Monitor Mag Dec 2023 CMA by Diocese of Trenton

MONITOR

THE

Official publication of The Diocese of Trenton

Vol. 5 • No. 3 • DECEMBER 2023

MAGAZINE

For a child is born to us!

“Yes, the light has come, the ‘Morning Star’ has risen brightly not only in the Bethlehem sky but throughout the whole world; not only 2,000 years ago but in the present moment and forever.”

ALSO . . .

– Bishop O’Connell’s Christmas message begins on page 7.

IN FOCUS: At a time when children are at great risk around the world, The Monitor presents ‘God bless the child.’ Special coverage begins on page 23.

2023 ANNUAL CATHOLIC APPEAL

“As recipients of the Eucharist, the real presence of Jesus in His Body and Blood, we are meant to become Christ-like, to be Christ to all we meet.” – BISHOP DAVID M. O’CONNELL, C.M.

GOAL: $6.5 MILLION EYES OF CHRIST

FEET OF CHRIST

HANDS OF CHRIST

Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world.

Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good.

Yours are the hands with which he blesses all the world.

$1,750,000

$2,250,000

$2,500,000

• Families, Youth & Young Adult Ministries

• Finding and Forming Priests (Vocations Recruitment & Seminary Preparation)

• Evangelization and

• Catholic Social Services (Mount Carmel Guild)

• Retired Priest Care

• Pastoral Care (Prison Ministry, Respect Life, Grief)

• Preparation of Deacons • Support of Religious Women and Men

• Outreach to the Poor and Vulnerable

Communications Outreach • Religious Education

for Children and Rite of Election of Adults • Catholic School Programs • Professional Development

for Educators

WAYS TO GIVE Mail

Online

Additional Gift Options

Send check, cash, or money order payable to Annual Catholic Appeal to Diocese of Trenton, PO Box 70170, Newark, NJ 07101

Scan the QR code with your phone camera or visit dioceseoftrenton.org/ catholicappeal to make a gift using major credit cards, ACH bank draft, PayPal, Apple Pay or Venmo!

Gifts of Stock, IRA Distributions, Bequests, Charitable Annuities, and Cryptocurrency can be coordinated by contacting the Department of Development at 609-403-7197.

Call 609-403-7197 2 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE

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December 2023

ON THE COVER This is a depiction of the Nativity by British artist Alex Williams. The feast of the Nativity of Christ, a holy day of obligation, is celebrated Dec. 25. See Christmas coverage pages 10-22. OSV News photo/Bridgeman Images

18 Kyleigh Hillsdon stands with the toy donations she purchased for Joey’s Little Angels’ Christmas toy drive by selling handmade greeting cards. Courtesy photo

Contents 23-33  In Focus: God Bless the Child

MONITOR

THE

Official publication of The Diocese of Trenton

MAGAZINE

Business and Editorial Offices • 701 Lawrenceville Rd. P.O. Box 5147 • Trenton, NJ 08638-0147 • 609.406.7400

www.TrentonMonitor.com Publisher • Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M. Associate Publisher • Rayanne M. Bennett • ext. 7188 EDITORIAL Monitor-News@DioceseofTrenton.org Associate Editor • Mary Stadnyk • ext. 7172 Digital and Social Media Manager • Rose O’Connor • ext. 7135 ADVERTISING Monitor-Advertising@DioceseofTrenton.org Monitor-Classified@DioceseofTrenton.org Advertising Coordinator • Frances Koukotas • ext. 7153 SUBSCRIPTIONS Monitor-Subscriptions@DioceseofTrenton.org Circulation Assistant • ext. 7169

An in-depth look at the risks facing young people and what caring adults can do to help

34-35  We Believe Charismatic Conference a reminder of humanity’s ‘yes’ to the Holy Spirit; Guadalupe Torches near journey’s end in procession

40-45  Diocese Workshop gives parish catechetical leaders new cultural perspective; lives of Deacon Bill Wilson and Father Joseph Radomski celebrated at Masses of Christian burial

58-61  In the Parishes Father Gentile installed as Resurrection Parish pastor; 50th anniversary year celebration begins in Epiphany Parish; Forty Hours devotion draws new enthusiasm

PRODUCTION Production/Graphic Designer • Clara Baumann • ext. 7176 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE (ISSN#0746-8350) is published 14 times a year by THE MONITOR, 701 Lawrenceville Road, Lawrenceville, 08648. Periodicals’ postage paid at Trenton, NJ, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to The Monitor, P.O. Box 5147, 701 Lawrenceville Road, Lawrenceville, NJ, 08638-0147. The acceptance of advertising by The Monitor for print or online publication does not constitute an endorsement of any product or service. The Monitor reserves the right to reject any advertising considered objectionable.

For the latest news, scan this QR code with your mobile device and visit The Monitor’s mobile site.

REGULAR FEATURES 4 ¡ Peces

53 ¡ World & Nation

38 ¡ Viewpoints 39 ¡ Issues & Advocacy

54-56 ¡ Insight from Father Koch, Mary Morrell; Question Corner

48-51 ¡ Church

74 ¡ Fun & Games December 2023

 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 3

Peces

Navidad: La oscuridad da

paso a la Luz de Cristo

e levanto muy temprano la mayoría de los días. Rara vez, o nunca, tengo que poner el despertador. Me encanta la madrugada cuando todo está en paz y tranquilidad. Y en el silencio de esos primeros momentos del día, parece que Dios y yo tenemos algunas de nuestras mejores conversaciones. Mensaje del Mi mente no está OBISPO DAVID M. abarrotada de horarios O’CONNELL, C.M. y ajetreo. La multitud de reuniones, viajes y actividades del día parecen muy lejanas en ese momento, aunque solo estén a un par de horas de distancia. Observo cómo la oscuridad de la noche da paso lentamente a la luz de otro día. En el tiempo de Adviento, a medida que se acerca la Navidad, mis pensamientos y oraciones se dirigen al misterio de nuestra salvación: el nacimiento del Señor Jesucristo, el Verbo hecho carne. En muchos aspectos, lo que experimento muy temprano cada mañana no es diferente de lo que la humanidad experimentó ese primer día de Navidad. Nadie sabe con certeza cuándo Dios realmente creó el mundo. Sólo sabemos que Dios sí lo creó. Dios dijo: “Hágase la luz” y hubo luz, al menos hasta que el hombre apagó esa luz a través del pecado original. Y así, la humanidad esperó y esperó, esperando que la luz fuera restaurada. Las Escrituras antiguas están llenas de promesas y predicciones de que sería restaurada, y nuestra fe nació de esas profecías. Lentamente, muy lentamente, la oscuridad del mundo cedió y nació el Señor Jesucristo: “Dios de Dios, Luz de Luz, Dios Verdadero de Dios Verdadero”, como profesamos en el Credo cada domingo. El profeta Isaías del Antiguo Testamento predijo este maravilloso momento en el tiempo: El pueblo que caminaba en tinieblas vio una gran luz; sobre los que vivían en una tierra de tinieblas, una luz ha brillado. Les

has traído abundante gozo y gran regocijo; Se alegran delante de ti como se alegran los pueblos en la siega... porque un niño nos ha nacido, un hijo nos ha sido dado; sobre su hombro descansa el dominio. Lo llaman Admirable Consejero, Dios Poderoso, Padre Eterno, Príncipe de Paz.(Isaías 9:1-5). El amanecer de la luz y del día es, en efecto, una excelente metáfora de la venida de Jesucristo a nuestro mundo: El Verbo se hizo carne, y habitó entre nosotros, y vimos Su gloria, gloria como del unigénito del Padre, lleno de gracia y de verdad.( Juan 1:14). Un mundo expectante esperaba la venida del Mesías como espera la llegada del amanecer. En el silencio de la noche, la luz atraviesa la oscuridad y, de repente, podemos ver de nuevo. En el silencio de la noche, se pronuncia una Palabra y, de repente, podemos volver a oír. En el silencio de la noche, La gloria de Dios se revela y, de repente, la gracia y la verdad son nuestras nuevamente. La Navidad es esa Luz, esa Palabra, esa Gloria y es nuestra, como Cristianos, el día de Navidad nuevamente y todos los días de nuestras vidas, llenos de gracia y la verdad. “Porque un Niño nos ha nacido, un Hijo nos ha sido dado”… y lo volvemos a nombrar como Él es: “Admirable Consejero, Dios Poderoso, Padre Eterno, Príncipe de Paz.” Sí, la luz ha llegado, la “estrella de la mañana” se ha elevado brillantemente no sólo en el cielo de Belén sino en todo el mundo; no sólo hace 2,000 años sino en el momento presente y para siempre. “Luz se ha sembrado para el justo, Y alegría para los rectos de corazón (Salmo 97: 11)”. ¡Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo!

Vuelve el mes que viene para obtener la cobertura completa de la peregrinación de Antorchas Guadalupanas de este año, celebrada el 2 de diciembre en Lakewood. La cobertura completa de la peregrinación y la misa estará disponible en la edición de enero del Trenton Montor y en TrentonMonitor.com. Foto de Mike Ehrmann

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December 2023

¡Lee más en línea! Visita trentonmonitor.com/ peces para ver más historias en español de toda nuestra diócesis y del mundo.  Laguna’s reflexiones para el Adviento  La Encarnación y el Significado de la Vida  El Papa, aún con gripe, pide rezar por la paz durante su audiencia  El Papa cancela su viaje a Dubai a petición de sus médicos

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Readers' Corner

Christmas is for children A message from

RAYANNE BENNETT Associate Publisher

rom the time that they can walk and talk, most children raised in the Christian faith or no particular faith at all understand that Christmas is a wondrous and joyful time each year. The sights, sounds, scents and sweets experienced at Christmastime are unmatched during any other time of the year. The stories of the Baby Jesus and the Holy Family build a foundation of awe; the gathering of families inspire life-long memories. Even as adults, we, ourselves, enjoy vivid and sentimental memories of the Christmases of our childhood.

 We cannot love and celebrate the Baby Jesus without loving and caring for all children. As Pope John Paul II pointed out in his Letter to Children many years ago, Christmas is not only the feast day of the Christ child; it is the feast day of all children. (See page 23.) And as we all find ourselves entering into the period of preparation for Christmas, we too must remember that we cannot love and celebrate the Baby Jesus without loving and caring for all children. But it seems that the plight of children around the world and here at home often overwhelms us. The images playing out on the news of children caught up in violence and war are too painful to see. The fact that children’s lives are considered dispensable in the execution 6 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE

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Courtesy photo

of a military campaign is unfathomable. The reports that come out about the isolation and stress our children are facing and the toll they are taking on their mental health rock us to our core. The intractable dynamics of climate instability and migration leave us questioning what each of us, as one individual, can do. And most profoundly, the risk to unborn babies in the womb persists despite the reversal of Roe v Wade and the legislative movement to restrict abortion in some parts of the country. It challenges each of us to find ways to truly walk with pregnant women and help them see that abortion is not the answer. This year, our way of celebrating the birth of Jesus is to take a close look at some of the many ways children today are suffering, are at risk, are getting lost. We have pulled together in this one special report information on what we as parents, grandparents, or concerned adults should know and can do to help in some small way. While we spend time enjoying Christmas with the children

December 2023

in our lives, let us remember that the world’s children are our children. Let us be inspired to pray for all children, especially those who are the subjects of our special coverage, “God bless the child.” As for the children in our families and our homes – who are hopefully blessed with good health, enough food, warmth from the cold, good schools, safety from violence and the many things that make for a full and happy life – perhaps the best gift we can give them this year is awareness of children around the world who do not have as much as they do. Perhaps we can teach them to keep those children in their prayers and to take small steps that can make the world a better place for every child. This Christmas issue has been a labor of love for The Monitor team. I am beyond grateful for their dedication to this coverage and the effort that they put into each and every issue of the magazine and post to the website. I know that they join me in wishing all of our readers a beautiful Advent and Christmastide with your loved ones.

From the Bishop

Christmas:

Darkness gives way to Christ’s Light  The dawn of light and of day is, indeed, an excellent metaphor for the coming of Jesus Christ into our world.

A Nativty scene is displayed in Bishop O’Connell’s home in preparation for Christmas. Staff photo

wake up very early most days. I rarely, if ever, have to set my alarm clock. I love the early morning when everything is peaceful and quiet. And in the silence of those first moments of the day, it seems that God and I have some of our best conversations. My mind is not cluttered with schedules and busyness. The crush of meetings, travel and the day’s activities appear far distant at that time, even though they are only a couple of hours away. I watch the dark of night slowly give way to the light of another day.

In the season of Advent, as Christmas fast approaches, my thoughts and prayers turn to the mystery of our salvation: the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Word made Flesh. In many respects, what I experience very early each morning is not unlike what humanity experienced that first Christmas day. When God actually created the

A Message from

BISHOP DAVID M. O’CONNELL, C.M. world, no one really knows for sure. We only know that God did create it. God said, “Let there be light” and there was light – at least until man dimmed that light through original sin. And, so, humanity waited and waited, hoping that the light would be restored. The ancient Scriptures are filled with promises and predictions that it would be restored, and our faith was born from those prophecies. Slowly, ever so slowly, the darkness of the world gave way, and the Lord Jesus Christ was born: “God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God” as we profess in the Creed each Sunday. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah foretold this marvelous moment in time: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who lived in a land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing; They rejoice before you as people rejoice at harvest … for a child is born to us, a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9: 1-5). The dawn of light and of day is, indeed, an excellent metaphor for the coming of Jesus Christ into our world: And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1: 14). A waiting world looked for the coming of the Messiah the same way it waits for the coming of the dawn and the daylight it brings. In the quiet of night, light breaks through the darkness and,

December 2023

Continued on 8

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THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 7

From the Bishop

With the dawn, rejoicing Continued from 7

suddenly, we can see again. In the quiet of night, a Word is spoken and, suddenly, we can hear again. In the quiet of night, God’s glory is revealed and, suddenly, grace and truth are ours again. Christmas is that Light, that Word, that Glory and it is ours, as Christians, on Christmas day again and every day of our lives, full of grace and truth. “For a Child is born to us, a Son is The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good given to us” … and we name him again as news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a He is: “Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, savior has been born … And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.” with the angel, praising God and saying: Yes, the light has come, the “Morning Star” has risen brightly not only in the Bethlehem sky but throughout the whole Luke 2:10-14 world; not only 2,000 years ago but in the present moment and forever. Merry Christmas and God’s Blessings in the New Year. “And with the dawn there is rejoicing and gladness for the upright of heart (Psalm 97: 11).” Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! David M. O’Connell, C.M. • Bishop of Trenton Empowering menMost to Reverend live their faith at home, in their

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Bishop's Scrapbook

Here are a few of the many visits and events that Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., had during November.

Some 800 families in need received Thanksgiving dinners during Mount Carmel Guild’s annual Thanksgiving food drive. In this photo, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., brings donated turkeys to the drive. All of the food was donated by local parishioners and guild supporters. Walking ahead of the Bishop is Mary Inkrot, the Guild’s executive director. Staff photo

Bishop O’Connell celebrates the first of two Vigil Masses for the Solemnity of All Saints in St. Michael Church, West End. At left is Father John Butler, pastor. Mike Ehrmann photo

Elderly religious need your help. Like those pictured, nearly 25,000 senior sisters, brothers and religious order priests have devoted their lives to prayer and ministry—educating the young, tending the sick, aiding the needy and more. Yet years of serving for little or no pay have left a profound shortage in retirement savings. Your support of the Retirement Fund for Religious helps furnish care, medicine and other necessities. Please give generously.

Please give to those who have given a lifetime.

Retirement Fund for Religious

Please donate at your local parish December 9-10 or by mail at: Diocese of Trenton Department of Finance 701 Lawrenceville Road Lawrenceville NJ 08648 Make check payable to Diocese of Trenton-Retirement Fund for Religious.

December 2023

 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 9

CHRISTMAS

How to celebrate a Catholic Christmas

BEFRIENDING BABY JESUS

BY AMY WELBORN  OSV News

or Catholics, great feasts like Christmas don’t come at us out of the blue: In the secular world, “Christmas” seems to start in October! However, our approach to this holiday as Catholics must be different, and it can be. We can put aside the worldly calendar; we can allow the ancient, rich tradition of the Church to surround and center us instead. And then, we will be enriched by truly celebrating a Catholic Christmas. “God’s sign is simplicity. God’s sign is the baby. God’s sign is that he makes himself small for us. This is how he reigns. He does not come with power and outward splendor. He comes as a baby – defenseless and in need of our help,” Pope Benedict XVI preached in his homily for Midnight Mass in 2006. “He does not want to overwhelm us with his strength. He takes away our fear of his greatness. He asks for our love: So he makes himself a child.” A child is coming: As for any birth, we must prepare. The Advent season is a gift, rich with opportunities to ready our lives for the embrace of our Savior.

READY THE WAY One powerful way to prepare for the gift of Jesus is to turn away from the outside noise and pressure and take a few quiet moments to pray with the Church. Use your church bulletin (or visit https://bible.usccb. org) to look up the Mass readings for each day. If you can, take time to attend daily Mass; use it as a period of refreshment in the midst of the busyness all around. Even during our most hectic times, we can still “watch and wait” with the Church. Everything else that we do during Advent can echo what we hear in God’s Word and the Church’s prayer. Our Advent wreaths and Jesse Trees are physical reminders of the coming light and the prophecies fulfilled. 10 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE

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that she was conceived without sin. On the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec. 12), we celebrate Mary’s appearance to the indigenous St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (“Talking Eagle”) in Mexico in 1531. St. Nicholas of Myra’s feast Dec. 6 is celebrated in many European countries as a day to share gifts – often candy, and often placed in shoes. As Europeans immigrated to the United States, various St. Nicholas traditions combined and emerged as Santa Claus. Sharing the story of the real St. Nicholas can help us emulate the generosity of his faith-filled life, which is in turn an expression of God’s own generosity and the gift of Jesus.

When we celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation, we acknowledge our darkness and need, and rejoice in the light of forgiveness offered through the Child. Joining our thoughts and prayers to those of the communion of saints whose feasts occur during this season – Ambrose, Lucy, John of the Cross, Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, and others – helps us hear John the Baptist’s call along with these holy men, women and even children who have gone before us in faith. Just as they heard and responded, so can we. During this season, we twice celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose openness to God models our own patient Advent waiting. On the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8), we celebrate the truth

December 2023

When Christmas arrives, we have spent four weeks preparing for the Child. At last, the day to celebrate arrives: The Father has answered our prayers, sending his Son as one like ourselves, humbly immersing himself in human life and speaking words we can understand, inviting us to love. At Christmas, we celebrate God’s gift of Jesus to the world. The very name of the day and the season – “Christ’s Mass,” derived

CHRISTMAS from the Old English way of speaking of it – places Jesus, present to us in the Eucharist, at the center of the day. Might this Christmas be the beginning of a closer friendship with Jesus, nurtured by the Eucharist? There are actually four different Masses for Christmas: the Vigil, Midnight Mass, Mass at Dawn and Mass During the Day. Each has a distinct theme and different readings, reflecting the richness of the mystery of the Incarnation. Even though most of us will attend only one Mass at Christmas, it’s a beautiful custom – and well worth our while – to meditate on the Mass readings from the others as well. This can deepen our appreciation for what God has done for us and the whole world in Christ. FOCUS ON SYMBOLISM Christmas is rich with symbols. We put up Christmas trees, Nativity sets and lights, all beautiful in their own right – and all symbolic of the deeper, richer dimensions of meaning that our faith brings to this season. Christmas trees, being evergreens, speak to us of God’s eternal life and love, embodied in Christ. They also recall the tree in the garden through which sin came into the world, and the tree of the crucifixion by which that sin was conquered. Saying a prayer as we put up our tree, and making sure that some of our ornaments evoke the

Nativity, can help bring this “home” to us. The Nativity scene, or crèche (“crib” in French), was popularized by St. Francis of Assisi in the 13th century out of a desire to bring home the reality of the humility and love of Christ. Setting out the Nativity scene – saving the Child for Dec. 25 and the Magi for Epiphany – can be natural moments for prayer and reflection. God gives the world his Son, who dwells among us, filling us with a love that must be shared. So we, on Christmas, give gifts. Contemplating the examples of gift-givers like the Magi, St. Nicholas and King Wenceslas can bring a new perspective to our own actions. Who is in greatest need, and what gifts can we give? Many families have already discovered the joy of giving of themselves to others on Christmas Day: seeking out shut-ins, visiting residents of nursing homes or hospital patients, or serving the poor and the homeless. They reach out, as God reaches out to us in Christ. We can consider other alternatives as well: supporting charities in the name of our friends, or encouraging our families to center their gift-giving energies on those less fortunate in order to give as Christ has given to us. THE CELEBRATION CONTINUES

A sister watches as Vatican workers use a crane to hoist a Christmas tree into place in Peter’s Square at the Vatican early Nov. 23, 2023. The 90-feet-tall tree from the Maira Valley near Turin, Italy, will be lighted Dec. 9. After Christmas the wood will be made into toys and donated to Caritas. CNS photo/ Pablo Esparza

We know as Catholics that Christmas isn’t over Dec. 26. Even just those first few days after Christmas invite us to continue to open our hearts to the Christ Child and what he brings: There’s the challenge of discipleship (St. Stephen Dec. 26), the beauty of the Word Made Flesh (St. John the Evangelist, Dec. 27), the reality of opposition to Christ (the Holy Innocents Dec. 28) and the blessing of family (Holy Family, the Sunday after Christmas). Jan. 1 is the beginning of a new calendar year, but that’s not the reason we celebrate it as a feast. On the Roman calendar, New Year’s Day is both the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, and a day of prayer for peace. We make all sorts of resolutions for a new year, but alongside those efforts, we say a different sort of prayer. God has come to us, not in overwhelming power, but in hu-

mility as a child. So, on this day, we pray that the new year might be marked by humility and peace, brought by Christ and modeled by Mary. The Solemnity of the Epiphany, traditionally observed Jan. 6 (the day following the familiar “Twelve Days of Christmas”), is transferred to a Sunday in the United States. “Epiphany” means “manifestation,” and it’s the celebration of Jesus manifesting his glory as Savior to all nations of the world (symbolized by the Magi). Epiphany is a gift-giving day in some cultures, as well as a day to ask for God’s blessings on our homes. One particular blessing includes bracketing the initials of the traditional names of the Magi who visited the home of Jesus – Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar – with the year above the front entry door, usually in chalk, like this for 2023: 20+C+M+B+23. In the scope of the universal Church, past and present, the Christmas season actually has two endings: In the old Roman calendar, the feast of the Presentation Feb. 2 marked the end of the Christmas season. On this day, also called Candlemas, candles are blessed as a symbol of Simeon’s recognition of the infant Jesus as the light to the Gentiles, and as a way to bring the light of Christ home to burn all year. Even today, the Christmas tree and crèche in St. Peter’s Square in Rome remain on display until Candlemas. Likewise, the Baptism of the Lord, celebrated the Sunday after Epiphany, commemorates the final “Christmas” feast of our present Roman calendar. As we hear the Scriptural account of the Father revealing the divinity of Jesus at his baptism in the Jordan River, we celebrate our own Baptism, our “new birth” in Christ and inclusion in his body, the Church. For Catholics, Dec. 25 is only the beginning of the celebration of Christmas. As others pack away the decorations, we continue to celebrate the gift of Christ, ever present for us in the Eucharist – a continual manifestation of God’s loving care for us all year long. Amy Welborn is a freelance writer living in Birmingham, Alabama. She is the author of many books on faith and spirituality for children, teens and adults. Her website is AmyWelborn.com.

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THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 11

Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas

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A Season to Remember Begins at

THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 13

CHRISTMAS

Pope: Contemplate

greatness of God’s love

in simplicity of a crèche Piero Casentini’s painting of the Magi adoring the baby Jesus is the image the Vatican philatelic office chose for its 1.30-euro Christmas stamp for 2023. Casentini painted the work in 2006.

