Dear Parishioners , I hope this finds you safe and well. It has been more than a month since the start of this health crisis and lockdown. As hard as it is not to see each other in person, we must give

our full cooperation to help stop the spread of the virus. As much as it stretches our patience, we have to stay at home and follow all safety measures. And we need to keep praying that this crisis is going to be over soon. These past few days my heart feels as if it would explode in sadness each time I get a call or text message telling me that someone is in the hospital or has died because of the coronavirus. We continue to pray for our protection, for those who are infected and sick, for front liners who risk their lives saving others, for world leaders that they may cooperate with doctors and scientists who are trying to find the cure for this deadly virus, and we pray for those who have died that they may enter God’s eternal kingdom. I would like to call your attention to the prayer printed in the next column. It is from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. I encourage you to make this prayer your own as we deal with the coronavirus. I encourage you to continue to support your parish in the best way you can. I will continue to have reminders at our livestream Sunday Masses on ways you can financially help our parish. I encourage you to make use of electronic giving. Please be sure to visit our parish website (olmnj.org) It has our current and past Sunday bulletins, more information on ways to support OLM, as well as updates and other announcements. For those of you who are faithfully sending in your donations, thank you so much! BE SAFE and STAY HOME! Love,

+Father Marty

A PRAYER DURING THE TIME OF THE CORORNA VIRUS

Holy Virgin of Guadalupe, Queen of the Angels and Mother of the Americas. We fly to you today as your beloved children.

We ask you to intercede for us with your Son, as you did at the wedding in Cana.

Pray for us, loving Mother, and gain for our nation and world, and for all our families and loved ones, the protection of your holy angels, that we may be spared the worst of this illness.

For those already afflicted, we ask you to obtain the grace of healing and deliverance.

Hear the cries of those who are vulnerable and fearful, wipe away their tears and help them to trust.

In this time of trial and testing, teach all of us in the Church to love one another and to be patient and kind.

Help us to bring the peace of Jesus to our land and to our hearts.

We come to you with confidence, knowing that you truly are our compassionate mother, health of the sick and cause of our joy.

Shelter us under the mantle of your protection, keep us in the embrace of your arms, help us always to know the love of your Son, Jesus. Amen.

STEWARDSHIP OF TREASURE REPORT We are thankful that many members of Our Lady of Mercy continue to support the parish by sending in their contributions by mail or electronically or placing them in the parish mail box.

April 19, 2020 Regular collection $3,155 Additional Easter Collection $3,170 Please note that you may still make your special Easter Gift to OLM. The amounts above do not reflect contributions made through our Go Fund Me page. Thank you so much for the generous and unending support through your Stewardship of Treasure!

OUR LADY OF MERCY AND AMAZON SMILE Through Amazon Smile your online purchases can benefit our parish. Amazon will donate one half of one percent of your purchase to our parish. To purchase online through Amazon Smile do the following: 1. Use an internet browser, not a mobile app 2. Log on to smile.amazon.com 3. Choose Our Lady of Mercy Jersey City as your charity.

SCRIPTURE PASSAGES Third Sunday of Easter, April 26, 2020

Acts 2:14, 22-23; 1 Peter 1:17-21; Luke 24:13-35.

FOUR WAYS TO SUPPORT YOUR PARISH Since Masses have been suspended because of the Coronavirus, we do not have the opportunity to present our financial contributions at Mass. But that does not mean the suspension of parish expenses. Our parish is being financially impacted, just like so many of you. Whatever you are able to contribute during this challenging time is greatly appreciated. There are four ways you can continue your support of the parish.

You can contribute by credit card through the GO FUND ME program. Go to our parish website (olmnj.org) and click on the GO FUND ME link

at the top left and you will be taken to the site where you can enter information and make your donation.

You can mail your check to the parish office. The mailing address is Our Lady of Mercy Church, 40 Sullivan Drive, Jersey City, NJ 07305

You can stop by the church and place your offering in the new mail box we have installed next to the Sullivan Drive entrance to the church. (This is the entrance that leads to the Maria Room.) This mail box is checked regularly.

You can electronically give though your bank by doing the following: 1.Sign up for on-line banking with your bank

2. Set up a Bill Pay from your checking or saving account

a) Company Name - Our Lady of Mercy Church b) Category - charitable donations 3) Account - your envelope number d) Address - 40 Sullivan Drive, Jersey City, NJ 07305 e) Phone - 201-434-7500

3. Set up Automatic Payment a) Pay from - checking or savings account number b) Amount - $ xxxx c) First delivery date - month, date, year when automatic payments will start d) Frequency - monthly e) Duration - until you tell the bank to stop f) E-mail sent when check mailed to OLM

4. Every month, your bank will automatically mail a check to OLM for the same amount and date as you have instructed. The OLM office staff will record the amount received under your envelope number.

5. At the end of the year, you can print the report from your bank account as proof of your charitable donations. There will be no need to get a statement from OLM.

