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FAITH Over Fear
For many who turned out for Catholic Charities’ first COVID-19 vaccine clinic, getting the shot meant setting aside their fears in order to protect themselves and others in their homes and communities. Encouragement from Catholic Charities workers helped create a friendly experience and alleviate jitters. In the last year, each of us in our own way has had to face down fears and step forward in faith, saying “yes” in service to God and his mission. See stories on 8-12 and 46.
INSIDE… FROM THE BISHOP: Mary leads the way
to goal we seek – Jesus VOCATIONS: Meet the Ordination Class of 2021 EL ANZUELO: El Mes de María; Un fuerte SÍ a Dios
Vol. 2 • No. 8 • MAY 2021
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ON THE COVER Eudora Klee smiles behind her mask while helping people get their COVID-19 shots during the Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton’s first vaccine clinic held April 23 in Trenton. Matthew Greeley photo Coverage on page 46 and in Spanish on page 41
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Contents 5-6 From the Bishop
Highlighting Month of Mary, Bishop O’Connell discusses Blessed Mother as path to Christ
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Cooperation with holy will of God leads to life surprises, sacrifices, rewards
14-20 Vocations/Ordination Preview Vocation call can come in quiet spaces; student letters boost seminarians’ spirits; reflections of soon-to-be priest, deacons
25 Diocese Bishop announces retirements, appointments for priests and deacons
38-41 El Anzuelo El Mes de María; Decir que sí al Señor; Programa apoya a familias en Hightstown; clínicas para vacunarse
48-49 Respect Life Sister Helen Prejean talks justice, Catholic teaching after decades of ministering to death row inmates
REGULAR FEATURES 22 Viewpoints 35 Pope Francis 37 World & Nation 42-44 Insight from Fathers Koch & Doyle 64 Fun & Games May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 3
Reader’s Corner
The gift of Catholic communications BY THE MONITOR’S EDITORIAL STAFF
O
ver the course of the Church year, there seems to be an ever-growing number of specially-designated days and weeks that direct our attention to a specific cause or spiritual imperative. Days of prayer and awareness have been established for such causes as human trafficking, immigration, poverty, vocations and Care for Creation, to name but a few. But one special day that is particularly meaningful for us in the Communications and Media Office is World Communications Day, which falls this year on May 16. A call to awareness and action following the Second Vatican Council, World Communications Day began with the recognition of the unlimited “Our potential of mass media in evangelization. Increasingly, as the embrace diocesan of media is nearly ubiquitous in community many parts of the world, this annual observance has become more about grows with cautioning us on how media can every story be easily misused. Messages from Church leaders have called upon us The Monitor to give witness to the Gospel in an shares.” environment that might be described as toxic. Last fall, in the midst of a decidedly acrimonious media season, we dedicated the magazine’s IN FOCUS section to the need for Catholics to use media in ways that glorify God and proclaim the Gospel. We urge our readers to take another look at that special section, now available on our website. Despite the pitfalls and destructive influences, however, 6
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September 2020
MUCH MORE ON THE WEBSITE . . . We encourage our readers to go to TrentonMonitor. com to find many more stories like these: Former camper donates $10K to Yardville CYO At 108, Dominican sister says God ‘just wants me to hang around’ Philadelphia priests look for ways to stop city’s gun violence 4 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE May 2021
In Focus
‘The
Antidote of Truth’ Catholics called to fight disinformation, serve common good in use of media “A lie can travel around the world and back again while the truth is lacing up its boots.” BY RAYANNE BENNETT
Associate Publisher AND
EMMALEE ITALIA Contributing Editor
In an ironic example of possible “fake news,” the above quote – or a version of it – has been attributed to several individuals, including Mark Twain and the 16th century satirist Jonathan Swift. Regardless of who first coined the statement, it is a fair description of human interaction and a plausible explanation of why society is so profoundly impacted by the unfettered expansion of “fake news” or disinformation, particularly in the
media that we consume and share. We all have some kind of connection to the media – whether it is delivered through our televisions, computer screens, phones or print publications. It is a good thing, and we have come to rely on the media for so many aspects of our lives. From the youngest of children watching videos of their favorite shows, to our seniors, sharing news, photos and maybe a recipe or two . . . most of us are in front of screens and consuming digital and social media on a daily basis. For many individuals, the Continued on 8
September 2020
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7
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media remains a powerful force for good when used in the right way. In the world of Catholic communications, we are profoundly grateful to have the advancements in media that allow us to reach more people than ever before. Our diocesan community grows with every story The Monitor shares. We are one faith community, and our stories about faith, sacrifice and courage in God’s name help to define us and unite us. In this May issue of the diocesan magazine, we invite you to meet the brave men and women who have taken chances, faced heartache and sacrificed their well-being to follow God’s will. Learn the vocation journeys of the Diocese’s soon-to-beordained eight deacons and one priest. Sit down for a one-onone with Sister Helen Prejean to hear how she has grown from walking with death row inmates. Share in the enjoyment of how students have returned to in-person learning thanks to the innovation of Catholic school staff. And run the bases with one of our Catholic school principals, who was honored by the Philadelphia Phillies as a “Frontline Hero”! Those stories only scratch the surface of what you’ll find in these pages – brought to you by the Church’s commitment to Catholic communications. Please join us in celebrating this important ministry of the Church and the way that it can touch each of our lives. God bless you!
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From the Bishop
S
t. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) was a French Cistercian monk, theologian, preacher and reformer in the early Middle Ages who was well known – among many things – for his great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He authored the Marian prayer so familiar to us known as “The Memorare” and numerous other homilies, hymns and treatises about her. “De A Message from Maria,” he famously BISHOP DAVID M. wrote, “numquam O’CONNELL, C.M. satis” ... “about Mary, never enough (can be said).” Love for Mary, the Blessed Mother of the Lord Jesus Christ, is as natural to the Catholic as love for one’s own mother. Mary is, after all, the Mother of the Lord and he is, at once, our Savior and our Brother. “We never give more honor to Jesus than when we give honor to his Mother and we honor her simply and solely to honor him all the more perfectly. We go to her only as a way leading to the goal we seek, Jesus her Son (St. Louis Marie de Montfort).” We worship him as God. We love her as his mother. “In danger, in anguish, in uncertainty,” St. Bernard reflected, “think of Mary, call on Mary. May she never be far from your lips, from your heart; and thus you will be able to obtain the help of her prayer, never forget the example of her life. If you follow her, you cannot go astray; if you pray to her, you cannot despair; if you think of her, you cannot be mistaken. If she sustains you, you cannot fall; if she protects you, you have nothing to fear; if she guides you, do not tire; if she is propitious to you, you will reach the goal…” (Hom. II super “Missus est,” 17: PL 183, 70-71). In our more recent times, Pope St. Paul VI encouraged our Marian devotion, writing: “Mary remains ever the path that leads to Christ. Every encounter with her can only result in an encounter with Christ himself.” This is so natural an experience because it is so true. Christianity has loved Mary since the Lord Jesus’ final moments on the Cross when he said to John the Beloved Disciple, “’Behold your Mother.’ From that hour onward, the disciple took her into his care ( John 19: 27).” And so he did. And so have we. Mary was God’s most precious, most perfect gift to Jesus, and Jesus’ most precious, most perfect gift to the Church. The entire month of May has been set aside by the Church for loving devotion to Mary the Mother of God for centuries.
Continued on 6
“The Magnificat” by James Tissot.
Brooklyn Museum of Art image
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From the Bishop
Seek Mary’s aid in all moments of life Continued from 5
The darkness of winter has passed, beautiful flowers are in bloom, the Easter Season is well underway and new life is all around us. What better time could there be for loving and honoring the one who was given to us because she has given us her
Son – the Light of the World, the Source of all Beauty and Goodness and Truth, the Newness and Fullness of Life. Mary is the Mother of God and, as the Second Vatican Council proclaimed, she is the “Mother of the Church.” A mother’s love is unconditional and total. It is
6 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE May 2021
“If you are in danger, if
your hearts are confused, turn to Mary.” St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
only natural, then, that we return such love with true devotion. “If you put all the love of all mothers into one heart, it still would not equal the love of the heart of Mary for her children (St. Louis Marie Montfort).”
And so, we call upon her from the deepest parts of our being in all the moments of our lives, especially now throughout this time of pandemic: “Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now (St. Teresa of Calcutta).” And, “If you are in danger, if your hearts are confused, turn to Mary. She is our comfort, our help. Turn towards her and you will be saved (St. Frances Xavier Cabrini).” The Hail Mary, the Rosary, devotion to the Miraculous Medal, the Hail Holy Queen and Marian antiphons, the Magnificat, the Regina Caeli and Angelus prayers, the brown and green scapulars – these are just some of the prayers to Our Blessed Mother, drawn from the rich treasury of the Catholic Church’s long tradition, seeking her intercession and her help. And, of course, we cannot forget St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s prayer, “The Memorare:” Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
In Focus
W
‘Yes’
hat does it mean to say “yes” to God’s will, and what has that looked like among the saints of heaven, as well as the faithful – we “saints in waiting” here on earth? One can see this kind of extraordinary “yes” in the Virgin Mary, when the humility and faith of a young girl cooperated with divine grace to allow for the Incarnation of Christ the Son. The Blessed Mother’s response leads the way for St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus and patron of the Universal Church, to respond with his own “yes” – willing to accompany and protect both Mary and the
“The Annunciation” by French artist James Tissot. Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Museum
The Extraordinary
Son of God. As the Blessed Mother is honored during May, the month of Mary, many may ask, “Had Mary not put aside her own desires and fears, could she have carried out the mission that God intended for her?” Every canonized saint – and those of us still striving for eternal life – must also answer: “How will we say our extraordinary ‘yes’ to God?” In this month’s IN FOCUS, The Monitor Magazine shares the stories of Catholics across the Diocese who have said “yes” to God’s will in challenging ways – and what that has meant both in their own lives and the lives of those they serve. May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 7
In Focus
Room for More St. Francis family adds three daughters, equaling an immeasurable love BY EMMALEE ITALIA Contributing Editor
W
hen God asks one to respond with an extraordinary yes, those who agree often have no idea how deep that yes will go. Such was the case for Molly and John Cassella, members of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Long Beach Island, who thought their home was complete with one 12-year-old daughter and fulfilling jobs – Molly as a preschool teacher and John as a police officer. Then God invited them to something more. “We were happy with one child and were super busy,” Molly recalled, when in 2006, she was approached by her close friend Sandy. “She had adopted two children from one birth mother who was going to have her eighth baby that December. Sandy said her home was full
and that she was trying to think of a family where the new baby could go that would have a sibling relationship with hers.” At first, the Cassellas were hesitant, but then decided, “We will take this one baby.” The couple went through the extensive licensing process to become foster parents, and in August 2006, they began receiving calls from the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency. “They just started saying, ‘We have this child available, and this child,’ etc. We kept saying ‘No, we have a baby we are waiting for,’” Molly recalled. “Then on Halloween, there was an early evening phone call.” A three-year-old girl needed temporary placement. The couple hesitated, as they were planning for their baby’s arrival in December. The agency said, “‘If you don’t take her, we have to take her to a group home. We promise it’s only for two weeks,” Molly recalled. The Cassellas’ daughter Emily, in
8 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE May 2021
sixth grade at the time, sealed the deal with “Mom, just say yes.” “Then they told me it would be a few hours because she had lice!” Molly mused. That night, Jadie came into the Cassellas’ home, and “we immediately connected – we bonded and fell in love with her,” Molly remembered. “And we all got lice!” AN EXPANDING FAMILY Unbeknownst to the family or the state agency was that Jadie had a serious medical condition that took 10 days of doctor appointments and observation to diagnose, ending in a November trip to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for emergency neurosurgery. The condition changed the fostering agreement instantly. “The primary goal of the division is to reunite children with their birth families,” Molly explained, “but when a significant medical issue [arises] and the parent is
Emily, Jadie, Lilly and Poppy Cassella pause their rock climbing fun for a family pose. Courtesy photo Emily Cassella plants a kiss the cheek of Ryan Novak-Smith. The couple married recently, and Ryan is just as committed to Emily’s siblings as she is. Courtesy photo
another child with neurosurgery, we all had lice, and now we have a baby going through withdrawal,” Molly said. The silver lining, she said, was the experience of picking up a baby at the hospital. “There are no words to express it,” she said. “I had been through birth; this is a different process … when you give birth, you’re physically exhausted – but here you are with a newborn, and you’re rested, and all of your being is focused on that baby, and you can fully enjoy it.” The Cassellas’ entire family bonded immediately with Lilly and Jadie, fully welcoming them as grandchildren and nieces, and helping with the emotional roller coaster that would ensue. “Lilly was on the path for adoption because of her history, [and we were just waiting for] legal timelines to expire,” Molly recalled. “With Jadie, we didn’t know for two years that she would be adopted.” AN UNEXPECTED GIFT
already struggling with a typical child, it raises the bar much higher.” The Cassellas had to ask themselves what this meant, as did the state. “Can you hold onto her longer?” CP&P staff asked. “Jadie would need all sorts of intervention and therapy on a weekly and even daily basis,” Molly said. “My husband and I said, ‘We’re in – we’re committed.’” Home from the hospital, caring for Jadie post-surgery, the phone call came – the Cassellas’ soon-to-be daughter Lilly was born Dec. 4 and would be in a Lakewood hospital going through detox for a week. “In six weeks, we went from having one healthy 12-year-old to having
As the years passed and Jadie became an official member of the Cassella family at age 6, Lilly’s birth mother gave birth to two more babies, both of whom were adopted by Sandy’s cousin. The three family units treated each other like close cousins, sharing weekends and vacations as one giant family. Lilly was diagnosed on the autism spectrum with some cognitive impairment, and needed more assistance, so Molly and John were certain that their home was now closed. Then came another phone call from their caseworker, and a photo of a fivepound baby in the hospital on a ventilator. Lilly’s birth mother had just had baby number 11, her last one. “I said, ‘You’re going to send that picture and expect me to say no?’” Molly exclaimed. “I asked my husband, ‘What are we going to do?’ He said, ‘I guess we’re going to buy a minivan.’” They brought Emily into the decision, knowing she would be assisting with baby care, and that Lilly’s lifelong need
for intervention would be an ongoing family responsibility. “She was like, ‘100 percent, let’s do it.’” Poppy, who completed their family, “is a firecracker; she brought in so much humor, from a young age,” Molly emphasized. “She was meant to come to us.”
“To come to a place where people are friendly and loving … who wouldn’t want that for their kids?” GRACE THROUGH THE YEARS Emily, now 26, recently married her college sweetheart, Ryan Novak-Smith. “I had asked Emily if she had told her future husband about Lilly and her responsibility toward her through the ages, and she said, ‘Oh yes,’” Molly said. “He’s making this commitment to all of us, that he’s going to be there. He’s in the U.S. Navy Reserve, and Lilly loves all things military, so he sends her military pictures and gifts – it’s so heartwarming.” Jadie, 17, will be going to college soon; Lilly is now 14, and Poppy is 9. Looking back on how their Catholic faith played into their decisions to adopt, Molly acknowledged that some days can be very challenging. But having the Church as a support has been like another extended family. “Because my mom, JoAnne Reeder, worked at St. Francis [as director of worship] ever since I was tiny, it was always a second home,” she said. “My kids get to see the Franciscan priests and the work they do, which is so important. And when I took Jade and Lilly to All Saints Regional Catholic School [now St. Mary Academy] where Emily was, they were immediately accepted by the teachers and priests.” Molly recalled the first time Jadie came to church with the family. “For a kid who had never experienced anything except neglect, to come to a place where people are friendly and loving and singing – she said, ‘What is this place? I like it here!’ Whether adopted, special needs or not, who wouldn’t want that for their kids?” May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 9
In Focus
Faith over Fear Healthcare workers sacrifice personal safety to respond to imminent need BY EMMALEE ITALIA Contributing Editor
C
OVID-19 has revealed countless healthcare heroes worldwide – emergency response professionals and volunteers who have weathered long hours, made costly and personal sacrifices to assure safety, and found new ways to assist others. As response operations liaison to the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, Robert Hutchinson has been deployed as a FEMA employee for COVID Operations since March 13, 2020 – day one of the federal shutdown. The Princeton Junction native who attended St. Paul School and Parish, Princeton, was initially deployed as the planning section chief, coordinating between the state and FEMA to determine a daily operating plan. Now that COVID-19 vaccines are available, he has been deployed for Vaccine Operations as a liaison to New Jersey and branch director for FEMA’s support to the “I felt like I state’s six vaccine mega sites. “FEMA is working at the six was supposed mega sites from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day,” said Hutchinson, an to be at the alumnus of Notre Dame High hospital for my School, Lawrenceville, who as one of the support team, works 12-hour coworkers and days. “Meeting FEMA’s mission to my patients.” support our state partners goes with the job,” he said, explaining that he considers himself lucky to interact with the public and see firsthand their appreciation for receiving a vaccine. “I don’t often get to see the outcome of my efforts … this event is drastically different. “By assisting in vaccine delivery, even in a small way, FEMA is allowing me to help individuals and the country get back to normal,” said Hutchinson, who now lives in Trappe, Pa., and belongs to nearby St. Eleanor Parish, Collegeville. TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS Though vaccines became available inside of a year of the pandemic, getting appointments for those who need them most
10 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE May 2021
Robert Hutchinson, an alumnus of Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville, has been working at one of the state’s six vaccine mega sites as a FEMA liaison and branch director, which means 12-hour shifts and little opportunity for a day off. Courtesy photo immediately proved difficult. Enter Trisha Kennedy, a Lawrenceville resident and member of St. Paul Parish. When attempting to schedule vaccines for her mother-in-law and grandmother in January, she found the process stressful: not enough appointments available, or being booked within minutes, and online forms that were not intuitive for seniors to use. “I started finding tips and tricks about when and where to look,” Kennedy said. Once she figured out a system for success, she began offering to help set up appointments for St. Paul teachers and staff, branching out into the wider parish community and even to complete strangers locally through a Lawrenceville social media site. “Most of my appointment bookings have been all kinds of weird hours,” she continued. “For the longest time you’d get a lot of [vaccine availability] drops around midnight, and I would log in at 11:50 p.m. to watch the sites. Then I started setting alarms
Thank You to our Nurses
Ready to take the next step? Ready to take the next step?
for your hours of hard work and many years Ready to take next step? of devoted service as the we recognize Ready to take the next step? NATIONAL NURSES WEEK, MAY 6 – 12, 2021 We are dedicated to providing quality health care in a loving, spiritual and caring environment, to help
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MEDICAL INTERVENTION Catherine Valentino is one of countless nurses who joined her fellow healthcare professionals in combatting COVID-19. She is a certified registered nurse on the labor and delivery unit at Capital Health, Hopewell. “The need to be a part of the protection and healing overtook my fear of the virus 1,000 percent,” said the parishioner of St. Gregory the Great Parish, Hamilton Square. “I could not just stay home and watch the news reports – I felt like I was supposed to be at the hospital for my coworkers and my patients.” To do so required extensive PPE (personal protective equipment) including eye protection, gowns, gloves and N95 surgical masks, the latter of which begin to cause skin breakdown and rashes with long hours of wear. But Valentino said it was her Catholic faith that played “a Continued on 57
May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 11
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Taking precautions and opening his Family First Chiropractic Clinic safely for patients during the pandemic was a priority for Dr. Robert Bischoff, parishioner of St. Joseph Parish, Toms River. Courtesy photo
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In Focus
Invincible
Spirit St. Rose student embraces faith, positivity, hard work on recovery journey BY DAVID KARAS Correspondent
U
ndeterred by the strenuous task of physical therapy, Sam Jarmer continues to rebound from the life-changing injury he endured nearly two years ago. His road to recuperation, he believes, is attributed to a determined spirit grounded in his strong Catholic faith, unyielding positivity, the love and care of family, and the support of his parish and school communities. “I am doing great and making a lot of progress,” said Sam, 18, who was working as a lifeguard in Ocean Grove in July 2019 when he sustained a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the chest down. In the days and weeks following his injury, Sam had surgery to repair damage; within the first four months, he regained the ability to sit up and use his arms during physical therapy. “Going to Catholic school my whole life, it is easy to keep the faith,” said Sam, a senior in St. Rose High School, Belmar. Noting that he gains inspiration from knowing that God is there for him, Sam
STORIES OF HOPE Continue to follow Sam’s story in the Diocese’s latest “Stories of Hope” video series. Visit YouTube.com/ trentondiocese It’s been a year since “COVID-19: Stories of Hope” first aired. Read about how it has grown and the lives it has touched. See page 62.