BY CINDY WOODEN  Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY • Whether simple or elaborate, the same every year or constantly changing, a Nativity scene echoes “the beauty of our faith,” Pope Francis wrote. Marking the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi putting together the first Christmas crèche in a cave in Greccio, Italy, the Vatican publishing house compiled texts by Pope Francis about Nativity scenes and asked him to write a special introduction. A key message of the Nativity scene is

that the mystery of Christmas “loves to hide within what is infinitely small,” the Pope wrote in “Christmas at the Nativity,” which was released in English in the United States by New City Press. “Awe and wonder are the two feelings that move everyone, young and old, before the Nativity scene, which is like a living Gospel overflowing from the pages of Holy Scripture,” he wrote. The Italian edition of the book went on sale Nov. 21, just two days before the Vatican post office was to begin selling its 2023 Christmas stamps, which also celebrate the staging of a live Nativity scene in Greccio by St. Francis in 1223. “The Incarnation of Jesus Christ remains the heart of

Piero Casentini’s painting of St. Francis of Assisi holding the baby Jesus in the cave in Greccio, Italy, where he set up the first Nativity scene 800 years ago while a priest celebrates Mass is the image the Vatican philatelic office chose for its 1.25euro Christmas stamp for 2023. The painting was done in 2004. CNS photoS/courtesy of the Vatican Philatelic and Numismatic Office

God’s revelation, although it is easily forgotten that its unfolding is so unobtrusive, to the point of going unnoticed,” the Pope wrote. “Littleness, in fact, is the way to encounter God.” “Safeguarding the spirit of the Nativity scene becomes a healthy immersion in the presence of God manifested in the small, sometimes trivial and repetitive, everyday things,” he continued. “The shepherds in the manger are those who welcome God’s surprise and live in wonder at their encounter with him, adoring him: in littleness they recognize the face of God,” he said. “Humanly we are all inclined to seek greatness, but

This is the cover of “Christmas at the Nativity,” the U.S. English edition of a collection of writings by Pope Francis about Nativity scenes and featuring a new introduction by the Pope to mark the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi putting together the first Christmas crèche in a cave in Greccio, Italy. The U.S. edition is published by New City Press. CNS photo/courtesy New City Press 14 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE

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December 2023

it is a gift to know how to really find it: to know how to find greatness in that smallness that God so loves.” On Christmas night, the angels lead the shepherds to a baby born in a manger -- “not a sign of power, self-sufficiency or pride. No. The eternal God is reduced to a helpless, meek, humble human being. God lowered himself so that we could walk with him and so that he could stand beside us, not above and far from us.” Pope Francis’ introduction to the book also included a special message to young people. While the night sky is filled with an infinite number of stars, in the Christmas story “a special star stands out, the one that prompted the Magi to leave their homes and begin a journey, a journey that would lead them where they did not know.” “It happens the same way in our lives,” the Pope wrote. “At a certain moment some special ‘star’ invites us to make a decision, to make a choice, to begin a journey. We must forcefully ask God to show us that star that draws us toward something more than our habits, because that star will lead us to contemplate Jesus, that child who is born in Bethlehem and who wants our full happiness.” Pope Francis also noted that the first Nativity scene in Greccio consisted of only a “crib with the hay, the ox and the donkey.” “Before the Christmas scene, the people who flocked to the place manifested an unspeakable joy, never tasted before,” he said. “Then the priest, at the manger, solemnly celebrated the Eucharist, showing the link between the Incarnation of the Son of God and the Eucharist. On that occasion, there were no figurines in Greccio: the Nativity scene was created and experienced by those who were present.”

Pope Francis baptizes a baby during a Mass in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican in this file photo from Jan. 8, 2023. According to the Vatican’s Statistical Yearbook of the Church 2021, the Catholic Church baptized 13.7 million people in 2021, more than 81% of whom were children under the age of 7. CNS photo/Vatican Media

Vatican publishes schedule of papal Christmas liturgies VATICAN CITY • As Vatican workers continued to decorate the Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square and to erect a platform for the Nativity scene, the office of papal liturgical ceremonies published the list of holiday Masses and prayer services Pope Francis would celebrate. The Vatican already had announced Pope Francis will make his traditional late afternoon visit to the Spanish Steps in the center of Rome Dec. 8 to pay tribute to the Immaculate Conception at a Marian statue. For the Dec. 12 feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, he is scheduled to preside over an evening Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.

THE CHRISTMAS LITURGIES ANNOUNCED NOV. 28 INCLUDE:  Dec. 24 at 7:30 p.m., the Pope will celebrate the Mass of the Nativity of the Lord in St. Peter’s Basilica. While the Mass is commonly referred to as “midnight Mass,” the Vatican celebration has been earlier for more

than a decade.  Dec. 25 at noon, Pope Francis gives his message and blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world) from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.  Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. in St. Peter’s Basilica, the Pope presides over evening prayer and the chanting of the “Te Deum” in thanksgiving to God for the year that is ending.  Jan. 1 at 10 a.m. in the basilica, the Pope celebrates Mass for the feast of Mary, Mother of God, and World Peace Day.  Jan. 6 at 10 a.m. in St. Peter’s, Pope Francis celebrates Mass for the feast of the Epiphany.  Jan. 7 at 9:30 a.m. in the Sistine Chapel, the Pope presides over a Mass for the feast of the Baptism of the Lord and baptizes several infants.

Schedule announced prior to Pope’s illness. Check back at TrentonMonitor.com for any schedule updates.

December 2023

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THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 15

Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas

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16 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE

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December 2023

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THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 17

CHRISTMAS

Christmas

JOY

Student turns greeting card sales into 300+ toys for kids in hospitals BY EMMALEE ITALIA  Contributing Editor

determined eighth grader from St. Paul School, Princeton, has demonstrated just how big an impact one person can have on the lives of others. Kyleigh Hillsdon began using her creativity with the help of her Cricut — a digital die-cutting machine — to churn out handmade greeting cards for all occasions over the past few years, donating packs of cards to her school’s fundraising auction. When they sold well, she got the idea to do something more. “The cards get so many compliments … I thought I could make some for charity,” she said. “I was surprised by the success.” KIDS IN THE HOSPITAL AT CHRISTMAS Learning of the Hamilton-based charity Joey’s Little Angels and its annual Christmas toy drive for children undergoing medical treatments, Kyleigh knew she was on to something. The cards began selling nearly as fast as she could make them when she advertised that she would use the proceeds to buy toys for Joey’s Little Angels. “I chose children in the hospital because it is hard to be away

Nicole Angiolino, right, co-founder of Joey’s Little Angels, poses with Kyleigh Hillsdon at her craft fair table in St. Gregory the Great Academy. 18 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE

 December 2023

Toy donations purchased by Kyleigh Hillsdon for children receiving medical care fill one of two family cars. Courtesy photos from home at any time, but especially this time of year; those kids are going through so much,” she explained. “If it can make their Christmas happier, I wanted to try to help. Their parents are probably stressed about the illness and the bills, and the money that goes along with it; buying gifts might not be the priority.” Beginning in April, she sold cards to friends and family in person and on Facebook. Then she secured a table at the November craft fair hosted by St. Gregory the Great Academy, Hamilton Square, and for months she poured herself into card-making — with some help from friends, her brother, Carter, and her parents, Janice and Dan. In total, she sold nearly 300 cards, raising a total of about $650 through purchases and donations. When Black Friday sales came, Kyleigh had a strategic shopping plan that took between 5 and 10 a.m. to complete. “I looked up the toys ahead of time. I tried to make sure the toys I got were the best fit, [and] I tried to cover all ages.” CARS FULL OF TOYS Kyleigh was able to purchase approximately 250 toys. Combined with additional donations from her supporters, the 317 toys filled both family cars when she made her delivery to the JLA Christmas party Nov. 25 at Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville. “The student volunteers commented that it was like a clown car — no matter how much they took out, there was more,” she said. Kyleigh has worked on other service projects, but she said this was her fifth and largest effort. She also started a community service club in her school this year; each month, participating students choose a charity to support and collaborate on a hands-on project. When asked how she might encourage her peers, she said, “activities like this help others and make them feel good. It also makes me feel great seeing what I can accomplish. Once you come up with who you want to help, start small, and then let the dream grow.” To learn more about Joey’s Little Angels, visit https://www. joeyslittleangels.org.

CHRISTMAS

‘Not truly Christmas without the poor’ BY KIMBERLEY HEATHERINGTON 

 “Even the smallest

OSV News

amount of giving

n a secular society that commences celebration preparations in October and attempts to sever Jesus from a certain Dec. 25 holiday, keeping Christ in Christmas each year requires an intentional approach for Catholics. But for anyone who feels discouraged, Pope Francis has an idea: “Let us remember that it is not truly Christmas without the poor,” the pontiff said during Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in 2022. “Without the poor, we can celebrate Christmas,” he explained, “but not the birth of Jesus.” The heart of Christmas is Christ, and Christ was poor. “Jesus was born poor, lived poor and died poor,” Pope Francis said. With that in mind, capturing the authentic spirit of Christmas becomes a bit easier: Give to the poor. Most Catholic parishes have a Christmas ministry for the less fortunate, whether it’s a giving tree, food donations or special collection. But if you’re also thinking outside your parish boundaries, then who? And how, and where? OSV News has a few suggestions of ways you can give help, a gift or a tasty Christmas dinner.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES USA Founded over a century ago – “by men and women who believed that the collective efforts of the Church to faithfully serve people in need could change the course of poverty in our nation,” as its mission statement says – Catholic Charities USA ministers to the poor 365 days a year, serving 15 million people in 2022. But as president and CEO Kerry Alys Robinson emphasized, “For Americans living in poverty and suffering

can make an enormous difference ...”

A Jesse Tree in St. Mary Parish, Colts Neck, is filled with gift tags for those in need. Mike Ehrmann photo

in other ways, the holidays represent a particularly challenging time. … By making a gift to Catholic Charities, you can provide hope and relief to the most vulnerable members of your community, from parents struggling to afford gifts for their children to families in desperate need of a warm place to sleep. Your generosity will bring tangible joy to your neighbors who need it most this Christmas season.” CATHOLIC EXTENSION For almost 120 years, Catholic Extension has empowered Catholic faith communities in America’s poorest regions, providing resources to leaders, ministries and facilities. Making a choice from their annual Christmas Wish List allows donors to “lift up the poorest of the poor, and the faith communities that serve them,” said Joseph Boland, Catholic Extension’s chief mission officer. “Even the smallest amount of giving can make an enormous difference for

the ministers that are serving these communities – like the priest who literally called upon Catholic Extension to help him put gasoline in his car tank,” Boland said. “Or, some years we’ve had an opportunity as a Christmas wish item to put gas in the tank of a priest in Alaska who’s flying into communities where there are no roads, and where it actually requires an airplane.” This year’s Christmas Wish List includes opportunities to repair the cracking walls of a church, help a Catholic sister continue her outreach ministry, assist refugee families and more. CROSS CATHOLIC OUTREACH Working in more than 30 countries Continued on 22

FOLLOWING IS A LISTING OF OUTREACH AGENCIES IN THE DIOCESE OF TRENTON: Catholic Campaign for Human Development – www.usccb.org/committees/catholic-campaign-human-development Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton – www.catholiccharitiestrenton.org Catholic Relief Services – www.crs.org Mercer County Catholic Youth Organization – www.cyomercer.org Holy Innocents Society – dioceseoftrenton.org/holy-innocents-society To see other independent Catholic Social Services go to dioceseoftrenton.org/catholic-social-services

December 2023



THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 19

Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas

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20 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE

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

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Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas

Buon Natale! Buon Natale! Our Christmas menu Our Christmas menu

Exclusive Menu for Dec. 23 & Dec. 24. Please place all orders by Tuesday, Dec. 19. Orders will be scheduled and must be picked up by appointment. We are closed Christmas Day. *Prices forExclusive all items good through Dec. 2023.24. Please place all orders by Tuesday, Menu for Dec. 2324, & Dec. Not responsible for typographical . will be scheduled and must be picked up by appointment. Dec. 19.errors Orders We are closed Christmas Day. *Prices for all items good through Dec. 24, 2023.

APPETIZERS Special information all of our holiday SPECIAL with INFORMATION WITH ALL OForders OUR HOLIDAY ORDERS Not responsible for typographical errors. Shrimp Cocktail U12 •NO CHANGES any kind after Tuesday, Dec. 19. your order is greatly appreciated. • NO CHANGES of 45 anypieces kind$125 after Tuesday, Dec.of19. Special information with all of our holiday orders Colossal Stuffed Artichokes feeds 3 • Credit Card information is required on all orders and willisbe charged •Credit Card information required on allDec. 19.•Priority will be given to orders pick up as 4 people, $12 be each • orders NO CHANGES of any Dec. 19. • toAll items will picked up cold. scheduled. and will be charged Dec.kind 19. after Tuesday, Stuffed Mushrooms 20apieces • Credit Card information required on allup orders and will charged Dec. 19. • All orders assigned one hour. pickup timelinessis when picking order is be greatly •We areyour unable to accommodate special •Allwindow. items will Your be picked up cold. • All items will be picked up cold. appreciated. Crabmeat $80 requests. All orderstimeliness are limitedwhen to the items assigned a one ahour. ••AllAll orders assigned onepickup hour. pickup window. Your picking up your order is greatly • - Sausage, Priority will be given to orders asorders scheduled. Fontina, spinach $60 pick up as they as appear on this menu. window. Your timeliness when upto the items appreciated. • We are with unable to accommodate special requests. All orders arepicking limited they appear on this menu. Rice Balls sauce $30 • Priority will be given to orders pick up as scheduled. Stuffed Shells, 24 pieces $60 Meatballs $65 - 9 pieces Sicilian (Meat, Peas, • We are unable to accommodate special requests. All orders are limited to the items as they appear on th Boss of the Sauce (½ tray meat, ½ MeatballsBeef & Sausage $65 Cheese, Rice) Pasta Christmas Dinner for 2 Roast Beef w/mushroom tray pasta w/fresh ricotta) $100 gravy $80 - 9 pieces½Cheese and10 Rice trays feeds to 12 ½ trays feeds 10 to 12 Pasta *Must pick up Dec. 23* Beef Filet Tips w/mushrooms $100 -Penne 9 piecesVodka Spinach $50 • Baked Ziti $55 Christmas Dinner 2 Meatballs $65 for SEAFOOD Package ½ trays feeds 10Ato 12 ½ trays feeds 10 to 1 Meat Lasagna - 9 piece Assortment (3 of$75 each) *Must pick upSausage Dec. 23*$65 Meatballs & Fried Flounder 10 pieces $100 PORK Mozzarella Caprese, Penne Vodka $50 • BakedPenne Ziti $55 Meatballs $65 Cavatelli Broccoli $5015 Flounder Francaise w/lemon & wine Roast Beef Artichoke Hearts&Toscano Style Package w/mushroom gravy $80 ½ trays feeds A10 to 12 MeatEggplant LasagnaRollatini, $75 Vodka, Meatballs & Sausage Stuffed Shells, 24hearts, pieces Par$60 Mozzarella Caprese, Penne$100 pieces $45. (Artichoke Filet Tips w/mushrooms Sausage Peppers & Onions $60 Roast Beef w/mushroom 10Chicken pieces $100 Cavatelli & Broccoli $50or Choice Francaise Boss of Reggiano, the Sauceroasted (½ traygarlic, meat, ½ Vodka, Eggplant Rollatini, migiano Stuffed Pork Roast $75 Pork Salmon w/Crabmeat, sauce Stuffed Shells, 24scampi pieces $60 & Marsala, 2 Cheese Rice Balls, Filet Tips w/mushroom trayherbs, pastabreadcrumbs, w/fresh ricotta) $100 Choice Chicken Francaise or fresh butter, & Glazed Boss of the Sauce tray $200 meat, ½ traysSugar feeds 10 to 12 Sliced roasted peppers 10(½pieces Dinner Rolls, Sfogliatelle $64.99½ Maple Brown Pork Marsala, 2 Cheese Rice Balls, Seafood white wine) Ham $60 tray Puttanesca pasta w/fresh $100 Sausage Peppers & Onions $60 Package B Cod 10 ricotta) pieces $100 99 ½ trays feeds 10 to 1 Dinner Rolls, Sfogliatelle $64. Fried Flounder 10 pieces $100 Garlic Glazed Pork Roast Mozzarella Caprese, Penne Stuffed Pork Roast $75$70 Stuffed Flounder, crabmeat & Seafood DESSERTS Sausage Peppers & Oni Package B Flounder Marinara, Shrimp Parm, Maple Brown Glazed Fried Flounder 10 pieces $100 scampi sauce w/roasted peppers Cookie Tray, 3Francaise lbs. $35 w/lemon & CHICKEN &Sugar TURKEY Mozzarella Caprese, Penne Stuffed Pork Roast wine 10 pieces $100 Eggplant Rollatini, 2 Cheese& Flounder w/lemon Ham 10Francaise pieces $150 Pastry Platter, 12 pieces $30 ½Sliced trays feeds 10$60 to 12 Marinara, Shrimp Parm, Maple Brown Sugar G Salmon w/Crabmeat, scampi sauce Balls, Dinner Rolls, wine 10 pieces $100 Garlic Glazed Pork Roast$75 $70 SeabassRice w/cherry tomatoes & wine (Pasticciotti, Sfogliatelle, Eclairs, Francaise, Marsala, Eggplant Rollatini, 2 Parm, Cheese Sliced Ham $60 99 & roasted peppers 10 pieces $200 Salmon w/Crabmeat, $79. scampi Rice Balls, Dinner Rolls, garlicSfogliatelle sauce 10 pieces $200 sauce Pink Panther Chicken 75 Napoleons, Cream Puffs) Garlic Glazed Pork Ro Chicken & Turkey Cod Puttanesca 10 pieces $100 99 & roasted peppers 10½ pieces Sfogliatelle Chicken Grilled Octopus Salad tray$200 $150 Cannolis, dozen boxed, $30 ½ traysValdostano feeds$79. 10 to 12$75 Chicken & Turk Stuffed Flounder, crabmeat & Cod Puttanesca 10 pieces $100 Boneless Turkey Breast Parm, in gravy$75 $70 Seafood Salad ½ tray $130 Imported Christmas peppers Francaise, Marsala, Gluten-Free Dinners ½ trays feeds 10 to 1 scampiItalian sauce w/roasted Stuffed Flounder, crabmeat & Seafood Fra Diavolo *Must pick up Dec 23 only* Confections:10Panettone, Pandoro, Pink Panther Chicken VEGETABLES Francaise, Marsala, Par Gluten-Free Dinners 75 pieces $150 scampi sauce w/roasted peppers Choice Chicken Francaise, w/½ tray linguine $150 Torrone, Hard Candy, Chocolate Chicken Valdostano $75 *Must pick up Dec 23 only* Pink Panther Chicke ½ trays feeds 10 to 12 Seabass w/cherry tomatoes & wine 10 pieces $150 Marsala, or Parm; Fried Calamari ½ traychoice $85 Choice Chicken Francaise, CAKES:garlic Cannoli, Rainbow Turkey Breast in gravy $70 Chicken Valdostano Eggplant Parm $55 sauce10 pieces $200 Seabass w/cherry tomatoes & wine Boneless Penne Vodka or Marinara; Marsala, or Parm; choice Shrimp Scampi w/½ tray linguine & Cannoli, Red Velvet, Yule$150 Boneless Turkey Breast in Eggplant Rollatini $60 GrilledCarrot, Octopus Salad ½ tray garlic sauce10 pieces $200 Vegetables choice Roasted Potatoes, PenneBeans Vodkaw/garlic or Marinara; scampi sauce $120 Log, Cheesecake, 7-Layer Cookie Seafood Salad ½ tray $130 String Grilled Octopus Salad ½ tray $150 Vegetables ½ trays feeds 10 to&12oil $55 String beans or ½ Asparagus; choice Roasted Potatoes, Grilled Shrimp Seafood Salad ½tray tray $120 $130 1 Seafood Diavolo Cheesecake, OreoFra Cheesecake, Broccoli Rabe $65 ½ trays feeds 10 to 1 Eggplant Parm $55 String beans or Asparagus; 1 Gluten-free Bread. Feeds Seafood Fra Diavolo tray linguine Linguine w/White Clam Sauce6. Roasted Potatoes $45 Browniew/½ Cheesecake. Plus $150 Struffoli, Eggplant Parm $5 Eggplant Rollatini $60 Gluten-free Bread.Medley Feeds 6. $169.99 w/½ tray linguine Fried Sauteed Vegetable ½ tray $65 $150 Tiramisu, & Calamari Many More½ tray $85 Eggplant Rollatini $ String Beans w/garlic & oil$55 $55 $169.99 Fried Calamari ½ wine, tray $85 Shrimp Scampi w/½ tray linguine & Branzino Roasted Asparagus $65 white sundried w/garlic, String Beans w/garlic & Broccoli Rabe $65 PASTA

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CHRISTOPHER LEADERSHIP GUIDELINES

Have a GOOD DAY

Lord, prepare me each morning to have a good day, to grow closer to You, to meditate and pray. Help me count my blessings and be of good cheer, to see the goodness and beauty in all I hold dear. Guide me in achieving my goals and following Your will. Help me to know that, despite my challenges, You make all things possible. Help me to share “Good News,” and look for life’s pearls, and connect with the faithful to spread hope in the world. Help me stay in the present and add joy to each day. Through life’s ups and downs, You won’t lead me astray. Strengthen my faith, Lord, fill me with love and mercy, I pray, so together we can make each day a good day. Amen.

Christopher News Notes T

Christopher News Notes

Lead Me, O Lord Lord, You created me, along with everyone and everything around me. You know what is best for me and for those I love. In the stillness of this moment, help me to know what I need to know—to act as You would have me act.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time”—Ecclesiastes 3:11

HAT COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU THINK OF BEAUTY? Maybe it’s fresh-cut flowers popping out from a vase, a loved one whose smile lights up a room, a classic work of art, or a park that you enjoy walking through. Beauty, by definition, is something that “pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit.” But beauty is not just superficial or “skin deep,” as the old saying goes. It is, 665 in fact, much more.

Patience

Amen.

The Christophers

“It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness” www.christophers.org mail@christophers.org 212-759-4050 ext. 241

nd c o u n

Forgiveness

Patience is a stillness that reaches deep within the human soul. It connects us with God by allowing us to pause and reflect on our actions. A patient heart waits for the resurrections that Christ effects in our lives, reviving us to a life of joy. Patience is the tender reaction of one heart to another. It is the essence of love. Lord, grant us patience so our hearts remain open to Your healing.

May it be Your voice that brings me wisdom today— and may it be Your love that leads me.

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May the choices I make today be motivated by my love for You and for those around me, as well as by true love for myself, because I know how much You love me.

The Christophers The Christophers

HERE COMES A TIME WHEN WE REALIZE we are not the sole masters of our fate. Unplanned circumstances surprise us, and we do not have all the answers. So, we stop. We ponder our place in the universe, our dependence on our Creator. It could happen when we suddenly face a particularly emotional, difficult, or even tragic event. Whatever the case, it’s an opportunity to let go—and to let A Christopher Classic News Note God into our lives.

Forgiveness is the power of God infused in our lives. When we forgive one another, we partake in the fruits of Christ’s redemptive sacrifice. Forgiveness is a healing gift that allows us to move beyond the pain of anger and hatred. Forgiveness frees us to live our lives in love for one another so the light of Christ can shine through all we do. Lord, help us to have forgiving hearts.

Hope

“It’s better to light oneHope candlelooks for than to curse the darkness” the good in people www.christophers.org instead of harping on the worst. 212-759-4050

Hope opens doors where despair closes them. Hope draws its power from a deep trust in God and the basic goodness of human nature. Hope regards problems, small or large, as opportunities. “It’s better to light one candle Hope pushes ahead than to curse the darkness” when it would be easy to quit. www.christophers.org Hope “lights a candle” instead 212-759-4050 of “cursing the darkness.” You’re my light in the darkness You’re my guide through the stormwww.christophers.org 212-759-4050 My hope for new beginnings You help keep me from harm. Close to You, all good is possible Better days filled with hope. With strength from You, I’ve a future Love sent from You helps me cope.

t in g

God is My Light

Be with me now, Lord Let Your love light the way. Amen “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness” www.christophers.org 212-759-4050

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Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas • Merry Christmas

CHRISTMAS OUTREACH Continued from 19

around the world, Cross Catholic Outreach partners with bishops, priests, sisters, religious and lay workers to provide food, water, housing, education, support for orphans, health care and disaster relief to impoverished communities. The organization’s Christmas Catalog “features a wide range of gifts that both meet immediate needs and support long-term empowerment – a powerful combination that transforms lives,” Michele Sagarino, Cross Catholic Outreach president. “Everyone gets commercial gift catalogs during the holiday season. We figured, why not offer a Christmas catalog option that sponsors practical, urgently needed blessings for the poor?” “No matter what a donor chooses to give,” Sagarino said, “all this aid is delivered through our Catholic ministry partners, equipping their missions to share Christ’s light and mercy with those who need hope the most.” THE FRANCISCAN KITCHEN Witnessing poor people rummaging in the garbage for

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food during his World War II service on the Japanese island of Okinawa affected Conventual Franciscan Friar Jim Fields for the rest of his life. In 1980, he founded the Franciscan Kitchen, which often serves as many as 600 meals daily, six days a week, from its location in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. “On Christmas Day, we actually break from our routine of serving a hot, freshly-prepared meal to anyone who comes to our door,” shared Advancement Coordinator Tony Perito, “and instead, distribute basic clothing, personal hygiene items and children’s gifts, along with a bag lunch – ham or turkey sandwiches – to people in need.” Perito says the focus in winter is “on items that our guests indicate are most needed – winter gloves, socks, gently used winter coats, backpacks, throws or small blankets, and underwear.” THE BASILICA OF THE NATIONAL SHRINE OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION For the 48th year, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington – the largest Roman Catholic Church in North America – will hold its annual Christmas Dinner for those who are alone or in need. “Each year, over 1,200 dinners are delivered to the homebound by volunteers, and nearly another 800 are provided to those who come to the Shrine on Christmas Day,” said Msgr. Walter Rossi, the shrine’s rector. The hospitality experienced by guests at the shrine and those who are homebound enables both volunteers and donors to share the joy of the birth of Jesus with people who are often painfully isolated. “While many churches and charitable organizations provide meals for those in need on Thanksgiving Day, the Shrine began the tradition of Christmas Day dinner,” Msgr. Rossi said, “because many agencies are closed on Christmas Day and as a result, many people were going without dinner at Christmas.” Kimberley Heatherington writes for OSV News from Virginia.

