Welcome to Our Parish

The church office is open to visitors.   Regular office hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday.   You may also call the main number or e-mail via admin@stclementmatawan.org for assistance.

St. Clement’s is able to live stream all masses. To view the inside of our church, please click on the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM2LyD3NU_6zbsJ1pX69ZKg

The Diocese has posted Lenten Regulations for all of us in the Diocese of Trenton.

During the days and weeks of penance that lie ahead, from Ash Wednesday, March 5, 2025, until Holy Thursday morning, April 17, 2025:

  1. The days of FAST (only one full meal) and ABSTINENCE (no meat) are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. No dispensations are granted on these solemn days except for reason of sickness or those provided in canon law below.  ALL OTHER FRIDAYS OF LENT are days of ABSTINENCE.  The pastor of a parish has the faculty to give a dispensation to individual parishioners in his parish and the Diocesan Bishop alone has the authority to dispense groups of Catholics but only for a serious reason.  Those who are automatically dispensed from fast and abstinence regulations outside the age limits noted below include: the physically or mentally ill, especially individuals suffering from chronic illnesses such as diabetes.  Also included in the dispensation are women who are pregnant or nursing.  In all cases, common sense should prevail, and ill persons should not further jeopardize their health by fasting.
  2. Those between the ages of 18 and 59 are obliged to FAST (only one full meal) as noted above. From the age of 14, people are also obliged to ABSTAIN: this obligation prohibits the eating of meat, but not eggs, milk products or condiments of any kind, even though made from animal fat.
  3. The obligation to observe the laws of fast and abstinence is a serious one for Catholics. Failure to observe one penitential day in itself is not considered a serious sin.  It is the intentional failure to observe any penitential days at all, or a substantial number of penitential days, that must be considered a serious matter.
  4. The obligation, the privilege really, of receiving the Eucharist at least once a year — often called “Easter duty” — for those in the state of grace should still be fulfilled during the period from the First Sunday of Lent, March 8-9, 2025, to Trinity Sunday, June 14-15, 2025. However, the Church’s law does permit this precept to be fulfilled at another time during the year when there is a just cause.

The Knights of Columbus is hosting a Pancake (and eggs, sausage, etc.) Breakfast at the Reception Center on Palm Sunday, April 13.  Please read the flyer below for more details:

2025-PalmSundayBreakfast

 

For those that are traveling out of our area, and need to find a Catholic Church in their destination, please use this link to help you:

Churches Open Near Me

From the Diocesan office:  For messages from our Diocese of Trenton, please link to the Diocese of Trenton’s announcements page:  Diocese Announcements

Diocesan Pilgrimage Sites

https://dioceseoftrenton.org/diocesan-pilgrimage-sites

Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Charities

Please visit www.crs.org for more information on Catholic Relief Services, and visit www.catholiccharitiesusa.org for more information on Catholic Charities USA!

CATHOLIC CHARITIES NEWS

Catholic Charities provides assistance to people in Monmouth County who have lost their homes with food, transitional housing, job skills, and budgeting training. We also provide drug addiction services, domestic violence and immigration services. For assistance call 732-922-0400.   Recently there has been a dramatic increase in drug addiction.  If you know of a parishioner needing addiction assistance, please contact us at  http://www.catholiccharitiestrenton.org  or call 800-360-7711.  The link for the video regarding drug addiction is:   Catholic Charities on Drug Addiction

AN EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE BEFORE MAKING A CONFESSION:  The Diocese of Trenton has sent this link to all parishes to help parishioners before making a Confession  Examination of Conscience

FLOCKNOTE:  You are invited to join Flocknote and get information from our parish by email or text message.  In winter months, changes to the mass schedule will appear on the website and via Flocknote message – to join, click on this link FLOCKNOTE

Recently, we have seen a rise in Phishing Calls supposedly by Father Tom asking for donations.  Please know that these calls are from individuals not connected with the parish or the diocese.  If you receive one, just note it and report it via Flocknote to St. Clement’s so we can present it to the authorities.
LITURGY OF THE WORD:  MASS READINGS FOR THE UPCOMING WEEK

Wednesday, March 26 – Memorial of St. Margaret Clitherow: Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9; Gospel of Matthew 5:17-19

Thursday, March 27 – Memorial of St. Rupert:  Jeremiah 7:23-28; Gospel of Like 11:14-23

Friday, March 28 – Memorial of St. Venturino of Bergamo:  Hosea 14:2-10; Gospel of Mark 12:28-34

Saturday, March 29 – Memorial of St. Berthold:  Hosea 6:1-6; Gospel of Luke 18:9-14

Sunday, March 30 – Fourth Sunday of Lent:  Joshua 5:9a, 10-12; 2nd Corinthians 5:17-21; Gospel of Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Monday, March 31 – Memorial of St. Benjamin:  Isaiah 65:17-21; Gospel of John 4:43-54

Tuesday, April 1 – Memorial of St. Hugh of Grenoble:  Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12; Gospel of John 5:1-16

Wednesday, April 2 – Memorial of St. Francis of Paola:  Isaiah 49:8-15; Gospel of John 5:17-30

Thursday, April 3 – Memorial of  St. Richard of Wyche:  Exodus 32:7-14; Gospel of John 5:31-47

Friday, April 4 -Memorial of St. Isidore:  Wisdom 2:1a, 12-22; Gospel of John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

Saturday, April 5 – Memorial of St. Vincent Ferrer:  Jeremiah 11:18; Gospel of John 7:40-53

Sunday, April 6 – Fifth Sunday of Lent:  Isaiah 43:16-21; Philippians 3:8-14; Gospel of John 8:1-11 

-For the text of readings, please click on this link: USCCB daily readings

EVERY PENNY COUNTS

For those that are able, please remember your church during this most difficult time. It would be greatly appreciated if you could either mail in your weekly contribution if you are not attending mass, or join our online giving program (information on this program is included in this website).  Please note – creating a Parish Giving  account does not at the same time register you into the parish.  Recently some people have assumed that Parish Giving made them parishioners.  It takes the completion of our registration form to become a parishioner.  That form is also on our website.  Many thanks to those that are supporting this parish.