True Freedom is Never Really “Free”

Dear Parishioners,

The Fourth of July concludes the Fortnight for Freedom that was urged by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).  I hope that you took the time to read and to educate yourselves through the materials that the bishops posted on their web site, some of which was also available in the vestibule of our Church these past two weeks.  More importantly, I hope that you made time to pray for this most urgent cause.

Recently, Standing Together for Religious Freedom:  An Open Letter to All Americans was released.  This letter was signed by a wide variety of over 100 prominent national religious leaders and scholars from various denominations.  The letter calls on the Administration and Congress to respect conscience rights and religious freedom.  I quote from the press release:

The open letter highlights the threat to conscience posed by the Administration's mandate that almost all employers cover contraception, sterilization and abortifacient drugs and devices in their health insurance plans.  As the signatories write, freedom of religion goes beyond mere freedom of worship and extends to believers' roles as citizen and employer.

"The doctrines of our respective faiths require something of us beyond the walls of our churches, synagogues, temples, and other places of worship," the signers said.  "Those faith convictions manifest themselves through our daily interactions among family, neighbors, strangers and institutions."

Many of us will celebrate this Independence Day weekend not really thinking about the price that was paid and is still being paid so that we may live, work, speak, write, worship, etc. in a free society.  Some of our finest men and woman have sacrificed their lives over the years for this country and its principles of freedom.  Whether it be in the military, through law enforcement or other means of public service, the dedication and commitment to keeping our country “free” is evidenced by those who continue to step up in service to this nation.  Thank you for all that you do to serve and protect us.

Also remember that it is God who has given us all the gift of free choice.  We are created with the ability to think, to reason and to choose.  The choices that we make should be in such a way that we respect our God-given dignity as children of God.  Our gift of free choice should lead us to love God because He has first loved us (1 Jn. 4:19) into existence.  Our free choice also enables us to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mk. 12:31) as Jesus commands us.

It was Jesus who freely chose to suffer and to die for us.  He showed us that the right choice is not necessarily the easy choice or the popular choice.  His choice to free us from sin and death saw Him make the ultimate sacrifice of His life for us.

No, true freedom is never really “free.”  Is it?

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Moving On

Dear Parishioners,

Monday night we held the Baccalaureate Mass and graduation ceremonies for the eighth grade from our regional school.  While some of you might have been there, I realize that many of you were not.  I share with you some (abridged) thoughts from my homily that evening:

It struck me today that I have delivered over thirty graduation speeches/homilies as a priest to date.  It’s always quite an awesome opportunity for me.  Realizing that you will probably forget what I say to you fifteen minutes after this evening’s ceremonies are over, I hope and pray that you will actually remember something that I say to you tonight.

1.  You still have a lot of education ahead of you.  Eighth grade graduation is an accomplishment but, unfortunately, you might not even be half way through your formal education.  When I was where you are today, I still had twelve more years of school to go before I was ordained a priest.  Sorry for giving you the bad news but you most likely have many more years of education ahead of you.  Never stop learning, in and out of the classroom.

2.  Set realistic goals and expectations for yourselves.  When I was young we were encouraged to be anything that we wanted to be.  I was told that I could even be the President of the United States someday.  While this was encouraging, it was not realistic.  There have been not quite fifty presidents since the United States was founded, out of its many millions of citizens.  Aspire, rather, to be the mayor of your town, or a Member of Congress, or something that is more realistic.  Some of the students that I taught in high school played against and knew Mike Trout.  Unfortunately, not everyone had or will have his level of talent and the opportunities to be a professional baseball player like him.  Set a goal that you will be able to achieve.

3.  Don’t forget where you come from.  You are now a graduate of St. Joseph Regional School.  Don’t ever forget that.  Take that with you through life.  There may be a time in your life when you are able to give back to your school or community.  Sadly, I think of someone like Lewis Katz who recently died in a plane crash.  Mr. Katz, who was from Camden, was known to have given back to that city from his financial resources and tried to help others from what he had.  He didn’t forget where he came from.