Sam Jarmer, who was paralyzed from the neck down in 2019, says his Catholic faith has helped in his recovery. Staff photos
When it comes to recuperating, “There is someone always in your corner,” says Sam, seen with his mother, Jessica, and brother, Michael. Convinced of the power of prayer, the family has a special devotion to the Divine Mercy of Jesus. added, “There is someone always in your corner, and someone is always behind you.” Now, Sam goes to physical therapy three times a week. Common exercises involve Sam riding a therapy bike, standing and walking with the assistance of his therapist. While he is currently in a wheelchair, he has his sights set on regaining his ability to walk. “With the spinal cord, it is just a process of reconnecting all the pathways to the nerves and waking the muscles
12 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE May 2021
back up,” he explained, adding that physical therapy is a bit like a job. “You do it every day, as much as you can.” “I make progress daily, and every week I go back [to physical therapy], there is something new I can do,” said Sam, a member of St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish, Bradley Beach. Sam’s optimistic outlook is one he has embraced from the start. His mother, Jessica, said that doctors were initially not able to give the family a definitive Continued on 57
Celebrating 50 years of service! 1971-2021
St. Lawrence Rehabilitation Center, a not- for- profit, physical rehabilitation hospital, in Lawrenceville, NJ is pleased to celebrate its’ 50th anniversary! Sharing a 40-acre healthcare campus with Morris Hall Senior Care Communities, St. Lawrence offers a wide range of acute and sub- acute physical rehabilitation services and programs on both an inpatient and outpatient basis. Therapies include: • physical and occupational therapy • speech therapy • therapeutic recreation • social Specialized programs for: • brain injury • stroke • neurologic disorders • orthopedics • Parkinsonism • amputees • Vestibular/Balance Rehabilitation • Driver program St. Lawrence is accredited by The Joint Commission (TJC) in the Hospital Accreditation Program and Post-Acute Care Certification-Certificate of Distinction and is licensed by the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services.
2381 Lawrenceville Road, Lawrenceville 609-896-9500 • slrc.org
May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 13
Vocations
God’s call to vocation
comes in the ordinary moments of daily life A Message from
BISHOP DAVID M. O’CONNELL, C.M.
T
he Word of God reminds tian marriage and family life is a most each of us in the Book of beautiful calling, and the Church lifts up the Prophet Isaiah: “You are that Sacrament for the vast majority of my servant; I have chosen women and men. For others, the single you and have not rejected you. Do not life is their vocation. But what better be afraid for I am with you” (Isaiah 41: place is there than in the Catholic family 9-10). and home for young people to hear Sunday, April 25, was “It comes in the ordinary the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, a day that coinmoments of your daily life when cides with Good Shepherd Sunday. As Catholics, we you recognize something deep are all asked to encourage young people in particular inside urging you to do more.” to consider dedicating their lives to follow the Lord Jesus in a special God’s voice? The love of husband and way through the priesthood, diaconate, wife, of father and mother, of brothers and consecrated religious life ... and to and sisters is a motivation for and model pray for them. But, in order to “considof the love Christ seeks from priests, er,” to “dedicate,” to “follow” the Lord, deacons and consecrated religious. you must first listen for his call. Pope Francis has told us that “a It comes in the ordinary moments vocation flows from the heart of God of your daily life when you recognize and blossoms in the good soil of faithful something deep inside urging you to people ... (it is) first and foremost a call do more with your life to demonstrate to love, a love which attracts us and God’s incredible love for his people. Perdraws us out of ourselves.” haps it is serving the poor; perhaps it is God calls ordinary, normal, good, teaching the young; perhaps it is making faithful people to love him and others in the Gospel and your faith more conan extraordinary way as a priest, deacon or crete by your personal witness. There consecrated religious. Your response, your are so many ways the Church offers you “yes” takes sacrifice, for sure. But most to make God’s grace and presence felt good and important things in life do. among God’s people. Is God calling you If you think you might have a to pursue a vocation in the Church? vocation in the Church, pray about it ... Of course, the vocation of Christalk to someone about it. If you think
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someone you know has a vocation in the Church, tell him/her, suggest it ... share this article. So many young people over the years have responded to my vocation suggestion, saying, “No one ever asked me.” Well, God is asking ... the Church is asking ... your Bishop is asking. If the possibility of a vocation has crossed your mind, check out our Diocese’s vocation website at www.godiscallingyou.org. Another good site is: www. vocationnetwork.org. Don’t be afraid to follow up. Some people may ask, “Who would ever want to be a priest, a deacon, a religious sister or brother” in these difficult days in the Church? I would counter that there has never been a better, more critically important time for good people of faith to step forward and make a difference. I remember R&B artist Billy Ocean singing back in the 80s, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” True then, true now. The sign of the Holy Spirit at work in your life is joy and peace. Think about it. The great spiritual author and monk Thomas Merton once wrote something that I think about when it comes to a vocation: “A person knows he/she has found his/her vocation when he/she stops thinking about how to live and begins to live.” If not you, who? If not now, when? Please, pray for and encourage vocations.
Vocations
Annual letter project lifts spirits of youth, seminarians BY CHRISTINA LESLIE Correspondent
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hen it comes to enjoying a little downtime, young people and adults have more in common than they might admit. “Being back in school after Christmas was very hard. But I have to in order to be ordained a priest soon. I hope you had an amazing break,” wrote a seminarian, responding earlier this year to a youngster participating in the annual Seminarian Letter Project. The Knights of Columbus’ Seminarian Letter Project, instituted in 2000 by the Knights’ New Jersey State Council, encourages students in Catholic schools and parish religious education programs to send handmade letters, cards and drawings to men studying for the priesthood. The project nurtures vocations in the young while providing seminarians prayerful support from their future flocks. “It’s a great way for the Knights and the religious education ministry to get together to benefit the seminarians,” said Grand Knight Robert H. Batta of the Rev. Gebhard Braungart Council #8415. The Council serves the Ocean County parishes of Sacred Heart, Bay Head; St. Pio of Pietrelcina, Lavallette, and St. Junipero Serra, Seaside Park. In the fall, the council sent out more than 60 unique letters from children addressed to 46 seminarians studying in seven different seminaries and friaries. “The children really took the time to think about what they would write,” said John Paglione, parish catechetical leader in Sacred Heart and St. Pio of Pietrelcina Parishes. Paglione enlisted his 26 eighth-grade Confirmation students to write letters to a dozen seminarians. “I had invited a speaker to come talk to the class and let them know what the men go through to become a priest,” he added, “so they could understand their
In addition to letters, young people draw pictures as encouragement for men studying for the priesthood. Courtesy photo A young parishioner from Sacred Heart, Bay Head, writes to one of the Diocese’s seminarians, Julian Young. “I wish you the very best of luck in seminary school,” he writes. Courtesy photo
efforts in the seminary and understand it as a vocation.” Fellow PCL Renée Casadonte of St. Junipero Serra Parish agreed, explaining that she selects religious education students in grades four and older to take part each year. “I educate the students on what the Knights of Columbus do in the parish and for them, such as donating Easter and Christmas books, supplying meals at the soup kitchen and selecting gifts from the annual giving tree,” Casadonte said. She also invites the Franciscan Friars Conventual brothers and priests who serve at St. Catharine of Siena, one of two worship site of the parish, to explain what seminarians do and how they study. Casadonte chuckled as she related the contents of some of the letters from her most recent batch of 45 missives.
Messages of prayer were followed by the youngsters’ favorite foods, sports, and even complaints about homework and allergies. “They are adorable,” Casadonte said. “They say, ‘Thank you for choosing this life,’ and ‘We are praying for you.’” She also shared return messages. “One seminarian, Friar Franck, wrote to his new friend Gabrielle, ‘I feel the presence of God through your prayers every day,’” Casadonte said. May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 15
Vocations
Messenger of Hope As June 5 ordination nears, Deacon Ballacillo reflects on path to priestly vocation BY LOIS ROGERS Correspondent
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hen Rjoy Ballacillo was ordained a traditional deacon last year, he said he “felt real joy in knowing this is what God wants me to do.” His 16-year journey to the priesthood will culminate June 5 when he is ordained a priest by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., during a 10 a.m. Mass in Trenton’s St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral. The Mass will be livestreamed on all diocesan media outlets, including YouTube.com/ Rev. Mr. Rjoy trentondiocese. Ballacillo The Rev. Mr. Ballacillo shared that there is a “feeling of peace, prayerful and joyful at the same time,” in knowing that the time is at hand to “be a good shepherd” to the faithful of the Trenton Diocese. ABIDING SUPPORT Rev. Mr. Ballacillo, 26, grew up in Abra, Philippines, the youngest of four children born to Fernando and Marilyn Ballacillo. “I am so blessed to have a great family,” he said. “I think vocation starts with family. My parents were my first teachers, [and] we were very active in the faith. We went to Mass as a family. They wanted us to experience what it means
to be Catholic,” he said, referencing himself and his brothers Rex and Roy, and sister Honeylet. He noted that his parents wanted their children Rev. Mr. Ballacillo distributes the Holy Eucharist during his dito have a Catholic eduaconate ordination Mass celebrated last year in St. Robert Belcation, recalling that as a third-grader in Holy Cross larmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold. Craig Pittelli photo School, he became an altar of Assisi Parish, Wanaque, and St. Mary server. “I was really introduced to liturgy Parish, Colts Neck; a pastoral year asand all that went with it,” he said. signment in Our Lady of Good Counsel ROLE MODELS OF FAITH Parish, Moorestown, and a diaconal year Drawing inspiration from his older assignment in St. Theresa Parish, Little brothers who were pursuing priestly Egg Harbor. vocations of their own, Rev. Mr. BallacilWhen it came to his hopes and prayers lo was 11 when he entered St. Joseph for parish life, he spoke of the encourageHigh School Seminary, Abra. That was ment he has gained from Bishop O’Confollowed by college studies in San Pablo nell; Father Dennis A. Apoldite, pastor Seminary, also in the Philippines, where of Sacred Heart, Trenton, which Rev. he earned a bachelor of arts degree in Mr. Ballacillo regards as his home parish; philosophy. Father Jeffrey E. Lee, pastor, St. Mary, When he was 21, he followed his Colts Neck; Father Christopher Piccolo brother Roy to New Jersey to prepare and Father John Bogacz, pastor and paroto serve as a priest for the Diocese of chial vicar of Our Lady of Good Counsel; Trenton. Father Roy Ballacillo, then a Father John Large, pastor of St. Theresa seminarian, was ordained a priest for Parish, and Father Mick Lambeth, pastor the Diocese in 2017. He now serves as emeritus of St. Theresa Parish. parochial vicar in St. Mary of the Lakes From them, he “learned what it Parish, Medford. means to be a shepherd, being with paRev. Mr. Ballacillo said that over rishioners in good times and bad, praying the years, his older brother became his with them and helping them in their “number one role model,” leading him to spiritual journey to holiness,” Rev. Mr. parish ministry. Ballacillo said. In preparation for parish life, his for“The people in the parish assignments mation has included: earning a master of were really good people,” he added. “I divinity degree from St. Charles Borrowant to thank them for their support meo Seminary, Wynnewood, Pa; serving and prayers.” summer parish assignments in St. Francis He expressed warmth for how the
16 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE May 2021
COVERAGE OF ORDINATION DAYS Follow live coverage as Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., ordains the Diocese’s newest priest and eight men to the permanent diaconate during May and June in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton. Attendance in person is by invitation only. Visit TrentonMonitor.com and YouTube.com/trentondiocese! • Diaconate Ordination: Livestream video, 10 a.m. May 15 • Priesthood Ordination: Livestream video, 10 a.m. June 5 • Check Facebook and Twitter for live postings on both Ordination Days • Reporting and dozens of photos will be posted to TrentonMonitor.com beginning May 15 • Don’t forget the June print issue of The Monitor for full ordination coverage! Not a subscriber? Contact: monitor-subscriptions@dioceseoftrenton.org or visit dioceseoftrenton.org/monitor-subscriptions
faithful have made it through the past pandemic year. “They are always in my prayers. I think of what it meant to reach out to them in livestream Masses, to let them know that they are loved and cared for and that we miss them and want them to come back.” PRAYERS FROM NEAR, FAR Though pandemic restrictions are easing, as was the case last year at his ordination to the diaconate, the only family member present will be his brother. But Rev. Mr. Ballacillo takes heart knowing that his parents, siblings and family members will be watching from afar his Mass of Ordination on the diocesan livestream. “Even if they cannot come, I know they are praying for me,” he said. “I’m really blessed to be ordained as a priest, and it’s an honor to be ordained for the Diocese.” Father Ballacillo said he is overjoyed to be the in-person family representative and honored to be his brother’s vesting priest. “I am so happy for my brother and proud of him. He worked hard to be able to get through formation.” “I’ve seen him grow. My prayer for him is that he will find joy and happiness in the priesthood. I know this is what he wants. And his ordination is what people need now, a message of hope.”
Rev. Mr. Ballacillo is asked to wave after Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., calls him to the Sacrament of Holy Orders during the March 29 Chrism Mass in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold. The transitional deacon is to be ordained a priest for the Diocese on June 5. Mike Ehrmann photo
May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 17
Vocations
Guardians of
SERVICE A
EIGHT MEN TO BE ORDAINED AS PERMANENT DEACONS MAY 15
fter five years of educational and pastoral formation, eight laymen will advance to the Order of Deacon May 15 when they are ordained by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton. The Mass of Ordination will begin at 10 a.m. and will be livestreamed on all diocesan media outlets, including YouTube.com/trentondiocese. The men, who hail from Burlington, Mercer and Monmouth Counties, will serve their parish communities and the Diocese as permanent deacons. All of the men are married with families and have long legacies of serving as lectors, catechists, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, and in youth and Hispanic ministries. “Deacons are part of the clergy and live their vocation in and with their family,” Pope Francis said in 2020. “They are the guardians of service in the Church. “Let us pray that deacons, faithful in their service to the world and the poor, may be an invigorating symbol for the entire Church.”
PHILIP CLINGERMAN Ministering Parish: St. John the Baptist, Allentown Place/ Year of Birth: Springfield, Ohio; 1957 Family: wife, Judith; son William, 27, stepson Shawn, 48, stepdaughter, Heather, 44; parents Cullen J. and Ruth M. Clingerman (both deceased); brothers Michael and Christopher Employment: associate director, vendor enablement, Bristol Myers Squibb, Lawrenceville Education: Benjamin Franklin Middle School, Kenmore, N.Y. (1969-1972); Orville H. Platt Senior High School, Meriden, Conn. (1972-1975); University of Bridgeport, Conn. (1975-1979), B.S., education and B.A., music; Georgian Court University, Lakewood (2016-2019), M.A., theology Certificates, Honors, Technical Training: Charles A. Dana Scholar, summa cum laude; Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society – education; Theta Alpha Kappa Honor Society – theology Ministries: director of sacred music in Diocese of Metuchen 18 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE May 2021
for 20 years; prison ministry in York, Pa.; religious education in St. John the Baptist and St. Aloysius, Jackson; lector and extraordinary minister of Holy Communion in St. John the Baptist Why the Diaconate? It was first suggested to me in 1982 to further my ministry beyond sacred music. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our lives; I was inspired to assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in both the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms – a privilege. I love visiting the sick and comforting the suffering. Vesting Priest: Father Thomas Maher, pastor of St. William the Abbot Parish, Howell
PAUL H. DeGRAZIA Ministering Parish: St. John the Baptist, Allentown Place/ Year of Birth: Indianapolis, Ind.; 1972 Family: wife, Kimberly; sons Braeden, 17, and Preston, 15; parents Henry and Irene DeGrazia; sisters Karen and Lynda
Employment: senior financial advisor, Merrill Lynch, Princeton Education: Elton Adelphia Elementary School, Freehold (1979-1985); Freehold Township High School, Freehold (1987-1991); Seton Hall University, South Orange (19911995), B.S., finance; Georgian Court University, Lakewood (2016-2019), M.A., theology Certificates, Honors, Technical Training: Theta Alpha Kappa National Honor Society for Religious Studies and Theology Ministries: All St. John the Baptist: Knights of Columbus Council 7333, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, lector, coordinator of altar servers (Ordinary Form), finance council Why the Diaconate? While deeply involved in parish activities, I felt called to do more. One Sunday, our youngest son, age 8 at the time, was left to altar-serve on his own. So that he wouldn’t have to serve alone, I assisted. It was through this single experience that I knew I was being called to a vocation of service and began discernment for the diaconate. Vesting Priest: Father Michael Wallack, pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish
GENE LANZONI Ministering Parish: St. Ann, Lawrenceville Place/ Year of Birth: Trenton; 1960 Family: wife, Elizabeth; son Eugene, 29, daughter Marisa, 27, son Michael, 25; parents Mary and Gene (both deceased) Employment: 2nd vice president – corporate marketing, Guardian Life Insurance Company, New York City Education: Incarnation School, Ewing (1965-1974); Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville (1974-1978); The College of New Jersey, Ewing (1978-1980, 1984-1985), B.A., communications/marketing; Georgian Court University, Lakewood (2016-2019), M.A., theology Ministries: all St. Ann Parish: sacristan, Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, lector, altar server coordinator, Loaves & Fishes volunteer, school marketing committee, Faith in Our Future Cohort representative Why the Diaconate? I’ve been drawn to the Church and to a life of faith and charity from a young age. Serving at the altar, serving God’s people and proclaiming the Word brings me so much joy and [brings me] closer to Christ. I feel most alive when doing good works for the Lord. As my wife says, “Church is my happy place!” Vesting Priest: Father Leandro Dela Cruz, pastor of St. Ann Parish
JAMES M. MACKINTOSH Ministering Parish: St. Rose of Lima, Freehold Place/ Year of Birth: Kearny, N.J.; 1962
Family: wife, Donna-Marie; sons Christopher, 31; Colin, 26, Michael, 26; parents William (living) and Margaret Ann (deceased); siblings, 1 brother and 3 sisters Employment: Retired police officer with the Kearny Police Department Education: Schuyler Elementary School and Lincoln Middle School, Kearny (1967-1976); Kearny High School, Kearny (1976- 1980); William Paterson College of New Jersey (1980- 1984), B.A., history education; Bergen Police Academy (1987); Georgian Court University, Lakewood, (2016- 2019), B.A., religious studies Certificates, Honors, Technical Training: N.J. Police Training Committee certification Ministries: Religious education in St. Stephen Parish, Kearny; Epiphany Parish, Brick, and St. Rose of Lima, Freehold. Also in St. Rose of Lima: lector; Baptism ministry; Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults instructor Why the Diaconate? I have always served in my community and church. The diaconate was first suggested to me almost 30 years ago, but I was not prepared to consider it. Ten years ago, I began to feel the call to the ministry and have been discerning ever since. Vesting Priest: Father John F. Campoli, I.V.Dei
SALVATORE A. PETRO Ministering Parish: Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony, Hamilton Place/ Year of Birth: Orange, N.J.; 1967 Family: wife, Jennifer; children, Anthony, 24; parents, Anthony and Gloria (both deceased); siblings, Michelle, Jennifer and Angelo Employment: contractor, Havco Construction, Trenton Education: St. Agnes School, Atlantic Highlands, N.J. (1982); MAST, Sandy Hook (1986); Norwich University (1991), B.S.E.E.; Georgian Court University, Lakewood (2019), M.A., theology Certificates, Honors, Technical Training: certified municipal finance officer; certified county finance officer, member of Theological Honor Society Ministries: catechist, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, lector, all at Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish Why the Diaconate? God has continually called me to serve his Church. He called me to serve as an altar boy, and as I grew into manhood, he called me to serve him and his Church as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion and as a member of the Knights of Columbus. During my ministry as a catechist, I discerned that he wanted me to pursue the diaconate. Vesting Priest: Msgr. Thomas N. Gervasio, pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish Continued on 20
May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 19
Vocations
Diocese gaining eight deacons Continued from 19
