Our Lady of Mt. Virgin Church 600 Harris Avenue, Middlesex, New Jersey, 08846

Parish Office: 732-356-2149 Rectory Emergency: 732-667-8034

Fax: 732-356-1302 www.olmv.net

SERVED BY Rev. David V. Skoblow, Ch.M., KGCHS, Administrator, dskoblow@olmv.net Rev. Louis A. Mattina, Parochial Vicar x 1008, lmattina@olmv.net Rev. Peter G. Suhaka, Weekend Assistant Deacon John R. Tietjen—jtietjen@olmv.net Deacon John Czekaj—jczekaj@olmv.net Deacon Tom Sommero—tsommero@olmv.net Deacon Edgar Chaves—echaves@olmv.net Miguel de Jesus, Director of Sacred Music x 1011, mdejesus@olmv.net Dorothy Zmigrodski, Parish Catechetical Leader x 2011 dzmigrodski@olmv.net Alexandria Jones, Catechetical Assistant x 2010 ajones@olmv.net Carol Valente, Financial Manager x 1003 cvalente@olmv.net Gabriella Rosales, Communications and Calendar Manager x 1002 grosales@olmv.net Ed Kura, Facilities Manager x 2009 ekura@olmv.net Donald Kornmeyer, Custodian x 2009 MARRIAGES: Couples are encouraged to contact the parish office to begin the Marriage Preparation Program. It is recommended that engaged couples begin this process a year in advance of the wedding. Please contact the parish office for additional information. INFANT BAPTISMS: The Sacrament of Baptism is celebrated on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month after the 11:30 am Mass (except during Lent). Families must be registered in the Parish and attend a Baptism Preparation Class. Please contact the parish office for additional information. VISITS TO THE SICK & HOMEBOUND: Priests, Deacons and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion bring the Blessed Sacrament to members of the parish who are homebound. Please contact the parish office to have Holy Communion brought to those who can not attend Mass or to request the Sacraments of the Anointing of the Sick and Confession.

Parish Office hours: Monday-Friday (8:30 am-4:00 pm)

Fifth Sunday of Lent March 29, 2020

All are encouraged to visit and spend time in prayer and meditation in the church

and in our Meditation Garden.

Weekday and Sunday Masses

have been suspended by direction

of the Bishop until April 3.

SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION: Saturday from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m.

Sunday from 12:00 to 12:30 p.m. (in Spanish)

SCHEDULE OF MASSES AND DEVOTIONS

MON. Mar. 30 Lenten Weekday 7:00 A.M. *OLMV Parishioners TUES. Mar. 31 Lenten Weekday 12:00 P. M. +Llgaya Gamelo r/o Jennifer G. Accardo WED. Apr. 1 Lenten Weekday 7:00 A.M +Louis Perry r/o Jim & Melanie Hoxie THURS. Apr. 2 Lenten Weekday 12:00 P.M. +Living & deceased members of the Ippich-Ebert Family r/o Family FRI. Apr. 3 Lenten Weekday 7:00 A.M. +Rosa Raffaele Assante r/o Assante Family SAT. Apr. 4 Lenten Weekday 8:00 A.M. +Purgatorial Mass 5:00 P.M. +Frank DeRosa r/o Mary DeRosa & Son SUN. Apr. 5 Palm Sunday of the Lord 8:00 A.M. +Louis German r/o OLMV Altar Rosary Society 10:00 A.M. +Mary Mangino r/o Alexandria Gladwell & Family 11:30 A.M. +Ricahrd Zakashefski r/o Sharon & Don Zakashefski & Family 1:30 P. M. +Paul Andres Bottea r/o Familia Almora +Deceased *Living

FOR THE WEEK OF MAR.– APR. 4

Altar Candles Thomas Deddy r/o Tony & Ginny Tumolo Tabernacle Candles Rosella Assante r/o Tripoli Family

Sanctuary Candle Mary Gross’ 85th Birthday r/o Family Altar Bread & Wine Rosella Assante r/o Mom, Dad & Brother

Fifth Sunday of Lent

“Let your light shine before others, that they may see

your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” MATTHEW 5:16

GOD’S PLAN FOR GIVING

NOT AVAILABLE AT TIME OF PRINTING March Major Renova on

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

Opportunities to support your Parish

In addition to Mass intentions for your loved ones you may remember them through the following memorial opportunities: · Sanctuary Flowers · Altar or Tabernacle Candles, or Sanctuary Lamp · Meditation Garden Remembrance Bricks · A gift of cash, securities, or other assets to OLMV.

