What You Need to Know (When Returning to Mass)

Dear Parishioners,

The time has finally arrived. You can return to public Mass.  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

However, there are certain parameters that we will guide you through as our two churches and worship center are reopened.

First, prepare yourselves for coming to church.  Before you leave home be attentive to proper hygiene (wash your hands, brush your teeth and gargle, etc.), use the bathrooms at home (since the ones at church will be for emergency use only) and bring a mask.

Enter through the designated door since we need to keep a count.  Look for an usher to greet you to be sure that people are properly spaced in the pews (social distancing).

People are asked not to socialize before or after Mass.  When you arrive please remain in your seats.  After Mass, please do not socialize by the church doors or in the parking lot.

Some changes to the Mass will be made.  There are no hymnals in the pews, no holy water in the fonts, bulletins will be distributed only upon leaving, there will be no offertory procession, no sign of peace, no altar servers, an absolute minimal use of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (as the Precious Blood will no longer be distributed), the cry-room will be unavailable, and Holy Communion will be distributed, for the time being, at the very end of Mass.

Please follow the directions given at each Mass for the distribution of Holy Communion.  These will vary slightly by location.

Remember that we offer multiple opportunities to attend Mass each week.  There are eight (8) regularly scheduled Masses each weekend at three (3) locations.  Some Masses have traditionally had fewer numbers.  You might think about attending one of them if you are leery about larger crowds.

If you are sick, please stay home.  Think about the health and well-being of your fellow parishioners.  A live-stream Mass on Facebook will still take place at 10 AM for those who are homebound. The dispensation for the faithful from the obligation to participate in Mass on Sundays and Holy Days remains in effect.

For the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation (confession), please wear a mask and keep the proper social distance regulations (6 feet apart) when waiting in line.

The complete list of regulations is found on the Diocese of Camden Website.  Please realize we might have to make some additional adaptations once we observe how many people initially return to Mass.

Welcome back!  I have missed you!

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Holy Angels Catholic School Graduation Homily (June 9, 2020)

Preparing to Re-Open the Parish

St. Patrick Church

Dear Parishioners,

We have received word from the Diocese of Camden that we can make various preparations for the reopening of our parishes for Sunday Mass on the weekend of June 13-14.  (Weekday Masses can resume on June 9th.)  Doing this at Holy Angels involves getting three locations ready for the celebration of Holy Mass:  St. Patrick Church, St. Matthew Church and the Worship Center.  To assist me in this process I have included a medical doctor, a paramedic and an EMT so that I can be advised from their perspective as health care professionals/workers.

Once we open, there are certain procedures that we are required to follow.  These will be published on our parish website (www.holyangelsnj.org), on our parish app, in our parish bulletin, and on our parish Facebook page (Holy Angels Parish).  I am only going to scratch the surface here to explain some basic requirements and procedures.

Remember if you are sick, elderly, or particularly vulnerable at this time, you may still have to stay home for a while and not risk putting yourself in a crowd.  What I tell people is to use common sense.  Make the best decision for yourself and those you love.

We will be required to minimize the numbers at each Mass for social distancing purposes.  Fortunately, with our eight scheduled Masses each weekend, this provides plenty of opportunity for people to spread out at each Mass.

Holy Mass will see some changes:  no missals or hymnals in the pews, no sign of peace, no Holy Communion from the chalices (the Precious Blood), the distribution of Holy Communion will occur at the end of Mass, and possibly some others to be determined.  Also, we will have limited stations for the distribution of Holy Communion, so an absolute minimal number of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion will be used.  There will be only one entrance at each location used to enter for Mass so that we can keep track of numbers and be sure people are seated far apart enough from each other.  Bathroom access will be for emergencies only and the cry room will not be used at this time.

We will post matters in more detail on the above-mentioned locations.  In the meantime, please remember good hygiene is so important when trying to prevent the spread of disease.  Wash your hands thoroughly before coming to Mass, brush your teeth and gargle to kill germs, etc.  The diocese currently is requiring people to come to Mass with face masks.  Also, please do not socialize with other parishioners after Mass, even though we may be glad to see each other.

While some of these initial requirements may be lifted with time, my purpose is to get people back to Mass and the sacraments.  It has been too long since I have seen all my parishioners in front of me.  I miss you and I want to get you back here as soon as possible.

Stay tuned and watch for future information!

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Pentecost Homily - Fr. Edward Namiotka

Come Holy Spirit!

Dear Parishioners,

This weekend we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary—Pentecost Sunday.  Unfortunately, it will be another important solemnity on the Catholic Church calendar where the doors of our Church will be closed for public Holy Mass.  Please pray that we will soon be permitted to resume public Masses once again.  In the meantime, you are invited to watch our live-stream on Facebook.  

Wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord are the traditional seven spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to us.  They are enumerated in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. (11:2-3)  According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “The moral life of Christians is sustained by the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  These are permanent dispositions which make man docile in following the promptings of the Holy Spirit.” (1830)

Here’s a brief summary of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit (from Scott P. Richert) that I found helpful:

Through wisdom, we come to value properly those things which we believe through faith.  The truths of Christian belief are more important than the things of this world, and wisdom helps us to order our relationship to the created world properly, loving Creation for the sake of God, rather than for its own sake.

