The Virgin and Child, also referred to as the Virgin of Paris or the Virgin of the Pillar, is Notre Dame Cathedral’s most emblematic object. It was surprisingly spared by the fire on April 15, 2019, when it stood at the transept crossing, under the Cathedral’s spire. It was then housed in the church of Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois, near the Louvre, and, on Nov. 15, 2024, was carried in procession back to Notre Dame. OSV New photo/Trung Hieu Do, courtesy Archdiocese of Paris
MAKING THE MOST OF THE JUBILEE YEAR
Much preparation has been done for the start of the Jubilee Year in the Diocese the weekend of Dec. 28-29 and to help the faithful to have a fruitful and prayerful year.
A schedule of spiritual events and celebrations for people of all ages to participate in, whether they are on a diocesan level or in their own parish communities, is listed in a booklet that will be available online with a limited number of hard copies. More information about the Jubilee Year may also be found on the diocesan website at https://dioceseoftrenton.org/
All About Hope
This Christmas and throughout Holy Year, Catholics called to reflect hope to a weary world
BY RAYANNE BENNETT Associate Publisher
Just like the sentiments of JOY, LOVE and CHARITY … the feeling of HOPE has always been part of our experience of Christmas.
But this year, when Pope Francis inaugurates the Jubilee Year on Christmas Eve and opens the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica, hope takes on new life as our beacon to follow throughout the season of Christmas and in the months to come. That journey will unfold with parishes and dioceses around the world taking up the Holy Father’s call to be pilgrims of hope.
Here in the Diocese of Trenton, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., will begin this special year by celebrating Masses in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral in Trenton and St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral in Freehold. Throughout the Jubilee Year, hope will serve as a theme for conferences, campaigns and many programs and events engaging Catholics of all ages and walks of life throughout our four counties.
Pope Francis has focused on the subject of hope since he first announced the coming Holy Year this past May. He has reminded us that hope is a gift from God, and even in the darkest of times we must look for signs of hope. He wrote, “We need to recognize the immense goodness present in our world, lest we be tempted to think ourselves overwhelmed by evil and violence.”
He assures us that, “Christian hope does not deceive or disappoint because it is grounded in the certainty that nothing and no one may
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jubilee-year-of-mercy including answers to questions such as “How do I gain an indulgence for making a Jubilee Year pilgrimage?” “Why does the Church celebrate a Jubilee Year?” and the Jubilee Prayer.
Other highlights of interest to the faithful include the Solemn Opening Masses for the Jubilee Year that will be celebrated by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., Dec. 28 at 5:30 p.m. in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton, and Dec. 29 at 10 a.m. in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold. The Cathedral and Co-Cathedral
have been designated as the Diocese’s pilgrimage churches.
In addition, the Bishop also named four churches to serve as Holy Year sites – St. Joan of Arc, Marlton, in Burlington County; St. Anthony, Hamilton, in Mercer County; Our Lady Star of the Sea, Long Branch, in Monmouth County, and St. Mary, Barnegat, in Ocean County.
The Monitor will publish multimedia coverage of the Opening Masses and many other events throughout the year. Stay connected to TrentonMonitor.com.
‘Pilgrims of Hope’: Vatican prepares to welcome millions for Holy Year
BY CINDY WOODEN Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY • The celebration of a Holy Year every 25 years is an acknowledgment that “the Christian life is a journey calling for moments of greater intensity to encourage and sustain hope as the constant companion that guides our steps toward the goal of our encounter with the Lord Jesus,” Pope Francis wrote.
Opening the Holy Door to St. Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve, the Pope will formally inaugurate the Jubilee Year 2025 with its individual, parish and diocesan pilgrimages and with special celebrations focused on specific groups from migrants to marching bands, catechists to communicators and priests to prisoners.
he had chosen “Pilgrims of Hope” as the theme for the Holy Year.
“We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and farsighted vision,” the Pope wrote in a letter entrusting the organization of the Jubilee to Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the then-Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization.
The Pope prayed that the Holy Year would be marked by “deep faith, lively hope and active charity.”
Inside the Vatican basilica, the door had been bricked up since Nov. 20, 2016, when Pope Francis closed the extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy.
Dismantling the brick wall began Dec. 2 with a ritual of prayer and the removal of a box containing the key to the door and Vatican medals. The Holy Doors at the basilicas of St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major and St. Paul Outside the Walls were to be freed of their brickwork in the week that followed.
In January 2021, as the world struggled to return to some kind of normalcy after the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pope Francis announced that
A holy year or jubilee is a time of pilgrimage, prayer, repentance and acts of mercy, based on the Old Testament tradition of a jubilee year of rest, forgiveness and renewal. Holy years also are a time when Catholics make pilgrimages to designated churches and shrines, recite special prayers, go to confession and receive Communion to receive a plenary indulgence, which is a remission of the temporal punishment due for one’s sins.