Christmas Gifts, Nativity Sets, Catholic Catholic Gifts, Irish Food, Food, & More! More! AUTHORIZED DEALER OF CATHEDRAL CHURCH CANDLES AUTHORIZED DEALER OF CATHEDRAL CHURCH CANDLES Christmas Gifts, Nativity Sets, Gifts, Irish & AUTHORIZED DEALER OF CATHEDRAL CHURCH CANDLES AUTHORIZED DEALER OF CATHEDRAL CHURCH CANDLES

Sharing with you the Glory, the Wonder, the Miracle of this Holy Season. Have a Blessed Christmas & New Year From Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., the staff and freelance partners of the Office of Communications and Media, including The Monitor and the Department of Multimedia Production

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November 2023

In Focus

In the days leading up to Christmas 1994, Pope John Paul II marked the close of the Year of the Family by writing a very special letter to the children of the world. The Holy Father reminded children of the closeness that Jesus feels for each of them and how much they share in the story of the Christ Child. While threats against children have existed throughout time, each generation experiences the challenges and adversity of their time. Each of us, as disciples, are called to use all that is available to us in our time to help and protect children, especially during these days when we celebrate the child who has come to change the world.

God Bless the

A bronze statue of St. Teresa of Kolkata, cradling a child, is pictured in a file photo overlooking a garden at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Massapequa Park, N.Y. The statue was donated by the Knights of Columbus. OSV News photo/CNS file, Gregory A. Shemitz, Long Island Catholic

Child

LETTER OF POPE JOHN PAUL II TO CHILDREN IN THE YEAR OF THE FAMILY Christmas is the feast day of a Child, of a Newborn Baby. So it is your feast day too! You wait impatiently for it and get ready for it with joy, counting the days and even the hours to the Holy Night of Bethlehem.

ear friends! In what happened to the Child of Bethlehem you can recognize what happens to children throughout the world. It is true that a child represents the joy not only of its parents but also the joy of the Church and the whole of society. But it is also true that in our days, unfortunately, many children in different parts of the world are suffering and being threatened: they are hungry and poor, they are dying from diseases and malnutrition, they are the victims of war, they are abandoned by their parents and condemned to remain without a home, without the warmth of a family of their own, they suffer many forms of violence and arrogance from grown-ups. How can we not care, when we see the suffering of so many children, especially when this suffering is in some way caused by grown-ups?

od loves you, dear children! This is what I want to tell you at the end of the Year of the Family and on the occasion of these Christmas feast days, which in a special way are your feast days. I hope that they will be joyful and peaceful for you; I hope that during them you will have a more intense experience of the love of your parents, of your brothers and sisters, and of the other members of your family. This love must then spread to your whole community, even to the whole world, precisely through you, dear children. Love will then be able to reach those who are most in need of it, especially the suffering and the abandoned. What joy is greater than the joy brought by love? What joy is greater than the joy which you, O Jesus, bring at Christmas to people’s hearts, and especially to the hearts of children? Raise your tiny hand, Divine Child, and bless these young friends of yours, bless the children of all the earth. From the Vatican, Dec. 13, 1994. December 2023

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In Focus

‘No one is alone’ Church responds as solitude, stressors lead to rising mental health problems among children and teens BY EMMALEE ITALIA 

CORRELATION OR CAUSATION?

Childhood and adolescence have always presented unique challenges and opportunities for growth, the absence of which can leave young people illequipped to tackle even bigger problems later. But statistics of the 2000s reveal increasing mental health struggles and suicidality among children and teens. (See sidebar.) The social isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic is partially responsible for this uptick. An October 2022 paper by the National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine reviewed literature on the relationship between suicide and social isolation, concluding that “a large majority of the articles included endorse the idea of a causal relationship

Contributing Editor

he current mental health of children and teens dominates conversations and concerns among parents and educators. No matter which study is referenced, the current climate is at the very least worrisome: young people are reporting higher rates of depression and anxiety than previous generations and, in many cases, those feelings are leading to rising cases of self-harm. Parents and concerned adults, alarmed by this trend, want to know what can be done to counteract it. And the Church and Catholic schools are responding with both spiritual and practical resources.

Students in Red Bank Catholic High School participate in a classroombased suicide prevention session as part of the school’s Lifelines Program. Courtesy photo

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December 2023

between social isolation and suicide, and conversely, a protective effect of social support against suicide.” But mental health decline has been observed for much longer than the past three years. The total age-adjusted suicide rate in the United States increased 35.2% from 2000 to 2018, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many have suggested that social media is to blame. Dr. Jamie Zelazny — a registered nurse and assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine — spoke about social media use and youth suicide during a presentation at the American Psychiatric Nurses Association Annual Conference.

 “We are all part of God’s precious family. Reach out, lend an ear or a hand or a heart. And pray.” She cited a 2015 study that found “Teens who reported using social media sites more than two hours a day were much more likely to report poor mental health outcomes like distress and suicidal ideation.” However, researchers are quick to point out that longitudinal studies of suicidality and social media use are sparse, and that other influences may be at play. While “for girls, a high level of social media or television use in early adolescence followed by a marked increase over time was most predictive of suicide risk in emerging adulthood,” as reported in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence in February 2021, “video game use (for boys) was associated with suicide risk when cyberbullying was also high.” Although it’s difficult to determine whether a concurrent rise in youth suicide and social media use is evidence of causation or merely correlation, it’s important to consider what time spent on social media is often replacing: faceto-face interaction with opportunities to read body language, deep conversation

God Bless the Child SUICIDE STATISTICS and HELP

with friends and close family, and shared activities in faith communities. As a result, young people are more isolated — hence, at greater risk.

In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control revealed that suicide was the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10-14 and 25-34 and the third leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 15-24. In 2021, 42% of high school students reported feeling so sad or hopeless almost every day for at least two weeks. Attempted suicides (all ages) in 2021 = 12.3 million Deaths by suicide (all ages) in 2021 = over 48,000 Suicide rate increase (all ages) from 2000 – 2018 = 35.2%

SHEPHERD’S GUIDANCE Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., wrote extensively about suicide in his September message for The Monitor, coinciding with Suicide Awareness Month. “In my pastoral experience, few occasions are as sad as meeting with families who have lost a family member or loved one due to suicide, especially a young person,” he wrote. “They are often understandably inconsolable, and many blame themselves as they question what more could they have done, should they have done to prevent these deaths among loved ones.” Regardless of the circumstances, he pointed out, “we need to act with compassion, not judgment, and to beg God for his infinite mercy.” The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has been taking notice of the current mental health statistics as well. “There is a significant mental health crisis across the United States which has been especially amplified in recent years with the impact of the global pandemic,” the bishops wrote in an October news release. In response, the USCCB has launched a National Catholic Mental Health Campaign to “inspire a national conversation around the topic of mental health and to mobilize the Catholic Church to respond compassionately and effectively to the mental health crisis.” The campaign will provide resources and efforts in the coming months; for more information visit www.usccb.org/ committees/domestic-justice-and-human-development/mental-and-behavioral-health. In the meantime, Bishop O’Connell urged everyone “to listen carefully and to watch out for signs of mental illness, depression, pain and despair. ... Don’t ignore these signs. Do something. No one is alone. … We are all part of God’s precious family. Reach out, lend an ear or a hand or a heart. And pray.” To read the Bishop’s entire column, “Nothing can separate us from the love of

Source: Centers for Disease Control

PREVALENCE OF MENTAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS AMONG CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS DURING COVID-19: The “Psychology and Physiology of Stress” class in Donovan Catholic High School, Toms River, maps the human brain as part of a lesson on the body’s stress response system. Courtesy photo

God,” visit TrentonMonitor.com and click on News > Bishop’s Corner FIGHTING THE TRENDS Catholic schools in the Diocese also have recognized current mental health declines, and many have programs and resources in place to help mitigate risk factors and address crises. Several schools shared their efforts with The Monitor for this report. The Lifelines Program in Red Bank Catholic High School, Red Bank, is a comprehensive suicide prevention effort that “involves training our administrators, guidance personnel and teachers to identify signs of distress, offer support, and connect students with appropriate resources,” said principal Karen M. Falco. “Additionally, our sophomores participate in annual classroom-based prevention sessions as part of the program.” Guidance staff are readily available to students, and Falco believes continuing education and awareness efforts are vital.

Depressive symptoms = 31% Anxiety symptoms = 31% Sleep disturbances = 42% “The prevalence of mental health symptoms also increased with time.” Source: New York Academy of Sciences meta-analysis of 191 pandemic-period studies of nearly 1.4 million children and adolescents, December 2022

EMERGENCY RESOURCES: Suicide Prevention: www.cdc.gov/suicide/index.html – Learn the warning signs, promote prevention and resilience, and commit to social change. Suicide Crises: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline – Call or text 988 or chat / visit 988lifeline.org for more information, for those experiencing mental health-related distress or are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support. “By periodically reviewing and updating our crisis plan, we ensure its effectiveness and alignment with the evolving understanding of mental health issues.” In conjunction with the Lifelines Program, the school has established a Wellness Room for both students and staff — “a dedicated space offering a calming environment where individuals

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In Focus

 “A thoughtfully

Certified AIR therapy dogs like Mischa, accompany all program presenters. Facebook photo

structured professional development program that focuses on the health and safety of our students, teachers and schools has been implemented.”

Presentation to school principals takes on issues of

mental health care, suicide prevention BY ROSE O’CONNOR  Special Contributor

ecognizing the critical need for school administrators to be equipped with the necessary resources to understand and address mental health care and issues affecting the students in their care, the diocesan Department of Catholic Schools welcomed Tricia Baker, the founder of Attitudes in Reverse (AIR), who served as a speaker during the principal’s professional development day Nov. 17 in St. Ann School, Lawrenceville. As explained by Dr. Vincent de Paul Schmidt, diocesan superintendent of Catholic schools, this year, “a thoughtfully structured professional development program that focuses on the health and safety of our students, teachers and schools has been implemented. “Concentrating on one area throughout the year, such as health and safety, allows us to go deeper in our discussion and offers more latitude when we pres-

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ent these resources on a diocesan level,” he explained. He was pleased to welcome Baker and AIR to the professional development day. “She was able to explain the health concerns that affect students and discuss the issues that our administrators are up against,” he said, acknowledging that he received positive feedback from school administrators. “She was well-received. The discussion was tough, but necessary. Having this information gives our administrators traction and resources for parents, who are a critical piece in this puzzle.” Baker’s personal journey was the impetus for the creation of AIR, following the loss of her son Kenny who died by suicide at the age of 19 after struggling with anxiety and depression. AIR offers a comprehensive mental health plan for youth, young adults, parents, teachers and school staff. Its mission is to provide an all-encompassing education about mental health disorders and suicide prevention. It also stresses the

December 2023

importance of inclusion, so that no one is misjudged or criticized because they have a biological-based brain illness. AIR believes that all people, no matter what their differences, should be treated with respect and kindness. The inclusion of therapy dogs in AIR educational programs is a thoughtful and compassionate approach to addressing the sensitive topics of mental health and suicide prevention. Therapy dogs accompany volunteers during all AIR school visits from elementary through college-age, as discussing mental health and suicide prevention can be difficult topics. After the presentation students are encouraged to visit with the dogs if they are feeling stressed or have been affected negatively by the material. To learn more about Attitudes in Reverse, their educational programs, resources and therapy dogs visit: https:// air.ngo/ Rose O’Connor serves as digital and social media manager in the diocesan Office of Communications and Media

God Bless the Child

Social Media Wilderness Risks to children online outpace efforts to establish effective guard rails BY MARK PATTISON  Special Contributor And STAFF REPORTS

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hildren’s time spent online climbed steadily during the first two decades of the 2000s. Then the COVID pandemic hit and, with school buildings closed, even the school day went online. As things have normalized post-COVID, a handful of school systems around the country have banned cell phone use by students during the school day. But that only masks one critical problem: How do we keep our children safe while they’re online? While our nation has taken care to protect children from many risks –

such as seat belts in automobiles and child-safety – there are few, if any, effective guardrails protecting minors once they’ve switched on their laptop, cell phone or tablet. And the need for meaningful protections has never been greater. In 2021, research from Common Sense Media indicated those ages 8-12 in the United States spent, on average, 5.5 hours per day and those ages 13-18 spent, on average, 8.5 hours per day looking at screens, just for entertainment – not including any school or educational usage. Additionally, 88% of teens 13-18 have their own smartphone, 57% of children 8-12 have their own tablet. 94% of families surveyed with kids ages 8-18 have at least one smartphone in the home, and 74% have a tablet in the home. The proliferation of devices has led to another calculation that some heavily online minors are exposed to 1,260 ads each day. Evidence of harm to children through online use is growing as quickly as screen times. Barely a week can pass without some new revelation about corporate giants actively ignoring warning signs about the potential damage to young minds, especially social media titans like Meta (Facebook and Instagram); X

(Twitter), and TikTok. Thirteen seems to be the age of consent when it comes to gaining access and having a presence on social media, despite recent evidence showing that brains are not fully formed by age 18, when U.S. society considers them adults, or even by 21, when states permit them to purchase alcohol. Tech companies have financial incentives to not only allow youngsters un-

 Abuse, harassment and misogyny have also found their way onto these platforms fettered social media access but to drive content that will keep underage eyeballs glued to their sites. Advertisers are happy to buy into this, since the younger the audience they can sway, the more likely they’ll be fans of their products and services for, maybe, a lifetime. But abuse, harassment and misogyny have also found their way onto these platforms. Arturo Bejar, who headed Facebook’s security team from 2009 to 2015, testified in November to a Senate committee that he was distressed when his teen daughter reported to him that she was being harassed on Meta-owned Instagram. Bejar returned to Facebook in 2019 as a consultant and discovered that virtually all of the protections his team had constructed during his earlier tenure there were gone. Before he permanently left two years later, he sent a memo to Meta’s leaders – including Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg –citing surveys that showed the number of people reporting that they had a

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In Focus

Getting in the way: Social media’s

Social media safeguards Continued from 27

negative experience on Instagram “was 51% every week, but only 1% of those reported the offending content and only 2% of those succeeded in getting the offending content taken down.” STRENGTHENING SAFEGUARDS THROUGH LEGISLATION The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which took effect in 2000, was meant to shield kids from online threats – one of the most pernicious being the marketing of their personal information to others for the financial gain of both the buyers and sellers of such data. Today, parents are all too aware of additional threats to their children’s well-being, including but hardly limited to cyberbullying, self-esteem issues such as eating and attractiveness, and online sexual predators. That law, known in shorthand as COPPA, names the Federal Trade Commission as the enforcement agency. However, the FTC can’t act until after a violation has occurred, much like closing the barn door after the horse has escaped. However, this summer, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation unanimously passed the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act, which has been dubbed “COPPA 2.0.” It has yet to be acted on by the House and full Senate. The bill would prohibit internet companies from collecting personal information from 13- to 16-year-old users without their consent and ban targeted advertising to children and teens. The legislation would cover platforms that are “reasonably likely to be used” by children and would protect users who are “reasonably likely to be” children or minors. It would further create an “Eraser” button for parents and kids to eliminate personal information about a child or teen when technologically feasible. COPPA would establish a “Digital Marketing Bill of Rights for Teens” that limits the collection of personal information of teens and would establish a youth marketing and

interference with kids’ attention BY EMMALEE ITALIA  Contributing Editor

ocial media has been around for a little over two decades, long enough for today’s youth to have no memory of life before it. In that short time span, the number of social media sites and ways they can be used has increased exponentially, and so have the problems its presence creates — particularly for children and teens. Jason Briggs A 2022 Pew Research Center survey found that almost all teens have used YouTube, TikTok, Instagram or Snapchat. The survey reported that although about a third of teens say they spend too much time on social media, more than half of teens say it would be difficult for them to give it up. But this is not news to parents and teachers, who must deal daily with the fallout of young people’s steady screen diet. “Social media use is pervasive, and any attempts to try to insulate (students) from the activity pretty much evaporated during the pandemic,” said Jason Briggs, principal of St. Gregory the Great Academy, Hamilton Square.

HARASSMENT WITHOUT A BREAK One of his biggest concerns is how social media keeps kids constantly online, with no respite from potential harassment or breaks from image management. “Now what we have is a situation where young people are never disconnected,” he said. “We are seeing that there is no time for them to recharge. At one time when there were issues at school, you could go home, and unless the person called you or visited your house, you had a break. Now there’s no relief valve for students, so pressure continues to build and becomes unbearable.” Additionally, transgressions become widely known “instantaneously.” Briggs said that unlike when a student has ADHD, “where you can [utilize] therapy or medication, this is a learned behavior.” “They can’t slow down their brains to deal with [the classroom]. There’s a decomposition of students being able to have any kind of focus or wait time — they need immediate feedback.” That need leads to students rushing to complete a test or assignment and not completely reading or hearing their teacher’s directions. Students “are so used to consuming information at a rapid pace and having that satisfaction from getting liked or subscribed to —

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God Bless the Child

As child poverty increases,

diocesan agencies are serving more families in need BY CAROL OLIVIERI  Correspondent

 The increase in number of homeless “is greater than we’ve ever seen.” Because the federal government decreased funding for social services for the homeless, Cortale said, “This year we exhausted rental assistance by June, instead of this funding lasting into the latter part of the year.” This means that for families with children, money must be diverted from other items, such as food and clothing, to pay the rent. Kathy West, director of client services for Project PAUL, told The Monitor that the increase in number of homeless “is greater than we’ve ever seen.” Often that means families are split up, with children being cared for by extended family members. CHILD POVERTY DOUBLES The U.S. Census Bureau said that

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he calls for help with Christmas began coming in September. Project PAUL — an independent nonprofit focusing on the Poor, Alienated, Unemployed and Lonely — has a Christmas gift card program for which existing client families must register if they have children ages 14 and under. “We’ve never gotten calls this early,” said Sal Cortale, executive director of the organization founded in 1980 at St. Ann Parish in Keansburg. The Christmas program is just one area in which Cortale has seen increased needs because of decreases in government-funded programs.

between 2021 and 2022, the child poverty rate more than doubled: from 5.2 percent to 12.4 percent. This rate was higher than even the 2020 child poverty rate of 9.7 percent. Although research from places like Columbia University showed that monthly payments from the 2021 expanded Child Tax Credit were reducing child poverty and food insufficiency, Congress did not renew the program, part of the American Rescue Plan, because of lack of bipartisan support in the Senate. At the food pantry at Mount Carmel Guild in Trenton, several people explained what it means for their families to no longer receive the expanded child tax credit. The Monitor is identifying them by first name only to protect their privacy. LESS MONEY AND HIGHER COSTS MEAN LESS FOOD Elizabeth visited the food pantry for the first time in October. In 2021, she was working full time, and her three children qualified for the expanded

CTC. That money helped her with rent and utilities and enabled family outings, something Elizabeth regrets not being able to provide for her children now. The fall is a particularly challenging time with expenses related to returning to school: shoes, school supplies and school uniforms. Elizabeth no longer has a fulltime job and, with less income, she said she is grateful for the help provided by the food pantry. Zuly has four children, and her husband works full time. Like Elizabeth, Zuly used the additional CTC money to help with rent and utilities. Without the expanded CTC and with the increased cost of car insurance, rent, utilities and food, Zuly said she buys less food to make ends meet. She visits the food pantry weekly and utilizes other food pantries that serve Mercer County, such as Arm In Arm. The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits also help, but for Zuly like so many others, these benefits have decreased. In October, the U.S. Department of

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In Focus

Food insecurity a serious challenge Continued from 29

Agriculture released “Household Food Security in the United States in 2022.” The USDA says food insecurity means that households’ “ability to acquire adequate food is limited by a lack of money and other resources.” These findings parallel the findings of the US Census Bureau. In 2021, the percentage of children experiencing food insecurity had decreased to 6.2 percent from 7.6 percent in 2020, but in 2022 this percentage had increased to 8.8 percent. FOOD INSECURITY ALSO ON RISE Mary Inkrot, executive director of Mount Carmel Guild, explained: “In Trenton, one in three children suffers from food insecurity. Households in need can visit the food pantry once a week. In 2021, we averaged 1,000 visits per month. That number increased to 1,400 in 2022 and, so far this year, we are on track to have 1,450 visits per month.” Inkrot said the summer months are particularly challenging for families of schoolage children. “Lack of adequate nutrition, particularly if sustained, can injure a child’s physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development. Many of the low-income families assisted at the Guild depend upon the free and reduced-cost breakfast and lunch program; when not available, it places a strain on their limited finances and their efforts to offer healthy meals.” The Guild’s Summer Feeding Families project includes “items for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks as well as selections of fresh produce. We utilize resources from the national Family Dinner Project to create a family meal kit that includes all ingredients, recipes and family activities. In 2023, our goal was to serve 150 families, and we served 156.” Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Trenton serves the poor and the vulnerable throughout the four counties in the Diocese. The effect of increasing child poverty and food insecurity on its programs gives a picture of what this means for children. “We have seen a 150 percent increase in

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CYO Mercer responds to mental

health risks: hunger, learning loss BY EMMALEE ITALIA  Contributing Editor

f children ask to save an after-school snack for later because they aren’t sure there will be a dinner, it’s no surprise that could have a downstream affect on their mental health. Tom Mladenetz, executive director of Mercer County Catholic Youth Organization, has observed as much at the agency’s centers in Tom Mladenetz Trenton, which provide preschool and before and after school programs for children of parents who are working or finishing education. “We’ve been serving low- and very-low-income families throughout our 71 years, and [food insecurity] has always been an issue,” he said. “There are associated mental health concerns that go along with that… Post-COVID, I think it has gotten worse.” Since the pandemic began, Mladenetz noted an increase in the number of those who make use of the organization’s food pantry and children who are still hungry at night, accompanied by academic struggles brought on by the learning loss experienced by so many students. The two factors combine in a perfect storm of mental health challenges. “Remote learning just didn’t work for a lot of kids,” he pointed out. “They’re behind and now playing catch up. That takes its toll; parents get frustrated [with their child’s performance] and are asking for extra tutoring – they’re working two jobs and need CYO for homework help… that ties directly into the stress for both parents and kids.” An additional factor, Mladenetz said, has been the negative effects of social media – specifically cyberbullying. “Kids are saying, ‘so and so is bashing me on social media, saying things that aren’t true,’” he recounted. “It’s a serious issue in school and sports leagues; unfortunately, it starts with [observing] the professionals bashing each other.” Although CYO doesn’t have counseling programs to address these stressors, they do train their after-school staff to watch for specific cues and respond accordingly. “Some children dealing with stress are more comfortable opening up at an after-school program – our staff have a relationship with them,” he explained. “If they see a child not being themselves, they talk to them and listen – that’s the most important thing. That gets things in motion, so we can then talk to the parent and their school guidance counselor. We plan an important role, activating things that need to be put into play.”

December 2023

God Bless the Child

PERSPECTIVES:

Top risk factors for young people We asked those who work with children and teens in the Diocese to share with us their insight on the greatest risks facing youngsters today. Here are some of their responses:

Social media – kids’ overexposure, its pervasiveness, negative effects and overuse of corresponding devices was paramount among responders’ concerns

Also prominent in their minds was the lack of down time in schedules; being overscheduled with activities to the point that they overtook time with family and to “just be kids”

Another major

risk, responders said, was academic pressure and challenges. This included the lingering effects of learning loss from the pandemic, the inability to listen and focus attributed to “a constant bombardment of competing information” and the continual pressure to achieve.

The pandemic

itself was listed as a risk factor, with its downstream effects of isolation and depression interwoven into all facets of children’s social and academic lives.

Additional

concerns included polarization – the perception of those with different views as “evil or bad,” food insecurity at home, social and educational status and behavior problems.

Observations:

Freepik images

“

oday’s youth face a greater pressure than I remember as a kid,” said one school principal. “No longer do we allow our youth to just enjoy family time or ‘go out and play with the neighborhood children and return by dark.’ Instead, they feel the pressure of being pulled from one area of study to another … Their balance is being thrown off … We need to step back and deal with their growing pressures.” “Social media is the biggest culprit impacting young people today,” a youth minister emphasized. “When I was growing up … issues facing children were not broadcast for all to see and know about. Today, instead of a young person dealing with one bully, they are now dealing with many bullies virtually and that’s tough on a young person who is in his or her formative years. “As youth ministers, we have to be a strong and consistent voice as we encourage our kids to lean on their faith and let them know that

God will see us through this [the COVID-19 pandemic],” she continued. “Beyond just being a voice, we have to walk the walk with the youth, and it’s an honor to be in this time to help be a source of strength and reason for young people.” The respondent’s youth group Bible study has taken root, she said, “and this is one way they can learn and come to believe that God is with them, and help them grow closer to God.” She provides youth with a list of service opportunities, and “even if kids are going through particular mental health issues, sometimes when they get involved with a service project, they realize that they can be a solution to someone else’s problems,” she observed. “Kids receive mixed messages – not just from social media but regular media as well. Service projects give them a sense of purpose when they know they are doing God’s work. It doesn’t change their situation, but it can give them a different perspective. It’s helping them to connect the dots and helping them to see that all the dots connect back to God.”

