Monitor Magazine April 2023 In Focus: Holy Week-Easter

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

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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