'Misericordiosos como El Padre'-- 1,400 come together for multicultural Holy Year of Mercy celebration in Toms River
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
Story by Matthew Greeley, Associate Director of Communications, and Armando Machado, Correspondent
They came out in droves to learn about mercy. They came for the plenary indulgence to be granted by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., to participate in the procession with the Blessed Sacrament, for the special presentations about the Lord’s Mercy, to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, for the bilingual music that got everyone moving and the blood pumping and for the family catechesis offered to youngsters of all ages, among other reasons.
To see photo gallery on this story, click here.
Coordinators had estimated a crowd of between 400 and 600 people. Three times as many were present.
From across the Diocese of Trenton, more than 1,400 individuals and families came gathered in the gymnasium of Donovan Catholic High School on the campus of St. Joseph Parish, Toms River, March 19, for a vibrant, multicultural celebration for the Year of Mercy.
Propelled by the vision and energy of Father René Pulgarín, pastor of Christ the Redeemer, Mount Holly, and diocesan liaison for the Hispanic and Portuguese communities, the celebration was an opportunity to deepen people’s experience with God’s mercy while building community among the diverse diocesan family.
The diocesan celebration offered people an opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence while participating in an invigorating experience that would feed them on their faith journeys, paralleled by the journey with our Lord in the monstrance from the gym to St. Joseph Church.
Everything about the overflowing celebration focused on the love of our merciful Father.
People packed into the gymnasium to hymns in English and Spanish, to hear Father Scott Shaffer, pastor of St. Joseph Parish, giving a bilingual welcome – “¡Bienvenidos a San José!”
As Bishop O’Connell arrived, the congregation responded with exuberance as they sang “We are the Body of Christ” in dual languages.
“As your Bishop and Shepherd, I wanted to be present on this day when we all reflect and ask for God’s mercy as part of this Jubilee Year of Mercy,” began the Bishop amid thunderous applause.
“The Father of Mercy invites us that our language be Mercy, our expression, love and that we be brothers and sisters,” said Bishop O’Connell. “Thank you for being the face of God in this Diocese where through the prayer and praise we give worship to our Lord Jesus, who gave himself and extended his arms on the Cross for us.
“We are the Body of Christ – Somos el Cuerpo de Cristo! May God bless you and bless your families here and abroad, that the mercy of God may come and meet you on your way.”
Representatives from Christ the King, Long Branch, Christ the Redeemer, Mount Holly, and St. Joseph, led the scores of people kneeling before Jesus in prayerful song with their Bishop.
Learning About Mercy
The day’s main presentations offered in English and Spanish separated the participants for the morning sessions as children from 5 to 20 years old were brought to classrooms at Donovan Catholic for specific catechesis sessions. The catechetical volunteers helped explain to all of the young participants about the meaning of mercy and what mercy means in everyday life. Throughout the entire day, student volunteers from Donovan Catholic carried signs saying “Confessions” to help control the lines of people wishing to confess their sins. In the middle of the presentations, the volunteers would silently walk through the venues as multitudes stood to ready themselves for the Sacrament.
Simultaneously, all adults heard about the different images of our Lord as the Father of Mercy from the central presenters.
“This is a very beautiful gathering; it is the first time we’ve been to an event like this,” said Luis Soto, a member of St. Joseph Parish, Trenton, during the lunch break. “This is a blessing; we are very thankful.”
His wife, Reina, was also attending the day, along with their two sons. “Everything is wonderful,” she said of the prayers of praise, the songs of joy, and the uplifting words of spiritual guidance. “I like it, and we give thanks to God that we are here,” she said in Spanish. “This is a beautiful experience.”
Msgr. Sam Sirianni, pastor of St. Robert Bellarmine Parish, Freehold, began with the image of the lost sheep, sharing about how the shepherd leaves the 99 to go after the one that is lost. “How does this image challenge our image of God?” asked Msgr. Sirianni. “Mercy is so important for us as believers.”