MEDITATION GARDEN

Have you purchased your memorial brick

yet? Memorial bricks are a beautiful way to show your support for OLMV Parish and to

honor family members, special occasions, or to give thanks to God for favors received. Bricks

can be ordered through the parish office:

$150.00 for a 4" x 8" brick $250.00 for a 8" x 8" brick

When we work together in praise of God---then

the Lord's presence becomes powerfully present --- right here in Middlesex!

Second Collection

The Holy Land Collection is taken on Good Friday, April 10, 2020. The single beneficiary of this collection is the Commissariat of the Holy Land which is responsible for the preservation of the

shrines of the Holy Land and the Sacred Congregation of Oriental Churches.

From the Desk of Father David It is an irony of our religion, that we are all sinners, and constantly in need of God’s for-giveness, and yet, it seems that forgiving others, is, for many of us, one of the most difficult things Jesus calls upon us to do. It ranks right up there with loving our enemies as one of Jesus’ “hard sayings.” Jesus explains what to do about a brother who sins without repentence. First bring the sin to our brother’s attention. If he does not repent, then bring one or two witnesses. If he still does not repent, tell the community. If the brother still does not repent, then he is to be exclud-ed from the community.

But immediately following Jesus’ explanation, Peter asks Jesus, “If my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answers, “Not just 7 times, but 77 times.” Now the Greek here can be translated as either 77 or 70 times 7. The translations are split 50-50. But the point isn’t the number. In Biblical reckoning, the number 7 is used to connote completeness. What Jesus is saying here is that there should be no limit to our willingness to forgive. God forgives us without limit; provided we repent. We are called upon to forgive others with a similar generosity. We pray in the Lord’s Prayer that God will forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others who trespass against us.

Jesus likens God’s forgiveness to that of a king who forgives his servant a huge sum of

money. Literally, the original Greek says ten thousand talents. Now a talent was about 130 pounds, probably of silver in this case. That’s 650 tons of silver. A huge amount. The king could, by right, enslave the debtor’s family and throw the debtor into jail until the debt is paid. But the servant begs forgiveness. The king has compassion and forgives the servant the entire debt. But the forgiven servant now goes to another servant who owes him money one hundred denarii. A denarius was a silver Roman coin weighing about 4 grams and was equivalent to a day’s wage. 100 denarii was equal to about 9/10 of a pound of silver. Still not an insignificant amount, but nothing in comparison to the sum that had been forgiven by the king. Just to make the point, I did the math. The king forgave over 1 1/2 million times what the servant had been asked to forgive. But the wicked servant refuses to forgive his fellow servant. When the king finds out, he tosses the servant into prison to be tortured.

The point is that God is willing to forgive us without limit. We should not despair of

God’s willingness to forgive us (if we acknowledge our sins, express true contrition, and make a firm purpose of amendment). Nor should we be presumptuous and presume that God will forgive us even without acknowledgement, contrition, and amendment (that is, without repent-ance) But we, too, are called upon by Jesus to forgive without limit the much less serious tres-passes of our neighbors. God will be severe with us if we fail to forgive. Our capacity to for-give must be as generous and liberal as is God’s.

Is there anyone in our lives against whom we hold a grudge? Is there anyone who we

are refusing to forgive? Today would be a good day to forgive that person.

BLESSED PALMS For the rest of Lent there will be a basket in the side chapel of the Holy Family in which you are invited to deposit last year’s blessed palms. These palms will be disposed of by burning or burying.

An Act of Spiritual Communion

My Jesus, I believe that You

are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things,

and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally,

come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and

unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.

Amen.

