An Honest, Comprehensive Look at Our Parish

Dear Parishioners,

I begin my weekly letter to you with a serious tone because I need to address objectively the over-all situation at St. Thomas More Parish. I also need to put matters here in the context of our diocese and local deanery (group of parishes joined in a particular area).

First, I acknowledge how I have truly grown more in love with you, the people of St. Thomas More Parish, over my past six years as pastor. Honestly, it was not easy being assigned here following the combined retirement of one pastor and then by the unexpected, sudden death of his successor. It was also the time of COVID-19 with its difficulties and societal irregularities. Fortunately, time has helped to heal some of those situations.

On an incredibly positive side, I am grateful for the cultural and ethnic diversity found here as well as the prayerful and cooperative spirit I find in so very many of you! Historically, St. Thomas More has been an intimate parish, and our people enjoy the closeness and camaraderie this small size brings.

However, with a weekly congregation of approximately 300 per week attending the current three weekend Masses, I have found it challenging as pastor to pull together the necessary participants for more large-scale activities or programs. We just do not seem to have the numbers to attempt new or varied things repeatedly!

For example, our First Holy Communion class this year is three, we had no one in the OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) preparing to become Catholic, and I have had about six weddings total over the past six years. Parish funerals exceed baptisms annually, our religious education program instructs only about 40 students, and our Confirmation ceremonies are small enough to be held during an ordinary Sunday Mass (without any overcrowding) rather than in a separate ceremony as at most parishes. So far this year, I have had only one infant baptism. I could go on listing similar statistics, but I think these sufficiently illustrate my point.

Now when we consider the priest situation in the diocese, only one priest is scheduled for ordination this May (with eight seminarians currently being trained in various seminaries). Three pastors are retiring this year. There are 62 parishes serving almost one half million Catholics with the number of active diocesan clergy declining annually.

With the above in mind, Msgr. Louis Marucci, the Episcopal Vicar for the Renewal of Structures and our Dean, has been leading a discernment session with a group of our parishioners and me to discuss our parish situation. In the “spirit of Synodality,” through an experience of prayer and planning, Msgr. Marucci continues to facilitate this planning session to discuss ideas and to initiate a conversation on the various possibilities, pathways, and collaborative efforts we might undertake to serve the Catholic families of St. Thomas More Parish, our deanery, and the entire diocese.

If I can be blunt, the status quo will not continue here at our parish, and various changes are currently being considered. We will know more in the coming weeks.

Please pray as decisions are made for the best possible outcome for us as a parish, the good of the entire Diocese of Camden and our local deanery.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Homily for the 4th Sunday of Easter "A" - Fr. Edward Namiotka

 

First Holy Communion and the May Crowning

Dear Parishioners,

On May 3, 2026, at the 11 AM Sunday Mass, our parish will witness our religious education children receiving their First Holy Communion. It is a very special time for them and for the entire parish.

 

I began to reminisce when I received my First Holy Communion almost six decades ago. I was in first grade, not the traditional second grade. (Incidentally, the very next year, I received the Sacrament of Confirmation.) First Holy Communion was on a Saturday morning and I received Our Lord as part of a rather large class of students—approximately 50 or more.

Depending on the parish, First Holy Communion frequently is on a Saturday (usually in May) or may also be celebrated at one or more of the Sunday Masses. With our small size, the three First Communicants here will once again be receiving at the Sunday Mass.

It is critical to remember that the two families that should be most important in the children’s lives are their domestic family and their Church family. The parents are the first (and need to be the best) teachers of their children in the ways of faith.  It is also necessary to consider that we are preparing the children to be a part of the regular worshipping community that we call the Church.  While it may look “nice” or “cute” to have all of the children together in one (or two) ceremonies with their classmates and friends, it is much more essential to emphasize for them the bonds of family and Church. Essentially, we are not preparing them to be with their current friends (who may not be their friends past next week), but to be regular, practicing members of the Catholic Church as experienced through their local parish family.

Let me quote from our diocesan guidelines:

Children should be made aware that Eucharist is not a “once and done” sacrament. Therefore, there should be encouragement to the children (and their parents) to form good habits of weekly celebration of the Eucharist.