More reporting on IN FOCUS: ‘God Bless the Child’ can be found on TrentonMonitor.com. Click on SPECIAL PROJECTS>IN FOCUS. December 2023

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In Focus

Innocence under Siege COMPILED BY EMMALEE ITALIA  Contributing Editor

rom every direction it seems, children face danger to life and liberty and bear the highest consequences for global problems. This compilation illustrates where children are often the most vulnerable.

Migrants & Refugees Immigration authorities encountered more than 152,000 unaccompanied minors at or near the U.S.-Mexico border in fiscal year 2022, an all-time high. During displacement, refugee children face traumatic events or hardships: living in refugee camps, separation from family, loss of community, uncertainty about the future, harassment and long-distance travel on foot. Migrant children have also left families behind, fleeing domestic abuse, poverty, criminal gangs or corruption. Some migrant parents send their children across the border alone to avail themselves of asylum protections for unaccompanied minors.

Abortion More than 64 million children have been killed by abortion since the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Abortions increased by 5% between 2020-2021. New Jersey does not report its abortion numbers; neither do California, Maryland and New Hampshire. The highest reported in 2021 were Florida – 79,817, and New York – 63,487. SCOTUS’s Dobbs v. Jackson overturned Roe in June 2022, but abortions continue at a steady pace under state constitutions. Abortion was enshrined in state law in January 2022 by the New Jersey legislature and Gov. Phil Murphy.

An illustration depicts a human fetus in a womb. CNS illustration/Emily Thompson

A June Gallop poll found that record-high numbers were in favor of abortion in later stages of pregnancy; 37% of respondents supported second-trimester abortions and 22% supported third trimester abortions. Sources: National Right to Life, Gallup, ABC News, Centers for Disease Control, KFF.com, NJ.gov

A young female carries a child on her back as she along with others continue their trek toward the Darién Gap in Acandi, Colombia, July 9, 2023. OSV News photo/Adri Salido, Reuters

Children may be pushed to rely on smugglers to seek safety or opportunities, or to reunite with family members abroad; under these circumstances, a smuggler may turn out to be a trafficker who ends the journey in exploitation. According to the 2022 World Migration Report, 45% of all identified victims of trafficking had been trafficked across international borders. Sources: National Child Trauma Stress Network, International Organization for Migration, AntiSlavery.org, Council on Foreign Relations

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December 2023

Climate Instability Children’s bodies are developing physically, which can make them more vulnerable to climate-related hazards like heat and poor air quality. Children are developing emotionally, as their brains continue to grow throughout adolescence. Rising temperatures and decreased air quality affect kids by increasing asthma attacks and allergies, worsening pregnancy outcomes, creating food insecurity, increasing mental health problems and developmental delays. AT 2°C AND 4°C OF GLOBAL WARMING: Childhood asthma incidence is projected to increase between 4% and 11%, respectively, due to changes in air quality.

God Bless the Child Child Labor & Trafficking

War & Conflict

About 160 million children around the world are engaged in child labor: nearly half of them – 79 million children – work in hazardous conditions. Although concentrated in the world’s poorest countries (86.6 million in sub-Saharan Africa), labor trafficking affects every country in the world.

One in six children around the world – more than 449 million children – are living in a conflict zone.

POVERTY IS THE MAIN DRIVER BEHIND CHILD LABOR. Nearly 70% of child laborers work in agriculture; others work in factories, domestic service or forced labor via military service or child trafficking. Most hazardous forms of labor include slavery, prostitution, pornography, drug production or trafficking, debt bondage and other work that can cause A file photo shows a injury or moral corruption. 22,000 mural depicting child children are killed at work each year in labor. OSV News photo/ hazardous conditions. Shanshan Chen, Reuters 27% of trafficking victims are children. ILO reports that forced labor generated $150 billion in illegal profits per year; $51.8 billion in forced labor profits come from the Asia-Pacific region. 66% of child trafficking victims are girls. Forced to drop out of school to work can trap them in a cycle of extreme poverty and increased vulnerability. 99% of victims trafficked for sexual exploitation are women and girls. Traffickers use tricks to find their victims. Often, they will come to a village claiming to be recruiters for a large business, promising job training. Another ruse is a young man offering to accept a village girl with no dowry, a temptation for impoverished families.

Holy Land: Since the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, 33 children were killed in Israel, an estimated 40 Israeli children were taken hostage, and an estimated 5,500 children were killed in Gaza. Ukraine: More than 540 Ukrainian children have been killed and over 1,000 injured since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. A massive numA Palestinian girl wounded in Isber of children have been raeli strikes waits at Al Shifa hoskidnapped and taken back pital in Gaza City, Nov. 9, 2023. OSV to Russia; numbers are not News photo/Doaa Rouqa, Reuters known, but estimates by government authorities are approximately 300,000 – though Russia claims it has taken 700,000 for reindoctrinating. Yemen: During the 2014-2023 civil war, more than 11,000 children have been killed or injured. Syria: Between 2011-2023, Syrian regime forces and Iranian militias have killed more than 20,000 children; Russian forces have killed an additional 2,048 children. Loss and disruption can lead to high rates of depression and anxiety in war-affected children. The importance of family, its nurture and support, means that being separated from parents can be one of the most significant war ordeals of all, particularly for younger children.

Sources: International Labor Organization, WorldsChildren.org, WorldVision.org

A four-year-old Yanomami child, under care for malnutrition, is seen in a designated area for indigenous people on the grounds of the Santo Antonio Children’s Hospital in Boa Vista, Brazil, Jan. 27, 2023. OSV News photo/Amanda

A child from Ukraine waits for a bus going to the Netherlands in Beregsurany, Hungary, March 1, 2022, after fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. CNS photo/Bernadett

Perobelli, Reuters

Szabo, Reuters

Childhood cases of Lyme disease are projected to increase 79% to 241% – an additional 2,600 to 23,400 new cases per year. Flooding is projected to cause 1-2 million+ children to temporarily be displaced or lose their homes. Sources: EPA, Harvard School of Public Health

Attacks on schools and civilians leave children in constant fear, suffering from profound negative emotions. This constant state of anxiety can lead to bed wetting, difficulty falling asleep, nightmares, and strained relationships with their loved ones.

Children that have grown up surrounded by armed conflict may show aggression and withdrawal in their behavior with peers and family members. They may start fighting with or bullying other children. Sources: United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, SavetheChildren.net, news. un.org, statista.com

December 2023

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THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 33

We Believe

New York Auxiliary Bishop Joseph A. Espaillat, holding the monstrance before Father Jeff Kegley, served as a keynote presenter on the first day of the two day Charismatic Conference.

Bring One Back NJ Catholic Charismatic Conference engages prophets for Christ BY CHRISTINA LESLIE  Correspondent

ather John Gordon, secretary for evangelization and acting vicar for pastoral life of the Archdiocese of Newark, delivered a high-energy reminder to attendees at the 2023 New Jersey Catholic Charismatic Conference that “Jesus is truly here in the Eucharist; the action of the Mass becomes Bethlehem and Calvary at the same time.”

Attendees at the conference worship during Mass and hear Father Jeffrey Kegley entreat them to “Bring one back.”

Father Jeffrey Kegley, St. Mary, Mother of God pastor, celebrates Mass for "Behold Him!" the 2023 New Jersey Catholic Charismatic Conference held in the Middletown church Oct. 28-29. Matt Marzorati photos Mankind’s “yes” to the Holy Spirit began at the Annunciation of Mary, Father Gordon, one of the conference’s three keynote speakers, continued, and “when we say yes to this invitation, Jesus is in us … he is objectively present.” An appropriate response is to acknowledge the fact we are sinners; “come before him where misery and mercy meet, and mercy wins,” he said. The two-day conference at St. Mary, Mother of God Church, Middletown, had as its theme, “Behold Him!” It opened Oct. 28 and featured a keynote by Auxiliary Bishop Joseph A. Espaillat of New York. Gilbert Rodriguez, associate director of adult faith formation in the Archdiocese of New York, was a keynoter Oct. 29. Father Jeffrey Kegley, parish pastor and liaison of the of the Diocese of Trenton Catholic Charismatic Renewal, celebrated Mass and led a healing service and candlelight procession. In his presentation, Father Gordon emphasized that

To view photos from this event, go to trentonmonitor.smugmug.com and search for Charismatic Conference 34 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE

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December 2023

Continued on 46

We Believe

Msgr. Roldan lights the torches during the Oct. 28 Mass.

Torch bearers carry their newly lit torches at the conclusion of Mass.

Lighting the Way for Our Lord

Once again, the parishes of the Diocese of Trenton united in prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe as her light traveled far and wide around the Diocese and beyond. The 2023 Traveling Torch celebration commenced Oct. 28 during Mass in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton, where torches adorned with the picture of Our Lady were carried to more than 20 parishes throughout the four counties of the Diocese as well as parishes in Rahway during the month of November. The procession route will come to a joyous conclusion Dec. 2 as pilgrims walk from St. Mary of the Lake Church, Lakewood, to Holy Family Chapel, Lakewood, where Mass will be celebrated by Msgr. Thomas Gervasio, diocesan vicar general, with Father Javier Diaz, pastor of Christ the King Parish, Long Branch, as homilist.

A statue of the Blessed Mother, under her title “Our Lady of Guadalupe,” was prominently displayed in the Cathedral for the Oct. 28 Mass.

 For coverage of the Dec. 2 Guadalupe Torches procession, visit TrentonMonitor.com

Msgr. Joseph Roldan, Cathedral rector, in forefront, is pictured with the torch bearers in front of St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton, Oct. 28. The torches traveled to parishes throughout the Diocese during November and culminated with a closing Mass Dec. 2 in Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Lakewood. Hal Brown photos December 2023

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Young Catholics

Youth return from national conference

BY DAVID KARAS  Correspondent

The contingent from St. Isidore the Farmer Parish, New Egypt, attending NCYC are from left, Danny Waddington; Aniela Adamski; Zachary Adamski; youth ministers Dan and Jill Waddington, and Caitlin Waddington. Courtesy photo

ore than 30 teens representing four Diocese of Trenton parishes recently returned from Indianapolis after attending the biennial National Catholic Youth Conference, where they joined more than 13,000 young Catholics from around the country for a three-day program that included speakers, Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, music, worship and interactive exhibits. “NCYC offers participants an opportunity to have a true encounter experience with the Lord as well as connect with thousands of other young people who share in our Catholic faith and beliefs,” said Dan Waddington, diocesan director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries. “The amount of enthusiasm and excitement that is shared for living our faith, combined with the powerful prayer and sacramental experiences, can be transformative for all who participate. “Participants I spoke with told me how powerful the experience was and how they wished it didn’t have to end. They said it helped them grow deeper in their faith and for some to feel closer to God than they ever have before,” he said. ‘AN OUTPOUR OF MY FAITH’ One teen who found it transformative was Aniela Adamski, 15, a sophomore at Allentown High School and a member of St. Isidore the

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December 2023

Farmer Parish, New Egypt. She said her experience at the conference “was beyond (what) words can describe.” “It was so fulfilling and incredible to have an outpour of my faith in just one weekend,” she said. “I loved the faith everyone shared while also having fun.” Adamski said she has fond memories of the “jam sessions to great Christian songs,” the trading of hats and pins with other attendees, and the chance to meet other Catholic teens. “On a deeper level, I got to explore my faith through different breakout sessions, go to Confession, experience Adoration at the stadium, and attend Mass with thousands of other people,” she said. Adamski said she sometimes has found it difficult to relate to other teens because of her faith. “When people were having sleepovers over the weekend, I would be at Mass on Sunday morning. Although there was nothing wrong with that, I felt left out,” she said. “Going to NCYC and seeing thousands of teens who share a common belief with me as a Catholic was so impactful and even emotional. I was able to meet people from many different states, and I felt safe talking to them. I didn’t have to worry about being judged for what I said, and it really just brought me to remember what brought us all here, wanting to grow closer to our faith.” AN OPPORTUNITY FOR FAITH WITH PEERS Waddington said experiences like this are important for young Catholics. “These experiences are so important because they offer our young people an opportunity to experience Church and our faith with peers on a level that they never have before. It is fun, interactive, motivating, supportive, and most importantly a potential encounter opportunity with Christ that can impact their lives in a powerful way,” said Waddington. “I truly hope that the impact of this experience

Young Catholics

Pictured is the entire group from the Diocese who traveled to NCYC. Adult leaders in attendance include Father Kevin Hrycenko and Frank Babincock, St. Mary of the Lakes, Medford; John Keesler, St. Joan of Arc, Marlton; Jen Petrillo, St. Aloysius, Jackson, and Dan Waddington, diocesan director of youth and young adult ministries who also leads the youth group in St. Isidore the Farmer, New Egypt, along with his wife, Jill. Courtesy photo

for those who attended will spread in their parishes, and we can build an even larger delegations in the future.” This year’s delegation to the Nov. 16-18 event was 31 strong and included teens from St. Isidore the Farmer; St. Aloysius Parish, Jackson; St. Joan of Arc Parish, Marlton; and St. Mary of the Lakes Parish, Medford. Trenton teens missed the 2021 gathering due to the pandemic; the next NCYC will be in Indianapolis Nov. 20-22, 2025. “They hear from national-level speakers and attend several workshops, all aimed at helping them to deepen their faith. Young people come home fired up for their faith, with a deeper relationship with God, feeling like they are truly connected to our Church, and often can infuse excitement in their home youth groups and parishes,” said Waddington.

Siblings Zachary and Aniela Adamski of St. Isidore the Farmer Parish, New Egypt, get into the NCYC spirit. Courtesy photo

WHAT IS THE NCYC? The National Catholic Youth Conference is a three-day retreat for Catholic high schoolers and adult chaperones from across the United States. The conference aims for a life-changing experience that includes renowned Catholic speakers, Mass and Adoration, praise music, exhibits, catechesis, service and more. This year’s theme for the Nov. 16-18 event was “Fully Alive,” held in the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind. NCYC began in 1983 as a regional conference, with one session for the east coast and one session for the west coast, each of them drawing about 1,000 youth. In 1991 the event merged into a national conference, and has since grown to become the largest Catholic Youth Conference in America. Its mission statement is “In a distinctly Catholic setting, the National Catholic Youth Conference invites participants to encounter Christ, experience church, and be empowered for discipleship.” NCYC was created by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM), an organization committed to advancing the field of pastoral ministry to young people in the United States. Founded in 1982 at the encouragement of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, NFCYM’s mission is to support and strengthen those who accompany young people as they encounter and follow Jesus Christ. NFCYM provides pastoral formation through events of all sizes, educational webinars for ongoing development, a virtual membership for support and resources, and many other opportunities to develop youth and pastoral leaders across America. December 2023

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Viewpoint

Catholics and Jews and Jesus, the King

Pope Benedict XVI prays at the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest prayer site, in the Old City of Jerusalem May 12, 2009. The pope left a written prayer in a crevice of the wall. It appealed to God to bring “your peace upon this Holy Land, upon the Middle East, upon the entire human family.” OSV News photo/CNS,Catholic Press Photo

BY JAYMIE STUART WOLFE  OSV News

s we slide toward the end of another liturgical year and the Solemnity of Christ the King, war in the Holy Land is sadly dominating the headlines once again. So are reports of not just threatened but actual attacks against Jews around the world. To borrow from General Douglas MacArthur, it’s proof that old demons never die, and they don’t just fade away either.

 As Catholics, we owe a significant debt of gratitude to the Jewish people. But how should Catholics understand and interpret what is going on in our world? The persecution of Jews is one of humanity’s oldest surviving “hate crimes,” though I hesitate to use that term. Long before Christians were crucified, stoned, beheaded, or thrown to wild beasts, the Jewish people were an object 38 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE

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of scorn and discrimination. Oppression and deportation began as early as 605 BC, under the Second Babylonian (or Chaldean) Empire. Less than two hundred years before Christ, the Seleucids banned sacrifice, sabbaths, feasts, and circumcision and made owning a copy of their sacred writings an offense punishable by death. Things got even worse when Rome destroyed both the Temple and the city of Jerusalem in AD 70. And that was followed by Hadrian’s second-century attempts to outlaw all Jewish religious practice. What resulted from each of these periods was the uprooting of Jews from Judea and the establishment of significant Jewish communities throughout the ancient world. Separated from others by language, culture, creed, and the demands of Mosaic law, Jews were subject to all kinds of myths and suspicions. Perhaps worst was the misguided notion that “the Jews” should be held responsible for the death of Christ. Even though the Blessed Virgin Mary and almost all the first Christians were Jewish, this has been used as the underlying rationale for cruelty against Jews across the centuries of Church history. As Catholics, we owe a significant debt of gratitude to the Jewish people.

December 2023

Everything we believe is rooted in what God entrusted to and revealed through them. As Jesus himself reminds us in the Gospel of John, “Salvation is from the Jews” ( Jn 4:22b). Antisemitism has continued to rise around the world for the past decade, but what has unfolded since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israeli civilians demands our attention and response. This month, most of us likely didn’t observe the 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Nov. 9, 1938, “night of broken glass” orchestrated by Nazi leaders against Jews in German-controlled territories. That night, 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps. It was the first mass arrest of Jews. Kristallnacht signaled a change. Antisemitism that had been expressed socially and by words exploded in acts of terrorism and violence. October 7 may be our generation’s Kristallnacht. Our most important response is more personal than public. There is no room in Catholic hearts for hatred toward Jews. If we view God’s chosen people as enemies, if antisemitism is something we have been taught, we must repent of it. Of course, that doesn’t mean we should be silent about ongoing injustices in the Holy Land, or war crimes that may be committed by Israel or any other country. Nor should we harbor hatred toward Muslims or anyone else. Our calling is love. The world can be ugly, yet hope remains. Jesus Christ, King of the Jews, is also the supreme ruler of heaven and earth. He is still on the throne. His kingdom is justice and peace, and his reign eternal. And it can begin here and now in every human heart. Jaymie Stuart Wolfe is a sinner, Catholic convert, freelance writer and editor, musician, speaker, loving life in New Orleans.

Issues & Advocacy

Segments included in the new video for Pope Frances’ Prayer for December. CNS screengrabs/Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network

Pope: Places, mentalities must be more receptive to people with disabilities BY CAROL GLATZ  Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY • Making places more accessible for people with disabilities requires removing physical barriers and adjusting attitudes to be more open and inclusive, Pope Francis said. The Pope’s prayer intention for the month of December is dedicated to “people with disabilities,” and in his video message, he said, “programs and initiatives are needed that promote their inclusion.” The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, formerly known as the Apostleship of  “... creating Prayer, released the monthly pope video Nov. 28. a completely “People with disabilities are accessible among the most fragile among us,” he said. “Some of them suffer parish does rejection, rooted in either ignonot only mean rance or prejudice, which then marginalizes them.” eliminating “Civil institutions need to support their projects through access physical to education, employment, and places where they can express barriers.” their creativity,” the Pope said. But “above all else,” he said, “big hearts are needed.” “It means changing our mentality a little and opening ourselves to the abilities and talents of these people who are differently abled, both in society as well as in the life of

the Church,” the Pope said. “And so, creating a completely accessible parish does not only mean eliminating physical barriers,” he said. “It also assumes that we stop talking about ‘them’ and start talking about ‘us.’” “Let us pray that people with disabilities may be at the center of attention in society and that institutions offer inclusion programs that enhance their active participation,” he said. To view the video, go to thepopevideo.org

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Diocese Msgr. Thomas Mullelly celebrates the funeral Mass for Father Joseph Radomski in Sacred Heart Church, Manville. Screenshot photo

Father Joseph A. Radomski remembered as ‘one who heard the call of God and responded’ BY MARY STADNYK  Associate Editor

ather Joseph A. Radomski, who died Nov. 7 at age 88, was celebrated as a priest of the Diocese of Trenton who heard the call of God and responded . . . a man filled with grace who shared what he received with

others. “Father Joe is an example of what all of us are called to be,” Msgr. Thomas J. Mullelly, diocesan vicar for clergy and consecrated life, said during the Nov. 14 Mass of Christian Burial he celebrated in Sacred Heart Church, Manville (Diocese of Metuchen). Joining Msgr. Mullelly around the altar were several priests with whom Father Radomski had resided in Villa  “He spent Vianney, home for retired priests in Lawrenceville. a lot of his Msgr. Mullelly expressed the life serving condolences of Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., who could not atalmighty God tend the funeral because of the U.S. bishops meeting in Baltimore. completely Msgr. Mullelly said that he had and selflessly.” learned from Father Radomski’s personnel file that he wanted the focus of his funeral homily to be about the priesthood, rather than about him. “He was very self-effacing … I will be true to Father Joe’s request and talk about the priesthood,” Msgr. Mullelly said. “Priests are men – men like those chosen by Jesus, and they are

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Father Radomski stands next to a statue of St. John Vianney, the patron of parish priests located in Villa Vianney, the residence for retired priests of the Trenton Diocese in Lawrenceville. File photo not always perfect,” he said. But focusing on the importance of listening to the will of God, Msgr. Mullelly said, “Whatever God calls us to do, we need to take it seriously and do it to the best of our ability,” he said, and “Father Joe did that.” He served as a priest of the Diocese of Trenton for 62 years of his life, Msgr. Mullelly emphasized, adding, “He spent a lot of his life serving almighty God completely and selflessly.” Father Radomski was born in 1935 in Manville to the late Joseph Felix and Amelia Radomski. He was raised in Sacred Heart Church and attended St. Peter High School, New Brunswick, and prepared for the priesthood in St. Thomas College Seminary, Bloomfield, Conn. He continued in Immaculate Conception Seminary, Darlington, and was ordained a priest May 26, 1962, by Bishop George W. Ahr in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton. Through the course of his ministry, Father Radomski served in multiple parishes in the Diocese of Trenton, some which later became part of the Diocese of Metuchen at its foundation Continued on 66

Diocese

Deacon Bill Wilson remembered as a ‘model for us all’ BY MARY STADNYK  Associate Editor

eacon William “Bill” Wilson, former diocesan director of building and construction and a permanent deacon since 1991, allowed his faith “to permeate every aspect of life,” said Father Michael Hall, pastor of St. Gregory the Great Church in Hamilton Square.

 “His goodness had an effect on everyone who knew him.” Deacon Wilson, who served his ministry at St. Gregory, died Nov. 16, the day before his 89th birthday. “Everything about Bill and all that he did came with an easy and unpretentious humility,” Father Hall said at the deacon’s Nov. 22 Mass of Christian Burial. Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., was among those who shared warm

sentiments and memories about Deacon Wilson. Because of a prior commitment to celebrate Mass in Philadelphia, Bishop O’Connell sent a message of condolence, which Father Hall read. “Bill Wilson was a wonderful man and an exemplary deacon whose service to both the Diocese and the parish here has been a model for us all to imitate,” Bishop O’Connell wrote in his message. “On more occasions than anyone can count, Bill’s gentle personality and easy smile warmed the hearts of those who turned to him in need and drew them closer to the Lord. Bill was a treasured part of all our lives, and he will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him, especially here at St. Gregory Parish,” Bishop O’Connell wrote. MAKING THE FAITH HIS OWN In his homily, Father Hall focused on highlights of Deacon Wilson’s faith life and service as a deacon. He shared that Deacon Wilson had been a convert to the Catholic faith and, ultimately, he went on to make “that faith his own.”

In addition to presiding over countless sacramental celebrations and working with parish groups, he “returned the gift of faith that had been given to him Deacon William by leading others to Wilson the Church and his service in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults,” Father Hall said. “In every sense of the word, Bill was a good man, and his goodness had an effect on everyone who knew him,” Father Hall said, noting that he and Deacon Wilson shared many years of friendship. LIFELONG TRENTON RESIDENT Deacon Wilson was born and raised in Trenton and was a lifelong area resident. Following his 1952 graduation from Trenton High School, he became a carpenter’s apprentice with Carpenter’s Union Local #31 and quickly rose to a

Continued on 68

Father Michael Hall, pastor of St. Gregory the Great Parish, blesses the casket of Deacon William Wilson at the start of his Nov. 22 Mass of Christian Burial. Mary Stadnyk photo December 2023

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Diocese

Giving Tuesday a major vehicle for DOT Catholic school support BY EMMALEE ITALIA  Contributing Editor

or the sixth year running, multiple Diocese of Trenton Catholic grammar schools banded together for Giving Tuesday Nov. 28, encouraging supporters to donate and continue the mission of Catholic education. Created in 2012, Giving Tuesday began simply as an idea, encouraging people to give to what they love on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It is now a year-round, global phenomenon, comprising numerous nonprofits and millions of donors. At the local level, the campaign is part of the Diocese’s “Catholic Schools Have It All” initiative and is sponsored by the diocesan Departments of Development and Catholic Schools. As of publication, Giving Tuesday saw more than $56,000 raised in 24 hours. In the Chancery, members of the diocesan Department of Catholic Schools gathered Nov. 28 to watch donations tally live on LeadInFaith.org. A promotional video on the site features Catholic school students explaining what their education means to them; additionally, Christine Prete, director of development operations for the Diocese, speaks about her personal experience as a graduate of Catholic elementary and high schools. “I continue to embrace the teachings of my Catholic education every day of my life,” Prete said, “and I’m so thankful to my parents for providing me with a faith-based education. The Catholic Schools Have It All annual campaign focuses on engaging all our communities to better understand and support Catholic education in the Diocese of Trenton.” The program will continue throughout the academic year until July 2024, giving patrons the opportunity to ask employers and others to match their contributions. School principals wrote letters to accompany a direct mail campaign in early November, reaching out to past supporters, parents, alumni and parishioners in hopes of a generous response. Materials provided by the Diocese included Giving Tuesday stickers for each student, with spaces available for them to record good deeds they would do for their part. Meanwhile, online donors were encouraged to offer their time

42 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE

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December 2023

Specially made pencils with the “Lead in Faith” slogan. Staff photo Second grade students from St. Ann School, Lawrenceville, proudly wear their Giving Tuesday stickers detailing how they are making a difference in their school, their homes and in the world. Facebook photo

Diocesan Chancery staff participate in the building’s Giving Tuesday observance. Rose O’Connor photo volunteering or to post a prayer as part of their contribution. Several schools have moved to running their own annual campaigns independent of the diocesan program, which Prete acknowledged is part of the advancement goal for each school. “It is a privilege to partner with our grammar schools regarding their advancement efforts when needed,” she said. “We are currently helping 15 of our grammar schools with all administrative efforts, which can be costly and time-consuming when run in-house.”

