Monitor Mag March 2023

Legacy of Love

Since his election – a decade ago – as the 266th pontiff of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has spoken nearly every day about the need for people to connect with one another, help those in need, defend the vulnerable and protect the environment. The impact of his papacy’s historic first decade has not yet been fully measured, but it has undeniably been based on the unconditional love for every human person. See IN FOCUS.

INSIDE...

HOW IS YOUR LENT GOING? . . . Find inspiration from Bishop O’Connell and our special Lent package Also . . . Rite of Election; Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day; Catholic men focus on faith; special Bereavement section

GOAL: $6.5 MILLION

EYES OF CHRIST

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

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• Outreach to the Poor and Vulnerable

FEET OF CHRIST

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

$2,250,000

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

• Retired Priest Care

• Preparation of Deacons

• Support of Religious Women and Men

HANDS OF CHRIST

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

$2,500,000

• Evangelization and Communications Outreach

• Religious Education for Children and Rite of Election of Adults

• Catholic School Programs

• Professional Development for Educators

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2023 ANNUAL CATHOLIC APPEAL

“The opportunity to be recharged… will allow us to better give ourselves to our people, the ones to whom we are called to serve.”

—FATHER JAMES SMITH, PAROCHIAL VICAR

ON THE COVER

Pope Francis waves to the crowd as he leads the Angelus from his study window overlooking St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Feb. 21, 2022. He celebrates his 10 year papal anniversary this month. See IN FOCUS coverage on pages 9-15.

MONITOR

Parishioners gather for the Mass celebrated by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., on the First Sunday of Lent, Feb. 22 in Immaculate Conception Church, Trenton. Joe Moore photo

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16-21 ¾ Lent

Ideas for journeying through remainder of Lent and Holy Week; photo collage of Ash Wednesday services; Bishop O’Connell celebrates Mass in parishes on Lenten Sundays

22-23

¾ We Believe

Candidates and catechumens gather for Rite of Election; annual men’s conference centers on authenticity, joy

30 ¾ Diocese

Young adults delve into mystery of Eucharistic presence

38-42 ¾ Bereavement

Funeral homes, ministries give families peace of mind

48-49

¾ In the Parishes

Manalapan parish unites families for shared activity; Bread for Life campaign assists prolife efforts

50-51

¾ Schools

Annual PTA spring conference explores call to service; baby supplies collected by student athletes to aid mothers

52-53

¾ Young Catholics

Scouts, leaders recognized for faith-based achievements;

44-46  Insight from Father Koch, Mary Morrell; Question

CNS photo/Vatican Media

Celebrando los 10 años del Papa Francisco

“Ser Iglesia significa ser pueblo de Dios, según el gran designio de su amor paternal. Esto significa que debemos ser la levadura de Dios en medio de la humanidad. Significa proclamar y traer la salvación de Dios a nuestro mundo, que a menudo se extravía y necesita ser alentada, dada esperanza y fortalecida en el camino. La Iglesia debe ser un lugar de misericordia dada gratuitamente, donde todos puedan sentirse acogidos, amados, perdonados y animados a vivir la buena vida del Evangelio (Evangelii gaudium, 114)”.   Papa Francisco

Un mensaje del OBISPO DAVID M. O’CONNELL, C.M.

En nombre del clero, religiosos y fieles laicos de la Diócesis de Trenton, extiendo nuestras felicitaciones, nuestros mejores deseos y la promesa de apoyo en oración a nuestro Santo Padre el Papa Francisco con motivo del décimo aniversario de su elección a la Cátedra de San Pedro. Que el Señor Jesucristo, cuyo Vicario eres, continúe bendiciéndote y fortaleciéndote mientras pastoreas su Iglesia. ¡Ad multos annos, su Santidad!

In 10 años como papa, Papa Francisco ha realizado 40 viajes al extranjero, visitando 60 países; en ocho consistorios ha creado 95 cardenales menores de 80 años y con derecho a voto en cónclave y ha rendido homenaje a 26 eclesiásticos mayores de 80 años; y ha presidido las canonizaciones de 911 nuevos santos, entre ellos un grupo de más de 800 mártires, pero también los Santos Juan Pablo II, Juan XXIII y. Pablo VI. CNS graphic/Frida Larios

EL CAMINO DE LA CUARESMA

El Padre Guilherme Andrino SVD, párroco de la parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, Lakewood, coloca cenizas en la cabeza de una niña feligrés el Miércoles de Ceniza. Facebook foto

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

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

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10 años como Papa: Impulsando a la Iglesia a llevar el Evangelio al mundo

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Papa: El diálogo, no la venganza, debe prevalecer en Tierra Santa

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There’s still time for a digital fast

We have come to refer to it as FOMO – Fear of Missing Out. And it manifests itself in our lives and the lives of our loved ones in many ways. But perhaps one of the most universal experiences through which we, as human beings, indulge our FOMO is that of our constant connection with digital media.

It is FOMO that keeps us scrolling through social media, looking for what our friends and family have posted or what latest shoes or home organizational items that Facebook wants us to see in the ads that they serve up to us.

Very often, we don’t take much notice of our use of digital media; we hand over hours of our time each day, never questioning ourselves about the negative effects it might have; or the lack of discipline it reflects. It has become part of our daily routine, and we may not be the better for it. There may even be a chance we are slightly addicted to this connection in our lives.

This is an awareness that is not lost on some folks who we will notice have dropped off the radar on social media. Sometimes they will announce their intended departure, and why. At this time of year, there are some who leave as a form of Lenten fasting. We may see them pop up, say goodbye, and think . . . what a great idea. Why don’t I do that?

Enter Sister Nancy Usselmann, who recently wrote a column for OSV News on this very topic. I highly recommend it for your Lenten consideration, especially as we find ourselves halfway through this penitential season and perhaps looking for fresh inspiration.

Sister Nancy writes: “The sometimes unhealthy choices we make with our dig-

ital media may increase our anxiety and lead us to isolation – from the people we most care about, but also from God. That’s a good reason for fasting, not from food, but from our screens.”

She offers a list of benefits that we may not have realized can be achieved through fasting. And she offers practical pointers:

Just like fasting from food and drink, media fasts can be done in various ways. They can be intermittent – especially if we need our screens for work or study – and so can be targeted to specific media or apps. Or they can be centered on conscious choices about what we post to (and how often we engage with) social media. Here are some suggestions:

DAILY FASTS

• Turn off your phone from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. the next morning. Living without digital interruptions for eight hours straight offers a peaceful evening and a complete night’s rest.

• Limit your entertainment, gaming or viewing to one hour.

• When catching up with friends or family, suggest no phones during your meal. See where the conversation goes!

24 HOUR FASTS

• Do a complete digital fast by turning off your digital devices and storing them away for a 24-hour period.

I encourage you to read more from Sister Nancy, by visiting TrentonMonitor.com/lent-holy-week-easter.

Should you decide to embark on this endeavor, I suggest only that you reserve at least a bit of time to stay in touch with Catholic news on TrentonMonitor. com.

Whether you try this digital fast or stay on the path you set for yourself in the beginning, we offer you all our best wishes for a fruitful second half of Lent. God bless!

DISPENSATION FOR ST. PATRICK’S DAY; CALL TO HONOR THE OBLIGATION IN OTHER WAYS

In observance of St. Patrick’s Day 2023, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., announced the following dispensation from the Friday obligation to abstain from eating meat and to fulfill the spirit of the obligation through other works, actions:

The Holy Season of Lent brings with it the serious annual penitential obligation to abstain from meat on Fridays of Lent.  This year, 2023, however, Friday of the third week of Lent corresponds with St. Patrick’s Day (March 17), which has traditionally been an occasion for special celebrations.  As Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton, I am granting a dispensation from the obligation to abstain from eating meat to Catholics of the Diocese of Trenton as well as to any visitors or travelers who may be physically present within the territory of this Diocese on Friday, March 17.

A message from RAYANNE BENNETT Associate Publisher

Freepik image

The mid-point of Lent: Stay in your lane!

Here we are at the midpoint of our Lenten journey.  How has it been going?

Living our Catholic faith takes practice all the time. But when we trip or fall, true believers pick themselves up, dust themselves off and carry on where they left off.

So it is with the holy season of Lent, that annual time of penance and grace the Church gives us. There are crosses and resurrections throughout these 40 days heading toward the commemoration of Christ’s own Cross and Resurrection. Perhaps we started off on Ash Wednesday with the very best of Lenten intentions and plans. And we may have stumbled on the way. But we shouldn’t give up on what we hoped and wanted to do for the Lord.

Maybe we didn’t pray as much or with the intensity as we had planned.  Maybe we hedged a bit here and there on what we had pledged to ourselves to give up.  Maybe we didn’t give to others as we had promised ourselves that we would. Maybe we have been critical, harsh, or rude to others or engaged in gossip about them. Guess what? No one is perfect! The Christian life is about the long view as well as the short. Our goal as Catholics in the long and short term is to draw as close to Christ as humanly possible, to “practice the presence of God!” And when we veer off course, the Christian gets back in the race: Don’t give up!

When Jesus entered Jerusalem that first Palm Sunday, it

was all cheers and palms and “Hosannas.” That’s where Jesus started in Holy Week. By Holy Thursday, it was washing feet and sharing his Body and Blood in the Eucharist and then off to Gethsemane. By Good Friday, it was Calvary and the Cross and his Crucifixion. By Easter Sunday, it was triumph and Resurrection, the tomb was empty, and he had risen from the dead. That’s where he finished his Holy Week. And that’s where he began “the rest of the story!” For Christ and for all who follow him, it was and is worth the trip.

O’CONNELL, C.M.

So, no matter where Lent has taken you this year, continue your holy resolve and, if you have hesitated or stumbled, be willing to pick yourself up and finish. Keep in mind the words of the late Pope Benedict XVI: “Lent stimulates us to let the Word of God penetrate our life and, in this way, to know the fundamental truth: who we are, where we come from, where we must go, what path we must take in life” (General Audience, March 1, 2006).

“And Jesus said to all of them, ‘If anyone would come after me, deny yourself, pick up your cross daily and follow me’” (Luke 9: 23). Stay in your lane. That’s the path he offers us to Easter!

A Message from BISHOP DAVID M.

Karsten Wurth/Unsplash photo

From the Bishop

Many happy returns, Pope Francis “B

eing Church means being God’s people, in accordance with the great plan of his fatherly love. This means that we are to be God’s leaven in the midst of humanity. It means proclaiming and bringing God’s salvation into our world, which often goes astray and needs to be encouraged, given hope and strengthened on the way. The Church must be a place of mercy freely given, where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium, 114

Pope Francis

On behalf of the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the Diocese of Trenton, I extend our congratulations, very best wishes and promise of prayerful support to our Holy Father Pope Francis on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his election to the Chair of St. Peter. May the Lord Jesus Christ, whose Vicar you are, continue to bless and strengthen you as you shepherd his Church. Ad multos annos, your Holiness!

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Pope Francis greets Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., during a meeting with U.S. bishops from New Jersey and Pennsylvania in the Apostolic

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Most Reverend David M. O’Connell, C.M., J.C.D. Bishop of Trenton

Pope from ‘ends of the earth’ brings new style to Rome

BY CAROL GLATZ  Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY • Right from the start, upon his election, Pope Francis presented a whole new style of being pontiff.

The way he spoke to the vast crowd after his election March 13, 2013, was familial and down-to-earth, beginning with, “Brothers and sisters, good evening,” and ending with “We’ll see each other soon!” and “Have a good night and sleep well!”

licly go to Confession, he responds to many people who write to him with a letter, note or phone call, he meets regularly with victims of abuse, and he has gone in person to pay a bill, to pick up a new pair of glasses and to visit the elderly and the sick.

The election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, marked the first time a Jesuit was made pope. He ushered in a number of styles characteristic of his order: the Ignatian practice of discernment for making decisions in the presence of God; seeking God’s presence in all things; and a penchant for boiling his talks down to three bullet points.

Pope Francis: Te frst 10years

He repeatedly referred to himself as “bishop of Rome,” which eventually ended up being his sole title in the “Annuario Pontificio,” the Vatican yearbook, and would be another sign of his vision for renewal by promoting a more collegial and decentralized Church.

And his invitation to the crowd on the day he was elected – “Let’s begin this journey” with “fraternity, love, trust” and prayer, and “may it be fruitful for evangelization” – was a clear sign of a new style he saw for the entire Church, that of synodality, with all brothers and sisters in the faith walking, praying and evangelizing together.

That first night also gave a glimpse into how Pope Francis would lead the universal Church in the uncharted situation of having a retired pope in the wings. He led everyone in prayer “for our Bishop Emeritus Benedict XVI.”

Many of his most unexpected choices on how he would live as pope were offered as a kind of, “Do as I do, not just as I say,” especially to his brother bishops around the world. He chose to live in a Vatican guesthouse instead of the Apostolic Palace, he has used an annual penance celebration at the Vatican to pub-

He was the first pope to come from the Americas, born of immigrant Italian parents; this second-generation experience lent lived authenticity to his insistence migrants be respected, integrated and appreciated for their hard work and the rich diversity they bring to a host nation.

Most indicative of his unique style was choosing the name “Francis” to honor St. Francis of Assisi, known for his poverty, commitment to peace and love of creation. It was a signal of the style to come: simplicity, humility, working with the poor, desiring a Church that is poor and for the poor, and further deepening his predecessor’s love of creation integrated with a respect for all life.

Under his watch, the papal charities office has increased its outreach, particularly to the homeless who live near the Vatican and in other parts of the world, such as Ukraine, where he has sent his papal almoner to deliver aid directly and convey his prayers.

He also set aside the usual practice of washing the feet of 12 priests during a public celebration of the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Instead, he has celebrated smaller

Pope Francis bows his head in prayer during his election night appearance on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican March 13, 2013. The crowd joined the Pope in silent prayer after he asked them to pray that God would bless him. CNS photo/Paul Haring

Ten years as pope: Pushing the Church to bring the Gospel to the world

BY CINDY WOODEN  Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY • For a decade, even when discussing the internal workings of the Vatican, Pope Francis has insisted the Church is not the Church of Christ if it does not reach out, sharing the “joy of the Gospel” and placing the poor at the center of its attention.

Signals that his papacy would be different started the moment he stepped out on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica the evening of March 13, 2013: He was not wearing a red, ermine-trimmed cape, and he bowed as he asked the crowd to pray that God would bless him.

His decision not to live in the Apostolic Palace, his invitations to Vatican

trash collectors and gardeners and other employees to join him for his daily morning Mass, his insistence on going to the Italian island of Lampedusa to celebrate

the Catholic community grew as he expressed openness to LGBTQ Catholics and to those living in what the Church considers irregular marriage situations and when he said in an interview in 2013 that the Church cannot talk only about abortion, gay marriage and contraception.

ACTION AND OUTREACH

Mass and pray for migrants who had drowned in the Mediterranean captivated the attention of the media.

But not everyone was pleased with the seeming ease with which he set aside pomp and protocol. And tensions within

One kind of summary of his first 10 years as pope can be found in numbers: He has made 40 trips abroad, visiting 60 countries; in eight consistories he created 95 cardinals under the age of 80 and eligible to vote in a conclave and paid tribute to 26 churchmen over the age of 80; and he has presided over the canonizations of 911 new saints, including a group of more

 Signals that his papacy would be different started the moment he stepped out on the balcony.

than 800 martyrs, but also Sts. John Paul II, John XXIII and Paul VI.

In his first major document, the apostolic exhortation “The Joy of the Gospel,” he laid out a program for his papacy, looking inside the Church and outside at the world to see what needed to be done to “encourage and guide the whole Church in a new phase of evangelization, one marked by enthusiasm and vitality.”

The document included a discussion of the need to reform Church institutions to highlight their missionary role; to encourage pastoral workers to listen to and stand with the people they were ministering to – his famous line about having “the smell of the sheep”; to deepen an understanding of the Church as “the entire people of God” and not as an

institution or, worse, a club of the elect; to integrate the poor into the Church and society, rather than simply see them as objects of assistance; and to promote peace and dialogue.

‘CHURCH IN THE MODERN WORLD’

Vatican II.

Pope Francis: Te frst 10years

“After Scripture and tradition, the council is the significant foundation, and I would say, characteristic orientation of this papacy,” the cardinal told Catholic News Service. “He has taken the council not from a collection of decrees, but from the lived experience of the council as implemented, as lived, as tested, as developed, you might say, in the Church of Latin America.”

St. John XXIII launched the council with a pastoral focus on what it means to be the Church in the modern world, he said. The papacies of St. John Paul and Pope Benedict, he said, “reverted to a more doctrinal understanding of the council” with “some very good results and with some massive, unfinished business.”

While the work of Pope Francis’ predecessors was important, he said, “I don’t think it picked up the primary agenda (of the council), which was implementing a new understanding of Church in the modern world, a new way of evangelizing because the world is so different from how it was, let’s say, at the end of World War II.”

For Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the agenda of Pope Francis is the original agenda of the Second Vatican Council.

