Monitor Magazine April 2023

MONITOR

The Lessons of Easter

In his annual Easter message, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., writes…

“Everything we preach in the Church and everything we believe comes down to this: Jesus Christ has risen from the dead! It’s all about Easter!”

How can we stay focused on the Easter story every day of the year?

Easter coverage begins on page 7.

ALSO …

Health news on Pope Francis . . . Catechist role in Eucharistic Revival . . . A new monsignor for the Diocese

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ON THE COVER

Featuring the painting

“Christ’s Appearance to Mary Magdalene After the Resurrection” by the Russian painter Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov, the April cover of The Monitor reveals the conversion of Mary Magdalene as representative of all Christian faithful who bear witness to the promise of Easter. See IN FOCUS coverage on pages 9-17. CNS photo/Wikimedia Commons

MONITOR

Msgr. Casimir Ladzinski, retired priest of the Diocese, visits with Father Brian Patrick Woodrow, pastor of St. Dominic Parish, Brick, during the March 9 Lenten Spirituality Day for Priests. Mike Ehrmann photo

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18 

Viewpoints

Respect Life Ministry coordinator Rachel Hendricks speaks to OSV News about post-Dobbs pro-life initiatives in the Diocese

20-21  Eucharistic Revival

Preparations begin for parish phase of the National Eucharistic Revival

37-39  Family Life

Ways for families to care for creation; Diocesan Marriage initiative cooperates with Vatican document on Marriage

40-43  In the Parishes

Brick parish looks back on 75 year history; Knights plan April Mass for Life in Red Bank; Rome and Assisi pilgrimage a spiritual renewal for Father Osborn

44-45  Schools

Principals lauded for completion of Villanova certification; Department of Catholic Schools plans May job fairs

46  Arts & Media

Young composer with Domestic Church Media roots featured in national interviews with OSV News, EWTN

34-36  Insight from Father Koch, Mary Morrell; Question Corner

San Pablo escribió: “Si no hay Resurrección de los muertos, entonces ni siquiera Cristo ha resucitado. Y si Cristo no ha resucitado, vana es nuestra predicación y nuestra fe” (1 Corintios 15:13-14).

Esos son algunos “si” bastante grandes con algunas consecuencias bastante grandes para nosotros como cristianos. Piensa en ellos por un momento. Todo lo que predicamos en la Iglesia y todo lo que creemos se reduce a esto: ¡Jesucristo ha resucitado de entre los muertos! ¡Se trata de Pascua!

“Sabemos que Cristo, una vez resucitado de entre los muertos, ya no muere más; desde ahora la muerte no tiene poder sobre él. Así, pues, si hay una muerte para el pecado que es para siempre, también hay un vivir que es vivir para Dios. Así también ustedes deben considerarse a sí mismos muertos para el pecado y vivos

para Dios en Cristo Jesús.” (Romanos 6: 9-11).

Entonces, entre el Señor Jesucristo resucitado y nosotros como cristianos creyentes, entre lo que predicamos y lo que creemos, es la celebración de nuestra fe Pascual. “De hecho, todo lo que existe en la Iglesia –los sacramentos, la doctrina, las instituciones–saca su fuerza de la Resurrección de Cristo” (Cardenal Raniero Cantalamesa, “La vida en Cristo”, 67).

El Señor Jesucristo nos aseguró: “Yo soy la Resurrección y la Vida. El que cree en mí, aunque muera, vivirá. Y todo el que vive y cree en mí, no morirá jamás” (Juan 11:25-26). ¿Hay alguna invitación que esta? ¿Alguna mejor promesa? ¿Alguna esperanza mayor en este mundo que esto? No es de extrañar, entonces, que toda nuestra fe como católicos, como cristianos, dependa de la verdad de la Pascua.

La fe en la Resurrección del Señor Jesucristo expresa la profunda convicción de que hay mucho más en la vida de lo que vemos y sentimos en este mundo, que por muy buena que sea esta vida, a pesar de sus desafíos y momentos difíciles, a pesar de sus cruces, hay una vida mejor por venir debido a la Resurrección de Cristo.

El Padre Walter Quiceño, vicario parroquial, Parroquia Santa María, Barnegat, fue invitado por el Obispo de su diócesis nativo en Colombia para unirse a su hermano, el Padre Amador, que también es sacerdote en Colombia, y acompañarlos a Roma. Los Obispos de Colombia viajaron a Roma, del 20 al 24 de marzo, para su visita ad limina, la primera desde 2012. Foto de Cortesía

El fallecido, gran y Venerable Arzobispo Fulton J. Sheen una vez reflexionó: “La Cruz hizo la pregunta; la Resurrección le dio la respuesta. La Cruz preguntó “¿por qué permite Dios que el mal y el pecado claven a la justicia en un madero? La Resurrección respondió “Para que el pecado, habiendo hecho lo peor, se agote y así vea vencido por el Amor que es más fuerte que el pecado o la muerte”. (Fulton J. Sheen, “Sabiduría de Cuaresma y Pascua”, Pág. 110).

Como nos ha recordado el Papa Francisco, la Pascua permite a los que tienen fe volver a ver al Señor Jesucristo de nuevo, “ser vencidos por su amor”, “convertirse en testigos de su Resurrección ... volviendo a nuestro primer amor, para recibir el fuego que Jesús ha encendido en el mundo y llevar ese fuego a todas las personas, hasta los confines de la tierra”.

¡Feliz Pascua al clero, religiosos y fieles de la Diócesis de Trenton!

¡Lee más en línea! Visita trentonmonitor.com/peces para ver más historias en español de toda nuestra diócesis y del mundo.

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El Papa Francisco pide un desarrollo ‘ético y responsable’ de la Inteligencia Artificial

El Papa está ‘mejorando progresivamente’ de infección respiratoria, dice el Vaticano

Líderes católicos expresan su dolor e indignación por las decenas de inmigrantes muertos en un incendio

El Vaticano pide a los católicos que contribuyan a la colecta del Viernes Santo

Mensaje del OBISPO DAVID M. O’CONNELL, C.M.

¡Todo lo que creemos viene de la Pascua!

A note to our readers . . . Due to late-breaking news about Pope Francis’ illness and hospitalization, this month’s Readers’ Corner message from our Associate Publisher will not appear. Look for Rayanne Bennett’s monthly column on TrentonMonitor.com under COMMENTARY>COLUMNS.

Doctors report ‘marked improvement’ in Pope’s condition

BY JUSTIN MCLELLAN

ROME (CNS) • More than 24 hours after he entered the hospital, Pope Francis’ doctors reported a “marked improvement” in his condition, which they attributed to treatment with intravenous antibiotics.

The tests the Pope underwent after entering Rome’s Gemelli hospital with difficulty breathing revealed he had bronchitis, said a medical bulletin released by the Vatican press office March 30. “Based on his expected progress, the Holy Father could be discharged in the coming days.”

Earlier in the day, the Vatican said the Pope “rested well” his first night in the hospital and was “steadily improving” from what it described as a respiratory infection.

He spent the morning reading some newspapers, eating breakfast and had “resumed working,” the Vatican had said. Before lunch, he went to the chapel near his hospital room to pray, and he received Communion.

The evening bulletin said, “Pope Francis spent the afternoon at Gemelli devoting himself to rest, prayer and some work duties.”

The Vatican said that the Pope had complained of “some respiratory difficulties” in recent days and was admitted to the hospital for medical tests, the results of which detected a “respiratory infection” but excluded COVID-19.

The 86-year-old Pope is missing a piece of his lung that was removed in

Bishop O’Connell, other Church leaders, ask faithful to pray for Pope’s speedy recovery

Church leaders across the globe, including here in the Diocese of Trenton, responded to the news of Pope Francis’ illness by calling upon the faithful to pray for the Holy Father’s recovery.

The morning after news broke of the Pope’s March 29 hospitalization, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., issued the following message on diocesan media: “I ask that the clergy, religious and faithful of the Diocese remain close to the Holy Father in loving prayer for his speedy and complete return to good health, especially as the Church celebrates the coming holy days.”

Many within the Diocese’s social media community answered the Bishop’s call with loving and prayerful comments for Pope Francis.

The same response was seen across social media following many U.S. bishops issuing similar calls to their flocks. Among them was Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, who said the following March 30:

“As Pope Francis recovers in the hospital from a respiratory infection, we pray intensely for our Holy Father. On behalf of my brother bishops, I invite all the faithful to pause, if possible before the Blessed Sacrament, and pray for his speedy recovery. May our dear shepherd and all those in need of healing experience the comfort of Christ.”

1957 when he was 20 years old and training to become a priest in his native Argentina. He has insisted the operation has had no lasting impact on his health.

Photographers, television cameras and reporters waited outside the hospital March 30, but they formed the only crowd gathered there for the Pope.

Before going to the hospital, Pope Francis held his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square and showed no obvious signs of breathing problems.

“Pope Francis is touched by the many messages received and expresses his gratitude for the closeness and prayer,” the Vatican said in its second statement March 29.

YOUR ANNUAL CATHOLIC APPEAL GIFTS IN ACTION

Check out the following coverage about diocesan programs and events made possible, in part, through the generous funding of the Annual Catholic Appeal:

Catechists gain inspiration, resources for parish phase of Eucharistic Revival … page 20

Bishop, priests reminded to ‘stay the course’ when dealing with challenges page 22

Job fairs to promote Catholic school employment opportunities … page 26

Villanova certification boosts school principals’ management acumen ... page 44

To learn more about the Annual Catholic Appeal, visit dioceseoftrenton.org/ catholicappeal.

Pope Francis greets hospital workers at Gemelli hospital in this file photo taken in Rome July 11, 2021, when the Pope had been in the hospital for 10 days to recover from a scheduled colon surgery. CNS photo/Vatican Media

All that we believe comes from Easter!

St. Paul wrote, “If there is no Resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:13-14).

Those are some pretty big “ifs” with some pretty big consequences for us as Christians. Think about them for a moment. Everything we preach in the Church and everything we believe comes down to this: Jesus Christ has risen from the dead! It’s all about Easter!

“For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death has no more power over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; the life he lives, he lives for God. So, you, too, must count yourselves dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6: 9-11).

So, between the Risen Lord Jesus Christ and us as believing Christians, between what we preach about and

what we believe, is the celebration of our Easter faith. “In fact, everything that exists in the Church – the sacraments, doctrine, institutions – draws its strength from Christ’s Resurrection” (Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, “Life in Christ,” 67).

The Lord Jesus Christ assured us, “I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in me, though they may die, shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11: 25-26). Is there any greater invitation? Any greater promise? Any greater hope in this world of ours? It is no wonder, then, that our entire faith as Catholics, as Christians, depends on the truth of Easter.

Faith in the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ expresses the conviction so profoundly that there is much more to life than what we see and feel in this world, that as good as this life may be, despite its challenges and difficult moments – despite its crosses – there

is a better life to come because of the Resurrection

of Christ.

The late, great and Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen once reflected, “The Cross had asked the questions; the Resurrection had answered them. The Cross had asked ‘why does God permit evil and sin to nail Justice to a tree?’ The Resurrection answered, ‘that sin, having done its worst, might exhaust itself and thus be overcome by Love that is stronger than either sin or death’” (Fulton J. Sheen, “Lent and Easter Wisdom,” 110).

As Pope Francis has reminded us, Easter enables those with faith to go back to see the Lord Jesus Christ again, to “be overcome by his Love,” to “become witnesses to his Resurrection ... returning to our first love, in order to receive the fire which Jesus has kindled in the world and to bring that fire to all people, to the very ends of the earth.”

Happy Easter to the clergy, religious and faithful of the Diocese of Trenton!

The Resurrection, 1881, by Carl Heinrich Bloch. Frederiksborg Palace, Denmark. Public Domain

A Message from BISHOP DAVID M. O’CONNELL, C.M.

Throughout the Lenten season Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., has enjoyed spending his Sundays traveling around the Diocese celebrating Masses in different parishes. A few of the photos show more lighthearted moments such as in photo at top, his greeting a young parishioner following Mass in St. Thomas More Church, Manalapan; the middle photo where he shares a joke with the members of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel, as Father Garry Koch, pastor, looks on, and in photo at bottom, his posing for a photo with his secretary Father Jean Felicien, left, and Father Carlos Aguirre during his visit to Our Lady of the Angels Parish, Trenton.

Monte Bros., who provides quality sound systems for many of the parishes in the Diocese of Trenton, would like to wish the parishioners in the Diocese a very Happy Easter.

Mike Ehrmann photo

Hal Brown photo

Joe Moore photo

Lent  Holy Week  Easter

Guided by the Resurrection

Carrying the lessons of Easter into our daily lives

BY MARY CLIFFORD MORRELL  Contributing Editor

Holy Week is a time of unparalleled expression of the sacred, full of symbols, meaning and movement toward the most important celebration of the Church – Easter and the Resurrection of Christ. It is the reason for our hope and joy, but, in today’s world, the spirit and language of Easter seem to fade along with the lilies once Easter is over.

When we remember our Easter faith, we remember the hope and promises we have as Catholic Christians. When we hear and use the language of Easter – talk of waiting, of new life, of resurrection, triumph, and possibilities, we bring to mind the greatest love story ever told. But with the incalculable number of distractions and challenges that find their way into daily life, it can be difficult to stay focused on the Easter story and the faith lessons it conveys.

In a 1986 Angelus address during an apostolic journey to the Far East and Oceania, St. Pope John Paul II shared wisdom that included a now famous quote: “We do not pretend that life is all beauty. We are aware of darkness and sin, of poverty and pain. But we know Jesus has conquered sin and passed through his own pain to the glory of the Resurrection. And we live in the light of his Paschal Mystery – the mystery of his Death and Resurrection. ‘We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our song!’”

The challenge we face is remembering how to live as Easter people throughout the year.

In this year’s Easter message, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., assures us, “Faith in the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ expresses the conviction so profoundly that there is

The stained glass image of the Resurrected Christ is found in Holy Name Church, Delran. Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., urges the faithful to remember that “there is a better life to come because of the Resurrection of Christ.” File photo. At left, friends continue demonstrating the Easter promise by showing compassion.

much more to life than what we see and feel in this world, that as good as this life may be, despite its challenges and difficult moments – despite its crosses – there is a better life to come because of the Resurrection of Christ.”

For many of us, there is a great need to focus on the Resurrection and the joy of Easter, especially when times are hard. For me, this has meant imagining Jesus as a man of joy. It seems unlikely that Jesus would have changed the world, with just 12

Continued on 10

Freepik image

Living Easter daily

ordinary men as disciples, if there weren’t some element of joy in him –that deep, transforming quality that may not show itself in frivolity but lives root-deep in a person’s being.