Diocese

Conference zeroes in on cultural challenges, opportunities for connection BY EMMALEE ITALIA  Contributing Editor

“

e need space to get to know each other … Only in dialogue — and as Pope Francis says, only in the culture of encounter — do we get to understand each other’s inner culture.” Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Ruth Bolarte, keynote speaker, shared this insight and many others during the Diocese of Trenton’s “Walking Together as Church” conference Nov. 18 at St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Hightstown. The 50-some parish leaders of various ministries who attended explored the differences between cultural interpretations of behavior and styles of communication, which can sometimes be barriers to better understanding of people from diverse backgrounds. OBSERVING THE TERRAIN “It’s interesting to know the sea you are swimming in,” said Terry Ginther, diocesan chancellor and executive director of the Office of Pastoral Life and Mission, who shared statistics of the various cultures represented in the Diocese’s 97 parishes. Ginther stressed the understanding of an “intercultural” Church — one that recognizes and appreciates the tapestry of various expressions of the Catholic faith. “Step back and look at what culture means; it’s so much deeper than different foods, languages and dress.” Sister Ruth pointed out that the theological term “inculturation” speaks to the relationship between culture and God. “How do we experience God and manifest our spiritual life?” she asked. “As missionaries, we need to take into consideration the culture of the people we are working with. We are called to affirm the Gospel that is already in the culture,” but also to assure it aligns with Gospel values.

Participants had several opportunities for small-group discussions. One in particular addressed both old and new interpretations of the cultural mix of America and its Church. “What are you working toward in your parishes?” Sister Ruth asked. Formerly described as a “melting pot,” the parish is currently compared to different metaphorical images: a salad, a mosaic or a stew. Although all have some relevance, Sister Ruth pointed out, there are limitations. “The mosaic is not dynamic but fixed … the pieces are together, but not really mixed,” she explained. “The salad contributes various ingredients, but the limitation is that you can pick out what you don’t want.” In the stew metaphor, however, the ingredients remain distinct, “but they are changed through being together… because of our living together, I have changed.” CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AS STRENGTHS Sister Ruth broke down the differences between “enculturation,” adapting to the norms of society; “acculturation,” changes that occur from continuous first-hand contact with another culture; and “inculturation,” a theological term for one’s ethnic dimension intersecting

Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Ruth Bolarte speaks about various cultural groups in church communities. EmmaLee Italia photos with spiritual life. Ethnocentrism — judging others through one’s own cultural reference, thinking “my way is normal, their way is weird” — is part of being human, Sister Ruth noted. “Our job is to recognize that by self-reflection and engaging in dialogue.” One’s internal culture, she pointed out, can influence the way a person expresses their faith — either through a lens of collectivism, in which the group and relationships are prioritized, common in Asian and African cultures; Continued on 69

A parish catechetical leader responds to discussion questions at the Nov. 18 conference. December 2023

 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 43

Diocese

CCHD 2023 grants to help with emergency housing, driver’s ed, food insecurity BY EMMALEE ITALIA  Contributing Editor

hanks to the generosity of donors to the Catholic Campaign for Human Development in 2022, a total of $22,000 in grants were recently awarded to six social service agencies and parish programs in the Diocese of Trenton. Grant awards drawn from the 2023 collection will be announced in late 2024. This year's CCHD grant recipients are as follows: St. Vincent de Paul Society, St. Justin the Martyr Church Conference, Toms River: “Expanding Outreach to Area Most in Need” - $3,500 Funding will help provide training for volunteers via Family Promise of NJ, and to help replenish funds for rent / housing assistance. This SVDP conference works directly with Helpline, a phone outreach manned seven days a week, as part of a comprehensive program to help those help themselves through times of hardship. St. Justin Parish Conference has added the Barrier Island as part of its territory; the high rate of motels and substandard housing

has caused homeless people to flock to the Seaside area in hopes of affordable temporary housing. Helpline averages 50 calls per week, many from people that need emergency shelter. Good Counsel Homes, Inc., Secaucus: “Supporting Homeless Pregnant Mothers in South Jersey: A Pathway to Independence through Driving Education” - $3,500 The grant awarded will help pay for a driving school initiative for homeless pregnant mothers in Good Counsel’s maternity home in South New Jersey. With limited access to efficient public transit, homeless pregnant mothers often struggle to attend crucial medical appointments, work and educational institutions for classes. By initiating a driving school program, GCH can help ensure mothers can attend all prenatal and postnatal appointments, boost employment opportunities through the ability to drive to jobs, pursue educationand encourage independence. Mount Carmel Guild, Trenton: “Summer Feeding Families” - $3,500 Financial assistance will help MCG respond to summer hunger by filling a gap between SNAP benefits and the increased cost of food for families in the

Volunteers help to box groceries during the Mount Carmel Guild’s Summer Feeding Families program. File photo 44 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE

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December 2023

summer months, as well as offer families fresh produce. With children home from school and the meals it provides during the school day, family grocery costs increase by more than $300 a month during summer. The Guild will use funds to sustain the SFF project, which would benefit a minimum of 150 families. Mercy Center, Asbury Park: “Housing Matters” - $4,500 Funding provided will enable Mercy Center to fill a gap in services so they can help single mothers facing financial hardship and homelessness. The Housing Matters program is designed to assist single mothers who need immediate housing support; the grant will help more than 50 women and at least 50 children for the year, providing immediate housing assistance and a support system that includes counseling, financial literacy training, life-coaching, and employment readiness skill-building. Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) of Mercer County, Trenton: “CYO Bromley Center Food Pantry” $3,500 The grant will help Bromley Center’s food pantry maintain sufficient inventory of goods in Bromley’s Food Pantry to accommodate demand of 70-80 families per month, more than half of whom are children. The Center’s food pantry collects and distributes non-perishable and frozen food to income-eligible Hamilton Township families. The pandemic and its lingering effects have increased the number of families requiring monthly food assistance. Stock is obtained through monthly donations from NJ’s State Food Purchase Program as well as private contributions from individuals and groups. St. Vincent de Paul Society, St. Catharine Conference, Spring Lake: “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” $3,500 Funding will help with future projects including emergency assistance, outreach to shut-ins, Neighbor to Neighbor transportation assistance to medical and job sites, establishing a food bank and expanding outreach to assigned communities of Spring Lake Heights, Wall Township and Sea Girt.

Diocese

DIOCESAN

DATEBOOK

To learn more about these upcoming events in the Diocese of Trenton, visit TrentonMonitor.com and click on NEWS>DIOCESE. ONLINE, IN-PERSON SCHEDULE FOR ‘THE ART OF CATECHESIS’ IN 2024 “The Art of Catechesis” was created specifically for new and seasoned catechists and is available in both English and Spanish. All catechists are expected to be engaged in catechist formation and eventually obtain a Certificate in Catechesis. The class is a total of six hours and offered in a variety of formats – one all-day session or three sessions that are two hours each. All classes are offered in parishes throughout the Diocese as well as virtual. Topics that are covered include “The Role of the Catechist;” “Sources and Methods for Catechesis,” and “Tools and Practice.” In 2024, virtual offerings of Art of Catechesis will be available Jan. 4, 11 and 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. with presenter Mark Russoniello, parish catechetical leader in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold. A virtual offering will also be held May 16, 23 and 30 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. with Lisa Limongello, parish catechetical leader in St. Luke Parish, Toms River, and in the three parishes that make up the Catholic Community of Hopewell Valley. The schedule of upcoming Art of Catechesis sessions include Feb. 15, 22 and 29 from 7 to 9 p.m. in Holy Eucharist Parish, 520 Medford Lakes Rd., Tabernacle, with Donna Remaley, parish director of faith formation, serving as the

instructor. Also offered on Jan. 30 and 31 from 6 to 9 p.m. in St. Mark Parish, 215 Crescent Parkway, Sea Girt, with Diana Zuna Nieves, parish catechetical leader, as instructor. Also, a daylong session will be held June 15 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Bulman Center of St. Mary, Mother of God Church, Middletown, with Michelle Angelo-Santoro, associate director of the diocesan department of catechesis, serving as facilitator. To register, visit dioceseoftenton.org/art-of-catechesis. For questions, contact Angelo-Santoro in the Department of Catechesis at 609-403-7174 or mangelo@dioceseoftrenton.org. CATECHIST FORMATION WEBINAR JAN. 25 CATechist CHATS, a webinar series on catechist formation, features topics suggested by catechists based on feedback received from previous formation event evaluations. Offered by the diocesan Department of Catechesis, the one-hour webinars will highlight experts in the field who will provide a brief practical presentation about a specific topic in catechetical ministry. The presentation is followed by an opportunity for catechists to network, share thoughts and ask questions. The next webinar, “How Do I Teach Family Life?” scheduled for Jan. 25 from 7 to 8 p.m., will feature Enza Cerami, a professional speaker, certified catechist, licensed social worker, and teacher of Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. Cerami is the founder and executive director of Living Stones, Inc. For more information or to register, visit dioceseoftrenton.org/catchats.

DIOCESAN MEDIA BOOSTED BY DONATIONS TO CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGN The people of the Diocese of Trenton responded generously to a parish-level collection taken up last May to further the ancient Word of God in modern-day means. In a letter dated Oct. 12 sent by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s Office of National Collections, executive director Mary M. Campbell acknowledged a $39,968.51 donation to the Catholic Communications Campaign. In all, a total of $79,937.02 was collected in the Diocese when the CCC collection was held in May. Of that amount, half was forwarded to the USCCB and the remaining $39,968.51 remained in the Diocese. The Catholic Communications Campaign helps the Church spread the Gospel message in the U.S. and in developing countries using modern media tools to enlighten and inspire. The USCCB established the CCC collection in 1979 to to coincide with World Communications Day. Half of all collected funds goes to the USCCB for projects such

as production of faith-based documentary films and creation of multimedia content for key campaigns. The remaining 50 percent of donations will remain in the Diocese to subsidize communications and media outreach across digital, social and print formats. Locally, “there has never been a greater need for the Church to evangelize and educate using every form of available media,” said Rayanne Bennett, diocesan executive director of communications and associate publisher of The Monitor Magazine. The diocesan half of the collection, she added, “will help us continue our work in producing inspiring and informative content across our communications platforms – including our YouTube channel, websites, social media and our award-winning monthly publication, The Monitor Magazine. “We are very grateful to the members of this diocesan family for their generosity in supporting the work of Catholic communications,” she said. December 2023

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THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 45

The Monitor

CHARISMATIC CONFERENCE Continued from 34

repentance is a necessary part of receiving God’s mercy, because “mercy doesn’t come otherwise … repent, believe, receive. When I am emptied of me, I can receive Him.” In order to receive all the graces of repentance through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, one must lay one’s sins upon the altar and “be specific, for if you are vague, you will repeat the sins again,” Father Gordon said. Repentance has a rich history as a response to calamity, in modern times in this post-pandemic era, Father Gordon said. “We have seen the face of God and survived; Jesus has a human face first seen at the Nativity, and we must orient our lives for that glory,” he said. “If I can see God and live, how much more awesome it is, then,

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Pope Francis

Evangelization includes caring for the poor and the earth BY CINDY WOODEN 

This is one of many baskets filled with foods collected for a Thanksgiving food drive by the parishioners of St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold. Pope Francis speaks on how caring for the poor is a form of evangelization.

Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY • An effective proclamation of the Gospel must speak with hope to the real-life problems of the poor, to the need to protect the earth and to the ability of people of good will to change the social and financial systems that harm the poor and the environment, Pope Francis said. “Ten years after the publication of ‘Evangelii Gaudium’ (‘The Joy of the Gospel’), let us reaffirm that only if we listen to the often-silenced cry of the earth and of the poor can we fulfill our evangelizing mission, live the life Jesus proposes to us and contribute to solving the grave problems of humanity,” the Pope wrote to a conference marking the anniversary of his first exhortation. The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development organized the conference Nov. 24, the anniversary of publication of the exhortation, which was widely described as outlining Pope Francis’ vision for his pontificate.

 “Putting the poor at the center of one's concern is not politics ...” In his message to the conference, the Pope said the proclamation of the Gospel today – like it was for the Church of the first centuries – “requires of us a prophetic counter-cultural resistance to pagan, hedonistic individualism,” resistance “to a system that kills, excludes and destroys human dignity, resistance to a mentality that isolates, alienates and limits one’s inner life to one’s own interests, distances us from our neighbor and alienates us from God.” Being a “missionary disciple,” he said, means working for the kingdom of God

Facebook photo

by struggling for justice, providing food to the hungry and working for a fair distribution of goods. Putting the poor at the center of one’s concern, the Pope wrote, “is not politics, is not sociology, is not ideology – it is purely and simply the requirement of the Gospel.” The practical implications of that requirement could vary, depending on whether one is a government leader or a business owner, a judge or a labor union worker, he said, “but what no one can evade or excuse themselves from is the debt of love that every Christian – and I dare say, every human being – owes to the poor.” Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the dicastery, told participants, that the “joy of the Gospel” comes “from the encounter with the Risen Lord who, passing through the humiliation of the cross, takes upon himself the sin, weakness, miseries and poverty of the human race, so that all might share in his victory over death.” The joy of the Gospel, the cardinal said, gives Christians and the whole Church the grace, motivation and strength “to go beyond referring to its own self and move toward the margins,

MORE FROM POPE FRANCIS ON TRENTONMONITOR.COM:  God’s call to each person to be holy benefits everyone  Faithful should embrace silence, communication with God

in order to look right at that suffering humanity often considered as mere ‘waste,’ as inevitable and acceptable ‘collateral damage,’ as ‘necessary sacrifice,’ as an ‘offering’ owed to the idols of consumption.” Juan Grabois, founder of the Confederation of Popular Economy Workers in Buenos Aires, Argentina, told the conference about how he moved away from the Church in adolescence and young adulthood believing the Church to be “reactionary, hypocritical, accommodating and distant from the serious social problems of my country and the world.” Then, about 20 years ago, he heard the archbishop of Buenos Aires, the future Pope Francis, give a homily supporting the rights of the “cartoneros,” the people who lived off collecting paper and

December 2023

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THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 47

Church

At Shrine Mass, Bishop O’Connell speaks of graces from Mary’s intercession

Bishop O’Connell preaches his homily during the Mass he celebrated at the Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Nov. 22. Facebook photo

BY MARY STADNYK  Associate Editor

housands visited the Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Philadelphia Nov. 13-21 for a novena to Our Lady, and, at the closing Mass, Trenton Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., spoke of “all the great graces that are given to us through her intercession.”

 “The one to whom he became obedient continues to say ... ‘Do whatever he tells you.’” As the basilica shrine marked the conclusion of its annual novena, Bishop O’Connell reflected on the Miraculous Medal and “the miracles that come our way because of that medal — miracles and stories as different as each one of us in the shrine — miracles that all have something in common: They begin in God with a mother’s heart, with a mother’s love, with a mother’s faith, with a mother who brings us in all our needs 48 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE

known only to us and her, to the heart of her Son, to her Son who knows what we need before we even whisper or ask, and who, alone answers our prayers.” The basilica shrine is located in Philadelphia’s Germantown section and was built in 1875 to help spread the devotion to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Earlier in the 19th century in Paris, Mary appeared to St. Catherine Labouré, a member of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, and the visions led to the creation of the Miraculous Medal. Bishop O’Connell was invited to celebrate the Miraculous Medal feast day Mass Nov. 22, although the actual feast was observed Nov. 27. Because it falls on a different day each year, the basilica shrine schedules the feast day Mass for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. In his homily, Bishop O’Connell reflected on the day’s Gospel, which told the story of the Wedding Feast at Cana. Noting how St. John “makes a point of writing the ‘Mother of Jesus was there,’” Bishop O’Connell said Mary was present for all the pivotal moments in her son’s life — his first public appearance and first miracle, the first moments of his human life in his conception and

 December 2023

birth, and at the final moments of his human life, where she stood beneath the cross on Calvary.” “Before he died, as he glanced down through his tears, she became his enduring gift to St. John and to us all,” said Bishop O’Connell. “As his lifeless body was placed in her arms, through her tears, she could whisper: ‘This is my body, this is my blood.’ He was her Eucharist.” Though not much is known about the life of Jesus from age 12 to 30, there are references in St. Luke’s Gospel that indicate how obedient Jesus was to Mary and Joseph, said Bishop O’Connell. In turn, Mary asked the servants at the wedding feast to be obedient to Jesus, saying, “Do whatever he tells you.” “The one to whom he became obedient continues to say to us, ‘Do whatever he tells you,’” he said. Bishop O’Connell reflected on the relationship between mother and son, as they were both chosen by God the father for a mission to humanity, although with connected, yet different roles. Both were without sin, although living together and subject to sinners. Both had the same flesh and blood and human nature, although Jesus alone was divine.

Church

Catholic Sacred Music Project serves as resource for parish musicians BY EMMALEE ITALIA  Contributing Editor

he proverb “One who sings well prays twice” is often employed to encourage sung praise in the Christian tradition. In that vein, the Catholic Sacred Music Project hopes to provide a renewal of sacred music in the Church through the spiritual and musical formation of Catholic parish musicians. “We host intensive summer programs to give them the knowledge and skills to serve the Church more faithfully and to renew and develop its culture of sacred music,” said CSMP director Peter Carter, who is also music director in St. John the Baptist Parish, Allentown. Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., expressed his blessing and support of the CSMP in a recent letter to parishes of the Diocese. “The truly awesome and evangelizing power of sacred music carries with it a profound mission,” he wrote, pointing out that the pursuit of excellence was praised by the apostle Paul in Philippians 4:8. “It is especially commendable in relation to sacred music, since the Second Vatican Council teaches ‘the musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art’ (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, no. 112).” Founded in 2021, the Catholic Sacred Music Project is a collaborative effort of Carter and Dr. Timothy McDonnell, current music department head of Hillsdale College, Mich. “Both of us are active professional musicians, but we have distinctive musical perspectives,” Carter explained. Continued on 52

Peter Carter, right, stands with students of the CSMP 2023 Composition Institute in Alexandria, Va. CSMP's 2021 Philadelphia choral festival instructors, from left: Peter Carter, Sir James MacMillan and Dr. Timothy McDonnell.

Participants in the 2023 Conducting Institute for the Catholic Sacred Music Project rehearse in the chapel on Princeton University campus. Courtesy photos December 2023

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Church

US bishops’ meeting shows united front on mission but no clear synod action plan BY PETER JESSERER SMITH  OSV News

BALTIMORE • For two days, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops met in plenary assembly in Baltimore advancing key issues related to liturgy, living out the faith, including in the public square, and retooling the conference to better serve the Church’s mission. However, the bishops’ Nov. 13-16 meeting, which took place nearly three weeks following the conclusion of the global Synod on Synodality, also concluded without a common game plan for how bishops could get consultative feedback from their local parishes with respect to the synod’s “halftime” report before it reconvenes in 11 months. OVERWHELMING CONCENSUS At the assembly’s opening Mass Nov. 13, the bishops prayed for peace, with USCCB president Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services in the homily saying

BISHOP O’CONNELL: THOUGHTS ON THE ASSEMBLY

they asked for wisdom to help others embrace Jesus Christ, and noting the feast day of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first American saint, and herself an immigrant who championed care for immigrants. The public portions of the bishops’ plenary assembly Nov. 14-15 were marked with extraordinary unanimity as the bishops’ closed-door “fraternal dialogues” gave them time for face-to-face group discussions to work out contentious issues in advance of presentations and votes. The bishops approved a letter to Pope Francis, affirming their shared concern over global conflicts, his teaching on “ecological conversion,” and their commitment to prayerfully reflect on the Synod on Synodality synthesis report. In their addresses, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the U.S., and Archbishop Broglio offered contrasting viewpoints on synodality. Cardinal Pierre focused on Luke’s Gospel account of the risen Jesus revealing

The following is an excerpt from the Bishop’s reflection on the USCCB’s 2023 Plenary Assembly. To read the entire reflection, visit TrentonMonitor.com and click on Bishop’s Corner. Contrary to the prediction of some Catholic media, consideration of the Synod was not a major focus although updates were given … The Eucharistic Revival was addressed in detail. … I did find the presentation on the USCCB’s new initiative on mental health awareness interesting and important. I am eager to see how this initiative develops.

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., listens to presenters during the USCCB plenary assembly in Baltimore. Staff photo 50 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE

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I did not miss the unrelenting presence of the media from previous years. Their diminished presence does cut down on the grandstanding that used to occur and allows the bishops to speak more freely.

December 2023

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, during a Nov. 14, 2023, session of the fall general assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore. OSV News photo/ Bob Roller

himself to his disciples on the road to Emmaus as illustrating “precisely the synodal path in its essential elements: encountering, accompanying, listening, discerning and rejoicing at what the Holy Spirit reveals.” Archbishop Broglio shared his view that existing advisory structures in the U.S. Church, both at the diocesan and national level, are examples of existing synodal realities to “recognize and build on” while remaining open to “new possibilities.” Over Nov. 14-15, the bishops voted with overwhelming majorities on every issue: U.S. adaptations to the Liturgy of the Hours and liturgical drafts related to consecrated and religious life; national revised statutes for Christian initiation; and it also approved without controversy supplements to its teaching on faithful citizenship that reference Pope Francis’ 2020 encyclical letter “Fratelli Tutti” (“Brothers All”) while naming abortion as “our pre-eminent priority” among other threats to human life and dignity.

BISHOP O’CONNELL ELECTED CHAIR OF THE USCCB’S COMMITTEE ON CATHOLIC EDUCATION

The U.S. bishops voted to support the sainthood cause launched by the Archdiocese of New York for Father Isaac Hecker (1819-1888), founder of the Paulist Fathers. They also endorsed an effort to declare St. John Henry Newman a “doctor of the Church.” The bishops voted to reauthorize their Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism for two more years, discern its future place in the conference structure, and change rules so retired Chicago Auxiliary Bishop Joseph N. Perry, who is African American, could continue leading that committee. CHANGING LEADERSHIP The U.S. bishops elected Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City as secretary-elect of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and also elected chairmen-elect for six committees – education, communications, cultural diversity, doctrine, national collections and prolife activities – as well as bishops for the boards of Catholic Legal Immigration

 A plenary indulgence will also be available to anyone who participates in ... the national pilgrimage to the Eucharistic congress. Network Inc., or CLINIC, and Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. Church’s overseas relief and development agency. A surprise came when the bishops decided to punt approval of a pastoral framework for Indigenous Catholic ministry that they had commissioned four years ago in order to revise and revisit the plan at their June 2024 assembly. Outside the hotel where the bishops’ assembly was held, the Baltimore-based Defend Life organization held a Rosary rally led by Bishop Joseph E. Strickland. The event, however, was planned in advance of the bishop learning Nov. 11, just days before the assembly, that Pope Francis had removed him from pastoral governance of his Diocese of Tyler,

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Bishop O’Connell concelebrates the Opening Mass for the Annual Plenary Meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore. Staff photos Texas. About 125 participants, including some clergy and religious, participated. Bishop Strickland told reporters, including OSV News, that he was told by “the nuncio” – indicating Cardinal Christophe Pierre – not to attend the fall plenary meeting. He said he “respected the decision,” as well as his “commitment to be here for this prayer.” UPDATES ON EUCHARISTIC REVIVAL, MENTAL HEALTH Back in the bishops’ assembly, the prelates heard an update on the National Eucharistic Revival that it revealed to attendees of the National Eucharistic Congress July 17-21 in Indianapolis now have the option of purchasing single-day and weekend passes, among other provisions to make participation more affordable and flexible, including scholarships and increasing housing options. A plenary indulgence also will be available to anyone who participates in one of the four main routes of the national pilgrimage to the Eucharistic congress. The bishops also heard an update on the newly launched Institute on the Catechism. Some bishops advocated that instituting lay men and women to the new ministry of catechist would fill a need for authentic, well-formed witnesses to bring that “evangelizing catechesis” to others.