Crossing the threshold of the Holy Door does not give a person automatic access to the indulgence or to grace, as St. John Paul II said in his document proclaiming the Holy Year 2000. But walking through the doorway is a sign of the passage from sin to grace which every Christian is called to accomplish.
“To pass through that door means to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord; it
is to strengthen faith in him in order to live the new life which he has given us. It is a decision which presumes freedom to choose and also the courage to leave something behind, in the knowledge that what is gained is divine life,” St. John Paul wrote.
Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed the first Holy Year in 1300 and decreed that jubilees would be celebrated every 100
The Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican is adorned with flowers in this file photo from May 9, 2024. The Vatican announced Nov. 25 that a webcam will be installed above the door for the Holy Year 2025.
CNS photo/Lola Gomez
years. But just 50 years later, a more biblical cadence, Pope Clement VI proclaimed another holy year.
Pope Paul II decided in 1470 that holy years should be held every 25 years, which has been the practice ever since –but with the addition of special jubilees, like the Holy Year of Mercy in 2015-16, marking special occasions or needs.
The Jubilee of Mercy had a special
Workers place on a cart a box that had been cemented into the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica at the end of the Jubilee of Mercy in 2016 during a ceremony in the basilica Dec. 2, 2024. The box was removed in preparation for Pope Francis opening the Holy Door Dec. 24.
CNS photo/Vatican Media
MORE ON THE WEB:
The multilingual jubilee website –www.iubilaeum2025.va – has been up and running for months and includes the possibility of reserving a time to pass through the Holy Door at St. Peter’s and the other major basilicas of Rome.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops also has a special section on its website – www.usccb.org/committees/ jubilee-2025 – with information about traveling to Rome for the Holy Year and for celebrating the special jubilees in one’s own diocese or parish.
focus on encouraging Catholics to return to confession, but the Sacrament is a key part of every Holy Year.
Pope Francis, in his bull of indiction for the 2025 Holy Year, said churches are places “where we can drink from the wellsprings of hope, above all by approaching the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the essential starting point of any true journey of conversion.”
A worker replaces the cobblestones – called “sampietrini,” meaning “little St. Peters” – on Rome’s Borgo Pio, a street near the Vatican filled with restaurants, coffee bars and religious souvenir shops, Dec. 4, 2024. CNS photo/Cindy Wooden
The Pope also asked Catholics to use the Jubilee Year to nourish or exercise their hope by actively looking for signs of God’s grace and goodness around them.
“We need to recognize the immense goodness present in our world, lest we be tempted to think ourselves overwhelmed by evil and violence,” he wrote. “The signs of the times, which include the yearning
As we prepare to enter the Jubilee Year and focus on its theme, “Pilgrims of Hope,” The Monitor asked members of the diocesan family to share their thoughts on this key question:
What is your greatest hope this Christ
GABRIELLE BOSCO
Youth group member, Holy Eucharist Parish, Tabernacle
TDR. CASSANDRA T. BROWN
Parishioner, Corpus Christi Parish, Willingboro
here are many ways I can begin to answer the question, “What is your greatest hope this Christmas?” A lot of my own personal matters come to mind, since it is very easy to focus on ourselves at times, especially with the hustle of the Christmas season.
Although there is a lot I hope for, I’m placing my trust in God and his timing to handle the matters in my life, which brings my attention the hopes I have for others, and more specifically the Church. Over the past few years, I have been involved in my parish’s youth group and have experienced many amazing things there as well as been able to grow a family. My experience has been going to Adoration with the youth group; when the Lord touches all our hearts and reveals the love and healing provided for us through the Eucharist. This experience in particular has always brought our youth group closer together, and that is a kind of love, healing, comfort, support and joy that I hope everyone in the world is able to experience – that their hearts may be set on fire with God’s love, and that they are guided into a community that supports them and feeds their souls through the beauty of the Eucharist. I hope they get to know the love that is so powerful it brings them to tears, that they are able to see the world with new eyes, and that fills their hearts so full that they keep coming back to the Father.
I believe God can bring us together as one family, and that we can grow God’s Church with his love alone. That is what I hope for this Christmas, that the whole world may experience God’s love.
When asked, what is my greatest hope this Christmas, I think about my family. For me, on any occasion, but specifically at this time of the year gathering during the Christmas season has a special meaning to me.
At a very early age, my parents introduced my nine brothers and sisters and I to the tradition of coming together on Christmas Eve. In spite of their untimely deaths, we continued to gather to celebrate on Christmas Eve. However, with the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic, continuing to come together at the same time each year was difficult, but knowing how important this season is to all of us, we decided to look at other ways of bringing the family together.
First, we tried having a Zoom on Christmas Eve, but this lacked the personal contact and closeness we were accustomed to having. Zooms are fun, but for our family, it just wasn’t enough. Last year, we selected a new date and went to a local restaurant for a holiday dinner where we played games, shared special memories and just enjoyed being with each other. After this, we all agreed that coming together for dinner was an excellent decision. A new tradition is born!