While wisdom is the desire to contemplate the things of God, understanding allows us grasp, at least in a limited way, the very essence of the truths of the Catholic Faith. Through understanding, we gain a certitude about our beliefs that moves beyond faith.

Through the gift of counsel, we are able to judge how best to act almost by intuition.  Because of the gift of counsel, Christians need not fear to stand up for the truths of the Faith, because the Holy Spirit will guide us in defending those truths.

Fortitude gives us the strength to follow through on the actions suggested by the gift of counsel.  Fortitude is the virtue of the martyrs that allows them to suffer death rather than to renounce the Christian Faith.

Knowledge allows us to see the circumstances of our life the way that God seems them.  Through this gift of the Holy Spirit, we can determine God's purpose for our lives and live them accordingly.

Piety takes the willingness to worship and to serve God beyond a sense of duty, so that we desire to worship God and to serve Him out of love.

Fear of the Lord gives us the desire not to offend God, as well as the certainty that God will supply us the grace that we need in order to keep from offending Him.  Our desire not to offend God is more than simply a sense of duty; like piety, the fear of the Lord arises out of love.

These Gifts of the Holy Spirit “complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them.  They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations.”  (Catechism, 1831)

By being open and receptive to these gifts of the Holy Spirit you will be pleasantly surprised where the promptings of the Holy Spirit lead you!

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Offering Mass "Ad Orientem"

The B.V.M. Altar at St. Patrick Church

Dear Parishioners,

I have been sensing a certain restlessness in the people whom I had the opportunity to speak with during the past couple weeks.  After about two months of quarantine, most people seem ready to get back to a normal routine and not be continually confined to home.  With the warm weather upon us, it's time to get out into some fresh air and sunshine.  We need some vitamin D.  We are used to taking walks, riding bikes, playing and watching outdoor sports, enjoying barbecues and cookouts, going to the beach, etc. and not staring at the four walls of some room.  We are not meant to be continually locked up.

I hope that you feel the same way—restless—about not being able to get to Mass.  The words of St. Augustine seem appropriate at this time:  . . . our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.  Sadly, a significant number of Catholics were not regular in their Mass attendance prior to the coronavirus pandemic.  Now that the situation has proven not as bad as it could have been, I wonder what Mass attendance will look like in the weeks and months ahead?  Will we have a greater hunger for the Bread of Life?

I have been offering a "private" daily Mass, usually at one of the side altars in St. Patrick Church or in our rectory chapel.  All of the announced (and some unannounced) Mass intentions are being fulfilled by our priests.  Mostly, Mass is being offered ad Deum (towards God) or ad orientem (facing liturgical east) and not versus populum (facing the people).  The side altars and the original high altar of St. Patrick Church had been constructed for Mass to be offered facing God.  With people technically absent, it makes no sense to face the people during the Mass.  (We do not live-stream the daily Mass, only on Sunday.)

Truth be told, I have gained a greater appreciation for Mass celebrated with the ancient ad orientem orientation.  Follow my thought process for a moment.  The priest is offering a sacrifice to God (not to the people) so shouldn't the priest be facing in His direction (ad orientem)?  The ancient tradition was to face east towards the rising sun which would bring to mind the rising (Resurrection) of the Son of God and await His Second Coming.  While many churches are not necessarily built facing east, the priest can still face liturgical east when offering Mass.  While some have referenced this orientation as the priest having his back to the people, actually the priest and people are facing a common direction towards God.  It was only about a half-century ago that the priest began facing the people during Mass.  For centuries, this was not the case.

During the past 50 years, so many beautiful high altars in churches were dismantled or destroyed.  They were replaced by less attractive table-like altars, mostly in the name of liturgical reform.  Thankfully, our high altar and our side altars at St. Patrick remain essentially the same as they were when the church was constructed (1909).  Despite my sadness of not having the regular congregation present at Mass, a small blessing was being able to offer Mass at the beautiful high altar during Holy Week and at the similarly beautiful side altars—especially the Blessed Virgin Mary side—during the month of May.

I await the day when you will once again join me at Mass!

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

What to Believe?

Dear Parishioners,

One thing I took from my college seminary education was to be a critical thinker.  I do not swallow hook, line and sinker everything I am told without first examining and questioning matters on many levels.  While I truly try to see the best in people, I realize not everything you think you observe and what people tell you are always correct.  Unfortunately, people lie and try to manipulate others.  Circumstances are not always what they appear to be.  A person's motivation is not always what we think it is.  It is best to have some degree of skepticism and to employ critical thinking when it comes to the information that is presented to us.

 

Our ultimate goal should be to get to the truth.  My mind—what I think—needs to conform to reality.  I have heard it said in some situations: "My truth is not your truth!"  However, there can only be a singular truth.  Something is what it actually is, not what we would like it to be.  Most likely, a person is confusing truth with opinion.  We can have various opinions, but there is only one final truth.

We need to apply critical thinking to our current pandemic.  Ask those probing questions.  Do not automatically believe everything you are told.  There are varying opinions out there—sometimes even directly contradicting each other—and everyone can not be absolutely correct at the same time.

Doctors, scientists and others differ whether continued, prolonged social distancing is really in everyone's best interest.  Maybe for the elderly, those with compromised immune systems and in certain restricted areas, it may be beneficial.  It now seems that the average, healthy person will recover from this virus.  Our immune systems will kick in, like they are supposed to do.  Yes, there may be exceptions, but that is the case with almost every disease known to man.

Are masks for all necessary or harmful?  Arguments are given on both sides of the issue.  I have read them.  Will a vaccination be the solution?  Some think not, while others want to vaccinate the entire world.  Did we need all of those ventilators?  Were the many make-shift field hospitals underused and, perhaps, unnecessary?  Did the known drugs such as hydroxychloroquine actually work when treating this corona virus?  Was the number of people dying from the virus itself (not from a pre-existing, underlying condition) inflated for financial, political or other reasons?  Did political motivation factor into decision making and policy?  Should churches have been closed universally while liquor stores, pot dispensaries and abortion clinics were left in operation?  Are voices of dissenting opinion being silenced because they disagree with those in charge?  These and other questions need to be answered until the truth—stripped of spin or bias—is uncovered.

I want to see you, my parishioners, return to Mass.  It's time.  Might some be hesitant to return?  Certainly.  Should the elderly or the sick be cautious?  Of course.  Some might need to continue to stay home for a while.  Should the average, healthy person be permitted to practice his or her faith?  Emphatically I say Yes!  According to WebMD:  early estimates predict that the overall COVID-19 recovery rate is between 97% and 99.75%.  Most people will survive this pandemic.

With time, I hope the facts do not reveal that our quarantine, social distancing, masks, etc. were a huge overreaction to a unknown virus—perhaps no worse than a really, really bad flu season—fueled by media hype, fear of the unknown and other factors.

 

The only place where I am assured that truth is found is in Jesus Christ.  

He tells us: I am the way, the truth and the life. (Jn. 14:6)  I believe Him.  Everyone else is currently suspect.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Parish Update (May 2020)

Dear Parishioners,

First, I miss seeing you and I cannot wait until the "quarantine" is over!  I assure you I remember you in my daily prayers and at the altar when I offer Mass each day.

I hope you attempt to watch Mass on TV (such as EWTN), or by livestream each Sunday.  Here at the parish, we began a livestream broadcast on our Facebook page (Holy Angels Parish) on Easter Sunday.  We intend to continue each Sunday at 10 AM while restrictions on public gatherings still exist.  Please realize that this is a make-shift broadcast occurring via a cell phone, not a professional broadcast from a TV studio or using state-of-the-art equipment.  Sound quality is not perfect and we only have a steady picture when the phone is mounted on a tripod.  In other words, we are currently limited with what we can do.

    

I have had plenty of time to think and to try to make some sense out of our situation.  Something that I have thought about, time and again, is that any kind of attempt at “remote” or livestream worship is not the manner in which Mass or the sacraments are supposed to take place.  Yes, these means may be beneficial to the sick or homebound.  However, sacraments are meant to be experienced in person.  You cannot receive the Holy Eucharist from the TV or computer.  You can make a Spiritual Communion, but it is not the same.  Confessions cannot be heard over the phone.  A person can only be anointed when the priest is physically present.

We need to get people back to church, back to Mass.  When I see people still buying liquor from the liquor store, I question if the worship of Almighty God is not more essential than that?  While the death of every innocent human being is tragic, how can abortion clinics be seen as essential in some states?  Do not those lives matter as well?  Websites still contend: Abortion is essential health care.  People go to the grocery stores to get food to eat and sustain themselves and even to hoard toilet paper and cleaning supplies.  How urgent do we feel the necessity of receiving the Bread of Life for our spiritual nourishment?   Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. (Jn. 6:53)

There is more than a bit of hypocrisy involved in the decisions of what can and cannot remain open during this pandemic.  Time will tell us whether our current actions/reactions were appropriate or not.  One thing that still concerns me is that people are being deprived of the primary means of grace for Catholics—the sacraments.  I am currently considering ways we can supply the sacraments to the people safely if our situation is unduly prolonged or if it occurs again in the future.  The sacraments are most essential!

Thank you to all who continue to remember the parish financially during these difficult times.  People have been mailing us their weekly envelopes or dropping them off at the rectory.  While our income is down considerably, we still have the regular bills to pay (utilities, maintenance/repairs, some salaries, etc.).  We have furloughed a number of employees since we cannot afford to keep everyone on staff at this time.

Let us continue to pray—especially seeking the intercession of our Blessed Mother—for help now and in the uncertain days ahead.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Divine Mercy Sunday Homily - Fr. Edward Namiotka

Easter Sunday Homily - Fr. Edward Namiotka