I often imagine Jesus gathered with the Apostles around a fire, talking over the day’s events and their mission, while sharing a meal. I’m certain there was a lot of laughter and animated conversation, and maybe even dancing. They belonged with Jesus. The image encourages me to ask Jesus to share that experience of joy with me.

That image also brings to mind a good friend who shared with me her fond memories when, as a teen, she and her CYO friends went to Mass every morning of Holy Week. That immersion in their faith, their participation together, sharing breakfast afterward, reinforced her sense of Catholic identity and unity. There was an underlying joy in the experience of putting normal daily activities aside to practice their faith, bringing with it a sense of grace that is worth seeking daily.

St. Pope John Paul II stresses that “joy is demanding.” He proposes that we “are not looking for a shallow joy but rather

a joy that comes from faith, that grows through unselfish love, that respects the ‘fundamental duty of love of neighbor, without which it would be unbecoming to speak of joy.’”

The days to come, the 50 days of the Easter season and beyond, provide us with the opportunity to be intentional in living the characteristics of Easter people, learned as we journeyed through Holy Week with Christ – courage, compassion, gratitude, generosity, prayer and sacrificial love – remembering Resurrection as the reason for accepting the demands of joy and singing our Alelluia’s throughout the year.

Young people clap along to the music during the 2023 Diocesan Youth Conference. People of faith can look to Easter and find “an underlying joy in the experience of putting normal daily activities aside to practice their faith. Mike Ehrmann photo

A family from Ecuador walks towards Border Patrol officers in Eagle Pass, Texas, Dec. 19, 2022, to seek asylum. As an Easter people, we need to extend compassion to every person, recognizing that we are brothers and sisters in one human family. OSV News photo/Jordan Vonderhaar, Reuters.

Living as Easter People

COURAGE

My lessons in courage come from Mary, who had the faith to say yes to God, without certainty of the future. She journeyed with Jesus no matter how painful it was and stood at the foot of his Cross, watching him die, never losing her faith in God’s promises. We take on Mary’s courage when we walk with someone on their journey, when we stand steadfast in our faith, and when we raise our children to know and love God, especially in a world, described by Pope Francis as no longer “able to lift its gaze towards God.” Read Mary’s Magnificat, Luke 1:46-55, for encouragement.

COMPASSION

Compassion, a word that literally means “to suffer with,” is foundational to the Easter story. Christ suffered, died and rose from the dead to redeem us. He took on our sins and suffering so that we might have everlasting life.

As an Easter people, we are called to carry that compassion forward and transform our world through it. Impelled by Christ’s example, we need to extend compassion to every person, recognizing that we are brothers and sisters in one human family and must share one another’s burdens.

To do so requires that we reject the culture and language of polarization; ensuring that we speak with empathy and love even about those with whom we disagree. We can stand for our moral beliefs and take action on behalf of the vulnerable and victimized, focusing less on fighting an enemy and more on converting hearts. In the days to come, decide to pause and consider your words before responding to a situation. Consider how compassion might make a difference.

GRATITUDE

I recently read a wonderful description of gratitude as “the wardrobe of Easter.” The author reminds readers of St. Paul’s

Lent  Holy Week  Easter

admonition to the Colossians: “Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” In the coming year, put on gratitude daily.

GENEROSITY

If we are to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, to be his hands and feet in the world, then we must remember that his life and death were supreme acts of grace and generosity. Our generosity is not confined to charitable donations. Also important is a generosity of spirit which allows us to heal and renew relationships, forgive trespasses, love more fully, and listen with our ears and our hearts. Looking both inward and outward, take time every day to determine where our generosity is most needed.

SACRIFICIAL LOVE

If there’s anything we should have learned through Holy Week and Easter it is that Jesus’ love is selfless and sacrificial. We emulate that sacrificial love whenever we reach out to someone in need – whether it is a physical, spiritual or emotional need, recognizing that following Christ is truly counter-cultural and sometimes isolating. With today’s anti-religious sentiment, standing up for what we believe and proclaiming the need to respect every human life, from conception to natural death, may cost us in a number of ways. Pray for the courage to embrace sacrificial love whenever and wherever it’s needed.

PRAYER

In the book of Lamentations, Scripture assures us, “The Lord’s acts of mercy are not exhausted, his compassion is not spent; They are renewed each morning – great is your faithfulness!” Consider a new prayer practice, beginning with the dawn of every new day. St. Cyprian offers this meaningful advice: “There should be prayer in the morning so that the resurrection of the Lord may thus be celebrated.” Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours is a good place to start for personal prayer. Consider praying with others in a parish prayer group or establishing one, if one doesn’t already exist.

Students in Red Bank Catholic High School, Red Bank, participate in a Walk for Life on their school campus grounds. As an Easter people, we need to take action on behalf of the vulnerable. Mike Ehrmann photo

Parishioners pray together in Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Moorestown. Mike Ehrmann photo

Holy Spice of Life

Variety of traditions make family celebrations of Passiontide, Easter memorable

FROM STAFF REPORTS

The universal Catholic experience of Holy Week and Easter holds so many things in common, with the liturgies and rubrics each day the same in every Catholic church worldwide. But within that shared commemoration is room for Easter traditions unique as the families that celebrate them: cultural or customary foods, prayers and practices that help them to mark the occasion in varied and meaningful ways.

CHITO SARROL

Corpus Christi Parish, Willingboro

Chito Sarrol, parishioner and music minister in Corpus Christi Parish, Willingboro, recalls with fondness the celebrations of Holy Week and Easter in the Philippines, where he and his wife Hermie grew up.

“As Holy Week starts, one noticeable tradition is that either no music is played, or at the very least, only somber music can be heard until Easter Sunday,” he described. “Palm Sunday signals the start of the

celebration with handmade ornate palms outside the church,” which are then used for the celebration of Palm Sunday Mass.

The Filipino practice of visiting seven churches, called “Visita Iglesia,” takes place on Holy Thursday, Sarrol noted. Then on Good Friday, the “Pabasa ng Pasyon,” or Reading of the Passion of Christ, takes place to commemorate Christ’s suffering and death. “The reading is attended by a group of devotees and ends at noon on Good Friday, or at 3 p.m., coinciding with the time of Jesus’ death,” he said.

“Easter is celebrated with entire family attending Holy Mass,” Sarrol continued, “followed by a family feast usually

held at the home of the matriarch or patriarch of the family.”

JULIA CWALINA

St. Hedwig Parish, Trenton

For the Cwalina family in Hamilton, Easter is about faith, family and the celebration of beloved Polish traditions. One of the traditions that Julia and her family celebrate each year is the “Blessing of the Easter baskets” or “Święconka” which occurs in St. Hedwig Parish, Trenton.

“On Holy Saturday morning we go down to church and we bring a basket of food. The basket is filled with bread, eggs, meat and other food that all represent something,” Julia Cwalina, 14, explained.

According to the Polish tradition, and shared by many Eastern Europeans, the basket, which is decorated with flowers and ribbons is lined with an often-embroidered cloth that symbolizes the shroud that covered the body of Jesus in the tomb.

Inside the basket, the egg symbolizes life and the Resurrection; the bread is symbolic of Jesus; the butter lamb represents Christ; the salt is purification, horseradish symbolizes the bitter sacrifice of Christ; ham or kielbasa is a symbol of joy and abundance.

Sarrol family members, from left: August Sarrol, son; Aidan, grandson; Lauren, wife of August; Autumn, granddaughter; Andrew, son; Ashely, wife of Andrew; Hermie and Chito Sarrol. Courtesy photo

Julia, her parents and her brothers take the basket to St. Hedwig’s where Fr. Jacek Labinski, pastor, says special prayers for the food as he blesses each basket.

“After the food is blessed, we take it home,” Cwalina said. “Then the blessed food is what we eat Easter Sunday morning.”

Lent  Holy Week  Easter

LAURA SARUBBI

St. Paul Parish, Princeton

Laura Bacich Sarubbi’s Croatian family of origin enjoyed the traditions of baking special Easter bread from a family recipe as well as having it blessed on Holy Saturday morning at church in a basket with eggs and other special fare, and incorporated into an Easter Sunday meal that included lamb, and a new Easter outfit that was “gizdavac” – or “fancy” in Croatian.

But her most treasured memories center around the Triduum in the Croatian Catholic parish of Sts. Cyril and Methodius and St. Raphael in Manhattan, N.Y., as a child in the 1970s – where the transition from music in a minor key to acapella to the glorious major keys of Easter morning was a tangible reminder of the

Church’s holiest season.

“The Triduum is still my three favorite days – they’re steeped in such devotion,” recalled Sarubbi, who serves as St. Paul’s director of religious education. In her childhood church near the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel, “Every song during Lent was in a minor key. Then on Holy Thursday there would be a [replica of a] tomb set up” where the Eucharist would be reposed following Mass. “The moment Mass was over, the organ would be locked, and every song on Good Friday and Holy Saturday would be sung acapella.”

Good Friday services in the Croatian parish began with an outdoor procession and Stations of the Cross with a giant wooden cross that men of the parish took turns carrying for an entire city block.

“My grandmother talked about how in Croatia when you enter the church on Good Friday, it’s on your knees – you would drag yourself kneeling up to the tomb to pray,” Sarubbi recalled, noting that it was customary for people to remain after the service for several hours on their knees.

“The whole weekend is all about remembering the sacrifice and celebrating the Resurrection,” she continued. “My grandmother often reminded me that ‘we all have to live through Good Friday to celebrate Easter.’”

Easter baskets are brought to St. Mary of the Lake Church – worship site of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Lakewood – on Holy Saturday morning for blessing in this 2019 photo. Vic Mistretta photo

Julia Cwalina with her parents Piotr and Ewa and her brothers Daniel, back row left, and Sebastian, right. Courtesy photo

Sarubbi family members: Daughters Anna and Teresa, Joe and Laura Sarubbi, and daughter Kate. Courtesy photo

Assembled with Love

Parishes, students and outreach agencies from around the Diocese are doing their best to make the celebration of Easter joyful, especially for persons in need. Such examples included students involved with the Catholic Campus Ministry at The College of New Jersey, Ewing, shown in photo at left, who gathered after Mass March 27 to make Easter baskets for the Mount Carmel Guild of Trenton. The baskets, filled with candy and holiday foods, are distributed to

Courtesy photo

Hal Brown photo

families from Trenton and the greater Mercer County area every year at Easter.  Father Chris Colavito, chaplain, purchased the candy and the baskets for the students to assemble, a service project he hopes will turn into an annual event.  Photos below left and above show staff and volunteers at Mount Carmel distributing Easter baskets to their care receivers on March 30. In top photo on right, the parish community in St. Denis, Manasquan, collected goods and filled 128 baskets that were given to the Division of Child Protection and Permanency as well as Mercy Center and Oceans Family Success Center, both Asbury Park, and 180 Turning Lives Around, Hazlet.

HOLY WEEK AND EASTER ONLINE AND IN PRINT

The Monitor will be reporting from parishes across the Diocese throughout Holy Week and Easter Sunday and will bring readers multimedia coverage on TrentonMonitor.com. Also … look for our special photographic coverage on Holy Week and Easter in the next issue of The Monitor Magazine.

Courtesy photo

Hal Brown photo

Bishop O’Connell shares Sundays of L ent with parish communities

BY MARY CLIFFORD MORRELL  Contributing Editor

In his Lenten message, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., called the faithful of the Diocese to “focus our attention on the call to holiness that is at the heart of our Lenten journey and at the heart of our life’s journey,” a call he has reiterated during his visits to a different parish each Sunday in Lent while unfolding the Gospel themes of water, light and life.

The Bishop visited Our Lady of the Angels Parish on the First Sunday of Lent; St. Alphonsus Parish, Hopewell, on the Second Sunday of Lent; St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel, and St. Thomas More Parish, Manalapan, on the Third Sunday of Lent: Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Moorestown, on the Fourth Sunday of Lent, and St. Veronica Parish, on the fifth Sunday of Lent.

During his Third Sunday of Lent visits to St. Benedict Parish and St. Thomas More Parish, Bishop O’Connell spoke about the Samaritan woman at the well, saying “Jesus uses this strange occasion and meeting and conversation to make the point that

he has something amazing and truly life-giving to offer. … All we need to do is ask him for it,” said Bishop O’Connell.

Following the Mass in St. Benedict Parish, Father Garry Koch, pastor, commented on the Bishop’s reflection about the uniqueness of the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman in the Gospel.

“A Jewish man would not put himself in such a situation,” Father Koch said, and “this is key to understanding the mission of Jesus and offers a challenge to the church as we continue to evangelize the world.”

Father Koch conveyed his parishioners’ enjoyment at seeing the Bishop, noting also that he and Father Augusto Lorenzo Gamalo, parochial vicar, enjoyed hosting the Bishop and his secretary, Father Jean Felicien, after Mass.

“It is a good time to just share fraternity and enjoy each other’s company,” said Father Koch.

In St. Thomas More Parish, parishioner Fortunata Guarino expressed joy about the standing room only Mass that included strong participation by young people. The children’s choir provided the music that included pieces sung in Latin and a capella.

Guarino recalled that, before the Mass, Father Daniel Peirano, pastor, presented the Bishop with a gold miter as a gift of appreciation on behalf of the parish community and his leadership of so many people in the Diocese of Trenton.

For the Fourth Sunday of Lent, with Mass celebrated in Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Bishop O’Connell reflected on the story of the man born blind in the Gospel of John, saying “Jesus reminds the crowd in the Gospel, ‘while I am in the world, I am the light of the world’ … He connects his identity as ‘light of the world’ with the result of his presence: blindness gives way to sight, darkness to light. Those touched by the Lord become believers, turn from sin in their lives, and see all things in the light of Christ.”

Bishop O’Connell greets parishioners following the Mass he celebrated for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, March 18, in Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Moorestown. Joe Moore photo

Bishop O’Connell celebrates Mass for the Fifth Sunday of Lent in St. Veronica Church, Howell, on March 26. At right is Father Peter James Alindogan, pastor. John Batkowski photo

Father James Grogan, pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, echoed the Bishop’s encouragement to turn on the light that is Christ, saying, “Each person is encouraged to be the Light of Christ in our homes, our workplaces, schools, and playgrounds; to be Christ, who is light and love, to all our neighbors.”

Father Grogan noted his parish community was delighted with Bishop O’Connell’s visit. “As the rose vestments this weekend reminded us, this was a cause for great rejoicing!,” he said

During his homily in St. Veronica Church for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, the Bishop recalled, “Last Sunday, the story of the man born blind highlighted the themes of light as it threads through John’s Gospel, leading to Jesus’ proclamation ‘I am the Light of the World,’” Bishop O’Connell said. “Today, John’s theme is life, leading to Jesus; ‘I am the resurrection and the life.’”