As I look to this year’s Christmas dinner, my greatest hope is that we will always remember what our parents instilled in us so long ago – a sense of family and a sense of pride. Although the day has changed from Christmas Eve to different days during the season, we’ve come to realize that it doesn’t really matter when we celebrate, as long as we do.
FATHER MICHAEL KENNEDY
Pastor, St. Luke Parish, Toms River
As a new pastor my greatest hope this Christmas is that the parish of St Luke’s will grow in love and adoration of Jesus Christ. That goes for myself as well.
Throughout the year, but particularly in these special seasons, I’m always hoping to grow deeper in discipleship of Christ. Obviously, I’m concerned for my own salvation but also taking seriously the responsibility I’ve been entrusted with regarding this particular community as well as to the Bishop and the Diocese as a whole.
Ultimately, the joy and peace of Christmas and the celebration of Christ’s Nativity help me and hopefully all Christians to see that these are joyful responsibilities which will result in the greatest compliment we can wish to receive from God, “We’ll done, good and faithful servant... Enter into the joy of your Master” (Mt 25:21).
mas?
KAYLA LATENDRESSE
Member, St. Dominic Parish, Brick Freelance correspondent for The Monitor
Christmas is truly a special time to celebrate the miracle Birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and reflect on the blessings and gifts God has given us. The greatest gift we have received is not under the tree but lies in our hearts and souls and all of creation.
As the saying goes, we must keep Christ in Christmas and remember that Jesus is the reason for this most blessed and joyful season. Jesus reminds us that Christmas extends beyond just one day. Christmas is meant to be an everyday occurrence in our lives. Christ lives in each of us, and when we live each day as Jesus has called us, we celebrate Christmas, honor Christ, and carry out God’s work.
My greatest hope this Christmas is for everyone to open their hearts to be touched by God in a new, extraordinary way and not only grow in their own Catholic faith but also show God’s love and grace to others. Likewise, my desire is for everyone to embrace God’s countless blessings in their lives, use their precious gifts for the good of the world, and put their faith into action by giving to those in need and helping to share Christ’s teachings and the Word of God this Christmas season and every season of life.
Every effort we make for others is done in the presence of Christ. Every single good deed we do for others, even if we feel it is small, is enormous in the eyes of God and makes a difference in their lives.
I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a blessed holiday season. May God’s blessings continue to be boundless in your life and let us live out Jesus’ example today and every day.
FELIPE GARRIDO
St. Mary Parish, Barnegat
My wish for this Christmas is that parents love their kids, give them quality time, teach them respect and values, and teach them about God love, but not with words but way of life. That way a new generation will be better.
ASHLEY
HANNAH
4th grade, St. Jerome School, West Long Branch
My greatest wish this Christmas is for kindness. You should always be kind to others and it will come back to you.
4th grade, St. Jerome School, West Long Branch
My hope this Christmas is for everyone to remember to keep hope in their hearts. Jesus was born on Christmas Day to give us the hope of healing, the hope of peace and the hope of joy. I hope for my grandma with ALS to get better, I hope for there to be peace in the world and my final hope is to bring joy to those around me.
NANCY RHODES
St. Raphael-Holy Angels Parish, Hamilton
My greatest wish for Christmas this year is to spend time with family and friends. As my husband and I celebrate 50 years of marriage, I believe it’s important now more than ever to make cherished memories with our children and grandchildren, and to embrace God’s love of family as we come together to find the spirit of the holidays in our love, joy and laughter. As we celebrate the Christmas season, we remember it’s a time of sharing, giving and helping others as we anticipate and prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus.
Speaking with other members of the Elderberry Club (a senior club at St. Raphael-Holy Angels Parish) many were wishing for “peace in our world and an end to human suffering” (RP) and “that all people would treat each other with love, respect and dignity,” (CT) While another stated “My wish is that each of us experiences – even in a small way – the humility the awe, and the joy felt by the shepherds, keeping watch over their flocks on the Holy Night that Jesus was born.” (KW) While all responses are heartwarming this is the one that touched me the most. “My Christmas wish is that more people will
embrace Christmas as a religious holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus. My hope is that people will not hesitate to greet others with a loving Merry Christmas. Let’s inspire others to get in the spirit by displaying mangers/nativity scenes in our homes and send a card that contains the phrase Merry Christmas! Spread the Joy!” (GB)
Have a Merry and Blessed Christmas!
THERESA & MARK LABAJO
Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish, Hamilton
Our greatest hope for Christmas is to see our sons experience the joy of the season without the limitations of their medical condition. Hemoglobin-E/Beta Thalassemia is a blood disorder requiring them to undergo regular blood transfusions. When their appointments fall around the holidays, it can sometimes make it harder to fully enjoy the festivities. Our deepest wish is for a cure – so they can live healthier lives and embrace the holidays with the same energy and excitement that many other families do.
