Catechism’s teaching on seeking God’s forgiveness during these very difficult days:
“But many people today would tell me, ‘Father, where can I find a priest, a confessor, because I can’t leave the house? And I want to make peace with the Lord, I want him to embrace me, I want the Father’s embrace.’ Do what the Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 1452) says. It is very clear: If you cannot find a priest to confess to, speak directly with God, your father, and tell him the truth. Say, ‘Lord, I did this, this, this. Forgive me,’ and ask for pardon with all your heart. Make an act of contrition and promise God, ‘I will go to confession afterward, but forgive me now.’ And immediately you will return to a state of grace with God (Homily, Mass, March 20, 2020).”
Diocese creates weekly resource to help families foster faith at home
Three diocesan departments have collaborated on an online resource that helps individuals and families foster faith conversations in the home during the COVID-19 pandemic.“People have a natural desire to know God, and this pandemic could be a moment of evangelization and catechesis for families to reconnect with the Church,” said Denise Contino, director of the diocesan Department of Catechesis.
The new resource, titled Faith At Home, is a collaboration between Contino; Josue Arriola, director of the Department of Evangelization and Family Life, and Dan Waddington, director of the Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries.
Faith At Home, which is available online in English and Spanish, offers a weekly downloadable pdf that includes links from various Catholic websites, discussion questions related to each Sunday’s Gospel, a “Tip of the Week” that connects to the upcoming Sunday Liturgy, and activities for families.
The webpage, www.dioceseoftrenton.org/faith-at-home or www.dioceseoftrenton.org/fe-en-casa, also offers resources and prayers for individuals, adults, families with young children, teens and marriages.
“I think the Faith At Home initiative is important because it provides a way for parishes and the Diocese to make a connection to families and continue to support their faith growth even though we cannot come together,” Waddington said. “I hope it can be a simple way to help families intentionally live out their faith in their home.”
Faith At Home follows the success of the Department of Evangelization and Family Life’s online resource released at the end of Lent. That guide offered practical advice on how faithful could observe Holy Week and the Sacred Triduum at home. Pastors, parish catechetical leaders and others were appreciative for the guide and praised the ease of sharing it with their communities, Contino said.
The new resource “is meant as a supplement to the Sunday Liturgy,” Contino emphasized. “It serves the faithful by offering families a place to go each week to break open the Word of God as a family.”
She added that it can also help those who might not have a connection to a parish but are searching for ways to connect with their faith.
Arriola said it’s his hope that Faith At Home will help family members enjoy being together.
“Many families involve their children in many activities, and they are always rushing from place to place,” he said, “but the moment they are together with no place to go, it is strange for them. They usually don’t know what to do. Faith At Home will give them ideas on things to do together and start enjoying each other’s company.”
The three diocesan directors said they were pleased to work on a project together that helps the faithful during such difficult times.
“It is an honor to collaborate with other departments,” Waddington said. “I feel the result of sharing our individual gifts, talents and perspectives through prayer and guidance of the Holy Spirit will be a well-rounded resource that can support many.”
“Collaboration with the departments is key,” said Contino, as she cited the Scripture passage, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Mt. 18:20)
Arriola agreed. “We are one Diocese with one mission: ‘Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature,’” Arriola said, quoting from Mark 16:9-15. “This mission can only be accomplished by working together.”
Spiritual Communion During this Time of Pandemic
Making an Act of Spiritual Communion has a long history in the Christian Tradition. This practice reflects a deep desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and lovingly embrace him at a time or in circumstances when one cannot receive Him in sacramental Communion. The most common reason for making an Act of Spiritual Communion is when a person cannot attend Mass. During this time of an international health crisis, we offer the following Act of Spiritual Communion by St. Alphonsus Liguori, the founder of the Redemptorists, and we pray that we may soon gather again around the table of the Eucharist to receive him sacramentally.
My Jesus, I believe you are really here in the Blessed Sacrament. I love you more than anything in the world, and I hunger to feed on your flesh. But since I cannot receive Communion at this moment, feed my soul at least spiritually. I unite myself to you now as I do when I actually receive you. Never let me drift away from you.
All meetings and events have been suspended until further notice.
Online Giving
More families these days are paying their bills online and not writing checks. If you wish to go “green,” visit our Parish website at www.stocp.org and click the Parish Giving icon. You can set up weekly, monthly, or a one-time contribution to the Parish of St. Teresa of Calcutta. Any questions please call the rectory 732-774-0456.
Click the link below
Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities is fully operational at a heightened state of precaution, accommodating social distancing. To access our services or learn how the changes affect our clients via the internet type Https://www.catholiccharitiestrenton.org/catholic-charities-coronovirus-pandemic/ or call our Help Line 1-800-360-7711
If you have not signed up for Flocknote yet please go to our website and at the bottom of the page click on Flocknote and it will guide you on signing up. It is important that we get as many people as possible to sign up for this so that we can contact you in the event of a closure due to weather and other events that are going on in our parish.