A Letter from Our Administrator

Dear Parishioners and Friends, The tragedy of the Coronavirus situation is caus-ing upset and concern in our community, in our nation, and, indeed, around the world. Times such as these call upon us to confirm our faith and hope in Almighty God with increased fervor. During these difficult times, the Church must ap-proach the situation with both faith and reason, protecting our souls even as it seeks ways to protect our health and wellbeing. Accordingly, Bishop Checchio has suspended the public celebration of Mass throughout the Diocese un-til at least April 3. A separate document has been posted on our parish website and on our Facebook page detailing adjustments to our regular schedule of Masses, devotions, and events. You will note that the church will remain open during the day, and we have added daily Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Confessions are still available, as scheduled or by appointment. The gravity of this situation calls on us to renew with even greater dedication and devotion our traditional Lenten practices of fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. While public Masses are suspended, you are encouraged to watch Sunday and weekday Masses on television and online. You are also strongly advised to make a Spiritual Com-munion during these times when the Eucharist is not avail-able. A form of Spiritual Communion appears below. Please continue an active prayer life: the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and the Stations of the Cross are recommended. Needless to say, while Mass is suspended, our of-fertory revenue will drop precipitously. Please prayerfully consider sending in your regular weekend contribution by mail or by dropping your envelopes off at the parish office. Please only drop off or mail in checks. For safety, please set aside cash contributions for donation once Masses are resumed. Know that the priests of the parish will continue to celebrate private Masses daily and will be remembering you and your loved ones in our Masses and in our prayers. Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the titles of Our Mother of Perpetual Help and Our Lady of Guadalupe, may God protect you in His love and mercy. May you and your loved ones be safe. Faithfully yours, Rev. David V. Skoblow Administrator

THOUGHTS FOR THE REMAINDER OF LENT:

While public Masses are suspended, parishioners are strongly encouraged to watch Mass from home. A private Mass will be celebrated daily at 7:00 AM 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 Mass and other religious program-ming are available on several television channels, including EWTN. Mass readings for each day are available on the USCCB website at www.usccb.org/bible/readings. Parishioners are also encouraged to maintain a healthy, active prayer life at home, espe-cially by praying the Rosary. Give up one dessert this week and donate the money saved to "Operation Rice Bowl." Go to Confession. Perform a kindness for a family member or neighbor. Instead of gossiping, say something nice about some-one.

PARISH REGISTRATION: In order to be considered a registered parishioner, an adult (persons 21 years of age or older) must submit a completed registra on form. These forms can be picked up at the parish office. Completed forms must be brought to the parish in person. Please remind young adults (family and friends) that they must be separately registered with the parish. Ordinarily, for Bap sm, First Communion, Confirma on or Matrimony, or to receive a sponsorship eligibility cer ficate, a person must be a registered and ac ve member of OLMV. ELIGIBILITY LETTERS FOR GODPARENTS AND SPONSORS: A person seeking a “sponsor le er” from OLMV to serve as a godparent for the Sacrament of Bap sm or a sponsor for the Sacrament of Confirma on must be a registered parishioner of OLMV for at least 6 months and must have received all three Sacraments of Ini a on and be a Confirmed Catholic who is ac ve in the parish and, if married, be in a valid, Catholic marriage. An “ac ve” Catholic is understood to be a person who a ends Mass regularly and whose lifestyle is in keeping with the Catholic faith. He or she should ensure that his or her own school age children are a ending Mass, are enrolled in religious educa on, and have received their sacraments.