Beyond our own family, we hope that all those facing chronic illnesses or health challenges find healing, strength, and comfort this holiday season. We know many families are navigating similar struggles, and our wish is for them to experience the warmth of the season, surrounded by health, hope, and love. The greatest gift we could receive is the opportunity to celebrate together as a healthy, whole family, filled with gratitude for every moment we share.
Indianapolis museum ‘deeply honored’ its painting chosen for Christmas stamp
BY SEAN GALLAGHER OSV News
INDIANAPOLIS • Mary with the Christ Child has long been an iconic Christmas image for cultures and peoples around the world.
Starting more than 60 years ago, the U.S. Postal Service began annually issuing Christmas stamps featuring various classic artistic portrayals of the image.
This year, the USPS selected for this stamp a painting that has been in the collection of the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields in Indianapolis since 1938.
The “Madonna and Child” was created in the workshop of the Italian artist Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato in the 17th century.
didn’t know that its painting had been selected until the postal service’s public announcement regarding the stamps in August. But aware that the USPS was interested in one of its paintings led the museum earlier this year to conduct conservation work on the painting, which has not been publicly displayed since 1987. The museum now will have it on display until Jan. 31.
A student at Marian University in Indianapolis with a love of art and knowledge of chemistry contributed to the conservation work. In an internship that began at the Indianapolis Museum of Art in May, Marian senior Allie Miller analyzed the pigments used in the painting and the ingredients of its varnish.
Belinda Tate, the Melvin and Bren Simon director of the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, said she and the staff were “deeply honored” by having one of its paintings chosen for a Christmas stamp this year.
“This selection brings a beloved piece from our collection to a broad audience, allowing us to celebrate its beauty, historical significance and the spirit of the season,” Tate added.
The USPS has produced 210 million stamps featuring this painting. This is the first time that a work from the Indianapolis Museum of Art has been featured on a USPS Christmas stamp.
The process the postal service uses to select images for its holiday stamps is confidential, and leaders at the museum
A chemistry major and an art studio minor, she “walked into the internship just wanting to get any experience I could,” she said in an interview with The Criterion, Indianapolis’ archdiocesan newspaper.
“It’s hard to process how big this project is,” Miller said. “The stamp is going to be seen around the world. This is something that I will forever in some way have my name attached to.”
As a Protestant studying at a Catholic university, Miller also appreciated that she was able to work on an image expressive of the Christian faith.
“This is a stamp that will be nationwide. You’re spreading the message even further.”
Sean Gallagher is a reporter and columnist at The Criterion, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
For the image on the 2024 religious Christmas stamp, the U.S. Postal Service has selected this 17th-century “Madonna and Child” painting that has been in the collection of the Indianapolis Museum of Art since 1938. OSV News photo/courtesy U.S. Postal Service
Parishes offer spiritual support for bereaved When Celebrating is Hard
BY EMMALEE ITALIA Contributing Editor
When faced with the loss of a loved one, whether recently or long ago, what would ordinarily be a joyful time of year can seem insurmountable. Those struggling with grief may experience anxiety or fear over the thought of celebrating Christmas – and that’s what parishes aim to address.
“The word ‘bereaved’ comes from bereft, which is a sense of being robbed,” said Eileen Ziesmer, pastoral associate in St. Denis Parish, Manasquan. “There’s a sense, when focusing on the holidays and joy, of feeling more robbed than ever.”
Even the Holy Family had a difficult Christmas, she said: “St. Joseph probably felt like a failure, not being able to find accommodations for his family. … But it shows how beauty can still come out of something difficult.”
OPTING IN TO CHRISTMAS
The Hope for the Holidays Prayer Service at St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel, is one example of how parishes are meeting the bereaved with care and hope.
“If we get one person, we’re happy – that’s one person who’s being helped,” said Father Garry Koch, St. Benedict pastor.
For the past five years, Carol DeMuria, coordinator of the parish’s grief support group, has organized the service “because of the pain so many participants felt at this time of year,” she said. “It was very helpful to those who are facing the first year of holidays without their loved one.”
The parish hosted its most recent Hope for the Holiday service Dec. 3 for about 30 people, with guest speaker Kevin Keelen, a bereavement minister from Stephy’s Place in Red Bank – a free counseling service that tailors the needs of the participants. The service
Pexels image
Hope during holiday season
also included music, Scripture readings, prayers, and refreshments and fellowship afterward.
The evening “helps the grieving process, in that we give them ideas about how to change the holidays to face their new reality,” DeMuria continued. “We tell them that they have to go on with life and try to feel the joy of Christ in their lives.”
Ziesmer said St. Denis’ bereavement ministry continues with weekly sessions through Advent and most of the calendar year. In the time leading up to Christmas, she added, the focus shifts to coming to know the parish family in a new way and recognizing that this year might be a smaller, quieter celebration.