Unlike St. John Paul II and the late Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis did not attend any of the council sessions. And, in fact, because he was ordained to the priesthood Dec. 13, 1969, he is the first pope to be ordained a priest after

As for disagreements with or even controversies about the papacy of Pope Francis, Cardinal Czerny warned against confusing “loud with representative or loud with majority. Loud doesn’t mean any of those things; it means loud.”

But, he said, “the patience of Pope Francis” leads him and encourages others to recognize that the pope’s critics “are not 100% off beam,” or off track; there usually is a grain of truth in what they say or an important value they hold dear that is being overlooked.

Pope Francis embraces a sick child during an audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican Nov. 14, 2014. CNS photo/Paul Haring

Pope Francis waves to the crowd during his general audience in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican on October 13, 2021. CNS/Paul Haring photos

Vatican stamps commemorate Pope’s 10th anniversary

VATICAN CITY (CNS) • The Vatican Philatelic and Numismatic Office is marking the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ election with a series of four postage stamps.

“We want to celebrate some of the most significant moments of Pope Francis’ pontificate,” the office said in a statement announcing the stamps would

go on sale Feb. 27, just about two weeks before the anniversary of the Pope’s election March 13, 2013.

The 1.20-euro stamp features a photo of Pope Francis praying during the Mass he celebrated to inaugurate his papacy March 19, 2013.

The photo on the 1.25-euro stamp shows Pope Francis kissing the Book

Pope Francis: Te frst 10years

of the Gospels and, the office said, was chosen to celebrate the Sunday of the Word of God, a celebration Pope Francis decided in 2019 to add to the Church’s calendar.

The third stamp, carrying a value of 2.40 euros, shows Pope Francis smiling during the Sacrament of Reconciliation and marks his institution of the “24 Hours for the Lord,” a Lenten observance in Rome and at the Vatican focused on making confession widely and easily available.

The final stamp, with a face value of 3.10 euros, features a photo from Pope Francis’ first pastoral trip outside of Rome. He flew to the Italian island of Lampedusa July 8, 2013, to pray for the thousands of migrants who had lost their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean, to offer words of hope to the asylum seekers who had made the crossing and to encourage everyone to help the newcomers.

The Vatican Philatelic and Numismatic Office is marking the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ election with a series of four postage stamps. CNS photo/ Courtesy of the Vatican Philatelic and Numismatic Office

COAT OF ARMS

Pope Francis

Pope Francis’ motto on his coat of arms, “miserando atque eligendo” is taken from a homily by Saint Bede, an English eighth-century Christian writer and doctor of the Church, on the Gospel account of the call of Saint Matthew. It roughly translates to “having mercy, he called him.”

Read more on the Vatican’s website. www.vatican.va/content/ francesco/en/elezione/stemma-papa-francesco.html

MORE ON THE WEB

TRENTONMONITOR.COM

There’s more online to read about the pontificate of Pope Francis as he marks his 10th anniversary.

Pope Francis has ‘jumped Church forward’ in Jewish-Catholic relations

Around the world in 10 years: Pope’s 40 trips reflect his priorities

Pope Francis’ new approach leads to ‘positive steps forward’ in Indigenous-Catholic relations

Pope’s anniversary sees Curia reform complete, financial reform ongoing

QUOTABLE QUOTES from Pope Francis

“Dear young people, my joyful hope is to see you keep running the race before you… The Church needs your momentum, your intuitions, your faith. We need them! And when you arrive at where we have not yet reached, have the patience to wait for us.”

(Christus Vivit, 199)

“Alittle bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just.”

(Angelus, March 17, 2013)

“The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change.”

(Laudato Si’, 13)

“What is God’s love? It is not something vague, some generic feeling. God’s love has a name and a face: Jesus Christ, Jesus. Love for God is made manifest in Jesus.”

(Angelus, August 11, 2013)

“Let us dream, then, as a single human family, as fellow travelers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of his or her beliefs and convictions, each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all.”

(Fratelli Tutti, 8)

“Whatever you do, don’t be the sorry sight of an abandoned vehicle! Don’t be parked

cars, but dream freely and make good decisions. Take risks, even if it means making mistakes. Don’t go through life anaesthetized or approach the world like tourists. Make a ruckus! Cast out the fears that paralyze you, so that you don’t become young mummies. Live! Give yourselves over to the best of life!”

(Christus Vivit, 143)

“Everything is connected. Concern for the environment thus needs to be joined to a sincere love for our fellow human beings and an unwavering commitment to resolving the problems of society.”

(Laudato Si’, 91)

“The Church will have to initiate everyone – priests, religious, and laity – into this ‘art of accompaniment’ which teaches us to remove our sandals before the sacred ground of the other. The pace of this accompaniment must be steady and reassuring, reflecting our closeness and our compassionate gaze which also heals, liberates, and encourages growth in the Christian life.”

(Evangelii Gaudium, 169)

“Although she constantly holds up the call to perfection and asks for a fuller response to God, the Church must accompany with attention and care the weakest of her children, who show signs of a wounded and troubled love, by restoring in them hope and confidence… Let us not forget that the Church’s task is often like that of a field hospital.”

(Amoris Laetitia, 291)

Pope penned major documents on reform, evangelization, caring for creation

BY CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY • In documents issued his first 10 years in office, Pope Francis covered topics as diverse as strengthening one’s faith, evangelization, caring for creation, accompanying families and young people, and respecting indigenous peoples.

He wrote a major document on reforming the Roman Curia, three encyclicals and five apostolic exhortations. Here is a list of his major texts:

APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION:

“Praedicate Evangelium” (“Preach the Gospel”). The Pope’s long awaited apostolic constitution on the reform of the Roman Curia was released in 2022. It replaced St. John Paul II’s 1988 constitution, “Pastor Bonus,” and reorganized

Pope Francis: Te frst 10years

ians of the Tradition”) was published in 2021 and declared the liturgical books promulgated after the Second Vatican Council to be “the unique expression of the ‘lex orandi’ (law of worship) of the Roman Rite,” restoring the obligation of priests to have their bishops’ permission to celebrate according to the “extraordinary” or pre-Vatican II Mass and ordering bishops not to establish any new groups or parishes in their dioceses devoted to the old liturgy.

“Vos Estis Lux Mundi” (“You are the light of the world”). The document, published in 2019, revised and clarified norms and procedures for holding bishops and religious superiors accountable when accused of abuse or of covering up for priests or other churchworkers accused of sexually abusing minors or vulnerable adults. It requires all priests and religious to report suspected abuse or cover-ups and encourages any layperson to report through a now-mandated reporting “system” or office that must be

the Roman Curia to highlight its role in promoting the Church as a community of missionary disciples, sharing the Gospel and caring for all those in need.

APOSTOLIC LETTERS:

“Desiderio Desideravi” (“I have earnestly desired”). In this 2022 letter, the Pope insisted that Catholics need to better understand the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council and its goal of promoting the “full, conscious, active and fruitful celebration” of the Mass. He reflected on the power and beauty of the Mass, emphasized the need to limit celebrations of the liturgy according to the rite in use before the Second Vatican Council and called for greater awareness of the sacrifice of Christ and his real presence in the Eucharist.

“Traditionis Custodes” (“Guard-

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set up in each diocese.

ENCYCLICALS:

“Lumen Fidei” (“The Light of Faith”) was Pope Francis’ first encyclical, published in 2013. It was built largely on the work of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, completing a trilogy of encyclicals on the theological virtues of faith, hope and love. The encyclical on faith encouraged Catholics to embrace their faith more fully.

“Laudato si’, On Care for Our Common Home” was published in 2015. He said his encyclical on the environment was a means of entering into dialogue with all people about humanity’s responsibility toward “the common home that God has entrusted to us.”

“Fratelli Tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship” was published in 2020. It highlighted what the Pope said were urgent social, political and religious issues and the need to address them together based on the truth that all people are brothers and sisters, leading to greater solidarity and concern for the poor and the Earth.

POST-SYNODAL APOSTOLIC EXHORTATIONS:

“Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of

the Gospel”). The document on the proclamation of the Gospel in today’s world was published in 2013 with the aim of encouraging ongoing the missionary renewal of all members of the Church. Calling for a new chapter in evangelization, the Pope also provided a clear guide to joy of the beatitudes, the grace of discernment and the signs of holiness that express a person’s love for God and neighbor.

“Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”). The Pope’s 2016 post-synodal exhortation on marriage, love and family life brought together the results of the two Synods of Bishops on the family, looking at the challenges experienced by families and affirming the importance of accompaniment when providing pastoral care, particularly to people seeking to regularize their marriages.

“Gaudete et Exsultate” (“Rejoice and Be Glad”). The 2018 apostolic exhor-

tation on the call to holiness challenged Christians to take the dignity of all human life seriously, viewing it in light of Christ’s incarnation. The Pope offered a road map for simple ways that everyday people can be holy.

“Christus Vivit” (“Christ is Alive”), published in 2019, was the Pope’s response to the 2018 Synod of Bishops on young people, the faith and vocational discernment. In the text, the Pope told young people they are loved and valued and needed by the Church and he pleaded with older members of the Church not to stifle the enthusiasm of the young, but to offer gentle guidance when needed.

“Querida Amazonia” (“The Beloved Amazon”) was a 2020 post-synodal exhortation in response to the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon. It called for an end to exploitation of the Indigenous peoples and the natural resources of the Amazon and for greater efforts to organize regular pastoral care of Catholics in the region, including by recognizing the role women play in Catholic communities, respecting popular forms of piety and working to inculturate the faith in Amazonian cultures.

© Catholic News Service / U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Mid-way moments for renewal on journey of Lent

BY MARY CLIFFORD MORRELL  Contributing Editor

As with any journey, there may come a time when resolve gives way to weariness. It can be that way with Lent, as well. Our enthusiasm for prayer, fasting and almsgiving – the three pillars of Lent – may begin to fade, and efforts to do Lent well become half-hearted.

Pope Francis understands the challenge, sharing, in his 2022 Lenten message, St. Paul’s exhortation to the Galatians: “Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up. So then, while we have the opportunity (kairós), let us do good to all” (Gal 6:9-10).

For those who feel a need to recharge their Lenten practices or simply get back on track, there is still time.

MAKE FRIDAY NIGHTS SPECIAL

In the March installment of Faith at Home, the Diocese’s family-focused spiritual column and podcast, special contributor Lisa Limongello suggests the idea of sharing a Lenten meal as a family.

The Lenten Season is an invitation to take a step back and focus on ways to spend time intentionally. During the Last Supper, Jesus intentionally took the time to sit down with his disciples, the people whom he loved, and break bread with them. He spent his final night alive on earth around the dining room table and shared a meal with his family – a meal

which was the most important gift we have ever received as human beings.

We are called to eat a simple meal on Fridays. Over the next few weeks, make family dinner a priority. You can use this time to model for your family that it’s okay to slow down and spend intentional time with the people you love the most.

There is also the opportunity to share that simple meal with family members, friends or neighbors who live alone. The gift of personal presence and conversation is part of the call to give to others during Lent.

To read the full Faith at Home column or listen to the podcast, go to dioceseoftrenton. org/faith-at-home

PRAY THE ROSARY

There is still time to commit more time in prayer by praying the Rosary together and taking part in Family Rosary’s “At the Foot of the Cross” Lenten campaign.

Family Rosary (www.familyrosary. org) is part of the Holy Cross Family Ministries, which continues the mission of Holy Cross Father Patrick Peyton, known for the adage, “The family that prays together stays together.” He urged families to pray the Rosary together, so he was aptly dubbed “The Rosary Priest.”

The Holy Cross organization also includes Family Theater Productions, Catholic Mom, the Museum of Family Prayer, Father Peyton Family Institutes and the Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life.

Other resources and guidance on Lenten prayer include a blog on the website of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington that posts a daily prayer for each day of Lent (https://www.nationalshrine. org/blog/prayers-for-lent) and the Center for Mission and Identity at Xavier University in Cincinnati offers suggestions for Lenten prayers via JesuitResource.org.

Information for this article was first reported by OSV News.

SPEND TIME IN REFLECTION

As Lent is a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter, there is still time to include an important practice necessary to achieve a true inner conversion of heart on our journey to follow Christ’s will more faithfully – reflection.

Pope Francis has reminded us that during the Season of Lent, “the Holy Spirit drives us too, like Jesus, into the desert. It is not … a physical place, but rather an existential dimension in which we can be silent and listen to the world of God.”

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has developed a daily Lenten calendar of reflections, “Reflect. Repent. Restore.” which includes Scripture quotations, papal insights, and penitential practices meant to spur interior reflection.

To view or print the calendar go to www. usccb.org. Look for What is Lent? link on the homepage.

For ideas to make the most of Lent, visit TrentonMonitor.com/lent-holy-week-easter.

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Anticipating our Holy Week journey

Each year, Catholics from throughout the world are invited to experience the unfolding of the Paschal Mystery of our Lord by participating in the various liturgies that commemorate his Passion, Death and Resurrection during Holy Week which this year will be held April 2-9

APRIL 2  PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD

At the start of this Mass, faithful will receive palm fronds which they will use to participate in the reenactment of Christ’s arrival in Jerusalem with a procession. In the Gospels, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a donkey to the praise of the townspeople who laid palms or small branches in front of him as a sign of homage. This was a customary practice for people of great respect.

APRIL 3  MASS OF CHRISM

The Chrism Mass reflects the communion of the priests with their bishop. All of the priests of the Diocese who are gathered publicly renew their commitment to their priestly service. The Mass is also when the Bishop blesses the oils to be used in parishes throughout the coming year – the Oil of the Sick and the Oil of Catechumens. The Bishop also consecrates the Sacred Chrism, which is used for the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the ordination of priests and bishops and the consecration of churches.

APRIL 6  HOLY THURSDAY

The Mass of the Lord’s Supper commemorates when Jesus gathered with his disciples to celebrate the Passover. During this Mass, Jesus instituted the Eucharist and the priesthood and washed the feet of his disciples. By washing his disciples’ feet, he set for them and for all of his followers, the example of what it means to “love one another” and to be of service to others.

At the end of the Mass, the Eucharist to be administered

on Good Friday is not returned to the tabernacle. Instead, the Blessed Sacrament is carried in procession by the priest. The action symbolizes Jesus’ walk to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus agonized over the suffering he was soon to endure.

APRIL 7  GOOD FRIDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD

Good Friday, a day of fasting for the Church, commemorates Jesus’ Crucifixion and Death. The celebration of the Lord’s Passion takes place within the context of a Communion service and is held at 3 p.m., which places the prayer close to the traditional hour of Jesus’ Death. The service includes a Liturgy of the Word, the Veneration of the Cross and reception of Holy Communion. The Passion is proclaimed again, but on this day, it is from John’s Gospel account, which is more personal than the other accounts found in Matthew, Mark and Luke.

APRIL 8  HOLY SATURDAY

The Roman Missal explains: “On Saturday, the Church waits at the Lord’s tomb, meditating on his suffering and Death. The altar is left bare, and the sacrifice of the Mass is not celebrated. Only after the solemn vigil during the night held in anticipation of the Resurrection does the Easter celebration begin, with a spirit of joy that overflows into the following period of 50 days.”

THE EASTER VIGIL IN THE HOLY NIGHT

Although celebrated on Holy Saturday evening, the Easter Vigil liturgy marks the beginning of Easter. The vigil is arranged in four parts: a service of light, which includes the blessing of the fire and lighting of the Paschal Candle; the Liturgy of the Word, during which seven Readings from the Old Testament may be proclaimed that tell the Salvation History of God’s people; the Liturgy of Baptism, when new members are welcomed into the Church through the Sacraments of Initiation, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Mike Ehrmann photos

Lent is about giving up and giving, Bishop says on Ash Wednesday

In a meaningful Ash Wednesday homily, preached to several hundred of the faithful in attendance

Feb. 22 in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., reminded those gathered that Lent is a time for heartfelt repentance, change of heart, and conversion.

The Bishop stressed that Lent is not simply about giving up something but is also a time to give something to others, offering suggestions for how both practices can lead to prayerful Lenten observances.

“Pick one thing – one sin or one fault – and concentrate on it, ask

God to help you deal with it,” the Bishop said, citing impatience, being judgmental or personal vices as examples of things to give up.

When it comes to giving, Bishop O’Connell recommended time, “something that is very precious to all of us.”  He emphasized that spending time with God “is time well spent – to be in the presence of God is a good thing.”

By Mary Stadnyk, Associate Editor

Bishop O’Connell imposes newly blessed ashes on an altar server’s forehead.

Bishop O’Connell receives ashes from Msgr. Joseph Roldan, Cathedral rector.

A parishioner kneels in prayer after receiving ashes during Mass in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton. Mike Ehrmann photos

Lent can be a prayerful time for families

BY MARY STADNYK  Associate Editor

In parishes around the Diocese, Ash Wednesday was observed in various ways, giving the faithful many opportunities to gather in prayer on the first day of Lent.