“I am humbled by the support of my brother bishops and I hope and pray I can be of service to the Church and its educational mission.” So said Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., upon learning that he was elected chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Catholic Education Nov. 14. Catholic bishops from throughout the United States are gathering in Baltimore for their fall plenary assembly from Nov. 13-16 during which they will have time for prayer, Mass and to discuss and vote on a number of issues pertaining to the Church in the United States. A high point of the assembly will be the bishops electing a new secretary and chairmen for six standing committees, of which the Committee on Catholic Education is one. According to the USCCB website, the Committee on Catholic Education “provides guidance for the educational mission of the Church in the United States in all its institutional settings. …The scope of the committee’s work includes Catholic elementary and secondary schools, Catholic colleges and universities, and college campus ministry. The committee advocates for federal public policies in education that are consistent with Catholic values and that uphold parental rights and responsibilities regarding education.” Bishop O’Connell brings a strong background and many years of serving in the ministry of Catholic education at various levels to his new USCCB position. Following his May 29, 1982, ordination as a priest of the Congregation of the Mission, then-Father O’Connell’s first assignment was as faculty member and director of student activities and in Archbishop Wood High School, Warminster, Pa., where he served from 1982 to 1985. While working toward his canon law degree, Father O’Connell also served as Continued on 73

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anti-Christian, anti-Catholic, than the divorce between spirituality and social liberation,” Grabois said. By his words and example, Jesus taught that Christians must love their neighbor and care for the poor. Cardinal Czerny said that if one were to print out everything the Pope has said and written in the past 10 years and weighed them, “I suspect that the spiritual, theological, ecclesial content is heavier than the social,” but the media tends to focus on his pronouncements on social issues without highlighting how they are connected. Dominican Sister Helen Alford, president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, told the conference that St. John Paul II was the first pope to teach that Catholic social teaching was part of Catholic moral theology – highlighting how faith has implications for the way a believer must live and act in society and not only in one’s personal life. “With St. John Paul, you get this idea (of social teaching) really coming into the center of the Church’s evangelizing mission. And not everybody’s understood that yet,” she said. By calling his exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium,” she said, Pope Francis is continuing to give a central place to the connections between faith and life, especially as they impact the poor.

SOCIAL TEACHING AN EVANGELIZING MISSION Continued from 47

other objects for recycling. The Pope, he said, has always advocated “for the poor, the excluded and the oppressed, be they individuals, groups or peoples.” “This aspect of his personality remained when he was elected Pope,” Grabois said. “Francis has continued to advocate for the poor just as before, but with more strength, with a strength that did not slacken, and his voice is heard all over the world.” Living in a way that cares for the poor and for the Earth will mean sacrificing some material comforts, he said, “but Francis tells us that if we fulfill this Christian mandate, if we fulfill it well, we will be happy, that this is where we will find Jesus again, that this is the wellspring of faith, that this is where the joy of the Gospel is to be found.” “He proposes that we exchange well-being for joy,” he said. “Evangelii Gaudium” is a document on evangelization, but it also advances Catholic social teaching, several participants noted. It shows the inextricable bond between the Church’s mission and care for the poor that goes beyond charity. “There is nothing more

SACRED MUSIC Continued from 49

Dr. McDonnell has served as music director of the North American College, Rome; head of the music departments in Ave Maria University, Florida; and The Catholic University of America, Washington. Carter also serves as music director of the Aquinas Institute, Princeton University, has given sacred music workshops in the U.S. and in France, and formerly hosted “Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast.” The project’s inaugural event was a 2021 choral festival at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, with Sir James MacMillan, Scottish composer and conductor, serving as festival conductor. The project sponsored a 2022 choral festival in San Francisco in collaboration with the Sacra Liturgia conference, and a conducting institute at St. John the Baptist. In 2023, the Catholic Sacred Music Project led a composition institute in Alexandria, Va., in collaboration with the Benedict XVI Institute, and a conducting institute at Princeton University. “As the organization grows, we hope to host events throughout the year,” Carter explained. The target audience includes active and aspiring church musicians, “though any interested musician

is welcome to apply.” The organization’s goal is to present the whole tradition of liturgical sacred music, including Gregorian chant, “as it was largely the sole music of the Catholic tradition for over a thousand years and continues to be the official music of the Roman Rite today,” Carter noted. The project also explores Renaissance polyphony as well as works by living composers. “Wherever the culture of sacred music has flourished, there has always been new musical composition,” Carter emphasized, “and we strive to promote this by training composers … and performing their music in the liturgies and concerts we host. All our events conclude with either a public liturgy or concert, and everyone is welcome to attend.” New events for 2024 will be available soon; for more information, visit https://sacredmusicproject.org.

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For most families with loved ones still held by Hamas, painful wait continues BY RICK SNIZEK  OSV News TEL AVIV • It’s a nightmare scenario that no parent would ever want to experience. Fifty days after her children were taken hostage, Hadas Kalderon did not see their names on the list of the first three rounds of released hostages. Finally on the list of the fourth round of the hostage release Nov. 27, she saw her children, who are returning to Israel from Hamas captivity. Two weeks after five members of her family were taken captive by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, two somber-faced members of the Israeli Defense Forces approached the home Kalderon has been staying at with a friend in Tel Aviv after hers was destroyed in the attacks. She told them to go away before slowly collapsing to the floor crying in grief. She couldn’t bear to hear the news. Shortly after 6:30 a.m. on Oct. 7, under the cover of hundreds of rockets

 “I’m a mom, I’m not a politician ... what I want is to save my children ... You can’t make war at the expense of children.” being launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel, the militants broke through the security fence separating several kibbutzim along the southeastern border with the Palestinian territory. Over the course of the next two hours, 29 of Kibbutz Nir Oz’s 400 residents would be murdered, and 80 would be taken captive and across the border, to be secreted somewhere in Gaza. Among them were Laderon’s two

Hadas, second from left, and Ofer Kalderon, second from right, pose in an undated family photo in Kibbutz Nir Oz, Israel, with their four children, from left, Sahar, now 16; Rotem, 19; Erez, 12; and Gaia, 21. Sahar and Erez along with their father were taken hostage by Hamas Oct. 7, 2023; while Kalderon's children have been released by Hamas, their father still remains in captivity in Gaza. OSV News photo/courtesy Hadas Kalderon

youngest children, son Erez, 12, and daughter Sahar, 16; their father, Ofer, 53; her mother Carmela, 80; and niece Noya, 12. Recalling the IDF’s visit she said: “I told them, ‘Go away, I don’t want to hear from you,’” Kalderon told a visiting reporter from the Rhode Island Catholic, newspaper of the Diocese of Providence. “Who are they going to tell me is dead? I don’t know.” “I was praying I don’t want anyone to die, but just not my children,” she said, crying. The day before, Kalderon had organized a party to mark her mother’s 80th birthday, complete with a festive chocolate cake adorned with two, huge glittery candles forming the digits of her milestone age atop it. That day, she would learn from the soldiers at her door that her mother and Noya, who was autistic, were found murdered in Gaza. The last communication with her children came in the form of a frantic text message from another home in the kibbutz as the attack unfolded. “They told me that they also have terrorists inside their house, and so they jumped from the window and were hiding in the bush. This was the last

message I got from them,” Kalderon said. At the time she was experiencing a nightmare of her own. The Hamas militants, with the group being designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., as it rejects Israel’s right to exist and has dedicated itself to the formation of a Palestinian state in the Holy land, had now raided her home as well. She described them as bloodthirsty, going house to house murdering and butchering residents, and even any cats or dogs they came across. “I was in a safe room, all alone for eight hours, in the dark, with no electricity, no phone, no information, no water, no food, no nothing. For eight hours I was holding the door because they came into my house and broke everything and tried to go inside, and also through the window,” Kalderon said. “I was sure I wouldn’t survive. I already prepared for my death. I said, ‘I’m in a jungle, I have to survive.’ I heard a lot of shouting and shooting, a lot of noise, a lot of Allahu Akbar (God is Great) and other Arabic words. It was a terrifying nightmare.” She held the doorknob to the safe room as tightly as she could, because the

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Spirituality

Awaiting His Arrival THE WORD

Father Garry Koch

DEC. 3  A NEW LITURGICAL YEAR REPEATS THE WARNING ABOUT THE END OF TIME Is 63: 6B-17, 19B, 64: 2-7; 1 Cor 1:3-9; Mk 13: 33-37

s we enter the Season of Advent we get caught up with the excitement and stress of the holiday season. The anticipation and excitement of children can be infectious as they impatiently await the arrival of Santa Claus. For parents and grandparents, especially in this economic environment, the anxiety can certainly outweigh the excitement. That which should be pleasurable is more stressful. Our Gospels now shift to the urgency and apocalyptic imagery of Mark. Instead of finding consolation in our stress, we are reminded that there is much work to do, that the Master is coming, and we have no idea how to prepare. DEC. 10  IN THE WILDERNESS IS WHERE WE BEST PREPARED FOR THE FUTURE Is 40: 1-5, 9-11; 2 Pt 3: 8-14; Mk 1: 1-8

eing driven into the wilderness is an important emotional and symbolic event in the life of the Church. Long before the dawn of Christianity the Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness being prepared to enter the Promised Land. After Jesus was baptized it was to the wilderness where he retired to be nurtured and tempted in preparation for his public ministry. When the Romans began to persecute the Church, the disciples fled to the desert in order to find protection and to experience the community which led to the building up of the Church. The wilderness is not primarily a place of seclusion, though at

times it has that immediate effect, it is always a time of preparation for the task ahead. DEC. 17  THE DARKNESS NEVER FULLY OVERCOMES THE LIGHT Is 61:1-2a, 10-11; 1 Thes 5:16-24; Jn 1:68, 19-28

ach of us has over the past several weeks noted how much shorter the days are growing. The late fall sky becomes gray and with the foliage all but gone, this time of the year can become very bleak. The darkness is all around us. The world of Jesus, much like our world, was in a spiritual darkness. Those attuned to the darkness sought out after the light, hoping that God was ready to act to rescue them from the despair and darkness of oppression. Many of us today seek to be alleviated from this spiritual darkness and to find consolation in the Light. Unlike the Jews of old, we know the Light, we just have to come to accept the Light and lead others towards it. DEC. 24  MARY IS THE ONE WHO BRINGS THE SON INTO THE WORLD 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8B-12, 14A, 16; Rom 16:25-27; Lk 1:26-38

he peculiarity of the calendar leaves us with a Fourth Week of Advent that lasts 24 hours. Mary as the Mother of God – Theotokos – evokes for us most clearly the image of Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant. The Archangel Gabriel tells Mary that: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” Here Luke sees Mary as enveloped by the shadow – or cloud – of the presence of God just as the Ark

Our Lady Star o f the Se a Church, Long Branch

of the Covenant was clouded with the shekinah, or the cloud of the Glory of God. By thinking of Mary in these terms we are called to reflect on the meaning of Jesus in the miracle of the Incarnation. Mary is the Ark precisely because Jesus is God. DEC. 31  EVERY FAMILY NEEDS AN ANNA AND A SIMEON Gn 15: 1-6; 21: 1-3; Heb 11:8, 11-12, 17-19; Lk 2:22-40

irtually every family has somewhere the spinster or widowed aunt or the unmarried or long widowed uncle who makes an appearance at holiday functions and other family gatherings. When we were children those seemingly ancient relatives always seemed to have an aura about them. The young couple, Joseph and Mary, come to the Temple to perform the duty of dedicating their firstborn son to God. There they encounter two of the sainted elderly prophets of the Temple – Anna and Simeon. Through the testimonies of these two witnesses a prophecy of the mystery of the Gospel emerges. Someday may we be recognized as the elder in our own families who has cherished the Word of God in our hearts. Father Garry Koch is pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel.

 To read extended versions of Father Koch’s columns, visit TRENTONMONITOR.COM>FAITH & CULTURE>YOUR FAITH 54 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE

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December 2023

Spirituality

Enrich the New Year with sacred time

n a winter visit to the local convenience store, I turned from the cash register and came face to face with a large display of chocolate Easter eggs. I paused for a moment to collect my thoughts. Didn’t I just start taking Christmas decorations off my front porch? Isn’t my Christmas tree still up and happily lit in my family room? THINGS MY FATHER TAUGHT ME Mary Morrell

It seemed we had just rocketed from the Birth of Jesus to his Death and Resurrection in the speed of light, a move only possible when we view time as linear. Sadly, our culture has us positioned on a timeline that moves from one income producing holiday or season to another with businesses promoting a sense of time that works to their benefit. But when we buy into that experience, we are allowing commerce and culture to hijack our faith and our spiritual nature. We need the resolve to take back time, and to make it meaningful, not just useful. For me, as the child of an Irishman who embraced the spiritual view of both his Celtic ancestors and his Christian faith, time has always reflected the ebb and flow of nature as a system created by God for our benefit. Life has its seasons,

as does nature, and humanity has always found ways to honor these life cycles with times of rituals, prayer and worship. Time is not meant simply for filling up our day planner, but requires space for the being, the opportunity to grow through prayer and reflection. Our spiritual health requires that we are attentive to the rhythms of time, the breaking of light into the darkness and our daily journeys through the valleys and to the peaks. In Laudato Si, Pope Francis writes, “The ear of the heart must be free of noise in order to hear the divine voice echoing in the universe. Along with revelation ... contained in Sacred Scripture, there is a divine manifestation in the blaze of the sun and the fall of night. Nature too, in a certain sense, is the book of God.” When I was growing up, the Church still celebrated Rogation and Ember Days, times of petition and thanksgiving focused on the harvest and the changes of the seasons, reminding us that the work of our hands is to be elevated to God. As we move away from an intimacy with the earth and are swept up into a commercial and technological ideology, we are losing touch with the meaning of time which God has placed in our hearts. We have become, as Thomas Merton once said, “sharecroppers of time.” The Trappist monk once offered a reflection on the need to give prayer the time it needs. He explained that the contemporary perception and use of

time was detrimental to the spiritual life. He shared an experience of going to the hermitage where, “one of the best things for me … was being attentive to the times of the day: when the birds began to sing, and the deer came out of the morning fog, and the sun came up… “The reason why we don’t take time is a feeling that we have to keep moving. This is a real sickness. Today time is commodity, and for each one of us time is mortgaged. We experience time as unlim-

 ...the Church’s liturgical calendar provides the opportunity to reclaim our sense of God’s time.

Niklas Rhose/Unsplash image

ited indebtedness. We are sharecroppers of time. We are threatened by a chain reaction: overwork–overstimulation– overcompensation–overkill.” Fortunately, through all the noise and din of a linear timeline of holidays and secular seasons, the wisdom of the Church’s liturgical calendar provides the opportunity to reclaim our sense of kairos – God’s time. Within the seasons of the liturgical year, our lives remain connected to and unified with the life of Christ, God’s love and mercy, and our opportunities to bring that love to our neighbors. In this new year, on every new day, we should allow ourselves to enter into the rhythm of life, to experience the transition from morning to evening to night, to feel the heartbeat of the seasons without measuring any of it with a clock or a schedule. Balance linear time with sacred time, so we may begin to regain a sense of peace and bring that peace to others. And remember the words of American poet, Carl Sandburg: “Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.” Mary Morrell is editor-in-chief of The Catholic Spirit, the Diocese of Metuchen’s Catholic publication.

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Spirituality

Can mistakes be made when it comes to private revelation? have a question on discernment of private revelations. I Q. Idon’t mean big ones like Medjugorje, etc., but individuals

who say they “have had a word from the Lord.” Couldn’t this be just their own opinion interpreted as God talking? (Ireland) this is a concern. With these kinds of more personal A. Yes, private revelations, we always need to be aware of the possibility that a person could be mistaking their own opinion for God’s will. The Church never expects us to take such revelations uncritically and at face value. Even the “big” approved private revelations such as Our Lady of Lourdes and Fatima are never obligatory for the faithful to believe in, despite being a recognized part of the life of the Church to the point of having feast days on the general liturgical calendar. After very careful objective investigations, the Church only ever acknowledges them as “worthy of belief ” – i.e., that we may believe in and follow them, not that we have to. Because very personal supposed private revelations like the one you mentioned do not go through any formal approval process, it’s important to regard them with a healthy skepticism. A technical term for such revelations, where a person has an interior sense of words coming to them, is “locutions.” Locu-

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tions are considered extraordinary phenomena. As such, they are not necessary to our life of faith – unlike the essentials of prayer, catechesis, growth in virtue and the Sacraments. In fact, St. John of the Cross, a doctor of the Church and one of our foremost authorities on the theology of the spiritual life, goes so far as to counsel those who think they are receiving locutions to basically ignore them! In his work “The Ascent of Mt. Carmel,” he goes so far as QUESTION CORNER to note that on Jenna Marie Cooper judgment day, OSV News God will call to task many of those who received (or thought they were receiving) locutions, because they neglected their actual obligations and duties of their state in life. If a person believes they are receiving private revelations, they should be mindful of the possibility that they may be misinterpreting their own interior experience on the one hand; or, on the other, of the danger of becoming prideful or letting their presumed locutions distract them from the normal responsibilities of a faithful Christian. It’s important for that person to bring up their perceived revelations in an honest and open way with a confessor or qualified spiritual director. And any spiritual experience that leads someone to commit a sin, or to disobey legitimate authority in the Church, or believe something contrary to the Church’s teachings, should automatically be rejected as a false revelation. That all being said, we as Catholics do believe that God can and does communicate his particular will for us in the unique circumstances of our lives, whether this being discerning our vocation or state in life or discerning how to apply the teachings of the Gospel in specific concrete situations. Another great spiritual master, St. Ignatius of Loyola (most famous as the founder of the Jesuits), wrote extensively on the process of discerning God’s will. St. Ignatius acknowledges the possibility that God might, in rare situations, make his will known in extraordinary ways, such as through locutions and visions. But it’s far more common that God will communicate with us in subtle ways and in the context of a regular and devoted prayer life. Namely, when we are striving for holiness and make a point to be open to God in prayer, we will know something is of God by the sense of peace we feel; and we will likewise know that something is not God’s will for us when it induces a sense of anxiety. Jenna Marie Cooper, who holds a licentiate in canon law, is a consecrated virgin and a canonist whose column appears weekly at OSV News. Send your questions to CatholicQA@osv.com. Questions about the Catholic Faith will be addressed on The Question Corner. To view the feature, visit TrentonMonitor.com>Commentary>Columns

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Family Life

The Incarnation and the meaning of life BY MARK RUSSONIELLO Special Contributor

sually in this column, thoughts are offered on a spiritual topic with some “tips” to help your family incorporate a particular practice or devotion into your regular routines. This month will be a little different. As we approach our celebration of the Birth of our Lord Jesus, you are invited as a family to look beyond the ordinary trappings of the season — lights, trees, gifts and even the manger scene — and consider more deeply what this “unique and altogether singular event” (Catechism of the Catholic Church) means for us. The dignity and sanctity of life is a central doctrine of our Catholic faith. This teaching is integrally connected to what we celebrate at Christmas. The Church refers to the birth of Jesus as the Incarnation. What does this unusual and mysterious word mean? The Second Vatican Council put it plainly: “The Son of God … worked with human hands; he thought with a human mind. He acted

with a human will, and with a human the Sacrament of his Presence. heart he loved. Born of the Virgin Mary, This Christmas, let us recall our he has truly been made one sharing in the great dignity of us.” God, the divine One, in which we are created. AT the perfect unity of the Let us be mindful that it is Trinity, the Creator of all through the Incarnation things, chose to enter fully that life receives its integral Making Faith Come into our human existence, and eternal value. Let us Alive for Your Family becoming one with us to reall, regardless of age or abilstore our relationship with ity, share the gift of Divine him and reaffirm our dignity being made life we have been given by reflecting it in in his image. Archbishop Paul Etienne of our own lives. EN Seattle said it well: And here is one “tip” to help your The Solemnity of the Birth of our Savior family participate in the miracle of the teaches us the origins and makeup of human Incarnation. When you set up your Haciendo que la fe in your home, as you place the dignity. Each of us is created in the image Nativity se mantenga viva and likeness of God, which means, we are images of the shepherds and Wise Men, en tu familia created for holiness. To be created in the add pictures of your own family memimage and likeness of God is to be created for bers. We are all called to stand at the love. The dignity of the human person means manger in worship, awe and adoration. sharing in the Divine life, sharing in holiness Adding pictures of yourselves at the and love. In the plan of God, this dignity is stable will remind you that the light and achieved through His Son, Jesus. Our human grace shining from the “newborn King” is dignity is realized by the love of God, which meant to fall on you, too. raises our human nature to the Divine May you all have a blessed and merry nature; to Divine life and love. Christmas. What greater gift can we receive than Mark Russoniello, D.Min, is the parish this? It is a gift that is renewed each time catechetical leader at the Co-Cathedral of we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, which is St. Robert Bellarmine.

FA IT H HOM E

FE CA SA

Faith at Home is a monthly column coordinated by the Diocese of Trenton’s Departments of Catechesis, Evangelization and Family Life, and Youth and Young Adult Ministry. For additional Faith at Home resources, visit dioceseoftrenton.org/faith-at-home. December 2023

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In the Parishes

As first-time pastor, Father Gentile prays to serve with humility BY MARY STADNYK  Associate Publisher

n the 11 months since Father Michael Gentile was first named administrator of Resurrection Parish in Delran, he immediately realized several key things. First, he understood that he was now assigned to lead a very close-knit and faith-filled community. He also was reminded of the importance of continually seeking help “from above,” and was grateful for the parish’s Adoration Chapel, where he will often spend time in prayer. “It helps me to constantly remember that God is in control, and it uplifts me to see people coming in and out of the chapel at all hours of the day and night. It shows that they, too, are relying on God, that they, too, know that they cannot do it, whatever it is, alone,” he said. It was with this deep understanding and appreciation for the Resurrection Parish family and their shared reliance on God that Father Gentile stood before a full church Nov. 4 to be formally installed as pastor by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M. “Today as we celebrate this Mass of Installation, it is my sincere prayer that I will continually strive to humbly serve all people of this parish,” said Father Gentile, who was formally appointed pastor July 1, 2023. The new pastor shared his esteem for Resurrection parishioners, stating, “They care very much about one another and the Church. They have been very welcoming to me, and I feel comfortable here, thanks to such wonderful hospital-

58 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., celebrates a Mass Nov. 4 in Holy Name Church, Delran, part of Resurrection Parish, Delran, during which he installs Father Michael Gentile as the new pastor. Joe Moore photos ity of the people,” he said. He noted that the parish, which in 2008 was formed from the merger of the former Holy Name Parish, Delran, and the former St. Casimir Parish, Riverside, currently has about 1,500 registered families and offers a number of ministries, including bereavement, Holy Name Society, Perpetual Adoration, Secular Franciscans and a St. Vincent de Paul conference. Ordained in 2017 by Bishop O’Connell, Father Gentile served as parochial vicar in the communities of St. Dominic Parish, Brick, and St. Thomas More Par-

Father Gentile administers the Eucharist to his father, Michael Sr., as his mother, Barbara waits in line.

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ish, Manalapan, before his assignment in Delran. As a first-time pastor, Father Gentile said he believes his formation in Immaculate Conception Seminary, South Orange, and past experiences as a parochial vicar have helped him to get a sense of what the faithful are yearning for in their lives. Father Gentile expressed appreciation to Bishop O’Connell for having the “confidence in me to shepherd the people of Resurrection Parish and, with the help of God, I will hopefully lead them closer to him.”

To read more and view a photo gallery, go to TrentonMonitor.com and click on NEWS>PARISHES

In the Parishes

Shown is the exterior of Epiphany Church which is located on Thiel Road in Brick. File photo

Epiphany Parish opens 50th anniversary year BY CHRISTINA LESLIE  Correspondent

“

eflect On The Past, Celebrate The Present, Prepare For The Future” is serving as the theme of Epiphany Parish, Brick, which begins its 50th anniversary observance this year. The parish opened its golden jubilee Nov. 5 during a Mass celebrated by Father Michael Santangelo, pastor since 2013. The parish plans to host jubilee events throughout the upcoming year, such as parish picnics and a dinner dance, and will

culminate the milestone with a Mass of Thanksgiving next year. A brief history notes that Epiphany Parish was established as a new parish for the Herbertsville area Nov. 9, 1973, by Bishop George W. Ahr and Father Edward A. Reisser was named the first pastor. The first Mass was celebrated in St. Paul United Methodist Church on Herbertsville Rd. Dec. 1, 1973. Sunday Masses were celebrated in Lanes Mill School. Construction of the parish center began in September, 1980, and the first Mass in the new church was celebrated in November, 1981. “In looking to the past, we can see

Father Michael Santangelo greets parishioners who helped to found Epiphany Parish 50 years ago. Pictured, from left, are Mary Anne Radosti, Gladys Pizzi, Maureen McMahon and Father Santangelo. Mike Ehrmann photo

Father Michael Santangelo, pastor, celebrates the Mass that started off the parish’s 50th anniversary year Nov. 5. Mike Ehrmann photo the strength of faith of some of our founding members who are still a part of us today,” said Father Santangelo. He continued, “When I first arrived it was easy to see the big things that we were doing as a parish family: an Epiphany Feast that brings the community together; an incredible outreach with Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas presents for those in need. These big events are wonderful and are something to see. The longer I’ve been here, though, the more I’ve noticed the solid faith of many of our families … there are so many simple ways the people of the parish make a difference.”

