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.
Bishop Extends Mass Dispensation
Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., issued the following message July 30, 2020:
Given all current public health and safety reports, I am extending the dispensation from Sunday obligation to attend Mass beyond the aforementioned September 7 date listed in our Diocesan Directives “until further notice.”
The faithful are certainly encouraged, but not required, to attend Sunday Mass in their parishes whenever possible or to participate in outdoor or live-streamed parish Masses offered online until the dispensation ceases “to keep holy, the Lord’s Day.”
Please continue to remember one another in prayer, especially the sick, the departed and all those providing care for them at this time.
Respectfully in the Lord,
Bishop O’Connell
Both our churches are now set up for socially distant masses. Please do not sit in the pews that have caution tape on them while in the church. Only two people to a pew, one on each end. If you are from the same family, you are allowed to sit as a family. Thank you for your cooperation!
This Saturday mass will be held at 4PM on the lawn of the Avon Municipal Building. This Sunday mass will be held at 10AM on the front lawn of the Ascension Rectory. Face coverings are MANDATORY. Please bring a chair (if you do not want to stand) and umbrella (if necessary). There will be no music and communion will take place after mass ends.
DIOCESAN ADVISORY ON A SAFE RETURN
TO IN-CHURCH MASSES
Limited in-church public Masses resumed June 8 for daily Mass and June 13-14 for weekend Mass. However, media reports have indicated significant spikes in coronavirus cases in 21 states that have re-opened or relaxed restrictions. As the Diocese approached the first public in-church Masses, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., reminded the faithful of several key points from the established directives:
- COVID-19 is still extremely contagious, especially indoors or in closed settings;
- The dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday/Holy Day Masses remains in effect so that all Catholic faithful, in good conscience, are not required to be physically present in church; live-streamed Masses will continue in most parishes;
- Anyone who is sick or at risk should not come to church; that is not punitive but, rather, common sense and an act of charity toward your neighbors;
- All parishes are expected to abide strictly by occupancy limits/restrictions and other regulations of the Diocese with care;
- Masks must be worn (no exceptions), physical contact of any kind must be avoided, social distancing must be practiced, proper sanitation must be observed at all public in-church Masses;
- Before attending public, in-church Masses, the Catholic faithful are asked to consider any possible health and safety risks involved.
Rectory Office
The Rectory Office is currently closed to visitors but our staff will be happy to respond to your messages by phone or email. Our number is 732-774-0456. Our fax number is 732-775-9335. Our email is saintteresa@stocp.org
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.
Diocese creates weekly resource to help families foster faith at home
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
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.