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The first Children’s Mass of the school year will be offered Sunday, September 22, at the 10:30 a.m. Mass in the Church. Please join us for donuts after the Children’s Mass on the Rectory Lawn.

One of my favorite places on earth is a grove that sits on the Guadalupe River. It’s a peaceful place. And trees, oh the trees. They weather the winters and celebrate the summers. And they are all bent. There is no perfect tree. Even so, they provide the perfect place to find peace. Humanity is like that grove of trees. Though we attempt to stand tall, none of us succeed. We all twist and turn. We are a collection of bent timber. And that’s okay. There is beauty in our bent-ness. So enjoy the Society of the Bent Timber. Cut people some slack. Reduce your number of pet peeves, be patient with people who pet them. The world, for all its quirky people, is a wonderful place to live. And the sooner we can find the beauty, the happier will be. That is how happiness happens.

In honor of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, there will be a blessing of the animals on Saturday morning, October 5 at 10:30 a.m. in the church parking lot. Come and see, even if you don’t have a pet. It’s a joyous occasion! The animals love it, too. "God wants us to help animals if they need help. Every creature in distress has the same right to be protected." - St. Francis of Assisi

A prayer box is at the parking lot entrance for anyone who would like to write their intentions on paper and drop in the prayer box. Father Dan will take these intentions with him on his pilgrimage to Fatima so all of these prayers will be offered there. The box will be at the parking lot entrance until Tuesday, October 1.

The Diocese of Trenton Respect Life Annual Poster, Essay and Photo-Meme Contest theme is "Christ Our Hope-In Every Season of Life" … details on the contest can be found by clicking the title above. Contest entries are due to the student's Principal, DRE/CRE, Youth Minister or designee by December 6, 2019. Submission to the Diocese by Principals, DRE/CREs, Youth Ministers must be received by December 20, 2019. Winners will be announced at the Respect Life Mass in Burlington County on March 1, 2020. Thank you for your participation!

The YES Welcome Back BONFIRE was Sunday night. To see more photos, please go to the News/Events tab above and click on Photo Album.

The Welcome Back School Mass was celebrated on Friday. To see more photos, please go to the News/Events tab above and click on Photo Album.

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is receiving donations from anyone seeking to help the victims of Hurricane Dorian with immediate assistance. Those who wish to donate to assist families and people affected by the devastating storm, please go to www.crs.org and follow the directions there. Let’s not forget to pray for the victims of hurricane.

To see more photos from the St. Mary of the Lakes Golf Classic and Dinner on Wednesday, please go to the News/Events tab above and click on Photo Album.

For upcoming YES Service Opportunities in the months of September and October, please click on the above title and go to the tab on the left side and click on YES Service Opportunities.

The SML Choirs are starting up in September: The Children's Choir (grades 2-5) will meet Mondays in the church, 5-6 p.m., starting Sept 9. The Youth Choir (grades 6-12) will meet Mondays in the church, 6-7 p.m., starting Sept 9. The Church Choir will meet Wednesdays in the church at 7 p.m. starting on Sept 4. We're looking for new members and returning members for all of the choirs,. Uou can get a sign-up form from the choir loft after mass, or simply come to rehearsal and sign up then. For more information, please call Choir Director Carolyn Cuperwich: 609-654-8208 ext. 119

The Diocese of Trenton requires anyone over the age of 18 who participates in a Parish ministry to attend a VIRTUS training session every four years to safeguard children and vulnerable adults. Note that this is a change from the previous VIRTUS requirement. What this means is that every adult who currently volunteers for SML Church, School, or PREP and has not previously attended a VIRTUS session, or who has not taken a refresher course within the past four years, must attend a class as soon as possible. VIRTUS Training Sessions are offered at parishes throughout the Diocese. During the months of September and October, St. Mary of the Lakes will offer the following sessions: 9/12 at 10:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. (The September 12 Virtus Session at 6:30 p.m. will be a re-certification class for those who have previously attended a Virtus class - those who have never attended Virtus will need to choose another session listed) in the Parish Meeting Room (PMR) at the School ; 9/19 at 10:00 a.m. in the Prep Conference Room (PCR) at the School; 10/10 at 10:00 a.m. in the PCR; and 10/17 at 10:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. in the PCR. Pre-registration is mandatory at virtusonline.org. Space is limited, so please register as soon as possible. Email questions to frontdesk@smlparish.org.

