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Members of St. Mary of the Lakes and four other area parishes met Friday morning in the SML parking lot and took a bus to Washington, D.C. for the annual March for Life to demonstrate our commitment for LIFE. To see photos from Friday's March For Life, please go to the News/Events tab above and click on Photo Album.

A Rosary for Life was held on Friday at St. Mary of the Lakes Church in solidarity with those who are at the March for Life in Washington, D.C. The Legion of Mary and Respect Life Ministries processed around the exterior of the Church saying rosary for the unborn. For those unable to do the walk, the Rosary was said in the Emmaus Center.To see photos from the Rosary Walk for Life, please go to the News/Events tab above and click on Photo Album.

Thank you to all who made the 4th Annual MLK Meals Marathon & Service Day another success! We made 2,200 complete meal bags; 100+ utensil packets and 60 blessing bags for our brothers and sisters in Camden, Trenton and Philadelphia area shelters. To see photos from Monday's MLK Meals Marathon, please go to the News/Events tab above and click on Photo Album. To read story in The Monitor, please click on the above title: A MLK Meals Marathon Thank You!

When Jesus saw the religious hypocrite, he exposed every self-righteous mole and pimple. “All their works they do to be seen by men…” (Matthew 23:5 NKJV). This is the working definition of hypocrisy: “to be seen by men.” We must do good works, and some works such as benevolence or teaching must be seen in order to have an impact. To do a good thing is a good thing. To do a good thing just to be seen, however, is a serious offense. Hypocrisy turns people away from God. When people enter a church to see God yet can’t see God because of the church, don’t think for a second that God does not react. “Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding” (Matthew 6:1 MSG).

On the 47th anniversary of the legalization of abortion, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., shares a message with the Diocese of Trenton. Read it by CLICKING the Title above: Bishop O'Connell: 'Nothing more fundamental, precious than the right to life OR go to: https://bit.ly/30Mwgvm

The Website Pro-LifeArticles.org contains many Pro-Life articles, Quotes, and Images including articles for Catholic Church Bulletins. The pro-life view is now shared by a majority of Americans. The facts are on our side, yet a large percentage of the public remain unsure of the facts and/or hesitant to proclaim the pro-life message. Indeed, it would be very hard to understate the importance of confidence in spreading the pro-life message. So, the main obstacle standing in the way of the average person to becoming an effective pro-life advocate is having a full understanding of the Pro-Life Issues. The purpose of this web site is to provide a convenient and free service to Catholic Churches and the public generally. The articles on a variety of Life issues can be used for Church bulletins, letters to the Editors of newspapers and so on. The Pro-Life articles will help communicate, educate and inspire the public about the facts relating to abortion, euthanasia, and other pro-life issues, changing our culture and helping the pro-life movement to succeed. Armed with the facts, the average American is better equipped to develop a passion for protecting innocent unborn life, becoming more aware about research pertaining to life issues, and developing an effective way to convey that vital message. There is a lot of discussions about abortion today on TV, Radio and in the Newspapers. It is very important that the Catholic Churches keep our parishioners aware of the truth about abortion and other pro-life issues. Church Bulletin Articles are an effective way to do so. As Mother Teresa said "Any country that accepts abortion, is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what it wants." To open Website CLICK the above title or go to https://pro-lifearticles.org

The Knights of Columbus have bagged up some leftover tree decorations and name tags that will be at the Jackson Road Entrance this weekend after all Masses.

To see photos from Thursday's School Mass, please go to the News/Events tab above and click on Photo Album.

Abby Johnson is speaking at Gloucester County Community Church on Sunday, January 26. Abby Johnson , whose story is depicted in the film, "Unplanned," will be the keynote speaker at two services: 9:15 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. For a synopsis, click the title above or this link: https://www.gcccpray.com/event/atonement-for-the-nation/ The Church is located at 359 Chapel Heights Road in Sewell, NJ.

On behalf of the KOC Tree Committee Chairmen BIll Scheffold and Mickey Zawatcki, we want to give a HUGE Thank You to the approximately 65 Knights, Ladies Aux, Youth Group and Parishioners who came out to help take down the Christmas trees. You could have been anywhere else on a sunny 70 degree day in January, but you chose to come help!  God Bless You!

Greetings Respect Life Friends: Sadly, the New Jersey Senate passed S3804/A5508 yesterday, January 9. This legislation would expand insurance coverage for abortion inducing drugs and eliminate the religious employers’ exemption contained in New Jersey law (P.L. 2005, C.251). Since the NJ Assembly already passed this, the legislation now heads to Governor Murphy’s desk for his signature. **PLEASE click the ACTION ALERT title above or the link below to contact Governor Murphy and ask that he conditionally veto S3804/A5508 to protect the religious employers’ exemption. https://njcatholic.org/faith-in-action

The YES kids from SMLS & PREP and alumni are in a video promoting the Diocesan Youth Conference on Feb 8 at Donovan Catholic High School. Click the title above to see the video.

The Knights of Columbus #6520 raised more than $8,000 for the N. J. Mission of Honor program. Click the title above to read article in the Trenton Monitor.

To see photos from the Christmas Eve Children's Mass, please go to the News/Events tab above and click on Photo Album

Thanks to the following parishioners who helped to decorate the altar this Christmas: Ann Babinchock; Frank Babinchock; Laurel Ballentine; Michael Blakely; Edward Bohi; Fred Bresani; Jane Bresani; John Carney; Veronica Carney; Jennifer Curreri; Julianne Curreri; Jacob Delancy; Michael Delancy; Susan Delancy; Lily Denn; Maisy Denn; Pat DiMona; Tess DiMona; Joan Gilland; Joanna Hellman; Louise Kesty; Micheline Mankowski; Brendan McDonald; Elizabeth McDonald; Meg McDonald; Dan McGovern; Pat McGovern; Sue McGovern; Brie McNally; Christine McPherson; Anita Meshirer; Harry Meshirer; Bob Nixon; Tim Nowak; Tina Orio; Barb Potts; Joe Potts; Anne Roettger; Lauren Russo; Ryan Sander; David Strojny; Mary Thomas; Carol Wagner; John Wagner; Elizabeth Zimak.

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped serve lunch at the Trenton Soup Kitchen this past Saturday! We have several coats which we feel belong to our volunteers which were left behind. If you are missing a coat, please contact the Parish Office. If they are not claimed by January 2, we will donate them to SVdP. Thank you and Merry Christmas!

The Young Adult Ministry helped decorate the church for Christmas on Sunday. If you are interested in joining the Young Adult Ministry, please contact the Parish Office at (609) 654-8208 or email: frontdesk@smlparish.org.

The Parish Office snow closings follow the school. If school is closed, the parish office is closed. If school has a delayed opening, the parish office has a delayed opening. When the Governor declares a state of emergency, SML always follows his directive and the parish office and school are closed, and Masses/confession are cancelled. Otherwise, Father Dan will decide if Masses/confession are cancelled based on the condition of the parking lot and sidewalks. Father's decision will be noted in the greeting when you call the parish office as well as posted on the parish website.

To see more photos from the Christmas Choir Festival Sunday afternoon, please go to the News/Events tab above and click on Photo Album.

The Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony was on Sunday after the Christmas Choir Festival. There was also a reception in the Emmaus Center hosted by the Knights of Columbus and the KofC Ladies Auxiliary after the tree lighting. To see photos from the event, please go to the News/Events tab above and click on Photo Album.