Bishop O’Connell acknowledged the short passage, “And Jesus wept,” from the Gospel story of the Raising of Lazarus, caught his attention because “it gives great insight into the humanity of Jesus, so much like us that he could be overcome with emotion, moved to tears, and it gives great insight into the divinity of Jesus, God made man, who could lift up, consecrate, sanctify human tears and make them part of the life of God.”

Reflecting on the Mass, Father Peter James Alindogan, pastor, acknowledged, “It meant a lot to the St. Veronica community to have Bishop O’Connell visit during Lent, especially after the twoyear pandemic experience.

“I felt that the parishioners were reinvigorated by his presence and shared with me how they are privileged during this sacred time to experience his kindness, humor, gentleness and generosity,” Father Alindogan said, noting that the parishioners appreciated the Bishop greeting them as they exited the church, “waving at times, smiling and extending his show of fatherly care.”

Mary Stadnyk, associate editor, contributed information to this story.

Bishop O’Connell poses for a photo with young people from St. Thomas More Parish, Manalapan, following the March 12 Mass he celebrated in the parish church. The children presented the Bishop with a gift of a t-shirt. Another gift the Bishop received from the parish is the gold mitre he is wearing. At left is Msgr. Thomas N. Gervasio, diocesan vicar general.

Mike Ehrmann photo

Bishop O’Connell blesses the congregation in St. Benedict Church, Holmdel, where he celebrated the Vigil Mass for the Third Sunday of Lent on March 11. Hal Brown photo

Pro-life and social justice work can merge to help mothers in need

Rachel Dougherty Hendricks is a Catholic wife and mother of five who has served as the coordinator for Respect Life Ministries in the Diocese of Trenton, since 2017. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, she worked in the pharmaceutical industry, teaching disease state management, pharmacology and presentation skills to sales and management teams. While embracing full-time parenthood, Rachel’s interests in medical and bioethical questions has continued to inform her extensive involvement in pro-life and pro-family endeavors which, as she tells Charlie Camosy in an interview for OSV News, she believes have the potential to bring pro-lifers and social justice champions together in a post-Roe world.

CHARLIE CAMOSY OSV News

Charlie Camosy: In recent writing and talks I’ve described this post-Roe moment as “Pro-Life 3.0.” What do you understand that to mean? And what’s your view of the opportunities presented at this particular time, for the pro-life movement?

Rachel Hendricks: After Roe’s overturn last June, we realized pro-life work was entering an inflection point … I understand Pro-Life 3.0 as a sort of new beginning, harkening back to the days of standing in solidarity on the issues of human dignity, regardless of political party … This moment is calling us to realign our efforts in a way that would rejoin forces with social justice advocates. Banding together would help reduce the demand for abortions by working on the structural and societal obstacles that often leave women feeling coerced to choose abortion.

Camosy: What do you think this means, practically speaking, in states like New Jersey which are extremely unlike-

ly to pass significant laws in support of prenatal justice?

Hendricks: In New Jersey, abortion access is increasing. Last summer our governor and legislative leadership sadly began efforts to make New Jersey an “abortion sanctuary” state. … I believe there is great hope for measures to be enacted that can ensure all women have “access” to choosing life. Here is the reality: Challenges like housing, poverty, intimate partner violence and limited access to adoption services often restrict a woman’s “access” to choosing life. By working to mitigate the obstacles … we can open up a space where choosing life is possible for every pregnant woman.

Camosy: What is the Catholic Church doing on the ground in N.J. in this regard? Has the U.S. bishops’ “Walking with Moms in Need” program made any difference?

Hendricks: Many parishes are shifting their ministry focus from the divisive areas of politics to that of service and mercy. In the Diocese of Trenton, the “Walking With Moms in Need” (WWMN) initiative is proving to be a timely vehicle to advance pro-life ministry work ...

These efforts are slowly but surely making a difference on at least two fronts. One, as WWMN parishes … seek ways to fill gaps in resources, more women in need are accessing those resources. Second, the “walking with” part of this initiative is allowing opportunities for Catholics

to journey a bit closer with the pregnant mom in need .... Building a culture of life is the work of the entire Church … [and] interconnected ministries.

Camosy: What about public policy? Is there room for the pro-life movements to embrace state and even federal level policies in support of women and families?

Hendricks: Absolutely. … We need to be realistic about the overwhelming need that is out there. The Church itself does not have the financial resources to serve every pregnant mom and family in need, so it is imperative that we ... responsibly engage in those areas of common-sense public policy that support women and families, and that encourage active fatherhood. … Finding common ground in these challenging exchanges will lead us to the types of structural support and protection for vulnerable pregnant women and families that will allow a culture of life to prosper. We’re already seeing bipartisan support on the federal level for things like the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers and Pregnancy Workers Fairness Acts. At the state level we’re seeing unprecedented GOP support for expanded Medicaid programs for postpartum care. All of this is so encouraging and it is my sincere hope that it continues.

Charlie Camosy is professor of medical humanities at the Creighton School of Medicine and moral theology fellow at St. Joseph Seminary in New York.

Rachel Hendricks takes questions from the audience during a January 2022 pro-life forum in St. Gregory the Great School, Hamilton Square. EmmaLee Italia photo

NJ legislation addresses food insecurity as emergency federal SNAP benefits end

BY MARY CLIFFORD MORRELL  Contributing Editor

Elaine Brown, 87, lives alone in Burlington. For many years, she has made monthly visits to the food pantry run by the Diocese of Trenton’s Catholic Charities agency in Burlington County.

“The cost of living today is out of control. You need every penny,” she said. “I just went shopping and a dozen eggs cost almost $5. Having SNAP helps me tremendously.”

In August of 2022, just months before the Emergency Federal SNAP Allotments for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program came to an end, Catholic Charities’ SNAP Outreach Coordinator Nathalia Soto helped Brown register for benefits. “I didn’t think I’d qualify,” said Brown. “But I am so glad I did.”

these important benefits at a time when the federal government has cut them “is huge for New Jersey families,” said Brenda Rascher, diocesan executive director, Office of Catholic Social Services.

“SNAP benefits, formerly called Food Stamps, have long been a vital resource for families struggling to pay all their bills and put food on the table. Food pantries can only do so much. With inflation and the pandemic, so many more families have needed help. So, the SNAP benefits are even more important,” Rascher stressed.

FOOD INSECURITY GROWING

“Access to healthy food is a key social determinant of health – one that directly impacts a person’s well-being and quality of life,” said Marlene Laó-Collins, executive director, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton. “Over the past three years, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of people and families who are food insecure. We know people are struggling to feed their families.”

those in need reports a similar situation.

Elaine is one of thousands across the state who would have struggled when emergency pandemic allotments ended at the close of February, if not for new legislation passed in New Jersey increasing SNAP benefits to a monthly minimum of $95, up from $50, beginning March 1. The federal government minimum is $23.

According to information posted on the state’s website, this new legislation makes New Jersey the first state in the nation to ensure families have more support to keep putting food on the table.

Knowing that the state has increased

Statistics show that in 2022, there were 58,753 visits to Catholic Charities’ three food pantries located in Burlington, Lakewood and Trenton – a 26% increase over 2021.

“Our Community Services team is dedicated to getting individuals and families who qualify for SNAP enrolled in the program,” said Laó-Collins. “We have a SNAP Outreach Coordinator whose job it is to educate the public about this benefit and help people determine whether or not they are eligible.”

Mount Carmel Guild, Trenton, a diocesan-supported agency that helps

“Food insecurity is very large within our community,” stressed Richard Ferreira, Mount Carmel director of Community Support. “The Guild serves over 600-650 households. That equates to 1500-1700 adults and children that come in to receive food from us and, on top of that, we adjusted our policies in regard to serving the community.

“Our program used to serve individuals once per month and now we are serving persons once per week because of the need in our community.”

Ferreira acknowledged, “The (SNAP funding increase) is well received within our community … not having that benefit after the pandemic was perhaps the biggest fear that many of our families had.”

PARTIAL, BUT WELCOME SOLUTION

Kelly Slaughter, a care receiver

 “Access to healthy food is a key social determinant of health.”

Eucharistic Revival

Catechists gain inspiration, resources for parish phase of Eucharistic Revival

BY JESSICA DONOHUE  Correspondent and MARY STADNYK  Associate Editor

When the three-year national Eucharistic Revival initiated by the U.S. Catholic bishops in 2022 moves to the parish phase this June, it will be catechists who play a key role in helping parishioners engage in this time of formation and renewal.

“It is faith formation and the witness of the catechist that helps connect not only the children but parents as well to the liturgy,” said Michelle Angelo, associate director of the diocesan Department of Catechesis.

The Eucharistic Revival, meant to inspire, educate and renew a devotion to Christ in the Eucharist, “is a reminder to catechists to be more intentional in their sharing and teaching on the Eucharist,” she said.

LOOKING AHEAD

To help prepare catechists for the central place they will have in the parish phase, the Diocese of Trenton offered a daylong conference March 18 that drew more than 200 individuals involved in parish catechetical ministry.

Keynote speaker Dr. Joe Paprocki, national consultant for faith formation, offered two presentations to help catechists renew their own love and devotion for the Eucharist and provide them with practical ways to share that love with those they serve.

Additional topics covered in breakout sessions included teaching people with special needs about the Eucharist and developing ways for the catechists themselves to draw closer to the Eucharist.

A Mass was also celebrated by Father Martin O’Reilly, who is co-chairing the Diocese’s participation in the Revival.

In his homily, Father O’Reilly offered the catechists encouragement, reminding them that, in spite of frustrations, “you are doing God’s work … You are held responsible for being Christ’s ambassador and to share your story” and love for the Eucharist.

“This is what the Eucharistic Revival is about – making Christ alive and present,” Father O’Reilly said. “All Christ asks of us is to make him alive to your people.”

Denise Contino, diocesan director of catechesis, spoke on the impact of the event held in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral Parish in Freehold.  She explained that the Eucharistic Revival is about bringing the Eucharist to all people, “and we were able to provide tools for them all.

“The day was about helping catechists to be creative in delivering the message during the parish phase,” Contino added. “We hope the catechists and leaders left the day energized and excited to intentionally plan how the Eucharistic Revival will reveal Jesus in the Eucharist to all families and learners.”

REACHING THE PEOPLE

Paprocki emphasized that catechists can help others to see the Eucharist as being the “greatest gift you can ever imagine.

 “The Church wants us to rekindle the flame and excitement in receiving the Eucharist.”

Parish catechetical leaders and catechists had opportunities for small group discussions throughout the day. Mary Stadnyk photos

The Church wants us to rekindle the flame and excitement in receiving the Eucharist,” he said.

Speaking on how faith formation on the Eucharist “should resemble Mass instead of class,” Paprocki encouraged catechists to employ a “language of mystery” by using elements that are seen at Mass – music and song, silence, storytelling, movements and gestures, signs and symbols, rituals and works of mercy.

The celebration of the Eucharist not only involves words, but gestures as well, Paprocki said. “Often, we need to go beyond words to touch people’s hearts.”

Michelle Dore, catechetical leader in St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Cinnaminson, will supply her catechists with teaching resources on the Eucharist for all grade levels, including a lesson on how silence can be “a way of talking to God,” she said.

Joana Schmidt, who heads up catechetical ministry in St. Theresa Parish, Little Egg Harbor, said that teaching children in pre-K through first grade about the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist is “a tricky topic” since they are mostly non-readers. However, she now has resources that encourage learning through play and experience. She also suggested having conversations

about special meals that children can relate to, such as Thanksgiving or birthdays.

Believing that the conference gave him a better handle on how to explain the existence of Christ in the Eucharist, Don Santora, first-year seventh grade catechist for the three parishes that make up the Catholic Community of Hopewell Valley, plans to share that information with his students and aims to get them engaged in the Eucharistic Revival.

“I’m hoping to get the kids to attend Mass more often and to get excited about receiving the Body of Christ at Mass,” he said.

Sue Latella, who prepares second graders for First Holy Communion in St. Joan of Arc Parish, Marlton, will update her lesson plans to include more on how the Mass and the Eucharist are closely tied together by creating a sacred space in her classroom and implementing a weekly ritual that the students can participate in each week.

Amanda Palaka, fourth grade catechist in St. Martha Parish, Point Pleasant, plans to share what she learned, including the idea of telling personal stories about the Eucharist and recognizing the impact those stories could have on others.

“If we simply share our love for Jesus, we could make more of an impact than we realize,” she said. “There are so many small gestures that could easily be added to the classroom that could make a big difference in capturing the students’ attention.”

This event was made possible, in part, through funding by the diocesan Annual Catholic Appeal and Loyola Press.

Keynote speaker Joe Paprocki addresses the formation day on the topic “I’ll have the Body of Christ. Ah, Excellent Choice!

Father Martin O’Reilly, pastor of Mary, Mother of the Church Parish, Bordentown, and episcopal vicar of Burlington County, celebrated Mass for the catechists in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold.

Bishop, priests reminded to ‘stay the course’ when dealing with challenges

BY MARY STADNYK  Associate Editor

Growing in fortitude, a Gift of the Holy Spirit, in the exercise of priestly ministry was a focal point of reflection for Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., and priests of the Diocese during their annual Lenten Spirituality Day March 9.

society and the opposition to the Gospel message, it’s easy for priests to become discouraged,” Father Pablo T. Gadenz said, referring to the keynote address given by Msgr. Thomas G. Bohlin, assistant vicar for the Prelature of Opus Dei (Work of God) for the United States. Instead, Msgr. Bohlin offered perspective saying that priests “must keep growing

and try to go deeper in their mission,” said Father Gadenz, suggesting, “This is what we can try to do during Lent.

“We can begin by changing ourselves before we try to change the world. We should strive to be a role model, inspiring our parishioners. We should keep growing until we die, never reaching a plateau but challenging ourselves to go deeper.”

Father Gadenz, a priest of the Diocese who currently teaches in Mount St. Mary Seminary, Emmitsburg, Md., was among the 100 priests to attend the spirituality day in St. Luke Church, Toms River, hosted by the diocesan Office of Clergy and Consecrated Life.

“As Bishop, I am always encouraged to be in the presence of our priests at Advent and Lenten Spirituality Days,” said Bishop O’Connell.

“They are a ‘pause that refreshes’ spiritually speaking. Our priests have the chance to focus their attention on some aspect of priestly life and ministry with their fellow priests,” the Bishop said, noting “It is so important in these days to share priestly fraternity and fellowship. It has a direct influence on building

“Because of the challenges in our From left, Father Genaro P. Daguplo, pastor of St. Raphael-Holy Angels Parish, Hamilton; Father Carlo Calisin, parochial vicar of St. Paul Parish, Princeton, and Father Angelito Anarcon, pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Farmingdale, pose for a photo during a break.

