By EmmaLee Italia, Contributing Editor
As the Diocese of Trenton began to emerge from the Jan. 25-26 winter storm that prompted a state of emergency across much of the country, parishes began to post on social media and share pictures of the impressive storm aftermath.
PHOTO GALLERY: Winter Weather in the Diocese of Trenton
Snowfall totals ranged from five inches in Little Egg Harbor Twp. to 12 inches in Rumson, necessitating parish and Catholic school closures and delayed openings on Jan. 26 and 27. Frigid temperatures in the teens and 20s assure that the white stuff isn’t going away soon, but that didn’t stop schools from embracing indoor activities for a truncated Catholic Schools Week, which was set for Jan. 25-31.
While Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., had issued a dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass on Sunday, many Catholics took advantage of Saturday vigil Masses or watched livestreams on a snowy Sunday morning. Pastors posted messages alerting parishioners of the Bishop’s dispensation, and even offered alternative schedules.
In St. David the King Parish, Princeton Junction, Deacon Gez Ford shared on Facebook that Sunday morning Masses were cancelled – but the parish offered three Saturday evening Masses Jan. 24 ahead of the storm, including a “no frills Mass” at 7:30 p.m.
Father James Grogan, pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Moorestown, periodically updated parishioners on the parish Facebook page with photos of the snow cleared from sidewalks, but noting that daily Mass Jan. 26 had to be cancelled due to impassible roads and parking lot.
More than 560 people attended the Jan. 24 vigil Mass in St. Paul Parish, Princeton. Although no Sunday Masses were officially cancelled there, Father Christopher Dayton, pastor, posted a video message encouraging parishioners to use caution and not risk driving to Mass if roadways were not yet plowed, reminding them that the sidewalks and roads near the church “may not be ready for your arrival … livestream is going to be available for all of our Masses this weekend … we’ll pray together as a family and we’ll see you again soon when everything is safe.”
Top photo caption: While Father John Bambrick, pastor, was walking back to the St. Aloysius Parish house in Jackson Jan. 27, he said, “I stopped, looked up and thought ‘well that’s an awesome image,’ pulled out the phone and snapped a photo!” Courtesy photo
