By Lois Rogers | Correspondent

The mercury was still topping 90 degrees on July 5 as St. Veronica Parish on Route 9 in Howell prepared to welcome folks needing another afternoon of relief from the heat wave battering New Jersey for days.

Officially, the church and school cafeteria would re-open as cooling centers at 1 p.m. after the noon Mass and stay open throughout the hottest period of the day until 6 p.m. But just before Mass, Deacon Gino Esposito said those without air conditioning had been welcome inside from the time the campus opened in the morning until the church closed at night for six straight days. “We don’t lock up early,” he noted.

St. Veronica was one of three faith communities that quickly responded to the call sent out by the Howell Township Office of Emergency Management for cooling centers. That call came when the National Weather Service predicted excessive heat could top 104 degrees in Monmouth County over Fourth of July week.

Other churches that responded to the request were Ardena Baptist on Adelphia-Farmingdale Road and Open Door Bible Church on Squankum Road. The excessive heat warning and heat advisory had been scheduled to remain in effect until July 1 but as the temperatures and humidity did not subside, St. Veronica continued to serve as a cooling center, said Deacon Esposito.

He noted that this was the first time the parish served as a cooling center. It came about when a parishioner, Phil Thompson, who is also a township patrolman, became aware of the need and reached out to St. Veronica Pastor, Vincent Euk who quickly said yes.

Over the days that followed, Deacon Esposito said he noticed that the people seeking respite on the campus, seemed to favor staying cool in the church rather than the school cafeteria. “I’d come in on and off and there would usually be about 10 to 12 people in the church who I had never seen before. That we were a cooling center was broadcast on Channel 12, so people learned about it on the news and came over.”

Parishioners commented that it was good to know the church was serving in this capacity said Deacon Esposito. He said it goes hand in hand with the parish outreach mission which includes hosting homeless men one night a week, a ministry undertaken by greater Freehold area houses of worship in the winter.

“You have to try to help. You have to see what you can do. Having a cooling center helped people suffering from asthma, seniors struggling in the heat. This was a way to refresh body and soul,” he said. “You never know what touches people when you open your heart and invite people in.”

The noon Mass at St. Veronica is a destination for many people from throughout the Route 9 Corridor during the weekdays. Lisha Loo-Morgan, of Catholic Charities Parish Services Program, is among those who “always try to make it here” during lunch hour.

Morgan and Judy Gibson, a member of St. Rose of Lima Parish, Freehold, and lay Missionary of Charity, said the cooling center was a great idea. “I think it’s a wonderful thing to do,” said Morgan. “It’s a real help for people. Not only does it relieve the stress of the heat for them, it’s a way of showing the openness of the community.”

Gibson called it a “beautiful work of love and charity,” one which reflects “who we are and those who we pray for. It’s wonderful. It offers comfort and a sense of safety.”