For expanded story and photo gallery, visit TrentonMonitor.com> News>Our Parishes December 2023

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THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 59

In the Parishes

Forty Hours

serves as teaching tool on Eucharist for Holmdel parish BY MARY STADNYK  Associate Editor

orty Hours, the solemn, centuries-old Eucharistic devotion, was held in St. Benedict Parish for the first time, bringing parishioners and guests together for prayer, reflection and contemplation centering around the physical presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The Holmdel parish held the Nov. 5-7 devotion as part of its observance of the Eucharistic Revival, said Father Garry Koch, pastor. The devotion included Masses and private prayer, and different priests were invited to preach the homily or offer a reflection.

 “Ask Jesus to help you never to take his presence and his love for granted.” Father Mariusz Koch, a member of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal from the Newark Archdiocese, offered a reflection on the tremendous faith and Eucharistic devotion of Servant of God Walter Ciszek, S.J., whose 25-year imprisonment in the gulags of the Soviet Union were recounted in his book, “With God in Russia.” Father Daniel Kirk, a former parochial vicar at St. Benedict Parish who now 60 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE

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The Forty Hours devotion in St. Benedict Church, Holmdel, concluded with Mass celebrated by Bishop O’Connell on Nov. 7. At left is Father Garry Koch, pastor of St. Benedict Parish, and Father Gregg Abadilla, parochial vicar of St. Catharine-St. Margaret Parish, Holmdel. Joe Moore photo serves as pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Cinnaminson, talked about the power and meaning of the Eucharist in his own life. He reflected on a recent pilgrimage to Italy: He celebrated Mass in the church in Lanciano where a Basilian monk experienced the first documented Eucharistic miracle around the year 750. Forty Hours concluded with a Mass celebrated by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., who, in his homily, recounted highlights about the Eucharistic Revival, an initiative of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that aims to foster deeper devotion and knowledge about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Referring to the 2019 Pew Research Center’s study that revealed only one-third of Catholics understood and believed in the Real Presence, Bishop O’Connell said, “The Eucharist has been with and in the Catholic Church for more than 2,000 years since the Lord Jesus’ Last Supper, and the story hasn’t changed. “The bread and wine still become the Body and Blood of Christ and remain,” he said. “My sisters and brothers, the revival that is needed is here,” Bishop O’Connell said, pointing to his heart. “We need to give the Eucharist our thought and prayer. We are fortunate in our parish to have Forty Hours devo-

December 2023

tion, which provides us this opportunity to slow down ... to believe and adore and thank and beg,” the Bishop said. “Let me invite you to deepen your Eucharistic devotion, your commitment to the Lord Jesus. Ask Jesus to help you never to take his presence and his love for granted.” Father Koch said the Forty Hours was well received, including by students in the parish school – grades pre-K through eight – who experienced Adoration and learned how to pray in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Students from nearby St. John Vianney High School and their campus minister, Patrick Smith, spent time in private Adoration and prayed the Rosary together, and students from both schools gathered for Mass each day. Families in the religious education program gathered each afternoon for Adoration and the Rosary, he said. “[It] was an inspiration and encouragement in faith for those who were able to attend some or all of the services, or to just spend quiet time with the Lord,” Father Koch said. Bill Clark, a parishioner for about 25 years, said he came away from his first time participating in Forty Hours with “a renewed appreciation of the Eucharist and a deeper understanding about the Real Presence.”

In the Parishes

At St. Hedwig Mass, New York bishop reflects on humility of Christ as king BY MARY STADNYK  Associate Editor

he community of St. Hedwig Parish ended the liturgical year Nov. 26 with a pointed reminder of how “The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, summarizes the mysteries of our faith.” “That is precisely who Jesus is, and it is Jesus who we are going to adore at the end of time,” Auxiliary Bishop Andrzej Zglejszewski of Rockville Centre, New York, told the congregation gathered for the 11 a.m. Mass he celebrated in Polish. “We express our faith in the fact that he will come again, and this will be his final coming, opening the doors of the eternal kingdom of God,” the bishop said. Father Jacek Labinski, pastor of St. Hedwig, invited Polish-born Bishop Zglejszewski to celebrate the Mass for the North Trenton parishioners, many of whom are Polish and Polish American. The priest and bishop met last year

Auxiliary Bishop Andrzej Zglejszewski of Rockville Centre, New York, preaches the homily during the Mass he celebrated Nov. 26 in St. Hedwig Church, Trenton. John Batkowski photo while attending the 150th anniversary celebration of St. Stanislaus Parish in Manhattan. In his homily, Bishop Zglejszewski spoke of how Christ the King presents himself as the ruler of the universe in such a humble way, reminding people

that, through Jesus, God actually wants to be as close to people as they are with each other. “He chooses the human ways to be with us,” the bishop said, “and therefore, in order for us to meet Christ, we have to open ourselves to others.”

CONVEYING GRATITUDE THROUGH MUSIC WAS FOCUS OF CONCERT IN TRENTON CHURCH According to members of the Gospel Choir from Sacred Heart Parish, Trenton, they have much to be thankful for, and the best way for them to get their message across was to host a concert. On Nov. 19, the choir hosted a concert themed, "Give Thanks," during which members extended appreciation to their director, Rupert E. Peters, for his 14 years of service. It was also a time to acknowledge members who have been part of the music ministry since the choir was formed more than 50 years ago, and it also marked the first time the Gospel choir sang in the sanctuary of Holy Cross Church since the church became part of Sacred Heart Parish. “Music is a way of preaching the Gospel,” Peters said. “We are grateful that God has allowed us to sing his praise for all these years,” choir member Angela Dodson added in her opening remarks. Father Charles Muorah, parochial vicar of Sacred Heart Parish, Trenton, far left, and Along with Sacred Heart’s Gospel Choir, the concert Msgr. Dennis Apoldite, pastor, far right, pose for a photo with the parish’s Gospel featured a number of guest artists, musicians and praise Choir during the “Give Thanks” concert held Nov. 19 in Holy Cross Church, Trenton. dancers. Mary Stadnyk photo December 2023

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THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 61

Schools

Bishop O’Connell joins St. Peter School family for conclusion of centennial

year of St. Peter School celebrating 100 years in Point Pleasant Beach came to a peak Oct. 29 as the community gathered for a celebration Mass with Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M. SPS families participated in the Mass, with students processing behind decade signs, alumni serving as readers, and multigenerational families bringing up the gifts of bread and wine at the Presentation of the Gifts. Two generations of SPS graduates – including a grandmother who has been an SPS teacher for nearly 30 years – placed flowers before a statue of the Blessed Mother. TO READ MORE AND VIEW A PHOTO GALLERY, SCAN THE CODE

A student receives a blessing from Conventual Franciscan Father Robert Schlageter, St. Peter Parish pastor. Hal Brown photos In his homily, Bishop O’Connell said that love for the Church “is a mediating point between our relationship and love for God and for neighbor. … We come together today to celebrate that relationship and a very special occasion and milestone in the history of our Diocese and St. Peter Parish that has grown up around it: 100 years of loving God and loving neighbor through the Catholic education of our children in St. Peter School. From its early days, this parish has lived and shared the Gospel with our children.” “We are the first Catholic school to

Bishop O'Connell delivers his homily in St. Peter Church, Point Pleasant Beach, for its school's 100-year anniversary. 62 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE

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December 2023

be built in Ocean County, and to still be thriving 100 years later is a phenomenal milestone,” said Tracey Kobrin, St. Peter School principal. “Many of our students have parents and grandparents who attended St. Peter’s, and this speaks volumes about our school.”

LIMITING MEDIA ACCESS Continued from 28

but the classroom doesn’t function that way, so they don’t get the same feedback,” Briggs said. “It’s created a radically different classroom environment. It’s like something’s missing, they don’t feel validated, and it starts to pick away at how they value their performance in school.” PUTTING UP BOUNDARIES In efforts to combat social media’s interference, St. Gregory’s has implemented restrictions on students’ smartphone and smartwatch use. “The rule is ‘out of sight and turned off’ — if it comes out during school day, it’s a discipline violation,” Briggs explained. “They’re not allowed to use it during break time, recess or lunch.” He’s received some pushback from parents who use their children’s phones or watches to trace their whereabouts throughout the day. “I can’t just say ‘no’” to their presence, Briggs said, but he maintains that the technology must not be used by the students during school hours.

Community

SPORTS Don’t miss The Monitor’s SPORTS Sports coverage online SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS Newest basketball Hall of Fame SPORTS members grateful for CYO experience SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS BY RICH FISHER  Contributing Editor:

Pictured are some of the women and men who were inducted into the Mercer County Catholic Youth Organization during a Hall of Fame dinner Nov. 19. Carter Hillsdon photo

 CBA cross country team stamping itself as one of the best in program history

 CBA soccer caps ‘great year’ with third consecutive South Jersey championship battle

BY CARTER HILLSDON  Correspondent

The Hall of Fame dinner has become a tradition and a place for inductees and attendees to share their memories not only of youth basketball, but also how the Catholic Youth Organization has developed lifelong friendships and helped children and adults flourish, both spiritually and athletically. Members of the Catholic community across Mercer County gathered for the annual CYO Hall of Fame dinner Nov. 18. The annual dinner, which shines a spotlight on individuals who have contributed to the league’s success, added 12 new members to its highest honor and included former players, coaches and league organizers. As a player, coach, referee, and now a Hall of Fame inductee, Joe Smiegocki shared recollections of his days at the Trenton CYO since his teens. “I was there five days a week, 52 weeks a year,” he said. “When it was open on Saturdays, I’d be there.” As for what it has given him, Smiegocki says that he has been left with “the opportunity to meet a lot of great people and learn a lot of life lessons.” La’Keisha Sutton, a new inductee along with Smiegocki, noted that “the CYO is incredibly important because it gives us access and an opportunity to play.” Sutton also noted the importance of the schools’ hospitality, in particular St. Raphael School, Hamilton, where she would practice in the off-season during her time playing for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks. Sutton would go on to play professionally in Europe and eventually become a member of the Harlem Globetrotters. Memories of the CYO are still very fresh in her mind. “The referees were always so kind, the coaches were kind, and the atmosphere was always amazing,” she said. Another inductee, Khalid Lewis, played basketball at Trenton Catholic Academy, (now Trenton Catholic Preparatory Academy), Hamilton, where he led the varsity high school team to a victory over nationally-ranked St. Anthony School in Jersey City. Lewis described basketball as his passion during his induction speech. “There were moments where I really questioned if this was something I wanted to do, and the answer was always ‘yes,’” he said. The CYO is where Lewis began to develop not only his love for the game, but also his faith. “One thing we are always taught,” he emphasized, “is to trust in God.”

 St. John Vianney gymnasts win State Championships; four participate in individual competition

 Mercer County CYO opens 71st basketball season with Mass and awards

 Benevolent-minded ND girls are top seed in SJ Non-Public A Soccer tournament

New story every Friday!

Go to TrentonMonitor.com and click on NEWS>SPORTS.

Shown are the four gymnasts from St. John Vianney High School, Holmdel, who competed in the Individual State Championships Nov. 11 in Brick Memorial High School. From left: Dayton Stringer, Kate DeSimone, Christina Fallon and Giovannina Beltra. Hal Brown photo

December 2023

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YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS Continued from 25

can unwind, manage stress and practice self-care techniques,” Falco added. “The Wellness Room promotes stress reduction … and healthy coping strategies.” At Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville, teen mental health needs also are considered a top priority. The school has implemented a series of initiatives, including counseling resources; a crisis protocol for staff to recognize and respond to mental health concerns among students; Parent Academy presentations on mental health offered to parents; and several programs to engage students in positive ways around the subject of dealing with mental health challenges. One such program is Morgan’s Message Club, a new club that aims to “eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health, especially among student athletes,” said

Rebecca Magro, director of college and school counseling. “Facilitated by a coach and counselor, student ambassadors lead a group of peers working to raise awareness about the challenges that student-athletes face at our school. Together they hope to manifest change, eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health and save lives.” Another offering, Magro said, is the Virtual Calming room, which she describes as a website space “for students and families to find tools and strategies for managing emotions and feelings.” The site includes games, meditations, exercises, apps and other resources at www.ndnj.org/academics/ college-school-counseling/ virtual-calming-room. The school’s leadership continues to research other available resources that might be added to the initiatives currently in place for students. For the past six years, Donovan Catholic High School, Toms River, has offered a class on “Psychology and Physiology of Stress” directed

at young women’s physical, social and emotional health. “We offer a range of topics to educate our students to prevent mental illness and recognize and handle stress,” said teacher Carly Scallon. “We use scientific research studies on health and happiness and put the findings into practice.” One such practice was a “10 Steps to a Happier Life” activity, used as an outline for topics covered in class. “We made friendship bracelets with a word or multiple words that the ladies chose as a reminder of what they need more of or to focus on when the stress or anxiety starts to build up,” Scallon explained. At St. Gregory the Great Academy, Hamilton Square, staff are trained in first aid and suicide ideation response. The school also employs a full-time counselor – something principal Jason Briggs insists upon. “When something like [suicidal ideation or intent] is communicated, I drop everything,” he said emphatically. “I consider suicide prevention

A banner installed outside Red Bank Catholic High School greets students, staff and visitors with a supportive message. Courtesy photo 64 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE

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December 2023

part of our prolife mission.” That includes removing barriers to much-needed counseling. “Even when a parent admits help is needed, it can be difficult for them to get that help,” Briggs pointed out. “A lot of practitioners don’t take insurance; there’s often a long wait, and not always the highest level of care.” To address affordability for families in need, Briggs set up an emergency fund at the school to pay fee-for-service counselors. “It’s not millions of dollars, but we ask for donations when needed,” he said. STAYING VIGILANT In Catholic schools and their associated faith communities, solutions to youth mental health issues are multifaceted. The Office of the U.S. Surgeon General highly advises collaboration between parents and their children’s schools. “Adults in a school environment may be the first to notice changes in a student’s attendance, behavior and achievement,” writes Dr. Vivek Murthy, surgeon general, on the Health and Human Services’ website. “Good communication between home and school can be the first defense in identifying when intervention is needed.” A detailed look at youth mental health and multiple shareable tools is available at www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/youthmental-health/index.html. Meanwhile, the USCCB acknowledges on its Mental Health Novena page that now “is a time when people from many nations are seeking to raise awareness and remove the stigma around issues concerning mental health. … We encourage all to utilize a variety of resources, always keeping in mind Catholic teaching and recognizing that mental health is a universal human right.”

In Memoriam SISTER MARY ELIZABETH COLEMAN, SERVED IN MEDFORD, HAMILTON AND TRENTON SCHOOLS Funeral services were held Nov. 21 in Assisi House, Aston, Pa., for Franciscan Sister Mary Elizabeth Coleman, a former educator in the Diocese of Trenton, who died Nov. 14 at age 80. The former Sister Daniel Patrice had been a professed member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia for 58 years. She was born in Winchester, Massachusetts, and she entered the congregation in 1962 and professed her first vows in 1965. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in English from Our Lady of Angels College, now Neumann University, Aston, and a master of arts degree in pastoral counseling from Emmanuel College in Boston. Sister Mary Elizabeth served primarily in the ministries of education and social work, including 32 years in the Archdiocese of Boston; 10 years in the Trenton Diocese, and in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. In the Trenton Diocese, she taught junior high school in St. Mary of the Lakes School, Medford, as well as in Immaculate Conception School, Trenton, and St. Anthony School, both in Hamilton. In 2020 she moved to Assisi House, the congregation’s retirement residence in Aston, where she served in prayer and hospitality ministry until her death. Sister Mary Elizabeth is survived by her nieces and nephews, and her Franciscan family. Internment of ashes was in Our Lady of Angels Cemetery. Memorial donations can be made to the Sisters of St. Francis Foundation, 609 S. Convent Rd., Aston, PA 19014. ELENA ANN TORREGROSSA, FORMER EDUCATOR, PRINCIPAL, IN LINCROFT SCHOOL Elena Ann Torregrossa, who had a more than 50-year tenure in St. Leo the Great School, Lincroft, died Nov. 14 in her Middletown home. She was 86.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Nov. 18 in St. Leo the Great Church, Lincroft. Burial was in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Middletown. Mrs. Torregrossa was born in the Bronx, N.Y. She was the valedictorian in her graduating class from Mount St. Ursula High School, and attended Hunter College, New York City, where she pursued studies in education and administration. While at Hunter College, she met her future husband, Robert Torregrossa, who she married in 1960, and together they raised two daughters. Her teaching career began in a school in the Bronx where she taught kindergarten. After she and her family moved to Middletown, she joined the faculty of St. Leo the Great School, where she worked for 35 years, first as a teacher. After completing graduate and doctoral studies in Rutgers University, New Brunswick, she served as principal of St. Leo the Great School for two decades until her retirement in 2006. During her tenure in St. Leo the Great, she was proud to have taught her two daughters and then grandsons. She was also proud that under her leadership, the school received its first national Blue Ribbon honor. Mrs. Torregrossa is predeceased by her parents, Helen and Arthur DeMatteo; her husband, Robert, and son-in-law, James Berger. She is survived by her daughter, Suzanne Berger Tortorici and son-in-law, Jim Tortorici of Tinton Falls, and another daughter, Ellen Torregrossa-O’Connor and son-in-law, John O’Connor of Middletown, and six grandsons. Memorial donations may be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 222 Bloomingfield Rd., White Plains, N.Y., 10605 or www. give.cff.org/greater-newyork. SISTER IMELDA DOOLEY MINISTERED IN TRENTON DIOCESE FOR 33 YEARS Funeral services were held Nov. 28 in Assisi House, Aston, Pa., for Franciscan Sister Imelda Dooley who died Nov. 20. She was 91. A professed member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia for 72 years, Sister Imelda was born in Galway, Ireland. She entered the congregation in 1946 and

professed her first vows in 1951. Sister Imelda earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Neumann University, Aston, in 1974, and a master of arts degree in religious education from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Wynnewood, Pa., in 1984. She ministered primarily in elementary education and parish ministry in the Diocese of Trenton for 33 years; the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware, for 15 years, and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for 13 years. In the Diocese of Trenton, she taught in the former Blessed Sacrament School, Trenton; Holy Angels School, St. Anthony School, and McCorristin Catholic High School, all Hamilton. She also taught in St. Leo the Great School, Lincroft, and St. Rose of Lima School, Freehold. During her time in St. Mary of the Lakes School, Medford, she served as religion coordinator, and she served in parish ministry in St. John the Baptist Parish, Allentown. Sister Imelda is survived by her nieces, nephews and her Franciscan family. Burial was in Our Lady of Angels Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the Sisters of St. Francis, 609 S. Convent Rd., Aston, PA 19014. SISTER MARY CATHERINE GEIS, FORMER CATHEDRAL HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATOR A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Nov. 25 in McAuley Hall Health Care Center, Watchung, for Mercy Sister Mary Catherine Geis who died Nov. 18. She was 91. Sister Mary Catherine, formerly Sister Mary Kevin, was born in 1932 in Woodbridge. She attended the town’s St. James School; St. Mary High School, Perth Amboy, and Georgian Court College (now University), Lakewood, where she earned a bachelor of arts degree in music in 1954. After her 1954 high school graduation, she taught for two years in St. Cecilia School, Iselin. On Sept. 8, 1956, Sister Mary Catherine entered the novitiate of the Sisters of Mercy at Mount St. Mary, Watchung. She matriculated in Villanova University, Villanova, Pa., where she earned a master

December 2023

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THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 65

In Memoriam

OBITUARY INFORMATION  Additional obituaries will be posted to

TrentonMonitor.com>News> Obituaries as information becomes available. Continued from 65

of arts degrees in secondary education and in English. She also took courses at The Catholic University of America, Washington; Trenton State College, Ewing (now The College of New Jersey), and the University of San Francisco. Sister Mary Catherine taught in numerous schools throughout New Jersey, including Cathedral High School, Trenton. Following her 42-year teaching career, Sister Mary Catherine retired from teaching and became the administrative assistant to her community’s leadership team. In 2000, together with Mercy Sister Judith Ward, she became co-director of communications for the Sisters of Mercy. In 2008, Sister Mary Catherine became

a resident of McAuley Hall Health Care Center where she resided until her death. She is survived by her brother, Joseph (and his wife, Elizabeth) Geis and many nieces and nephews. Burial will be in Holy Redeemer Cemetery, South Plainfield. Memorial donations may be made to the Sisters of Mercy, 1546 U.S. Highway 22, Watchung, N.J. 07069.

FATHER JOSEPH A. RADOMSKI Continued from 40

in 1981. He was assigned as a parochial vicar in St. Joseph, Trenton; St. Mary of Ostrabrama, South River, and Sacred Heart, South Amboy. As pastor, he served in Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, Great

Meadows; St. Mary Parish, Perth Amboy, and St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish, Avon, (now part of St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish, Bradley Beach), from 1979 until he retired in 2006. He also served as temporary administrator in Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish, South Plainfield, and Holy Family Parish, Carteret. When Father Radomski celebrated his golden jubilee in 2012, he said in an interview with The Monitor that he enjoyed his 26 years in St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish and found the people to be “very nice and helpful.” He recalled the time when a fire broke out in church and its interior sustained significant smoke and water damage. It was from the ashes of the fire that he was able to rebuild and restore not Continued on 68

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THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 67

In Memoriam

Teenager Jillian R. Ludwig remembered for love of service, helping others BY MARY STADNYK  Associate Editor

mong the many things Jillian R. Ludwig will be remembered for was being a “loving and beautiful soul. She was so kind to everyone,” said Mary Reilly, director of the Catholic Youth Organization in St. Mark Parish, Sea Girt. Ms. Ludwig, a resident of Wall Township and former CYO member at St. Mark’s, died Nov. 8 from a stray bullet. At the time of her death, the 18-year-old was a freshman music business major at Belmont University, Nashville. “She was very smart — achieving high honor roll every semester in high school. She was musically talented — playing many instruments. She had a very loving concern for those suffering from hunger,” recalled Reilly, who was among the hundreds of mourners who attended Ms. Ludwig’s Nov. 16 Visitation and Nov. 17 Mass of Christian Burial.

HELPING DURING THE PANDEMIC

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

One of many memories Reilly

In his homily, Divine Word Father Continued from 66

only the original church, which seated 290 people, but was also able to construct an addition to accommodate another 200 worshipers as well as refurbish the church basement to provide meeting space for parish ministries and organizations. Since the addition was rebuilt during the Marian Year, all of the stained glass windows were replaced and dedicated to the Blessed Mother. The extra space provided by the project was especially necessary in the summer months when vacationers to the Jersey Shore would visit the church for Mass. In addition to his parents, Father Radomski was predeceased by his sister-in-law, Connie Radomski, and his nephew, Walter Radomski Jr. He is survived by his brothers, Walter Sr. of Manville; Stanley (and wife Dorothy) of Ewing, and Anthony (and wife Arlene) of Venice, Florida, as well as many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews; two aunts and many cousins. Father Radomski was buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery, Hillsborough. 68 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE

Miguel Virella noted that since he had only arrived as pastor of St. Mark’s in July, he did not have the chance to get to know Ms. Ludwig. Jillian R. Ludwig However, based on all he heard about her accomplishments, involvement in the parish — including involvement as a cantor and in various outreach projects, he said, “I believe this 18-year-old is able to teach us by her example and her witness to God’s love. “She was a passionate young lady who loved life and loved people. She was filled with love, and she loved to share with others,” he said. He acknowledged that Ms. Ludwig’s character reflected her upbringing in a home where values were instilled and where she found love, security and support.

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DEACON WILLIAM WILSON Continued from 41

journeyman carpenter. He advanced to become a foreman of area construction projects, many of which, including the Planetarium at New Jersey State Museum in Trenton, are still landmarks today. In the mid-1970s, he joined the faculty of Mercer County Technical School, and he also provided military construction support as a member of Seabees in the U.S. Navy Reserve for more than 10 years. During his career as a carpenter and in construction, Deacon Wilson worked as a superintendent for many years with Belli Construction. He later joined Martin House, a nonprofit organization in inner-city Trenton that helped people in Trenton realize their dream of homeownership. Through his involvement with the youth group in St. Gregory the Great Parish, he shared his skills as a facilitator on service trips to the Appalachian Mountains to build homes for those less fortunate. He and his son, Bill, began W. Wilson Construction, where they worked together for years

December 2023

recalled was during the pandemic. Since the teens could not meet at the church, they instead asked about doing service projects. Reilly set up Operation Esprits de Corps and the teens conducted food drives, interviewed doctors, nurses and clergy, and made greeting cards for nursing home residents. Reilly said Ms. Ludwig chose to collect seashells at the beach and decorate them with positive messages such as “Faith, Hope and Love;” “God Loves Us,” and “my favorite, ‘We Got This.’” Reilly noted that Ms. Ludwig displayed the shells on her front because the local park was closed. Reilly also noted that each year the CYO holds a Valentine’s Day Walk for Hunger, and the plan for the 2024 walk is to name it after Ms. Ludwig. The walk will benefit agencies, including the Missionaries of Charity Meals for the Homeless and projects that care for children rescued from human trafficking. Ms. Ludwig is survived by her parents, Matt and Jessica Ludwig, two brothers, and numerous relatives.

until Deacon Wilson retired in 1998. A SECOND CAREER Later that year, he joined the Diocese of Trenton, where he served as the superintendent of construction until his second retirement in 2015. Deacon Wilson was ordained a deacon by Bishop John C. Reiss May 11, 1991, in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton. In addition to his duties with the parish and community, he was a founder of the Trenton-based City of Angels addiction recovery community. Deacon Wilson was predeceased by his parents, Charles and Dorothy (Forrest) Wilson. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Cecelia C. (Battiste) Wilson; three children, Wendy (Michael) Beauchemin of Florence, William T. (Pamela) of New Hope, Pennsylvania, and Sharon Puglisi of Robbinsville; six grandchildren; five great-grandchildren, and a brother and sister. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Gregory the Great Parish, 4620 Nottingham Way, Hamilton Square, N.J. 08690, or City of Angels by visiting In Memory Of at inmemof.org.