PAUL REMICK Ministering Parish: St. Benedict, Holmdel Place/ Year of Birth: Kalamazoo, Mich.; 1967 Family: wife, Ellen; daughters Brenna, 24, and Kaleigh, 21; parents Leonard (deceased) and Dolores Remick; siblings, brothers Rick and Mark Remick Employment: business development, Amazon Web Services Education: St. Augustine School, Kalamazoo, Mich. (grad. 1981); Bishop Gallagher High School, Harper Woods, Mich. (grad. 1985); University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind. (grad. 1990), B.S., mechanical engineering; Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind. (grad. 1999), M.B.A.; Georgian Court University, Lakewood, N.J., (grad. 2019), M.A., theology Certificates, Honors, Technical Training: U.S. Navy Veteran, 1990-1997: Surface Warfare Officer Ministries: Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults; extraordinary minister of Holy Communion; Knights of Columbus, 4th degree, all at St. Benedict; coach of youth athletics, multiple sports / seasons, St. Benedict and St. John Vianney High School Why the Diaconate? Responding to a call from God to serve by following in the footsteps of Deacons Herb Schwartz and Ray Pelkowski. Together with the other deacons I have known since moving to the Diocese of Trenton, they have served as models of humble service, which I pray to be able to emulate. Vesting Priest: Father Garry Koch, pastor of St. Benedict Parish
DENNIS J. TAYLOR Ministering Parish: Resurrection Parish, Delran Place/ Year of Birth: Camden; 1960 Family: wife, Mary; son Ian, 28; daughter, Michele, 24; parents, John C. and Anne L. Taylor (both deceased); siblings, two sisters (one deceased) and two brothers (one deceased) Employment: Senior IT systems administrator, NJM Insurance, West Trenton Education: St. Peter School, Riverside (1966-1972); Delran Middle School (1972-1974); Burlington County Vocational and Technical High School, Westampton (1974-1978); Burlington County College (1978-1987), AAS data processing; Georgian Court University, Lakewood (2015-2019), certificate in pastoral ministry Ministries: all Resurrection Parish: youth ministry coordinator, men’s small group leader, extraordinary minister of Holy 20 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE May 2021
Communion to sick and homebound, lector, faith formation catechist, parish pastoral council, Boy Scout Troop 25 charter organization representative Why the Diaconate? I am answering God’s call to serve him in a larger role than that which I had been doing. Bringing the Word of God to his children and ministering to them in Baptism, marriage, death and being open to serve him wherever he calls. Vesting Priest: Father John C. Garrett, pastor of Resurrection Parish
JORGE T. VALENTE Ministering Parish: St. Rose of Lima, Freehold Place/ Year of Birth: Portugal; 1962 Family: wife, Mary Jo; daughters Melanie, 34, Amanda, 32, Elizabeth, 30, sons Gabriel, 29, Daniel, 27, Christopher, 24; parents, Mario and Alzira Valente (both deceased); siblings, three brothers; one granddaughter, Cecelia Rose Employment: Senior electronics technician, Electronics Technology Inc., Irvington Education: ILHAVO grammar school and high school in Portugal (1968-1978); East Side High School, Newark (1979-1981); DeVry University, Woodbridge (1981-1983), certification, electronics technology; Georgian Court University, Lakewood (2016-2019), certificate in religious studies Certificates, Honors, Technical Training: Award of Excellence in Religious Studies Ministries: Project director of technical vocational schools for underprivileged teenagers in the Archdiocese of Cusco, Peru, and in the Diocese of San Bernardo, Chile. In charge of preparing/presenting projects to international organizations for funding of school’s infrastructure and technical equipment and hospital, medicine, food, housing. In St. Rose of Lima: Hispanic classes/Baptism preparations, lector, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion (English/ Spanish communities). Cohort representative of the Hispanic Community. Other formation talks to the Hispanic community, such as Quinceañeras. Why the Diaconate? I feel that my call to serve in the missions of South America, some years back as a layperson, is now the continuation of that same call to serve the Church, especially the local Hispanic communities of our Diocese as a deacon. I am called as a deacon to be a living icon of Christ the servant (“did not come to be served, but to serve”), and as a deacon, I must always be aware that I’m being sent by the Church (by Christ in the person of our Bishop), to be the presence of Christ to those in need. As a deacon, I must be open and ready to serve where the Church needs me. Vesting Priest: Father James Conover, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Parish
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Bulk orders available for prayer groups and Parishes. We invite you to “wake up your spirit” and embrace this Year of Saint Joseph! Statuary and Saint Joseph devotionals are also available for purchsase. Plan a visit or contact us for additional information. W e ca rry a d iv ers e v a r iet y of g ifts for fri ends, fa m ily a nd cl erg y . B a pt ism • Co m muni on • C onfir ma t ion • W edding N ow f ea turing Sa i nt Jos eph, Lent a nd Ea ster ! 50 Hur leys La ne • L in cr of t, N J 077 38 L o ca t ed a t t h e l o wer l eve l o f t h e Par is h Cen t er , c ha ir li f t ac ce ssi b le 90 8 Ǧ7 70 Ǧ1 989 • w w w. s t le o t heg rea t . c o m/s t ore
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May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 21
Viewpoints
Urgent response of faithful needed to oppose Equality Act BY JAMES KING Special Contributor
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urrently, the New Jersey Catholic Conference is working with our counterparts in other states as well as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to urge the United States Senate to protect religious liberty by opposing H.R. 5, “The Equality Act.” If signed into law, the Equality Act could: require women to compete against men and boys in sports, and to share locker rooms and shower facilities with men and boys; force faith-based charities that serve all people to violate their religious beliefs, and threaten the welfare of thousands of beneficiaries of charitable services such as shelters and foster care agencies, by forcing a multitude of them to be shut down; jeopardize existing prohibitions on the use of federal taxpayer funds for abortion, likely pressuring or even mandating the performance of abortions by health care providers in violation of their consciences, and ultimately ending more human lives; and hinder quality health care, by forcing health care professionals, against their best medical judgment, to support treatments and procedures associated with “gender transition.” Proponents of the Equality Act claim the bill is intended to protect people with same-sex attractions or gender discordance from unjust discrimination. Although such protection is affirmed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Equality Act attempts to address these injustices in a manner that would dramatically impact the constitutional rights of Catholics and all religious communities to practice their faith free from governmental obstruction and
interference. As Catholics, the right to practice our faith extends beyond simply attending Mass or reciting prayers in our home to having the freedom to live out one of the Catholic Church’s core beliefs: that all people are created in the image and likeness of God. It is this belief concerning the dignity of the human person and the wisdom of God’s design that has consistently been and remains the foundation of our positions on human life, marriage and human sexuality and our call to serve the poor and marginalized. The Catholic Church is the largest non-governmental provider of human services in the United States, helping millions of Americans in need through its parishes, schools, hospitals, shelters, legal clinics, food banks, and charities. One has to look no further than the Catholic Church’s efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic to find an example of our commitment to helping those in need. According Catholic Charities USA, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Catholic Charities agencies throughout the country provided an estimated $400 million in direct assistance to individuals and families suffering from the economic impact of the global health crisis. This number does not include the services provided by individual Catholic dioceses, parishes, schools, and other Catholic organizations. Furthermore, the Catholic Church serves all people in every practical way to meet essential needs, including finding alternative or individualized options when necessary. We serve people as individuals, in accord with their human dignity. If signed into law, the provisions of the Equality Act would force Catholic churches, schools, Catholic Charities agencies, and Catholic health care facilities to provide services that are contrary to Catholic teaching. Should they refuse
22 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE May 2021
to do so, they could face harsh penalties and ultimately may have to shutter their doors. The loss of these services will undoubtedly create another barrier to individuals and families struggling to obtain basic needs and live in true dignity.
“The right to practice our faith extends beyond simply attending Mass.” The Equality Act’s threat to the dignity of life and religious liberty is clear and real. It is the potential impact that this legislation will have on the Catholic Church’s ability to provide essential services to the vulnerable and marginalized in our communities that should concern all people, even those that may disagree with the Church’s teachings. The United States House of Representatives passed the Equality Act in both 2019 and, more recently, on February 24, 2021. The legislation is now in the United States Senate for consideration. You can join our efforts to urge your United States Senators to oppose the Equality Act through the New Jersey Catholic Conference Action Alert System: https://njcatholic.org/faith-inaction. For more information on the Equality Act: https://www.usccb.org/ equality-act. James King is executive director of the New Jersey Catholic Conference, which represents the Catholic Bishops of New Jersey on matters of public policy. Founded in 1949, the NJCC serves as a liaison to governmental agencies and institutions and coordinates communications and activities between the bishops and secular agencies. There are more than 3.5 million Catholics registered throughout New Jersey.
Issues & Advocacy
Hyde Amendment repeal could see federal taxes paying for abortions FROM STAFF REPORTS
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embers of the diocesan community are being encouraged to join Catholics nationwide in speaking out against the repeal of legislation that protects taxpayer dollars from being used to fund elective abortions. “It is so important for people in our parishes to learn about the Hyde Amendment and the life-saving, conscience-protecting impact it has had for the past 45 years. Without this protection, our federal tax dollars will contribute to millions more abortions around our nation and beyond,” said Rachel Hendricks, diocesan Respect Life coordinator. The Hyde Amendment, which first became law in 1976, prohibits use of federal Medicaid dollars for abortion except in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the woman would be endangered. Named for former Representative Henry Hyde, (R-Ill.), the amendment is renewed every year as part of the appropriations bill for what is now “Abortion the Department of Health and Human Services. violence It was excluded, however, in must be the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act that was signed into law replaced with March 11 by President Joe Biden. As a senator, the president had compassion.” a long history of voting for the Hyde Amendment. In January, he was quoted as attributing a change in stance to Republican efforts to limit access to abortion, including those aimed at overturning Roe v. Wade. According to statistics, since its inception, approximately 2.4 million babies have been spared from abortion by the Hyde Amendment and other related laws. In addition, a 2002 study by the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute found that the abortion rate among Medicaid-eligible women when their home state pays for abortions is four times higher than the rate of other women. Before the Hyde Amendment went into effect, the federal Medicaid program was paying for almost 300,000 abortions a year for low-income women. Earlier this year, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, who represents New Jersey’s 4th congressional district, again introduced a bill to make the Hyde Amendment permanent. Smith – a Catholic Republican, Hamilton native and co-chair of the Congressional Pro-life Caucus – has co-sponsored this anti-abortion bill since 2011. “When federal taxpayer dollars are not available to help effectuate the demise of unborn babies, lives are saved,” Smith
said in early February. “Abortion violence must be replaced with compassion and empathy for women and for defenseless unborn baby girls and boys.” A staunch opponent of abortion, Rep. Smith cited key findings of a Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll released Jan. 27 that showed: • Fifty-eight percent of Americans oppose using taxpayer money to fund abortions within the United States. • More than three quarters of Americans (76 percent) want significant restrictions on abortion. • Seventy-seven percent of those polled either “oppose” or “strongly oppose” using tax dollars to support international abortion. (This was up from 75 percent who answered similarly each of the past two years.) In addition, the Pro-Life Secretariat of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is encouraging Catholics to sign the petition to oppose the Hyde Amendment’s repeal at https://www.notaxpayerabortion.com/ or https://www. votervoice.net/USCCB/home. Look for more updates from the diocesan Respect Life Ministry on social media at https://www.facebook.com/RespectLifeMinistryDioceseOfTrenton. Information from Catholic News Service contributed to this report. May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 23
Diocese
Arthur J. O’Connell, eldest brother of Bishop O’Connell, dies at age 73
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rthur J. O’Connell, Jr., 73, brother of Most Rev. David M. O’Connell, C.M., Bishop of Trenton, and Daniel O’Connell, Associate Director for Curriculum and Instruction in the Diocese of Trenton’s Department of Catholic Schools, died April 24. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Kathleen; his children and their spouses: Sean (Meagan), Ryan (Jennifer), Jamie (Kelly) and Kelly Sacramone (Luigi), and his grandchildren Jamie Jr., Elizabeth, Abigail, Jack, Kate, Grace, Lilly and Molly. He is also survived by a third brother, Dennis O’Connell and his spouse, Bar-
Arthur O’Connell is shown at right with his brothers David, left, and Daniel during a prepandemic visit to the brothers’ favorite diner in Langhorne, Pa. It was their last photograph together. Courtesy photo bara, of Trevose, Pa.; nieces Heather and Shannon, as well as brothers and sistersin-law, nieces, nephews and cousins. A Mass of Christian Burial was
celebrated April 28 in St. Martin of Tours Church in Philadelphia, followed by interment in private at the request of his family.
Father Jackiewicz remembered for kindness, love of serving faithful
BY MARY STADNYK Associate Editor
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ather Frederick W. Jackiewicz, who died March 30, was warmly remembered as man who loved the priesthood and going out of his way to serve others. “Although I never had the chance to get to know Father Jackiewicz, he had a reputation for great kindness to people during his pastoral assignments,” said Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., sharing that just five days before Father Jackiewicz’s death on March 30, he had sent a note congratulating Father Jackiewicz on his 50th anniversary of priestly ordination, which would have been celebrated May 29. “May he rest in the Risen Lord,” Bishop O’Connell said. A Mass of Christian Burial was held April 7 in St. Mary of Ostrabrama Church, South River, with several priests of the Trenton Diocese concelebrating. “Father Fred was a humble, faithful servant of the Lord,” Msgr. Thomas J. Mullelly, diocesan episcopal vicar for clergy and consecrated life and director of seminarians, said of Father Jackiewicz, who retired from public ministry more than 20 years ago following injuries from an accident.
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At that time, Father Jackiewicz was serving as pastor of St. Jerome Parish, (now part of Our Lady of Hope Parish), West Long Branch. Msgr. Mullelly said that in the midst of his great physical challenges, Father Jackiewicz’s “kindness and endurance remain an inspiration to all.” “With joyful enthusiasm and a kind and gentle spirit, he shared Our Savior, Jesus Christ, with the people through the celebration of the Eucharist, visitation with those who were unable to fully participate in parish life and by working selflessly to build up the family, which is the Church,” Msgr. Mullelly said. Msgr. Casimir H. Ladzinski, Msgr. Ronald Bacovin and Father Brian McCormick – retired priests of the Diocese –kept in regular contact with Father Jackiewicz. The monsignors said witnessing the unwavering love and care their brother “Freddie” received from his family for 21 years was especially heartening. “They were tremendous,” Msgr. Bacovin said of the family. Continued on 60
Diocese
Ministrare Non Ministrari
Bishop announces clergy assignments, retirements
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ishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., has announced the following appointments for priests and deacons of the Diocese of Trenton, effective July 1, 2021, unless otherwise noted. NEWLY ORDAINED PRIEST Rev. Reginald Joy Ballacillo, to parochial vicar, St. Gregory the Great Parish, Hamilton Square PRIEST RETIREMENT Rev. Mark Crane, pastor, St. Thomas More Parish, Manalapan, effective May 24, 2021 Rev. Roberto Ignacio, parochial vicar, Sacred Heart Parish, Riverton Rev. Edward Jawidzik, parochial vicar, St. Raphael-Holy Angels Parish, Hamilton Rev. Edward Kwoka, parochial vicar, Sacred Heart Parish, Trenton, and hospital ministry in Mercer County, effective Aug. 30, 2021 Rev. Msgr. Michael Walsh, pastor, St. James Parish, Pennington; St. George Parish, Titusville, and St. Alphonsus Parish, Hopewell PASTOR/ADMINISTRATOR Rev. Jorge Bedoya, from parochial vicar, St. Joan of Arc Parish, Marlton, to administrator, Jesus, the Good Shepherd Parish, Beverly Rev. Alex Enriquez, from administrator, St. Monica Parish, Jackson, to pastor, effective immediately. Rev. Robert Holtz, from administrator to pastor, St. Isidore the Farmer Parish in New Egypt, effective May 1, 2021 Rev. Daniel Peirano, from pastor, Christ the Redeemer Parish, Mount Holly, to pastor, St. Thomas More Parish, Manalapan, effective May 24, 2021, and continuing as adjutant judicial vicar and judge, Diocesan Tribunal
Rev. Stephen Sansevere, from parochial vicar, St. James Parish, Pennington; St. George Parish, Titusville, and St. Alphonsus Parish, Hopewell, to pastor PAROCHIAL VICAR Rev. Pierre Alabre of the Voluntas Dei Institute, to parochial vicar, Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish, Hamilton Rev. Joy Chacko, from parochial vicar, St. Gabriel Parish, Marlboro, to parochial vicar, Sacred Heart Parish, Bay Head, and St. Pio of Pietrelcina Parish, Lavallette, effective Feb. 16, 2021 Rev. Jean Felicien, from graduate studies, Washington, D.C., to parochial vicar, St. James Parish, Pennington; St. George Parish, Titusville, and St. Alphonsus Parish, Hopewell, and adjutant judicial vicar and judge, Diocesan Tribunal Rev. Augusto “Al” Gamalo, from parochial vicar, St. Gregory the Great Parish, Hamilton Square, to parochial vicar, St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel Rev. Daniel Gowen, from pastor, Jesus, the Good Shepherd Parish, Beverly, to parochial vicar, Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish, Hamilton, effective April 5, 2021 Rev. Marcin Kania, from parochial vicar, St. Gregory the Great Parish, Hamilton Square, to hospital ministry in Mercer County and parochial vicar, St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton Rev. John Michael Patilla, from parochial vicar, St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel, to parochial vicar, St. Joan of Arc Parish, Marlton Rev. Cesar Rubiano, from graduate studies, Rome, to parochial vicar, St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Hightstown PRIEST SPECIAL MINISTRY Rev. Thomas Barry, from parochial vicar, Our Lady of Perpetual Help-
St. Agnes Parish, Atlantic Highlands, to military chaplaincy, United States Navy, 6-year term, with residence in Our Lady of Perpetual Help-St. Agnes Parish. Rev. Pablo Gadenz, from associate professor, Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University, South Orange, to associate professor, Mount St. Mary Seminary and University, Emmitsburg, Md. PRIEST LEAVE OF ABSENCE Rev. Joseph Jakub, from parochial vicar, St. Catharine Parish, Holmdel, to leave of absence, effective March 26, 2021 NEWLY ORDAINED DEACONS (All effective on May 20) Deacon Philip G. Clingerman to St. John the Baptist Parish, Allentown Deacon Paul H. DeGrazia to St. John the Baptist Parish, Allentown Deacon Gene F. Lanzoni to St. Ann Parish, Lawrenceville Deacon James M. Mackintosh to St. Rose of Lima Church, Freehold Deacon Salvatore A. Petro to Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish, Hamilton Deacon Paul A. Remick to St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel Deacon Dennis J. Taylor to Resurrection Parish, Delran Deacon Jorge T. Valente to St. Rose of Lima Parish, Freehold
Keep up to date on the latest from the Diocese of Trenton...
ourdiocesetoday.org May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 25
Diocese
NJ Catholic Charismatic Conference set for May 21-22 The New Jersey Catholic Charismatic Conference will be welcoming Encounter Ministries to its annual conference, with a focus on encouraging Catholics to be more effective ministers of healing in the world. The conference, which will be livestreamed, is scheduled for May 21-22 in St. Mary Mother of God Church, Middletown. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, tickets for in-person participation will be limited, so early registration is encouraged. The conference will include keynote addresses, fellowship, the celebration of Mass, Eucharistic Adoration and a Healing Service the evening of May 22. The Healing Service will be open to the public, said Father Jeffrey Kegley, diocesan liaison for Charismatic Renewal
Patrick Reis
Ryan Mahle
and conference chairman. Patrick Reis, Encounter Ministries’ executive director, and Ryan Mahle, director of Satellite Campuses, will be the keynote speakers. Encounter Ministries is a nonprofit whose aim is evangelization and empowering “disciples to love like Jesus,” according to its website. One of the goals of this year’s confer-
ence is to ensure it serves and ministers to the entire family, Father Kegley said. There will be a children’s ministry to assist younger families. The New Jersey Catholic Charismatic Conference is the longest teaching conference in Charismatic Renewal in the United States, with workshops and activations that complement the keynote talks at the general conference gatherings. To register, visit www.DOTCCR.org or call 732-671-0071, ext. 221. The suggested donation for the conference is $50. The church is located at 19 Cherry Tree Farm Road, Middletown. For more information about conference speakers, visit www.DOTCCR.org/ conferencespeakers. ~ From staff reports
Bishop O’Connell to celebrate televised Mass for Feast of St. Rita Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., will celebrate the Feast of St. Rita of Cascia with a Mass May 22 broadcasted live from Philadelphia on the Eternal Word Television Network. Coverage of the Mass, including a blessing of roses and veneration of a relic of St. Rita, will be livestreamed on YouTube. com/trentondiocese as well as the EWTN channel and www.