4.  The world doesn’t owe you a living.  Neither does your country or your school or your church or even your own family owe you a living.  Rather you owe the world something.  Make something of yourselves.  God has given you life and breath.  Do something with your life—make a contribution to this world—that will give honor and glory to Almighty God.

5.  Finally and most importantly, try to love Jesus more each day.  Incorporated into attending a Catholic School is the opportunity to learn about Jesus Christ as part of your formal education.  There is nothing more important or more valuable than developing a relationship with Jesus through prayer.  All of the degrees or awards that you may receive in life mean absolutely nothing if we do not one day share eternity with God in heaven.  Try to love Jesus more and more each and every day of your life.  He will help you and guide you with the many decisions that you will have to make in the future.  More than that, He loves you with a tremendous, unconditional love.  There is no more valuable lesson to learn in life than that.

                                                                    

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Worship is . . .

Dear Parishioners,

When I look out into the congregation each week at Mass, I don’t know what’s going through your minds, what kind of a day you’ve had, if you have just finished working a double shift, if the baby kept you up all night, or if you just had an argument with your husband or wife.  I realize that we all come to Mass from different places with varying backgrounds and multiple levels of understanding.  Hopefully, however, we enter the church building with a singular purpose in mind:  to worship God.

Despite the many other things that we may “experience” in church—from the music, to the preaching, to the fellowship—we are ultimately present to worship God.

Since I was born in 1960, I was not raised with the customs, traditions and rituals present in the Mass before the Second Vatican Council.  I heard stories of grandma praying her rosary while the priest did what he did at the altar with his back to the people.  When I was old enough to begin to understand what was going on in church, the altars were being moved from the walls, the priest now faced the people, the liturgy was in the vernacular, and the congregation was invited to sing, to interact, and to participate more fully.

In either scenario, I believe that we were still there to worship God.

This brings me to my current point.  In order to worship God, it involves an act of the will.  In our contemporary understanding of the liturgy, worship seems to imply some kind of active participation and not just a passive being there.  The religious sister who taught me in eighth grade used to comment that we looked like bumps on a log when we just sat there and did nothing.  (Bumps on a log—never quite forgot that expression.)

In order to give God our all at Mass, I think a few questions are pertinent:  When we come to Mass, do we make a conscious effort to worship God?  How actively do we participate during Mass?  Do we make the responses?  Do we see the Mass as a prayer?  Do we attempt to sing?  Do we put our heart, mind, soul and strength (See Mk. 12:30) into our humble attempt to worship God?

Please don’t get me wrong.  I am very happy whenever you come to Mass.  Each week, however, I subconsciously long for those packed Masses like we see during Christmas and Easter.  I want to see vibrant congregations with active participation.  Above all else, I genuinely desire all of us to fall more passionately in love with Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

As a priest, I am acutely aware that I stand in persona Christi at Mass (and in the other sacraments) and all that I have is because of Christ Jesus and what I do is for Christ Jesus.  True worship really has very little to do with me personally and my particular wants and desires.  Worship that is fitting and proper has everything to do with the love and adoration that we give the persons of the Divine Trinity.  True worship expresses our love and gratitude to Jesus who suffered and died on the cross for you and me.

We are privileged as Catholics to worship God freely in our society.  God certainly deserves our very best attempt.

 

I think that God warrants a much better job than what those bumps on the log can do.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Preaching to the Choir

Dear Parishioners,

I have been told at various times as a priest that I am preaching to the choir.  The phrase seems to imply that some person or group—represented as the choir—doesn’t necessarily need to hear a particular message.  They’ve heard it all before! They don’t need to hear it again!  Blah, blah, blah!

This got me thinking!  (Realizing that this could be a dangerous course to navigate), I must conclude that even the most faithful, participating church members—people like those who may join the choir—need to be the regular recipients of the preached Gospel message.  Is anyone really exempt from hearing the Good News?  I don’t think so.

Beginning with myself, every time I preach, I preach to the entire congregation.  Maybe the reason various people get into trouble (priests and bishops included) is that they think that they are somehow above what Jesus has to say.  Conversion is something that we must all desire, pray for continually, and work at constantly—all of us, without exception!