Bishop O’Connell, left, greets Father Joseph Hlubik, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Bay Head, and St. Pio of Pietrelcina Parish, Lavallette, during the Lenten Spirituality Day for Priests. Mike Ehrmann photos

Msgr. Thomas G. Bohlin was the keynote speaker for the 2023 Lenten Spirituality Day for Priests.

Serving the wider Church is great blessing for newly named Msgr. Kevin Kimtis

BY MARY STADNYK  Associate Editor

Father Kevin J. Kimtis received a pleasant, yet unexpected piece of mail March 16.

Inside what is called a “diplomatic pouch” was a decree stating he had been named Chaplain to His Holiness with the title of Monsignor by Pope Francis.

“It’s humbling,” Msgr. Kimtis said, admitting that the honor did not come as a total surprise.

Given his current work as a secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature in India and Nepal, Msgr. Kimtis knew at some point he would be named a monsignor. Priests who hold the title of “Monsignor” are part of the Pontifical Household, which includes the papal chapel and papal family.

While in most cases it’s the diocesan bishop who nominates a priest for the honor, Msgr. Kimtis’ nomination came directly from the Holy Father because of his work.

Msgr. Kimtis met with The Monitor Magazine to share thoughts about his priesthood and the past four years serving in a diplomatic role on behalf of the Holy See. Prior to his current assignment in India, he was secretary to the Apostolic Nunciature in Benin and Togo, West Africa, to which he was named in 2019.

Msgr. Kimtis explained that the nuncio is the liaison between the Holy See and the Catholic diocesan bishop in the nation to which he is assigned.

As secretary to the Nunciature in Benin and Togo, and now the secretary to the Nunciature in India and Nepal, Msgr. Kimtis assists in all diplomatic and ecclesiastical duties, he said, noting that assignments usually last three years before being moved to a different nation in the same capacity.

In New Dehli, Msgr. Kimtis currently lives and works in the nunciature with

the nuncio, two other secretaries and six religious sisters. The staff also includes additional religious and lay persons.

“It’s a different type of community to live in,” he said, unlike living in a parish where there is a pastor and a parochial vicar. However, there is a sense of parish life when celebrating Mass and the Sacraments for the lay diplomats who are assigned there for two or three-year terms, he said.

Reflecting on his time in Africa, Msgr. Kimtis said it was wonderful to observe the cultures of two countries, visiting seminarians and parishes, and even leading a seminar for seminarians.

“I was very impressed with seminary life and the fervor of the numerous seminarians” who are highly intelligent, curious and motivated in countries “where it is not an easy place to be a priest,” he said.

Unlike Africa, where about one-third of the population is Christian, India is a much larger country with about 1.5 billion people and a Christian population

of a little more than two percent.

“There’s diversity of languages, but mercifully – for me – English is wellknown and a lot of Church work can be done in English,” he said.

“I’ve learned to appreciate more the diversity that one finds whether it’s working in a particular parish or a diocese or a country,” he said, “and the richness that diversity offers.”

Msgr. Kimtis extended deep gratitude to Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., for the opportunity to serve the wider Church, saying it was the Bishop who initially requested that Msgr. Kimtis pursue doctorate studies in canon law at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, unaware it would be a prerequisite for service in the diplomatic corps of the Church.

“It is certainly a sacrifice to allow a priest to serve the Church outside the Diocese,” Msgr. Kimtis said. But between Africa and now India and Nepal, “I’ve been enriched by working with and among many great blessings and challenges.”

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., was among the first to officially congratulate the newly-named Msgr. Kevin J. Kimtis during his recent visit to the Chancery in Lawrenceville. Staff photo

Clergy Announcements:

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., made the following announcement March 16, 2023:

 Our Holy Father Pope Francis has made our brother priest in the Diocese, Kevin Kimtis, a “Chaplain to his Holiness” with the title “Monsignor.”  Msgr. Kimtis was ordained in 2011 and is currently serving as Secretary to the Apostolic Nuncio to India in New Delhi.  He will be visiting home at the end of this month.  Congratulations, Msgr. Kimtis!

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., has announced the following clergy appointment:

 Rev. Brian Butch, from administrator of St. Anselm Parish, Wayside/Tinton Falls, to pastor, effective March 6, 2023.

Grants available for Catholic social agencies via annual fund

BY EMMALEE ITALIA  Contributing Editor

Applications are now being accepted for the 2023 grant from the Bishop George W. Ahr Endowment Fund. With approximately $10,000 available to assist the poor and vulnerable through Catholic social service agencies, these institutions are encouraged to apply now for grant monies that will be awarded later this summer.

All churches, entities, offices, apostolates or ministries that serve those in need are eligible to apply. Applications must be postmarked no later than June 2 to be considered.

The fund was named for the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Trenton and is designed to assist recipients with special projects. The $10,000 grant total comes from the annual interest accrued by the fund over the previous calendar year.

Applicants are asked to provide the name of the project, its purpose and goal, the length of project from start to finish, who the project will impact and how its success will be measured. Following the project’s completion, grant winners are asked to submit a self-evaluation report on how the funds were utilized and how the project goals were met.

In 2022 the Bishop George W. Ahr Endowment Fund committee reviewed a pool of applications and awarded grants to six Catholic social service agencies throughout the Diocese.

CYO of Mercer County, Trenton, received a 2022 grant to supplement its Broad Street Trenton After School Program of tutoring and academic enrichment, which experienced heightened need following pandemic school closures and students losing valuable in-person instruction. In Marlboro, Collier Youth Services used its 2022 grant to fund scholarships to its Kateri Day Camp – another youth educational enrichment opportunity.

On the food insecurity and housing front, Interfaith Hospitality Network of Ocean County, Toms River, was able to use its grant last year to offset shelter and meal expenses for families, as well as its educational and lifestyles programs. Additionally, fresh produce was purchased with grant monies by Mount Carmel Guild, Trenton, to give to recipients of its Summer Feeding Families project.

As fuel prices skyrocketed, the Holy Eucharist Parish chapter of St. Vincent de Paul, Tabernacle, used its grant to purchase gasoline gift cards for clients who were at risk for missing doctor appointments or job interviews for lack of fuel. And in the New Jersey State Prison, Trenton, grant money was used to purchase religious media and literature for long-term inmates.

Applications may be requested by contacting Grace Magee in the diocesan Chancery and Pastoral Center, via email: gmagee@ dioceseoftrenton.org; by mail: Diocese of Trenton, P.O. Box 5147, Trenton, NJ 08638, or by logging on to dioceseoftrenton.org/ bishop-ahr-endowment-fund

Completed applications must be mailed by June 2 to: Msgr. Thomas Gervasio, Diocese of Trenton, Bishop Ahr Endowment Fund, 701 Lawrenceville Rd., Trenton, NJ 08648.

DIOCESAN DATEBOOK

To learn more about these upcoming events in the Diocese of Trenton, visit TrentonMonitor.com and click on NEWS>DIOCESE.

DIOCESAN BLUE MASS APRIL 13

Recognizing the work and dedication of law enforcement personnel serving in Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean Counties, the Celebration of Law Enforcement, or Blue Mass and Luncheon, will be held at 10 a.m. in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold.

For more information, visit bluemass.org

USCCB ANNUAL CATHOLIC HOME MISSIONS APPEAL APRIL 29-30

The collection funds U.S. dioceses that are unable to provide ministry to the faithful who live there. Home mission activities directs its support to evangelization, catechesis, the promotion of parish life and the training of priests, deacons, religious and lay ministers. Home mission activities may be centered at the parish, diocesan, interdiocesan or national level.

More information may be found at usccb. org/committees/catholic-home-missions

CATECHESIS SERIES IN MAY BOTH VIRTUAL, IN-PERSON

The Art of Catechesis series will be offered online on May 17, 24 and 31 at 6:30-8:30 p.m., and in person May 9 and 16 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at St. Margaret Church, 300 Ludlow Ave., Spring Lake. The six-hour series is a foundational course toward the diocesan Certificate in Catechesis, focused on formation and resources, and is open to new and seasoned catechists and those discerning the role.

To register, visit dioceseoftrenton.org/art-of-catechesis-1. For questions contact Michelle Angelo, mangelo@ dioceseoftrenton.org.

ORDINATIONS IN DIOCESE, MAY 20 AND JUNE 3

Thirteen men will be raised to the Order of Deacon during a May 20 Mass at 10 a.m. in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, 151 N. Warren St., Trenton. Of the 13, 10 will serve their parishes as permanent deacons, while the remaining three will continue their studies and prepare for priestly ordination next year.

On June 3 at 10 a.m., Rev. Mr. Kevin Hrycenko, a transitional deacon, will be ordained a priest in St. Joseph Church, 685 Hooper Ave., Toms River. Look forward to reading about the ordinands in the May issue of The Monitor Magazine and the June issue which will feature ordination coverage.

Featured Selections:

Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit - William Dawson

Daniel, Daniel, Servant of the Lord - Undine Smith Moore

Go Down, Moses - B.E. Boykin

Gospel Mass - Robert Ray

Special Guests

Absalom Jones Inspirational Choir Elmwood Concert Singers A

For tickets and information: 609-434-2781 -www.capitalsingers.org

Job fairs to promote Catholic school employment opportunities

BY EMMALEE ITALIA  Contributing Editor

Aiming to assist Catholic schools with hiring new teachers and staff, the diocesan Department of Catholic Schools will host two job fairs in May for interested applicants.

The first job fair will be May 9, 4-7 p.m., in St. John Vianney High School, 540-A Line Rd., Holmdel. A second job fair will follow on May 11, 4-7 p.m., in Notre Dame High School, 601 Lawrence Rd., Lawrenceville. With 25 diocesan elementary schools and five high schools represented at both fairs, job openings are available for teachers, coaches and more.

“Our Catholic school principals, like all school leaders throughout the country, have struggled in recent years with the recruitment and retention of teachers,” said Bonnie Milecki, diocesan associate director for school development and operations. “It is one of the largest challenges facing education today.”

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Suggestions came organically from Catholic school leaders in the Diocese, she said, with requests for more tools and collaboration. A Recruitment and Retention Task Force of principals and the Department of Catholic Schools was formed, and three goals were developed: Catholic school job fairs, access to the Frontline Recruiting Platform and professional development to support teacher recruiting.

“We had not hosted a diocese-wide job fair, and that suggestion – although ambitious – was one we knew we needed to bring to life,” Milecki continued.

The other two goals will be delivered by the end of the current academic year. Candidates will be introduced to the Frontline Recruiting Platform at the job fairs where they will see all Catholic school job openings in one place. They will also be able to liaise with school leaders from any school.

The Department of Catholic Schools additionally wanted to advertise the positive aspects of the Catholic school environment and a feeling “like coming home,” to which Milecki said both current teachers and student alumni returning to work in Catholic schools have attested.

“[It] has major advantages,” she pointed out, including the opportunity to bring one’s faith to work. “Veteran educators come to us from other types of school environments and comment that … the school community makes it a pleasure to come to work every day … [They said] that Gospel values inform their teaching and influence the strong communities they build with their students,” she said.

The Diocese hopes that applicants will realize that Catholic schools “are small in the best way, and big in the best way,” Milecki continued.  “[They] are a part of a much larger support network [which supports] continuing education funding and cutting-edge professional development.”

Other attractive aspects include the National Catholic Education Association’s report of a second straight year of Catholic school growth nationwide, and high job satisfaction rate, Milecki noted.

“We hope the job fairs will provide an opportunity for us to show the robust nature and growing success of Catholic schools … and we will benefit by bringing highly qualified, passionate educators into our schools.”

Registration is encouraged but not required at dioceseoftrenton.org/school-job-fairs.

Graphic courtesy of the diocesan Department of Catholic Schools.

Mount Carmel Guild holds annual Founder’s Day Mass

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Friends and supporters of Mount Carmel Guild gathered for the inner-city Trenton agency’s annual Founder’s Day Mass March 26 in St. George Church, Titusville.

Msgr. Thomas N. Gervasio, diocesan vicar general and pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish, Hamilton, was principal celebrant of the Mass and Father Stephen Sansevere, pastor of the three parishes that make up the Catholic Community of Hopewell Valley, was homilist.

Among those invited to attend were the hundreds of Guild Mission Members and those affiliated with the Guild, including former and current staff, board members and volunteers. The Mission Members received a special blessing from Msgr. Gervasio.

“The annual Founders’ Day Mass is one of thanksgiving, recognizing the ways God has helped us to serve our care receivers and to ask for his continued guidance,” said Daren Miller, who recently joined the Guild staff as director of external affairs.

“We are grateful for the Guild’s Mission Members, both past and present, who serve with us. We also express our appreciation for the pioneering work of the Guild’s founding members as we reflect on their stewardship and example in establishing the Guild over 103 years ago.”

Miller proudly shared about the impact Mount Carmel Guild continues to make despite limited resources. He said in the preceding year, 35 seniors benefited from the accredited Home Health Nursing Program that provides in-home patient monitoring, assistance with medications and coordinated care with families and doctor’s offices.

“Our efforts have been tremendously enhanced by the kind-

ness of individuals and groups who give of their time, talent and resources,” he said. “Throughout the year, we will be pushing ahead with invigorated care programs and fundraising activities. We invite all our Mission Members and all who support our work to celebrate with us.”

Also during the Mass, Msgr. Gervasio reflected on the Guild’s more than 100-year history, speaking of how it was started by Bishop Thomas J. Walsh, third bishop of Trenton. He told of how the bishop had started an outreach when he served in Chicago and then duplicated the agency first in Trenton, and, later, when he moved to Newark.

“Bishop Walsh loved to serve the community,” shared Rose Kimball, former Guild staff member. “That passion and love is still there today. I could see it daily in how they help the poor.”

Msgr. Thomas N. Gervasio was principal celebrant of the Mass. He was joined at the altar by Father Stephen Sansevere, homilist; Msgr. John K. Dermond, a retired priest of the Diocese, and Deacon Richard Currie, who assisted. Joe Moore photos

Supporters and friends of Mount Carmel Guild gather in St. George Church, Titusville, March 26 for the agency’s annual Founders’ Day Mass.

From: San Alfonso Retreat House <info@sanalfonsoretreats.org

Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2021 3:36 PM

To: clare@sanalfonsoretreats.org

Subject: 2021 Clergy Retreats ‐ San Alfonso

SAN ALFONSO RETREAT HOUSE

and renew your spirit?