St. Rita of Cascia in Philadelphia. Photo courtesy of National Shrine of St. Rita
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ewtn.com/tv/watch-live. The Mass will begin at 11:45 a.m. from the 114-year-old National Shrine of St. Rita, 1166 South Broad St., Philadelphia, in care of the Augustinian Fathers. St. Rita, who is known as the patron saint of hopeless causes, was born Margherita Lotti in 1381 in Cascia, Italy. Longing to enter a convent as a young girl, she reluctantly obeyed her parents’ instruction to marry Paolo Mancini and bore him two sons. After Paolo was killed and their two sons died of dysentery, Rita joined the convent at age 36. She served there until her death in 1457. Long known as a peacemaker, a tradition surrounding St. Rita prompts people asking for or offering forgiveness to leave roses on doorsteps or in mailboxes. St. Rita is one of the few Catholic saints who was a daughter, wife, mother, widow and professed religious. Her ability to foster peace, reconciliation and forgiveness continues to inspire across generations, ethnicities and faith traditions. In anticipation of the May 22 feast day, the Shrine will hold a solemn novena from May 13-21. The novena will include both virtual and in-person opportunities for daily Mass and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. On the feast day itself, five additional Masses will be celebrated, with the blessing of roses and veneration of a relic of St. Rita taking place at each Mass. For more information, including the feast day and novena schedules, see the shrine website at saintritashrine.org or call 215-546-8333. ~ By Christina Leslie, correspondent
Diocese
Collection to help fund diocesan, global communications FROM STAFF REPORTS The faithful across the Diocese of Trenton are being encouraged to show support for Catholic media during the annual Catholic Communication Campaign May 15-16. “Our mission is evangelization and to keep the great people of this Diocese informed on happenings in the local and global Church,” said Jennifer Mauro, managing editor of The Monitor Magazine. “This annual collection helps us tell their stories, and we are deeply appreciative for any help parishioners can provide.” The CCC collection, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is designed to support the Church’s efforts to spread the Gospel message in both the United States and developing countries. The campaign is built around World Communications Day, which falls on May 16, with the theme “Come and See: Communicating by Encountering People as They Are.” Half of all donations collected in the Diocese of Trenton stay in the Diocese to support local communication needs, such as radio, television programming and diocesan publications – crucial even more so with COVID-19 restrictions
still keeping many at home. While 2018 and 2019 saw total collections in the Diocese well over $85,000, the pandemic year 2020 brought in just under $23,000. At a time when most Catholic families turned to online resources for Mass, faith formation and a sense of community, the Diocese’s Office of Communications and Media saw increases in both its media production and digital engagement. A total of 105 videos have been produced in the last year, said Marianne Hartman, diocesan director of Multimedia Production. Examples include pre-produced Masses celebrated by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., and aired on diocesan media outlets; messages about pandemic-related closings/ re-openings of churches; words of encouragement from the Bishop, and special Masses for healthcare workers, high school graduates, a baccalaureate Mass and two ordinations. Hartman noted that a “Returning to Mass” instructional video was very popular, as was a recent video on the Stations of the Cross and the “COVID-19: Stories of Hope” series. In the audio arena, Father Garry
ABUSE LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST DIOCESE A notice from the Diocese of Trenton: A civil lawsuit has been filed against the Diocese of Trenton alleging the sexual abuse of a minor in 1989-90 by Rev. Joseph Farrell, currently pastor of St. Isidore the Farmer Parish in New Egypt. The abuse was alleged to have taken place during Father Farrell’s ministry in Our Lady of Perpetual Help-St. Agnes Parish in Atlantic Highlands. A report was filed immediately by the Diocese with the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Diocese has pledged its full cooperation to law enforcement. Father Farrell has been placed on leave by the Diocese, and an investigation into the credibility of the allegation will be pursued. Announcements were made at both Our Lady of Perpetual Help-St. Agnes Parish and St. Isidore the Farmer Parish at weekend Masses April 10 and 11. The Diocese requests prayers for all involved in this painful and difficult matter and, again, urges anyone who has been sexually abused as a minor by a representative of the Diocese of Trenton or knows of such abuse to report that information immediately to the police and to the Diocese (1-888-296-2965 or abuseline@dioceseoftrenton.org).
Koch, pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel, continued to record his weekly “Catching the Word” Sunday messages on the diocesan SoundCloud channel, and Bishop O’Connell recorded 23 podcasts during the pandemic. “A few years ago, we produced a DVD with the Bishop praying all four Mysteries of the Rosary,” Hartman said. “During the pandemic, the DVDs were released on SoundCloud, allowing people to download them for free. The Luminous and Joyful Mysteries are listed in the top three tracks that people listened to on Soundcloud.” Other well-received media: Bishop O’Connell’s 2020 Christmas Message and pastoral Letter on the Presence of God. All videos may be found on the diocesan YouTube channel, which has more than doubled its subscriber base since the Continued on 67
CATECHESIS DEPARTMENT GEARING UP FOR TWO-YEAR LEADERSHIP PROGRAM The diocesan Department of Catechesis is now accepting applications for its Parish Catechetical Leadership Program 2021-2023, which will begin this fall. Offering adults practical ministerial skills and foundational theological training, this is the second cohort of the new two-year leadership program designed to form religious education leaders. Those engaged or interested in a faith formation role in their parish are welcome to apply, particularly directors, coordinators and administrators of parish religious education programs. A total of 12 topics are presented in the first year, including instruction in Sacred Scripture, the Sacraments, foundations of liturgy, effective catechesis and best practices. In the second year, participants will continue with advanced learning, project development Continued on 67
May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 27
Diocese
Bishop preaches message of unity, presence of God during Chrism Mass BY MARY STADNYK Associate Editor
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ishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., warmly greeted his brother priests – the majority of whom he had not seen in person since the start of the pandemic. “What a great joy it is for me to see you again. It’s been over a year for some of us, so I’m very happy we can join together as brothers, as a family,” Bishop O’Connell said to the priests gathered for the annual Chrism Mass held March 29 in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold. As the Mass was closed to the public to safeguard against COVID-19, the video stream was shown on all diocesan media platforms. This year’s attendance was limited to the 160 priests who concelebrated from the pews, seminarians of the Diocese, deacons who assisted during the Mass, and diocesan and Co-Cathedral staff members. Celebrated on the Monday of Holy Week in the Diocese, the Chrism Mass is when the priests renew their commitment to their ministry. It is also during this Mass when the Bishop blesses and consecrates the oils to be used in parishes in the coming year. The Bishop blessed the Oil of the Sick and the Oil of the Catechumen and consecrated the Sacred Chrism, which is used in the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, the ordination of priests and bishops and in the consecration of altars and churches. Bishop O’Connell announced during the Mass that he had formally called Deacon Rjoy Ballacillo, a transitional deacon who served during the Chrism Mass, to receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders and be ordained a priest for the Diocese on June 5. In his homily, the Bishop reminded the priests that even though “we have been shaken by the ravages of a worldwide pandemic that has left us wounded and hurting and socially distant … We are always in the presence of God and in his Church.” Bishop O’Connell spoke of how the Chrism Mass dates back centuries to the early Church.
28 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE May 2021
Signifying the breath of the Holy Spirit, Bishop O’Connell breathes over the Sacred Chrism, which is used in the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, the ordination of priests and bishops, and the consecration of altars and churches. Mike Ehrmann photo
For an extended version of this article, visit TrentonMonitor.com>News>Diocese For more photos, visit TrentonMonitor.com> Multimedia>Photo Galleries “We bless oils so that these oils given to us can bless the faithful with the holiness of God’s presence,” he said. “We consecrate Chrism so that Chrism can consecrate the faithful in the Sacraments of Initiation and vocation as it has consecrated us as priests and bishop and our altars and churches.” During the Presentation of the Gifts, the vessels containing the three oils were brought forth by Mariano DelValle and Nicholas Alescio, both of whom are planning to enter Mount St. Mary Seminary, Emmitsburg, Md., in the fall, and Dominic Amilcare, a Frassati Scholar, which is a new program available through the diocesan Office of Clergy and Consecrated Life. Also, Father Richard Osborn, parochial vicar in St. Mary Parish, Middletown, presented the gifts of bread and wine. “Tonight, we renew our priesthood so that, as priests, and Bishop, we can open the ears of the faithful to hear God’s Word, we can teach the faithful God’s truth, we can forgive the faithful with God’s mercy, we can touch the faithful who are sick with God’s hands, we can warm and fill the hearts of the faithful with God’s love,” Bishop O’Connell encouraged. “We see Christ’s face in the breaking of the bread, just as the apostles did on the Road to Emmaus,” the Bishop continued, exhorting his priests to reflect on their priesthood and ask themselves, “What is in your hearts?”
Holy Week & Easter
Season of Hope I
The faithful recite the Lord’s Prayer during the Easter Vigil in St. Dominic Church, Brick. Rich Hundley photo
Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., confirms a candidate during the Easter Vigil in St. Dominic Church, Brick. Rich Hundley photo
n person and online, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., journeyed with his Diocese’s people during Holy Week, posing a question at the start of the Sacred Triduum that would remind the faithful just how much Christ sacrificed in the name of love. “He knew that his hour had come,” the Bishop preached during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper he celebrated April 1 in St. David the King Church, Princeton Junction. “Can you imagine what must have been in his mind and in his heart that first Holy Thursday?” That knowledge would live in the hearts of faithful Catholics from Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean Counties as they celebrated the holiest time of the year in their parish communities and attended Mass in person or online with Bishop O’Connell.
A member of St. Paul Parish, Princeton, offers blessed palms for parishioners to take home after the Palm Sunday Mass celebrated by Bishop O’Connell. Hal Brown photo May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 29
Holy Week & Easter
The faithful attend Easter Sunday Mass in Trenton’s Holy Cross Church. Rich Hundley photo
Father Michael Lang, pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Millstone, preaches on Holy Thursday. Mike Ehrmann photo
Parishioners of St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton, pray on Good Friday. Joe Moore photo
Father Charles Muorah, parochial vicar in Sacred Heart Parish, Trenton, distributes Holy Communion on Easter Sunday in Holy Cross Church. Rich Hundley photo 30 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE May 2021
Bishop O’Connell celebrates Mass on Palm Sunday in St. Paul Church. Father Miguel Valle, pastor of the Princeton parish, concelebrates. Hal Brown photo
May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 31
Holy Week & Easter
The Bishop bows his head in prayer during the Good Friday service in Trenton’s St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral. Joe Moore photo
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The Bishop thanks Father Timothy J. Capewell, pastor of St. David the King Parish, Princeton Junction, for inviting him to celebrate Mass on Holy Thursday, as the parish was the first in the Diocese in which he celebrated the Mass of the Lord’s Supper after being ordained a bishop. Hal Brown photo
Father Richard Vila, pastor of St. Ann Parish, blesses palms for the Keansburg faithful to take home. John Batkowski photo
Msgr. Kenard Tuzeneu, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Barnegat, baptizes Connor Pappas, 16, during the Easter Vigil in St. Mary of the Pines Church, Manahawkin. Rich O’Donnell photo
May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 33
Holy Week & Easter
Nearly 300 faithful walked around the campus of Immaculate Conception Church, Trenton, on Good Friday to pray the Stations of the Cross. Rich Hundley photo
Bishop O’Connell gives Holy Communion to a parishioner who received the Sacraments of Initiation during the Easter Vigil in St. Dominic Church. Rich Hundley photo
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MORE ONLINE Flip through hundreds of pictures from around the Diocese during Holy Week and Easter! Visit TrentonMonitor.com> Multimedia>Photo Galleries For expanded story coverage, go to TrentonMonitor.com> News>Diocese
Pope Francis
Anabel Mutune, a third-grader at Transfiguration Catholic School in Oakdale, Minn., recites the Rosary. CNS photo/
Prayers said aloud
Dave Hrbacek, The Catholic Spirit
lead the way to God BY CAROL GLATZ Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY • Because prayer is a dialogue with God, people should not dismiss or be embarrassed by saying their prayers out loud or in a whisper, Pope Francis said. “Vocal prayer is an essential element of the Christian life,” and when Jesus taught the disciples how to pray, it was with a vocal prayer, the “Our Father,” the Pope said April 21 during his weekly general audience. Continuing his series of talks on prayer, the Pope reflected on the importance of speaking the words of prayers out loud rather than seeing prayer just as a mental exercise or form of meditation. Too often, people think reciting a prayer is something only children or the uneducated do, but it is the way Jesus taught his followers to pray, he said. “The words we speak take us by the hand. At times they restore flavor, they awaken even the sleepiest of hearts,” they reawaken forgotten feelings and they “lead us by the hand toward experiencing God,” he said. People should be humble when seeing the elderly who unfailingly show
their fidelity to the duty of prayer and who are “often the great intercessors of parishes,” he said. “They are the oaks that from year to year spread their branches to offer shade to the greatest number of people,” he said. And even though they, too, must have faced moments of darkness and emptiness, they remain faithful to vocal prayer. “It is like an anchor, one can hold onto the rope and remain faithful, come what may,” he said. “The words of a prayer get us safely through a dark valley, direct us toward green meadows rich in water and enable us to feast in front of the eyes of an enemy,” as Psalm 23 teaches, he said. The words can both reflect and shape feelings, helping feelings come to light, excluding and censoring nothing, the Pope said. “Pain is dangerous if it stays covered, closed up within us” as it can poison the soul, Pope Francis said. Sacred Scripture shows the human heart can be home to harmful or hateful feelings, he said, “and when these evil feelings come knocking at the door of our heart, we must be able to defuse them with prayer and God’s words.” Vocal prayers “are the only ones,
in a sure way, that direct to God the questions he wants to hear. Jesus did not leave us in a fog. He told us, ‘Pray then like this,’ and he taught the Lord’s Prayer,” he said.
MORE FROM POPE FRANCIS ONLINE: Pontiff: Everything in Church originates, grows with prayer Jesus always defends his flock, Pope says Pope: Saints accompany, intercede for Christians
There is no page of the Gospel on which there is no place for us.
@PONTIFEX APRIL 28, 2021
May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 35
Church
To read “Jesus, I trust in you,” a message for Divine Mercy Sunday from Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., go to TrentonMonitor.com and click on COMMENTARY>BISHOP’S CORNER those invited: nurses and doctors from the hospital next door, refugees, people with disabilities, priests serving as “missionaries of mercy,” inmates from several correctional institutes and representatives of Italy’s civil protection service. The Pope told them they represent “realities where mercy becomes concrete, draws close and serves those in difficulty.”
