2026 South Jersey Catholic Ministries Appeal

By supporting the 2026 South Jersey Catholic Ministries Appeal, you are supporting many programs and ministries of the Diocese of Camden and Saints Peter & Paul Parish. These ministries serve the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the hungry and challenged. When you support the South Jersey Catholic Ministries Appeal, you offer comfort to those in your parish, your community, and throughout the entire Diocese.

This year’s theme, “Missionaries of Mercy,” supports the social and spiritual needs of our 62 parishes and 29 schools, with social services, hospital chaplaincy, youth & teen campus ministries, Catholic education, pastoral care initiatives, vocations, and faith formation programs. 

Together we make a stronger community with faith, compassion, and mercy.

Quick, Easy and Secure Online Giving – Click on the link below to make a one-time gift or set up monthly installments, via credit, debit, or checking/savings transaction and to view video.

On this Fifth Sunday of Lent, the Church presents us with the powerful Gospel of the raising of Lazarus (John 11), where Jesus reveals Himself as “the resurrection and the life.” This passage stands at the heart of our Lenten journey, inviting us to deepen our faith and renew our hope as we prepare for the celebration of Easter.
 
In this Gospel, we encounter a Jesus who is deeply moved by human suffering. He weeps with those who mourn, 
showing us that God is not distant from our pain but enters into it with compassion and love. Yet, Jesus does not remain in sorrow—He acts. Standing before the tomb, He cries out, “Lazarus, come out!” With this command, He reveals His divine power over death and His mission to bring life where there is darkness.
 
This call is not only addressed to Lazarus; it is addressed to each one of us. We all experience  moments of spiritual death, times when we feel trapped by fear, discouraged by failure, or weighed down by sin. These are the “tombs” that keep us from fully living the life God desires for us. Jesus calls us today to come out of these places, to leave behind whatever binds us, and to walk in the freedom of His grace.
 
Before performing the miracle, Jesus says, “Take away the stone.” This simple yet profound  command reminds us that God invites our cooperation. We are called to remove the obstacles that harden our hearts, our pride, our indifference, our reluctance to forgive so that His life and light may enter more fully into us. Conversion is not only God’s work; it is also our response.
 
Martha’s profession of faith "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God” stands as a model for us. Even in the face of death and uncertainty, she chooses to trust. Her faith reminds us that our hope is not limited to this life alone. In Christ, life is eternal, and death does not have the  final word.
 
The raising of Lazarus is also a sign that points forward to the Resurrection of Jesus Himself. It  assures us that God’s power is greater than sin, suffering, and even death. Through Christ, we are offered new life a life freed from guilt, renewed in love, and filled with hope.
 
As we continue our Lenten journey, we are invited to make this message concrete in our daily lives. Let us open our hearts to God’s call, allowing Him to bring new life to the areas where we feel stuck or discouraged. Let us also become instruments of hope for others by reaching out to those who are suffering, excluded, or in need of compassion. In doing so, we help transform despair into hope and witness to the life that Christ offers.
 
May this Gospel strengthen our faith, renew our hearts, and prepare us to celebrate with joy the  victory of life over death at Easter.
 
God is Good/ Allah the time
 
Rev. Yvans Jazon
         Pastor