IN PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO SERVE Capt Kevin Boyajian —Lakenheath RAFB, England Capt Stanley Benarick, U.S. Army (Res.) —Fort Drum (NY) Col Gretchen Wiltse —Grissom AFB, IN

Chaplain, Lt Col Stuart King — (Res.) US Southern Command, Miami, FL Chaplain, Maj Timothy J. Hirten — Sheppard AFB, TX Chaplain, Maj Louis A. Mattina —514th Air Mobility Wing at JBMDL, NJ A1C Kenneth W. Pine —Dover AFB, DE A1C Kristoffer Engel —Peterson AFB, CO LCpl Jack F. Sweeney USMC JTWC — OkinawaLCpl Sean P. Dowling —USMC, Camp Lejeune, NC Cpl Brian C. Robinson —USMC, Iraq Captain Hayes M. Cozza —USMC, Camp Pendleton, CA Lt. Santino E. Cozza —USAF, Little Rock, AFB, AR Ethan J. Krisfalusi - Seaman, Deployed Overseas Major Kevin Hoerburger - USMC (Res), New Orleans, LA Cpl Anthony Liguori, National Guard, Jordan Navy Capt. Douglas Graber, P.S.N.S.– Bremerton, Washington

OLMV ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY

“HELPLINE”

732-356-2149 option 6

All calls for assistance are confidential.

LENTEN CONFESSIONS

Lenten Confessions & Exposition

of the Blessed Sacrament March 29, 2020, 7:00—9:00 PM.

There will NO CONFESSIONS

On Saturday, April 11

Boletín en Español Domingo 29 de marzo del 2020

V Domingo de Cuaresma

UNA CARTA DE NUESTRO ADMINISTRATOR Estimados feligreses y amigos, El trágico juicio de la situación del Coronavirus está causando malestar y preocupación en nuestra comunidad, en nuestra nación y, de hecho, en todo el mundo. Momentos como estos nos llaman a confirmar nuestra fe y esperanza en Dios Todopoderoso con mayor fervor. Durante estos tiempos difíciles, la Iglesia debe abordar la situación con fe y razón, protegiendo nuestras almas incluso mientras buscamos formas de proteger nuestra salud y bienestar. En consecuencia, el Obispo Checchio ha sus-pendido la celebración pública de la Misa en toda la Diócesis hasta al menos el 3 de abril. Se ha publicado un documento separado en el sitio web de nuestra parroquia y en nuestra página de Facebook que detalla los ajustes a nuestro horario regular de Misas, devociones y eventos. Notarás que la iglesia permanecerá abierta durante el día, y hemos agregado dia-riamente Adoración del Santísimo Sacramento. Las confesiones todavía están disponibles, según lo programado o con cita previa. La gravedad de esta situación nos llama a renovar con mayor dedicación y devoción nuestras prácticas tradicio-nales de Cuaresma de ayuno, limosna y oración. Mientras se suspenden las Misas públicas, se le recomienda que vea la Misa los domingos y los días laborables en la televisión y en línea. Se recomienda encarecidamente hacer una Comunión Espiritual durante estos momentos en que la Eucaristía no está disponible. Se ha incluido una forma de comunión espiri-tual en este boletín. Continúe con una vida de oración activa: se recomienda el Rosario, la Corona de la Divina Misericordia y las Estaciones de la Cruz. No hace falta decir que, mientras se suspende la Misa, nuestros ingresos del ofertorio caerán precipitadamente. Por favor, considere en oración enviar su contribución regular de fin de semana por correo o dejar sus sobres en la ofici-na. Por favor, solo deje o envíe los cheques por correo. Por seguridad, reserve contribuciones en efectivo para donación una vez que se reanuden las Misas. Sepa que los sacerdotes de la parroquia continuarán celebrando Misas privadas todos los días y lo recordarán a usted y a sus seres queridos en nuestras Misas y en nuestras oraciones. A través de la intercesión de la Santísima Virgen María, bajo los títulos de Nuestra Madre del Perpetuo Socorro y Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, interceden por nuestra salud y bienestar. Que tú y tus seres queridos estén bien. Fraternalmente, Rev. David V. Skoblow Administrator

ORACIÓN PARA LA COMUNIÓN ESPIRITUAL

Creo Señor mío que éstas realmente presente en el Santísimo Sacramento del altar. Te amo sobre todas las cosas y deseo ardientemente recibirte dentro de mi alma;

pero, no pudiendo hacerlo ahora sacramentalmente, ven al menos espiritualmente a mi corazón.

Y como si te hubiese recibido, me abrazo y me uno todo a Ti; Oh Señor, no permitas que me separe de Ti.

Amen.