“... beauty can still come out of something difficult.”
“The Incarnation reminds us of how God is always with us,” she said, noting that if the bereaved opt out of the celebration, “you rob yourself of [what’s happening in] the present and you rob others of you. Your grief will always find you, and you’re always going to miss that person,” so the grieving are encouraged to “fill your life with the ways God wants to love you.”
WAYS TO COPE
The St. Benedict prayer service is promoted to all parishes in the immediate area. The service is open to all, including those who do not share the Catholic faith. As an extension of the parish’s bereavement ministry, the prayer service addresses the emotions that arise when the holidays and other life milestones show up on the calendar.
“Any holiday or special event – birthdays, anniversaries, death dates – can
trigger the bereaved,” DeMuria said. “This service really helps them with ways to change up their holiday traditions rather than canceling.”
Some suggestions include choosing to attend parties but driving one’s own car, offering the option of leaving whenever overwhelmed.
“We suggest they have everyone think of a funny story that they remember with the lost person,” DeMuria said. “The survivors want to talk about the deceased, but the family doesn’t want to – so we encourage them to suggest things like this to honor the memory of the deceased.”
The St. Denis bereavement ministry advises the grieving to “focus on how to own their grief … and to take small steps when it comes to celebrating,” Ziesmer said. “Have an exit plan. If 15 minutes is what you can handle, that’s fine.”
As in previous years, participants were offered a memento of the St. Benedict service to take home. This year’s offering was a stone inscribed with an inspirational verse.
“I tell them to keep that stone in their pocketbook, on the table during dinner, or when they are journaling to have it nearby,” DeMuria said, “and to hold it and think of their loved one.”
Ziesmer said many friendships have formed among those in the St. Denis bereavement group, such that they gather for holiday preparations at the parish rather than being home alone.
“I call them my holy helpers,” she said of the widows who come to decorate Christmas trees for the parish religious education program. “They didn’t want to decorate a tree at home – but it makes them happy to do it for others.” Activities like these can help the grieving “come to know the parish in a new way, as family.”
ONGOING RESPONSE
DeMuria said people who attend the prayer service “seem to really enjoy it,” and that it also introduces them to the
possibility of attending a small-group bereavement workshop run by Stephy’s Place.
“To date we have had over 100 people participate,” she said. “We take small groups of four to six … and run six consecutive weeks with a mixed group.”
The program also has group meetings for dinner, lunch or breakfast to keep people connected.
“These have been super successful, as many of our participants have become close friends and go out together – even on vacations sponsored by St. Benedict’s,” DeMuria said.
Offering the bereaved a spiritual lifeline, especially around the holiday season, parishes can be a catalyst for them to seek deeper healing via the small groups or another bereavement vehicle.
Everyone grieves differently, Ziesmer noted. “Our grief is as individual as we are; don’t assume they need what you need,” she said of family and parishioners looking for ways to support the bereaved.
“Always offer to talk and celebrate the person,” she suggested, “and try not to give opinions. Ask how they are doing and encourage them to talk about their loss how they want to. And don’t be upset if they don’t respond the way you want.”
Having a prayer community to lean on during the holidays can be a great help to the grieving. Mike Ehrmann photo
Pope Francis burns incense as he celebrates Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican in this Dec. 24, 2021, file photo.
CNS photo/Paul Haring
Pope to open Holy Year with full schedule of Christmas liturgies
VATICAN CITY • With the opening of the Holy Year 2025, Pope Francis’ schedule of liturgies in December and January has expanded.
The Pope, who will celebrate his 88th birthday Dec. 17, is not planning to skip any of his normal Christmastime Masses and prayer services but will add an early morning Mass Dec. 29 at Rome’s Rebibbia prison to open a Holy Door there.
Archbishop Diego Ravelli, master of papal liturgical ceremonies, published a list of the Pope’s Christmas season liturgies Nov. 25. With papal services already listed on the Vatican website, the papal liturgies for December and January include (times listed are local time in Rome):
Dec. 7, consistory for the creation of new cardinals at 4 p.m. in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Dec. 8, Mass with the new cardinals in St. Peter’s Basilica at 9:30 a.m. and act of veneration for the feast of the Immaculate Conception near the Spanish steps in Rome at 4 p.m.
Dec. 12, Mass for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Peter’s Basilica at 6 p.m.
Dec. 15, papal trip to Ajaccio, Corsica, including an open-air Mass in the afternoon.
Dec. 24, opening of Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica at 7 p.m., following by the celebration of the Christmas “Mass during the night.”
Dec. 25, Christmas message and blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world) at noon from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Dec. 26, opening of the Holy Door and Mass for the feast of St. Stephen at Rome’s Rebibbia prison at 9 a.m.
Dec. 31, evening prayer and “Te Deum” in thanksgiving for the past year in St. Peter’s Basilica at 5 p.m.