RETREATS FOR CLERGY

RETREAT AND RENEWAL

June

2021 Retreats for Clergy

Preaching,

Retreats for Religious Sisters: June 18-23; July 1621; July 30-August 4; August 11-17 (6 day guided retreat: The Grace of Resilience; Mary Pat Garvin, RSM, Ph.D., Facilitator)

Retreats for Women: April 14-16, 21-23, 28-30; May 5-7; 19-21; June 23-25: August 8-10 (midweek); October 6-8; 13-15; November 10-12

Silent Directed Retreats: June 25-July 2; August 27- September 3

Retreats for Married Couples: September 15-17

Retreats for Men: July 21-23; September 8-10; September 22-24

Knights of Columbus Weekend: October 20-22

Monthly Days of Prayer: 9:30 – 3:00 pm - April 17; May 18; September 18; October 16; November 9; December 12

Jesus renews life, hope even when all seems lost

BY CAROL GLATZ

VATICAN CITY • Jesus can offer everyone hope and new life, Pope Francis said.

“Let yourself be pulled out” by Jesus during “these bad moments that happen to us all,” the Pope said before praying the Angelus with some 35,000 visitors gathered in St. Peter’s Square March 26.

In his talk, Pope Francis reflected on the day’s Gospel reading from St. John in which Jesus weeps and prays at Lazarus’ tomb then calls to him to “Come out,” bringing him back to life.

“The message is clear: Jesus gives life even when it seems that all hope has gone,” the Pope said.

Like the stone sealing shut Lazarus’ tomb, he said, there are “moments when life seems to be a sealed tomb: everything is dark and around us we see only sorrow

and despair.”

But Jesus’ miracle at the tomb teaches “this is not the end, that in these moments we are not alone; on the contrary, it is precisely in these moments that he comes closer than ever to restore life to us,” the Pope said.

Even though Jesus wept for his friend’s death, the Pope said, he also asked that the tomb be opened and that Lazarus, “Come out!” showing that Jesus “invites us not to stop believing and hoping, not to let ourselves be crushed by negative feelings.”

“Jesus says this to us, too. Take away the stone: the pain, the mistakes, even the failures, do not hide them inside you, in a dark, lonely, closed room. Take away the stone: draw out everything that is inside” without fear, the Pope said.

Jesus “will not be outraged,” he said, because he always says, “I am with you, I

MORE FROM POPE FRANCIS ON TRENTONMONITOR.COM:

 Without Holy Spirit, evangelization is empty advertising

 Do not be afraid to be a witness to God’s love

 “We need to be cleansed of all the dust that has sullied our hearts. How? Prayer, fasting, works of mercy: this is the journey of #Lent.”

@PONTIFEX

March 27, 2023

care about you, and I want you to start living again” by getting back on the right path with renewed confidence.

Visitors hold up a flag from Ukraine and a flag from Poland in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican March 26, 2023. According to Vatican police, some 35,000 people gathered in the square to join Pope Francis in praying the Angelus. CNS photo/Vatican Media

A woman and child pray by a cemetery grave. The U.S. bishops have stated that two new alternatives to burial and cremation fail to comply with the Catholic Church’s teaching on respect for the bodies of the dead. Shutterstock image

HUMAN COMPOSTING, ALKALINE HYDROLYSIS NOT ACCEPTABLE FOR BURIAL, SAY U.S. BISHOPS

WASHINGTON, DC (OSV News) • Two new alternatives to burial and cremation fail to comply with the Catholic Church’s teaching on respect for the bodies of the dead, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine said.

In a March 23 statement, the committee said it had evaluated human composting and alkaline hydrolysis, and concluded that both “fail to satisfy the Church’s requirements for proper respect for the bodies of the dead.”

The methods, which rapidly accelerate decomposition, have gained support in recent years as “eco-friendly” forms of treating human remains. Currently, six U.S. states – California, Colorado, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington –permit human composting. However, both

techniques – unlike flame-based cremation – do not yield remains that can be interred in a sacred place. Church teaching requires proper care of the human body in death as recognition of the human person’s unity of soul and body, and the hope of the resurrection when Jesus Christ returns in glory.

MEDICALLY CHANGING PERSON’S SEX CHARACTERISTICS TO THOSE OF OPPOSITE SEX ‘NOT MORALLY JUSTIFIED,’ SAY BISHOPS

WASHINGTON (OSV News) • Surgical, chemical or other interventions that aim “to exchange” a person’s “sex characteristics” for those of the opposite sex “are not morally justified,” said the U.S. bishops’ doctrine committee in a statement released March 20.

“What is of great concern, is the range of technological interventions advocated by many in our society as treatments for what is termed ‘gender dysphoria’ or ‘gender incongruence,’” it said.

The statement urged “particular care” be taken “to protect children and adolescents, who are still maturing and who are not capable of providing informed consent” for surgical procedures or treatments such as chemical puberty blockers, “which arrest the natural course of puberty and prevent the development of some sex characteristics in the first place.”

Technological advances that enable the cure of “many human maladies” today and “promise to cure many more” have “been a great boon to humanity,” but there are “moral limits to technological manipulation of the human body,” it said.

“The human person, body and soul, man or woman, has a fundamental order and finality whose integrity must be respected,” the committee said. “Because of this order and finality, neither patients nor physicians nor researchers nor any other persons have unlimited rights over the body; they must respect the order and fi-

nality inscribed in the embodied person.”

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Administrative Committee March 15 approved release of the 14-page statement by the USCCB’s Committee on Doctrine, chaired by Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas.

RESPONDING TO INDIGENOUS, VATICAN DISAVOWS ‘DOCTRINE OF DISCOVERY’

VATICAN CITY (CNS) • The Catholic Church formally “repudiates those concepts that fail to recognize the inherent human rights of Indigenous peoples, including what has become known as the legal and political ‘doctrine of discovery,’” a Vatican statement said.

Issued March 30 by the dicasteries for Culture and Education and for Promoting Integral Human Development, the statement said papal texts that seemed to support the idea that Christian colonizers could claim the land of non-Christian Indigenous people “have never been considered expressions of the Catholic faith.” But, “at the same time, the Church acknowledges that these papal bulls did not adequately reflect the equal dignity and rights of Indigenous peoples,” the statement said.

Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, said the document responds to the repeated requests of Indigenous people in Canada and the United States to disavow the so-called doctrine, but it does not claim the discussion has ended or should end. “It acknowledges that dealing with such a painful heritage is an ongoing process,” he told reporters. “It acknowledges still more importantly that the real issue is not the history but contemporary reality.”

And, the cardinal said, it is a call “to discover, identify, analyze and try to overcome what we can only call the enduring effects of colonialism today.”

 To read more on these subjects, visit TrentonMonitor.com and click on NEWS>CHURCH.

CHURCH LEADERS WELCOME MOVE ON RUSSIAN WAR CRIMES IN UKRAINE, DECRY ABDUCTION OF UKRAINIAN CHILDREN

KYIV, Ukraine (OSV News) • Ukrainian Church leaders have warned Russians they will have to answer for savagery inflicted on their country, following the International Criminal Court’s indictment of President Vladimir Putin for war crimes.

“The world is gradually waking up to what we are suffering and giving a name to it,” said Bishop Stanislav Szyrokoradiuk of Odessa-Simferopol. “It suited the perpetrators very well when the world resolved not to take note of the great many crimes being committed here, since this helped them spread their lies. Now, thank God, people are grasping what they’re doing more clearly.”

The bishop spoke as international investigators continued amassing evidence of war crimes following the ICC’s March 17 arrest warrant for President Putin and Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, his commissioner for children’s rights, on charges of abducting Ukrainian children and deliberately targeting civilians. Ukraine’s National Information Office says it has evidence that Russia has so far illegally transported over 16,000 Ukrainian children, although other sources put the figure much higher.

In a March 26 national message, the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych, said officials from various countries had recognized the “real number” of deported children

could reach “tens or hundreds of thousands,” and thanked international institutions for branding the abductions a war crime.

‘PRAY FOR GOD’S HAND’ OVER MISSISSIPPI: DESTRUCTIVE TORNADO KILLS, INJURES DOZENS

ROLLING FORK, Miss. (OSV News) • Powerful tornadoes tore through rural Mississippi the night of Friday, March 24, killing or injuring dozens and causing widespread destruction. A Saturday update from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) reported the death toll had risen to 25 and dozens of others were injured. (The death toll was later downgraded to 21.) News reports said that search and recovery crews continue to dig through destroyed homes and buildings on Sunday.

“The loss will be felt in these towns forever,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said in a Tweet Saturday. “Please pray for God’s hand to be over all who lost family and friends.”

Gov. Reeves issued a State of Emergency on Saturday, and early Sunday morning President Joe Biden ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected. Processing information from damage surveys could take days to complete, but the National Weather Service gave preliminary ratings for the Rolling Fork/Silver City tornado (EF-4, approximately 166-200 mph winds), and Blackhawk/Winona tornado (EF-3, with winds in 136-165 mph range).

“I encourage all to continue to pray and find ways to support all affected commu-

nities. We will be reaching out through our Catholic Charities Disaster Response team to assist in recovery efforts,” Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz of the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi said in a statement posted on the diocesan website.

“We pray also for the victims of the terrible tornado that struck Mississippi in the United States,” Pope Francis said at the end of his Angelus prayer March 26.

The National Weather Service of Huntsville, Alabama, also confirmed four tornadoes touched down in their state overnight March 24-25, all of which were EF-1 or EF-2 strength. At least one person died in Alabama as a result of the severe storm system.

PRAYING FOR SHOOTING VICTIMS AS ‘FAMILY OF FAITH’ IS LIKE ‘AN EMBRACE’ FOR COMMUNITY, NASHVILLE BISHOP SAYS AT MASS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (OSV News) • Nashville Bishop J. Mark Spalding celebrated Mass the evening of March 27 in Incarnation Cathedral to pray for the victims of the school shooting that morning in The Covenant School.

“On this day of such tragedy, we come here to gather as a people who live in hope, in faith and in love,” Bishop Spalding said at the beginning of Mass. “So, as we gather today, mindful of what our faith teaches us, that darkness, sin, death does not have the final word, but light, love, and the victory of Jesus Christ does.”

The shooter, later identified as 28-year-old Audrey Hale, left six individuals dead, including three children, during the mid-morning hours of March 27 at the private Christian school. Founded as a ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church, it educates students in preschool through sixth grade.

Metro Nashville Police have identified the three child victims as 9-year-olds Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney and Hallie Scruggs, daughter of the senior pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church Chad Scruggs. The three adult victims include school head Katherine Koonce, substitute teacher Cynthia Peak and school custodian Mike Hill. Hale, who was armed with two assault-type rifles, was fatally shot dead in interactions with officers who responded to the scene.

Local residents walk past a multistory apartment block in Mariupol, Ukraine, March 16, 2023, which was destroyed during the Russian invasion. Deliberately targeting civilians is among the war crime charges levied against Russian president Vladimir Putin and one other Russian official. OSV News photo/Alexander Ermochenko, Reuters

SNAP ENROLLMENT

Continued from 19

from Mount Carmel Guild, Trenton, expressed some relief at the legislation, saying, “I’m glad something was done by the state to at least try to sustain people. The issue I’m having, and I think most people are grappling with this, is that food prices are continuing to go up and so while anything is most welcome and helpful, we’re just still struggling.”

With food insecurity just one of a number of challenges, Mary Inkrot, executive director of Mount Carmel Guild, pointed out, “Most of our households are struggling to meet their budgets and they often must

make hard decisions about what bills to pay such as their electricity or car, and so they know they can count on us for food and that’s part of their budget planning.”

Inkrot stressed that food donations are always welcome at Mount Carmel, especially as “the food bank system has a two-month lag time, so if our numbers increase the amount of food won’t increase to meet those numbers for two months.”

Ferreira agreed. “Food is a number one priority here at the Guild. It is our largest service, and we would like the community to know that we do collaborate with other entities such as Catholic Charities that does SNAP enrollment twice per month.

When individuals who come in and ask for the opportunity to apply for SNAP, we facilitate that referral over to Catholic Charities.”

As part of their focus to get families signed up for the SNAP benefit program, CCDT has posted a billboard at a centrally-located intersection in Trenton with a QR code to take people to a webpage where they can leave their contact information.

They also regularly post about the program on their social media accounts and just completed a twomonth digital advertising campaign with Townsquare Media encouraging enrollment.

Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton SNAP Outreach Coordinator

Nathalia Soto is available at nsoto@ cctrenton.org.

Mount Carmel Guild is located at 73 North Clinton Avenue, Trenton, NJ 08609; info@mtcarmelguild.org.

CLERGY RETREAT

Continued from 22

community within our parishes and organizations.”

In his address, Msgr. Bohlin referenced two churchmen who remained persistent in their work and faith under difficult circumstances –St. Thomas More, who died a martyr after he was convicted of treason, and Archbishop John Hughes, the first archbishop of New York in the 1850s and 1860s, who built St. Patrick’s Cathedral despite the Civil War and the anti-Catholic sentiment of the time.

Msgr. Bohlin encouraged priests to have the confidence of the early Christians,” such as St. Paul, who believed God’s plan would prevail despite the hardships he faced in spreading the Gospel, said Father Gadenz, who was appreciative of the pointers Msgr. Bohlin offered on small ways priests can sow seeds that will bear fruit, such as conversations with their people.

“As for parishes, Msgr. Bohlin said that with fewer people attending Mass after the pandemic, it is an opportunity to build community with the people who do come,” Father Gadenz said.

Significant insights gleaned from the day by Father Thomas Vala, pastor, St. Clement, Matawan, were the importance of priests taking care of themselves, finding time for prayer and remembering that a priest can change himself.

“When I choose to change from being negative to positive and hopeful, I can inspire others and be able to help change the world,” said Father Vala.

One way of giving during this time of the year is “Giving Tuesday.” Our school programs directly benefit 100% from all gifts during the “Giving Tuesday” campaign. The website for a Giving Tuesday gift is: www.leadinfaith.org

One way of giving during this time of the year is “Giving Tuesday.” Our school programs directly benefit 100% from all gifts during the “Giving Tuesday” campaign. The website for a Giving Tuesday gift is: www.leadinfaith.org

One way of giving during this time of the year is “Giving Tuesday.”

Tuesday.” Our school programs directly benefit 100% from all gifts during the “Giving Tuesday” campaign. The website for a Giving Tuesday gift is: www.leadinfaith.org

During COVID, support for our schools is more important than ever. We have students that need more financial support now than in past years. Our schools have had to step up spending for health-related costs due to COVID protocols. As a result budgets are tight.

During COVID, support for our schools is more important than ever. We have students that need more financial support now than in past years. Our schools have had to step up spending for health-related costs due to COVID protocols. As a result budgets are tight.

During COVID, support for our schools is more important than ever. We have students that need more financial support now than in past years. Our schools have had to step up spending for health-related costs due to COVID protocols. As a result budgets are tight.

ANNUAL FUND

Catholic Schools Have It All...

DEAR [FIRST NAME],

Your support, will ensure our Catholic schools are here today and tomorrow. Educating the next generation. Imparting the same Gospel values that formed your life.

