Experiencing the Jubilee Year through Mercer County Station Church Masses
March 27, 2025 at 10:05 a.m.
UPDATED April 2, 2025
For 2025, the tradition of the Station Churches of Mercer County has continued, giving parishioners and other faithful from around the Diocese an opportunity to have a prayerful pilgrimage experience during the Lenten season.
As in past years, the participating parishes welcomes pilgrims for the celebration of Mass, offer a tour of the church building and a review of its history.
PHOTO GALLERY: Mass with Bishop in Sacred Heart, Trenton
However, on March 26, when pilgrims gathered in Sacred Heart Church, Trenton, they received a double welcome -- from Msgr. Dennis Apoldite, pastor, and Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.
The Gospel choir from Sacred Heart Parish leads the congregation in song during the March 26 Mass celebrated by Bishop O'Connell.“As we continue our Lenten journey, we come together to celebrate a centuries old Roman tradition of visiting churches in our home Diocese for a special Lenten Mass,” said Bishop O’Connell, principal celebrant and homilist. Along with Msgr. Apoldite, the Bishop was joined at the altar by Father Charles Muorah, Sacred Heart’s parochial vicar.
The Bishop, in his homily, recounted that particular churches throughout the Diocese, like those in the ancient city of Rome, are designated as station churches for the Lenten season, inviting the faithful to reflect on the call to live authentically, guided by God’s law, and to be transformed “through our relationship with him.”
Reflecting on the day’s Readings, the Bishop said they “invite us to consider the importance of the Word of God and the way we respond to it.”
The First Reading, from the Book of Deuteronomy, focused on the Commandments and how Moses reminded the people “that the Commandments are not just for outward observance but are meant to shape their hearts and lives,” he said.
“God’s law is an invitation to deeper intimacy with him, a way to remain faithful to the covenant. The Lord’s statutes are not burdensome but are, in fact, the path to true life. To follow these laws is to live in harmony with the divine plan.”
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus reinforces the idea of the law and “speaks to us as the fulfillment of God’s promises as the living Word made Flesh,” the Bishop said.
“While the law of Moses was good, Jesus reveals its full meaning,” he continued. “Jesus emphasizes the importance of following the Commandments, saying that not even the smallest letter of the law will pass away until all is fulfilled. This is not a call to mere legalism, but a call to live in the spirit of the law – to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbor as ourselves.”
“As we reflect on these Readings, we are reminded that Lent is a unique and very special time to return to the Lord and renew our commitment to live according to his Word,” the Bishop said. “It’s not about checking off a list of rules or fulfilling obligations. It’s about aligning our hearts with God’s will, deepening our relationship with him and allowing his Word to shape our thoughts, words and actions.”
A Mercer County Pilgrimage
The Station Churches of Mercer County is a longstanding tradition that began in 2013 at the initiative of Msgr. Vincent Gartland and Msgr. Michael Walsh, who were both Mercer County pastors at the time. Its goal was to give parishioners and other faithful from around the Diocese an opportunity to have a prayerful pilgrimage experience during the Lenten season.
The idea for the Station Churches was modeled after the Station Churches of Rome, a tradition that dates back as far as the fourth century. It had been the practice of the Bishop of Rome to celebrate the liturgies of the Church year in various churches throughout the city. As time passed, many changes were made to the schedule, and it was during Lent when the various stations were organized so that Masses would be in different areas of the city.
While the tradition of the Station Churches continued in 2025, an adjustment was made to this year’s schedule to incorporate the Jubilee Year and its theme of hope. While participants have been journeying to numerous parishes for Mass or a Holy Hour, the Thursday gatherings have been held in St. Anthony Church, Hamilton, the designated pilgrimage church for Mercer County.
Those who visit the pilgrimage church during a Jubilee Year is that the pilgrims can receive a plenary (full) indulgence, which is a grace granted by the Church that remits the dept of temporal punishment owed to God after their sins are forgiven through sacramental Confession and is obtained by meeting the following requirements: (1) Having the interior disposition of being detached from all sin; (2) Making a sacramental Confession; (3) Receiving the Holy Eucharist; (4) Participating in a Sacred Service: e.g. Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, Novena, etc.; (5) Praying for the Intentions of the Pope (e.g. Our Father & Hail Mary). It is preferable that these requirements be fulfilled on the same day, but it is sufficient that they be fulfilled within a 20-day period. Indulgences can be gained only once a day and may be applied to oneself or to the souls of the deceased. They cannot be applied to other living persons. Those unable to make a pilgrimage due to illness or other circumstances may recite the Creed, prayers for the intention of the Pope, and offer up their sufferings for the Church and the world.
From The Pilgrims
Mindful of the Year of Hope and that she and her husband, Deacon Rich Hobson, had participated in a Jubilee Year pilgrimage to Rome earlier this year, Elise Hobson of St. James Parish, Pennington; St. George Parish, Titusville, and St. Alphonsus Parish, Hopewell, sees their participation in the Station Masses as“another part of our journey of faith.”
“Attending the Station Church Masses has been and will continue to be a way for Rich and I to grow closer to God each Lent,” Hobson added. “Since we have been doing this for several years, we have met some wonderful people and seeing the various churches and hearing different priests or our Bishop share their homilies is just another way to take in God’s gifts.”
Kathy Valentino of Sacred Heart Parish, has participated in the Station Church pilgrimage for several years and sees it as “a unique way to add an extra special sense of community during the Lenten season.”
“So often we think we should be alone to reflect but the Station Churches gives us a chance to be encouraged to persevere in our faith while being among other people,” she said.
“Participating in the Station Churches has brought me great peace. It has also introduced me to a wonderful group of people that I never knew before and reminds me that I am never alone even during this journey in the desert season of Lent.”
