June 26, 2020 | eNewsletter
Live-streaming on Facebook  and on the Parish website
A Note from Fr. McClane

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As I complete my time here as your pastor and begin my assignment as pastor at St. Paul Parish in Princeton on July 1, I wish all the best of God’s blessings to you. May God grant Fr. Mike Hall your new pastor success in his endeavors here! May he always know the saving love of God that is with him and the support of his flock. May he be full of Christ’s joy that comes through his priestly service.

Thank you for welcoming me these past 6 years! I have always benefitted from your kindness and prayers. I will certainly miss St. Gregory’s and am proud to have been able to serve here!

At St. Gregory’s we have many lay ministries and a great spirit of initiative and service to the Faith. Here there is a loyalty and dedication to church and school that often stays with someone permanently and enduringly. Our parishioners want to see the parish succeed for many generations to come and are willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen with the help of God’s grace.

We – clergy, consecrated and laity - bring God’s love and moral truth into a world thirsting for it. We bring helpfulness and humanity into our community. Jesus Christ is Good News for the world; for those searching for meaning in their lives; for those who are looking for healing and purpose; and for those longing for belief in a God who knows everything about them. We are God’s humble instruments, and we have a beautiful way of life to initiate others into and to support one another in!

I pray that the future will be bright for St. Gregory’s and that there will be many days of peace, healing and gladness - many memorable celebrations of His grace and presence - for this community for many years ahead. With faith the future always is positive and full of hope! May you always know the prayers and intercession of the saints and in particular of St. Gregory the Great our special patron.

Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. McClane  
You brought the message of God’s word to us in so many ways through your inspiring sermons, your dedication to our parish family, and your desire to be an example of Jesus’ love to others. We offer to you our sincere appreciation. You have been a blessing to all of us here at St. Gregory the Great Church. May you continue to be sustained by His grace and may your life in God’s service always be filled with joy.
Limited Public Mass
Saturday: 5:00pm Vigil
Sunday: 9:00am (live-stream), and Noon
Daily (Monday – Saturday) 8:30am

 Private Prayer in the Church
Monday Friday 1:30pm-7:30pm
Saturday 1:00pm-3:00pm

Confession
Tuesday: 6:30pm
Wednesday: 6:30pm
Or by appointment (please call the Rectory to schedule)

Baptism
Saturday: 12pm
Sunday: 2:30pm & 4pm
We are currently in the process of rescheduling Baptisms that were postponed due to COVID-19. As a result, please allow a reasonable amount of time before securing a date. We appreciate your patience.
Thank you for your unrelenting efforts to submit your donations each week by mail, in-person drop off or with online giving. If you are not already registered, please consider opening an account by going to the Parish website. You can set up donations on a recurring basis or as a one-time gift. 
Thank you to all who bought tickets! The final amount was $63,586 with the winner taking home $31,793 (before taxes)
Project Appalachia UPDATE

After many discussions over the past several months with the Summer Home Repair Committee of the Catholic Church of Preston County, they have decided to cancel the program for this year. It was a very hard decision for them to make, but it was something they thought had to be done this year with COVID-19 concerns / restrictions. While this is very disappointing to the teens and adult volunteers who had planned to attend the 2020 Project Appalachia trip, we will be back the Summer of 2021 (tentatively July 10 - 17, 2021)!

In lieu of this year’s Appalachia trip, it has been decided to conduct a mini service / mission event right on the St. Gregory the Great campus July 11 - 18, 2020. While details are still being finalized, there are many outdoor projects around campus that could use our attention. We would also like to conduct a few “Appalachia like” outdoor prayer services. Of course we will need to adhere to any COVID-19 guidelines (ie. social distancing, masks, sanitization, etc.) that are still in place. Safety is our #1 priority.

VOLUNTEER! Any teen in grade 9 - 12 is eligible to participate (with a signed parental permission form). Teens entering 9th grade in September are welcome to apply. All adult volunteers, 18 yrs. or older, must be VIRTUS trained and background checked. The number of teens that can participate will be determined by the number of adult volunteers and projects we have. You don’t need to participate every day, and if you can’t do work during the day you are welcome to still attend the barbecue and evening prayer service as scheduled.

If you'd like to volunteer, please click a volunteer button below and complete the form by July 3. Please contact Rich Pieslak with any questions: Rpieslak@optonline.net or 609-468-1487.
A Call To Charity
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, which has closed our schools, churches, and places of business, the Knights of Columbus have been busier than ever doing charitable works for our community.

For all men over 18 who feel the call to help their fellow neighbor, now is the time to join the Knights of Columbus. Our initiation ceremony is totally online, and new members can earn their first, second, and three degrees in one sitting. In the last month alone, over 2,000 men nationwide became Knights. Now is your time. 

If you would like to speak to someone about becoming a Knight, please contact Tom Lencovich, Chancellor, at tom@experiencedbrokerage.com for further details.
Food and Clothing Drive

Food Donations: The Knights of Columbus are outside St. Gregory the Great Church every Saturday from 9 am to 11 am to collect food from your car. *Please note there will be no food collection Saturday, July 4, 2020. The KoC collected 439 items from last Saturday’s Food Drive! Special thanks to John Peruggia, Tim Cupo, Brian Farrell, Tony Lipari, Rich Pieslak, Genesius and Marie Jaromsky. 

DROP-OFF FOOD DRIVE
The Knights, working with students and alumni of Notre Dame High School, will be collecting food on July 14 from 10 am to 2 pm. Any donations are appreciated. The response to our last food drives were tremendous. Thank you!

Clothing Donations: If you're using this time to do a little spring cleaning and have gently used clothes you would like to donate, our clothing bins on St. Gregory the Great campus are open. Please feel free to drop off your clothes at your convenience.

If you or your family are in serious need of food and are unable to purchase what you need, feel free to contact John Zubricky, St. Gregory the Great Food Pantry Coordinator, at 609-275-9157. Please leave a message and your call will be returned.
Community Garden Ministry
Needed—Plant supports for our garden
All our seedlings are starting to get taller in the St. Gregory the Great Anti-Hunger Community Garden. We have begun, as always, to stake them up, so they will produce bountifully for the hungry. We are in need of stakes, tomato cages, trellises, and the like. Can you donate some new or gently used stakes for our plants? Here are some examples of what we need (photos from Priscilla’s garden). Please contact Megan Dinh, at mas5p@aol.com to donate or to help out in some other way. Thank you!
Gain access to Catholic audio talks, movies, ebooks & video-based studies with FORMED

Registering for FORMED is FREE and easier than ever:
  1. Go to formed.org/signup
  2. Select St. Gregory the Great 4620 Nottingham Way, Hamilton Square, NJ
  3. Register with your name and email address
  4. Check that email account for a link to begin using FORMED
Let’s celebrate the day that gave us the freedom of thought, actions, faith and speech!
Counseling Services
Parishioners seeking help through difficult issues such as: marital problems, raising children, eldercare, bereavement/grief, or the stress of job loss that can be successfully addressed by brief counseling support. Through a joint effort of the Diocese of Trenton and Catholic Charities, licensed professional counselors are available to help. You must be a parishioner in a parish of the Diocese to take advantage of this program, which can be accessed by contacting on e of our priests who will provide additional information and a referral.
Church of St. Gregory the Great
Rev. Michael McClane, Pastor
4620 Nottingham Way, Hamilton Square, NJ 08690
609-587-4877