POPE PROCLAIMS SAINTHOOD OF VENERATED DOMINICAN LAYWOMAN
Pope Francis delivers his blessing after praying the “Regina Coeli” following Mass April 11 for Divine Mercy Sunday in the Church of the Holy Spirit near the Vatican in Rome. CNS photo/Vatican Media
POPE CALLS ALL CATHOLICS TO BE MISSIONARIES OF GOD’S MERCY ROME • Like the disciples, who experienced Jesus’ divine mercy after the resurrection, all Christians are called to become missionaries, sharing the Gospel of God’s love and mercy with others, Pope Francis said. “Today Jesus tells us, too, ‘Peace be with you! You are precious in my eyes. Peace be with you! You are important for me. Peace be with you! You have a mission. No one can take your place. You are irreplaceable. And I believe in you,’” the Pope said April 11. Pope Francis celebrated the Mass for Divine Mercy Sunday at the Rome Church of the Holy Spirit, just a block away from St. Peter’s Square. The Church is the Rome Shrine of Divine Mercy, a devotion begun by St. Faustina Kowalska and promoted by St. John Paul II. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, fewer than 100 persons were present for the Mass, wearing masks and seated only two people to a pew, except if they were members of the same family. At the end of the Mass, Pope Francis thanked 36 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE May 2021
VATICAN CITY • Pope Francis issued a decree declaring the sainthood of Blessed Margaret of Città di Castello, a muchloved Italian Dominican laywoman. The decree is what the Vatican terms an “equipollent” or equivalent canonization; when there is evidence of strong devotion among the faithful to a holy man or woman, the pope can waive a lengthy formal canonical investigation and can authorize the person’s veneration as a saint. The Vatican announcement April 24 said the Pope declared her a saint after the cardinals and bishops who are members of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes recommended doing so. Born to noble parents around 1287, St. Margaret was blind and had a severe spinal curvature. Her parents, determined to keep her out of public view, kept her in seclusion in a walled room of a parish. Taking her to a shrine known for miraculous cures in the Umbrian town of Città di Blessed Margaret of Città di Castello is pictured in a stained glass window in the Church of San Domenico in Castello, Italy. Blessed Margaret, a Dominican laywoman born in 1287, has been declared a saint by the Vatican. CNS photo/ Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia
Castello, St. Margaret’s parents abandoned her there when she was not healed. Helped by the townspeople, she was given shelter in various homes and eventually welcomed by Dominican nuns. Despite the hardship and rejection she endured, St. Margaret was known for her joyful disposition and was later accepted as a lay Dominican. Since her death in 1320, hundreds of miracles have been attributed to her intercession. – Catholic News Service
World & Nation
‘Patients are ... dying in front of my eyes,’ says India hospital director BY ANTO AKKARA Catholic News Service
Editor’s Note: It was reported April 25 that the U.S. government will be sending India raw materials for vaccine production, personal protective gear, ventilators, therapeutic medicines and rapid diagnostic test kits. THRISSUR, India • Catholic hospital directors in India told Catholic News Service they did not have enough facilities to treat patients as India set records for the number of COVID-19 deaths – numbers many people believe were underreported. “The situation is very bad. No beds available anywhere in the hospital. Patients are on the corridors and many are dying because no beds, no oxygen,” Father P.A. George, director of the Holy Family Hospital in New Delhi, told CNS. “I have no place even in emergency (area) to give oxygen. Patients are just dying in front of my eyes. Feeling so distressed and frustrated and helpless. It is horrible and the disaster is beyond the imagination. Please pray to God (to) give us strength to save some lives,” said the priest, who heads the largest Catholic hospital in New Delhi. Though the hospital has a limit of 340 beds, it is accommodating nearly 400 patients, he added. In Gujarat state, Syro-Malabar Father Thomas Nadackalan, director of Christ Hospital in Rajkot, told Catholic News Service April 26, “We have to turn away around 600 cases daily.” “We are struggling to get oxygen in time to save the lives of those admitted,” he said. Of the 70 beds in the hospital, he added, 40 are set apart for those needing oxygen treatment. The inadequate care and treatment in government hospitals in Ahmedabad, commercial capital of Gujarat, drew national attention as even the widespread
A healthcare worker wearing personal protective equipment walks past the bodies of COVID-19 victims prepared for a mass cremation at a crematorium in New Delhi April 26. CNS photo/Adnan Abidi, Reuters
deaths were underreported by the state government. The National English daily The Hindu carried an investigative story exposing the hollowness of the government claim of only 78 deaths April 16, citing cremation of 689 bodies in seven cities alone under COVID-19 protocol in the state. “We have lost a dozen members of our community here,” P.T. Chacko, president of Gujarat Syro-Malabar Catholic Association, told CNS April 26. He, his wife and daughter were recovering from COVID-19. Cardinal Oswald Gracias, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, offered the church’s full support in “the war against the dreadful COVID-19 situation in the country.” “There was lack of planning and lack
of foresight. Otherwise, we would not have been in the awful situation we are in now,” Cardinal Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai, told Catholic New Service April 25. That day, India’s health ministry recorded nearly 354,000 new infections and more than 2,800 deaths. In the week of April 18-25, India witnessed exponential spread of the pandemic across the country. Since mid-April, India has been reporting more than 300,000 new COVID-19 cases and 2,000 deaths daily. On April 27, India reported 323,144 new cases and 2,771 deaths. The stretched health care system in the country of 1.3 billion people has been reporting a lack of hospital beds, medical oxygen, vaccines and antiviral medicines Continued on 66
May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 37
El mes de mayo:
el Mes de María
E
l san Bernardo de Claraval (10901153) era un monje cisterciense francés. San Bernardo era teólogo, predicador y reformador durante las primeras partes de los Tiempos Medios conocido – entre muchas cosas – por su gran devoción a la Santa Virgen María. Escribió una oración mariana tan conocida a nosotros nombrada “Memorare”, y homilías, himnos y Mensaje para numerosos homilías, la Pascua 2021 himnos y tratados OBISPO sobre ella. “De María”, DAVID M. O’CONNELL, escribió famosamente, C.M. “numquam satis” … o sea, “De María, nunca suficiente (que se puede decir)”. El amor por María, la Santa Madre del Señor Jesucristo, es tan natural para el católico como es amar a nuestra propia madre. María es, después de todo, la Madre del Señor y él es, de una vez, nuestro Salvador y Hermano. “Nunca damos más honra a Jesús, que cuando honramos a su Madre; y la honramos simplemente para honrarle a Él más perfectamente. Vamos a ella solo como camino hacia nuestra meta, Jesús su Hijo” (San Luis de Montfort). Le adoramos a él como Dios. Amamos a ella por ser su madre. “En los peligros, en las angustias, en las incertidumbres”, reflexionó el san Bernardo, “piensa en María, invoca a María. Que Ella no se aparte nunca de tus labios, que no se aparte nunca de tu corazón; y para que obtengas la ayuda de su oración, no olvides nunca el ejemplo de su vida. Si la sigues, no puedes desviarte; si la invocas, no puedes desesperar; si piensas en ella, no puedes equivocarte. Si ella te sostiene, no caes; si ella te protege, no tienes que temer; si ella te guía, no te cansas; si ella te es
propicia, llegarás a la meta...” (Hom. ii super “Missus est”, 17: PL 183, 70-71). En nuestros tiempos más actuales, el papa san Pablo VI animó nuestra devoción mariana al escribir, “Porque María es La Anunciación por El Greco, c. 1590–1603, Museo Ohara de siempre camino que conduce a Arte, Kurashiki, Japón. Foto por Wikimedia Cristo. Todo encuentro con Ella no las partes más profundas de nuestro ser puede menos de terminar en un encuentro en todos los momentos de nuestras vidas, con Cristo mismo”. Esta experiencia es tan especialmente ahora durante este tiempo de natural porque es tan verdadera. pandemia: “María, Madre de Jesús, por favor, La cristiandad ha amado a María desde los se mi madre ahora” (Santa Teresa de Calcuta). últimos momentos del Señor Jesús en la Cruz Y, “si te encuentras en peligro, si tienes un cuando dijo a Juan el discípulo amado, “’Ahí corazón confundido, ve a María. Ella es tienes a tu madre’. Y desde aquel momento ese nuestro consuelo, nuestro auxilio. Vayamos discípulo la recibió en su casa” (Juan 19:27). Y a ella y nos salvará” (Santa Francisca Javier es lo que él hizo. Y también lo hemos hecho Cabrini). nosotros. María era el regalo más precioso La Dios Te Salve María, el Rosario, la y perfecto de Dios a Jesús, y el regalo más devoción a la Medalla Milagrosa, la oración precioso y perfecto de Jesús a la Iglesia. a la Santa Reina y las antífonas marianas, la Apartamos el mes entero de mayo en la Magnificat, la Regina Caeli y oraciones del Iglesia para la devoción cariñosa a María la Ángelus, los escapularios de café o verde Madre de Dios desde hace siglos. Ha pasado – son solo unas de las oraciones a nuestra la oscuridad del invierno. La naturaleza está Santa Madre, que vienen de la rica tesorería floreciendo. El Tiempo de la Pascua está en de la tradición duradera de la Iglesia Católica, marcha y la vida nueva nos rodea por todos buscando su intercesión y auxilio. Y, por lados. Es el momento perfecto para amar y supuesto, no podemos olvidar de la oración honrar a quien Dios nos entregó porque ella del san Bernardo de Claraval, “Memorare”: nos entregó a su Hijo – la Luz del Mundo, Acuérdate, ¡oh piadosísima Virgen María!, la Fuente de toda hermosura y bondad y que jamás se ha oído decir que ninguno verdad, la novedad y plenitud de la vida. de los que han acudido a tu protección, María es la Madre de Dios y, como proclamó implorando tu asistencia y reclamando tu el Segundo Concilio Vaticano, ella es la socorro, haya sido desamparado. “Madre de la Iglesia”. Animado por esta confianza, a ti también El amor de una madre es incondicional acudo, ¡oh Madre, Virgen de las vírgenes!, y total. Entonces, es natural que nosotros y gimiendo bajo el peso de mis pecados devolvamos ese amor con una devoción me atrevo a comparecer ante tu presencia verdadera. “Si se pusiera todo el amor de soberana. todas las madres en un solo corazón, no sería ¡Oh Madre de Dios!, no deseches mis igual al amor del corazón de María por sus súplicas, antes bien, escúchalas y acógelas hijos” (San Luis de Montfort). benignamente. Amén. Y entonces, la llamamos a ella desde
38 REVISTA EL MONITOR Mayo 2021
El Anzuelo
Semejantes a María, todos
tenemos oportunidades para decir
POR MATEO GREELEY
Director asociado de comunicaciones
E
n la vida, se nos presentan momentos en que tenemos una opción entre responder que no o que sí. Al mirar al sí de María, la Madre de Dios, vemos una decisión que tuviera implicaciones que aun están cambiando al mundo entero. Estar dispuesto o dispuesta frente a una nueva etapa o posibilidad no suele ser fácil. “Gente dice que no por miedos”, dijo Hairy Amezquita al reflexionar sobre una decisión suya reciente. “Por miedos y porque no se sienten seguros de lo que están haciendo”. Amezquita recién asumió un nuevo rol en El Centro de Recursos de Caridades Católicas Diócesis de Trenton en marzo como la recepcionista bilingüe,
Hairy Amezquita está a gusto con su respuesta de sí a ayudar a quienes pasan por la puerta en El Centro, Trenton, aquí con Roberto Hernández, director del sede de Caridades Católicas en Trenton. Foto de cortesía
algo que nunca esperaba. “Creo que nunca me imaginé haber logrado lo que he logrado. Y creo que, por mi SÍ, por medio de mí, alguien más puede decir ‘Si ella pudo, yo puedo hacer las cosas mejor’ y también porque mi ‘sí’ puede servir para ayudar a muchas personas”. Ella llegó de Salcajá, Guatemala, dispuesta a trabajar en lo que fuera para salir adelante. Al haber vivido las experiencias “comunes” de muchos inmigrantes, Amezquita encontró una comunidad en la Parroquia Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles, Trenton, que le llevaría a conocer y colaborar con personas que trabajaban en El Centro de Recursos, una sede de Caridades Católicas en Trenton. Ella empezó a servir en sus programas como voluntaria y le sorprendió cuando el director de El Centro, Roberto Hernández, le pidió asumir el puesto por tiempo completo. No le fue ninguna decisión difícil confiesa Amezquita, pero eso no es decir que no se duda a sí misma. “Yo creo que, de mi propia experiencia, cuando yo llegué a este país, yo no pensé cuán lejos iba a llegar. Yo pensaba que cuando uno llegaba de otro país, bueno, sea por el idioma, o los estudios, uno se quedaba para limpiar, para trabajo de limpieza o para hacer de cocina o algo así. Entonces, yo estuve trabajando así durante muchos años. “No me da vergüenza. Es un orgullo para mí haber hecho tantas cosas. Yo creo que, si nosotros podemos, si nosotros nos lo proponemos, o podemos salir, podemos hacer muchas cosas más... no quedarnos en el ámbito de que ‘pues por esto vine, aquí me quedo’, no. Hay que no conformarnos y siempre querer buscar algo más y más”. Esa perspectiva le conecta a Amezquita al ‘sí’ de la Santa Madre, María, quien “en el momento que ella dijo que sí, aceptó a ser la Madre de Jesucristo”.
‘sí ’
Continuó Hairy diciendo que María “sabía que el mundo, en la época donde ellos vivían para tener un bebé así, ella sabía que el mundo se le iba a venir encima. Pero, sin embargo, luchó, fue contra la corriente y eso es lo que siempre ha sido el modelo de ella, de humildad, y que a todas las personas hay que ver por igual... sin discriminar, y sin tratar a nadie como menos que otra persona”.
“Usted puede más que lo que tiene, de lo que es”. Amezquita lleva esa humildad y disponibilidad a cada encuentro que tiene con las personas que pasan por El Centro. “Viendo la necesidad que hay. Y tratando de, y más en esta pandemia, que se vieron tantas cosas, yo hubiese querido tener más herramientas en la mano para poder ayudar. Yo trato conectarlas [a las personas] con la persona del equipo correcta. Me siento aliviada cuando la gente va y especialmente cuando te dice ‘ay, muchas gracias’ o ‘Dios la bendiga’. Todas esas cosas me hacen sentir más”. Y de eso trata… sentir más y “ayudar a las personas y reconocer la dignidad de cada una. Es semejante a lo que le dijo a Hairy su compañera de El Centro Mónica Cabrera, algo que sirve para todos, “Usted puede más de lo que tiene, de lo que es”. Es un mensaje que hubiera servido para la Santa Madre al decir que sí al ángel y a Dios. “Para mí, siempre la Virgen María va siempre conmigo en todo momento. Es mi modelo que seguir. De hecho, en mi país, cuando uno se gradúa de high school, hace unas tarjetas donde uno dedica a personas el logro. Y en una de esas dedicatorias después de dedicarse a Dios, la segunda dedicatoria va para la Virgen María. En Salcajá”. Mayo 2021 REVISTA EL MONITOR 39
El Anzuelo
Foto por Liza Summer de Pexels
Caridades Católicas lanza nuevo programa para reducir el estrés de los jóvenes latinos
POR DANA DIFILIPPO
Coordinadora de comunicaciones y redes sociales de Caridades Católicas
C
aridades Católicas de la Diócesis de Trenton fue escogida como uno de cinco proveedores del país de implementar un programa nuevo para intentar apoyar a niños latinos de entre 10 y 14 años y sus familias que se encuentran en dificultades académicos en medio de la pandemia. En colaboración con la administración federal para servicios mentales (SAMHSA por sus siglas en inglés) y la red nacional para eliminar desigualdades en la salud ambiental (NNED por sus siglas en inglés), Caridades Católicas empezará a implementar el currículo de Familia Adelante pronto en el área de Hightstown-East Windsor con niños y familias que participan en el programa Acceso Familiar de Caridades Católicas ahí. Ese centro provee servicios familiares y de salud mental para fortalecer a las familias de los clientes que son predominantemente latinos. SAMHSA y NNED usará las lecciones aprendidas durante la implementación del currículo como una estructura de iniciativas nacionales de prevención.
40 REVISTA EL MONITOR Mayo 2021
“La mayoría de las familias latinas anhela el éxito para sus hijos”, dijo Sully Soto, supervisor de programas en el Centro de Acceso Familiar. “Entonces, la conversación sobre Familia Adelante empieza con la idea de que esta es una manera para apoyar al éxito de sus hijos. [Familia Adelante] proveerá un lugar seguro en que conversar sobre sus preocupaciones, lanzar sus preguntas, crear confianza para poder promover una vida sana y estable”. Familia Adelante es un programa de 12 semanas de currículo basado en pruebas para responder a barreras culturales y el estrés asociado al desarrollo familiar y juvenil. Estudios publicados por los institutos nacionales de salud demuestran que tiene éxito en mejorar el cumplimiento académico y asistencia escolar, bajando el riesgo del abuso de sustancias y el caer en el comportamiento de alto-riesgo, aumentando la comunicación entre miembros familiares y disminuyendo el estrés cultural. El programa se enfoca en temas como la presión negativa de grupo; el estrés académico, económico y de trabajo; la prevención de pandillas; la educación sobre el abuso de sustancias; apoyo familiar para padres y madres; y como reducir los comportamientos arriesgados de adolescentes. Los clínicos de Familia Adelante trabajan para crear vínculos entre culturas, sean entre personas inmigrantes y su nuevo país o entre padres y sus hijos. “Uno de los beneficios más grandes del programa es que incorpora a los padres de familia”, dijo Soto. “Siempre observo que los padres y madres y los hijos viven dos vidas culturales diferentes. Este programa educa bien a los padres de familia y los ayuda a comprender lo que están viviendo sus hijos al estar criados en una cultura diferente. [El programa] ayuda a los padres e hijos a encontrarse en medio para navegar bien sus experiencias diferentes”.
Esa estrategia preventiva es clave para asegurar la estabilidad de largo plazo y el éxito para los jóvenes que están a riesgo, dijo Susan Loughery, directora ejecutiva asociada de Caridades Católicas. “Trabajaremos con la plena familia sobre como coordinar la prevención y el cuidado, involucrando a la familia antes de que llegue a un punto en que les haría falta una intervención de crisis”, dijo Loughery.
Sully Soto del Centro de Acceso Familiar Foto de cortesía
Eventualmente, el personal de Caridades Católicas entrenará a otros proveedores en certificarse en el currículo y normas de Familia Adelante, añadió. “Estoy muy animado de que Caridades Católicas de la Diócesis de Trenton está lanzando el currículo de Familia Adelante”, dijo Dennis O. Romero, administrador regional de SAMHSA. “Es otra herramienta comprobada con pruebas que tenemos disponible para responder a las salidas negativas de comportamiento como el abuso de sustancias, incluyendo el alcoholismo y los comportamientos riesgosos sexuales que se han hecho tan comunes y que desproporcionadamente afectan a nuestros jóvenes latinos”. “Es importante mantener una conexión fuerte con la comunidad latina”, continuó Soto, “para determinar la mejor manera de implementar el programa además de reconocer cuales otros recursos comunitarios ayudarán bajar su nivel de estrés” [en la familia].
Catholic Charities courtesy photos
El Anzuelo
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Clínica de vacunas por Caridades Católicas un éxito total
a fila de personas esperando para recibir su primera vacuna del COVID el 23 de abril en Trenton atestiguó a la relación entre la comunidad y Caridades Católicas Diócesis de Trenton. “Somos de la familia. Reconozco la indecisión de las personas, pero confían en nosotros”, dijo Marlene Laó-Collins, directora ejecutiva de CCDOT por sus siglas en inglés de la organización. Sesenta personas llegaron a esta primera clínica de vacunas patrocinada por Caridades POR MATEO GREELEY Católicas en los cuatro condados de la Diócesis de director Trenton. La colaboración entre Caridades Católicas asociado de y Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital comunicaciones Hamilton, que estuvo por cita solamente, es parte de un esfuerzo mayor anunciado en marzo en que CCDOT trabaja con socios regionales para proveer apoyo en alcanzar el apoyo y la educación acerca de la vacuna a comunidades marginadas. Como parte de ese papel, la organización diocesana de servicios sociales también colabora con parroquias de por toda la Diócesis de Trenton. “Tengo que vacunarme por mi salud”, compartió residente de Trenton Alfreda Mobley. La clínica, ella continuó, “es una manera excelente para alcanzar a la comunidad. No estoy nada nerviosa”. Al seguir en la fila y recibir la inyección de la vacuna del COVID-19, Alfreda tuvo un mensaje que compartir con todos lo demás de su comunidad: “¡Vayan a vacunarse!”. Durante las horas matutinas de la clínica, el personal de Caridades Católicas inscribía y dirigía a los recipientes mientras enfermeras de Caridades Católicas y RWJ trabajaban juntas para administrar las vacunas. Susan Loughery, directora ejecutiva asociada de CCDOT, expresó que se sentía “tan agradecida tener a nuestras enfermeras caminando juntas con el personal enfermero de Robert Wood Johnson”. Fue un sentimiento compartido por el equipo de RWJ también. “Nos ha encantado la oportunidad de colaborar con Caridades Católicas”, dijo Diane Grillo, vicepresidente para la promoción de la salud de RWJ Hamilton. “Estamos viendo más indecisión o miedo sobre la vacuna recién.
Nuestro rol es educar a la comunidad sobre los hechos, sobre la ciencia. Nuestro personal está comprometido a ese papel educativo además que distribuir la vacuna”. Loughery añadió, “Caridades Católicas está aquí para apoyar a la comunidad, y estamos tan animados tener algo de la vacuna para distribuir”. Para Brian Eppes, residente de Trenton, le fue importante aprovechar de la clínica y recibir la vacuna. “Mi esperanza es que todos hagan lo que tienen que hacer y lo que deben de hacer. Es importante”. Varias personas en la familia de Guillermo López ya habían recibido la vacuna, algo que le sirvió como motivación para vacunarse e inscribirse en la clínica. “Es una manera de cuidarnos, claro, pero también es una manera de proteger a nuestros queridos, nuestras familias y amigos. Mi esperanza es que más gente reciba la inyección para que podamos volver a algo de normalidad algún día pronto”. López, un feligrés de la Catedral Santa María de la Asunción, Trenton, admitió a estar un poco nervioso recibir la vacuna al ver que unas personas reaccionen de formas diferentes. Aun con los nervios, compartió que vacunarse es algo que le da un sentido de calma y alivio.
Las marcas principales que vendemos son Exmark, Stihl, y RedMax. Se vende y se arregla otras marcas de equipo.
Se puede financiar todo tipo de equipo.
NUESTROS TRES ESTABLECIMIENTOS SE ENCUENTRAN EN
Joseph Steinert & Company County Line Hardware Lakehurst Lawn Mower 26 Old Olden Ave. 707 Bennetts Mills Rd. 10 Union Ave. Hamilton, NJ 08610 Jackson, NJ 08527 Lakehurst, NJ 08733 609-587-0246 732-363-6522 732-657-2401 Mayo 2021 LA REVISTA MONITOR 41
Spiritual Life
Forming Disciples MAY 2 JESUS IS THE VINE AND WE ARE THE BRANCHES
THE WORD
Acts 9:26-31; 1Jn3:18-24; Jn 15:1-8
W
e all live in a constant tension between wanting to belong to a group or community and wanting our own sense of independence. This dynamic is seen within families, and in other close personal relationships. Jesus employs a very simple image to define our relationship to him. Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches; the individual parts that make up the whole. We cannot fully or correctly think of our own relationship to Jesus Christ without first thinking about our relationship to the entire vine, the Church. An individual leaf or a branch on a vine does not have a relationship with the vine itself apart from the rest of the vine. So it is with us, the vine of Jesus Christ. We are called into a deep symbiotic relationship with the entirety of the Church, what we call the Church Universal. This is also the Church both visible and invisible – the Communion of the Saints. MAY 9 LOVE IS THE ONLY HALLMARK OF A DISCIPLE OF JESUS Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48; 1 Jn4:7-10; Jn 15:9-17
L
ove is an unusual word. In the English language we use it to describe a multitude of relationships and preferences. Oddly we use the same word to explain our relationship with our closest intimates as we do for our favorite food, hobby or sports team. While we can be passionate about any of the above, love as it is understood philosophically, and cer-
Father Garry Koch
tainly theologically, would exclude most of what we are inclined to include when we speak of them. Jesus calls us to remain in his love. This term – the specific Greek word used here is “agape,” which is a sacrificial, self-giving and unconditional love. Often the Greek philosophers used agape to signify participation in love that came first from their gods. Clearly in the New Testament this is translated as finding its origin in God himself and realized through the Incarnation of the Son, Jesus Christ.
Holy Trinity Church/Christ the King Parish, Long Branch
ents the Commandments of Jesus to his disciples always through the lens of love. MAY 16 JESUS GRADUALLY PREPARES HIS DISCIPLES FOR THEIR FUTURE WORK Acts 1:1-11; Eph 1:17-23, 11-13; Mk 16:15-20
“Jesus calls us to remain in his love.”
The context for the Gospel passage we hear this weekend is the Last Supper in John’s account. Here Jesus gives his final instructions to the disciples before his arrest later that evening. Jesus is about to demonstrate, through his own Passion and Death, the very love of God has for us, that he had spoken of previously in his ministry, and that he is most clearly speaking about here. We share in this love of God for us as we follow the Commandments and exercise love for one another. John pres-
42 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE May 2021
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t. Luke tells us 40 days after the Resurrection that Jesus stopped appearing to his disciples. The period of time they needed to prepare for their ministry had ended and it was time for them to begin the work for which they had been called. Jesus could not remain with them always in the same way that he had been with them during his earthly ministry and the appearances he made after his Resurrection. On one level his Ascension is a pragmatic event – the disciples had to disperse and spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth. On another level, a more theological level, Jesus had to ascend from where he had descended. The Son had to return to the Father and take his place at the Father’s right hand. As the disciples experienced this final appearance by Jesus, they begin preach-
meaning of the Incarnation and the power of the Resurrection.
