Dear Parishioners,
Mass Attendance
Fifty more people joined us for Mass inside our church.
Mass Inside Outside
4 PM 168 2
6 PM 87 2
8 AM 88 2
10 AM 176 1
12 PM 146 1
Total 665 8
Omicron Plummeting in NJ
When I look at COVIDActNow.org, I see that daily new cases are going down in NJ just as quickly as they went up. We used to have the 2nd highest rate of daily new cases just a couple weeks ago. We were usually in 3rd place. Yesterday, we were in 17th. Now we're 22nd. The only "state" where cases are going down faster is the Northern Mariana Islands. COVIDActNow includes Northern Mariana Islands, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico with the 50 states. New York, D.C., and Puerto Rico are also seeing plummeting daily new cases. Let's pray for our country that every state will soon see new cases swiftly decline.
Result at St. John's
Some parishioners are emerging from quarantines. Others see the new trend. The result is increasing Mass attendance. So, I think it's time for us to adapt the seating again. I'm going to open up more pews in the handicapped section and the pews on the organ side. I'll probably add some chairs to the parish hall. We'll rely on you to spread out. We'll continue to maintain the sections where people are to be six feet apart.
St. Anthony the Abbot
Today's saint has several appellations. He's "of Egypt", "of the Desert", "the Hermit", and "the Abbot". He may also be the oldest person to ever be canonized having reached the age of 105 before going to see the Lord face-to-face.
What can the father of monasticism in the West teach us? With respect to the pandemic, he can teach us how to be alone with God. If we have to quarantine or keep our distance from people, we can still be close to God who is close to us. And then when He does send us on a mission, we can delight in the new adventure. When I drove to Trenton for the Mass and Rally for Life, I delighted in the beautiful scenery along Route 539 which I haven't seen in a couple years. And then I was delighted to see people I haven't seen in a while as well. With the example of St. Anthony, I can delight in being alone in the rectory. The peace and quiet affords me the opportunity to be alone with God. He's always with us. He usually chooses to be quiet. If we become quiet too, we have a much better chance of experiencing His presence.
God love you,
Fr. Jim