Some parishes scheduled more Masses, while other parishes held a mix of Masses and prayer services. Most Catholic school students and their teachers received ashes during Mass in the parish church, though some schools elected to have a priest or deacon visit the school and lead prayer services in the classrooms.

For many years in St. Michael Parish, West End, it has been the tradition to direct the evening Mass on Ash Wednesday toward children and families, according to Father John Butler, pastor.

The tradition was started by Patty Chavez, a former catechist and coordinator of religious education who served St. Michael Parish for some 32 years. During such Masses, families proclaim the Readings, participate n the Presentation of the Gifts and assist with other liturgical functions, Father Butler said.

“It’s important for our families to attend all Masses together as frequently as possible on Ash Wednesday as well as on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation,” Father Butler said, adding that throughout the year, there are plenty of other opportunities where families are encouraged to attend Mass and other liturgical celebrations together.

Among the families who began their Lenten journey in St. Michael Church on Ash Wednesday evening were Dulce and Freddie Arce and their 11-year-old daughter, Olivia, who proclaimed the Readings.

“Lent is a time to help us grow closer to God as a family,” said Dulce Arce.

“It’s also a time for us to remember the humility of Jesus as he prepared to endure his Passion and Death,” she said,

noting that the family keeps the three Lenten pillars close in mind – prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

Along with praying together as a family, the Arces also perform works of service such as visiting and assisting elderly persons.

“The experience of the family worshiping, praying and receiving the Sacraments together strengthens the family’s bond of faith and reinforces in the children an appreciation of the necessity of and benefits of attending the Mass faithfully,” Father Butler said, “not as a task or as a burden.

“The family attendance at Mass, specifically Ash Wednesday, helps the children to see the value in taking time out during mid-week to attend Mass on a special, non-Sunday occasion and to learn from the parents (and from the homily) the purpose and meaning of the ashes and Lent,” Father Butler said.

Bishop O’Connell blesses the containers of ashes that were distributed during the Mass he celebrated Feb. 22 in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton.

Father John Butler, pastor of St. Michael Parish, West End, administers ashes on a young parishioner during the evening Mass Feb. 22. The parish has a longstanding tradition of directing the evening Mass on Ash Wednesday toward families and children. John Batkowski photo

 To view more photos from Ash Wednesday Mass in St. Michael Church, West End, visit TrentonMonitor.com>Multimedia>Photo Galleries

Bishop reminds faithful: Lent is time to be transfigured, reconciled with God

AMERIQUIN DALMASY-LACCETTI

 Correspondent

For Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., the Sundays in Lent have been spent visiting parish communities and praying with their people.

The Bishop celebrated 4 p.m. Mass on the Second Sunday of Lent in St. Alphonsus Church, Hopewell. In his homily, he reflected on the Transfiguration of Jesus, in which “we see an anticipation of the glory of Jesus’ Resurrection.

“We hear the story of Jesus’ Transfiguration early in Lent, but we have the benefit of hindsight. In our hearing of it,

Bishop O’Connell celerates Mass on the First Sunday of Lent in Immaculate Conception Church, Trenton. At right he accepts the Offertory gifts and below, he is joined by Father Carlos Aguirre, pastor, at right, and Deacon Guido Mattozzi. Joe Moore photos

we anticipate Jesus’ Resurrection even as we prepare in these 40 Days of Lent to remember and relive Jesus’ Passion and Death.

“What do we take home from Mount Tabor today: belief in the Lord Jesus will transfigure us and lead us through suffering to glory,” the Bishop said.

For the First Sunday of Lent, the Bishop celebrated Mass with the com-

munity of Our Lady of the Angels Parish, Trenton, in Immaculate Conception Church, during which he spoke about the history of creation and Original Sin.

“No one of us is perfect,” Bishop O’Connell said, reminding the congregation that the “opportunity the Lenten season offers to reconcile our imperfections with God.

“No, we are not perfect, far from it,”

he said. “And yet, we cannot use temptation and sin and our human imperfection as an excuse for complacency, for not changing our hearts, for not striving to be good and better and become more like the one who has saved us all.”

Among the large number of parishioners in attendance for the Mass was Alexander Iriarte, who expressed his desire to observe a season of Lent as taught by the Church – “with prayer, fasting and almsgiving.”

Luis Ramon, also a parishioner, acknowledged, “After living here for a long time, this year I am trying to change for the better, not only for Lent but for always. If you have faith in God, you can change.”

The Sunday Mass was the second in Our Lady of the Angels for Felipe Gonzalez who hails from Guatemala. He

told of growing up in a family devoted to the Catholic Church and how the Lenten season means the preparation for Holy Week and the Resurrection of Christ.

“We know that Holy Week is approaching … so we have to be in prayer

and as close to God as possible. The tradition that I inherited from my parents is to observe Lent and Holy Week with fasting and meditation. But you always have to seek salvation, not only during this time of Lent” Gonzalez said.

On the Second Sunday of Lent, Bishop O’Connell celebrated Mass in St. Alphonsus Church, Hopewell. At left, he accepts the Offertory gifts and above he presides over the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Joe Moore photos

Bishop O’Connell greets parishioners after Mass in St. Alphonsus Church.

Value of each human life reflected in earthquake rescue efforts

BY GRETCHEN R. CROWE  OSV News

If a normal picture is worth 1,000 words, the photos coming out of southeastern Turkey and northern Syria after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake Feb. 6 were worth that, and then some.

Thousands of buildings reduced to piles of rubble and debris – hotels, residential buildings, historical sites, now unrecognizable. People, shell-shocked, standing in a semicircle watching as rescuers searched for loved ones. A man, still trapped, lying next to his unrespon-

sive wife. Destroyed homes; caved-in churches; upended livelihoods; families with nowhere to go. The injured on stretchers; the dead, wrapped in cloth and tenderly carried in arms or laid to rest. And tears. So many tears.

These images will become our collective memory of the February 2023 quake that claimed the lives of more than 35,000 people – a number that increases every day. And they are tough to take in.

While the majority of the deaths were recorded in Turkey, the earthquake was especially crippling in Syria where, unlike NATO ally Turkey, international aid was limited as a result of the politics surrounding the longstanding civil war. A CNN report Feb. 13 presented more devastating images, much of which included children, of the aftermath of the quake in Syria. People sitting on the streets with nowhere to go. Hospitals at capacity, lacking basic supplies that could have enabled them to save more victims. Poverty, isolation.

“Death follows Syrians,” said one woman interviewed for the story.

Another wished she, like friends and family, had died in the quake, so as to avoid the misery she and her loved ones are now facing. We must pray for these beloved of God. We must not forget about them.

3,000 “normal” men born in wartime to deliver humanitarian aid to those in need. (A short documentary was made on this group in 2016, which is streaming now on Netflix.)

One video, shared on social media, witnessed these remarkable men lifting a family out from the rubble – one after the other, still living – to great rejoicing. Cheers and joyful cries exploded from the White Helmets and those who were assisting them. In the great relief and gratitude expressed at the rescue of each human being, you could feel the immense value of each human life that had been saved.

Rescuers give a young earthquake survivor water in a bottle cap as they rescue him from the rubble in Hatay, Turkey, Feb. 7, 2023, in this still image taken from video. OSV News photo/Istanbul Municipality handout via Reuters

There is, however, another side to the story, as there always is in this grace-filled world that is made up of a decent amount of good people. There is the side of recovery, of hope, of life. In these moments were made images that radiated joy: a small boy drinking water out of a bottle cap, mid-rescue; survivors being welcomed to temporary shelters; volunteers hugging one another. These are signs of hope amid the horror; of the gratitude for the gift of another day.

The best of these images came courtesy of several videos of dramatic rescues by a group in Syria called the “White Helmets,” an organization of more than

Another video captured the rescue of a little boy who couldn’t have been more than 2 or 3 years old. Caught underneath the rubble for two days, the little boy smiled and smacked and grabbed the faces of his rescuers as he was lifted up to shouts of joy. It was as if he was saying: “You did it! You got me! I knew you would!” I dare anyone to watch it and not be reduced to tears, as this maternal heart certainly was.

There is so much tragedy in the world – so much loss. And there are so many times when human life is completely disregarded, without thought of its value or its preciousness.

Every life is precious. Every life has value. We mourn the loss of the tens of thousands of lives in Turkey and Syria after this horrific earthquake, and we rejoice in the same spirit of the rescuers for each one who was saved.

Gretchen Crowe is editor in chief for OSV News. Follow her on Twitter at @ GretchenOSV.

 There is the side of recovery, of hope, of life.

U.S. child labor violations increase as some lawmakers seek to weaken laws

BY KIMBERLEY HEATHERINGTON

OSV News

(OSV News) • Not all children filling many vacant U.S. jobs are working the drive-thru window, pushing carts or helping on the family farm – jobs typically associated with teenagers learning responsibility, along with useful business and personal skills.

According to recently published reports and investigations, minors are toiling in some of the most dangerous conditions in American industry, such as construction, slaughterhouses and assembly lines.

Catholics and labor leaders OSV News spoke with voiced concern that children are all too easily exploited in the U.S. economy, where some lawmakers are looking to loosen further restrictions on child labor in response to companies clamoring for workers to fill vacancies.

“Even responsible adults who have been trained periodically are at risk of injury in this kind of an environment,” shared Clayton Sinyai, executive director of the Catholic Labor Network. “Certainly children do not belong there.”

Sinyai referred to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Feb. 17 announcement that an investigation found more than 100 children were working for a contractor cleaning equipment in meat-packing facilities in eight different states.

“It’s shocking to see things like that in the 21st century,” Sinyai said.

In one of the largest child labor cases in its history, the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division discovered 102 children ages 13 to 17 were employed by Kieler, Wisconsin-based Packers Sanitation Services Inc., PSSI, at its client facilities in the states of Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Tennessee and Texas.

According to the department, the children worked overnight shifts, and at least three suffered injuries while

cleaning back saws, brisket saws and head splitters. The company was fined $1.5 million in civil penalties.

While Packers Sanitation Services Inc. is an illustrative example, it is hardly isolated. The Labor Department says it has 600 ongoing child labor investigations.

“Since 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor has seen a 69 percent increase in children being employed illegally by companies. In the last fiscal year, the department found 835 companies it investigated had employed more than 3,800 children in violation of labor laws,” the department said Feb. 27.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh emphasized that child labor “is a today problem” and called on Congress and states to “come to the table.”

“This is a problem that will take all of us to stop,” Walsh said in a Feb. 27 statement.

The Labor Department called for Congress to increase violation penalties; an interagency task force; a strategic enforcement initiative and increased enforcement funding; and additional

outreach services to unaccompanied refugee and migrant children who are vulnerable to labor exploitation.

“The Church, in these recent times, has become alarmed by the increasing number of children involved in the labor force,” Father Christopher Mahar, an official in the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, told OSV News. “It is essential for society to concentrate on the root causes of poverty and not attempt to solve the economic crises by turning to child labor.”

Employers frequently cite an ongoing worker shortage among their challenges, which has motivated some state legislators to introduce bills that would weaken child labor law age regulations and safety protections.

In Minnesota, Sen. Rich Draheim, R-District 22, is the sponsor of SF 375, a bill that would make it easier for construction companies to hire 16- and 17-year-olds.

“My bill simply conforms Minnesota law to the existing federal standards,” Draheim asserted in a statement to OSV

A file photo shows a mural depicting child labor. Catholics and labor leaders are voicing concern that young workers are all too easily exploited in a difficult economy, as some state legislators move to weaken child labor laws. OSV News photo/Shanshan Chen, Reuters

Prospective Catholics take next step in their journey of faith

BY MARY STADNYK  Associate Editor

For Shawn Woodward, the motivator for him to join the Catholic Church was his family.

“It’s important for me and for them,” Woodward said of his wife

and godparent, Vanessa, who attends St. Mary Parish, Colts Neck, and their children who are in the parish religious education program.

“I want to be a role model for my children in the faith,” Woodward said, noting that his journey of faith to the Church began two years ago when he joined the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, the Catholic Church’s official process for preparing persons to enter the Church.

they receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil, which this year is April 8.

Others who will be taking a significant step in their journeys to the Catholic Church are the RCIA candidates, those who have been baptized as Catholics or in other Christian faiths, but did not have any further religious instruction in the Catholic faith.

Bishop O’Connell preaches his Rite of Election homily on what it means to be a Catholic Christian. The Bishop reminded the catechumens that they were called by God to become Catholic.

“I’ve learned a lot and I see things more clearly,” he said of all he’s learned about the Church and her teachings.

“It’s pretty neat,” he said.

Woodward was among the 164 women, men and children from around the Diocese to take the next step in their journey to becoming Catholic when they gathered Feb. 26 with Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold, for the Rite of Election.

At the Rite of Election, the catechumens, supported by their sponsors, godparents, family members and parish ministers, declared their intention to become fully initiated “Catholic Christians” when

This year, the Diocese reports having 65 non-Catholic candidates and 330 Catholic candidates who are taking part in the Call to Continuing Conversion in their parishes, marking the beginning of a time of intense spiritual preparation leading up to the Easter Vigil when they will receive the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist.

‘WHAT’S IN A NAME?’

In his homily, Bishop O’Connell reflected on what it means to become Catholic and to be known by that name.

“The name Catholic is a deep and profound identification of what you believe in, what you are called to be and, therefore, how you plan right now to live

Parish RCIA team members stand and hold their newly signed Books of Elect when the names of the catechumens from their respective parishes were called.

unconditionally.

“Being a Catholic is not aways easy or comfortable or convenient, but it is what you have chosen, and it is a package deal,” he said.

Bishop O’Connell urged the catechumens to remember that they belong to Jesus Christ and that they have “elected to become part of his Church.

“Your name and your identity, as with all of the baptized in the Church, draw from the person of Jesus Christ,” Bishop O’Connell said.

Continued on 59

About the RCIA

RCIA MILESTONES

When adults wish to become members of the Catholic Church, they must participate in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, or RCIA. As a part of that process, several events take place in front of the congregational body of the Church, two of which are the Rite of Sending and the Call to Continuing Conversion.

RITE OF SENDING

Near or on the first Sunday of Lent in the Diocese of Trenton, catechumens – those who will be baptized, confirmed and receive First Eucharist during the Easter Vigil – are first recognized by what will become their parish community during the Rite of Sending. During Mass attended with their sponsors, they are prayed for, blessed and sent forth to the Rite of Election where Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., receives the catechumens. It is also during the Rite of Sending where the catechumens sign the Book of the Elect, a formal record of the names of those from the parish who are preparing for Baptism.

RITE OF CALL TO CONTINUING CONVERSION

Candidates for full communion in the Catholic Church – those baptized Christians who wish to become full members of the Catholic Church – are recognized in the Call to Continuing Conversion, a parallel rite to the Rite of Sending that is held in the parishes. These Christians are called to ongoing conversion as they prepare for Confirmation and Eucharist. This year, the Diocese reports having 65 non-Catholic candidates and 330 Catholic candidates who are taking part in the Call to Continuing Conversion in their parishes, marking the beginning of a time of intense spiritual preparation leading up to the Easter Vigil when they will receive the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist.

Father James Conover, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Parish, Freehold, looks on as then-catechumens sign the Book of the Elect during the Rite of Sending that was celebrated during a Mass the morning of Feb. 26 in the parish chapel. The parish also held a corresponding Rite of Sending for the catechumens of the Spanish-speaking community during a Mass in the parish’s main church. Hal Brown photo

RCIA catechumen Johnathan Javier Inestroza of St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton, stands with his godparent during the Rite of Election ceremony held on the First Sunday of Lent, Feb. 26 in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold. Mike Ehrmann photos

Catechumens from Corpus Christi Parish, Willingboro, from left, Isaiah Santos, Isabella Santos, Cesar Barkley, Amber Rivera and Xavier Santos sing during the Rite of Election.

Men’s conference a time for renewal, reflection and fellowship

BY MARY STADNYK  Associate Editor AND JOHN SPINELLI  Correspondent

Learning what it means to find true joy as Catholic men was the main focus for some 500 men of the Diocese of Trenton who attended the 26th Annual Catholic Men for Jesus Christ Conference Feb. 25.

Held in St. Gregory the Great Parish, Hamilton Square, the day-long conference included Mass celebrated by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., and presentations by Chris Stefanick, internationally acclaimed Catholic media host, author and evangelist; Gerry Cooney, retired world-class heavyweight boxer, and Mark Houck, founder and president of The King’s Men, Inc., a Catholic men’s ministry.

In his homily, Bishop O’Connell reminded participants, “Joy is an interior contentment and a peace that comes from being close to God and in right relationship with others. Joy then comes with speaking, upholding and living the truth of God’s love with honesty and with integrity even when enduring hardships. … Joy is being ‘caught up’ in the love of God.”

Bishop O’Connell shared six recommendations for finding joy written

by St. John Bosco, an Italian priest who spent his ministry leading young men to God: “Live for God alone,” “Be a servant,” “Be careful in your associations,” “Spend carefully,” “Be humble,” and “Carry your cross.”