MAY 30 THE TRINITY IS EXPRESSED THROUGH THE WORK OF THE CHURCH
MAY 23 TRUE PEACE COMES ONLY FROM GOD
Dt 4:32-34, 39-40; Rom 8:14-17; Mt 28: 16-20
VIGIL: Gn 11:109; Rom 8:22-27; Jn 7:37-39 DAY: Acts 2:1-11; 1 Cor 12:3B-7, 12-13; Jn 20: 19-23
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ing immediately. And perhaps they have been able to convince some that Jesus is the Messiah and Lord, they are still unable to go about the work as they have yet to receive the Holy Spirit. It will be another 10 days before they can get to the task at hand. They still do not know all of what lies before them. They prepare by choosing Matthias as a successor to Judas Iscariot, believing that the mystical number of 12 must be in place. They are also gathered, not just the 12, but with other disciples, including the women who accompanied them, some of the relatives of Jesus, and Mary, the Mother of Jesus. The liturgical year, following the insight of the Synoptic Gospels, plays out the totality of the Paschal events over the course of 50 days. This insight is essential in that it shows the need for the disciples to grow into their understanding of what has happened to Jesus, what has happened to them, and to prepare for what is about to happen in their lives. The Ascension of Jesus is further testimony to them, and a sign to us, of the
he first word that Jesus speaks to his disciples as he appears to them on the Day of the Resurrection is “shalom,” that is, “peace.” At first, Jesus extends peace to the disciples to allay their fears. He knows that they are terrified that they do not know what to make of his appearance to them. We learn through subsequent encounters with the resurrected Lord that they are not certain that it is he. This word from them speaks of familiarity – the sound of his voice and the reassuring word of peace would have a calming effect on them. Then he shows them his hands and his side, confirming that it is indeed Jesus standing in their midst. It is true that on Jewish festivals and the Sabbath the greeting takes on an ascendency as it is the extension of the peace of Sabbath or the peace of feast to the other. It is a peace that comes from God and one’s participation in the life of the assembly of believers. This is not just the greeting of worldly peace, nor just a “hello” but the expression that the peace of God himself is being shared. Jesus needed to extend this peace to the disciples as he was about to bestow the Holy Spirit upon them and give them the power to extend the peace of God to others through the forgiveness of sins. From now on, their own words, and the words of absolution as we experience them in the Sacrament of Penance, bring us deeper into sharing in the peace of God.
A
s Moses addresses the Israelites in the Book of Deuteronomy, he reminds them, through clear reminiscences, of the Lord’s great works on their behalf. While specifically focusing on the exodus events, we can clearly see that Moses is thinking of the totality of the covenants from Abraham to their day. Serving more than a summary of the past, however, this address of Moses also provides a sense of hope moving forward. God’s unbounded love, mercy, and blessings will continue to pour out upon the people, upon their land, and on all of their endeavors, if they remain faithful to the covenant he has made with them. While the earlier manifestations with the covenant – that is through Abraham and, in a primitive way with Noah – came as a free gift, the Lord is now forming a people, forging a nation, and establishing a legacy-in-the-world. This is expressed through the demands of covenantal laws as handed down at Sinai. We are inclined to sin, the propensity to choose our own way and to abandon the ways of the covenant. This was true as Moses spoke those words in the desert and it remains true as reflect on this today. While the Lord God often, and sometimes with firm hand, chastises the people for abandoning him and his covenant, the Lord never forsakes that covenant, and continues in his desire to extend that desire to all people. Through the power of the Resurrection and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Church, God’s desire to have a covenant with all people remains manifest in the world. This is the work of the Blessed Trinity – to draw all people into relationship with God through the power of God’s presence in the world through the Church. Father Garry Koch is pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel. May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 43
Spiritual Life
Were the apostles baptized?; What should a homily be about? I am a 90-year-old cradle Catholic, and there is something I have always wondered about. Is there anywhere in the Scriptures that mentions when the apostles were baptized? (Indianapolis)
QUESTION CORNER Father Kenneth Doyle Catholic News Service
with them baptizing.” So, I take it as a logical conclusion that Jesus had first baptized his own apostles.
Q
We have a new pastor who is a fine and holy man, but his preaching on Sunday rarely ever mentions the Scriptures that have just been proclaimed. He does catechetical series on things like understanding the parts of the Mass, the liturgical year, our patron saint – as well as other topics that might be interesting to people who are new to Catholicism but are uninspiring to us who learned these basic lessons years ago. I thought that a homily was supposed to help us “break open the Word of God.” Am I wrong that Vatican II asked that priests and deacons preach homilies and not sermons? I try to read a Sunday reflection before coming to Mass, but I feel cheated when beautiful Scriptures are brushed aside in favor of a catechism lesson. (City and state withheld)
Q
There is nothing in the Scriptures that describes the apostles having been baptized by Jesus – but of course the Gospels provide only the broad outlines of the public life of Christ and not every detail. I think that it would be safe to assume that Jesus did baptize the Twelve. Just before his ascension, Jesus makes it clear that Baptism is a basic part of becoming his disciple; in the final words of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus commissions the apostles to “go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Ready to take the next step? teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” In John’s Gospel (3:22), we read that, “after this, Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea, where he spent some time
A
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MOVE-IN SPECIAL established by MOVE-IN SPECIAL CIAL Campus Shared with St. Lawrence Rehabilitation Center In 2012, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a the Centers for 1stmonth month30% 30%discount discount St. Mary’s Assisted Living count 1st Morris Hall Senior Care Communities includes: document on the Sunday homily titled “Preaching the Mystery St. Mary’s Assisted Living Disease Control MOVE-IN SPECIAL GardenSkilled Memory CareCenter Assisted Living MOVE-IN SPECIAL 2ndmonth month2020%%discount discount •Grace St. Garden Joseph’s PECIAL count2nd Grace Memory Nursing Care Assisted Living of Faith.” St. Joseph’s Skilled Nursing and Prevention and • Morris Hall Meadows Skilled Nursing 1st 30% discount 1stmonth month 30% discount 10% discount St. Joseph’s Skilled Nursing discount 3rdmonth month 10% discount count 3rd • Morris St. Mary’s Assisted Living, Morris Hall Meadows Nursing In that document, in a section called “The Biblical Foundathe Department of Skilled 2nd month 2020%&%Grace discount Hall Meadows Skilled Nursing 2nd month discount discount Waived community fee for St. Mary Gardens • Grace Garden Memory Care Waived community fee for St. Mary & Grace Gardens Grace Gardens tions for the Church’s Preaching Ministry,” the bishops noted: a $2,500 value. Health. We invite you 3rd month 10% discount 3rd month 10% discount - a $2,500 value. • New Palliative Care Unit at St. Mary’s discount **excluding Morris Hall Meadows** **excluding Morris Hall Meadows** “This very integration of the homily into the texture of the ** Waived community fee for St. Mary & Grace Gardens Waived community fee for St. Mary & Grace Gardens Waived community fee for St. Mary & Grace Gardens to learn more about yy & Grace Gardens Waived community fee for St. Mary & Grace Gardens & Grace Gardens Located in •• For more please visit us -- aa -$2,500 value. in Lawrenceville, Lawrenceville, NJ Formore more information, information, please visitvisit us at at us at value. aa $2,500 value. Located in Lawrenceville, NJNJ • For information, please -$2,500 $2,500 value.Located liturgy warrants the use of the Lectionary readings as the basis **excluding Morris Hall Meadows** www.morrishall.org or contact us at mhadmissions@morrishall.org or 609-895-1937 **excluding Morris Hall Meadows** **excluding Morris Hall Meadows** www.morrishall.org or contact us at mhadmissions@morrishall.org or 609-895-1937 adows** our community. **excluding Morris Hall Meadows** or contact us at mhadmissions@morrishall.org or 609-895-1937 adows** www.morrishall.org Shared with Campus Shared withSt. St.Lawrence LawrenceRehabilitation RehabilitationCenter Center for the homily.” ith St.Campus Lawrence Rehabilitation Center Campus Shared St.St.Lawrence with St. Lawrence Rehabilitation Center Campus Sharedwith with LawrenceRehabilitation RehabilitationCenter Center There might well be other opportunities for a catechetical St. Mary’s Assisted Living St. Mary’s Assisted Living St. Mary’s Assisted Living Hall Senior Care Communities includes: Morris Hall Senior Care Communities includes:Morris series – perhaps a classroom setting after Mass – but that sort of Morris Hall SeniorAssisted Care Communities includes: St. Mary’s Living St. Mary’s Assisted Living Grace Garden Memory Care Assisted St. Mary’s Assisted Living GardenSkilled Memory CareCenter Assisted Living Garden Memory Care AssistedLiving Living St.St. Joseph’s Skilled Nursing Center •Grace St. Garden Joseph’s •Grace Joseph’s Skilled Nursing Center Garden Memory Care Assisted Living Grace Memory Nursing Care Assisted Living •Grace “instruction” should not serve as a regular replacement for the Grace Garden Memory Care Assisted Living St. Joseph’s Skilled Nursing St. Joseph’s Skilled Nursing • Morris Hall Meadows Skilled Nursing St. Joseph’s Skilled Nursing • Morris Hall Meadows Skilled Nursing • Morris Hall Meadows Skilled Nursing St. Joseph’s Skilled Nursing St.St. Joseph’s Skilled Nursing Joseph’s Skilled Nursing • Morris St. Mary’s Assisted Living, Morris Hall Meadows Skilled Nursing • St. Mary’s Assisted Living, Morris Hall Meadows Skilled Nursing • St. Mary’s Assisted Living, Morris Hall Meadows Skilled Nursing homilist’s reflections on the Word of God. 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44 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE May 2021
Questions may be sent to Father Kenneth Doyle at askfatherdoyle@gmail.com and 30 Columbia Circle Dr., Albany, New York 12203. 9704326-02
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Ready to take the next step?
Spiritual Life
We find God, healing in the mystery of creation
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here may come a time when a sense of depletion, and doubt about how to move forward, overtakes us. The experience is not just limited to life during a pandemic, though it certainly doesn’t make life any easier. Sometimes we find help from unexpected sources. For me, it was the documentary “My Octopus Teacher.” The award-winning film chronicled a year in the life of Craig Foster, who had returned to his childhood passion, diving in the bone-chilling waters off the southern tip of Africa in an attempt to heal from a debilitating depression and rediscover his purpose in life.
“Our connection with nature is essential for the good of all.” Foster found that the healing power of the ocean included a very special relationship with an unexpected cephalopod friend. He first discovered her as she was hiding within a self-made turret of various shells held in place by the suction cups on her legs. A short time later, he would watch her build a similar structure as she tried to fend off a shark attack. From that first moment, he made the decision to spend time with her every day for a little more than a year, the average life expectancy for an octopus. During this time, he would learn an amazing amount of information about her habits, her intelligence, and even her personality. He would also go from being a potential
predator to a companion, who at times, was allowed to accompany her on a hunt, or a friend who would benefit from an octopus hug or a bit of tentacle holding. What I saw unfolding during his daily visits was a human being with the ability to be sensitive to the needs of another creature and an abiding trust developing between them. The first time she reached out her tentacle to touch Foster’s hand and leave it there for a while, I was moved to tears. How silly, one might think. But in the give and take of this unusual relationship, amid the incredible beauty of a kelp forest, it was easy to see the workings of God, who, we are taught, can be understood and seen through the things God has made. Foster’s story reminded me of the many scientists and naturalists who have shared their healing experiences in nature, including John Burroughs, an eminent American nature essayist and favorite of my father, probably because Burroughs was born and raised in the Catskills, relatively close to our family home in Albany, where my dad and I often spent Saturdays walking the trails and being immersed in the magic of the Helderbergs. “I go to nature to be soothed, healed and have my senses put in order,” wrote Burroughs, something I had long ago forgotten – much to my detriment. In a news interview last year, Foster said that the greatest lesson the octopus taught him is that humans are part of the natural world, and not simply visitors. “Our own role and place in the natural world is singularly the most precious gift we have been given,” he acknowledged. How much he sounded like Pope Francis, who reminds us of the Franciscan wisdom of “St. Bonaventure, who said
THINGS MY FATHER TAUGHT ME Mary Clifford Morrell
that creation is the first ‘book’ that God opens before our eyes, so that marveling at its order, its variety and its beauty, we can come to love and praise its Creator. In this book, every creature becomes for us ‘a word of God.’ “In the silence of prayer, we can hear the symphony of creation calling us to abandon our self-centeredness in order to feel embraced by the tender love of the Father and to share with joy the gifts we have received. We can even say that creation, as a network of life, a place of encounter with the Lord and one another, is ‘God’s own ‘social network.’” Certainly, that’s a social network much better for the human spirit, especially the spirit of a child, than the technology to which we’ve become so addicted. Pope Francis also warns, “We are losing our attitude of wonder, of contemplation, of listening to creation, and thus we no longer manage to interpret within it what Benedict XVI calls ‘the rhythm of the love story between God and man.’” We may never become divers or make friends with an octopus, but even a walk in the park and some fresh air can be restorative. Our connection with nature is essential for the good of all. When our wonder and awe of the mystery of creation diminishes, and we lose sight of the love between God and humanity, we lose our grasp on the love that can make us whole. Mary Clifford Morrell is the author of “Things My Father Taught Me About Love” and “Let Go and Live: Reclaiming your life by releasing your emotional clutter.”
May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 45
Community
CCDOT helps distribute first round of COVID vaccines in Trenton FROM STAFF REPORTS
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he line of people waiting to receive their first COVID vaccine April 23 in downtown Trenton was a testimony to the relationship between the community and Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton. “We’re about family. I know the hesitancy of the people, but we’re trusted,” said Marlene Laó-Collins, CCDOT executive director.
“It’s a way to care for ourselves … but it’s also a way to protect our loved ones.” Sixty people showed up to the first vaccine clinic hosted by Catholic Charities in the Diocese’s four counties. The collaboration between Catholic Charities and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, which was by appointment only, is part of a larger effort that was announced in March, in which the CCDOT works with regional partners to provide vaccine support and education to underserved populations, including Latino,
Black and immigrant communities. As part of that role, the diocesan social services organization is also collaborating with parishes across the Diocese of Trenton. “I need to get vaccinated because of my health,” shared Trenton resident Alfreda Mobley. The clinic, she continued, “is an awesome way to reach out to the community. I’m not nervous.” As Mobley moved along in line and got her first vaccine shot, she had one message to share with everyone else in her community: “Go get vaccinated!” During the clinic’s morning hours, Catholic Charities staff registered and guided recipients while nurses from Catholic Charities and RWJ worked together to administer the vaccines. Susan Loughery, CCDOT associate executive director, expressed that she was “so grateful to have our nurses walking side by side with the Robert Wood Johnson nursing staff.” It was a sentiment shared on the RWJ side of the team as well. “We have been thrilled for the opportunity to work with Catholic Charities,” shared Diane Grillo, vice president for health promotion at RWJ Hamilton. “We are seeing a little more hesitancy or
46 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE May 2021
Trenton resident Alfreda Mobley gives a thumbs-up as a RWJ Hamilton nurse administers her COVID-19 vaccine during the April 23 clinic hosted by Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton. Matthew Greeley photo fear around the vaccine. Our role is to educate the community about the facts, about the science. Our staff is committed to that educational factor as well as the distribution of the vaccine.” Loughery added, “Catholic Charities is here to support the community, and we are so excited to have vaccine supply.” For Trentonian Brian Eppes, it was important to take advantage of the clinic and get the vaccine, “My hope is that everybody does what they need to do. It’s important.” Several people in Guillermo Lopez’s family had already received the vaccine, which served as motive for him to sign up for the clinic. “It’s a way to care for ourselves, sure, but it’s also a way to protect our loved ones, our families and friends. My hope is that more people will get vaccinated so we can maybe get back to a sense of normalcy one day,” said Lopez, a parishioner of St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton.
Joe Moore photo
Editor’s Note: The Diocese is alerting its faithful that as part of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, families who need help with COVID-related funeral costs may be eligible for funds.
FEMA aid to help families cover funeral costs for COVID-related deaths
FROM STAFF REPORTS Financial relief is now available for families struggling to cover funeral costs for their loved ones lost to COVID-19. As of April 12, the Federal Emergency Management Agency began accepting applications for funeral assistance. To be eligible, the death must be attributed to the novel coronavirus The and have occurred in the United Monitor States or its territories. Though the deceased person does not have to have been a U.S. citizen, the appliThe cant must be Monitor a resident, non-citizen national, or qualified alien who incurred funeral expenses after Janu-
Community
“The COVID-19 pandemic has ary 20, 2020, according to the FEMA caused immense grief for so many website. Families can receive up to people. Although we cannot change $9,000 per funeral and a maximum what has happened, we affirm our of $35,000 per application. The FEMA commitment to help with funeral aid comes from the $1.9 trillion relief and burial expenses that many famibill signed into law March 11 by President Joe Biden. not anticipate,” Acting FEMAfor! The place to lies finddid the services you’re looking For more information, visit https:// Administrator Bob Fenton said in a www.fema.gov/disasters/coronavirecent statement. To date, more than 25,000 deaths rus/economic/funeral-assistance. To in New Jersey have been attributed apply, call 844-684-6333 or 800-462to COVID-19 or coronavirus-related 7585. FEMA services are available in illnesses. multiple languages.
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Respect Life
Turning the Tide Longtime advocate for death row inmates urges audience to live Gospel of justice BY EMMALEE ITALIA Contributing Editor
DID YOU KNOW?
fter four decades of ministering to death row inmates, St. Joseph of Medaille Sister Helen Prejean has seen much change in the criminal justice system and the Church regarding capital punishment. However, she reminded people during a March 25 virtual presentation, the dialogue must continue. “We’re moving along in our understanding [of the death penalty],” Sister Helen said. “The Church [includes] people of God who go into prisons and witness [and] come out changed.” Sister Helen, who began advocating for death row inmates in 1982, spoke for the Center for FaithJustice’s online event at the invitation of the Magdalene Circle, which is a Center for FaithJustice faith-based women’s philanthropy group. “Sister has been doing ‘faith justice’ for a long time,” said CFJ president and organizer Stephanie Peddicord. “When in July 2020 the government resumed federal executions, Sister Helen was everywhere, calling on us to pray. … [She] was tireless and unrelenting, reminding us to remember those in prison, with overcrowding and lack of social distancing, advocating for health care for prisoners and employees.”
In August 2018, Pope Francis approved a revision to the Catechism of the Catholic Church to reflect that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.” (CCC 2267) Previously, the Church’s stance, in the First Edition of the Catechism, was that the death penalty was permissible to safeguard “the common good” – but should be used as a last resort. Revised in 1997, the Catechism was updated by then-Pope John Paul II to say, “The Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor. … the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity ‘are very rare, if not practically non-existent.’”