Jan. 1, Mass at 10 a.m. in St. Peter’s Basilica for the feast of Mary, Mother of God, and the World Day of Peace.
Jan. 6, Mass on the feast of the Epiphany at 10 a.m. in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Jan. 12, Mass for the feast of the Baptism of the Lord and the baptism of infants at 9:30 a.m. in the Sistine Chapel.
– Catholic News Service
The Nativity scene and Christmas tree decorate St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Dec. 17, 2021. CNS photo/Paul Haring
The Christmas octave: Continuing the celebration
BY D.D. EMMONS OSV News
For most people, the significance of events like Easter and Christmas cannot be absorbed in one day. It’s like trying to comprehend the grandeur of the Grand Canyon in a brief visit or St. Peter’s Basilica in one walk-through. It’s not possible. We have to return.
So it is with the Nativity and the Passion of Christ. We need more time to comprehend that Resurrection morning, more time to understand the virgin birth and God coming down to earth as man. As a result, the Church gives us seven additional days to contemplate these divine mysteries. These extra days on the liturgical calendar, eight in total, are the octaves.
Octaves can be traced back to the Old Testament, when certain celebrations such as the feast of Booths (Lv 23:33ff.) and feast of the dedication of the temple (2 Chr 7:9) lasted eight days. At one time there were 15 feast days on the Church calendar that included octaves, but since 1969, only Christmas and Easter are extended with the additional days of celebration.
The Christmas octaves were introduced into the liturgical calendar soon after the date of Christmas was established in the late fourth century. This tradition continues today with octaves beginning on Christmas and ending seven days later on Jan. 1. The liturgies on these days honor individuals who loved Jesus without question. Some are martyrs, others holy men, women and even infants; all gave their lives to the one who, like us, was born as a babe.
Every day of the Christmas octave is filled with meaning that reflects back on the Nativity – not just the birth of Christ, but the impact and reality of the birth.
DEC. 26: The liturgy on the day after Christmas tells us of St. Stephen – how he was stoned to death for speaking the truth about Christ and thus became the first martyr and the first saint. He gave up his life believing in the divinity of the child born on Christmas.
DEC. 27: This day we celebrate St. John the Evangelist, the same John who was the only apostle at Calvary, who laid his head on Our Lord’s chest and through his Gospel shows us how to live in the manner of Christ.
DEC. 28: The liturgy calls us to reflect on the Holy Innocents: children
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Advent & Christmas AROUND THE DIOCESE
St. Mary Parish, Middletown, is upholding its annual tradition of serving dinner on Christmas for people who might otherwise have to spend the day alone. File photo
Open to All: Middletown parish to host dinner on Christmas
A soup to nuts dinner to celebrate Jesus’ birth will be served on Christmas, Dec. 25, at St. Mary Parish, Middletown.
Held in the church narthex, the event is open to anyone looking to share Christmas with others, particularly those who might otherwise spend the day alone.
“No one should be alone on Christmas,” said Father Jeff Kegley, pastor of Saint Mary Parish. “The holiday is a time for love, connection and celebrating the Birth of Christ. We want to ensure that everyone, whether their family is out of town or celebrating with in-laws, has a place where they feel welcomed and loved on Christmas Day.”
The dinner is designed to be a warm and festive gathering for individuals, couples and families of all ages, Father Kegley said, noting that parish volunteers are preparing the holiday meal and the atmosphere will be filled with joy, music and the true spirit of Christmas.
“From traditional Christmas dishes to delightful desserts, every detail is being carefully planned to create a memorable experience for all,” he said.
Anyone wishing to attend the dinner is asked to make a reservation by Dec. 17 by calling 732-671-0071, ext. 221.
St. Mary’s invites parishioners or first-time visitors to “come home for Christmas,” Father Kegley said, adding that the annual Christmas tradition embodies the parish’s mission of love and fellowship, offering everyone a place to celebrate the holiday surrounded by the warmth of community and faith.
SPRING LAKE SCHOOL FOCUSES ON GENEROSITY
In St. Catharine-St. Margaret Parish, Spring Lake, the spirit of giving is alive and well with help from the St. Catharine School Dads Club and PTA.
Giving Trees installed in both parish worship sites – St. Catharine and St. Margaret Churches – as well as in St. Catharine School have been decorated with tags detailing requests for clothing, toys, crafts, games, gift cards and donations for needy children and families.
Students of SCS, pictured above, assisted
Hope
VIEW OF BETHLEHEM
Children of the religious education program in St. Isaac Jogues Parish, Marlton, along with Father James Smith, pastor, led parishioners in an Advent prayer service Dec. 1, complete with a living Nativity play. Facebook photo
with creating tags, while the Dads Club, led by SCS parent Bobby Jones, and their team of volunteers plan to deliver the resulting gift donations to The Madonna House, Mercy Center, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Lakewood, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, Asbury Park. St. Rose High School is also assisting with obtaining gifts.