Priests are required by canon law (#276.2, 4) to make an annual retreat, to pray the Liturgy of the Hours daily (#276.2, 3) and to “pursue holiness” (#276.1).  We priests need to work at our spiritual lives constantly lest we become like Peter (denying Christ), Judas (betraying Christ) or most of the other apostles (fleeing from the cross) even though they were his personally chosen, intimate band of followers.

Therefore, we need to be preaching to the choir, and to the lectors, and to the extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, and to the altar servers, and to the ushers, and to the sisters, and to the priests and deacons, etc. etc.  We need to preach to those who are here each week and to those who are more sporadic in attendance.  The entire congregation, making up the Body of Christ, needs to be fed and nourished by both the Word of God and the Holy Eucharist.  It is Christ—our Head—who feeds and nourishes us, protects us, encourages us, guides us, heals us, forgives us, etc. etc.

Finally, with reference to the choir, I thank Mrs. Donna McCarthy for accepting the duty of directing our adult choir.  She has been doing a wonderful job with our children’s choir and I have confidence that she will do an equally fine job with the adults.  If you are interesting in joining the choir, please contact her through the parish office.

I am most happy to be able to preach to all of you here at St. Joseph’s!  (Even those of you who choose to read this church bulletin during the homily each week! Gotcha!)

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor    

Rebuilding

Dear Parishioners,

This past week, a group from our parish attended a diocesan workshop focusing on “Making Church Matter.”  The workshop was based on the rebuilding experience of the Church of the Nativity in Timonium, Maryland.  Their story of renewal and growth is related in the book Rebuilt by Father Michael White and Tom Corcoran.

Some suggestions were made to help all of the parishes in the diocese to grow and to flourish based on Nativity’s successful experience.  I share a few important concepts here.

Since the main experience of church for most people is during the weekend Mass experience, it is important that we place our initial focus on the weekend liturgies.  First, the music during the Masses should be of good quality and lead people to sing and participate.  Second, the message (homily) has to be well prepared and relevant to our parishioners.  Third, our ministries need to be effective.  Most important—beginning with the parking lot—from the first moment someone sets foot in our parish, he or she should feel welcome here.  Music, message and ministry are a very important place to begin.

To begin to apply this process to St. Joseph Church, we all need to be united in purpose—clergy, staff, and parishioners. 

I think that it is helpful at this point to ask ourselves a few questions:

Is the music ministry here helping to lift your mind and heart to God or do we need to make some changes or adjustments? Because singing demands that we all sing together, it is a powerful sign of our Christian unity that is immediately visible to all who join us for the weekend.  What can we do to make our music program and singing better?

Are the homilies by the priests or deacon doing what they are supposed to do?  At various times they should challenge, encourage, clarify, motivate, educate, etc., but always with a well-prepared message.  Are you being “fed” by a good message weekly?

Our ministries are only going to be as effective as the people who volunteer their services.  Have “I” offered my assistance as a reader, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, choir member/music ministry, usher/greeter, altar server, etc.,?  Those who volunteer should be willing to receive the proper training, meet all church requirements and be willing to volunteer, even occasionally during Mass times that may be personally inconvenient.

If you would like to hear more about trying to “rebuild” our parish, we are scheduling a meeting on Monday, June 2, 2014 at 7 PM in the church basement.

 

Come with an open mind.  Come with a giving spirit.  Come out of curiosity.  Come with the desire to see our parish grow and flourish.

Most importantly, please come.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

What Influences the Way You Think?

Dear Parishioners,

A few year ago when I was in the midst of a wedding rehearsal, I began to prepare for the exchange of vows with the couple and the wedding party.  At that point someone questioned me: when do you ask if there are any objections to this marriage?  I explained that this is not actually part of the Catholic wedding ceremony.  “But I saw them do it on TV!” came the quick retort.  They saw it done on TV.  Hmm.