Although so many Catholics today lack commitment and seriousness when it comes to the Sunday obligation to attend Mass, our requirement to worship God regularly has never changed. With our daily prayer, God deserves our worship minimally once a week at Mass. Amazingly, when we do so, we are often the ones who benefit from hearing the Word of God preached to us from the Sacred Scriptures. We are the ones being fed with Jesus, the Bread of Life, in Holy Communion to aid us in our journey of life.

We all have much to learn from each other and to teach one another. We should rejoice to see our children share in the sacramental life of the Catholic Church, as lived and experienced in our parish family. If the faith is not handed on to, experienced and practiced by our young, then eventually our Church will be nothing but a bunch of empty, lifeless buildings.

Congratulations to our First Communicants! My prayer is that your faith in Jesus Christ will grow ever stronger as you receive another important sacrament in your spiritual journey. 

Also, we will be honoring our Blessed Mother Mary after the Mass with the traditional May Crowning led by our First Communicants. Our Blessed Lady is Spiritual Mother to all of us and we publicly honor her as her spiritual children and disciples of her Divine Son, Jesus.

I hope that you can join us! 

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Easter "A" - Fr. Edward Namiotka

 

The Road to Emmaus

 

Dear Parishioners,

Many years ago, the priests of the Diocese of Camden participated in a spirituality program of priestly fraternity that we referred to as the Emmaus program. It was based on the scriptural passage from today’s gospel of St. Luke (Lk. 24: 13-35). Priests were encouraged to make the journey of the two disciples with Jesus and ultimately to recognize the Risen Jesus in the Breaking of Bread like the disciples.

Notably, the two disciples were headed away from Jerusalem where Jesus had been crucified. They told the unknown stranger walking with them that they “were hoping that [Jesus] would be the one to redeem Israel.” Still, they were heading in the opposite direction. They had to be instructed how the teachings of the Scriptures, from the time of Moses and the prophets, referred to Jesus. The Scriptures were explained and interpreted for them.

Later, after the stranger was persuaded to stay for the meal, “he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them.” Note the Eucharistic formula and tone. And they finally recognized Jesus in the “breaking of bread.” He became present for them under the appearance of bread, and then disappeared from their sight.

This excerpt from the gospel is theologically important as it parallels the structure of the Catholic Mass: Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist. First, the Scriptures are interpreted and explained for us. Then, the sacrificial meal is shared in which Jesus becomes present in the Breaking of Bread. Hopefully, we can better understand how this passage illustrates our pattern of worship and what we believe actually happens during the Mass.

Belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist is an essential, non-negotiable teaching of the Catholic Church. The disciples recognized Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist while he disappeared physically from their sight. Catholics are called at every Mass to a faith seeing Jesus in the breaking of bread.

Additionally, from this passage we can learn about a redirection that was made in the lives of these disciples. Although they were initially headed in the opposite direction—away from the cross—they were turned around and returned to Jerusalem and to the Apostles. Whenever we might be journeying in the wrong direction in our lives, Jesus can help to reroute us back to the proper course. This can apply to matters both great and small.

While we have heard before about many Catholics not understanding or believing in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, it appears that these disciples in the early Church understood that Jesus was truly resurrected and present with them and remained with them in the breaking of bread.

Pray that the Lord may redirect our hearts and minds when they go astray and increase our belief in His Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist. He remains with us!

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Homily for Easter Sunday 2026 - Fr. Edward Namiotka

 

Jesus, I Trust in Thee!

Dear Parishioners, 

Happy Octave of Easter! 

We continue in the octave of Easter. A single day is not enough to celebrate this great solemnity. The Church gives us eight days and then an entire Easter season to rejoice in the Risen Lord. Alleluia! This final day of the octave has been designated Divine Mercy Sunday.

Sister (now Saint) Maria Faustina Kowalska, a young uneducated nun, lived in Poland from 1905 until her death in 1938. Baptized Helena, she was the third of ten children. She entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy just prior to her 20th birthday. She had only three years of formal education at the time. During her thirteen years in the convent, she worked as a cook, gardener and porter.

At the same time, Sr. Faustina heard an inner voice speaking to her. She wrote down the messages which she said were given to her by Jesus into her notebooks. The compilation of notebooks was eventually published as The Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska (Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul). The content of these notebooks centered on God’s Divine Mercy. Sr. Faustina described how Jesus gave her the task of “Secretary” of His Divine Mercy.