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SEISMIC CHANGE The prayers appear to have been working. On March 24, after 1,390 executions going back more than 400 years, Virginia became the first southern state to abolish the death penalty. After the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, 113 people subsequently died by capital punishment in the state. However, no jury in Virginia has delivered a death 48 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE May 2021
sentence since 2011, and no one has been executed by the state since 2017. “Virginia happened because a whole lot of people worked for years,” Sister Helen emphasized, and pointed to activist Marie Deans, an anti-death penalty advocate in South Carolina and Virginia who began in 1982 to help find attorneys for men facing execution without legal representation. Not only is the tide turning in secular public opinion, Sister Helen noted, so is the position of the Catholic Church. She reflected on one man she journeyed with through the criminal justice system – Joseph O’Dell, who was convicted of murder but whose guilt was still in question when he was executed in 1997. O’Dell was given a funeral in Italy, where a group of 10,000 people had petitioned for O’Dell’s release after his case gained worldwide attention. There, Sister Helen had the opportunity to speak to then-Pope John Paul II about capital punishment. “When you have a direct chance to dialogue with the Pope, you can speak your conscience – that sacred place where God and the soul meet,” said Sister Helen. Subsequently in 1999, Pope John Paul II appealed for a consensus to end the death penalty on the grounds that it was “both cruel and unnecessary,” and that a criminal offender should be offered “an incentive and
Respect Life During a virtual presentation, St. Joseph of Medaille Sister Helen Prejean, left, and Stephanie Peddicord, president of the Center for FaithJustice, discuss Sister Helen’s nearly 40-year ministry in working with death row inmates. Screenshot image
help to change his or her behavior and be rehabilitated.” Pope Francis went further in August 2018, approving a revision to the Catechism of the Catholic Church to state that the Church teaches “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.” “We have a divine spark in us, to be able to love deeper – we can always change,” Sister Helen said. “Pope Francis’ point was, when you decide the end of someone’s life, how do you know that they can’t be transformed – how do you know God “How do is done with that life?” ‘RIVER OF FIRE’
you know
God is done In her 2019 book, “River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey,” Sister Helen spoke with that about her evolution toward social justice in prisons, and how her perspective life?” was transformed. “How I parachute into these things, I don’t know – the Holy Spirit pulls the strings,” she said. “‘River of Fire’ was about awakening to the Gospel. I was 40 years old when I ‘got it’ – I had to break out of my spiritual cocoon and thinking that ‘I’m above all this political stuff ’ and that ‘these problems are too big for any of us – I’ll just pray.’ I didn’t understand about justice.” Despite being comfortable in her spiritual life, Sister Helen’s mind was changed on a retreat. “We can’t just tell people ‘God loves you’; we can’t stop there,” Sister Helen said. “If it doesn’t connect people in community to strive for justice, it’s a privatized faith.” Inspired by that wake-up call, Sister Helen went to live in the St. Thomas Housing Project in New Orleans, La., and began working at Hope House, a Catholic social concerns ministry. Little did she know that an invitation to write letters to a death row inmate, Patrick Sonnier, would lead to her being his spiritual advocate and eventual witness to his execution. In 1982, Sister Helen began working with Sonnier, a convicted killer of two teenagers who was sentenced to death in Louisiana’s Angola State Prison. She admits to making a mistake by avoiding the victims’ families at first, focusing solely on the Continued on 63
A conversation with Sister Helen BY EMMALEE ITALIA Contributing Editor Prior to her March 25 presentation for the Diocese of Trenton, St. Joseph of Medaille Sister Helen Prejean visited with The Monitor about her decades of advocacy for death row inmates. Sister Helen, perhaps known best for her book “Dead Man Walking,” has been working for 40 years to abolish capital punishment.
TM: How do you stay strong in your ministry to those on death row? Sister Helen: “I look at [their] suffering; I see [their] courage in getting on with every day. How can I say, ‘I’m getting tired,’ or ‘I don’t want to do this anymore’? I so see Christ in the suffering in this [death row] society – of course I’ve got to do my work and use my social media voice to end this.” TM: Can you speak to the increase in federal executions that have taken place? SH: “I saw the raw power of President Trump killing 13 people [when federal executions resumed in July 2020] because he could. Never mind that there were 17 years with no federal executions. … There is a huge contrast with the states. [The death penalty is legal in 25; New Jersey abolished the death penalty in 2007.] In New Jersey, 61 murder victims’ families testified, saying, ‘Don’t kill for us.’ Catholics [also] had a big part to play in its abolishment, with clergy and bishops involved.” TM: In your book “Dead Man Walking,” you talk about being at death row inmates’ executions after getting to know them. The last face they see is yours – a face of love. How do you do that? SH: “When someone is going to be killed in front of your eyes, going through that torture, their life is being taken away … you want them to see dignity in the face of those watching when they die. That’s Christ. I say to them, ‘Look at me, I will be Christ’s face for you.’” TM: How has Church teaching – including the new statements by Pope Francis in 2018 in which the Catechism’s teaching on capital punishment was revised – informed and supported your advocacy? SH: “It confirmed what I’ve been saying and doing. It’s nice to have your Church behind you. … The Church had always said the death penalty was ‘in order to defend society’ and ‘that there are some crimes so great that someone deserves death’ – but that was before prisons and life sentences. We don’t have to kill people to be safe. … In my book “The Death of the Innocents,” I spoke to St. Pope John Paul II and I said, ‘Your Holiness, I meet a lot of Catholics who say they’re prolife – but only innocent life. They draw a line, saying [prisoners] deserve to die. When you strap a person down and render them defenseless, where is the dignity in that?’” TM: What do you think is one of the greatest hurdles to overcome in people’s perception of capital punishment? SH: “My own hurdle: being so outraged at the crimes
Continued on 63
May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 49
Young Catholics
Lucia Street proudly wears her Girl Scout vest and the newest award she has earned – the I Live My Faith Medal. She was recently congratulated by her pastor, Father Pasquale A. Papalia of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Whiting, and other parishioners after Mass. Courtesy photo
Scouts proud to receive religious awards BY DAVID KARAS Correspondent
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dozen Boy Scouts and one Girl Scout hailing from around the Diocese have been recognized with honors for learning about and living their faith through Scouting. “I feel accomplished that I was able to go above and beyond … and really learn more about my faith,” said JT Silver, 17, a member of St. Rose of Lima Parish, Freehold, and senior in Marlboro High School. “For people who are in triumph or despair, they can always turn to their faith for a stable force in their life.”
“I love Girl Scouts and my faith.” Silver received the Pope Pius XII Emblem this year, and said in earning the award that he most enjoyed interviewing deacons from nearby parishes, and learning about their opinions on topics ranging from relationships to servitude. The National Catholic Committees on Scouting instituted the religious awards program more than 30 years ago. Projects that serve the Church and the community allow the Scouts to earn both national- and diocesan-level awards. While the Diocese’s Catholic Committee on Scouting annual Court
of Honor was postponed this year due to health restrictions related to COVID-19, Scouts have still been receiving their medals to wear proudly on their uniforms. Patty Wilbur, a member of St. Gabriel Parish, Marlboro, and a religious
emblem counselor, worked with groups of Boy Scouts in Monmouth County to earn two different medals. For the Ad Altare Dei emblem, Scouts engaged in community service and outreach while learning more about Continued on 65
COURT OF HONOR 2021 AWARDEES I LIVE MY FAITH MEDAL
Lucia Street; St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Whiting; Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore AD ALTARE DEI EMBLEM
Jonathan DeBiak; St. Monica Parish, Jackson; BSA Jersey Shore Council Shane Hall; St. Aloysius Parish, Jackson; BSA Jersey Shore Council Christopher McCormick; St. Ann Parish, Lawrenceville; BSA Monmouth Council Matthew McCormick; St. Ann Parish, Lawrenceville; BSA Monmouth Council Jack Narciso; Holy Innocents Parish, Neptune; BSA Monmouth Council
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Michael Roberts; St. Justin the Martyr Parish, Toms River; BSA Jersey Shore Council Matthew Zonkowski Jr.; St. Pius X Parish, Forked River; BSA Jersey Shore Council POPE PIUS XII EMBLEM
Joseph Lezamiz, St. Thomas More Parish, Manalapan; BSA Monmouth Council Justin Scharaldi, St. Thomas More Parish, Manalapan; BSA Monmouth Council John (JT) Silver; St. Rose of Lima Parish, Freehold; BSA Monmouth Council Nicholas Stevens; St. Rose of Lima Parish, Freehold; BSA Monmouth Council Robert Wilbur, St. Gabriel Parish, Marlboro; BSA Monmouth Council
In the Parishes
Colts Neck welcomes Bishop for Mass, blessing of statue BY MARY STADNYK Associate Editor
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od chooses to reveal himself to his people – in his own time,” Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., said during the April 17 Mass he celebrated in St. Mary Church, Colts Neck. In his homily, Bishop O’Connell reflected on the Gospel account in which Jesus, after his Resurrection, appeared to the apostles in the Upper Room, saying, “Peace be with you.” The apostles, he said, were terrified that the people who had crucified Jesus might now try to kill them. Even though they were hidden in the locked room, “The Lord Jesus Christ appeared in their midst,” Bishop O’Connell said. “The disciples were not expecting Jesus. He died! It was the Risen Lord who sought them out! He came to find them! He was not dead but risen!” “God seeks us out when we need him most – he finds us when we need him most and gives us his peace! With that in mind, we live our Christian lives, we show our Christian lives, we share our Christian lives as convinced and believing followers of the Risen Lord, living in this challenging world of ours,” he said. St. Mary Parish is one of many faith communities across the Diocese that the Bishop has visited throughout the year. Along with celebrating the Mass, the
Bishop also presided over the blessing of the parish’s new image of St. Mary, Seat of Wisdom. “Today is a special day for us,” said Father Jeffrey Lee, pastor of St. Mary Parish, noting it was a privilege to have Bishop O’Connell visit. Father Lee said the life-sized, handcarved wooden statue of St. Mary, Seat of Wisdom, was donated by parishioner Ignazio Giuffre, who wanted to give a gift to the parish in memory of his beloved Iris, who died in 2019. The statue was commissioned some 18 months ago, before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and is the work of artists who live and work in northern Italy. The statue depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is seated on a throne holding the Child Jesus on her lap. The Child holds a blue orb with a gold cross in his left hand, while with his right hand, he is offering a blessing.
Greeting parishioners and guests as they gazed upon the statue that is in the vast narthex of St. Mary Church, Father Lee encouraged them to take notice of the subtle positioning of both the Blessed Mother’s and Jesus’ eyes. While Mary’s head is slightly lowered and her eyes are looking down on Jesus, Jesus’ head is straight, and his eyes are “looking directly at all of us. He is looking at all who enter St. Mary Church. “Blessing this sacred art is especially important since the Blessed Virgin Mary is the primary patron of our Diocese of Trenton and of our Colts Neck parish,” Father Lee said, noting that it was important that the statue shows Mary presenting Jesus to those who enter the church building. “This reminds us that we in turn are called to bring Christ into the world as we depart the church building,” Father Lee said.
Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., celebrates Mass April 17 in St. Mary Church, Colts Neck. John Batkowski photos After Mass, Bishop O’Connell blesses the new image of St. Mary, Seat of Wisdom in the narthex of the church.
To view more photos, visit TrentonMonitor.com> Multimedia>Photo Galleries
May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 51
Education
Students and staff from St. Gregory the Great Academy, Hamilton Square, work under carnival tents. The tents allowed for in-person learning during the pandemic, creating a safe, outdoor environment. Mary Stadnyk photo
Repurposing spaces helps schools create in-person learning environments BY MARY STADNYK Associate Editor
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he atmosphere around St. Gregory the Great Parish and Academy these days might evoke memories of caramel corn and the Tilt-a-Whirl. On the contrary, the red and white striped tents decorating the Hamilton Square campus are one of many creative, yet necessary pandemic precautions to help keep students safe. School administrators in the Diocese knew going into the 2020-2021 academic year that if students and teachers were going to return in person to the classrooms, then a host of
THE DIOCESE OF TRENTON is committed to the initiatives outlined in the U.S. Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and to its own policies and guidelines in regard to the reporting and investigation of sexual abuse allegations involving minors. If you have been sexually abused as a minor by a member of the clergy or anyone representing the Catholic Church, or if you know of someone who was, you can report that abuse through the diocesan
ABUSE HOTLINE: 1-888-296-2965 or via e-mail at abuseline@dioceseoftrenton.org. The Diocese of Trenton reports any allegations of sexual abuse to the appropriate law enforcement agencies. Anyone with an allegation is also encouraged to provide that information to local law enforcement authorities. 52 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE May 2021
safety measures would have to be put into place. Along with face masks, social distancing, adjusting schedules, desks with plexiglass dividers, better ventilation and more, some schools also made physical changes to their indoor and outdoor spaces. Empty classrooms and teacher’s lounges as well as bigger spaces like gyms, cafeterias, and science labs were converted into classrooms. “It’s been an interesting year,” said Dr. Jason Briggs, principal of St. Gregory the Great Academy. “If there’s one thing I learned, it’s that if something means a lot to you, you try and find ways to make it work,” he said, describing how the outdoor tents evolved after identifying the four “riskiest” times of the school day for possible coronavirus exposure – arrival, lunch, recess and dismissal. The tents were purchased through the company with which St. Gregory the Great contracts for the annual parish carnival, Dr. Briggs explained, and once the tents were in place, tables, chairs and equipment were added. “We were outside from September to November, until the weather got cold, and now we are back outside during the spring months,” he said. Students remain outside for recess and lunch periods. “What was most important for us here last summer was being able to return to school in-person,” Dr. Briggs said. “Using hybrid or remote-only learning is fine in an emergency, but it was not going to be our only way of learning. That is not a way of life in a school.” Similarly, in Mother Seton Academy, Howell, the primary focus last fall was on how best to accommodate the eighthgrade class, which has 28 students, while social distancing. “We don’t have a library anymore,” said Karen Juliano, principal, explaining that school officials had to look for ways to reconfigure existing space into a classroom. “That became our We would like to thank TOSHIBA, exclusive provider of copier services in the Diocese of Trenton Chancery building, for their sponsorship of this page.
Education new eighth-grade classroom.” After experiencing a “very difficult stretch” at the end of the last school year, Robert Dougherty, principal in St. Catharine School, Spring Lake, said the goal for 2020-21 became “to provide in-person “We are one big instruction, five days a week, regardless of all the challengfamily that works es presented by COVID-19.” In addition to creating together.” smaller class rosters and installing a new HVAC system for the main building along with air filtration systems throughout the classrooms, the school converted its cafeteria into two separate classrooms and created nearly 200 mobile partitions to be utilized in other classrooms.
“We had several families throughout the summer reach out to help us address many of our material and structural needs,” he said, “and I’m not quite sure what we would have done without their help.” “While the preparation seemed to be quite daunting at times, I learned the importance of focusing on the details that are currently within your control as well as remaining flexible to embrace all of the constant changes that you’ll likely encounter at one point or another,” Dougherty continued. “I’ve always found myself to be incredibly fortunate to be surrounded and supported by a community that is so dedicated to their parish school and this past year has certainly proven to be no exception,” Dougherty said. “Our doors were able to open in September because we are one big family that works together and we care deeply about the importance of providing our children with a quality, Catholic education.”
Catholic school principal honored by Phillies as ‘Frontline Hero’ BY RICH FISHER Contributing Editor
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here is a superhero who roams the halls of St. Gregory the Great Academy. He doesn’t wear a cape or fly through the sky, say students who attend the Hamilton Square school, but he’s a hero, nonetheless. “Our hero is our principal, Dr. Jason Briggs. … This has been a challenging year to be a kid, but Dr. Briggs has gone above and beyond to make our school safe,” third-graders Dylan Marsh and Sloane Woods said recently in a video created to promote the good work Dr. Briggs has done for the school.
Turns out, others think Dr. Briggs is a hero, too, which is why Dr. Briggs, a diehard Phillies fan, spent a memorable April 1 in Philadelphia being honored as a COVID-19 “Frontline Hero.” A banner displaying his smiling face – along with the other 40 honorees – hung outside Citizens Bank Park during the team’s season-opener against Atlanta; Dr. Briggs and his counterparts paraded on to the field prior to the game and were introduced to an appreciative crowd. “To be honest,” Dr. Briggs said of the day, “as wonderful as that was – and that was an amazing experience – I would take being in a space with my students and teachers in school even over that.” The 41 “Frontline Heroes” were selected from roughly 500 nomDr. Jason Briggs, principal of St. Gregory the Great Academy, Hamilton Square, second from right, is honored during the Philadelphia Phillies season-opener April 1. Photo courtesy of Miles Kennedy/Phillies
inations around the Delaware Valley after videos were submitted highlighting how these essential workers had stepped up to the plate during the pandemic. That’s where the school video featuring Dylan and Sloane came into play, as Dr. Briggs has been working tirelessly since the start of the pandemic to keep students in school and provide some type of normalcy for his pupils and faculty. The principal, however, insists his hero status should be a group recognition. “It’s not me, it’s the whole team,” he said. “I may be the person on the banner, but it’s a full St. Gregory effort.” But Dr. Briggs was the point man, and his staff wanted people to know. Thus, when the Phillies did a region-wide search for those who stood out during the COVID-19 crisis, DiAnne Trail, the school’s technology coordinator, and teachers Dana Hoover and Karen Stives nominated Dr. Briggs. “We are so proud of our principal and all of the work that he has done since the pandemic started,” Trail said. “His dedication to keeping us safe is paramount.” For an expanded version of this story, visit TrentonMonitor. com>News>Schools. May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 53
Education In this pre-pandemic photo, members of the Trenton Catholic Academy robotics team, the Iron Mechs, work on a project. Courtesy photo
TCA high school students find personal growth in robotics team BY ROSE O’CONNOR Correspondent
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ducators at Trenton Catholic Academy say school robotics clubs can equip students with lifelong learning skills. They would know – they’ve seen it firsthand. “This is truly an impressive group of young engineers who are destined to change the world for the better,” said Dana Sudziarski, co-moderator of the Iron Mechs, the Hamilton school’s robotics team. The team was formed about 10 years ago as a successful extracurricular activity in the Lower School. Continued interest and participation led to the development of a high school team in the Upper School in 2015. “This program develops 21st century learning skills of critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity,” said Michael Knowles, TCA president and Iron Mechs co-moderator. “This program has evolved from just a few students to between 20-25 students each year. We have full corporate
sponsorship to fund the effort along with significant engineering mentorship. The most significant evolution has been for student ownership of all aspects of the team,” Knowles said. For example, over the past two years, the Upper School team “This team has has expanded responsibilities to given me a lot include coding, engineering, business and marketing. of experience “It’s award-winning,” Knowles said, noting that after graduation, and tools that I a number of high school students can use in the have gone on to pursue studies in engineering and other technology future.” fields. Added Sudziarski, “The students have developed a business section of the team that deals with public relations and marketing. This year, the team Continued on 66
BISHOP CONTINUES TRADITION OF CONGRATULATING EIGHTH-GRADE GRADUATES Catholic school eighth-graders from around the Diocese will receive an early graduation gift: a Crucifix, from Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M. “Bishop O’Connell’s gesture is a wonderful way of showing that although each school is an individual entity, we are part of one Diocese and one Church where its shepherd cares for each member of that Diocese and Church. I see it as a re-
minder of who we are and what we believe,” said Craig Palmer, principal of St. Mary School, Middletown. The annual tradition for Bishop O’Connell to send Crucifixes along with a card to all graduating eighth-graders began seven years ago as a way for the Diocese to cultivate lasting relationships with the students. “We feel that a gift coming from the Bishop … provides a connection with him and creates a deeper understanding that our Diocese is here and supports them [the students],” said Christine Prete, an associate director in the diocesan Department of Development. Through the coordination of the Diocese’s Department of Catholic Schools, all the Crucifixes and accompanying cards are blessed by the Bishop and gifted to the students as a keepsake of their Catholic grammar school years. Prete noted that since 2015, 7,900 Crucifixes have been sent. By Mary Stadnyk, associate editor Bishop O’Connell blesses Crucifixes that will be sent to Catholic school eighth-grade graduating classes. Joining the Bishop, from left: Dr. Vincent de Paul Schmidt, diocesan superintendent of Catholic schools, and Chancery staff Shannon Crawford and Daniel O’Connell. Staff photo
54 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE May 2021
Education St. Leo the Great second-grade students with teacher Bridget Matthews place collection boxes of nonperishable food items for people to take what they need or give what they can. Courtesy photo
Lincroft teacher’s boxed food ministry widely successful
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nspired by knowing that those who need help are often hesitant to reach out, St. Leo the Great School second-grade teacher Bridget Matthews began the Angels Sharing Boxes project. Matthews and students of the Lincroft school have placed two Angels Sharing Boxes full of donated non-perishable food items in the town. One box outside Silver Tulip Florist is dedicated to the students, faculty and staff of St. Leo the Great School. The second box is located on the grounds of St. Leo the Great Church, and is dedicated to the memory of school alumnus Kevin Kret and his family for sharing their inspiration and
hope after Kevin’s skateboarding accident and eventual death. “The idea behind this charity is to take what you need and give when you can,” Matthews explained. “Everyone needs help occasionally and some people might not know where to get help, not qualify, or just be embarrassed to ask. Our hope is that people will adopt boxes and there will be boxes all over.” For expanded coverage, visit TrentonMonitor. com>News>Schools
~ From staff reports
NDHS BREAKS GROUND ON NEW FIELD The April 26 groundbreaking of a new turf field at Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville, ushered in both a new partnership and added opportunities for college-bound athletes. Joining forces with the Players Development Academy – a Somerset-based soccer club geared toward year-round soccer training and competitive play – NDHS will add a second turf field on its campus, complementing its newly re-turfed field at its current Monsignor Nolan Stadium. “This strategic partnership will be outstanding for the Notre Dame community and PDA,” said Ken Jennings, Notre Dame High School president. “Student athletes will have a high-caliber field to play on. We see the new field as an added means for showcasing our campus to prospective school families ... [and] a great benefit to Notre Dame’s current and future athletes.”