Not too long ago, someone tried to post a “news” story to my facebook page that was a complete and utter lie.  Fortunately, I recognized it immediately and removed it.  Lies, distorted truth, slander, gossip, ignorance, prejudice, and many other “problems” are all far too prevalent in our modern world of instant communication.  And unfortunately, once it’s out on the internet, there’s no taking it back.

I have been interviewed by reporters for a newspaper article or television segment on various occasions.  Most of the time, the reporting was accurate.  However, there have been times when I was slightly misquoted or what I had to say was taken somewhat out of context.  (Can you imagine how difficult it is for any public figure today to avoid saying something that he or she might seriously regret because it may be repeated continually in the media?)

In addition, there have been times when I was present at an event as an eyewitness, and what I saw was not reported the same way in the media.  (Specifically, I witnessed the secular media inordinately focus on a rather small group of pro-choice people—maybe about a dozen—during the March for Life in Washington, DC while underreporting the tens and tens of thousands of people who were present to support human life.  I suspect the reporters were trying to promote a specific pro-choice, pro-abortion agenda.)

Whenever I watch television, go to a movie, listen to the radio, read the newspaper or look at something on the internet, I have learned to approach matters with a serious, critical eye.  Maybe I’m a bit like Thomas in the Gospel (see John 20: 24-25).  I often need to see or experience something for myself and be able to validate it before I give it any credibility.  Accepting everything at face value without some critical thinking or reasonable investigation can be very dangerous.  Not everyone is truthful or is everything written or reported going to be completely accurate.  Everything we see or hear on TV, in the newspapers, on the radio or the internet needs to be evaluated.  Facts are distorted, words are parsed, people lie or exaggerate, sometimes various agendas or causes are promoted, etc.  It can become very, very confusing.  I feel especially sorry for our impressionable young people who may not yet have fine-tuned any critical thinking skills.

 

Just who or what should we believe?  Where do we find truth?

“I am the way, the truth and the life.” (John 14:6)  What Jesus says truly matters.  The truth found in the Bible is timeless and for all ages, cultures and peoples.  The official teaching of the Catholic Church has been a continual, counter-cultural voice crying out and offering guidance in world of deafening secular, materialistic values.

If we let television, pop culture, the abyss of the internet, the secular media, etc. influence the way that we think and act, then the path is one of ultimate unhappiness and probable self-destruction.  I can almost guarantee it.

 
Without the supernatural, God-given help that we have received from Jesus Christ and His Church, we will be like sheep without a shepherd (Mark 6:34) wandering around aimlessly, susceptible to many deadly predators.

Allow Jesus and His Church to guide and influence your every thought and action.  Don’t just take my word for it.  Check it out for yourselves!

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

A Microcosm of the Entire World

Dear Parishioners,

The last time that I took my mother on a cruise was almost four years ago when I turned fifty.  We travelled to Alaska together at that time.  It is no secret that I have become my mother’s unofficial social director for many years now since the passing of my father in 1995.  I am the only unmarried child.

When my mom turned eighty this past November, I began to make plans for us to take a cruise once again—this time to the Western Caribbean.  Our recent cruise included the Cayman Islands; Cartagena, Colombia; Colon, Panama; Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; Belize City, Belize and Cozumel, Mexico.  Besides visiting areas of South and Central America that I never even imagined that we would ever see, the weather was simply magnificent—high 70’s or low 80’s each day—compared to the miserable weather that we have experienced in New Jersey this winter.

This is the first time that I went on a cruise as the ship’s chaplain.  Although I have been on a few trips before, it had been simply as a passenger.  I would usually offer Mass each day in the cabin privately with my mom as the congregation.  Not this time, however.  Each day I celebrated Mass for a substantial congregation consisting of the ship’s passengers.  Besides offering Mass for the passengers, I also was asked to celebrate a Mass for the crew on Sunday night.  Most of the crew members sign a contract agreeing to work for over a half of a year at sea at a time, and so the presence of a priest for Mass while at sea was very important to many of them.  There were crew members from the Philippines, from India (Goa), from Mexico and from other areas of South and Central America who were all Catholic.  I was very privileged to be there for them.