According to the Divine Mercy website (thedivinemercy.org): 

The years Sr. Faustina spent at the convent were filled with extraordinary gifts, such as revelations, visions, hidden stigmata, participation in the Passion of the Lord, the gift of bilocation, the reading of human souls, the gift of prophecy, and the rare gift of mystical engagement and marriage.

At the time of her canonization in the year 2000 by Pope (now Saint) John Paul II, he also declared the Sunday after Easter Divine Mercy Sunday for the Universal Church. Sr. Faustina described Jesus speaking to her about this day in her dairy:

On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. (Diary of Saint Faustina, 699) 

With the crazy times we live in, I suggest (no, urge or implore) that we all make an intention to avail ourselves of a good sacramental confession (when we can talk to a priest personally) if we have not already done so during Lent. Remember sacraments are properly administered person to person and not remotely by phone, by TV or by the internet. Moreover, each night we should make an examination of our consciences and continue to pray the act of contrition as perfectly as possible.

There is a very important spiritual lesson for us here: time and opportunity will run out for all of us. We will not live forever. If we want to experience God’s Divine Mercy, we have first to admit our guilt and acknowledge our sins to Him through the instrument of the priest—as Jesus instructed His apostles (see Jn. 20:23). We hear His words delegating the power to forgive to the apostles in today's Gospel.

Place your trust where we can have absolute certainty of God’s Divine Mercy: Jesus, I trust in Thee!

Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor

Sr. Maria Faustina Kowalska

Easter: A Time for Renewed Hope

Dear Parishioners,

I can only imagine how desperate the situation must have seemed to His apostles as Jesus was experiencing His brutal passion and death. To see your spiritual leader, the one whom you believed was the long-awaited messiah, suffer and die like a common criminal had to be devastating. We know most of them fled and went into hiding. Peter was so terrified that he denied the Lord three times, as Jesus had predicted. What do we do now? Where do we go from here?

Yes, there were a few who remained faithful and by the cross until the bitter end: Mary Magdalene, the Beloved Disciple John and Jesus’ own Mother Mary. How great must have been the emotional pain that they felt as they helplessly watched His suffering up close. Seeing every last breath coming from a beaten, broken body had to be stamped like a branding iron into their memories. How could this possibly happen?

Salvation and the forgiveness of sin came with a price: the suffering and death of the Son of God. Holy Week recalls these events. The crucifix in our churches (and homes) reminds us of the greatest act of sacrificial love. But the story does not end here.

Resurrection and new life followed. Jesus conquered sin and death. The grave was not His final resting place.  He is alive!

With all of the suffering and death continuing throughout our world, we need to preach this message loud and clear: Jesus is our salvation. He brings us hope in every situation, no matter how desperate.

I realize how difficult these times can be for all of us.  In recent memory, we have seen closed churches and sacraments being limited, Holy Week and Easter services on TV or through the internet and other unprecedented occurrences. We have to deal with ongoing wars and global conflicts and an uncertain economy. Despite it all, God is still in charge.  He allows this to happen for a reason, which I suspect is an urgent plea for us to return to Him with all our being. We cannot exist at all without His Divine Assistance. 

What do we do now? Where do we go from here? Do we seek resurrection and new life for ourselves and our loved ones? Do we want to find hope in any desperate situation? Jesus is our salvation. There is no other way.

I continue to hope and to pray. Easter gives renewed hope to all Christians as we realize Christ is alive! He is Risen! Death has no more power over Him. Although it may seem, at times, that the season of Lent continues in our lives and that Good Friday has not yet ended, trust in Jesus. Stand by Him at the foot of the cross. Resurrection and new life will come.

I assure you of my continued prayers and Masses for your health and spiritual well-being. Please pray for me. I appreciate all of your kindness and expressions of love and support!  

I may not have all the answers to what lies ahead but I certainly know Who does: Jesus, Our Risen Lord!  

Happy Easter!

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Homily for Good Friday 2026 - Fr. Edward Namiotka

 

Homily for the Mass of the Lord's Supper (Holy Thursday) "A" 2026 - Fr. Edward Namiotka