Your support, will ensure our Catholic schools are here today and tomorrow. Educating the next generation. Imparting the same Gospel values that formed your life.

Your support, will ensure our Catholic schools are here today and tomorrow. Educating the next generation. Imparting the same Gospel values that formed your life.

Thank you for allowing the youngest of our Catholic family the same opportunity you had been gifted.

Thank you for allowing the youngest of our Catholic family the same opportunity you had been gifted.

Thank you for allowing the youngest of our Catholic family the same opportunity you had been gifted.

the past you have provided gifts to ensure the viability of our schools for the next generation of Catholic faithful. You know the impact of Catholic education and I would like to thank you profoundly for offering this incredible gift to others.

Dr. Vincent Schmidt Superintendent of Schools, Diocese of Trenton

One way of giving during this time of the year is “Giving Tuesday.” Our school programs directly benefit 100% from all gifts during the “Giving Tuesday” campaign. The website for a Giving Tuesday gift is: www.leadinfaith.org

“We ARE open and living our mission EVERYDAY... just as you have come to rely and expect for so many years. Our enthusiasm has never wavered, because we are a faith filled community.”

Please consider renewing your previous gift of

“We ARE open and living our mission EVERYDAY... just as you have come to rely and expect for so many years. Our enthusiasm has never wavered, because we are a faith filled community.”

“We ARE open and living our mission EVERYDAY... just as you have come to rely and expect for so many years. Our enthusiasm has never wavered, because we are a faith filled community.”

During COVID, support for our schools is more important than ever. We have students that need more financial support now than in past years. Our schools have had to step up spending for health-related costs due to COVID protocols. As a result budgets are tight.

DONATE — PRAY — VOLUNTEER

PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY.

DONATE AT WWW.LEADINFAITH.ORG

Your support, will ensure our Catholic schools are here today and tomorrow. Educating the next generation. Imparting the same Gospel values that formed your life.

Thank you for allowing the youngest of our Catholic family the same opportunity you had been gifted.

FAIT

Dr. Vincent Schmidt Superintendent of Schools, Diocese of Trenton

One way of giving during this time of the year is “Giving

Dr. Vincent Schmidt Superintendent of Schools, Diocese of Trenton

Dr. Vincent Schmidt Superintendent of Schools, Diocese of Trenton

“We ARE open and living our mission EVERYDAY... just as you have come to rely and expect for so many years. Our enthusiasm has never wavered, because we are a faith filled community.”

and our students take it with them wherever they go. Catholic schools provide hope in a secular world that makes little room for faith. There is no substitute for the value that strong Catholic schools have to offer our Church.

– Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.

With the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, our Catholic schools need support more than ever. Let’s work together to preserve this vital part of our Church.

Promise Fulfilled

THE WORD

APRIL 16  THOMAS DEMANDS PROOF

Acts 2:42-47; 1 Pt 1:3-9; Jn 2019-31

APRIL

2  PROCESSIONS OF HOLY WEEK REMIND US OF OUR WALK IN FAITH

Mt 21:1-11; Is 50:4-7; Phil 2:6-11; Mt 26:1427:66

Jesus rides a colt to the temple precincts of Jerusalem. Merely a few days later he again processes the streets of Jerusalem, this time carrying a Cross. Over the centuries Christians have taken up the pious practice of following in the footsteps of Jesus. During the celebration of Holy Week and the Triduum we observe three moments of procession: carrying palms; leading the Eucharistic procession to the altar of repose and the solemn entrance of the lighted Paschal Candle. Here we not only remember the past, we embark on a symbolic journey with the Lord in our life of faith.

APRIL 9  JESUS HAS POWER OVER LIFE AND DEATH

Acts 10:34A, 37-43; Col 3:1-4 or 1 Cor 5:6b-8; Jn 20:1-9 or Mt 28:1-10

In his explanation of the events at the tomb on Easter morning, St. John places a curious emphasis on the small details about the burial cloths of Jesus. As this Gospel has no wasted words or insignificant details, it is worth considering why he makes this point. This stands in contrast to what we heard on the Fifth Sunday of Lent regarding the appearance of Lazarus as he emerged from the tomb. There he was bound hand and foot with his head covered with a hood. Jesus emerges from the tomb unhindered, leaving the burial cloths behind. In this way John clues us in to the power of Jesus over Death and the finality of his Resurrection.

In our world skepticism about truth, the experiences of others, and even reality itself seems to be rampant. We validate the opinions and experiences with which we identify and reject as “fake” that which we do not. At the same time, there is an intentional proliferation of falsity being woven as truth. This indeed leads to a healthy skepticism, but correction of entrenched skeptics is hard to achieve. Thomas the Apostle stands as a model of skepticism. He stubbornly refuses to accept the testimony of the other disciples who encounter the risen Lord. He demands a higher level of truth. This is a lesson for us as we evangelize the world.

APRIL 23  READING THE SCRIPTURES SHOULD DRAW US CLOSER TO THE EUCHARIST

Acts 2:14-22; 1 Pt 1:17-21; Lk 24: 13-35

On the day of the Resurrection two of Jesus’s disciples were on their way along the road to Emmaus, a village about five miles from Jerusalem. There they encountered the Risen One whom they did not recognize. The conversation that ensues between them gives us the first model of evangelization in the Scriptures. While the disciples thought that they were evangelizing the stranger, by speaking to him about the marvels and mysteries they encountered in the Death and rumors of Resurrection of Jesus, it was instead the stranger – Jesus himself – who was evangelizing them. There is much we can learn from this encounter.

APRIL 30  ONE SHEPHERD IS TRULY THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Acts 2:14A, 36-41; 1 Pt 2:20b-25; Jn 10:1-10

The Fourth Sunday of Easter focuses on the Good Shepherd. This reminds us of the intimate relationship between us and Jesus. This image of a shepherd abides in the Church today. The head of a parish is a “pastor,” Latin for “shepherd.” The bishop is the chief shepherd of the diocese and carries a crozier, or shepherd’s staff, as one of the signs of his office. The idea of the high priesthood and sanhedrin of the Jewish world as shepherds was prominent at the time of Jesus, though many had abrogated their responsibility for their own benefit. Jesus abides with us as the good shepherd, even when we feel abandoned by our shepherds.

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

Father Garry Koch

St. Justin the Martyr Church, Toms River. File photo

Finding hope in Easter and the little resurrections of daily life

For me, April has always been the herald of newness, recalling memories of childhood Easters when there was still a visual litany of delight present in the “Easter parade” at church; where young girls wore crisp white gloves, patent leather shoes and the traditional flowered bonnet, and young boys squirmed under restrictive suit jackets with collars buttoned tight at the neck.

Of course, there was always the tie, a sign of maturity for some and a convenient source of distraction, or disruption, for others.

Buds just beginning on forsythia bushes, Easter lilies near the altar and tulips on the kitchen table were a sign of the season of life, and a reminder that we would soon be visiting the local nursery to buy our annuals for planting in flower beds and boxes, bringing color, and butterflies, to our family backyard.

Dressed in my Easter finery, I always felt a little like the butterfly just emerging from my cocoon, transformed from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Even after a long day of family visits and lengthy meals, I almost hated to change out of my

new clothes and return to my pre-Easter self. Little did I know the experience would become a lesson of faith for me as I matured.

Somehow it seems that Christ’s Resurrection could not have taken place at any other time of the year but spring, this time of new growth and promise, of miracles and transformations.

During my life, this season of beginnings has often offered consolation and peace in those moments when, especially as a young woman, I was haunted by a great fear of death. To watch the mystery of spring unfold, to experience the beauty of life’s emergence from the cold ground of winter was to hear God’s assurance that ‘there is nothing to fear – all is life, all has its purpose, even death.”

Our Catholic faith reaffirms that death is not the end, teaching that “just as Christ is truly risen from the dead and lives forever, so after death the righteous will live for-ever with the risen Christ and he will raise them up on the last day” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 989).

But what does it mean to be raised up?

Again, our faith says, “In death, the separation of the soul from the body, the human body decays and the soul goes to meet God, while awaiting its reunion with its glorified body. God, in his almighty power, will definitively grant incorruptible life to our bodies by reuniting them with our souls, through the power of Jesus’ Resurrection” (CCC, 997).

This is the resurrection of the “last day,” an event not bound by time or space and certainly beyond our full human comprehension, but God gives us glimpses of this mystery in the little resurrections of daily life. We only need watch for them, in the same way that we watch for the crocus, the robin, the early morning light which follows the dark of night.

In his Apostolic Letter “Novo Millennio Ineunte,” St. Pope John Paul II, wrote, “The truth of Christ’s Resurrection is the original fact upon which Christian faith is based, an event set at the center of the mystery of time, prefiguring the last day when Christ will return in glory. We do not know what the new millennium has in store for us, but we are certain that it is safe in the hands of Christ, the ‘King of kings and Lord of lords’” (no. 35).

Safe in the hands of Christ – can any thought be more comforting as we face our uncertain futures, and ultimately, our deaths? Certainly, this is reason enough to celebrate Christ’s Passover, not only on Easter, but on every Sunday, with gratitude and the reassurance of what it means to emerge from the cocoon of human existence to the freedom of resurrected life.

Mary Clifford Morrell is the author of “Things My Father Taught Me About Love” and “Let Go and Live: Reclaiming your life by releasing your emotional clutter.”

C. Doncel/Unsplash photo

THINGS MY FATHER TAUGHT ME

Mary Clifford Morrell

Jesus became man so I could become God?

Q.I’m reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church and have a question about CCC 460. Can you please fully explain the lines: “For the son of God became man so that we might become God” and “… might make men gods.” I am to become GOD? That doesn’t seem right.

A. No, Catholics do not believe we literally “become” God in the sense of becoming beings with the capacity to create universes out of nothing, by means of pure will; or that we become radically all-powerful or all-knowing; or that we ourselves become worthy of the worship due to God alone. There is and can only ever be one God. And even in the heavenly life of the world to come, we retain our human nature. We can’t even change our nature to become angels, as is sometimes popularly supposed.

So, how should we understand this line in the Catechism? There is helpful clarity by looking at the opening of the very paragraph you cite. CCC 460 begins by telling us that “The Word became flesh to make us ‘partakers of the divine nature.’” That is, because we are united to Jesus and become like him through Baptism, we “partake” – i.e., share in – Jesus’ own life as the Son of God. Sharing in this divine nature means, among other things,

Wishing youHappy Easter

that we are able to enjoy eternal life and that we become God’s children by adoption.

It might also be helpful to note some overall context. Paragraph 460 is situated in the middle of a discussion on the mystery of Jesus’ Incarnation – that is, how the “Word became flesh” (Jn 1:14), or how Jesus remained fully God while being born in our human nature. The specific passage in question here was not actually written by the drafters of the Catechism, but is rather a quote from a Church Father, St. Athanasius, from his book “On the Incarnation of the Word.”

QUESTION CORNER

Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News

This idea that Jesus, the Word of God, took on our human nature in order that humanity might be enabled to have some share in his divine nature is a theme that actually runs throughout our faith tradition. Even during the Mass, when the priest mixes a drop of water into the wine which is soon to be consecrated, he prays quietly to himself: “By the mystery of this water in wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity.”

Q. The priest who helped with my conversion said that when we arrive before Mass we should be respectful to the people around us – to pray and sit quietly until Mass begins. Has the process changed or are we still asked to be quiet? In my church people speak very loud before Mass and the priest is the biggest offender.

A. Courtesy and common sense strongly suggest keeping a reverent, silent atmosphere in church.

Our church buildings are meant to be sacred spaces where people can come to be in the presence of God in an especially focused way. Before Mass the faithful are encouraged to recollect themselves in preparation for Mass. After the dismissal people often stay, to extend their time of thanksgiving after receiving the Eucharist.

If we find ourselves occasionally bothered or distracted by other people’s talking in church, sometimes the best thing to do is to recall the “little way” of St. Therese of Lisieux and use the noise as an opportunity to grow in patience and charity. For instance, we might try to assume that the “offending” priest was aiming to cheer up a lonely parishioner who is going through a challenging time.

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.

Freepik image (edited)

Caring for creation as a family

BY JESSICA DONOHUE  Special Contributor

As March came in like a lion and is, hopefully, going out like a lamb, we are finally coming out of the bleak midwinter and looking toward the spring!

Coinciding with the new life gifted us by Christ which we celebrate in Easter, the spring brings to new life a special beauty of nature as God’s Creation awakens in vibrancy and joy. The natural world is surely a wonder, and not only for the beauty we can perceive in its sights and sounds and scents, but for the balm it provides the soul.

We know we are a special part of God’s creation when we sense how our souls harmonize with nature, and the benefits of experiencing the natural world are even well-documented by the sciences.

Maybe one of the best aspects of the natural world is its vastness. We can all, undoubtedly, not only connect with some part of nature, but we can care for God’s creation too. In fact, we are called to do so. We are privileged to be stewards of the world God gifted us, and caring for it is not only a special responsibility, but an experience which enriches our lives and our faith.

Here are some practical ways your family can care for God’s creation as we head into spring:

Mary Garden • Creating a Mary Garden is a beautiful way to bring together our Catholic faith traditions and caring for God’s natural world. Mary Gardens typically include flowers and plants that have some connection with the Blessed Mother, and often feature a statue of Mary. You can find a lot of helpful resources online to help you get started. Catholic Icing offers a great introduction at www.catholicicing.com/how-to-starta-mary-garden-at-home/

Caring for animals • There are many ways you can help care for animals in your community. Supporting your local shelter in their work to help the homeless pets is one. Check out the website of your local shelter for a wish list you might contribute to or look into fostering a cat or a dog, kitten or puppy. Many shelters also have ways you can help from home.

Give each child an opportunity to care for creation • Even the smallest child can help care for the gift of nature. Purchase a small indoor plant for a child as an opportunity to learn to nurture life. Also, as those of us without a green thumb know, there are several varieties of hardy plants that are very forgiving, so you can get some good advice at a nursery or by doing research online.

Ideas from the Laudato Sí Movement • Laudato Sí is an encyclical letter promulgated by Pope Francis in which he

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.

addresses how we are called to care for creation.

The Laudato Sí Movement works to fulfill these ideals, and offers 52 ways to care for creation at their website –https:// laudatosimovement.org/news/52-waysto-care-for-creation-en-news/ Appreciating nature as a family • One of the most effective ways to instill a love and appreciation for God’s creation, and a desire to care for it, is to simply be in its majestic presence. Take a hike together, find a place with great bike trails, go to the beach – the possibilities are endless, especially in New Jersey where our drive to a lake, a mountain or the ocean is relatively short! When you return, start a conversation with your family about the difference between how you feel in nature versus in front of a screen. Note for parents – try not to use this conversation as a way to put digital technology in a bad light. Instead, use this opportunity as a way to help your children grow into the habit of maintaining a healthy balance between connecting with the natural world and making good use of technology.