Msgr. Sirianni challenged everyone to imagine the parent of a lost child. “Do they ever stop looking, even after the police have exhausted their search?” His point was that they stop at nothing to find their child and our God does the same for us.
During his talk, Father Pulgarin noted that in moments of reconciliation, “sometimes an embrace is everything – you don’t need words,” as with the father of the Prodigal Son. The priest said this can be true within families, the work place, schools or anywhere forgiveness is needed. He acknowledged that sometimes confession can be very difficult, but that with it come special spiritual rewards.
A Call to Conversion and Reconciliation
Father Mick Lambeth, pastor of St. Theresa Parish, Little Egg Harbor, delved into the story of the Prodigal Son and the importance of understanding mercy intimately.
“We need to experience the Mercy of God in our hearts so we can begin to understand the Mercy of God in reference to others in order to then be able to ‘put out into deeper water,’” Father Lambeth said.
It was our humanity and propensity for coming up with excuses that Father Carlos Aguirre, parochial vicar of St. Joseph’s in Toms River, spoke about in his presentation. “If you show Christ to others, Christ will show himself to you,” Father Aguirre said. “But we come up with so many excuses that keep us from seeking God’s forgiveness.”
Father Aguirre stressed that as Catholics our mission is to demonstrate the love of Christ, his light, his peace. And so, he urged, “Wife, ask forgiveness from your husband. Husbands, ask forgiveness from your wife. And children, ask forgiveness from your father and mother.”
As the father of the Prodigal Son celebrates upon the son’s return, Father Aguirre noted, it is Christ who celebrates when we confess and seek forgiveness.
Magdalena Garcia, a mother of three who is a member of St. Anthony Claret Parish, Lakewood, was with her family at the conference. “I am here because this is the Year of Mercy -- it is very important,” Garcia said. “It has been very lovely, very beautiful -- everything they have said, about confession, about forgiveness; there is much to gain from confession. Like they said, as we receive mercy from God, we need to give mercy to others.”
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Story by Matthew Greeley, Associate Director of Communications, and Armando Machado, Correspondent
They came out in droves to learn about mercy. They came for the plenary indulgence to be granted by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., to participate in the procession with the Blessed Sacrament, for the special presentations about the Lord’s Mercy, to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, for the bilingual music that got everyone moving and the blood pumping and for the family catechesis offered to youngsters of all ages, among other reasons.
To see photo gallery on this story, click here.
Coordinators had estimated a crowd of between 400 and 600 people. Three times as many were present.
From across the Diocese of Trenton, more than 1,400 individuals and families came gathered in the gymnasium of Donovan Catholic High School on the campus of St. Joseph Parish, Toms River, March 19, for a vibrant, multicultural celebration for the Year of Mercy.
Propelled by the vision and energy of Father René Pulgarín, pastor of Christ the Redeemer, Mount Holly, and diocesan liaison for the Hispanic and Portuguese communities, the celebration was an opportunity to deepen people’s experience with God’s mercy while building community among the diverse diocesan family.
The diocesan celebration offered people an opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence while participating in an invigorating experience that would feed them on their faith journeys, paralleled by the journey with our Lord in the monstrance from the gym to St. Joseph Church.
Everything about the overflowing celebration focused on the love of our merciful Father.
People packed into the gymnasium to hymns in English and Spanish, to hear Father Scott Shaffer, pastor of St. Joseph Parish, giving a bilingual welcome – “¡Bienvenidos a San José!”
As Bishop O’Connell arrived, the congregation responded with exuberance as they sang “We are the Body of Christ” in dual languages.
“As your Bishop and Shepherd, I wanted to be present on this day when we all reflect and ask for God’s mercy as part of this Jubilee Year of Mercy,” began the Bishop amid thunderous applause.
“The Father of Mercy invites us that our language be Mercy, our expression, love and that we be brothers and sisters,” said Bishop O’Connell. “Thank you for being the face of God in this Diocese where through the prayer and praise we give worship to our Lord Jesus, who gave himself and extended his arms on the Cross for us.
“We are the Body of Christ – Somos el Cuerpo de Cristo! May God bless you and bless your families here and abroad, that the mercy of God may come and meet you on your way.”
Representatives from Christ the King, Long Branch, Christ the Redeemer, Mount Holly, and St. Joseph, led the scores of people kneeling before Jesus in prayerful song with their Bishop.
Learning About Mercy
The day’s main presentations offered in English and Spanish separated the participants for the morning sessions as children from 5 to 20 years old were brought to classrooms at Donovan Catholic for specific catechesis sessions. The catechetical volunteers helped explain to all of the young participants about the meaning of mercy and what mercy means in everyday life. Throughout the entire day, student volunteers from Donovan Catholic carried signs saying “Confessions” to help control the lines of people wishing to confess their sins. In the middle of the presentations, the volunteers would silently walk through the venues as multitudes stood to ready themselves for the Sacrament.
Simultaneously, all adults heard about the different images of our Lord as the Father of Mercy from the central presenters.
“This is a very beautiful gathering; it is the first time we’ve been to an event like this,” said Luis Soto, a member of St. Joseph Parish, Trenton, during the lunch break. “This is a blessing; we are very thankful.”
His wife, Reina, was also attending the day, along with their two sons. “Everything is wonderful,” she said of the prayers of praise, the songs of joy, and the uplifting words of spiritual guidance. “I like it, and we give thanks to God that we are here,” she said in Spanish. “This is a beautiful experience.”
Msgr. Sam Sirianni, pastor of St. Robert Bellarmine Parish, Freehold, began with the image of the lost sheep, sharing about how the shepherd leaves the 99 to go after the one that is lost. “How does this image challenge our image of God?” asked Msgr. Sirianni. “Mercy is so important for us as believers.”
Msgr. Sirianni challenged everyone to imagine the parent of a lost child. “Do they ever stop looking, even after the police have exhausted their search?” His point was that they stop at nothing to find their child and our God does the same for us.
During his talk, Father Pulgarin noted that in moments of reconciliation, “sometimes an embrace is everything – you don’t need words,” as with the father of the Prodigal Son. The priest said this can be true within families, the work place, schools or anywhere forgiveness is needed. He acknowledged that sometimes confession can be very difficult, but that with it come special spiritual rewards.
A Call to Conversion and Reconciliation
Father Mick Lambeth, pastor of St. Theresa Parish, Little Egg Harbor, delved into the story of the Prodigal Son and the importance of understanding mercy intimately.
“We need to experience the Mercy of God in our hearts so we can begin to understand the Mercy of God in reference to others in order to then be able to ‘put out into deeper water,’” Father Lambeth said.
It was our humanity and propensity for coming up with excuses that Father Carlos Aguirre, parochial vicar of St. Joseph’s in Toms River, spoke about in his presentation. “If you show Christ to others, Christ will show himself to you,” Father Aguirre said. “But we come up with so many excuses that keep us from seeking God’s forgiveness.”
Father Aguirre stressed that as Catholics our mission is to demonstrate the love of Christ, his light, his peace. And so, he urged, “Wife, ask forgiveness from your husband. Husbands, ask forgiveness from your wife. And children, ask forgiveness from your father and mother.”
As the father of the Prodigal Son celebrates upon the son’s return, Father Aguirre noted, it is Christ who celebrates when we confess and seek forgiveness.
Magdalena Garcia, a mother of three who is a member of St. Anthony Claret Parish, Lakewood, was with her family at the conference. “I am here because this is the Year of Mercy -- it is very important,” Garcia said. “It has been very lovely, very beautiful -- everything they have said, about confession, about forgiveness; there is much to gain from confession. Like they said, as we receive mercy from God, we need to give mercy to others.”
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