St. Anthony Claret Mass Schedule:
St. Anthony Claret Parish was born during the 1950s in response to a great influx of Hispanics to Ocean County, NJ, especially from Puerto Rico. Jackson Township in central New Jersey and the surrounding territories were centers for Hispanic immigration. The people needed ministers who could understand their language and culture. We are getting to know one another’s worlds, learning from one another, accepting one another, using our talents, sharing our experiences, and striving for unity in our diversity. Our spirit of active evangelization helps us to overcome our differences and build our community from our personal and cultural identity so that we can worship God as we are. Although we all speak Spanish, sometimes we say things differently; so we try to be understanding and respectful. This helps us trust one another and feel accepted. Several groups help meet the needs of our community. The AA group works very well. The members feel comfortable. The staff participates in this program, sometimes presenting a talk on recovery or spirituality. El Circulo de Oracion, the prayer group, is very vibrant. It gathers to celebrate the good things God has done for us. The Integral System of the New Evangelization seeks to integrate all the groups in a systematic way of living and spreading the Gospel. It tries to organize the whole parish so that the entire community understands and lives the mission of Christ and collaborates in spreading the Good News. In the midst of the many problems, however, our people have a deep-rooted faith in God, in Mary, in the Church and a great trust and respect for priests and religious. There is so much to do in this ministry that priests and religious
cannot keep up with the demands. Some people come looking for
baptisms, confessions, preparation for marriage, a blessing for
an infant or other sacramentals that mean so much to them. Here
is a people uprooted from home and thrown into another reality.
Perhaps we missionaries are being called by God to be the agents
by which these masses of people are formed into faith communities
and integrated into the U.S. Catholic church where they have so
many human and Christian gifts to share. The U.S. Church
needs more ministers and volunteers to adequately serve its Hispanic
people. It only takes a knowledge of Spanish, a sensitivity to
the different richly endowed cultures, respect, love, openness
and a willingness to build Church with the poor. |