PARISH ROSARY SCHEDULE Our Lady of Mercy Our Lady of Fatima

April 26 Elsa & Raffy Resurreccion Ana Mae Aldea

May 3 Edwina Lorenzo Letty Cabantog

May 10 JoAnn Valencia Cindy Gocon

May 17 Susan Quiambao Creselca Cancino

May 24 Edwin & Nora Dava Ana Mae Aldea

May 31 Susan Cailles Maribel Inocencio

Masses are livestreamed from OLM

Sundays at 10 am & Monday through

Saturday at 11:30 am. Go to olmnj.org and click on Facebook l Livestream

PARISH INFORMATION Our Lady of Mercy Roman Catholic Church

40 Sullivan Drive, Jersey City, NJ 07305 Phone: 201-434-7500

Web: olmnj.org Email: olmjcnj@aol.com

PLEASE NOTE The following Normal Schedule is NOT being followed

because of Coronavirus Restrictions Office Hours

Monday to Friday 8 am – 3 pm Saturday 9 – 1 pm

STAFF Pastor

Reverend Father Marty B. Jacinto

Parochial Vicars Father Thomas Iwanowski Father Ranulfo D. Docabo

Sunday Associate Father Renato J. Bautista

Permanent Deacon Deacon Meynardo Espeleta

Pastoral Associate For Faith Formation & Youth / Young Adult Ministries

Regina ‘Jeng’ Matias-Villa

Assistant for Youth Ministries Jayvee Dacasin

Director of Music Ministries Michael Rivera

Parish Trustees Presy Lorenzo & Renato Tuazon

MASS SCHEDULE Saturday: 5 pm

Sunday: 8 am, 10 am, 12 noon, 7 pm Weekday Mass Schedule

Monday – Friday: 7 am & 8:30 am Saturday: 8:30 am

RECONCILIATION/ CONFESSIONS Monday - Saturday 9 am to 9:30 am

or by Appointment.

MINISTRY TO THE SICK AND HOMEBOUND If you, a family member or neighbor is hospitalized or confined to home and wish a visit from a parish priest, contact the Parish Office. Homebound or hospitalized parishioners may also request the Sacrament of the Sick by contacting the Parish Office.

EXPOSITION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament is every First Friday of the month from 9 am until 12 noon in the Chapel.

The Weekday Mass Intentions originally scheduled at 8:30 am are being fulfilled at our 11:30 am live stream Masses. Our Sunday 10 am Mass intentions are being

fulfilled at our Sunday live stream Mass.. All other intentions are being satisfied at private Masses

being celebrated by Fr. Marty, Fr. Nol, and Fr. Tom .

SATURDAY, April 25 5pm Apolinario Macalintal r/b Tres Marias

SUNDAY, April 26, The Third Sunday of Easter 8am Erwin John Lucela r/b Felisa Lucela 10am Antonio C. Garcia (5th Death Anniv) r/b Mely Garcia & Family 12pm Dimapilis & Garcia Families, In Thanksgiving for Blessings Received 7pm For The People of The Parish

MONDAY, April 27 7am Lourdes Pring r/b Keating Family 11:30 Servanda C. Cubacub r/b Trinidad Reyes

TUESDAY, April 28 7am Hanelli del Rosario, In Thanksgiving for Blessings Received 11:30 Ofelia Endaya (L) r/b Imelda Austria

WEDNESDAY, April 29 7am Marco Gonzalez r/b Cantuncan Family 11;30 Nicholas Savino r/b Louise Savino

THURSDAY, April 30 7am Peter Kim r/b Ursula Kim 11:30 Dolores Custado r/b Mario & Fildres Dizon

FRIDAY, May 1 7am Roman Romero, Sr. (Death Anniv) r/b Susan Quiambao 11:30 Apolinario Macalintal r/b Susan Cailles

SATURDAY, May 2 8:30am Purgatorial Society 5pm Vincent Cristantiello (2nd Death Anniv) r/b Teresa Cristantiello

SUNDAY, May 3, The Fourth Sunday of Easter 8am For The People of The Parish 10am Inocencia Espeleta (B-day in Heaven) r/b Meynard Espeleta 12pm Patrocinio Herrera 7pm Anna Iwanowski r/b Kathleen Cronin

BREAD & WINE The offering for the bread and wine to be used at our Masses this week is given in honor of Jhonritch J. Delatado on the Occasion of his birthday.

SANCTUARY LAMPS The lamp burning over our tabernacle in the Church this week is offered for Peter Kim. The lamp burning over our tabernacle in the Chapel this week is offered for for The People of The Parish.

A DOUBTING DUO Some apostles are remembered because of their professions or their temperaments. Peter is often called the Fisherman, John and James the Sons of Thunder, and Matthew the Tax Collector.

But Thomas is remembered in a less flattering way. He refused to believe in the resurrection unless he could see and touch the Risen Lord. He was the Doubter.

However, in today’s Gospel (Luke 24:13-35) we meet two disciples who were as skeptical and doubting as Thomas. We might call them the Doubting Duo.

These two disciples, one named Cleopas and the other left unnamed by Luke, are dejected and defeated as they return home to Emmaus. Jesus, the one on whom they had set their hopes, was dead – crucified by the Romans. So now it was time to leave Jerusalem, return home, and get on with their lives.

As they go, a stranger begins to walk with them and soon those disciples are revealing the reason for their dejection. They tell him that “some women … were at the tomb in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive."

Obviously, that report from some excited women did not alter what they knew for themselves: Jesus was

dead. There was little doubt about that, but there was a mountain of doubt when it came to accepting the idea that a crucified man had risen from the dead.

But within minutes after arriving home in Emmaus, something changed. That Doubting Duo became believers who returned to Jerusalem proclaiming that the Lord had risen!

They went from doubt to belief because like Thomas, they were given proof.. They were given the vision to recognize the Lord as he

took, blessed, broke, and shared bread with them. They also came to realize how their hearts and minds had been changed as he “opened the Scriptures” to them as they walked along.

The Doubting Duo became a Pair of Believers when they encountered the Risen Lord.

Today’s Gospel challenges us to ask ourselves why we believe in the resurrection of Jesus. After all, logic tells us what Doubting Thomas and the Doubting Duo initially thought – dead people stay dead.

Perhaps that Gospel can also give us part of the answer to that question. We are believers because we sense the presence of the Risen Lord as the scriptures are read, as the bread is broken, and as we walk the road of life with our fellow Christians. Our doubt is dispelled by an awareness that the Lord is with us!

Written by Father Tom Iwanowski