EN FA I T H HOM E AT

As St. John Chrysostom wrote, “From the creation learn to admire the Lord! Indeed the magnitude and beauty of creation display a God who is the artificer of the universe. He has made the mode of creation to be our best teacher.”

Jessica Donahue serves as director of religious education in St. Joan of Arc Parish, Marlton.

Accompaniment; Culture of

Human Formation

Self-Knowledge

Self-acceptance

PARTICIPATION IN PARISH LIFE

CLERGY ENGAGED COUPLE MENTOR COUPLE

7

I N A R Y T I EM

 “The idea is to build a relationship of trust.”

Hensler, including Our Lady of Good Counsel and St. Mary of the Lakes in Medford.

According to Father Grogan, couples who might be considered to serve in the role of mentor will have been married for at least five years, live out their Catholic faith, and are open to sharing their experience and guiding the new couple.

ACCOMPANIMENT ON THE JOURNEY

Father Grogan, married for 25 years and ordained a priest eight years after the death of his wife, brings a special insight to marriage.

“When we consider every important pursuit in our lives, we encounter times of discernment or searching, periods of transformation. We also often seek a mentor or coach to help us advance. That works for careers and for physical fitness. It also has a model in our sacramental life,” Father Grogan observed, noting sponsors for both Baptism and Confirmation, and now mentors for Marriage.

“That is where the idea of accompaniment seems to be a vital part of the journey of Marriage,” Father Grogan explained. “My personal experience has shown that both the newly married and the mentor couple benefit from the relationship and ongoing conversation. It seems that, like spiritual direction, all four of the participants grow from the in-depth conversations which accompany the mentoring role.”

Aspects of the new Vatican document are being looked at in a national conversation now being led by staff from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. One focus of the discussion, Hensler explained, is the call of married couples to the mission of evangelization, sometimes through their parish’s Marriage preparation ministry and by mentoring young, engaged couples, leading others to experience “the beauty and abundance of grace” available to them through the Sacrament of Marriage.

To learn more about the diocesan marriage catechumenate process visit dioceseoftrenton.org/better-together, or contact Peg Hensler, associate director, Marriage Ministries and Natural Family Planning, at phensler@dioceseoftrenton.org.

For more from Father Grogan, go to TrentonMonitor.com and click on FAITH & CULTURE>FAMILY LIFE.

ENDOWMENT MONIES AVAILABLE

Empowering men to live their faith at home, in their parish, at work and in their communities.

Applications are now being accepted for grants from the Bishop George W. Ahr Endowment Fund. These grants are available to any church, office, apostolate or ministry within the Diocese of Trenton attempting to provide services for vulnerable individuals and those in need. Approximately $10,000 is available for distribution. Download the application form at dioceseoftrenton.org/bishop-ahr-endowmentfund, or contact Grace Magee, Chancery & Pastoral Center of the Diocese of Trenton: gmagee@ dioceseoftrenton.org or by mail: Diocese of Trenton, Attn: Grace Magee, P.O. Box 5147, Trenton, NJ 08638 • All applications must be postmarked no later than June 2, 2023.

Empowering men to live their faith at home, in their parish, at work and in their communities.

Empowering men to live their faith at home, in their parish, at work and in their communities.

Empowering men to live their faith at home, in their parish, at work and in their communities.

Empowering men to live their faith at home, in their parish, at work and in their communities.

As we begin the renewal season of spring, membership in the Knights of Columbus can offer men an opportunity for growth and a renewal of spirit in service to others by fulfilling our order’s central vision to engage in charitable works, to serve the Church, to support brother Knights, to act for the good of our country, and to give aid to those in need.

For more information visit: kofc.org/join

For FREE membership when joining online use code: BlessedMcGivney

For more information visit: kofc.org/join

For more information visit: kofc.org/join

For more information visit: kofc.org/join

For more information visit: kofc.org/join

For more information visit: kofc.org/join

For FREE membership when joining online use code: BlessedMcGivney

For more information visit: kofc.org/join

Visitation Parish celebrates 75 years of faith, fellowship in Brick Township

BY DAVID KARAS  Correspondent

As Visitation Parish marks its 75th anniversary this year, Father Edward Blanchett, pastor, has been joined by parishioners in celebrating the impact that the parish has had on its own members, as well as on the surrounding community.

“Each of us is given time on this earth by our Creator and we choose how that time is best spent. Visitation’s history has been an example of people spending that time well: not only in their personal advancement in the faith but also in how they reflect that faith in loving service to others,” Father Blanchett said.

He also spoke about the sense of community among faithful there, saying, “It reminds us that none of us is ever really alone. We are part of a greater whole that both walks with us and receives strength from each other.”

“Visitation, its good shepherds and its parishioners, are a concerned, caring and faith-filled community not prone to abandon their love of God and of one another for ‘greener pastures,’” said parishioner Florence Ochs. “Visitation welcomes all who are seeking a committed relationship … to build up a community of faithful followers of Jesus, his laws and his Church.”

Like many others, Ochs shared how much Visitation Parish has affected her life, and how it has inspired her to live her faith through service to others.

‘None of us is ever really alone’

The groundbreaking of the current church building. File photo

 Shown is the original Visitation Church building. Visitation Church today. File photos

A celebration to start off Visitation Parish’s 75th anniversary celebration was held in late January. A Mass was held in Visitation Church with a Communion breakfast following. Courtesy photo

“It has given me a greater sense of what it means to ‘give back’ not always in a monetary way, but in giving of my time and energy so that I may impact someone’s life for the better,” she said. “When the community becomes aware of a need by a parishioner, whether spiritual, life-altering or just a caring person to talk to we are ready to respond to that call.”

Father Blanchett recalls seeing faithful from the Brick Township parish helping those in need following the devastation left behind by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. While he was serving in another parish community at the time, he recalls witnessing the impact of the Visitation Relief Center that was sustained by parishioners to support neighbors affected by the historic storm.

“From its small beginnings, the Visitation Relief Center – now known as Seeds of Service – together with our very active St. Vincent de Paul Conference and other parish ministries, continue to show how our faith as Catholics goes far beyond the time we come together in church,” said Father Blanchett. “It expresses itself best when carrying out the commandment of Jesus: Love one another as I have loved you. And it is a blessing that continues to build – showing our faith to others in caring service helps reinforce and invigorate our faith through the many miracles we see working through that service.”

Like Ochs, Joan Olden, part of the team organizing events, also spoke about the reach of the parish’s efforts to serve others.

“Our Society of St. Vincent de Paul has a very strong presence in the parish and the community, enabling our Vincentians

CELEBRATING VISITATION PARISH’S DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY

This year, faithful in Visitation Parish, Brick, are marking their faith community’s 75th anniversary.

The year of celebration began with a Mass, which included the Knights of Columbus leading the opening procession. A Communion Breakfast followed, and the parish hall was filled to capacity. The opening Mass and breakfast also provided the opportunity to recognize parish volunteers, and included a tribute to the year of the National Eucharistic Revival.

The celebration also included a video presentation showcasing photos from the parish’s history, which dates back to its inception in 1948. The film paid tribute to those involved in the construction and leadership of the parish over the years, and included photos from events like a Summer Tent Mass in 1958, parish picnics and other events.

“It was a wonderful reflection of parish growth and development,” said parishioner Joan Olden.

To learn more about Visitation Parish and about events being planned to celebrate its anniversary, visit visitationrcchurch.org

not only to grow in holiness but to live the word of Jesus,” she said. “The Visitation parishioners are incredibly generous with their donations both financially and materially.”

Those outreach efforts include operating a thrift shop and food pantry, as well as a host of service projects being run by the society’s juniors group.

As a personal blessing, Olden said, “Visitation has given me wonderful opportunities to serve as an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist, [serving as a] lector and altar server, bringing Communion to the homebound and the hospital, being part of the cohort teams and the National Eucharistic Revival team,” she said.

Father Blanchett described his eight years as pastor of Visitation Parish as “extremely fruitful for me in my ministry as a priest,” and is grateful to the parish family for inviting him into their community and allowing him to be part of both good and bad times.

When asked about what he would tell others about Visitation Parish, Father Blanchett’s answer was simple and inviting: “I guess I can only invite others to come and see!”

The sanctuary in Visitation Church is seen during the 2015 installation Mass of Father Edward Blanchett, the parish’s current pastor. Monitor file photos

Shown is the stained glass image of the Visitation in the parish church.

House Built of Living Stones’

Mass and March for Life set for April 15 in Red Bank

BY EMMALEE ITALIA  Contributing Editor

The Knights of Columbus of Monmouth County has planned its annual Mass for Life and March for Life for April 15 in Red Bank.

Anthony of Padua Church, 121 Bridge Ave., Red Bank, by Father Alberto Tamayo. Often planned in January, the March was moved to just after Easter in hopes that warmer weather would inspire more participation.

Following Mass, participants will process in a March for Life for approximately 1.5 miles from the church to the Planned Parenthood facility on Newman-Springs Road in Shrewsbury, where they will pray the Rosary for unborn children and their families. Marchers will be accompanied by many Knights of Columbus District Deputies, Grand Knights and Respect Life ministries from Monmouth County. Police from the Red Bank and Shrewsbury Police Departments will be on hand.

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., consecrates the newly-installed marble altar in St. Dominic Church, Brick, March 30, commemorating the completion of the parish’s sanctuary restoration project. The Bishop celebrated Mass, along with concelebrant and pastor, Father Brian Woodrow, also shown in photo wearing purple vestments. Visit TrentonMonitor.com for more on this story; click on NEWS>PARISHES. John Batkowski photos

“As Catholics, this is something very near and dear to us,” said Colin Casey, district deputy for the Knights of Columbus within the Diocese of Trenton. “Despite the overturning of Roe v. Wade, babies in the womb are still at risk... Efforts to protect all human life must continue.”

Mass will be celebrated at 8 a.m. in St.

The importance of continuing to witness for life, said Father Tamayo, “is now up to the local community … particularly in our state, where there are some extreme laws regarding abortion. It’s important that the pro-life voice is still heard, and we pray for change so that every human life is appreciated.”

“By starting this day with celebration of the Holy Eucharist and continuing in prayer at the abortion clinic … the Knights

of Columbus remind us that we are called to be the hands and feet of Christ, offering compassion, forgiveness and mercy to all involved,” said Rachel Hendricks, diocesan Respect Life ministry coordinator.

After the March, participants are invited to St. Anthony Parish grounds for a barbecue.

Additional pro-life efforts by the Knights include a three-year initiative to screen the movie “Unplanned,” the story of former Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson and her conversion from the pro-choice stance to the pro-life cause. Casey noted that individual councils have purchased the movie DVD and the rights to show it through St. Ignatius Press.

“Many have told us that the movie prompted a change in heart on how they view abortion,” Casey attested.

“It is so fitting that this Mass and March for life will take place, not only during the Octave of Easter, but on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday,” Hendricks said. “Our hearts are full of gratitude to the Knights of Columbus of Monmouth County for organizing this grassroots effort.”

For questions, contact Colin Casey, DD23KofCnj@gmail.com

Freepik image

‘A

CELEBRATING MASS IN ROME, ASSISI A PILGRIMAGE HIGHLIGHT FOR FATHER OSBORN

BY EMMALEE ITALIA  Contributing Editor

As one of 25 pilgrims who made a March 11-19 pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi, Father Richard Osborn found himself happily one of the oldest participants at age 35 – “a very good, but not common quality of most pilgrimages … I am so grateful to God for that!” he said.

The parochial vicar in St. James Parish, Red Bank, and chaplain of Red Bank Catholic High School, said that the group was a mix of young adults from his prior parish assignment as well as friends, and friends of friends.

“It’s so important that young people experience faith in a profound way on pilgrimage, so that hopefully their lives are transformed for Christ,” he said.

The group was able to take a day trip to Assisi, where St. Francis, St. Clare and Blessed Carlo Acutis are all buried, in addition to exploring holy sites of Rome. “It’s hard to pick a favorite site,” Father Osborn said, “but I think I’d have to say the Basilica of St. Paul outside the walls, where the apostle St. Paul is buried, is a personal favorite of mine,” noting that both cities “are so deeply connected to our faith.”

Ordained to the priesthood in 2016, Father Osborn has been longing to make a return trip to Rome ever since, having been there a decade ago. “I really wanted to be able to visit and celebrate Mass at some of the holiest places of our faith and bring people along with me,” he continued. “My hope is this pilgrimage will bring about deep transformation in the lives of those who attended as well as vocations for the Lord and his Church.”

The experience of pilgrimage distinguishes itself from a vacation, he said, in that “a vacation is more about passively enjoying or resting in a different place. A pilgrimage is especially a spiritual journey to a place where you hope to encounter Christ more deeply and authentically.”

Above all, Father Osborn relished the celebration of Mass on pilgrimage, “and experiencing all these places as a spiritual father.”

Visit TrentonMonitor.com for an expanded story and more photos.

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Father Richard Osborn, center, poses with pilgrims just before Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome. Courtesy photo

Villanova certification boosts school principals’ management acumen

BY EMMALEE ITALIA  Contributing Editor

Striving to build on management skills, 24 principals in Catholic schools in the Diocese recently took advantage of a certification program through a respected Catholic institution.

The chance to earn a certificate for Catholic school management from Villanova University was offered free of charge to all Catholic school principals in the Diocese over the past year.

“Catholic school management is an important part of what we’re trying to accomplish – we partnered with [Villanova] and saw very positive results,” said Dr. Vincent de Paul Schmidt, diocesan Catholic schools superintendent, who invited the program participants to an informal reception Feb. 28 at the diocesan Chancery to celebrate their accomplishment.

The certification was sponsored jointly by the Eli Lilly company and the Diocese of Trenton’s Office of Catholic Schools and features 12 business modules covering such topics as human resources, budgeting, contracts and much more. Some principals are still finishing the certification, and still more have just begun the program this year.

“If it’s a topic around school operations, it was in there,” Dr. Schmidt said. “When people come to the administration of Catholic schools, many times they are former teachers who don’t necessarily have a business degree. If they come from a state school … they don’t necessarily have some of the elements that make a Catholic school unique, such as fundraising and development – and we have a responsibility to that.”

Christopher McCarrick, principal of Holy Cross Academy,

Rumson, finished the program in December. “I thought it would be an excellent program for my growth and success as a building leader,” he said. “I believe in continuous professional development and this program helped reinforce best practices in leadership and ground my role as principal in our faith and Catholic identity.”

Leading a fiscally responsible and thriving school was one of the goals of the principal certification program, noted Marissa Marcile, diocesan Department of Catholic Schools’ coordinator and financial analyst, Department of Finance.