SPEAKING THE TRUTH

In his morning presentation on “Living Joy,” Stefanick stressed, “God made you for joy,” offering several practices to assist men in overcoming obstacles to lasting joy: give thanks, love yourself, live a friendship-rich life and frame your mind with faith.

“Christian joy is not about burying your head in the sand or to be in denial of reality. What I am asking you to do is to be aware of the bigger reality that’s always present before us: the love of the Father and of the Son, and that the joy of the Lord must be your strength,” Stefanick said.

Cooney, who often speaks about substance abuse and domestic violence, offered his witness about the joys, challenges and heartaches he’s endured both inside and outside the boxing ring.

“I did some dumb things,” Cooney admitted. He made the commitment to turn his life around when “God came to me and kept telling me that I was a great gift,” said Cooney.

“To think of where I came from to where I am at now is unbelievable,” Cooney said, noting that he’s been sober for almost 35 years. “I love my life.”

Addressing youth during the teen track, Cooney encouraged the young men, saying, “With much going on in your lives, try to focus on God first. That’s one thing I wish I did. I have a beautiful family now. I go to Mass three to four times a week.

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., shared six recommendations for finding joy in his homily at the 26th annual Catholic Men for Jesus Christ conference. Joe Moore photos

Former boxer Gerry Cooney confided that God had called him “a great gift” despite his crisis of faith.

This wasn’t always like this though, but God is good. It’s a great life.”

AN AUTHENTIC VISION

In his “Wearing the Armor of God,” presentation, Houck, a pro-life activist, recounted the role of faith upon his arrest, and subsequent trial, after an altercation outside a Planned Parenthood in 2021.

“I felt I was at the foot of Calvary. I read about every saint that was ever incarcerated, I prayed the Rosary [and] the Magnificat. I could feel [God’s] presence during it all.” said Houck, who was ultimately exonerated.

Some 500 men and teens enjoyed faith-based presentations by internationally acclaimed speakers.

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In the closing presentation of the conference, “Sharing Your Faith with Courage,” Stefanick pointed out, “Today the greatest challenge is hostility towards religion and the family. …The apostolic vision for our Church today needs to be bold, joyful and authentic; Jesus and his love for us need to come first before we do anything else,” he said.

Investiture Mass marks preparations for St. Patrick’s Day Parade

BY THERESA SHUBECK  Correspondent

The lyrical strains of violinist Kathleen McGee-Daly’s airs rose through the nave of St. Rose Church, Belmar, as the congregants, bedecked in a sea of kelly green, prepared to celebrate the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Investiture Mass March 4.

As the Pipes and Drums of the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh of Old Bridge and the Jersey Shore processed up the center aisle, they were followed by past Grand and Deputy Grand Marshals, members of the Belmar Lake Como Parade Committee, an honor guard of the Knights of Columbus and the vivid St. Patrick banner.

Eugene “Chip” Cavanagh, this year’s Grand Marshal, proudly followed, preceding principal celebrant Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M. and other concelebrating priests including Msgr. Edward J. Arnister, St. Rose Parish pastor.

In his homily, Bishop O’Connell reflected on the ideals epitomized by the life of St. Patrick, noting that the Sermon on the Mount ended with, “be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

The Bishop shared that Jesus didn’t consider this aspiration to be unrealistic because “with God all things are possible. St. Patrick believed that and lived a life of Christian generosity and humility and poured out his life in service … with breathtaking courage.”

Describing St. Patrick’s breastplate as a depiction of the protective and all-encompassing grace of God, Bishop O’Connell quoted from St. Patrick’s familiar prayer, “Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me.”

A parade banner is displayed behind Bishop O’Connell as he preaches his homily in St. Rose Church, Belmar.

Bag pipers participate in the March 4 Investiture Mass in St. Rose Church. Vic Mistretta photos

Infusing cultural aspects into the Mass, the presentation of the gifts included vibrantly costumed dancers from the D’Arcy School of Irish Dance carrying symbols including holy water from Knock; potatoes, a symbol of pre-famine sustenance; turf, representing its use as a source of light and fuel; the shamrock, a metaphor for

the Trinity and frequently presented as a gift of good will, along with the gifts of bread and wine.

Cavanagh has been spreading goodwill and dedicating innumerable volunteer hours to the community his entire life.

Sheila Murphy, parade committee member, explained, “His level of commitment, passion for tradition, and leadership, is the inspiration” for his choice as Grand Marshal.

With the unexpected passing of the parade’s previous chairman, Murphy related that Cavanagh promised “that he would keep the parade going and he has not just kept it going, he has continued to make sure it serves the community to the highest level possible.”

Cavanagh said he was honored to serve as Grand Marshal of the Belmar Lake Como St. Patrick Day Parade, which

marks its 50th anniversary this year. “St. Patrick is so meaningful because he is the patron saint of Ireland. He is part of our Irish culture. It’s a very high honor for the Bishop to take time out of his busy schedule to come down and celebrate with us,” Cavanagh said.

Mass committee chair Patricia Feehery shared her gratitude, saying, “Having the Bishop come to celebrate is a privilege for our parish and neighboring parishes here at the Jersey Shore. It reminds us that we have our Irish heritage and faith in common with the Bishop, and he values that in a similar way.”

Msgr. Arnister extended appreciation to those present at the Investiture, including singer Bobby Byrne, the St. Rose music ministry, members of the Mass committee, the Sisters of St. Joseph, the Felician Sisters, and the Mayors of Belmar, Old Bridge and Manalapan.

Proud of his parish’s enthusiastic tradition of hosting the Investiture Mass for 37 years, Msgr. Arnister said, “It is always inspiring to start out the month of March in Belmar.”

Belmar St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2023

The streets of Belmar were stepping lively as scores of people from the Jersey Shore towns gathered March 5 for the annual Belmar Lake Como St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Along with numerous bagpipe and drum corps and colorfully decorated floats, the parade featured participation by this year’s Grand Marshal, Eugene ‘Chip’ Cavanagh, as well as students from several Catholic school communities including St. Rose, Belmar; St. Catharine, Spring Lake; St. Peter, Point Pleasant Beach, and Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft.

Eugene “Chip” Cavanagh, pictured right, serves as the Grand Marshal of the 2023 Belmar Lake Como St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Several flags, including the American and Irish flags, are carried in the parade by local civic officials. Joe Moore photos

During the Presentation of the Gifts, young Mass participants carried significant symbols pertaining to St. Patrick and the Irish heritage, along with the gifts of bread and wine. Here a young parishioner carries a potted shamrock, which signifies the Blessed Trinity and serves as a gesture of good will.

 To see photo galleries from the Investiture Mass and St. Patrick’s Day Parade, visit TrentonMonitor.com

Young adults gain perspective on the Eucharist at annual retreat

BY JOHN SPINELLI  Correspondent

On March 4, young adults [18-39] from across the Diocese gathered for the annual Lenten retreat, “Given: Become What You Receive.” The young adult retreat was led by evangelist and young adult minister Gez Ford, and hosted in St. Raphael-Holy Angels Parish, Hamilton.

Reflecting on the day’s theme, Dan Waddington, director of the diocesan Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries, said, “Since we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, we are called to go out and make disciples – to become what we receive.”

Keynote speaker Gez Ford, youth minister in St. Raphael-Holy Angels Parish, spoke about how God changed him while he was growing up as a young

adult in an Irish-Catholic family in Manchester, England. Ford comes from a rich spiritual background as a full-time worship musician and is involved with Catholic addiction help centers called the Tabor and Carmel Houses. Ford is also currently a candidate in the diocesan diaconate formation program.

Ford admitted that even though he grew up in a family where faith was strong and practiced, by the time he turned 11 years old he “thought Church was a sham.”

Sharing some of his past challenges, Ford acknowledged he struggled with homelessness, addictions, and anger with family members.

“That all changed one time in the back of a police van … I gave up,” he said. “But during that [time] I had a moment of grace where I recognized that God created me out of love; it was imprinted

on my heart – the idea of the cross baffled me. The day after, there was a change in my life.”

Ford related his personal story to the Eucharist. “Jesus, as he refers to himself in John 6, is our spiritual food; he calls us to himself. When we receive that, digestion is different, he resides in us and we become nourished, fulfilled, and at peace. After we receive, we are called to go out and to live a moral life,” Ford said.

After lunch, participants attended sessions on “Liturgy of the Eucharist” led by Father Chris Colavito, Catholic chaplain at The College of New Jersey, Ewing, and “The Body of Christ” with Cristina D’Averso Collins, director of Family Life in the Diocese of Metuchen and campus minister at Monmouth University, West Long Branch.

D’Averso Collins reflected on the Eucharist, noting that in Christ’s time disciples walked away from his teaching about his Body and Blood. Many disciples today do the same thing.

The retreat rounded out with Ford and his worship team leading young adults in praise and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by Mass

Young adults engage in a prayer experience during a March 4 retreat in St. Raphael-Holy Angels Parish, Hamilton. Gez Ford, left, served as the retreat’s keynote speaker. Standing next to him is Dan Waddington, diocesan director of the Department of Young and Young Adult Ministries, which hosted the day. John Spinelli photos

Father Christopher Colavito, Catholic chaplain at The College of New Jersey, Ewing, addresses the young adults during a presentation in St. Raphael Church, Hamilton.

DIOCESAN DATEBOOK

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

USCCB ANNUAL CRS COLLECTION PLANNED MARCH 19

The collection funds CRS support organizations that help those facing natural disasters and victims of war, as well as help to find housing for people fleeing violence and poverty, address pastoral needs of migrants and others lacking stable parish communities.

More information may be found at usccb.org/national-collection/catholic-relief-services-collection.

LENTEN VOCATION DISCERNMENT RETREAT MARCH 25

Young men who are considering a vocation to the priesthood can have their questions answered and learn insights from two veteran diocesan priests during a Lenten Vocation Discernment Retreat Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Trinity Hall of St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, 61 Georgia Rd., Freehold.

For more information or to register online, visit

1-800-493-9737

godiscallingyou.org/the-discernment-opportunities, or contact the Office of Vocations at vocations@dioceseoftrenton.org or call 609-406-7448.

GOOD FRIDAY COLLECTION TO SUPPORT WORK OF FRIARS IN HOLY LAND APRIL 7

Sponsored by the Franciscan Friars in the Holy Land, the annual collection helps the 250 Holy Land Franciscans to staff and maintain holy places and shrines in 11 countries, allowing both those who live there and pilgrims to deepen their faith and connection to salvation history.

More information about the collection may be found at www.myfranciscan.org/good-friday.

RETREAT FOR PASTORAL MINISTERS MAY 3

Focusing on enhancing the listening skills of pastoral ministers, including clergy, religious and laity, the 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. retreat facilitated by Sister of St. Joseph Anne Myers will be held in San Alfonso Retreat House, 755 Ocean Ave., West End.

To register, visit dioceseoftrenton. org/pastoral-care before April 21 or contact Terry Ginther at 609-403-7143 or Tginth@dioceseoftrenton.org.

Sister Anne Myers

OSV News photo/Tom Tracy

APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE FOR BISHOP REISS RELIGIOUS EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPS

The diocesan Department of Catechesis is currently accepting applications for the July 2023-June 2024 Bishop John

C. Reiss Religious Education Scholarship.

The scholarship is available to adults who are actively participating in the religious education ministry in the Diocese of Trenton including parish catechetical leaders, Catholic school principals, adult faith formation or Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults leaders, youth ministers, catechists or teachers.

One of the legacies that Bishop Reiss, the Diocese’s eighth bishop, left is a strong commitment to ongoing catechetical formation. Funds are available to cover tuition costs for continuing education in religion or theology for those who teach the Catholic faith in the Diocese’s parishes and schools. The scholarship may be applied to a course, conference or seminar through any accredited Catholic college or university, in-person or online.

Applications for scholarship awards from the Bishop John C. Reiss Religious Education Scholarship Fund are available upon request from the Department of Catechesis. All completed application forms are to be returned to the Department of Catechesis by April 1. Awards will be announced in May following review of the applications by a scholarship board consisting of one pastor, an elementary school principal, a parish director of religious education, a diocesan representative and the director of the Department of Catechesis.

For further information, contact Denise Contino, director of the Department of Catechesis at 609-403-7179; dconti@ dioceseoftrenton.org or Debbie D’Agostaro at 609-403-7175; ddagos@dioceseoftrenton.org.

Respect Life Ministry offers resources to celebrate Solemnity of the Annunciation

The Diocese of Trenton’s Respect Life Ministry is once again offering a wide variety of prayers and resources for home and parish use to aid faithful in their celebration of the Solemnity of the Annunciation, celebrated by the Church on March 25.

The Annunciation, occurring nine months before the Nativity of Our Lord, marks the day when the Archangel Gabriel visited the Virgin Mary to share God’s will that she was to become the Mother of His only Son. Mary’s assent and declaration, “May it be done to me according to your Word (Luke 1:38),” heralded the Birth of Jesus our Savior.

Rachel Hendricks, diocesan coordinator for Respect Life Ministries, issued an invitation to those preparing for the solemnity and seeking new ways to deepen their faith.

“As a People of Life, this day serves as a kind of oasis during the penitential season of Lent,” she declared, “drawing our attention to both Mary’s courageous ‘Yes’ to the Angel Gabriel, and to that precise moment of the Incarnation of our Lord, that moment when the Word became flesh.”

Faithful are encouraged to pray using an Annunciation Novena and Reflection video series to be posted on the diocesan Facebook page each day at noon from March 17 to 25. Each day of the Novena includes the praying of the Angelus prayer and reflections from different guests from around the Diocese. Other diverse resources, available in English and Spanish, may be found on the department’s website, dioceseoftrenton.org/respect-life-ministry, and include thoughts for teaching and preaching about the solemnity; ways to celebrate in the home and at the parish; and prayers for expectant couples and those hoping to conceive or adopt a child.

YOUNG ADULT CONFERENCE

Continued from 30

celebrated by Father Colavito.

“Similar to how the Apostles saw the Transfiguration event, when we receive the Eucharist, we become transformed spiritually as well. If we truly knew what the Eucharist was, we would all be trembling,” Father Colavito noted in his homily.

“What we receive on Sunday should transform us at work or in school on Monday, and of course the rest of the week,” he said.

Joe Ferrarelli, 31, of St. Gregory the Great Parish, Hamilton Square, who attended with his wife, said Ford’s talk resonated with him, especially when Ford said, “We’re called to not like people, but to love them. With so much going on with the

world, he assured us God is in control.”

Amanda Kleinmann, 28, of St. Ann Parish, Browns Mills, said she “didn’t have any expectations coming in, but I did learn a lot. The breakout talk by Father Colavito was something I definitely needed. He explained the Eucharist from the perspective of being a priest at the altar, and the seriousness of it. He taught me how to be in the moment, instead of going through the motions at Mass, which happens to me often.”

Father Rick Osborn, parochial vicar of St. James Parish, Red Bank, who assisted with hearing Confessions and Eucharistic Adoration, said, “It’s always a privilege to hear Confessions and [administer] the Sacraments, but especially today with helping young people in their faith, as many are first starting their faith lives. It’s always a great joy.”

Bishop John C. Reiss

Make time this Lent to love the excluded, defenseless, despised

BY CAROL GLATZ  Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY – The call to make sacrifices for others out of love remains urgent as so many people continue to suffer from war, violence, exclusion and poverty, Pope Francis said.

“Let us put into practice the call to do good to everyone, taking the time to love the least and most defenseless, the abandoned and despised, those who are discriminated against and marginalized,” he said during an audience with members of the “Pro Petri Sede” Association Feb. 24 at the Vatican.

The group, founded more than 150 years ago, is active in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, and collects

donations for the Pope’s initiatives and charitable efforts by the Holy See.

“Today the call to give yourselves for love of our brothers and sisters is no less urgent: so many of them suffer from war, violence, exclusion, material and spiritual poverty,” he said in his address.

Lent is also an opportune time for responding to this call because the season “calls us to conversion in order to move from the slavery of selfishness to the freedom to love and serve God and our brothers and sisters,” he said.

Pope Francis recalled the generosity and solidarity of the early Christians described in the Acts of the Apostles and how “they were able to put everything in common to support their more fragile brothers and sisters.”

MORE FROM POPE FRANCIS ON TRENTONMONITOR.COM:

 Every Catholic has something to contribute to the Church

 Take a risk on love; don’t be overly prudent in relationships

 “Jesus teaches us to repel the attacks of the devil who, as his name says, wants to sow division in us, between us and God, between us and others. How do we repel him? Not by negotiating with him, but by opposing him in faith with the divine word.”

#GospelOfToday (Mt 4:1-11)

@PONTIFEX

Feb. 26, 2023

“They understood that they were the temporary stewards of their goods: indeed, all that we possess is a gift from God and we must let ourselves be enlightened by him in the stewardship of the goods we receive,” the Pope said.

The Holy Spirit, he said, “will always impel us to give to those in need, to fight poverty with what he gives us. For the Lord gives abundantly to us so that we in turn can give ourselves.”