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is designed for those 16 years of age and older who are interested in becoming Catholic. Those who are baptized (Catholic or non-Catholic) and have the desire to receive First Holy Communion and Confirmation, who have never been baptized or are interested in gaining a clearer understanding of the Catholic faith, are asked to consider RCIA. Catechetical instruction is taught by our RCIA Team on Sunday mornings from 8:30 – 10:00 a.m. beginning September 15th. At the Easter Vigil those who are comfortable in receiving the sacraments will become full members of the Catholic Church. If interested, contact Christine Brandt at cbrandt@smlparish.org or by calling 609-654-8208 ext. 113.

As the Bishop of a Diocese, I am frequently asked to issue “statements” on a variety of subjects and I often do. I try to be very careful in what I write and preach, avoiding topics of a political nature, keeping in mind my responsibility to use opportunities that I have to address and teach the faithful on matters of faith and morals. I prefer to label my writings as “reflections” or “messages,” more homiletic in nature and content, designed to encourage believers to follow the Gospels of Jesus Christ and to apply the teachings of the Church to issues or events of contemporary relevance to Catholics in our Diocese. It’s not that I don’t have political opinions — I do. We all have a right to our own opinions, political and otherwise, and a right to express them with constitutionally guaranteed protections. But I don’t consider the various pulpits that I have as Bishop to be the appropriate place to make my political opinions known. The faithful look to their Bishop for spiritual not political guidance. My proper text is the Word of God as truth; my proper text is the teaching of the Catholic Church as truth; my proper text is the Christian life as truth that these texts attempt to encourage and support. When issues that confront us in contemporary culture undermine our Catholic faith, compromise or, worse, prevent our constitutionally guaranteed “free exercise of religion,” those issues need to be challenged. The Bishop has an obligation to do that in and for his Diocese. It is part of his office and ministry in the Church to teach, to govern and to sanctify. And priests and deacons who share in his ministry also share that obligation in virtue of their ordination. The lay faithful are likewise encouraged to speak out in virtue of their baptism. Any assault on the God-given gift of life in contemporary culture needs to be challenged. That challenge is not rooted in political opinions or agendas, although the media often refer to assaults on life as “‘hot button’ political issues.” No, that challenge is rooted in the fundamental truths of our faith. That’s the text we preach. As St. Paul has written “we believe and so we speak (2 Corinthians 4:13).” Even the Declaration of Independence affirms “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Our nation was founded on that belief and conviction. As Bishop, I believe, and so I speak, this challenge to be an assault on life that has become imminent in New Jersey. As of August 1, New Jersey’s “Aid in Dying” legislation is the law of the state. This legislation is morally wrong on so many levels. It flies in the face of what our Founding Fathers believed. It flies in the face of what the Church believes and teaches. As we witness the slow but steady erosion in contemporary culture of the conviction that all human life is sacred and worth preserving at every moment from conception through natural death, I call upon all Catholics within the Diocese of Trenton, indeed, upon all people of good will, to recommit themselves to the belief that God is the only Creator and source of all human life and that, therefore, God alone has the right to determine its natural end. Human life is about joys and sorrows, good times and bad, health and sickness, love and loneliness, abundance and sacrifice, time and eternity and every human experience in between: yesterday, today and forever. Everyone who lives will eventually die. That's the way God made us and there are no exceptions and no escape. No one wants, seeks or enjoys sickness, suffering or the pain that touches every one of us in this journey through natural human life. But natural human life is, truly, a journey from its first moments in the womb through its last heartbeat and breath on earth. And God our Creator is the thread that ties every moment, every instance of that journey together from beginning to end. Laws do not alter that reality, try as they might. Laws should not interrupt that continuum, try as they do. Death brings the same result whether legal or not; whether through someone else's assistance or by one's own hand; whether natural or induced. The only real "death with dignity" is the one that follows a full "life with dignity" as God our Creator has designed and intends it to be, with all its natural, God given and human moments. Anything else is a rejection of God our Creator as Creator and an affront to the human nature God has implanted within us, one and all. The so-called "Death with Dignity Act" -- physician or "anybody else" assisted suicide -- is another tragic example of human hubris, re-creating God in our own image; imposing our own limits upon God's law and will and wisdom; exhausting God's otherwise inexhaustible mystery and merciful companionship in our journey through the natural, fully human life God alone can give. And when sickness comes to those we love, it is our obligation to care even when there is no cure. I write these reflections as Bishop and shepherd, yes, but even more personally as a son who stood with his brothers by their parents’ sides as they breathed their last. Although now that it has become law in New Jersey to bring about the end of life, it is an option and a choice that we should never make.