“Principals are responsible for all aspects of their school – not only the curriculum and discipline of students,” Marcile pointed out. “The 12 modules included in the Villanova program provided insight and practical scenarios in budget, human resources, security and marketing … Sharing thoughts and situations regarding each topic with colleagues provides opportunities for different perspectives and ideas. Also, knowing that you’re in the same boat is comforting.”

The Villanova program, Dr. Schmidt attested, was so regarded because “we literally have [the certification] from the best institution that could provide information on how to run a business within a Catholic framework.”

He added that the certification would continue on an annual basis. “I’m honored that our principals saw the value in it and took the chance on doing it,” he continued, “because the Villanova program fills a gap in our Catholic schools that would be difficult to fill.”

The Villanova principal certification program is made possible, in part, through funding from the Annual Catholic Appeal and the generous gifts of the people of the Diocese.

Kim Clauss, principal of St. Paul School, Princeton, accepts recognition Feb. 28 for completion of the Villanova principal certification program. Bonnie Milecki photo

 “This program helped reinforce best practices in leadership.”

Don’t miss The Monitor’s Sports coverage online

BY RICH FISHER  Contributing Editor:

 ND’s faith-driven MacCabe honored as leader on and off football field

 Catholic Athletes for Christ retreat a spiritual boost for student athletes, coaches

 RBC’s DeSousa, St. Rose’s Huisman win first Meet of Champions gold medals

 St. Rose boys basketball team’s bright future undimmed by loss in state final New story every Friday!

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

SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS

POINT PLEASANT SCHOOL TO MARK 100 YEARS WITH PARADE, BLOCK PARTY APRIL 29

St. Peter School, Point Pleasant Beach, will celebrate its 100-year anniversary with numerous events through the year, including a parade and block party April 29 beginning at 12:30 p.m.

“The parade will be a journey through the decades,” explained Megan Miller, school parent and centennial committee member.

“Each grade in our school will represent a decade and be paired with alumni who want to join from that decade. There will be classic cars, emergency response vehicles and so much more!”

Kicking off the yearlong celebration March 18 was a Centennial Jubilee Gala, which drew a happy and supportive crowd of nearly 130 people that included St. Peter’s parishioners, current school parents, staff and alumni from the 1950s through the 2000s.

St. Rose sophomore Bryan Ebeling, left, and freshman Tyler Cameron, right, battle against Roselle Catholic in the March 3 finals at Rutgers’ Jersey Mike’s Arena in New Brunswick. Hal Brown photos

In new album, composer with local roots celebrates a marriage saved by faith

BY GINA CHRISTIAN  National Reporter, OSV News and MONITOR STAFF REPORTS

On Independence Day in 2021, Michigan-based composer Tony Manfredonia felt anything but free.

The 30-year-old, who has scored everything from Mass settings to videogame soundtracks, was “at the bottom of the barrel” in his young marriage, he told OSV News.

“I was at the lowest point in my life,” said Manfredonia, who has his roots in the Philadelphia area. “I asked, ‘Do I even want to live anymore?’ I got to that point where I considered leaving. ... and I said, ‘I just can’t do this anymore.’”

share a powerful faith experience is nothing new to Manfredonia, who is the one of three children of Jim and Cheryl Manfredonia of Domestic Church Media, Ewing, a Catholic media apostolate with radio stations covering portions of the Diocese. Both parents have musical backgrounds and regularly share their faith-inspired talent in their programming and other concerts. (See sidebar)

PAINFUL JOURNEY

The crisis of what Manfredonia described as “anger, hatred and frustration” in his marriage had been sparked by discussions of having children amid several medical conditions his wife was battling. The marriage entered a dark season in the spring of 2021. Discord between the couple emerged “on numerous fronts emotionally (and) financially,” and the prospect of parenthood was frightening.

“When we started seeing improvement (in Maria’s condition), we said, ‘Maybe let’s start talking about kids,’” he said. “Through those conversations, questions suddenly arose: ‘Did we make the right choices with this marriage?’”

Manfredonia added he even wondered if the marriage was stifling his artistic gifts.

“I feel so ashamed to think that I asked myself, ‘Is she holding me back from a better career, fame and fortune?’” he said. “At the time, I thought those were ... things that would make me happy.”

DCM, EWTN INTERVIEW TONY MANFREDONIA

Jim Manfredonia, co-founder of Domestic Church Media in Ewing, and his wife Cheryl recently interviewed their son Anthony – who goes by Tony Manfredonia professionally – on their radio program “Friday LIVE” on Feb. 28, giving him a platform to talk candidly about his new album and the personal struggles that led to its creation.

“This is all so exciting,” said Cheryl Manfredonia of her son. “Jim and I are so proud of his musical accomplishments, but we are also so thankfully blessed.”

To view the program, visit www. youtube.com/watch?v=p3cls-LmjsU. The interview begins at 15:05.

Following his DCM appearance and the article in Our Sunday Visitor, Tony was also interviewed March 14 for EWTN’s television program “Life on the Rock.” Episodes are available on demand at ewtn. com/tv/shows/life-on-the-rock.

More than two years later, Manfredonia and his wife, Maria, have renewed their commitment to each other – which he chronicles in his new album “Anchored,” describing it as “a true story of spiritual warfare, and how complete surrender to God saved my marriage.”

The “cinematic, symphonic rock” forms a tale of “Satan’s attempt to destroy marriages and families” and “the miraculous gift of faith and ... God’s faithfulness,” Manfredonia wrote on his website.

Utilizing music and the media to

Yet amid the turmoil, Manfredonia and his wife were able to recall the “mutual suffering” that had brought them together, and their Catholic faith. Manfredonia was diagnosed in 2012 with anorexia, prior to his music composition studies at Temple University. He chronicled his recovery through a blog he created, and Maria, who also had struggled with the disorder, sent a message of support that led to Manfredonia’s traveling to her hometown in Michigan for a visit. The two married after Manfredonia graduated in 2016, and now

Domestic Church Media, a Catholic media lay apostolate, provides a variety of both local and EWTN programming, streaming live on domesticchurchmedia. org and on their free app.

Both Jim and Cheryl expressed happiness at Tony’s journey, even reminding him during the interview that when he was a child, the family visited the tomb of Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen in New York. Tony has inserted excerpts of the archbishop’s talks overlaying a track on his new album.

“Anthony and Maria are deeply involved in their faith,” Cheryl added, “giving witness to the Sacrament of Marriage.”

By EmmaLee Italia, Contributing Editor

Tony and Maria Manfredonia

Photo courtesy of Cheryl Manfredonia

THE DIOCESE OF TRENTON is committed to the initiatives outlined in the U.S. Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and to its own policies and guidelines in regard to the reporting and investigation of sexual abuse allegations involving minors.

If you have been sexually abused as a minor by a member of the clergy or anyone representing the Catholic Church, or if you know of someone who was, you can report that abuse through the diocesan ABUSE HOTLINE: 1-888-296-2965 or via e-mail at abuseline@dioceseoftrenton.org.

The Diocese of Trenton reports any allegations of sexual abuse to the appropriate law enforcement agencies. Anyone with an allegation is also encouraged to provide that information to local law enforcement authorities.

FATHER MICHAEL BRIZIO, A CONSOLATA PRIEST WHO MINISTERED IN FREEHOLD AND HIGHTSTOWN PARISHES, DIES

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Consolata Father Michael Brizio, who served as an adjunct priest in St. Robert Bellarmine

Co-Cathedral and St. Rose of Lima Parish, both Freehold, and St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Hightstown, died March 27 in De La Salle Hall, Lincroft. He was 76.

Funeral services were scheduled for April 1 with a Mass of Christian Burial being celebrated at 10:30 a.m. in St. Rose of Lima Chapel, 51 Lincoln Place. Burial was to be in

St. Rose of Lima Cemetery.

“Father Mike was such a kind and gentle priest,” Melissa Mistretta posted on the Co-Cathedral’s Facebook page. “He always had a good sense of humor, no matter what he might have been dealing with. The bravery he displayed during his illness was nothing short of heroic. I enjoyed his reflections on Scripture and his ‘Seeds of Hope’ emails were so enlightening. I will miss his comforting presence, yet I rejoice knowing he is at peace.”

Father Brizio was born in Fossano, Piedmont, Italy in 1947. He joined the Consolata Missionaries as a young boy and professed

his first religious vows Oct. 2, 1967. He attended The Catholic University of America, Washington, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in theology. He was ordained a priest May 12, 1973.

Following his ordination, Father Brizio pursued missionary life. He was sent to Kenya and, after having learned Kimeru, one of the local languages, he taught at the Egoji Teacher Training College for four years.

When Father Brizio was asked to serve in Ethiopia, he accepted and attended correspondence courses given by the Century University in Beverly Hills, Calif. After

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SCRIPTURE SEARCH

Gospel for April 16, 2023

 John 4: 5-42

Following is a word search based on the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday of Easter, Cycle A: The risen Lord appears to Thomas. The words can be found in all directions in the puzzle.

EVENING FIRST DAY DOORS FOR FEAR PEACE SHOWED

THE LORD FATHER SENT ME BREATHED FORGIVE THOMAS

TWELVE NAILS FINGER

HAND BLESSED OTHER SIGNS

WRITTEN THIS BOOK NAME

TEST YOUR CATHOLIC KNOWLEDGE

ACROSS

1 Food for Elijah

4 Saint of Norwich

8 Homeland of the first American-born saint

9 “What God ___ joined together…”

10 “Give us this day our ___…”

12 Judas betrayed Jesus with one

13 Biblical food

14 Jacob and Rachel, to Joseph

17 OT historical book

18 City to which Paul was traveling when he was blinded

Answers on back page.

22 Holy day cusp

24 ___ Name Society

25 John preached in the wilderness here

26 A Sacrament is an outward

28 OT prophetic book

29 Protection or liberation from the power of the devil

30 ___ of Man

32 Falls found in the Diocese of Saint Catharines

33 Catholic “Today Show” weather anchor

35 “…in the city of David a Savior has been ___…” (Lk 2:7)

36 White silk garment worn by the Pope

37 Alien god of the Exodus

38 “You are the ___ of the earth” (Mt 5:13)

39 Husband of Mary

40 Jesus rebuked this DOWN

2 Ark landing

3 NT epistle

4 Biblical heroine

5 Diocese of Honolulu necklaces

6 Where Samson slew the

Philistines

7 One of the evangelists

11 Samson used this animal part as a weapon

12 Genuflection joint

13 Nordic Saint

15 One of the seven deadly sins

16 Catholic actor of “The Wizard of Oz” fame

19 Parable of the ___ in the fish

20 Joseph and Benjamin, to Jacob

21 “O Mary! We crown ___ with blossoms today”

22 Patron saint of sailors

23 Job’s wife told him to, “___ God and die” (Job 2:9)

26 ___ of Songs

27 OT historical book

28 ___ of Arc

30 Wisdom book

31 Perform the Sacrament of Holy Orders

32 Land in which Cain settled

33 “On the third day he ___ again”

34 ___ the fatted calf

35 The ___ Army of Mary

37 “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall ____ before me.”

(Rom 14:11)

Search FUN & GAMES at TRENTONMONITOR.COM to find the weekly SCRIPTURE SEARCH puzzles.

COMPOSER’S TRANSFORMATION

Continued from 46

reside in northern Michigan.

SAVED THROUGH PRAYER

Their pastor, Father Peter Wigton of St. Mary Parish in Charlevoix, Michigan, helped them navigate one of the darkest moments of their marriage. During an anguished July 4 weekend in 2021, Manfredonia called Father Wigton, who advised the couple to pray and seek God’s guidance –which they did, first separately, and then together with the pastor and the parish prayer team.

“Our prayer was for discernment in our marriage, and when Father Peter asked if I was sensing anything, I saw in my mind ... an image of Maria giving birth, and us out at a park with our children. … this openness to kids.” Manfredonia said he felt “a visceral change” during the prayer session that imparted “a sense of bravery.”

“In an instant, I went from questioning my marriage ... to ‘Wow, I can’t wait to have kids,’” he said. “And it hasn’t stopped ... I still believe we witnessed a miracle.” With that restoration now set to music, Manfredonia is seeking to give other struggling couples hope in Christ.

“Jesus’ Resurrection is so powerful because he died,” he said. “You can’t have the resurrection without the death. You have to know ... the trials to appreciate the transformation and redemption.”

FATHER BRIZIO

Continued from 48

earning a master’s degree in education in 1984, and a doctorate in 1986, he became principal of the Meki and of the Nazareth mission schools. He later served as director of the philosophy seminary in Addis Ababa, then became administrator of the Consolata Missionaries Region of Ethiopia where he served for seven years.

After having worked in the two countries where the Consolata Missionaries opened their first missions at the beginning of the 20th century, Father Brizio was assigned to serve in Colombia, South America, where he studied Spanish and in 1996, he became the pastor of Solano, on a bank of the Caqueta River. In 1999 he became administrator of the Vicariate of San Vicente de Caguan.

In 2002, Father Brizio became the mission director in Somerset and the administrator of the Consolata Missionaries in the United States and

Canada. In 2007, he began serving in St. Rose of Lima Parish, followed by a three-year parish assignment in Toronto, Canada. He returned to New Jersey and resumed serving in three Trenton and two Freehold parishes as well as in Hightstown.

Father Brizio was predeceased by his parents, Giovenale and Maria (Berardo) Brizio. He is survived by his brother, Giuseppe, and sister, Giuseppina, and their families.

CLASSIFIED Positions Available

St. Paul, Princeton Parish Business Manager

Our parish is seeking a part-time Parish Business Manager. Reporting directly to the pastor, the business manager is responsible for supporting and assisting the pastor in the following areas:

•stewardship of planning and coordinating finances

•negotiating contracts with vendors and third party service providers - with emphasis placed on obtaining best value for service provided - and implementing and supervising said contracts

•supervising and controlling inventory of parish materials, supplies, and services

•basic human resources operations of the parish

Please send your resume to mvalle@stpaulsofprinceton.org

St. Mary of the Lakes, Medford Parish Catechetical Leader

Our parish is seeking a full-time Parish Catechetical Leader (PCL) for Religious Education. This position reports to the Pastor. The PCL:

develops and administers the Religious Education Program for students ages four through fourteen in the parish serves as the religion coordinator at St. Mary of the Lakes School is responsible to coordinate ageappropriate Sunday Children’s Masses offered monthly, and Children’s Church (PREK and K students) offered bi-monthly during the school year supervises the parish youth minister, one full time administrative assistant and volunteer catechists serves as a liaison between the parish and the Diocesan Department of Catechesis

For more information and how to apply visit www.smlparish.org/parishcatechetical-leader

DINING