While my mom and I were attending one of the evening performances in the ship's theater, an entertainer mentioned that there were people from over fifty countries aboard the ship, including both passengers and crew.  I thought that this was quite amazing.  We were a little world community floating around on the Caribbean Sea—a microcosm of the entire world.  There were various cultures and languages, multiple religions and people of all shapes, sizes and colors.  A person might have a similar experience when visiting one of the major cities of the world—so many people with so much diversity!

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine how God can know and love each of us personally.  It is easier to think that somehow I am rather insignificant and am lost, hidden or even forgotten somewhere in the immensity of the great crowd.

One of the readings for Mass during my cruise helped to put this all in perspective for me:

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me;
my Lord has forgotten me.”
Can a mother forget her infant,
be without tenderness for the child of her womb?
Even should she forget,
I will never forget you.

(Is. 49: 14-15)

Thanks Lord for the many blessings that you bestow upon us continually!

May I never forget your abundant goodness and blessings shown to me (and my mom)!

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

       

What Goes Through the Pastor’s Mind?

Dear Parishioners,

Here we are, almost at the beginning of spring, and snow is still covering the ground.  Global warming I guess!

Our 40 Hours of Eucharistic Adoration is currently underway and will be completed by the time this message reaches the Sunday church bulletin.

I have had a lot of time to think and to pray.  I was edified by the people who took the time to attend an extra Mass or two or to spend some quality time in adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.  Could you not keep watch for one hour? (Mk. 14:37) Thank God for you!  You are the backbone of our Church.

However, I continue to worry.  The overall numbers are dwindling.  The age of the active parishioners tends to rise significantly.  We have lost a few generations of Catholics somewhere in the middle (young adult to middle age) and I don’t know how or if we are going to get them back.  Jesus, we certainly need your help!

The simple reality, as I see it, is that there is a spiritual battle going on.  Spiritual warfare, if you will.  It’s a battle for souls.  It is a matter of life or death.  Eternal life is promised by following Jesus—I am the way and the truth and the life. (Jn. 14: 6)  Yet, we are surrounded by a culture of death.  Senseless violence is all around us—war, murder, abortion, euthanasia, infanticide.  We are a society plagued by multiple addictions—drugs, alcohol, sex, pornography, gambling, materialism.  Yet, we must be a People of Life, promoting a Culture of Life:  “The Gospel of life is at the heart of Jesus' message. Lovingly received day after day by the Church, it is to be preached with dauntless fidelity as ‘good news’ to the people of every age and culture.”  Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae.

It can seem overwhelming if we let it get to us.  Christians—followers of Jesus the Christ—have to be a people of hope.  I suppose that there wasn’t a more hopeless scene than to witness your spiritual leader mocked, rejected, beaten, spat upon, and crucified in front of your eyes.  Would I have the courage to stand at the foot of the cross like Mary, John or Mary Magdalene?  Would I deny Jesus like Peter?  Would I flee and hide like the vast majority of His apostles?  Would I be so influenced to follow the crowd—everybody’s doing it—to yell “Crucify him!  Crucify Him!” as well?

I know that I can only do my part each day.  I need to be as faithful to Jesus as I possibly can.  I need to keep plugging away and not lose hope.  Jesus loves me and sustains me.  I am so thankful for His Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist: I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. (Jn. 6: 51)

Jesus has gotten me this far in life and I believe He will continue to take care of me.  I can’t live without Him.  I really can’t understand how anyone could.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Making a Lenten Inventory

Dear Parishioners,

I write you this letter during the Lenten season—a time of introspection, calling us all to conversion—to encourage you to use this time for increased spiritual growth and involvement in your parish.  Here at St. Joseph Church we are working hard on many levels to build up the Kingdom of God.

Let’s take an inventory of some of the many things that have happened at the parish since I arrived as pastor in June, 2011.

