Dear Parishioners,

The Communion-in-Cars Mass went really well last week. I would like to especially thank Chris Piazza for organizing it last week, and of course all the people who volunteered to help direct cars. I have only heard positive things from the parishioners who attended. (I received a lot of very positive responses and could not reply to them all in a timely fashion.) I know people are really appreciating the chance to receive Holy Communion. So long as we have good weather, I am going to continue this practice. Of course, I hope it won’t be for too long, though!

The experience of Communion in Cars has given me some hope that everything will be okay. I was worried that people would fall out of the habit of coming to Church or that they will feel so abandoned that people would turn their backs on the Church. While that might be true for some people, I saw a lot of people come to Church just to receive communion. It shows that people still want to practice their faith. And that’s great. We had 82 cars of people come to Mass this past week and I expect it will just grow from there.

Today is Pentecost Sunday. This is the day that the Church is born by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. It is a great reminder that God equips us for any challenges we face in this life and He is present every time we gather as a community. Even if we cannot be physically gathered together, the bonds that connect are still there. While we cannot be in Church, I know the Holy Spirit is still at work in all of you and I think that’s what drove so many people to come to Church this Sunday just to receive communion. May we all listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our lives and pray that we can all be reunited again soon.

God bless!

Fr. Carter

P.S. I know that some of you may be missing coming to confession, especially since we had to lock down midway through Lent. It is very important to be in a state of grace when we receive communion. While I cannot schedule a set time for confession, I am always available by appointment. So, feel free to reach out to me at toddcarterpriest@gmail.com, or the emergency line 732-807-5151. (These forms of contact are preferable as I do not check the Parish Office line every day.)