The increasing number of people facing food insecurity in Brazil prompted the nation’s bishops to focus on “Fraternity and Hunger” during its 2023 Fraternity Campaign this Lent. Pope Francis urges the faithful to remember those who are in need during Lent. OSV News photo/Ricardo Moraes, Reuters

Catholic Social Ministry Gathering a time for building peacemakers

BY MARY CLIFFORD MORRELL  Contributing Editor

For more than 30 years, the annual Catholic Social Ministry Gathering brings together hundreds of participants from around the nation who focus on pressing domestic and global challenges that affect vulnerable people everywhere.

This year’s three-day conference drew more than 500 attendees to Washington. The theme, “Blessed are the Peacemakers,” embodied the call for healing in a world broken by conflict, division and inequality.

Organized by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development, along with 10 other USCCB departments and 20 national Catholic organizations, the late January conference explored how social justice ministries of the Church are often intertwined, offering opportunities for presentations and discussion on a broad spectrum of topics, including  helping women and children thrive; workers’ rights; community needs; race and housing; food insecurity; refugee resettlement, and care for creation, among others.

One panel discussion, titled “Pro-Worker, Pro-Woman, Pro-Family: Advocating for Policies that Build a Truly Pro-Life Society,” explored the issues that intersect with abortion and how the Church could respond in a holistic way.

Speakers frequently referenced the U.S. bishops’ post-Roe call for “radical solidarity” with both mothers and the unborn, citing a letter they sent to Congress laying out the expanded child tax credit and paid parental leave as top priorities.

The expanded pro-life theme of the conference was apparent to the Diocese of Trenton’s Brenda Rasher, executive director, Office of Catholic Social Services, who said, “All the workshops ... had the underlying theme that all we do ... is pro-life from conception to natural death, echoing

the words of Bishop David M. O’Connell, C. M., during a Jan. 20 Mass, when he spoke about ‘standing together for life.’”

Rasher also acknowledged her appreciation for the opportunity to be part of “one workshop presented by the National Catholic Partnership on Disability that was looking at working with those who have mental health needs.”

Of particular interest, she noted, was the effort to work with police in responding to crisis calls involving someone with a mental health issue in a way that was health based, not criminally based – an initiative that Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton has begun working on.

Rasher also appreciated the discussion about “a program to help persons with mental health issues on an intensive community basis to achieve such benefits as reduced hospitalizations,” something Catholic Charities DOT has been doing for years through their Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT), she said.

“We should be so proud of the forward thinking of our Catholic Charities here in the Diocese of Trenton,” Rasher reflected.

The morning Mass on the final day of the gathering served as a “sending forth”

of the attendees, who headed to Capitol Hill to advocate on a broad swath of issues related to the Church’s social teaching in meetings with policymakers.

Some information for this article came from OSV News.

Brenda Rasher, diocesan executive director, Office of Catholic Social Services, and delegate to the Holy Innocents Society Board of Trustees, speaks with a colleague at the National Catholic Partnership on Disabilities exhibit table during the 2023 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering in Washington. Courtesy photo

New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith, second from right, a supporter of Catholic social service organizations and ministries, made time to speak with members of the New Jersey delegation attending the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering in Washington, D.C. Pictured, from left, are Jared W. Hancock, (Diocese of Camden), Sister Dong Hong Marie Zhang (Archdiocese of Newark), John Hardiman (New Jersey Catholic Conference), Brenda Rascher (Diocese of Trenton), and James King (New Jersey Catholic Conference).  Courtesy photo

WOMEN PLAY DECISIVE ROLE IN VATICAN DIPLOMACY, SAYS SENIOR OFFICIAL

VATICAN CITY (CNS) • Women play an increasingly “decisive” role in Vatican diplomacy and promoting peace worldwide, said the undersecretary in the Vatican’s foreign ministry office.

In an interview published March 3 by L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, Francesca Di Giovanni reflected on her tenure as the first woman named to a managerial position in the Secretariat of State. Pope Francis appointed Di Giovanni to her role in January 2020, after working in the Secretariat of State for 27 years.

Di Giovanni called her nomination “prophetic” in the interview and said she thought it could lead the way for women in senior Vatican positions to become the norm. “Female intuition and the specific talents of women working in the service of peace allow for a healthy and enriching collaboration with men when they are listened to on an equal level.”

Those specific talents, she explained, include a tendency to seek “forms of cooperation rather than competition” and an attention to interpersonal dynamics. In particular, she said diversity among those pursuing the Vatican’s international interests

allows the Secretariat of State to properly respond to the multilateral contexts it operates in.

VATICAN STATISTICS SHOW DECLINE IN CLERGY, RELIGIOUS WOMEN, WORLDWIDE

VATICAN CITY (CNS) • The number of Catholics and permanent deacons in the world rose in 2021, while the number of seminarians, priests, and men and women in religious orders declined, according to Vatican statistics.

At the end of 2021, the number of Catholics in the world reached 1.378 billion, up 1.3% from 1.36 billion Catholics at the end of 2020, according to the Vatican’s Central Office of Church Statistics. The Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, published a brief overview of the global numbers March 3.

The total number of diocesan and religious order priests decreased globally by 0.57% to 407,872, the Vatican office said. The total number of religious women, it said, was 608,958 at the end of 2021 – a decrease of 1.7% from 619,546 at the end of 2020. The number of permanent deacons – 49,176 –saw a 1.1% increase over the previous year, with the majority of them serving in the Americas. The number of seminarians has

been declining each year since 2013, the Vatican office said. The only increase by region for 2021 was in Africa with 0.6% and the sharpest decline in the number of seminarians was in North America and Europe with a 5.8% decrease each in 2021.

SIX SAINTHOOD CANDIDATES, INCLUDING TWO LAY WOMEN, CLOSER TO CANONIZATION

VATICAN CITY (CNS) • Pope Francis has moved six candidates for sainthood closer to canonization.

In a meeting with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, the Pope signed decrees Feb. 23 recognizing a miracle attributed to the intercession of an Italian religious sister and the heroic virtues of five others: two laywomen, two priests and a religious woman.

The process for being proclaimed a saint includes a study of the candidate’s life and writings to determine whether he or she lived the Christian virtues in a heroic way. A miracle attributed to the candidate’s intercession is required for beatification and another miracle is needed for canonization.

With the Pope’s recognition of a miracle through her intercession, a beatification ceremony can be planned for Sister Elisabetta Martinez, founder of the Congregation of the Daughters of St. Mary of Leuca. The Italian, who lived 1905-1991, founded the congregation to care for young children and single mothers. The miracle reportedly involved saving a fetus experiencing blood clots and other complications; the baby was born in good condition in 2018.

Francesca Di Giovanni, undersecretary in the Vatican’s Secretariat of State, reads at a morning Mass with Pope Francis in this undated photo. CNS photo/Vatican Media

In spite of a year of war, Ukrainians endure and religious ministry continues

BY CHRIS HERLINGER  OSV News

IRPIN, Ukraine (OSV News) • On a February afternoon of welcome blue skies and bright sunlight, brothers Basil and Nicolai Knutarev surveyed the scorched apartment complexes in Irpin, Ukraine, where they once lived.

The apartments have remained untouched since a brutal three-week Russian siege and bombardment that ended March 28, 2022, more than a month following the start of Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine. With their charred exteriors, the buildings evoke danger and menace, underscored by the smell of leaking gas wafting in the cold air.

The siege resulted in nearly 300 civilian deaths, making Irpin, a once-tranquil community about 15 miles west of Kyiv, nearly as infamous as neighboring Bucha, the better-known site of alleged Russian war crimes.

Irpin’s pre-war population of 70,000 dwindled after the siege. Most residents

have since returned, though some, like the Knutarev brothers, remain displaced.

“Life has changed not just for Ukraine, but the whole world,” Sister Yanuariya Isyk, a member of the Sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great whose ministry is based in Kyiv, told Global Sisters Report. “We’re living a new life now. It can’t be the same as it was before the war. Life will never be the same again.”

The new reality is one of displacement and confusion, loss and death. Hospitals, schools and neighborhoods have been targeted in brutal acts that have outraged the world. The United Nations said more than 7,000 civilians, including more than 400 children, have died because of the war, and more than 11,700 have been injured.

Even far from the front, life is always on edge, with blackouts and electrical outages – Russia has targeted the country’s power grid – and constant air-raid sirens.

Yet Ukrainians also speak of renewed unity, solidarity and hope. In a country

that has become one big conflict zone, the war has galvanized religious communities to open their doors to those who have been displaced and to lead various humanitarian missions.

“For us, 2022 was a year of deep darkness and crucifixion for the Ukrainian people,” Sister Isyk said. “Thousands of Ukrainian hearts were crucified, people’s destinies were mutilated, cities and villages were destroyed.”

“Ukraine and the Ukrainian people have experienced a long, difficult and painful year of Lent. Every Ukrainian has suffered during this year,” said Sister Anna Andrusiv, another Basilian sister who lives in the western city of Lviv. She and other Basilian sisters offered shelter in the early months of the war to those heading to nearby Poland.

There is no sign that the war will end soon. And earlier this month, people spoke of bracing for the worst, with many fearing a new Russian onslaught from the north, possibly from Belarus, a Russia ally.

“Right now, things are stable, but everything is still on the table,” Dominican Father Mikhailo Romaniv said of the situation in Fastiv, a community of 45,000 about 45 miles southwest of Kyiv. Father Romaniv heads the Christian Center of St. Martin de Porres, which assists mothers and children in addition to those displaced or experiencing homelessness.

Sister Damiana Monica Miac, a Polish sister and one of five Dominican Sisters of Jesus and Mary who live and work in Fastiv, said a kind of routine has returned to the school where she teaches kindergarten.

Sister Miac, 53, has lived in Ukraine for 30 years. She recalls the beginning of the war as nerve-racking and trying. There was little food, and life felt like it was under siege.

A woman kisses a portrait of her husband at a cemetery in Bucha, Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2023, on the first anniversary of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Her husband was shot and killed by a Russian soldier. OSV News photo/Anna Voitenko, Reuters

“Our people are dying to protect the world.”

NEWLY DISCOVERED ANCIENT GALAXIES PUT SPOTLIGHT ON ‘BIG BANG THEORY,’ GOD’S ACT OF CREATION

WASHINGTON (OSV News) • The James Webb Space Telescope, NASA’s flagship infrared observatory launched on Christmas Day 2021, makes successively astounding discoveries, including one find that might eventually require tweaking the Big Bang Theory as it found six ancient and giant galaxies shouldn’t exist the way apparently they do 500-700 million years after the universe’s beginning from a single point called a “singularity.”

Given what scientists know about how galaxies form, they’re much too big and much too dense for their age. But Jonathan Lunine, a planetary scientist and physicist, professor at Cornell University, and a member of Webb’s Science Working Group, explained reports of the Big Bang’s death are greatly exaggerated and called the findings “a great example of how science is done. You have a new capability; you can see things that you couldn’t see before.”

Vatican astronomer Brother Guy Consolmagno called the results “fascinating” and helps show “that God is responsible for the existence of the universe is as true now as it was when Genesis was written – even as our understanding of the science is very different now.” He said, “underneath it all is the loving act of a God who willed that time and space exist, and who found it good.”

REMEMBERING DEADLY SHIPWRECK, POPE PRAYS TO END HUMAN TRAFFICKING

VATICAN CITY (CNS) • Human traffickers must be stopped from risking the lives of migrants traveling in search of a better future, Pope Francis said.

After praying the Angelus with some 25,000 visitors gathered in St. Peter’s Square March 5, the Pope prayed for the victims of

a shipwreck off the coast of Cutro in Italy’s southern province of Crotone, which killed at least 70 people Feb. 26. A boat carrying some 180 migrants sank near the Italian coast after sailing from Turkey. Only 80 survivors had been found as of the morning March 6. According to Italy’s border police, the migrants each paid smugglers 8,000 euros (about $8,500) to be taken to Europe.

“That human traffickers be stopped, and that they do not continue to take the lives of so many innocent people,” Pope Francis prayed after the Angelus. “May the journeys of hope never again turn into journeys of death,” he said. “May the clean waters of the Mediterranean no longer be bloodied by such tragic accidents.”

Drone footage taken Feb. 6, 2023, shows a freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Some 50 cars from the train derailed the evening of Feb. 3 near the Pennsylvania border. OSV News photo/NTSBGov handout via Reuters

‘NOT ANOTHER LOVE CANAL,’ PASTOR PRAYS FOR TOWN STRUCK BY TOXIC TRAIN

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (OSV News) • An Ohio Catholic priest told OSV News “it will be a long time” before he and his parishioners feel secure in their surroundings, following a Feb. 3 train derailment in East Palestine that dumped toxic chemicals into the environment. Numerous local, state and federal agencies have been working to address the wreck, but “despite all of the cleanup … we’re learning now how dangerous those chemicals were,” said Father David Misbrener, pastor of the Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Jude Parish Communities, located respectively in East Palestine and Columbiana. Father Misbrener said he thought the consequences of the derailment “could be much worse” than so far anticipated. In a Feb. 14 news conference, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called on Congress to investigate a failure to flag the train for hazardous materials prior to the derailment.

The “Cosmic Cliffs” of the Carina Nebula are seen in an image released by NASA July 12, 2022. The image is from data provided by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, a revolutionary apparatus designed to peer through the cosmos to the dawn of the universe. OSV News photo/ NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team, Handout via Reuters

Support During Loss Lazarus ministries, funeral homes collaborate for bereaved

BY EMMALEE ITALIA 

Contributing Editor

When grieving families are faced with the details of funeral arrangements, they might not know where to begin – and that’s where the cooperation between funeral homes and the Catholic parishes they serve can be a great source of comfort and reassurance.

Lazarus Ministries – or Bereavement Ministries – work in concert with funeral homes to assure the wishes of the deceased and the bereaved are honored, families and loved ones are spiritually supported, and that the Catholic Rite of Christian Burial is carried out respectfully.

A DELICATE PROCESS

The procedure is similar no matter the location. Families contact funeral homes, which orchestrate logistics and make phone calls to the parishes, requesting funeral Mass times and dates. If the par-

ish has a Lazarus Ministry, its volunteers take the information and approach the family to discuss the Mass details: musical selections, readings and reflections.

James Moriarty, Jr., manager of Ely Funeral Home, Neptune, said that if families don’t know which church they would like to use, “we suggest a local church with which we have a relationship and trust – for example, Holy Innocents Church in Neptune… Once the family has talked with the parish about the details of the service, the funeral home staff works with the ministry to coordinate details upon arrival.”

Ely Funeral Home also has a good working relationship with the parishes of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Asbury Park; St. Anselm, Tinton Falls; Ascension, Bradley Beach; St. Catherine of Siena, Farmingdale, and St. Catharine-St. Margaret, Spring Lake.

“The importance is to provide a comforting farewell to the deceased, in order to allow our families to properly grieve,”

Moriarty emphasized.

“We have a good rapport with all the churches; if they need something, they know they can call us,” said Albert D. Correnti, Jr., manager of the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton. “People don’t know how lucky they are if their parish has a Lazarus Ministry.”

Correnti, a member of St. Paul Parish, Princeton, works closely with his parish’s

F. Pfleger (Manager - N.J. Lic. No. 4717)

Evan F. Pfleger (Manager - N.J. Lic. No. 4717)

Encountering the bereaved

Continued from 38

bereavement team and volunteers in surrounding parishes, including St. David the King, Princeton Junction, and nearby parishes in the Metuchen Diocese.

He believes that “people feel more comfortable with the ministry and funeral homes guiding the process,” particularly when it comes to planning a funeral Mass. “The Mass of Christian Burial helps them through the grieving process.”

MINISTRY OF COMPASSION

Lazarus and Bereavement Ministry volunteers help the bereaved plan the funeral Mass, as well as assuring that ordained ministers are covering the wake and burial.

“We serve as the parish interface for the family to assist them in dealing with their loss,” explained Anthony Montrone, coordinator of the five-member Bereavement Ministry team in St. Paul’s. “We work to ensure that the family is receiving all the support required from the parish.”

Terry Walsh, a four-year member of the Lazarus Ministry team in St. Theresa Parish, Little Egg Harbor, advised, “When truth/faith is shared, it is deepened. Don’t share pious platitudes with [the bereaved]; talk about love of the family member [and how] we worship a God of love.”

In Holy Innocents Parish, Neptune, the Consolation Ministry has made the process of selecting readings and music for funerals even easier by featuring options on the parish website.

“I like it there because people can look at it quietly at home and consult with family members,” said ministry leader Kristine Klincewicz. “Then we arrange to talk a following day either in person or on the phone.” If a family is unsure whether they wish to assist with the Readings or Presentation of the Gifts, she offers to do it in their place. “It’s a blessing to work with families on this; I want to minimize their stress,” she said.

Linda Brennan, who with her husband, Lee, are members of the St. Paul’s Bereavement Ministry, stressed the importance of “making sure the funeral Mass is done with love and care. We try to be available to the family and form a personal relationship with them, sending a card to let the family know we are praying for their loved ones and family members.”