Congregants extend the Sign of Peace during Mass. Vic Mistretta photo
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UPDATED April 2, 2025
For 2025, the tradition of the Station Churches of Mercer County has continued, giving parishioners and other faithful from around the Diocese an opportunity to have a prayerful pilgrimage experience during the Lenten season.
As in past years, the participating parishes welcomes pilgrims for the celebration of Mass, offer a tour of the church building and a review of its history.
PHOTO GALLERY: Mass with Bishop in Sacred Heart, Trenton
However, on March 26, when pilgrims gathered in Sacred Heart Church, Trenton, they received a double welcome -- from Msgr. Dennis Apoldite, pastor, and Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.
The Gospel choir from Sacred Heart Parish leads the congregation in song during the March 26 Mass celebrated by Bishop O'Connell.“As we continue our Lenten journey, we come together to celebrate a centuries old Roman tradition of visiting churches in our home Diocese for a special Lenten Mass,” said Bishop O’Connell, principal celebrant and homilist. Along with Msgr. Apoldite, the Bishop was joined at the altar by Father Charles Muorah, Sacred Heart’s parochial vicar.
The Bishop, in his homily, recounted that particular churches throughout the Diocese, like those in the ancient city of Rome, are designated as station churches for the Lenten season, inviting the faithful to reflect on the call to live authentically, guided by God’s law, and to be transformed “through our relationship with him.”
Reflecting on the day’s Readings, the Bishop said they “invite us to consider the importance of the Word of God and the way we respond to it.”
The First Reading, from the Book of Deuteronomy, focused on the Commandments and how Moses reminded the people “that the Commandments are not just for outward observance but are meant to shape their hearts and lives,” he said.
“God’s law is an invitation to deeper intimacy with him, a way to remain faithful to the covenant. The Lord’s statutes are not burdensome but are, in fact, the path to true life. To follow these laws is to live in harmony with the divine plan.”
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus reinforces the idea of the law and “speaks to us as the fulfillment of God’s promises as the living Word made Flesh,” the Bishop said.
“While the law of Moses was good, Jesus reveals its full meaning,” he continued. “Jesus emphasizes the importance of following the Commandments, saying that not even the smallest letter of the law will pass away until all is fulfilled. This is not a call to mere legalism, but a call to live in the spirit of the law – to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbor as ourselves.”
“As we reflect on these Readings, we are reminded that Lent is a unique and very special time to return to the Lord and renew our commitment to live according to his Word,” the Bishop said. “It’s not about checking off a list of rules or fulfilling obligations. It’s about aligning our hearts with God’s will, deepening our relationship with him and allowing his Word to shape our thoughts, words and actions.”
A Mercer County Pilgrimage
The Station Churches of Mercer County is a longstanding tradition that began in 2013 at the initiative of Msgr. Vincent Gartland and Msgr. Michael Walsh, who were both Mercer County pastors at the time. Its goal was to give parishioners and other faithful from around the Diocese an opportunity to have a prayerful pilgrimage experience during the Lenten season.
The idea for the Station Churches was modeled after the Station Churches of Rome, a tradition that dates back as far as the fourth century. It had been the practice of the Bishop of Rome to celebrate the liturgies of the Church year in various churches throughout the city. As time passed, many changes were made to the schedule, and it was during Lent when the various stations were organized so that Masses would be in different areas of the city.
While the tradition of the Station Churches continued in 2025, an adjustment was made to this year’s schedule to incorporate the Jubilee Year and its theme of hope. While participants have been journeying to numerous parishes for Mass or a Holy Hour, the Thursday gatherings have been held in St. Anthony Church, Hamilton, the designated pilgrimage church for Mercer County.
Those who visit the pilgrimage church during a Jubilee Year is that the pilgrims can receive a plenary (full) indulgence, which is a grace granted by the Church that remits the dept of temporal punishment owed to God after their sins are forgiven through sacramental Confession and is obtained by meeting the following requirements: (1) Having the interior disposition of being detached from all sin; (2) Making a sacramental Confession; (3) Receiving the Holy Eucharist; (4) Participating in a Sacred Service: e.g. Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, Novena, etc.; (5) Praying for the Intentions of the Pope (e.g. Our Father & Hail Mary). It is preferable that these requirements be fulfilled on the same day, but it is sufficient that they be fulfilled within a 20-day period. Indulgences can be gained only once a day and may be applied to oneself or to the souls of the deceased. They cannot be applied to other living persons. Those unable to make a pilgrimage due to illness or other circumstances may recite the Creed, prayers for the intention of the Pope, and offer up their sufferings for the Church and the world.
From The Pilgrims
Mindful of the Year of Hope and that she and her husband, Deacon Rich Hobson, had participated in a Jubilee Year pilgrimage to Rome earlier this year, Elise Hobson of St. James Parish, Pennington; St. George Parish, Titusville, and St. Alphonsus Parish, Hopewell, sees their participation in the Station Masses as“another part of our journey of faith.”
“Attending the Station Church Masses has been and will continue to be a way for Rich and I to grow closer to God each Lent,” Hobson added. “Since we have been doing this for several years, we have met some wonderful people and seeing the various churches and hearing different priests or our Bishop share their homilies is just another way to take in God’s gifts.”
Kathy Valentino of Sacred Heart Parish, has participated in the Station Church pilgrimage for several years and sees it as “a unique way to add an extra special sense of community during the Lenten season.”
“So often we think we should be alone to reflect but the Station Churches gives us a chance to be encouraged to persevere in our faith while being among other people,” she said.
“Participating in the Station Churches has brought me great peace. It has also introduced me to a wonderful group of people that I never knew before and reminds me that I am never alone even during this journey in the desert season of Lent.”
Congregants extend the Sign of Peace during Mass. Vic Mistretta photo