Spiritually, in addition to our regularly scheduled Masses and services, we have had some important events like our Saints Event, Living Nativity, Living Stations of the Cross, Ecumenical Lenten Prayer Services and Luncheons, a biblical presentation by actor Frank Runyeon, Days of Recollection with Fr. John Collins, CSP, 40 Hours Eucharistic Adoration with guest homilists Fr. James King and Fr. Jon Thomas, and an added Pro-Life Mass on Wednesday evenings.  To benefit our Spanish community, we have held various devotions and celebrations including the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  We hold retreat days for our First Holy Communion and our Confirmation students.  We re-initiated our Children's Liturgy of the Word on two Sundays each month and our Children's Choir.  In addition, our Filipino community has enhanced our music ministry through the Couples for Christ Choir.  Penance Services and the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation are made available throughout the year, but especially during Advent and Lent.  Please check our weekly church bulletin, our web page or our facebook page to see the many opportunities that are offered!

Since I have mentioned technology, to improve our use of it in the parish we have revamped our web site (www.stjosephsomerspoint.com) complete with a mobile version for your smartphones, improved our phone system to make it more accessible, added a facebook page for our parish, and I personally publish a spiritual blog entry each week (www.fr-ed-namiotka.com) in conjunction with the weekly church bulletin.

   

Some of the most obvious enhancements have been to our physical plant.  Our parking lots were resurfaced and relined.  Our annex building’s exterior was sealed and painted and the Pre-K 3 rooms renovated and relocated into that building.  We added a “cry room” to the church for parents with toddlers and infants.  Our stained glass windows are being repaired and restored.  Repairs have also been made to the bell tower, to the rectory building and walkways, and to the convent.  Currently, the cracks in the interior walls of the church are being fixed and the entire interior should be repainted just in time for Easter.

As you can see, we are doing our part to help our parish—yours and mine—to grow and increase.  All I simply ask is that you assist us in what we are trying to accomplish.  Weekly participation at Mass is essential!  Your presence in our pews together with regular, ongoing giving to support our many spiritual endeavors and the physical upkeep of our campus, will help ensure the future of this parish.

It has been said that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.  We can’t just sit back and do nothing and expect everything to continue without interruption or possible decline.  We need your continual help, and I am asking for it now once again.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Helping to Build the "House of Charity"

Dear Parishioners,

I once heard it said that God can never be outdone in generosity.  I believe this is so true!  When we give from our substance, and not merely our excess, we are giving a truly sacrificial gift.  God so loved the world that He gave His only Son!  (John 3:16)  There can be no more perfect, sacrificial gift than this.  God showed us what it truly meant to give from substance.      

Within the next few weeks you should receive a letter and brochure from Bishop Sullivan regarding the 2014 House of Charity – Bishop’s Annual Appeal.  The theme this year is Unearthing the Treasure.  I hope you will take a few minutes to review those materials and the wonderful opportunity that a donation to this vital program will provide.

By your gift to the House of Charity, you show the many who are in great need of pastoral, charitable, educational and social ministry in our Diocese that you treasure them in Jesus’ name.  When you make a sacrificial gift to the House of Charity, you offer the treasure of hope.  You offer the treasure of God’s love.

You should be aware that here in our parish we benefit directly from this appeal.  It is the Diocese of Camden, through its House of Charity appeal, that supplies a full-time hospital chaplain to our local hospital—Shore Medical Center.  Hopefully, you are familiar with the long standing tradition of how our many chaplains have faithfully served the hospital, while also assisting at St. Joseph Church with Masses, confessions, etc.  For this reason, in addition to the many other services that are provided throughout the diocese, it is important that you consider making a donation to this appeal.

Remember too that if we make or exceed our parish goal, a percentage of the money collected comes right back to this parish for local use.

Please know that I am most grateful to you for your continued generosity to our parish, and for your willingness to consider the needs of those less fortunate in our community.  I ask you to pray for me and our community as we seek to live the Gospel and serve each other in Jesus’ name.

As we begin the season of Lent next week with Ash Wednesday (March 5, 2014), may I suggest that you reflect on the sacrificial love that Jesus offered by his passion and death.  His example of complete self-giving should inspire and motivate us to a more perfect love and charity for others.      

May God continue to bless you and your family.

Sincerely,

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor