St. Veronica Church 4215 Route 9, Howell, NJ 07731 732-363-4200 www.stveronica.com

Pastoral Staff Pastor Father Vincent T. Euk Parochial Vicar Fr. Vicente Magdaraog Weekend Assistant Fr. Bill O’Brien Deacons Gene F. Moir, Sr. James Littlefield Tomasz Cechulski Charles R. Daye Jr. John Franey Gino (Louis) Esposito School Principal Sister Cherree Power, C.R. Religious Education Brenda Heffernan, D.R.E. Lauren DeMaio, C.R.E. Parish Administrator Leonard P. Weg Director of Music Nancy Condardo Director of ACTS Deacon Tom Cechulski Bozena Cechulski Coordinator of Youth Ministry Deacon John Franey Phone Contacts Rectory—732-363-4200 Convent—732-364-2361 School—732-364-4130 Religious Education— 732-364-4137 Cafeteria—732-364-9455 ACTS Office—732-364-2936 Fax 732-370-3891

Weekend Masses: Saturdays: 5:00 PM Sundays: 7:30, 9:00, 10:30, 12 noon, 5PM Daily Masses: Mon-Fri—7:20 AM & 12 Noon, Sat: 8AM

Holy Days: As announced in the bulletin. Healing Mass –every third Tuesday at 8PM.

Sacrament of Reconciliation Saturdays from 4:00 to 4:45PM or call to schedule an appointment with a priest.

Pastoral Staff Pastor Father Vincent T. Euk Parochial Vicar Fr. Vicente Magdaraog Weekend Assistant Fr. Bill O’Brien Deacons Tom Cechulski, Sr. Charles R. Daye , Jr. John Franey Gino (Louis) Esposito School Principal Sister Cherree Power, C.R. Religious Education Sr. Ann Norton, D.R.E. Linda Clayton Business Manager Deacon Gino Esposito Director of Music Emer O’Mahony Youth Ministry Coordinator Sister Ann Norton Phone Contacts Rectory—732-363-4200 Convent—732-364-2361 School—732-364-4130 Religious Education— 732-364-4137 Rectory Fax 732-370-3891 Rectory Office Hours: M-F 9:00-4:30 PM Second & Fourth Saturday 9AM—12:30 PM Baptisms: Every 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month,.

Weekend Masses: Saturdays: 4:00 PM Sundays: 7:30, 9:00, 10:30, 12 noon, 5PM Daily Masses: Mon-Fri—7:20 AM & 12 Noon, Sat: 8AM

Holy Days: As announced in the bulletin. Healing Mass –every third Tuesday at 7:30PM

Sacrament of Reconciliation Saturdays from 3:00 to 3:45PM and before each Sunday Mass

First Sunday of Lent March 5, 2017

Mass Intentions for this Week March 5, 2017

MONDAY 7:20 Norine Kelly ....................................................... Colleen Rayner 12:00 Suzanne McGrath .............................................. Moore Family TUESDAY 7.20 Bernard Boglioli................................................... Joseph Millan 12:00 Joseph Diovisalvi .....................................Jack & Fran McGuire WEDNESDAY 7:20 Ann Repko ........................................................... Serge Family 12:00 Rodney Norton .......................................... Ed & Mary Althaver THURSDAY 7:20 Gene Berry…………………………………………………….Wife, Theresa 12:00 Souls in Purgatory………………………………...…...Colleen Rayner FRIDAY 7:20 Olga Hubble……………………………………..…..Bob & Diana Morris 12:00 Kristen Butterfield………………………………...Barbara Mackanic

SATURDAY 8:00 AM Thomas Fahey, Jr………………………………….Lovenguth Family 4:00PM Angela Bettyas ............................. George & MaryBeth Klink SUNDAY 7:30 Regina Reif .......................................... Louis & Betty Cartagena 9:00 Madalene Rieker ................................ Vic & Priscilla Lagdameo 10:30 John & Josephine Cronin & Family ........ Eric & Helen O’Doherty 12:00 For the People of the Parish 5:00 Theresa Ambrose ............................................ Diane Bordonaro

Sanctuary Candle– Week of March 5, 2017

In memory of Sister Roberta………..Eileen & Patrick McCarthy

Chapel Candles– Week of March 5, 2017 In memory of Meagan Barnes……………………………………..……...Family

Events for this coming Week– See our website www.stveronica.com

Sacrificial Offering Update

Last Week’s Offering: $17,881.00

February Parish Pay: $5817.00

Thank you for your continued support.

Readings for the Week of March 5, 2017

Monday: Lv 19:1-2, 11-18/Ps 19:8-10, 15/Mt 25:31-46

Tuesday: Is 55:10-11/Ps 34:4-7, 16-19/Mt 6:7-15

Wednesday: Jon 3:1-10/Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19/Lk 11:29-32

Thursday: Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25/Ps 138:1-3, 7c-8/Mt 7:7-12

Friday: Ez 18:21-28/Ps 130:1-8/Mt 5:20-26

Saturday: Dt 26:16-19/Ps 119:1-2, 4-5, 7-8/Mt 5:43-48

Next Sunday:Gn 12:1-4a/Ps 33:4-5, 18-20, 22/2 Tm 1:8b-10/Mt

17:1-9

Pastor’s Notes

In the Second Creation account, when God made Man

from the dirt of the earth and breathed His life breath

into Adam, he was given a restriction, not to eat from the

Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. All that God

created was good and it seems that God only wanted us

to know what was good. This tree, however, became a

temptation for Adam and Eve to learn another dimension

of Eternal Life – eternal death. It appears that the

Angels already had their trial and those who failed it

ended up in eternal death or what we know as

Hell. Their hatred of God was extended into God’s

Creation because God made us in His Image and

Likeness. Nothing pleases the devils more than to

cause this Image to die. Each of us, as long as we live

on this planet, has at least a little sparkle of that

Image. The temptation to eat of this Tree of Good and

Evil was the Devil’s opportunity to deface God. The

Serpent cleverly appealed to Adam and Eve’s love of

God by making them believe that they could be God’s

equal instead of being only like God. He did not even

have to lie, but deceive. He told them that they would

not die if they ate of the fruit, at least not yet! Once the

sin was committed, the whole of Paradise was fractured,

symbolized by their feeling of shame because of what

now became their nakedness. Perhaps their greatest

wound has become their diminished capacity to not only

love God, but also their neighbor. Their desire to be

sharers with others in the gifts that God gave them was

transformed by a struggle with easily acquired vices by a

new susceptibility to concupiscence. Concupiscence is

the “instinct” to prefer material, lustful and demonic

desires over God. Our Baptism has wiped away Original

Sin, but it has not taken away the everyday struggle with

concupiscence.

Psalm 51 is attributed to King David. He committed

adultery with Bathsheba and she became pregnant. To

cover up his crime, King David arranged for Bathsheba’ s

husband, Uriah, to be murdered “in the line of

duty.” This beautiful prayer expresses a true repentance

for sin. If we have committed a big sin, this is the Psalm

to pray to get relief by entrusting ourselves to God’s

mercy.

The temptations of Christ in the desert actually became

a line of demarcation for the Devil. It is the first time

that a human being, outside of the special privilege

given the Blessed Mother, has not been duped by the

Devil to sin. These temptations are very delectable for

corrupt world leaders. Being able to provide bread from

stones would have a lot of weight in countries like the

Sudan or Syria, where people are being systematically

starved to death. Having the protection of angels from

having their faces wiped with poison at airports would

provide opportunities to do a lot of evil free of worry of

being caught. How many dictators would not want to

have all the kingdoms of the world under their thumbs?

Lent is a time to give alms, repent of sins and pray. I

hope you can all make reasonable resolutions so that

you will succeed in carrying them out. Maybe you can

choose this time to overcome a vice or perhaps start a

new pattern of prayer that will last for the rest of your

life. This will give you a deep spiritual joy at Easter Time.

Fr. Euk

“He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards

he was hungry.” And no surprise! That’s an incredibly

long time to fast. Undoubtedly Jesus’ physical and emo-

tional strength would have been extremely weak after

enduring such a marathon of abstinence. And isn’t it in-

teresting that the “tempter” should choose to appear at

this particular moment? When bread must have sounded

better than ever, the devil comes and tests Jesus, saying,

“Command that these stones become loaves of bread.”

How hard it must have been to resist! Surely, Je-

sus could have caved in. He could have shown the devil

his power—and had a bite to eat while he was at it—but

he didn’t. Instead, Jesus relied upon the word of God,

and battled the devil by holding fast to the truth. “One

does not live on bread alone, but on every word that

comes forth from the mouth of God.”

What an excellent model this provides for us. We

too face temptation of various kinds and degrees. As the

first reading from Genesis reminds us, the “cunning” ser-

pent has been slithering around humanity from the be-

ginning of time. Even when we have all that we need, the

devil makes us want more, or want different, than what

we have. Today’s Gospel calls Satan “the tempter” for

good reason. He tempts us to break God’s law as Adam

and Eve did when they ate from the tree “in the middle of

the garden.” But Jesus shows us the right response by

battling the devil with the truth of God’s word. Whatever

temptations might beset us, there is power in clinging to

the truths that we find in Scripture. In our moments of

trial, may we have the strength to claim these truths as

our own and, like Jesus, defeat the deceit of the devil.

Scripture Meditation

OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE

Please Pray for Our Sick

Tom Lovito Lorraine Groh Marjorie Paulmann

Mark Stoughton Vinny Placanica Mia Castellan

Michael Kuras Susan Termine Connie Camilleri

Erin Haber Jan Fleming Monica Noble

Paula Baiga Diane Cudhedy Deacon John Franey

Bob Yuro Michael Connolly Joe Oates

Jane Oates Ann Donovan John Kerod

Robert Farrell Christine Clements John Rodrigues

Cathy Forman Ed Kelly Dennis Hayward

Kathy Hayward Claire Archer Vincenzo Centineo

Greg Mador Brayden Walton Victoria Burke

Robert O’Malley Sr. Karen D’Souza-Casiero Mary Althaver

Gianna Faith Malen Debbie Mossa Kevin Corcoran

Barbara Sewing Rose Perrotta Sharon Calabria

Nicole Kessner Joanne Oates Carmen Devone

Milagros Martino

Please Pray for our Parishioners Serving our Country: Sgt. Sean T. Curran Sgt. Brennan Six

PV2 William Wotton GSMI Sandro Farduchi

Sgt. Krystyna Cechulski Capt. Julio Collazos

S.R. Steven Brennan Sgt. Gregory Hiller

Corp. Ethan Bolger PFC Zackary Burkey

Sgt. Luke Wlodkowski 1st Lt. Robert F. Farrell

1st Lt. Ash Young Sgt. Paul Coyle

LCDR Matthew W. Smith

Church and Chapel Sanctuary Candles If you would like to donate a Sanctuary

Candle for a loved one, please contact the

rectory office (732-363-4200). Candles will

be in memory of or intentions of the named

individual for one week (Sunday to Saturday)

and announced in our bulletin. Weekly Donation:

Church Candle $15 Chapel Candles $20 (2).

Baptism

St. Veronica’s Parish Family wishes to

welcome those who have become

members through the Sacrament of

Baptism.

Lily Ann, daughter of Megan & Michael DeLaney

Thank you for the gift of life!

Banns of Marriage

Aaron Smith & Lindsay Ostrowski (2) 4/7/17

Stations of the Cross

We will have Stations of the Cross every Friday from

March 3rd through April 7th at 7:30PM. All are welcome!

Divine Mercy Prayers– Today, March 5th.

"O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the heart of

Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You"- St Fausti-

na Diary # 187. Please join us Sunday March 5th @ 1:30

PM for our monthly Divine Mercy Prayer Service. Looking

around of what's going on in today's world, mankind

needs Jesus more then ever. As always we will be praying

for the future of our country, as well as for the conversion

of peoples’ hearts.

Please join us today, March 5th, at

1:30 PM in the church. All are welcome

Holy Land Pilgrimage

Msgr. Peter Kochery once again will be leading us on a

pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Please save the dates:

Oct. 23rd—Nov. 1st 2017. The cost is $3000 pp double

occupancy. Health insurance included. For more info

contact Deacon Tom at 732-610-5434 or

3marysway@optonline.net

Trenton Catholic Academy to Honor Bishop David M.

O’Connell, C.M. and others at Gala The Trenton Catholic Academy School community invites

you to our “Celebrate Iron Mikes Gala” on April 22, 2017,

6:00 PM, at Cedar Gardens, Hamilton. Here we will hon-

or Most Reverend Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., Ju-

dith Persichilli, alumni Marty Flynn and Rick Dell and for-

mer teacher Mr. Jack Lally, who will be honored posthu-

mously. Ticket and sponsorship information is available

on our website:https://trentoncatholic.org or by contact-

ing Tracey Destribats, Director of Advancement, (609)

586-3705 ext. 135 or by

email:tdestribats@trentoncatholic.org.

High School Music Ministry

Calling all Youth Music Ministry!!! We will

be having regular practices on Sundays

from 3:30-4:30pm in the church, on the

same Sundays as Youth Ministry meetings,

once every two weeks. We will rehearse for

a number of weeks until we are ready to play/sing at a

Mass. We need vocalists, a drummer, a guitarist, and any

other instruments you can play. Please respond to Sr.

Ann or Emer O'Mahony ( give email addresses/ phone

numbers) Sr.ann@stveronica.com 732-364-4137

Or emer.omahony@stveronica.com 732-600-4592

Our 1st practice will be on Sunday March 12th.

Adoration Chapel During Lent: prayerfully consider making an effort to do an hour of adoration or stop by the chapel even for a few minutes. “Do you realize that Jesus is there in the Blessed Sacrament expressly for you, for you alone? He burns with desire to come into your heart!” St. Therese of Lisieux Help us at St. Veronica maintain perpetual adoration by

signing up for any hour.

Hours Urgently Needed:

Sunday noon and 5PM

Monday 1AM,

Wednesday 11PM

Saturday 6PM

Weekend and Overnight Adoreres needed.aturday 6PM

Contact Debbie drev514@aol.com or leave message 732

367-7750.

St. Veronica’s Parish Lenten Mission– Starts This

Sunday “The Holy Trinity”

Made in the image of God– A

spirituality of God’s presence within

us. All are invited to join our Parish

Mission. March 5-8, 7:30-9:00PM,

each night in the church. Presented

by rev. Francis A. sirolli, OSA.

Save the Date!! St. Veronica Vacation Bible School

Monday July 10th through Friday July 14th

Legion of Mary

Legion of Mary is in need of religious statues, holy cards

and religious articles. If you are able to donate, please

contact Mary Anne at 732-367-0284.

Pantry Needs

Canned meat, jello, pudding, boxed rice

Special Offering Envelope Envelopes are now available in the back of the church

and narthex for earmark donations and repairs. Thank

you for your generosity.

40 DAYS FOR LIFE The 40 Days for Life is a campaign of prayer and fasting

for an end to abortion here in America, from March 1 to

April 9. Since its inception in 2007, 12,668 lives have

been saved, 143 abortion workers have quit, and 83

abortion centers have closed. 40 Days for Life also in-

volves prayerful, peaceful witnessing in front of an abor-

tion clinic. The goal is to help women who are consider-

ing getting an abortion and encourage them to change

their minds. People are being asked to simply stand (or

walk) there and say the Rosary or other prayers for one

hour. Here in Monmouth, the site is the Planned

Parenthood facility at 69 E. Newman Springs Rd. in

Shrewsbury. We have been asked to staff

each Wednesday from March 1 to April 9. That would be

6 Wednesdays: March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, and April 5. The

hours are from 8 AM to 6 PM. Please see the 40 Days

for Life web site http://40daysforlife.com/

Shrewsbury for a wealth of information.

Please join in this campaign of prayer and sacrifice for all

mothers and their unborn children. Please consider join-

ing in this life saving effort for just one hour on one or

more Wednesdays. Please give us a call at 732-367-

2565, or send us an email at hmador@optonline.net to

sign up . Thank you

Downey Side Adoption Agency DO YOU WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIFE OF A

FOSTER CARE CHILD? IF SO, APPLY TO ADOPT THROUGH

DOWNEY SIDE AND GIVE FOSTER CARE CHILDREN A

PERMANENT HOME. CHILDREN ARE SCHOOL AGE AND

UP.

Orientation, Sunday, March 12, 2017 at 3 PM.

St. Uriel’s Episcopal Church

219 Philadelphia Blvd.

Sea Girt, N.J.

Contact: Sr. Elizabeth Engel

732-359-8434 or email your interest to

(sister.engel@gmail.com)

Ushers Closet The gold colored ropes were returned to the rectory last

Saturday, 2/25. Thank you for dropping them off.

Rediscover the Love in Your Marriage… Retrouvaille provides help for marriage problems, difficul-

ties or crises. The next program begins on the weekend

of April 21st at the Family Life Center in Malvern, PA.

Visit www.helpourmarriage.com or call 215-766-3944.

OUR NEEDS

,