Stephanie Zepka, also on the St. Paul Bereavement team, underscored the personal touch, saying, “I think it’s important to them that we are interested in the person who has died … and at the funeral, we’re at the altar assisting the priest … it shows there’s an involvement, honoring that person.”

Both the St. Paul and St. Theresa Lazarus teams extend an invitation to the bereaved, as do many parishes of the Diocese, to return for their All-Souls Day liturgy on Nov. 2.

“The names of the loved ones are read at the prayers of the

Continued on 42

Timothy E. Ryan Founder 1951-2019

George S. Hassler Funeral Home

Managing funeral details

Continued from 40

faithful and a candle is lit on a table in front of the altar,” Walsh explained, noting the bereaved are appreciative “that the parish honors their loved one in a personal way, one more time.”

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Volunteers acknowledge that there are many factors that come into play when working with families. “Conversations with the deceased’s family can be difficult. Sometimes it is with people I know, and other times the deceased is the last one at the parish and the rest of the family has moved away,” said Walsh. “Sometimes I get a feel for where they are in their faith. Sometimes I tell them we can take care of the choices and make a beautiful liturgy.”

“Although difficult at times, it has become a very rewarding part of our involvement,” said Lee Brennan. “Hearing the stories of the deceased and seeing how families and friends supply support is very moving. We also hear some beautiful stories of faith and family.”

In other cases, ministry members must navigate the lack of familiarity with Catholic liturgy and even disputes among family members about the Church and the Mass. If those disagreements can be resolved, another opportunity presents itself: providing an anchor to a loving faith community.

1. Personal Attention

Small class sizes allow for individual success. Teachers know each student by name, and they meet frequently with a dedicated guidance counselor.

2. Faith-Based, Family Centered Community

Our core Catholic values can be felt through everyday interactions, but our Non-Catholic families also feel welcomed and included.

3. Quality Teachers That Truly Care

Our Partners in Mission are strong in their field and engaging in the classroom, always being available for extra help and mentoring.

4. Leadership & Service Opportunities

Anything from athletics to Campus Ministry, there are countless ways to get involved in the community, give back and learn key leadership skills.

5. Our Young Men

Saint Joseph Men are intelligent, articulate, and well-rounded leaders who stand out amongst their peers.

Approaching the Paschal Mystery

MARCH 5  AT THE TRANSFIGURATION JESUS SHOWS THE FULLNESS OF HIS MISSION

Gn 12:1-4A; 2 TM 1:8B-10; Mt. 17: 1-9

The juxtaposition in the Gospel between Jesus’ first indication to his disciples as to the nature of his mission and the Transfiguration reflects both the intentionality of Jesus and the subsequent insight of the evangelists. The disciples are unprepared for the totality of what is about to unfold before them and must be overwhelmed with Jesus speaking of betrayal and death instead of the fullness of life. The Transfiguration reveals to his innermost circle – including the one who on the one hand rejected the mission, and on the other, denied even knowing him, the fullness of the promise to come.

MARCH 12  WATER RUNS DEEP IN OUR RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS AND IMAGINATION

Ex 17:3-7; Rom 5: 1-2, 5-8; Jn 4:5-42 or 4:5-15, 19B-26, 39A, 40-42

The Egyptian people have lived for thousands of years along the narrow stretch of the Nile River. It was and remains the source of their fresh water supply, and the essential means of

WORD

irrigation for agriculture. They are able to flourish even in a harsh desert. When the Israelites left Egypt and entered deeper into the wilderness, they often struggled to find enough fresh water to care for themselves and their limited livestock. Water, then, is important within their religious and cultural imagination. Jesus, in encountering a woman at a well, taps into this imagination as he offers her the promise of eternal water.

MARCH 19  THE BLIND MAN AT SILOAM SEES THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

1Sm 16:1B, 6-7, 10-13A; Eph 5:8-14; Jn 9:141 or 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38

The essential elements of baptism are clearly manifested in the healing of the blind man at the Pool of Siloam in Jerusalem. Unlike most of the miracles of Jesus this man is healed, not because of his own faith, but as a demonstration of Jesus’s power over sin. This man, blind from birth, waits by the pool hoping for God’s mercy in his life. Jesus, confronted with the question of sin, restores this

man’s sight by having him wash in the pool. Jesus uses this miracles to teach two things: he is the Light of the world, and he has the power to wash away our sins. These same elements are expressed in the baptismal waters.

MARCH 26  JESUS DESTROYS DEATH FOREVER

Ez, 37:12-14; Rom 8:8-11; Jn 11:1-45 or 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33B-45

No other miracle than the raising of Lazarus from the dead defines Jesus and his ministry. By this point in his ministry Jesus has performed countless miracles. While each miracle carries with it multiple layers of meaning, and all of them ultimately point us towards the full restoration of reconciliation as accomplished through the Paschal Mystery, none of them encapsulates this reality as poignantly and dramatically as does this miracle. Jesus showed to his disciples that his power is not only over life and the healing of the living, but that his power extends even to death itself. This power over death, unheard of and awe-inspiring, is only a mere foreshadowing of the complete subjugation of death through the Resurrection of Jesus.

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

THE

Father Garry Koch

St. George Church, Titusville. File photo

Embracing the ‘hidden presence’ of St. Joseph in our daily prayers

Every morning, while it is still dark, I light a small tea candle that sits at the foot of a vintage statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I love the statue because she is worn with age, like me.

My prayers are first, in gratitude for the big and small blessings of life, and then prayers of petition for my family and friends, the many known and unknown victims of violence and want, and for peace in the soul of humanity.

for this problem! … Do not forget St. Joseph who sleeps! Jesus slept with the protection of Joseph.”

This image of the sleeping saint has meaning for me because, like many of us, I, too, often make a decision to “sleep on it,” when I have a problem or decision to make. Sometimes, I wake up with a sense that God has given me my marching orders, but my reply is not always the internal, silent yes of St. Joseph who received messages from God through dreams.

My initial reaction is just as likely to be “Seriously?” “You’ve got to be kidding,” or “Umm, I don’t think so.”  It might take me some time to come around to what God wants, but Joseph does not falter.

to go to Joseph for intercession in times of need and to honor the saint’s role as humble protector of the Holy Family.

In his Apostolic Letter, Patris Corde: With a Father’s Heart, Pope Francis encourages us to turn to St. Joseph: “Each of us can discover in Joseph – the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence – an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble.”

That has certainly been my experience, and the height of St. Joseph’s “bed” on my counter is evidence of my belief.

Last March, the month of St. Joseph, I added a statue of the saint next to Mary. Most often, he is lying on his side resting on small pieces of paper – my prayer intentions. It’s a practice I borrowed from Pope Francis, who has long had a devotion to St. Joseph and who keeps a statue of the sleeping St. Joseph in his office.

The Holy Father acknowledged, “When I have a problem, a difficulty, I write a little note and I put it underneath St. Joseph, so that he can dream about it! In other words I tell him: Pray

Just a few short months ago, on the Sunday after Christmas we honored St. Joseph through the Feast of the Holy Family, in his role as guardian and teacher. His primary feast is March 19, the Solemnity of St. Joseph when he is honored as the husband of Mary. He will be honored again on May 1 in the feast of St. Joseph the Worker.

One man entrusted by God with so many roles, to which he always said yes.

When Pope Francis declared a Year of St. Joseph to run from Dec. 8, 2020 until Dec. 8, 2021, it was to mark the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of St. Joseph as the patron of the Universal Church, and to encourage the faithful

In an extensive footnote at the end of his letter, Pope Francis shares a special prayer to St. Joseph, writing: “Every day, for over forty years, following Lauds I have recited a prayer to Saint Joseph taken from a nineteenth-century French prayer book of the Congregation of the Sisters of Jesus and Mary. It expresses devotion and trust, and even poses a certain challenge to Saint Joseph:

‘Glorious Patriarch Saint Joseph, whose power makes the impossible possible, come to my aid in these times of anguish and difficulty. Take under your protection the serious and troubling situations that I commend to you, that they may have a happy outcome. My beloved father, all my trust is in you. Let it not be said that I invoked you in vain, and since you can do everything with Jesus and Mary, show me that your goodness is as great as your power. Amen.’”

THINGS MY FATHER TAUGHT ME Mary Clifford Morrell

 “Do not forget St. Joseph who sleeps!

Jesus slept with the protection of Joseph.”

Saint John’s Seminary. Unsplash image

What are miracles, and why do we need them?

Q.A two-point question: It is common to hear, “It’s a miracle,” for a sports comeback victory. Does the Church actually have a definition of a miracle? When it comes to canonization, miracles are required, aren’t they? Does a miracle happen in other domains except health and medicine? (Cape Girardeau, Missouri)

A. A miracle is an extraordinary phenomenon that cannot be explained by any natural cause. In its glossary, the Catechism of the Catholic Church defines a miracle as “a sign or wonder such as a healing, or control of nature, which can only be attributed to divine power.”

Calling something like an unlikely sports comeback a “miracle” is using quite a bit of poetic license, since there is a readily discernible natural explanation for the victory (namely, the skill of the athletes).

There also are situations where God truly may have intervened in answer to a prayer – for instance, a disease goes into an unexpected remission after a course of medical treatment, or a wayward loved one has a surprising conversion of heart – but which cannot be called miracles in a strict technical sense, as

there can be a strong natural component to such blessings. In instances such as these, we might understand God as working within the natural order he established, albeit perhaps in an especially active way; this is as opposed to “breaking the rules” of nature, which is what happens in a true miracle.

QUESTION CORNER

Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News

Medical miracles seem to be the kind of miracle we hear about most often today, but not all miracles are health-related. While Jesus seemed especially fond of performing miraculous healings, the Gospels give us many wonderful examples of other kinds of miracles – consider Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding at Cana; the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, and Jesus calming a storm.

Q. Second point: We supposedly agree that the human ceremony of canonization does not create a saint. That is God’s doing. So, why are miracles so central to canonization?

A. Theologically, a saint is anyone who is actually in heaven with God, but canonized saints are those whom the Church has officially recognized as presently enjoying the beatific vision. This recognition is for the benefit of those of us still here on earth, as canonized saints are heavenly intercessors to whom we can confidently turn, and they serve as role models of Christian holiness in various states and circumstances of life.

As this is a determination the Church really wants to get right, the process of canonization is necessarily a lengthy and involved one. For a non-martyr, the process begins with a very detailed investigation of the potential saint’s life. If this investigation shows that they truly lived a life of heroic virtue, that person is declared “Venerable.” If there can be a proven miracle attributed to the Venerable’s intercession, that person is beatified and given the title “Blessed”; after a second miracle, the person can be canonized and is declared a saint.

Supposed miracles can be and are evaluated by either medical doctors or other impartial experts in their respective fields to rule out any merely natural explanation (thereby proving a supernatural one). As such, miracles are central to the canonization process because, to put it in very practical terms, they are the best we have in terms of finding objective signs from God that a person is in heaven.

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.

Communities benefit from Faith & Blue initiative

MARY STADNYK  Associate Editor

Faith leaders and law enforcement officials enjoy sharing a common mission of serving the wider community. When opportunities arise for the two groups to work together, it’s the community that benefits.

from the Manasquan Ministerium, comprised of 12 Christian churches, was expanded to include more opportunities for both educational presentations and prayer experiences throughout the year.

Father Lago said that additional events that have been held to date include an ecumenical Thanksgiving prayer service in November in St. Denis Church. Law enforcement officials were present, and it was a time “for us to give thanks to God for their service to the community.”

A second event, he noted, was the highly successful Christmas toy drive that was driven by the collaboration between the Manasquan Ministerium and the two police departments, which generated an overwhelming amount of toys collected for children – toddlers to teenagers.

and other services so that the people in the community will get to know the officers.

“All of the feedback about Faith & Blue and what we are aiming to achieve is positive,” said Chief Bauer.

Father Lago said another positive about Faith & Blue is the relationships that are forged between the clergy and the police officers. If a police officer ever needed a minister or priest to speak with, “we would be there for him,” Father Lago said, noting that the conversation would remain confidential.

Also, if a police officer was in a situation where he realized someone would benefit from having the presence of a priest or minister, “he has our contact information and would know how to get in touch with us.”

That’s the ultimate hope that two neighboring coastal Monmouth County parishes – St. Denis, Manasquan, and St. Mark, Sea Girt, have – to strengthen community ties through their participation in a collaborative endeavor called Faith & Blue.

Father Bill Lago, pastor of St. Denis Parish, explained that Faith & Blue is a national initiative aimed to build bridges between the police and community members. But the scope of Faith & Blue broadened to include houses of worship when it was realized that both the police and the clergy often interact when tending to the needs of a particular community.

Father Lago explained that, though Faith & Blue has a designated weekend each year when the police officers and houses of worship come together and host community activities, the initiative that was created among the Monmouth County Prosecutors Office and clergy

To get the word out about Faith & Blue, Michael Bauer, the retired chief of the Manasquan Police Department and a member of St. Denis Parish, said that officers make themselves visible around the church communities during various events and address congregations during Masses

Another bond between the ministers and the police, Father Lago noted is that in being ministers to the community, “we experience life in a different way.”

“We are present to the people during some very challenging and difficult times,” he said, and “in our own ways we are there to offer them the strength of Jesus in those times.”

DIOCESAN BLUE MASS APRIL 13

Each year the Diocese of Trenton sponsors the Celebration of Law Enforcement, or Blue Mass and Luncheon, to honor and support law enforcement personnel who serve in Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean Counties. This year’s event will be held April 13 at 10:30 a.m. in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, 61 Georgia Rd., Freehold

Law enforcement of all faiths are invited to attend. Faithful throughout the Diocese are invited to join in prayer for all law enforcement on this special day and to watch the livestream of the Mass on the diocesan Youtube channel at https://youtube.com/trentondiocese

For more information, visit bluemass.org.

Manalapan parish inspires with family sharing craft

BY EMMALEE ITALIA  Contributing Editor

Initially inspired by pandemic restrictions, what began as an idea for families to connect for a virtual program recently grew to an in-person evangelization opportunity in St. Thomas More Parish, Manalapan.

February saw families of the parish’s religious education program and other members of the church community gathering for “Family Sharing: An Adventure in Scripture,” creating a heart-themed mobile in the parish’s Petri Hall.

“We wanted families to meet other members of the church community,” said Pat Colotino, parish director of religious education, “so there were no chairs, and the tables were in three long lines so people could stand on either side.”

Colotino said the families were given paper hearts of various sizes, as well as 29 Bible citations to verses about love, and were told to look up the verses and find seven to write on the smaller hearts. Families interacted as they picked

through the decorations at the table centers, and older children circulated the room with hole punchers, pens and other supplies.

“It was a plus when we saw that parents were looking up verses either in the Bibles we supplied or on their phones, and actually discussing them with the kids,” Colotino observed.

Fortunata Guarino, St. Thomas parishioner, attended the Family Sharing event and was enthusiastic about the connections it provided.

“St. Thomas is the place to come as a family – to talk, to laugh, to worship,” she said. “Each day had over 200 people –mothers, fathers, grandparents and most importantly, children; [they] are key to evangelization … .”

Guarino noticed how the families began timidly at first, “but something happened with the simple art project … they shared [and] worked together, they talked to one another … amid the sounds and energy, smiles grew on all their faces. I couldn’t contain my enthusiasm!”

In addition to the family activity, she

also credits St. Thomas More’s pastor, Father Daniel Peirano, for being a catalyst for evangelization. “His congregation knows him by his welcoming smile that reminds all parishioners – old, new and those who need the smile – that St. Thomas More is their church, and they are welcome.”

St. Thomas parishioner Christin Morrow attended the event with her daughter Isabella, fifth grade, and son Evan, first grade.

“I thought the idea behind the activity was really cute, to find Bible verses relating to love,” she reflected. “Also, I liked that I got to spend time with the kids and do the activity together versus them going off with kids of their respective ages.”

Morrow found that the format of family cooperation helped her family grow in faith. “The kids could see me as a parent actively engaging and participating in our faith,” she said. “We are new to the parish, so for us, this helped us feel like part of the parish.”

Originally planned for just one

Families in St. Thomas More Parish, Manalapan, worked as a team this month at “Family Sharing: An Adventure in Scripture” evenings to create paper heart mobiles representing Scripture passages about love.

A family from St. Thomas More Parish, Manalapan, poses with their heart mobile. Photos courtesy of Fortunata Guarino

ON WORLD DAY OF THE SICK, PARISHES REMEMBER THOSE WHO ARE SICK AND THOSE WHO CARE FOR THEM

Throughout the world, Feb. 11 was a dual commemoration of the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and World Day of the Sick, a day when all are asked to remember the infirm

and those who care for them.

Observances took place in St. Thomas More Parish, Manalapan, which hosted its first Mass that included the Sacrament of the

Anointing of the Sick, and St. Gregory the Great Parish, Hamilton Square, where Father Mike Hall, pastor, celebrated a White Mass for persons serving in the healthcare field.

To see expanded story and photo galleries, visit TrentonMonitor.com

By Mary Stadnyk, Associate

Saving Lives, One Loaf at a Time

BREAD FOR LIFE CAMPAIGN A DELICIOUS PROLIFE EFFORT

BY EMMALEE ITALIA  Contributing Editor

When Barbara Williams asked for inspiration for a way that she and fellow Rosary Altar Society members could support Respect Life efforts, the Blessed Mother and the Holy Spirit answered in a very real, tangible way, providing the impetus for a Bread for Life Campaign.

“The inspiration really came through prayer,” said Williams, the Rosary Altar Society president in St. John Parish, Lakehurst. “This really started because of Holy Mother Mary – as Mother of the Eucharist, with the Holy Spirit being her spouse, and us being in the middle of our three-year Eucharistic Revival.”

Organized and carried out by the Rosarians, the Bread for Life Campaign involves RAS members baking bread

loaves for sale on the third Sunday of each month, with all proceeds going toward local prolife organizations including Birth Right and Open Door. The first weekend alone brought in more than $800.

“We’re averaging about $700 per weekend,” Williams said, noting that an average of 20 Rosarians bake for each sale. “The response has been enormous. We sell each loaf for five dollars; people are so overwhelmingly generous – they may buy one loaf and give us $20.”

The campaign idea came to Williams last August during her personal prayer time. She felt called to approach Father James O’Neil, pastor of St. John Parish and chaplain for the RAS, with her statue of the Virgin Mary with Child holding a dove, and have him bless it.

“After I gave him that statue is when things really began to roll,” she affirmed.

Using the statue as inspiration,

MISSION PRAYER:

Editor

Holy Mother Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, Our Living Bread,

We pray your special graces bless our efforts on behalf of the unborn and the mothers through our “Bread for Life Campaign.” Amen.

Father Caesar Rubiano, a concelebrant for the Mass in St. Thomas More Church, anoints the head of a parishioner during a Feb. 11 Mass for World Day of the Sick in St. Thomas More Church, Manalapan. John Batkowski photo

Father Mike Hall, pastor of St. Gregory the Great Parish, Hamilton Square, left, and Father Gene Daguplo, pastor of St. Raphael-Holy Angels Parish, Hamilton, concelebrate the White Mass in St. Gregory the Great Church. Joe Moore photo

We Are Called Spring PTA conference reminds members of mission

BY EMMALEE ITALIA 

Contributing Editor

“We come together because we are called for a reason – but answering that call is most important, because the Lord knows where you belong.”

These words from Elia Landino, Diocese of Trenton PTA president, summarized not only the “We Are Called” theme of the diocesan PTA spring conference March 4, but also the collective response of those at the morning gathering in Our Lady of Sorrows School, Hamilton.

For the second time this academic year, PTA presidents, officers and school principals gathered for a Mass and luncheon to reflect on their commitment to their respective schools and to Catholic education. Historically subdivided by regions, the spring conference gathered PTA representatives from all four counties of the Diocese – building on the success of the 2022 combined regional

spring experience.

“We want to unify things; it’s always best to have everyone,” said Landino, who has been involved in PTA at the school and diocesan level for more than 14 years. “It works well, and we get to see all 31 schools coming together.”

Msgr. Thomas N. Gervasio, diocesan vicar general and pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish, celebrated Mass in Our Lady of Sorrows Church to open the conference, offering his thanks to those gathered.

“I pray that all the PTA does is directed toward the sanctity of our students – to be perfect as the Heavenly Father is perfect,” he said in his homily. “Christ comes to make us great … that comes when we meet the challenges of the Gospel.”

Guest speakers James and Nicole Angiolino, founders of the non-profit Joey’s Little Angels, shared with the group their journey – from bereaved parents after their 15-month-old son died in 2010 after a courageous battle with Hurler’s Syndrome, to turning their loss into a

cause for helping other children in need.

“We are called – Nicole and I were called, Joey was called,” James Angiolino said. “He has given us a platform not only to help others, but has given countless numbers of school-age children the chance to experience the gift of giving … more importantly, it has taught them about compassion and empathy.”

James and Nicole Angiolino, founders of Joey’s Little Angels, were guest speakers for the PTA Spring Conference.

PTA officers and school principals listen to Msgr. Thomas N. Gervasio’s homily during the opening Mass in Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Hamilton, for the Diocesan PTA Spring Conference. EmmaLee Italia photos

That’s a wrap!

Diocesan Catholic Athletes for Christ collect thousands of diapers for local aid agencies

As any parent will attest, diapers are expensive. Coupled with rising prices of food and gasoline, the cost of providing for newborns and infants is overwhelming for some.

To provide support for families with babies, Catholic Athletes for Christ (CAC) in the Diocese of Trenton conducted a diaper drive during Catholic Schools Week, held this year Jan. 29 - Feb. 4, where participating schools collected more than 15,000 diapers and additional related baby care items that were donated to local diaper banks and aid organizations.

As Dennis Guida, the CAC moderator for the Diocese, explained, “CAC conducted another successful diaper drive throughout the Diocese. This year our elementary schools were invited to partner with our high schools in the event and some schools accepted the invitation.”

Students from St. Rose High School and St. Rose Grammar school, Belmar, collected and donated nearly 4,500 diapers along with several hundred additional toiletries to the Madonna House of Neptune throughout the month of February. The Madonna House is dedicated to serving infants, children and women by providing clothing, juvenile furnishings, toys, infant formula, diapers, small household items and other necessities to families in need.

Fellow Monmouth County school, St. John Vianney, Holmdel, collected and delivered 943 diapers to both Catholic Charities, Red Bank, and Madonna House. Assisting the “cathletes” were students in the school’s Campus Ministry and service programs.

The collection in Red Bank Catholic High School, Red Bank, was also a collective effort between the Catholic Athletes for Christ, the school’s Respect Life club, the Caseys4Life, and the Casey Campus Ministry.  The three student organizations teamed together and hosted a school-wide “Baby Item Drive.”

At Red Bank Catholic High School, Red Bank, members of the Catholic Athletes for Christ, the school’s Respect Life club, the Caseys4Life, and the Casey Campus Ministry teamed together and hosted a school-wide “Baby Item Drive.” Facebook photos

Deacon Matt Nicosia from St. Thomas More Parish, Manalapan, delivered the items to the Diaper Bank at Child Care Resources of Monmouth County.

He visited the school to discuss the mission of the Diaper Bank and how students’ charitable giving supports babies and moms in need. He expressed how important it is to “honor your legacy by supporting your community.” The RBC Caseys supported their community by collecting 4,826 diapers, 14,152 wipes and 47 baby toys. St. Mary School, Middletown, partnered with RBC during Catholic Schools Week in the collection of the items.

Deacon Nicosia also collaborated with the students at Christian Brothers Academy. Lincroft, where students collected over 1,200 diapers and made care packages that included baby wipes and formula.

CBA junior, Nick Ocone, who plays baseball for the school and is a member of the Catholic Athletes for Christ, was glad he had the opportunity to participate in the service-learning project at his school.

“Helping with the CAC diaper drive was very fulfilling as I was able to assist in the mission of helping those who are in need.”

And as Matt Butler, the co-moderator of CBA’s Catholic

ROSE O’CONNOR  Digital and Social Media Coordinator

Students from St. John Vianney, Holmdel, collected and delivered 943 diapers to both Catholic Charities, Red Bank, and Madonna House.

 “These essential items are a must for mothers to take care of their children.”

Young Catholics

Scouts, leaders receive honors for advancing Catholic faith

BY EMMALEE ITALIA  Contributing Editor

Six students and four adults involved in Scouting programs across the Diocese have earned awards for their representation of the Catholic faith the past year and were recognized or will be recognized at awards ceremonies in both February and March at various locations.

This year, the Diocese’s Catholic Committees on Scouting elected to move its annual Court of Honor – a ceremony during which all Scouts are recognized with awards – to take place in parishes.

“I think it is important to recognize Scouts who [not only complete accomplishments] but also live their faith life,” said Barbara Dudek, Boy Scout chairperson and awards and emblems chairperson for the Diocese of Trenton Catholic Committees on Scouting and treasurer for more than 25 years.

BOY SCOUTS  AD ALTARE DEI AWARD:

From the Monmouth County Council BSA: Robert Delaney, St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish, Bradley Beach, Troop 31, Spring Lake; and Francesco Frasca, St. Michael Parish, Long Branch, Troop 71, Oakhurst. The Scouts received their awards Feb. 12 during Scout Sunday noon Mass in St. James Church, Red Bank.

From the Jersey Shore Council BSA: All Troop 109: Robert Baliatico, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Lakewood, Daniel Waddington and Zachary Adamski, St. Isidore the Farmer Parish, New Egypt. The Scouts received their awards Feb. 5 during Scout Sunday 11 a.m. Mass in St. Isidore the Farmer Church.

Boy Scouts recognized for earning the Ad Altare Dei Award this year are Francesco “Frank” Frasca, Robert Delaney, Daniel Waddington, Zachary Adamski and Robert Baliatico. The Girl Scout recognized for earning the Mary the First Disciple Award is Lucia Street.

GIRL SCOUTS  MARY, THE FIRST DISCIPLE AWARD (MARIAN MEDAL):

From Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore Council: Lucia Street, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Whiting, Troop 50427. She will receive her award March 12 at 10 a.m. Mass in St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Whiting.

ADULTS  CHRIST THE KING MEDAL:

Adult recipients of the Christ the King Award were honored on Scout Sunday Feb. 12 in St. James Church, Red Bank. Pictured from left are Monmouth Council BSA Scout Executive Michael Mahon with Christ the King honorees Denis Longo, Maria Rimmele and Art Rimmele. Inset photo is Donald Antenucci. Courtesy photos

Maria Rimmele, former committee chair for Pack 32 chartered by River Plaza Elementary School PTO, Middletown; Arthur Rimmele, Sr., Eagle Scout and assistant scoutmaster of Troop 32; Donald Antenucci, Sr., scoutmaster of Troop 140 chartered by Fairview Elementary School PTA, Middletown; and Denis Longo, unit commissioner for the Twin Lights District. Recipients were awarded Feb. 12 at Scout

Frank Frasca Robert Delaney Lucia Street Daniel Waddington Zachary Adamski Robert Baliatico

At Scout Sunday Mass Feb. 12, Msgr. Joseph N. Rosie, pastor of St. James Parish, Red Bank, congratulates Boy Scouts Robert Delaney and Francesco “Frank” Frasca on earning the Ad Altare Dei award. Courtesy photos

For more photos, visit TrentonMonitor.com > Multimedia > Photo Galleries

CYO BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS

The Mercer County CYO basketball season held its “Day of Champions” Feb. 19 at the CYO Center in Trenton. Six teams were crowned champions in the legendary Mincy Manczak Gymnasium, while the season’s individual award winners were also announced. Pictured clockwise from top left: Varsity Boys of St. Gregory the Great Academy, Hamilton Square; Freshmen Girls of St. Paul School, Princeton; JV Girls of St. Raphael-Holy Angels School, Hamilton, and Freshmen Boys of St. John the Baptist School, Allentown. Courtesy photo

For more photos and story, visit TrentonMonitor.com > News > Sports

Don’t miss The Monitor’s sports coverage online

BY RICH FISHER 

Contributing Editor:

 Loss in state final can’t diminish careers of SJV girls basketball seniors

 Mercer County CYO basketball crowns six league champions

 NDHS grad Buecker feels rewarded on and off the diamond at West Point

 Karpell’s contribution to SJV means more than just 500 wins

 RBC’s Ross looks to God for assistance as big time college football offers pour in New story every Friday!

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

SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS

SJV Freshman Madison Kocis, right, battles past an IHA rival with help from her teammate, junior Julia Karpell. Vic Mistretta photo

Msgr. Tuzeneu pens and publishes first novel

BY DOROTHY K. LAMANTIA  Correspondent

Each week, parishioners of St. Mary Parish, Barnegat, look forward to the parish bulletin, especially the letter from their pastor, Msgr. Kenard Tuzeneu. While his topics vary – issues of faith, family or the world at-large – he often hooks his readers by telling a story.

When Msgr. Tuzeneu announced that his first novel, “The Cloud People,” was to be published, his parishioners were surprised and intrigued by the new direction his writing had taken.

“Writing was something I always did,” he said. “I made up stories when I was a kid, but I never really thought about a book. Years ago, I wrote a book about Santa and the Easter Bunny, which was meant to be a gift for family and parishioners at Christmas.”

Intended for a middle-school audience, “The Cloud People” is the story of a boy named Billy, who is taking his first solo trip by airplane to visit grandparents.

Shortly after take-off, Billy falls asleep then awakens to see a face in the clouds outside his window. When the eyes of the face open, they look directly at Billy then close abruptly, startled at having been seen by the boy. The face disappears, but Billy is captivated by the vision and determined to find out if it was real. The mystery draws in his grandparents, uncle and best friend and transforms his visit into an adventure full of surprises and lessons about life, loyalty and friendship.

The story originated during a flight 10 years ago.

“On a trip to Tennessee, looking outside the plane window, I saw what appeared to be a cloud with a face. I started writing a short story about it,” he said. “The ideas kept growing until they became … a book.”

Finding time was the first hurdle for this dedicated pastor of a two-church parish.

When he began writing four years ago, he sat down at his word processor two hours in the evening. “I chalk it up to good old Catholic guilt. I couldn’t write during the day when I was supposed to be working, so I wrote at night, because it wasn’t my job to write,” he said.

After almost a year of evenings spent writing, he had three chapters – then COVID-19 emerged.

In 2020, when Masses and prayer services went uncelebrated, and councils and committees did not meet, the pandemic cloud provided a silver lining – a gift of extra time.

“When the office closed, the Holy Spirit said, ‘You might as well be productive.’ Some people cleaned out closets. I wrote a book,” Msgr. Tuzeneu said.

By the time pandemic restrictions started to relax in the fall of 2021, Msgr. Tuzeneu completed a 20-chapter novel. Before seeking publishers, he asked several middle to high school students in the parish to read the manuscript because, he said, “I’m not a kid. I like to write, but I’m not a kid’s writer.”

When they recommended that Billy’s voice, not a narrator’s, should tell the story, Msgr. Tuzeneu made the change.

In spring of 2022, he began his search for a publisher. “I sent it out to a number of agents,” said Msgr. Tuzeneu. “I was never refused, but I never heard anything either.”

He decided to self-publish, which led him to Christian Faith Publishers, Princeton, a company appealing to writers of faith and family publications. They agreed to publish “The Cloud People” and provided guidance all the way

to the design of the book’s cover, depicting the characters looking up at a hot-air balloon in a perfect blue sky with clouds smiling upon them.

“Thinking back, it was a lot of work,” Msgr. Tuzeneu reflected. But, he acknowledged, “I enjoyed the character and got caught up in him. Maybe partially I am Billy – he climbed trees, and certain things came from memories of people and things. I wanted to write something with family values, no horror, no hidden messages, except for family, faith and life.”

The book is available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Msgr. Tuzeneu hopes income from book sales can augment donations to St. Mary Church, the parish’s twin in Ziroobwe, Uganda.

Msgr. Tuzeneu signs a copy of his recently published book.

Pictured is the cover of Msgr. Tuzeneu’s “The Cloud People.” Dorothy K. LaMantia photos

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EUGENE B. VAVRICK, FATHER OF PRIEST

Eugene B. Vavrick, father of Father Eugene B. Vavrick, who lives in residence in Villa Vianney, Lawrenceville, died Feb. 4 at age 96.

Funeral services were held Feb. 10 in St. Anselm Church, Tinton Falls.

Mr. Vavrick was born in Nanticoke, Pa. in 1927 and was the fifth child of John and Kathryn Vavrick. He served in the Army Air Force and pursued college studies at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, and Wilkes College (now University), Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

After college, he moved to Jersey City to

pursue a career as a civil engineer. It was in Jersey City he met his wife, Marie Lorraine, to whom he was married for 49 years. Together they raised five children.

Mr. Vavrick was an active member of the Knights of Columbus council in Keyport and the Angler’s Club, and he also enjoyed golfing, assisting fellow seniors with handyman projects, and being involved in various activities in St. Anselm Parish.

Mr. Vavrick was predeceased by his parents, five siblings, his wife, Marie Lorraine, who died in 2017, and his son, Jack, who also died in 2017. In addition to his priestson, he is survived by three daughters, Mary Ellen Pennisi, Elizabeth Lanier and Patricia Anderson; three grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.

Burial was private. Memorial donations may be mailed to The Center, 806 Third Ave., Asbury Park, N.J. 07712 or made online at thecenterinap.org.

MARIE ELENA STESNER, WIFE OF DEACON STESNER

Marie Elena Stesner, wife of Deacon Patrick Stesner, died Feb. 10 at age 74.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Feb. 16 in St. Joseph Church, Toms River.