WALKING TOGETHER AS CHURCH Continued from 43

or individualism, which starts with the well-being of the individual’s rights and opportunities, embraced by many Western cultures. “Both are OK – they are just different; both have strengths and limitations,” she said, noting that more work may need to be done to engage with people whose inner culture encourages them to seek group approval first or to save face by pretending that “everything is fine.” ENGAGING THE FAITHFUL Deacon Tom Garvey of St. Anthony Parish, who is proud of the work his parish is already doing to bring its different cultures together for shared events, said, “I see how much our Spanish community brings enrichment to the spiritual life of the parish, with their great enthusiasm and celebrations of their culture. “I would like to see more explanation – some background on what it’s all about – of what another culture is doing for different events,” he continued, pointing out that many English-speaking parishioners are unfamiliar with their significance. Kathleen McGrorry, youth minister and catechetical leader in St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish, Bradley Beach, said “What stood out to me was the [discussion of] ethnocentrism, where we judge others through our own eyes.” She also was intrigued by the topic of the “survival mode” many people from non-Western cultures enter when adapting to the Church in the United States. Moving forward, her ideas include “trying to meet people where they are, not just to include but to accommodate.” “Today I’ve been able to

recognize and accept that there are different ways not only to connect with the community, but with the Catholic Church overall,” said Ana Acatitla Cosme, religious education secretary and catechetical leader in Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Lakewood. Training opportunities like the Walking Together as Church conference are important, she said, because “you get to see that certain things you have been doing [in ministry] aren’t so normal for other people. I’m definitely taking some ideas back [to my parish], such as being able to [recognize how] people’s traditional and cultural events connect with the Catholic Church.”

ISRAELI FAMILY Continued from 53

reinforced safe rooms are designed to protect occupants from bomb attacks, not terrorist intrusions, while she prayed. “It was just me and God. I prayed. I could hear just the terrorists and the birds, nothing else; I remember that,” she said. The only proof she had that Erez, her son, was still alive, at least as of the date it was filmed, was a video clip released by Hamas of him being taken into captivity. “We saw that my son was picked up by two terrorists, carried away, with a lot of shouting. His face looked terrified and helpless and so confused,” she said of the video. They had been taken from their home still dressed in pajamas, as it was very early in the morning. Kalderon spends most days in Tel Aviv now joining other hostage family members in telling their stories to the media in order to keep the focus on those being held captive amid a destructive air and ground campaign being waged that has also killed thousands of

innocent Palestinians caught in the crossfire. She steadies her nerves with a cigarette as she worries about the safety of her remaining family in captivity, and how much violence they have been exposed to. The overall sentiment among Israelis is strongly in favor of removing Hamas from the power it has held in Gaza since it took control of the Strip from Fatah, the rival Palestinian political party, following a civil war in 2007, and has run it since as an autocratic state. But the families of those taken hostage are calling for a more pragmatic approach in order to protect the lives of as many as possible. “’I’m a mom, I’m not a politician, not an army girl, I just want to believe they behave wisely with good judgment, and they know what they are doing,” Kalderon said of the Israeli government, which she feels should exchange whatever number of Palestinian prisoners are asked for by Hamas to secure the release of the hostages. “What I want is to save my children. It’s not a game for children. You can’t make war at the expense of children. They are victims. We don’t know when it’s going to end.” Her son had already been experiencing panic attacks, the result of living under constant rocket attacks on Israel by Hamas, and she said she would sit with him for one hour each night as he fell asleep. “My girl and my boy are very sensitive children, very fragile, and I can’t even imagine what they go through,” she said. It is the unspoken that is Kalderon’s deepest fear. “My beautiful girl, she’s 16 and a teenager. Do you have children, do you have a daughter? Then try to imagine that,” she said. December 2023

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While Kalderon moved away for 10 years from Kibbutz Nir Oz, where she was born, she moved back there to start a family, despite the dangers of living in what’s called the Gaza Envelope. The “Envelope” describes the populated areas in Israel’s southern district just over 4 miles of the Gaza Strip border. Set peacefully amid agricultural land, in an area visited by the Rhode Island Catholic last December, Nir Oz offers open space for children to ride horses and bikes and to play soccer, activities that Erez, Kalderon’s son, greatly enjoyed in better times. Sahar, her daughter, loved to play guitar, and to dance. She also liked to play Ping-Pong and to draw. “Who’s going to calm my boy when he’s hysterical,” she asked. “It drives me nuts. It breaks my heart; I prefer not to think.” About 1,200 people of Israeli and other nationalities were killed, and about 240 taken hostage in the Oct. 7 attacks, including about 30 children. Over a 100 Israeli service members have been killed so far during Operation Swords of Iron. Israel began its response to the Oct. 7 attacks with an air campaign to eliminate Hamas resistance to protect the lives of the ground troops who would storm the Gaza Strip three weeks to the day later. Thousands of innocent Palestinians have been killed in the crossfire along with the intended targets, and Christian churches providing aid also have been damaged in the strikes. Over 14,500 Palestinians have been killed, including over 5,500 children since Oct. 7. While Kalderon’s children have been released by Hamas, their father still remains in captivity in Gaza. Rick Snizek is executive editor of Rhode Island Catholic, newspaper of the Diocese of Providence. He reported from the Holy Land. THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 69

SOCIAL MEDIA RISKS ABOUND FOR KIDS Continued from 28

through independent external audits, allow researcher access to platform data assets, and create substantial youth and parental controls to create a safer digital environment. Both bills were introduced with bipartisan support, which could augur well for their passage in both chambers. KOSA seemed to be on its way to passage last year but lawmakers ran out of time to consider it. With the threats against kids online a universal problem, some nations have made a bit more progress than the United States has in establishing effective safeguards. Great Britain passed a sweeping law in September to regulate online content, introducing age-verification requirements for pornography sites and other rules to reduce hate speech, harassment and other illicit material. The 300-page Online Safety Bill, which also applies to terrorist propaganda, online fraud and child safety, would require TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram to introduce features that allow users to choose to encounter lower amounts of harmful content, such as eating disorders, self-harm, racism, misogyny or antisemitism. STATE-BASED ACTION Some U.S. states are taking a stand as well to protect their youngest residents. A Utah law that will take effect next March will require that parents give consent for their kids to access social media outside the 6:30 a.m.10:30 p.m. window, and that social media companies build features enabling parents to access their 70 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE

kids’ accounts. The state has also sued TikTok, alleging that the platform misrepresents itself as independent of China and is designed to “hook users” into its endless feed. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said TikTok “illegally baits children into addictive and unhealthy use” with features that encourage young users to scroll endlessly in order to make more advertising money. Less than two weeks after Utah filed suit in October, 41 states and the District of Columbia filed suit against Meta – whose social media platforms also include WhatsApp and Messenger -- contending that the company knowingly used features on its platforms to cause children to use them compulsively, even as the company said that its social media sites were safe for young people. In another court case, a federal district judge ruled in November that discovery can proceed in a suit documenting individual cases involving hundreds of children and teens allegedly harmed by social media use across 30 states. The Big Tech defendants cannot claim that the immunity clause of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 shields them from complaints that social media platform designs are defective and harming children and teen users. While cases to wind their way through the courts, state houses and Congress, concerned parents and other adults can check out the Strong Catholic Family Faith Project, a collaborative effort by lay leaders working in dioceses in four states. The group has combed through an array of websites that make the case for the online safety of minors, and has its own page filled with links to the sites they’ve judged to be of the greatest 

December 2023

value. You can access that page at www.catholicfamilyfaith.org/ using-media-and-technology. html. Interested parties are also encouraged to contact their elected officials in Washington to advocate for the latest round of proposed legislation to protect children online. To learn more about KOSA, visit www.commonsensemedia.org and search for kosa-one-pager.pdf Mark Pattison, a freelance writer based in Washington, D.C., is the former media editor of Catholic News Service.

FAMILIES’ NEEDS FOR AID INCREASE Continued from 30

total visits to our food pantries over last year,” Arnold Valentin, who works with the agency’s community services, said in October, “and we still have more than two months to go. My program directors have said they are seeing more and more families with children coming in for assistance.” Nick Koumarianos, program director at Catholic Charities in Ocean County, reported that in 2021, the Ocean Food Pantry served more than 7,000 people. That number increased to more than 9,200 in 2022, and through September of this year, the pantry had served nearly 11,900. He said the number of families requesting help signing up for SNAP benefits also increased. GREATER CHALLENGES Roberto Hernandez, program director at El Centro, Catholic Chari-

ties’ comprehensive immigration resource center for Latino families in Trenton, notes that, depending on their immigration status, some families are not eligible for SNAP benefits. Hernandez said El Centro is seeing about 50 percent more families this year than last. “It used to be mostly individuals who came in looking for food. But now, we are seeing more and more families, parents with their children, coming in. In some cases, they are desperate,” he said. “We give them what we can, and we also give them a list of other places that are giving out food.” Father Javier Diaz, pastor of Christ the King Parish in Long Branch, states, “I clearly see the number of families in need increasing rapidly, and in many cases single mothers struggling to provide for their children. The cuts in government programs increase the number of families we assist through our social concerns and St. Vincent de Paul Society programs.” One way that they have been able to help alleviate some of the suffering of children is through a grant from the Bishop Ahr Foundation of the Diocese that enables them to buy diapers. When this grant is used up, they will not have the money to continue to provide diapers. Still, Father Diaz is confident that God will provide. He reflected, “Thank God, the Lord never abandons his people and he listens to the cry of the poor. In the middle of so much need the Divine Providence is always with us through cheerful givers. They are the presence of Our Merciful God as they encounter and serve the Suffering Jesus in the poor.”

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Arts & Media

Discovering Dickens’

other Christmas tale BY KENNETH CRAYCRAFT  OSV News

ew pieces of English literature are more closely associated with Christmas than Charles Dickens’ novella, “A Christmas Carol.” For many people, the stage production or its many literal or analogous film adaptations are more familiar than the book. “A Christmas Carol” has provided characters and turns of phrase known even by people who scarcely know of the story. Scrooge and his exclamation “Bah! Humbug!” are common tropes even apart from the context of Christmas. Christmas ghost stories are perennial traditions for some families. And how many people have prayed “God bless as, every one!”, the last words of “A Christmas Carol,” uttered by Tiny Tim Cratchit? But “A Christmas Carol” is only the most prominent of Dickens’ several Christmas stories, my favorite of which is “The Cricket on the Hearth: A Fairy Tale of Frontispiece of “The Cricket on the Hearth” by Charles Dickens, 1846. Public domain image Home,” published on Dec. 20, 1845. Other than by reference to the date of his blind daughter, Bertha, are similar to Bob and Tim Cratchit. its publication, it may seem odd to call “Cricket” a ChristCaleb is employed by the mean, ill-tempered, Scrooge-like mas story. It is set in late January. toyshop owner, Tackleton. John and Mary Peerybingle, at Christmas is never mentioned, whose hearth the cricket chirps, are this story’s Mr. & Mrs. Fezand the story is devoid of explicit  And I am ziwig (although the Peerybingles are more central to “Cricket” Christmas symbols or images. But giving nothing the message of “The Cricket on the than are the Fezziwigs to “Carol”). Unsurprisingly, the dynamic relationships among these Hearth” places it squarely within of the story characters are analogous to the interactions in “A Christmas any consideration of the spirit Carol.” And I am giving nothing of the story away to say that its of Christmas. The fundamental away to say ending is satisfying and joyous. It is, after all, a Christmas story. themes of “Cricket” are selflessthat its ending ness, sacrificial giving, and disinThe cricket from “The Cricket on the Hearth” is both an insect in the Peerybingle’s living room and metaphor for John terested gestures of love and grace. is satisfying and Mary’s hospitality and generosity. Along with the teapot, it The journey to the conclusion is supplies the chorus for the comedic dialogue and narrative of the filled with hardship, bewilderment and joyous. tale. and disenchantment. And the The cricket makes the Peerybingle’s house more than “four narrative is constructed around walls and a ceiling.” It’s the symbol of a hospitable and welan extravagant, mysterious surprise, carefully concealed and coming home. When the cricket stops chirping, “somehow the delightfully revealed. room was not so cheerful as it had been. Nothing like it.” For Many characters in “The Cricket on the Hearth” have charthe Peerybingles, it is a comforting companion; for Tackleton a acteristics that are strikingly similar to those in “A Christmas Carol.” For example, big-hearted toymaker Caleb Plummer and Continued on 73 December 2023

 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 71

Arts & Media Fiona Palomo and Milo Manheim star in a scene from the movie “Journey to Bethlehem.” OSV News photo/AFFIRM Films

Media Notebook:

Journey to Bethlehem BY KURT JENSEN  OSV News

hen viewing a filmed version of the Nativity, it’s best to keep in mind that the Gospels of Matthew and Luke are works of faith, not motion picture treatments. This means that all dramatic interpretations necessarily include non-Biblical elements. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be watchable. Cue the extra donkeys, lowing oxen, sheep herds in all sizes, nameless bystanders, angels that fly and others that remain earthbound. Mary and Joseph have been depicted in a wide range of ages, but King Herod mostly remains predictably evil. Happily pushing this envelope on all fronts is the new musical “Journey to Bethlehem” (Sony), directed by Adam Anders, who co-wrote the screenplay with Peter Barsocchini. Fiona Palomo is Mary, Milo Manheim is Joseph, the rapper Lecrae is the archangel  “This was Gabriel and Omid Djalili is a particuan idea larly comic Melchior, one of the Magi. As for Antonio Banderas’ Herod, I couldn’t his throne is encased in a giant stone lion’s head that sometimes shoots flames. let go of.” Bold, glossy and studded with cheerful production numbers, the movie as a whole has the look and sound of a lively pop-infused pageant, such as the ones televangelist Robert Schuller used to stage when he was in his prime. Joseph wants to be an inventor and make things “that could change the world.” He and Mary, portrayed here as teens, sing a duet in which each expresses doubts about marriage. Mary’s friends remind her that the joys of married life include shopping. Gabriel, beaming down to Earth, is a bit nervous and has to rehearse his lines before announcing to Mary, “You are more blessed than any other woman.” The three Magi have an especially lively song and dance routine – with high-kicking, no 72 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE

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December 2023

less – during which they remind Herod, to his barely concealed chagrin, that the Christ child, “will reign forever and ever!” Anders, the 48-year-old Swedish producer and composer (“Glee,” “Rock of Ages”), whose father was a well-known gospel singer in Sweden, wouldn’t have it any other way. “This was an idea I couldn’t let go of,” he tells OSV News. He’d nursed the idea for 17 years, and he only had 30 days to film it in Spain. “It was very fast and very stressful,” he recalls, especially since “there’s no overtime allowed in Spain.” So if there was a problem setting up a scene, “I had to find another way to solve it.” The goal was always “a colorful, fresh family musical to celebrate what Christmas is about,” made “for all denominations.” Anders’ favorite composition in the film is Mary’s emotional “Mother to a Savior and a King.” He scouted locations in Israel before visiting Spain, finding outdoor areas that look very similar to the Middle East. “A lot of the cast was local,” he notes. He saw King Herod as “a rock star of the age. I wanted him to be a total narcissist.” Small comedic moments throughout are very much intentional, Anders says. “You have to see what will engage an entire family. That means I can’t be too serious all of the time. We were reverent when we needed to be.” But retaining some humor – an unusual element in a Nativity picture – “was very important to me.” Anders also hopes audiences will respond to one of the moral lessons he tucked into the script: “God has bigger plans for you than you do for yourself.” That includes his own career, in which he originally thought he would remain a bass player before he branched out into composing. “We’re living in a very selfish time,” Anders observed. So he hopes grown viewers and children, especially, will realize that in his film, “Everyone does something for someone else.” “If you sit down and watch the movie and have a good time, then I’m happy,” he concludes. Kurt Jensen is a guest reviewer for OSV News.

BISHOPS’ MEETING Continued from 51

The bishops’ most sustained public dialogue took place over the mental health campaign launched in response to the “dire mental health crisis” in the U.S. with some bishops calling for more Catholics to enter the mental health field, educating seminarians and priests in properly referring people for counseling, or connecting people with mental health resources similar to the “Walking with Moms In Need” initiative. SYNOD FEEDBACK With respect to the Oct. 4-29 Synod on Synodality, the bishops heard about positive experiences from some of their delegates, particularly the value of the synod’s “conversations in the Spirit” as a model for carrying out regular conversational interaction among the Church’s members for the sake of the Church’s mission. However, by the time the plenary assembly concluded, the bishops did not seem to have any definite process or task force to help them engage the faithful in consultation on the synod’s 41-page report summarizing the body’s consensus, matters for consideration and priority actions. During a Nov. 14 press conference, Bishop Flores told OSV News he anticipates it will be discussed in June once bishops have taken the time to “let it sink in and read it carefully.” He said what the USCCB could do immediately was request guidance from the Synod Secretariat in Rome, on how to engage their local churches in a focused and relevant way “because the first responsibility of the bishops is to go back to their own people and to say these are some issues that impact us in particular.”

He indicated a synodal culture needs to take root in the local Church first – noting parish or diocesan pastoral councils are not used in some places since they are not mandatory – in order to discern what structures are needed to support it at all levels of the Church. The bishops’ showed a move toward deepening that kind of engagement by replacing the USCCB’s current strategic planning cycle with a mission planning process that would allow the conference to have defined regular responsibilities and the flexibility to focus on “mission directives that evolve after a process of discernment” that can be informed by bishops engaging in local and regional consultation. “I think it is more synodal,” Archbishop Broglio said in an interview with OSV News, “and I think that will be something that will make a difference in how we address issues and concerns of the Church in the United States in a different way, in a new way.” Peter Jesserer Smith is national news and features editor for OSV News.

Lewistown, N.Y. In the spring of 1998, Father O’Connell was named the 14th president of The Catholic University of America in Washington., D.C., a position he held for 12 years before being named Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton by Pope Benedict XVI in June, 2010. He was ordained to the episcopacy in July, 2010 and assumed the role of Ordinary later that year. Bishop O’Connell has directed much attention to promoting and strengthening Catholic education in the Diocese of Trenton. During his tenure, the Bishop has helped to raise money with special collections for Catholic schools and students; worked to launch the Catholic Schools Have It All marketing campaign and instituted the annual Catholic Schools Mass which brings together representatives of all schools of the Diocese to celebrate with their Bishop. He also instituted the first diocesan chapter of Catholic Athletes for Christ, an organization to promote spirituality among athletes competing in the Catholic high schools of the Diocese.

BISHOP ADVOCATE OF CATHOLIC ED

DICKENS’ BOOK

Continued from 51

registrar and assistant professor of canon law, theology and philosophy in Mary Immaculate Seminary. In 1990 he joined St. John’s University, Queens, N.Y., where he served in various capacities, including professor of theology and religious studies, associate dean, then academic dean of St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and assistant to legal counsel. In 1994, he also spent one year simultaneously serving as interim academic vice president of Niagara University,

Peerybingle fills the tea kettle in the outdoor fountain on a cold January evening, she sets the kettle on the fire. “In doing which she lost her temper, or mislaid it for an instant; for the water, being uncomfortably cold, and in that slippery, slushy, sleety sort of state wherein it seems to penetrate through every kind of substance . . . had laid hold of Mrs. Peerybingle’s toes.” Similarly, Dickens’s anthropomorphisms are a continuous delight. The kettle “wouldn’t hear of accommodating itself kindly to the knobs of coal,” for example. It “WOULD lean forward with a drunken air, and dribble … on the hearth. It was quarrelsome, and hissed and spluttered morosely at the fire.” The “sullen and pig-headed” kettle was defiant, “cocking its spout pertly and mockingly at Mrs. Peerybingle, as if it said, ‘I won’t boil. Nothing shall induce me!’” Delightful to the ear and eye as these and many other passages are, however, the virtue of its characters and the power of its narrative are what make “The Cricket on the Hearth” such a delightful tale. The story radiates the light of Christian charity, echoing themes of generosity and joy, focusing the luminosity of God’s gift to man in the unique event of the Incarnation. God’s grace came to us through a Man and he calls us participatively to share that grace with one another. If that is the message of Christmas, “The Cricket on the Hearth” is a complete Christmas story. Kenneth Craycraft is an associate professor of moral theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and School of Theology in Cincinnati.

Continued from 71

noisome nuisance. Tackleton: “Why don’t you kill that Cricket?” John: “You kill your Crickets, eh?” Tackleton: “Scrunch ’em, sir.” Thus is Tackleton’s bleak house, by his own description, nothing more than “four walls and a ceiling.” Part of the contentment of reading “The Cricket on the Hearth” is the felicity of Dickens’s prose. For example, after Mrs.

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Fun & Games

SCRIPTURE SEARCH Gospel for December 10, 2023  Mark 1:1-8

GOSPEL

JESUS CHRIST

ISAIAH

PROPHET

SENDING

MESSENGER

YOUR WAY

VOICE

LORD

BAPTISM

SINS

JORDAN

LEATHER

WAIST

LOCUSTS

HONEY

WORTHY

STOOP

SANDALS

WATER

SPIRIT

Following is a word search based on the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday in Advent, Cycle B: The beginning of Mark’s Gospel. The words can be found in all directions in the puzzle.

TEST YOUR CATHOLIC KNOWLEDGE Answers on opposite page ACROSS 2 Son of Sarah 7 Catholic actor Wilson who did the voice for Marmaduke 8 Member of an order of St. 1

Angela Merici 9 Peter cut this off the soldier of the high priest 10 The Road to ___ 12 “___ My Way,” classic

8 9

12 13

15 16

22 23

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31 32

33 34

Catholic movie 13 Papal crown 14 The Infant of Prague, for one 15 Bishop’s hat (var.) 16 Symbol of the Holy Spirit 18 Honest incense? 20 Head of a monastery 22 Catholic actor Frawley’s famous TV role 23 First word in the name of Parisian basilica 24 Catholic star of “The Life of Riley” 26 Church runway 28 Church singers 29 Paradise 31 “___ gratias” 32 Jesuit who proposed the “Big Bang Theory” 33 “…is now, and ___ shall be…” 34 On the pale horse, his name was Death (Rev 6:8) DOWN 1 Nazareth, to Jesus

2 “…holy ___ so tender and mild…” 3 “___ Fideles” 4 Bureaucracy that assists the Pope 5 Place for nuns 6 Patron saint of Scandinavia 11 “___ Dolorosa” 12 Favorite food of Isaac (Gen 25:28) 16 “…and ___ our salvation, He came down from heaven.” 17 Biblical sea 19 Patron saint of children 21 A dove brought this branch back to Noah 22 ___ of the Lord 23 Holy 24 “___ the handmaid of the Lord…” 25 “___ My God to Thee” 27 Passover meal 30 St. Philip’s surname

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R RE EL ISGT IAOUURSA MN ET R•C HD AI NN IDNI GS E Rosaries, See our Leonardo’s RestaurantBibles, Patron Saint

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Leonardo’s Restaurant family owned and operated Robert Pluta HSG 2012 Brunswick Ave. (Business Rte. 1 South) Lawrenceville • 609.396.4466

Everybody Loves Magda!

To place an ad here, callcrossword 609-403-7153 OR email Answers to the puzzle. monitor-advertising@DioceseofTrenton.org

Thank you. December 2023

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Everybody Loves Magda!

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APOSTOLATE

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RELIGIOUS MERCHANDISE

RESTAUR ANT • DINING

Leonardo’s Restaurant

family owned and operated Robert Pluta HSG 2012 Brunswick Ave. (Business Rte. 1 South) Lawrenceville • 609.396.4466

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ALSO Jewelry, Candles, Irish Gifts & ReligiousItems Items Jewelry, Irish Gifts & Religious Candles, Gifts Irish 1669 Highway 33, Hamilton Square 1669 Highway 33, Hamilton Square, NJ 08690 Irish Gifts, Gifts forGifts Baptism, 609-586-9696 • www.crossandshamrock.com 609-586-9696 for Baptism, Communion, ‘Like us’ on Facebook Confirmation, www.crossandshamrock.com Confirmation, Weddings Mon-Wed. 10-6pm, Thurs. & Fri. 10-7pm, 10-5pm & &Weddings M-W: 10am-6pm • Th-F: 10am-7pm • SatSat. : 10am-5pm

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