Fr. Dan teaching at Vacation Bible School on Wednesday. To see photos from the Vacation Bible School this week, please go to the News/Events tab above and click on Photo Album.

The National Catholic Youth Conference will take place November 21-23 in Indianapolis.  This conference is open to all high school students in grades 9-12.  The conference is an opportunity for the young church to gather together with teens from across the USA for workshops; prayer reflections; service projects and to encounter Christ like you never have before!   The three day conference culminates with Eucharistic Adoration, Mass and a Concert at Lucas Oil Stadium! In the past, over 23,000 young people have attended the event.  SML YES ministry will be attending this year and the cost for teens to attend will be $500.   The deadline to register along with your non-refundable $500. fee is August 23.  To register your teen please contact  yes@smlparish. org or call Linda Xerri @ 609-654-8208, ext. 111

Promote your business and support your church in the St. Mary of the Lakes Church weekly bulletin.  Contact: Mike Jurosky at 717-648-5996 / mjurosky@diocesan.com

To see photos from the Retirement Dinner for Sister Regina and Peg Weaver on Saturday night, please go to the News/Events tab above and click on Photo Album.

The Knights of Columbus 6520 conducted its 16th annual Patriotic Prayer Service, July 7, after the 9 a.m. Mass at the flagpole outside church.  The service reaffirmed the Knights commitment to Religious Freedom with prayers, songs and readings.  At the conclusion of the service, a new flag that was flown over the Capitol was raised. To see photos from the Patriotic Prayer Service on Sunday, please go to the News/Events tab above and click on Photo Album.

The N.J. Assembly has passed healthcare bill (A5508/S3804) which is now in the Senate and could become law in a short time if signed by the Governor. The law would have a grave impact on religious liberty if enacted. This law would expand insurance coverage for abortion inducing drugs and eliminate the religious employers’ exemption contained in New Jersey public law. By removing the religious employers’ exemption, Catholic parishes, schools and other religious institutions would be forced to provide insurance coverage for abortion inducing drugs. As Catholic citizens we cannot permit this to happen without a response. Please go to the NJ Catholic Bishops web site at www.njcatholic.org - or click the title above - Open the web site and click TAKE ACTION NOW. Then click ASK THE LEGISLATORS TO PROTECT EMPLOYERS EXEMPTION. Fill out your information and then click SEND MESSAGE. If you want to contact your legislative members directly without going through the bishop’s web site, the contact information in your parish is listed below: For District 7: (Mt. Laurel) Assemblywoman Carol Murphy 856-735-5334 / aswmurphy@njleg.org Assemblyman Herb Conaway 856-461-3997 / asmconaway@njleg.org Senator Troy Singleton 856-234-2790 / sensingleton@njleg.org For District 8: (Evesham, Medford, Hainesport, Lumberton) Assemblyman Joe Howarth 609-654-1498 / asmhowarth@njleg.org Assemblyman Ryan Peters 609- 654-1498 / asmpeters@njleg.org Senator Dawn Addiego 609- 654 1498 / senaddiego@njleg.org Thank you for your action in defending our Catholic principles. Burlington County Diocesan Respect Life Committee