Born in 1948 in Browns Mills to Harold and Mary Foley, Mrs. Stesner was raised in a military family and lived in Hawaii and Alabama before arriving to New Jersey and settling in Jersey City. Following her marriage, she then lived in Bayonne and

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MARIE STESNER

Continued from 56

then moved to Bayville in 1976.

Mrs. Stesner was a graduate of Ocean County College and she worked as a registered nurse in Community Medical Center, Toms River, and Tall-

Woods Care Center, Bayville, for 40 years.

In addition to Deacon Stesner, to whom she had been married for 55 years, Mrs. Stesner is survived by two daughters, Tracey Stesner and Cheryl (James) McNally, and a son, Patrick, Jr. (Danyelle), and

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four grandchildren.

FRANCIS’ PAPAL STYLE

Continued from 9

often draws on literary themes and rhetorical devices.

DOORS I SIDING I WINDOWS

I SIDING I

OBITUARY INFORMATION  Additional obituaries will be posted to TrentonMonitor.com as information becomes available.

FAMILY

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.

The place to find the services you’re looking for!

Masses – closed to the public –in prisons, refugee centers and rehabilitation centers, washing the feet of Catholics and non-Catholics, men and women, in order to show Christ’s love for everyone, especially the most marginalized.

His memorable metaphors and allegories have a religious message: priests need to be “shepherds living with the ‘smell of sheep’”; Confession is not “sitting down in a torture chamber”; and Catholics must resist “a throwaway culture” that readily disposes of people’s lives and dignity.

Backes & Hill, llp

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.

for over a century

His idea of “outreach” has included reaching outside the Vatican bubble. He called in “outsiders” as the majority of the members of his International Council of Cardinals and of the Vatican safeguarding commission. He gets a new personal secretary every few years and gives dozens of interviews to big and small media outlets.

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His desire to “speak from the heart” means many offthe-cuff comments, homespun anecdotes, sharp rebukes or critiques and an occasional statement that requires clarification or an apology.

A native-Spanish speaker who grew up with Italian-speaking relatives in Argentina, the Pope merges a number of styles and, as a former high school teacher,

Pope Francis also has offered a new approach to evangelization that he had mapped out in his brief address during the pre-conclave meetings of the cardinals. Cardinal Bergoglio’s words struck a chord with his listeners and formed the basis of his blueprint as pope.

The outline of his talk said that when the Church is self-referential with a kind of theological narcissism, it gets sick and is unable to carry out its mission to go out and evangelize; in effect, such a Church keeps Jesus within and does not let him out.

Jesus is knocking so that “we will let him come out,” the then-Cardinal Bergoglio had said, and the next pope needs to help the Church go out to the “peripheries” and become “the fruitful mother who gains life from the sweet and comforting joy of evangelizing.”

NEW BELIEVERS

Continued from 25

”You are a Christian who has chosen and has been chosen to remain in Jesus Christ and his Church,” the Bishop said. “Become a Catholic and be a Catholic. The time has come for you to tell, and for you to show the world who you are and what you believe.”

AMONG THE ELECT

In the Rite of Election ceremony, Denise Contino, diocesan director of the Department of Catechesis, presented the catechumens to Bishop O’Connell.

“Most Reverend Bishop, Easter is drawing near, so the catechumens, whom I now present to you, are completing

DEAR [FIRST NAME],

their period of preparation,” she said.

“They have found their strength in God’s grace and support our community’s prayer and example. Now they ask that after the celebration of the Scrutinies, they be allowed to participate in the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist.”

Bishop O’Connell asked the godparents and the assembly to affirm that the catechumens are sufficiently prepared to be enrolled among “the elect” (the name given to the catechumens following their participation in the Rite of Election). The catechumens declared their wish to enter fully into the life of the Church, and their names

were read aloud as a parish RCIA team member presented each Book of the Elect.  The books had been signed by the catechumens earlier in the day in their local faith communities during Rite of Sending ceremonies.

CALLED BY NAME

While growing up, Glenn Pancoast said he never had experience with a religion but

was introduced to the Catholic Church by his girlfriend, Meredith Brown, a member of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Hainesport.

Attending church and participating in the RCIA, “has been great! It’s been life changing,” Pancoast said, noting that he was intrigued to learn through RCIA about how to make the Sign of the Cross and its meaning.

NEWS happens EVERY DAY.

Stay up-to-date with Catholic news from around the United States, the world and the Vatican at TRENTONMONITOR.COM.

In 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 a Catholic education and I would like to thank you profoundly for offering this incredible gift to others.

In 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 a Catholic education and I would like to thank you profoundly for offering this incredible gift to others.

In 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 a Catholic education and I would like to thank you profoundly for offering this incredible gift to others.

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.” 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.

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

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

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.

PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY.

100% of donations will go to your school of choice or you can designate the Diocesan Office of Catholic Schools for broader tuition or program assistance.

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.

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.”

“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.”

Catholic Schools Have It All... 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.

Go to NEWS, and click on CHURCH and WORLD & NATION.

CHILD LABOR

Continued from 23

News. “Businesses teach these youth workers skills that will prepare them for their future, and maybe even attract them to their industry for life.”

The Minnesota Catholic Conference indicated it had “no comment on the bill as we have not vetted it fully.” The bill is currently in committee.

In Iowa, SF 167, a bill introduced by Sen. Jason Schultz, R-District 6, would extend work hours for 14- and 15-year-olds; allow six hours of work a day during the school year; allow 17-year-olds to work the same hours as adults; eliminate work permits; and limit employer liability.

There also is the possibility of exceptions for previously prohibited industries, allowing teens 14-17 to take part in “work-based learning or a school or employer-administered, work-related program.”

Schultz’s office did not respond

to OSV News’ request for comment.

The Iowa Catholic Conference said it “has not taken a position on the bill to date.” The Iowa Senate Workforce Committee approved the bill March 6, renumbering it SF 542, with the Iowa House Commerce Committee advancing its companion bill March 7.

“When I hear an employer say that there’s a worker shortage, what they’re actually saying is there are no workers available to work at the price I’m willing to pay,” Clayton Sinyai noted. “And children will work for less.”

Mary Leary, professor and senior associate dean for academic affairs at The Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law in Washington, agreed.

“It’s a cost-cutting measure for global companies to not ... increase costs, decrease risk, and make this job more attractive to the workforce,” she told OSV News.

Kevin Cassidy, director of the U.S. office of the International Labor Organization, told OSV News the

problem is that in the U.S., “People are not being offered good pay for those dirty, dull and dangerous jobs.”

The ILO is a Geneva, Switzerland-based specialized agency of the United Nations, and has confronted the issue of child labor since its 1919 founding. It sets international labor standards, and advises the U.S. government concerning policy. The Vatican delegates a permanent observer to the U.N. and its agencies, and Pope Francis has offered messages to ILO gatherings.

“Unscrupulous employers take advantage of the fact that the children are not aware of that,” Cassidy said. “It is an exploitation of their vulnerability, and that is absolutely unacceptable.”

Benjamin Smith, the ILO’s senior child labor specialist, told OSV News that for economic growth, “decent work for parents is critical, so labor markets don’t respond to shortages by plugging the gap with children.”

Kimberley Heatherington writes for OSV News from Virginia.

UKRANIANS ENDURE

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She eventually found solace and strength in her community and her teaching. There are 35 kindergarteners at her school, about half from permanent Fastiv residents and the rest from displaced families.

Those displaced “have a wish to return home this spring,” said Edith Dominika Shabej, a Hungarian Dominican associate and Caritas coordinator. “But the problem is their homes have been destroyed. They have no place to return to.”

Yet despite the extent of societal damage, the religious are adamant that Ukraine should not compromise with Russia to end the war.

“That would be a compromise with evil,” said Dominican Father

Petro Balog, who heads the Institute of Religious Sciences of St. Thomas Aquinas in Kyiv. “It’s not Christian to compromise with evil.”

Ukraine is fighting a battle against tyranny in a war that has implications far beyond the borders of Ukraine, Sister Andrusiv said. “Our people are dying to protect the world.”

Chris Herlinger writes for Global Sisters Report, a project of National Catholic Reporter.

NOTES: This article is the first of a Global Sisters Report series titled “Hope Amid Turmoil: Sisters in Conflict Areas.”

FAMILIES SHARING LOVE

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evening, the response to the activity “was so great, I opened it up for another night,” Colotino said. “I will be doing many events throughout the year… [including] an Intergenerational Lenten Fair with a walk through the Triduum, family activities, a trivia game, Lent and Easter snacks … and tables about all the ministries.” Colotino also intends to host an Easter Egg Hunt in March.

“My ultimate goal is for the families to come to think of the church as someplace they can go to have fun and feel safe,” she continued. “My new motto is ‘Faith is Fun.’ It is always all about the kids; if we can make them smile about coming to the church, we did our jobs.”

Guarino was pleasantly surprised the following weekend to recognize a family sitting in the pew behind her who had attended the Family Sharing activity. “We smiled at each other … God puts people in our path for a reason.”

Information for this article was provided in part by Fortunata Guarino.

BREAD FOR LIFE CAMPAIGN

Continued from 49

Williams asked her granddaughter, Brittany Busch, who graduated in 2022 with an art degree from Georgian Court University, Lakewood, to draw a prototype for a poster the Rosarians could use to promote the Bread for Life Campaign. Busch created two designs – the original based on the statue, and a second illustration that showed Mary holding a loaf of bread.

“We’re using both designs,” Williams said. “The one I asked her to create we are using for the posters, and the one she was inspired to draw for postcards.”

Williams took the designs to Father O’Neil and explained her campaign idea. “Like a surveyor who locates the right spot on the other end of a lot, I knew we were heading in the right direction,” she recalled. “I took the illustration prototypes for him to see, and asked permission to begin [the campaign]; with his blessing we started in October.”

She coordinated with Mary Ann Dempkowski, parish director of religious education, to have letter-sized reproductions of the campaign poster with an inspired mission prayer distributed to religious education students in September, so that they could pray for the campaign’s success. Williams also contacted several nearby parishes’ RAS presidents, asking them to consider starting the campaign in their parishes –and if they did, to share the prints with religious education classes for prayerful support.

“We’ve had great interest from other parishes,” she said, noting that the parishes contacted were St. Joseph, Toms River; St. Barnabas, Bayville; St. Aloysius, Jackson; St.

Luke, Toms River, and St. Mary of the Lake (part of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish), Lakewood.

Thanks to the generous response of parishioners, some weekends the bread supply at St. John’s can run low.

“We started [at our RAS meeting before the first sale] by asking members to raise their hand if they could bake three loaves,” Williams explained. “Because I live near the church, if we start selling on Saturday after Mass, and at 8 a.m. on Sunday if I hear they’re low, I quickly whip up another batch.” That batch is Dolly Dillon’s Irish Soda Bread –her treasured grandmother’s secret recipe, and a bake sale favorite.

“Because it’s a campaign, we’re on a journey moving forward,” Williams added. “I just feel Holy Mother Mary is doing a wonderful work and the Holy Spirit is moving and energizing us … So many people prayed for this campaign; if we can get the word out, others will be inspired to do this – that’s my goal.”

To learn more about starting a Bread for Life Campaign, and for posters or postcards to reproduce, call Barbara Williams, 732-581-8817.

PTA ANSWERS CALL

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Joey’s Little Angels, he noted, has donated over 40,000 toys to hospitals nationwide, and has raised more than $250,000 for families with a child undergoing medical treatment.

Several representatives of the diocesan PTA board also spoke during the luncheon, reflecting on the collective calling to serve.

Landino noted. “Your efforts are very visible in our schools, which utilize our support to enhance children’s educational experiences.”

And that calling is often met with diligent and quiet hard work behind the scenes, noted Brianna Starkey, regent for Monmouth/ Ocean region.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been to one PTA event where the volunteers’ names are in gold,” she said, recalling the homily of a priest who described political figures being recognized with their names brandished above their sponsored projects. “You’re always there for others. It’s not about us, it’s about our Lord. Our name is in gold with him.”

Dr. Vincent de Paul Schmidt, superintendent of Catholic schools, reminded the attendees that “most of us made the decision to be who or what we became … We are called to use the gifts we have, to make the most of every day; we are called … to make a difference in people’s lives.”

As regent for Burlington/Mercer region, and former PTA member of OLS since 2012, Cyndi Primerano served as emcee for the luncheon. She reflected on the necessity of PTA chapters to the success of Catholic schools in the Diocese, including offsetting tuition costs and funding activities and programs.

“My hope is that PTA members and principals recognize that they were called to serve our children of our Catholic schools; and they made a conscious decision to take action and say yes,” she said. “Their work is critical to keeping our communities thriving!”

edged, “The need for assistance has been greater than previous years. These essential items are a must for mothers to take care of their children. CBA was proud to support this diocesan effort.”

Furthering that assistance was also Donovan Catholic High School, Toms River, where the Catholic athletes collected more than 1,700 diapers from the school community for Seeds of Service, Brick Township, and the Open Door Pregnancy Center, Toms River. Additional diapers were donated to the St. Joseph Parish Food Pantry, Toms River.

In Mercer County, the Catholic Athletes from Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville, and the Celebrate Life Club partnered to collect almost 2,450 diapers through the donations of approximately 500 students. Diapers will be donated to Home Front and The Makers Place, organizations in Lawrenceville and Trenton respectively, that serve mothers and families in need.

Guida was proud of the schools’ participation in the service project that was instituted in the high schools by Dr. Vincent DePaul Schmidt, diocesan superintendent of Catholic schools, who started this drive during Catholic Schools Week. The Catholic Athletes have adopted this program as their own for the past two years.

CAC DIAPER DRIVES

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“Our mission is united in our belief in Catholic education, as we are called to help nurture our children’s knowledge and spiritual growth,” Athletes for Christ chapter acknowl-

“CAC moderators are always looking for projects that serve the school community or the greater community as a whole,” said Guida. “CAC has a very strong belief in servant leadership since charity is the first of our core virtues. Charity is the virtue of putting others before ourselves and this diaper drive allows us to put the needs of the mother and the newborn before our own.”

Gospel for March 12, 2023  John 4: 5-42

Following is a word search based on the Gospel reading for the Third Sunday of Lent, Cycle A: The woman who came to the well at noon. The words can be found in all directions in the puzzle..

SYCHAR JACOB JOSEPH

TIRED JOURNEY DRAW WATER

GIVE ME WOMAN A JEW

THE GIFT OF GOD LIVING WATER

FLOCKS ETERNAL PROPHET

WORSHIP HOUR NOW HERE

MESSIAH I AM HE SAVIOR

TEST YOUR CATHOLIC KNOWLEDGE

9

6 Act of Contrition word

7 St. ___ Tekakwitha, “Lily of the Mohawks”

10 A mark of the Church

15 Brother of 13A

16 Father of Rachel

17 Catholic director of “It’s a Wonderful Life”

18 Catholic actor and crooner, Crosby

20 His yoke, as Jesus describes it

21 Sister of Judah

23 First patriarch, to his friends?

25 Altar perfume

26 Author of The Models of the Church

28 St. Thomas ___

29 State in which the Diocese of Dallas is found

31 “…begin our account without further ___…” (2 Macc 2:32)

32 Catholic actor, Robert ___

33 Son of Adam

SCOUTS RECOGNIZED

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Sunday noon Mass in St. James Church, Red Bank. While there are additional awards available for adults, there have not been any adults nominated for several years. The Christ the King Award is for adults “who have done an outstanding job to help with the spiritual development of Catholic Youth who are involved in the Boy Scouts of America program,” said Dudek.

In order to earn the Ad Altare Dei award, an eight-chapter workbook of activities must be completed over several months to fulfill the requirements, with chapters based on the seven Sacraments. Boy Scout Awards begin at the Tiger and Wolf Cub Scout levels, and include the Light of Christ, Bear and Webelos Awards. Parvuli Dei and Ad Altare Dei (to the altar of God) Awards are earned by Boy Scouts in seventh grade and older.

Monmouth Council Scouts’ projects included visiting elderly and homebound parishioners to bring Jesus’ presence to them, in both fellowship and Eucharist. They also sang Christmas carols for them and helped them organize kitchen pantry items. The Scouts furthered their community service by participating in Mission: Jersey and collecting gifts for various ministries via their parish’s giving tree.

“It was an honor to receive the Medal,” said Frasca, “and to be recognized by the Monmouth Council, Troop 71 of Oakhurst and Msgr. [Joseph] Rosie, who did a really nice Mass for us that day.”

The process for earning the Marian Medal saw Lucia Street and her mother and troop

leader, Melissa Street, making a pilgrimage to visit the Dominican nuns in the Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary. “The Dominican Sisters honor Mother Mary by lighting candles, saying prayers and hosting Masses,” Lucia explained. “They make their own soap and candles to sell to keep the Shrine and monastery open.

“Through my work on Mary, the first disciple, I have a better understanding of who Mother Mary was and why she is so important to Catholics,” she continued. “I really liked learning about how [she] is viewed around the world … I know I can pray to Mother Mary and she hears my prayers. That gives me hope.”

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

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