Mary Stadnyk photo
~ From staff reports
May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 55
Deaf Catholics applaud sign language service on Vatican’s YouTube channel BY JO ANN ZUÑIGA Catholic News Service HOUSTON • When the Easter livestream of Pope Francis’ general audience and the Angelus was broadcast for the first time in American Sign Language on the Vatican’s YouTube channel, the deaf Catholic ministry group in Texas took particular notice. Redemptorist Father Len Broniak, chaplain and program director of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston’s deaf ministry called it a “great step forward for open access to the Pope’s messages. I’m glad awareness is growing.” “The deaf community has been overlooked for such a long time. I hope this heightens awareness of the bishops throughout the world,” the priest added. The Vatican’s new “No One Excluded” project offers interpreters in Italian and American Sign Language. Along with the YouTube channel dedicated to accessibil-
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56 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE May 2021
ity for people with communication challenges, an app will be made available in the next few months for people with sensory disabilities, Vatican News reported. The effort is being piloted for one year, and there are hopes of expanding it to include other sign languages. Deacon Bruce Flagg, ordained this year as one of the few deaf deacons in the country, said he “I hope this wanted to thank the Pope for his “dedication to inclusion on behalf heightens of the deaf throughout the world.” “I feel as I am a direct recipient awareness.” of his views in bring Christ to all people,” said the deacon, who ministers at St. Dominic’s Deaf Center in Houston. The Chicago Catholic deaf community was also happy with the new Vatican outreach. There are 5.7 million deaf or hard of hearing Catholics in the United States, according to the National Catholic Office for the Deaf. Father Joe Mulcrone, director of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office of the Deaf, said the idea for providing more interpreters for deaf Catholics at the Vatican started during a 2018 encounter with Pope Francis and a group of pilgrims from the Deaf Catholic Youth Initiative of the Americas, a group the priest helped organize. The group of about 120 people, including deaf Catholics from Chicago, made the trip to Rome to mark the 10th anniversary of a conference in Rome and an audience they had with Pope Benedict XVI. After the June 27 audience with Pope Francis, the Pope came to greet people and made his way over to the group of deaf Catholics. The group’s organizers arranged to have sign language interpreters on both sides of Pope Francis to facilitate communication. “At that point, (Pope) Francis had this very intimate experience with sign language interpreters accompanying him,” Father Mulcrone said. Not just being up there interpreting when he’s talking but being with him when he is meeting the deaf people.” To access the Vatican YouTube channel in American Sign Language, visit https://e.va/asl. Contributing to this story was Joyce Duriga in Chicago. Zuñiga writes for the Texas Catholic Herald, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, and Duriga is editor of the Chicago Catholic, archdiocesan newspaper of Chicago.
Continued from 11
strong part in my decision to risk my personal health, because I feel it is what has been behind my desire to be a nurse in the first place. … I can’t say there aren’t days that are really challenging, but it’s the ability to comfort and care for someone that’s far more rewarding.” CATHOLIC CALL TO SERVE Some private healthcare practices have made it a point to stay open and available to patients with medical needs that, while not COVID-19 related, require consistent care. Dr. Robert Bischoff, owner and practitioner of Family First Chiropractic, and parishioner of St. Joseph Parish, both Toms River, gradually reopened to full capacity eight weeks into the shutdown. “I felt it was important to be available to my patients because of my chiropractic oath, which includes the phrases ‘to stand ready at all times to serve my fellow man.’” Safety measures including an air purifier, personal protective equipment, temperature checks and bringing patients into treatment rooms efficiently have helped Dr. Bischoff continue offering his usual standard of care. “While it was a little scary to see patients in the beginning,” he acknowledged, “as we learned more about the disease, it became less frightening … everything in healthcare is benefit versus risk. My practice is filled with patients who have decided that the benefit of their chiropractic care outweighs the risk of COVID.” Dr. Bishchoff credits his wife, “whose strong Catholic faith strengthens mine every day” and prayer for helping him keep his practice open. “We chose faith over
fear, and felt it was important to show that faith to our patients, and let them know we are here for them. … I hope they feel that at least one thing in their life remained constant … that they could get the care they needed, when they needed it.”
we thank God, [and] we all pray together at night. In the world that we have been thrown into, when we see other people’s situations, we feel we have been very blessed. “I feel like we are being guided through this,” she continued. “There is never a day that we are really down. We get tired, but we don’t get sad.” Sam said staying positive is something that he chooses to do. It’s
SAM JARMER’S POSITIVE OUTLOOK
with this mindset that Sam created his brand, SAMvincible. It’s his hope to one day to use that platform – and his experiences – to help others facing similar struggles. “For right now, I am focused on getting back on my feet and walking,” he said, “and eventually see where that takes me.” To learn more about Sam Jarmer and SAMvincible, visit www. samvincible.com.
Continued from 12
answer about whether Sam would be able to walk again. She recalled telling her son, “You’ve got to fight for it.” And he has done just that, she said. “There are definitely times when it is tough,” Sam said. “But then you As a Morgan Stanley Family Wealth Advisor with over 30 years have to remember that if you put in of experience, I can help you prepare a Retirement Income Plan, the work, then you can get where assess your Risk Management you want to go. It’s not the easiest to Strategy and create a Personal predict when I can get back up, but I Legacy Plan to help you and your am definitely getting close.” family prepare properly for the Along with his physical care, road ahead. Sam is also proud to have been able keep up with his schoolwork with the Contact me for information on our assistance of a tutor. He expects to Goals Based Planning Program designed to help you be ready graduate from St. Rose High School for what may come. this year. Michael Mrotzek, CFP, CRPC, FWA, IPD Sam expressed gratitude to the Family Wealth Advisor / Financial Advisor St. Rose community and the out20 Linden Place, Red Bank, NJ 07701 • 732-936-3392 michael.mrotzek@ morganstanley.com pouring of support he received from advisor.morganstanley.com/michael.mrotzek his peers. Students joined parishioCertified Financial Planner Eventhe in retirement, your money Michael Mrotzek, CFP, CRPC Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED ners from family’s parish for a Family WealthPLANNER™ Advisor and federally registered CFP in the U.S. ©2020 should keep working for you. Your FINANCIAL Financial Advisor Mass ofportfolio Healingwill justneed a couple of days to support your Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC offers a wide array of brokerage and advisory services to its clients, standard of living which can be each ofPlace which may create a different type of relationship with different obligations to you. Please after his accident. A few months lat20 Linden impacted by investment risk, inflation us NJ at 07701 http://www.morganstanleyindividual.com or consult with your Financial Advisor to Redvisit Bank, and catastrophic issues. in er, students from four health high schools 732understand 936-3392 these differences. CRC 3459168 3/21 michael.mrotzek@ As a Morgan Stanley Wealth the Diocese came togetherFamily to honor morganstanley.com Advisor with more than 30 years advisor.morganstanley.com/ Sam –ofa experience, hockey fanI –canand hisyou family help create michael.mrotzek a goals-based strategy consistent with anwith iceyour hockey game fundraiser. financial objectives “They are all while behind me, and and values, helping you to risk and your investments they allmanage care and want to see me through all of life’s changes. get Stay up-to-date with back on my feet,” Sam said. “I didn’t Contact me to learn more about the advice we can provide to help you sleep Catholic news from know … how many people would well and to plan for what may come. want to see me [recover].” around the United States, Certified Financial Planner Inc. owns the Jessica Jarmer said the familyBoard of Standards the world and the Vatican certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and is grateful for Sam’s continued federally registered CFP (with flame design) the U.S. NEWS on TRENTONMONITOR.COM with inLATEST progress. “Every day, we make sure offered through Morgan Stanley ©2019 Investments and services
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NOTES
Retreats
Preached, silent directed and private retreats are scheduled through mid-November at Maris Stella Retreat and Conference Center, Harvey Cedars. Courtesy photo
Two Religious Teachers Filippini sisters from Morning Star House of Prayer, Ewing, participate in an online retreat. Courtesy photo
Local retreat houses adapt to pandemic BY LOIS ROGERS Correspondent
A
s physical, emotional and spiritual recovery from the pandemic continues, retreat ministries around the Trenton Diocese and beyond are welcoming faithful to come “apart and rest” after the challenges of the past year. Retreatants are apt to encounter different and perhaps deeper experiences of “being with oneself in the quiet,” said Redemptorist Father John Collins, director of the San Alfonso Retreat House in Long Branch. He noted that state and federal health mandates beginning in mid-March 2020 brought the end of in-person retreats until mid-July in San Alfonso. Upon reopening, the retreat house was able to welcome up to 50 people. Located on six acres along the Atlantic Ocean, San Alfonso is capable of hosting up to 12,000
LOOKING FOR A RETREAT? Find a list of retreat houses in the Diocese of Trenton at dioceseoftrenton.org/retreathouses.
participants a year. As with other retreat centers – including Maris Stella Retreat and Conference Center, Harvey Cedars; Morning Star House of Prayer, Ewing; Francis House of Prayer, Allentown, and The Blue Army Shrine, Asbury (Warren County) – San Alfonso has developed strict health and safety protocols since the start of the pandemic. Face masks are required inside at all times and social distancing is mandatory indoors and out. In 2021, the number of participants is still greatly reduced, but the Redemptorists are “anticipating a busy season,” Father Collins said. There is a full schedule that includes retreats for women, men, married couples, clergy and religious, days of recollection and a summer clergy institute. “What matters most in the retreat house ministry is that we strive to provide a space where people at any stage of life can come and listen to the deeper meaning of life. The people have been cooperative and appreciative of the protocols that have been implemented even in the weariness of it all,” Father Collins said. Similarly, Sister of Charity of St. Elizabeth Patricia Dotzauer, assistant administrator and program director for Maris Stella, said guests who visit the oceanside
58 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE May 2021
retreat house can expect a safe environment. “We continually evaluate and see what is needed and adjust accordingly,” she said, explaining that staff adhere to federal and diocesan safety guidelines. She outlined the retreat house’s in-person program running now through late November. Offerings include preached, silent directed and private retreats and days of recollection. Among the topics: identifying current transition in one’s life and becoming aware of God’s transforming grace. While virtual programming is under development in San Alfonso and Maris Stella, online retreats have been utilized at other retreat facilities since last spring. At Francis House of Prayer, located in the countryside of Western Monmouth County, virtual programming was already an option when last year’s pandemic shut-down order was issued. “We went immediately to Zoom. We didn’t skip a beat,” said the director, Sister of St. Joseph Marcella Springer. “We couldn’t use the building, but we didn’t lose any of the programs. By June, we could [welcome] people [in the retreat house] because we have private bathrooms.” Francis House retreatants can attend online or in person, choosing from among Continued on 67
House of of Prayer Francis House MEETING PLACE PLACE WITH WITH GOD GOD FOR FOR 47 47 YEARS! YEARS! AA MEETING Trenton TrentonDiocesan DiocesanSpiritual SpiritualCenter Center
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Week-Long Directed Retreats In the Beginning Was the Jun 18-25 and Aug 6-13 Word Jul 23, 7-9 p.m. Weekend Directed Retreats Jun 18-20 and Aug 6-8 Grief Recovery e M. Giangreco Jun 27, 1-5:30 p.m. Sacred Time, Sacred Space ngreco ness Operations Manager Jun 9, Jul 13, Aug 18 God Calls You His Mastererations Manager Alfonso Retreat House piece. Do you Believe That? Retreat House Ocean Avenue Planting Seeds of Grace Aug 4, 7-9 p.m. venue g Branch, NJ 07740 May 19, 7-9 p.m. , NJ 07740 222‐2731, X159 When The Going Gets Rough: Icons: An Invitation 1, X159 w.sanalfonsoretreats.org Strategies for Persevering in to Mystical Prayer onsoretreats.org Difficult Times Jun 15, 7-9 p.m. Aug 21, 9:30 a.m.—11:30 a.m. Women’s Spiritual Spa Day Jul 10, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. m: San Alfonso Retreat House <info@sanalfonsoretreats.org> Alfonso Retreat House <info@sanalfonsoretreats.org> t: Thursday, April 15, 2021 3:36 PM day, April 15, 2021 3:36 PM clare@sanalfonsoretreats.org 1651 US HIGHWAY 22, WATCHUNG, NJ 07069 analfonsoretreats.org (908) 753-2091 * msmhope@msmhope.org ject: 2021 Clergy Retreats ‐ San Alfonso 21 Clergy Retreats ‐ San Alfonso www.msmhope.org * Facebook
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May 14 - 16 May 23 - 30 June 4 - 6 IN-PERSON ONLY Wednesday, June 2nd 9:30 AM - 1:00 PM June 23 - 30 July 2 - 9 WHERE IS GOD? PRAYING OUR EXPERIENCES July 11 - 16 Thursday, June 10th 9:30 AM - 1:00 PM July 18 - 25 July 1 - 8 THE SAYINGS OF August 1 - 8 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES August 10 - 15 Friday, June 11th 9:30 AM - 1:00 PM August 18 - 25 September 19 -26 October 24 - 31 PERSONAL RETREAT DAY
Weekend 7 - Day Weekend 7 - Day 7 - Day 5 - Day 7 - Day 7 - Day 7 - Day 5 - Day 7 - Day 7 - Day 7 - Day
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Why not join us on retreat to refresh your soul and renew your spirit?
RETREATS FOR CLERGY SUMMER CLERGY INSTITUTE: JULY 4 - 9
PRESENTERS: Sr. Sandra Schneiders, IHM, Ph.D. “Teacher, Where Do You Dwell?” Professor William P. Gregory, Ph.D. • Pope Francis and the Missionary Transformation of the Church Rev. Scott Detisch, S.T.L., Ph.D. Being Claimed by the Eucharist We Celebrate
RETREATS FOR PRIESTS AND DEACONS: June 7 - 10 • September 13 - 16 • October 4 - 7
RETREAT FOR DEACONS: June 4 - 6 Our capacity may be limited, but our hospitality is boundless!
Retreats for Women: May 14-16; May 21-23; June 1 – 3; June 25-27; August 17-19 Retreat for Men: July 16-18 Married Couples: August 20-22 Serenity Retreat for Women: August 6-8 For more information and to register: 732-222-2731, x140 • info@sanalfonsoretreats.org • www.sanalfonsoretreats.org 755 Ocean Avenue, Long Branch
2 2
May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 59
In Memoriam
IN REMEMBRANCE, a listing of priests and deacons of the Diocese of Trenton who have died, can be found on TrentonMonitor.com>News>Obituaries
SALLY B. HAMMERSTONE, FORMER PRINCIPAL OF ST. HEDWIG SCHOOL, TRENTON Sally B. Hammerstone, a longtime Trenton resident, a member of the city’s St. Hedwig Parish and principal of the former St. Hedwig School, died March 29 at age 82. Since 2000, Mrs. Hammerstone had resided in Toms River and attended St. Catharine of Siena Parish, Seaside Park. Mrs. Hammerstone was predeceased by her husband, James Allen Hammerstone, who died in 2008, and her daughter, Cynthia Kopec, who died in 2019. She is survived by her children, Lara (Rob) Enright; James (Jessica) of Boulder, Colo.; Michael (Karen) of Longmont, Colo.; a brother and sister-in-law, and three grandchildren. Mrs. Hammerstone was entombed in St. Mary Cemetery and Mausoleum, Hamilton. Memorial donations may be made to Habitat for Humanity.
‘Faithful priest’ remembered Continued from 24
“There’s no question, his family took good care of him,” Msgr. Ladzinski added. “But it was tough to watch,” he said, noting that with each visit, Father Jackiewicz’s declining health was more noticeable. Father Jackiewicz had resided in St. Lawrence Rehabilitation Center in Lawrenceville for a short time after the accident, but then went to live with his sister and family in South River and remained there until the time of his death. After sharing about Father Jackiewicz’s love of sports, especially skiing, the monsignors reflected on the passion Father Jackiewicz had for his priesthood. “He was a faithful priest. He was always there for the peoOBITUARY INFORMATION Additional obituaries will be posted to TrentonMonitor.com as information becomes available.
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ple,” Msgr. Ladzinski said. “He was a very good priest,” Msgr. Bacovin agreed. “He loved his priesthood.” The two priests, as well as Msgr. Mullelly, Father McCormick, Msgr. Michael J. Walsh, episcopal vicar of Mercer County and pastor of St. James Parish, Pennington; St. George Parish, Titusville, and St. Alphonsus Parish, Hopewell, and retired priest Father Daniel Cahill concelebrated the Mass of Christian Burial. Father Michael J. Gromadzki, pastor of St. Mary of Ostrabrama Church, served as principal celebrant, and Msgr. Mullelly offered remarks during the Mass. Father Jackiewicz was born in 1944 in Kampala, Uganda. He and his family relocated to the United States in 1956 and settled first in Sayreville and then South River. He was a graduate of St. Mary High School, South Amboy; St. Mary College, Orchard Lake, Mich., and prepared for the priesthood in SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary, Orchard Lake, where he earned a master of divinity degree. He also held a master’s degree in education from the University of Detroit. Father Jackiewicz was ordained to the priesthood May 29, 1971, by Bishop George W. Ahr in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton. As a parochial vicar, he served in St. Hedwig Parish, Trenton; St. Joseph Parish (now part of Jesus the Good Shepherd Parish), Beverly, and St. Joan of Arc Parish, Marlton. He also was parish administrator in both St. Hedwig and St. Joseph Parishes. In 1987, Father Jackiewicz was appointed pastor of St. Jerome Parish, West Long Branch, and in 1996, was given the added responsibility to serve as Catholic chaplain in Monmouth University, West Long Branch. Father Jackiewicz retired from active ministry after the 2000 accident. Father Jackiewicz was predeceased by his parents, Waclaw and Maria Jackiewicz. He is survived by a sister, Halina (Vincent) Gostkowski; several nieces, nephews and grandnieces and grandnephews. Father Jackiewicz was buried in St. Mary Cemetery, East Brunswick. Memorial donations may be made to the St. Jerome Education Assistance Fund, 250 Wall St, West Long Branch, NJ 07764 or the St. Mary of Ostrabrama Building Fund, 30 Jackson St., South River, NJ 08882.
Funeral Directory
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Arts & Media From left, Father Gregg Abadilla, parochial vicar, St. Catharine-St. Margaret Parish, Spring Lake; Father Carlo Calisin, parochial vicar, St. Paul Parish, Princeton, and Father Augusto “Al” Gamalo, parochial vicar, St. Gregory the Great Parish, Hamilton Square, sing for a “COVID-19: Stories of Hope” video. Courtesy photo
‘COVID-19: Stories of Hope’ bring diocesan community together during the pandemic BY MATTHEW BECKER
Digital and Social Media Coordinator
I
n the early weeks and months of the pandemic shutdown, Catholic families and parish communities turned to technology to stay connected to their faith and with one another. With so many eyes on digital screens, the Diocese of Trenton began to encourage the faithful to share video reflections on how they were coping with COVID-19 and where they found hope during the crisis. That outreach resulted in the curated series “COVID-19: Stories of Hope,” launched nearly a year ago. Since then, 19 videos have been included in the series, which together have garnered 9,000 views and more than 1,000 engagements on social media to date. The first video in the series featured Rose, Bob and their two daughters, a family from Mary, Mother of the Church Parish, Bordentown. Titled “Coping with lifestyle changes,” the video takes viewers through the sudden changes of moving to online meetings, and their children’s activities either going to a virtual platform or getting cancelled altogether. Like many, they quickly realized that the quarantine was going to last longer than expected. In response, Rose decided she wanted to make more out of her time in quar-
antine. She began attending virtual daily Mass, spending virtual dinners with other family members and attending virtual Holy Hours at night, none of which she had been able to do prior to the quarantine. Doing these new things gave Rose hope that better days would come. Marianne Hartman, diocesan director of Multimedia Production, said the videos received such positive engagement on social media, that she and her team pursued more stories, and the topics grew to include creative ways in which parishes and schools connected with their communities during such isolating times. The most popular video came from Donovan Catholic High School, Toms River, which highlighted a class project that led to the writing and production of the original song, “When It’s Over,” by the school jazz choir class. Through classes via the Zoom App, teacher Cindy Wald, and her son, Erich Wald, led the students through the steps to writing the song. Other videos, ranging from 90 seconds to 5 minutes, included those focusing on the youth group from St. William the Abbot Parish, Howell; Tom and Vanessa from Ocean County on their family activities; Savannah from Donovan Catholic on “Making Connections During the Pandemic;” Msgr. