July In Focus: Season of Faith
July 10, 2025 at 12:27 p.m.
July In Focus: Season of Faith
Enthusiasm and dedication might best describe what thousands of volunteers bring to parish summer activities across the Diocese of Trenton. Whether raising funds, deepening faith, building community or a mix of all three, the many different events and initiatives enrich parish life throughout late spring and early summer.
The Summer Experience
Anyone familiar with the inner workings of parish life would likely attest . . . there is no such thing as a summer slow down. Like the rest of the calendar year, parishes continue to bustle with activity in late spring and summer, and the engagement of ministry members, volunteers and parishioners of all ages does not decline.
But parish life in June, July and August might best be described as a different kind of busy. It is a time when the exercise of faith pours out of the churches and into the streets, up into the mountains, and onto the beaches. Parishioners take part in processions, retreats, service projects, Bible study, fairs, festivals and the traditional fundraisers.
Summer fun is in full swing at the St. Mary’s Parish Carnival held July 15-20 in Manahawkin! Dan Donlon photo. Oftentimes it is the departure from regular scheduling that allows parishes and the faithful to do the more ambitious things – a time to make improvements around the church complex; to take a trip together and hold immersive catechetical experiences for their youngsters.
For parishes fortunate enough to be located in vacation hotspots – such as the Jersey Shore – summertime takes on a life of its own, with measures put in place to welcome visitors to Mass and special events to bring a faith perspective to leisure time.
A staple of summer in the parish is the annual carnival, an all-hands-on-deck experience that takes the better part of a year to plan and execute. The benefits of carnivals to parish identity and community building are hard to quantify but easy to recognize. What can be measured, however, is the positive impact to the parish’s bottom line.
Believed to be one of the largest of its kind in southern Ocean County, St. Mary’s Carnival in Barnegat is the parish’s major fundraiser of the year, according to parish representatives. Planning and promotion begins in January for the five-day event in mid-July, and relies on the efforts of more than 200 volunteers, the representatives stated.
Successful parish carnivals become popular summertime favorites in the communities they serve. Father Daniel Swift, pastor of St. Mary of the Lakes Parish, Medford, reported that more than 15,000 guests come to the parish carnival, which is supported by 500 volunteers throughout the week.
The summer experience in the parishes and the Diocese can be many things. But boring and quiet are not among them. In a real sense, parishes come alive in the summer, as the stories and photos in the July issue of The Monitor Magazine vividly demonstrate.
Families enjoy a week of food, faith and fun as crowds fill the grounds of St. Gregory the Great Parish and Academy, Hamilton Square, for the annual carnival held June 16–21. Facebook photo 
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July In Focus: Season of Faith
Friday, December 05, 2025
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July In Focus: Season of Faith
Enthusiasm and dedication might best describe what thousands of volunteers bring to parish summer activities across the Diocese of Trenton. Whether raising funds, deepening faith, building community or a mix of all three, the many different events and initiatives enrich parish life throughout late spring and early summer.
The Summer Experience
Anyone familiar with the inner workings of parish life would likely attest . . . there is no such thing as a summer slow down. Like the rest of the calendar year, parishes continue to bustle with activity in late spring and summer, and the engagement of ministry members, volunteers and parishioners of all ages does not decline.
But parish life in June, July and August might best be described as a different kind of busy. It is a time when the exercise of faith pours out of the churches and into the streets, up into the mountains, and onto the beaches. Parishioners take part in processions, retreats, service projects, Bible study, fairs, festivals and the traditional fundraisers.
Summer fun is in full swing at the St. Mary’s Parish Carnival held July 15-20 in Manahawkin! Dan Donlon photo. Oftentimes it is the departure from regular scheduling that allows parishes and the faithful to do the more ambitious things – a time to make improvements around the church complex; to take a trip together and hold immersive catechetical experiences for their youngsters.
For parishes fortunate enough to be located in vacation hotspots – such as the Jersey Shore – summertime takes on a life of its own, with measures put in place to welcome visitors to Mass and special events to bring a faith perspective to leisure time.
A staple of summer in the parish is the annual carnival, an all-hands-on-deck experience that takes the better part of a year to plan and execute. The benefits of carnivals to parish identity and community building are hard to quantify but easy to recognize. What can be measured, however, is the positive impact to the parish’s bottom line.
Believed to be one of the largest of its kind in southern Ocean County, St. Mary’s Carnival in Barnegat is the parish’s major fundraiser of the year, according to parish representatives. Planning and promotion begins in January for the five-day event in mid-July, and relies on the efforts of more than 200 volunteers, the representatives stated.
Successful parish carnivals become popular summertime favorites in the communities they serve. Father Daniel Swift, pastor of St. Mary of the Lakes Parish, Medford, reported that more than 15,000 guests come to the parish carnival, which is supported by 500 volunteers throughout the week.
The summer experience in the parishes and the Diocese can be many things. But boring and quiet are not among them. In a real sense, parishes come alive in the summer, as the stories and photos in the July issue of The Monitor Magazine vividly demonstrate.
Families enjoy a week of food, faith and fun as crowds fill the grounds of St. Gregory the Great Parish and Academy, Hamilton Square, for the annual carnival held June 16–21. Facebook photo