Meanwhile, the school has also paired with The People’s Pantry, Asbury Park, to adopt some of the agency’s families this season. The agency is a nonprofit founded and run by Heather Egan since August 2020, and offers food, clothing, hygiene products, toys and fresh organic produce to members of the public in need on the first and third Tuesday each month at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Asbury Park.
DRIVE-THRU LIVING NATIVITY RETURNS
Jeff Siedlecki, coordinator of youth ministry in Holy Eucharist Parish, Tabernacle, drums up excitement for the parish’s Dec. 13 Drive-Thru Living Nativity. The family-friendly adventure, open from 6 to 9 p.m., will tell the story of Jesus’ birth with live actors and animals in scenes from the Nativity. Admission is free; Holy Eucharist is located at 520 Medford Lakes Road. Facebook photo
“The People’s Pantry has sent our school the wish lists for their families, and our students will purchase these gifts in the hopes of helping them,” said SCS PTA president Marybeth Thomas.
Additionally, following the school day on Dec. 12, students will visit The Arbors nursing home in Spring Lake Heights to provide Christmas caroling for the residents.
“We will visit each room and sing Christmas carols, while distributing candy canes and heartfelt notes,” Thomas said. “We had a similar event during Halloween called ‘Reverse Trick or Treating.’ Our students enjoyed crossing the generational gap and forming relationships with the elderly.”
ADVENT FELLOWSHIP AT MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY
On December 4, Father Carlos Castillo, chaplain of the Catholic Campus Ministry at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, gathered with students in the school’s Catholic Center to create Advent wreaths. After assembling the wreaths, Father Castillo blessed them. The evening concluded with food, faith, and fellowship, as the group came together to mark the beginning of the Advent season. Courtesy photo.
pass through the
Mercy in this file photo from Jan. 1, 2016. During jubilee years, Holy Doors are opened at the Basilica of St. Peter at the Vatican, and the Rome basilicas of St. Mary Major, St. John Lateran and St. Paul Outside the Walls. CNS photo/Paul Haring
Doors open during holy year
Continued from 13
of human hearts in need of God’s saving presence, ought to become signs of hope.”
Even in a troubled world, one can notice how many people are praying for and demonstrating their desire for peace, for safeguarding creation and for defending human life at every stage, he said. Those are signs of hope that cannot be discounted.
Pope Francis, in the bull of indiction, told Catholics that “during the Holy Year, we are called to be tangible signs of hope for those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind.”
In addition to individual acts of charity, love and kindness like feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger or visiting the sick and the imprisoned, Pope Francis has continued his predecessors’ practice of observing the jubilee by calling on governments to reduce the foreign debt of the poorest countries, grant amnesty to certain prisoners and strengthen programs to help migrants and refugees settle in their new homes.
Italy and the city of Rome are keeping one of the messier and tension-producing traditions of a Holy Year: Roadworks and the restoration or cleaning of monuments, fountains and important buildings. With the opening of the Holy Door just three weeks away, none of the major projects had been completed, but Mayor Roberto Gualtieri promised in late November that most of the roads would open and most of the scaffolding would come down by Jan. 1.
Archbishop Fisichella, the chief Vatican organizer of the Jubilee Year, said in late November that the Vatican had commissioned a university to forecast the Holy Year pilgrim and tourist influx. They came up with a prediction of 32 million visitors to Rome.
*Tickets are also available in-person in the church vestibule after some of the weekend Masses as announced. Pay with cash or check. Tickets will not be available for purchase in the parish business office nor over the phone.
People
Holy Door of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome after its opening by Pope Francis for the Jubilee of
New Netflix film presents the life of the Virgin Mary
BY KURT JENSEN OSV News
For those attempting to bring any part of the Gospel story to the screen, whether big or small, the four canonical accounts, as books of faith, prove to be of limited help. They’re not motion-picture treatments, and their descriptions of historical details and dialogue tend to be brief.
That’s why, ever since the first filmed versions of Scripture were produced more than a century ago, their makers have introduced non-Biblical characters, dialogue and subplots, using their own research and judgment about what will appeal to audiences. The aim is to make such narratives three-dimensional and relatable.
Now, that approach has been applied to Mariology – the theological study of the Blessed Mother – in “Mary,” an earnest drama that will be available for streaming on Netflix Dec. 6. Specifically, director D.J. Caruso and screenwriter Timothy Michael Hayes rely heavily on the “Protoevangelium of James,” a text generally dated to the middle of the second century.
While not recognized by the Church as inspired, the Protoevangelium is both Mary-centric and rich in particulars. It deals with the Virgin’s life even before her conception – which it describes as miraculous – introducing its readers to her elderly parents, Sts. Joachim (Ori Pfeffer) and Anne (Hilla Vidor).
They consecrate their daughter to God and, as a child (Mila Harris), she leaves home to live in the Temple in Jerusalem. As Mary grows up (Noa Cohen), her dedication to God steadily increases and matures. However, Caruso and Hayes have taken liberties with this source material as well.
The Protoevangelium has a nameless angel telling Anne that her prayers to become a mother have been answered. Now
he’s identified as the Archangel Gabriel (Dudley O’Shaughnessy). Gabriel becomes a continuous presence in Mary’s life, both before and after the Annunciation, and at one point he directly confronts Satan (Eamon Farren) to protect her.
The Protoevangelium presents St. Joseph (Ido Tako) as much older than his bride. But Caruso decided they should both be about 20 when they first meet – in an encounter stage-managed by Gabriel.
In contemporary terms, the story is about Mary growing into her power and accepting her unique destiny, albeit not without occasional fears. She receives much encouragement along the way, especially from the prophetess Anna (Susan Brown) who becomes her mentor.
At one point, Anna – a familiar figure from Luke’s account of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple – exclaims to Mary, “You are more powerful than words, child!” And Mary herself resolutely tells high priest Bava Ben Buta (Mehmet Kurtulus), “I am here to fulfill a promise.”
After filming wrapped in Morocco, Caruso unexpectedly found himself caught up in an avalanche of toxic online sniping about the casting of the two principals. Tako and Cohen are both Israeli.
The leading topic of criticism on social media, where hate festers worldwide, was the charge that Joseph and Mary were actually Palestinians. That’s an absurd canard, the staying power of which can be attributed to centuries of anti-Semitism. It’s been given new life, however, by anguish over Israel’s war in Gaza.
The idea, nonetheless, is easily disproved. Two of the Gospels trace Jesus’ genealogy back to Abraham, through Isaac and Jacob, while the Gospel of Luke adds that Joseph was “of the house of David.”
The same evangelist tells us, moreover, that both Jesus’ parents “went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover” every year. In fact, no reliable ancient document so much as insinuates that Joseph and Mary were not Jews.
His intent was authenticity. He cast Cohen, a 22-year-old former model, “because we thought it was important that Noa was from the region (in central Israel) where Mary was born.”
Noa Cohen stars as Mary in the Netflix movie “Mary.” OSV News photo/ Christopher Raphael, Netflix
Christmas octave
DEC. 28: The liturgy calls us to reflect on the Holy Innocents: children under age 2 who were slaughtered by the tyrant Herod because he feared one of them might be the newborn rival king (Jesus). In our era, abortion continues to murder the innocents.
DEC. 29: It is St. Thomas Becket, the English archbishop, we commemorate on the fourth day of the octave. In 1170, he was murdered because he defended the Church from domination by King Henry II.
DEC. 30: The calendar proclaims the feast of the Holy Family – that Jesus, Mary and Joseph are the model family for the world to emulate. God came to earth to be part of a human family, born as an infant to be protected, educated and nurtured by Mary and Joseph. This small family stayed together, respecting and
loving one another despite tragedies and pain. Their love and faith in God never wavered. Twenty-one centuries later, families are still influenced by their holiness.
DEC. 31: The life of Pope St. Sylvester I (d. 335) is celebrated this day. He was selected as pope immediately after Constantine ended the persecution of Christians and thus oversaw the first era of peace on earth. Pope Sylvester supported the Council of Nicea in 325, where the Church proclaimed Jesus as both human and divine, consubstantial with the Father. He approved the Nicene Creed, still recited at every Sunday Mass.
JAN. 1: On this final and actual octave day, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. This is a holy day of obligation on which we honor the role of Mary in the salvation history of mankind. Her fiat to the angel, love of her Son and love of God have no equal among mortals. The Gospel reading this day (Lk 2:16-21) announces that the child carried by Mary was circumcised and given the name Jesus on the eighth
day after his birth.
All these feasts have fixed dates on the Church calendar except for the feast of the Holy Family, which takes place on the first Sunday after Christmas. If another of the octave feast days falls on that Sunday, with one exception, it is preempted by the feast of the Holy Family and the other feast is not celebrated during the octaves. The one exception is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. If that solemnity falls on the first Sunday after Christmas, then the Holy Family is moved to and celebrated on Dec. 30.
Each of these feast days within the octave continues the joys of Christmas Day and helps us in our attempt to understand the mystery of the Incarnation. In times past, the individuals described in each of the octave days were considered as “comites Christi,” companions of Christ, meaning each has a special relationship with Our Lord. Their placement on the Church calendar, near the birth of Christ, is not accidental.
D.D. Emmons writes from Pennsylvania.
Our aging religious need your help. Like those pictured, more than 24,000 senior sisters, brothers, and religious order priests have dedicated their lives to serving others through prayer and ministry. Today, their religious communities do not have enough retirement savings to care for them. Your support of the Retirement Fund for Religious helps provide care, medicine, and other necessities. Please give back to those who have given a lifetime.
Retirement Fund for Religious
Please give to those who have given a lifetime.
Please donate at your local parish, December 7–8, 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.
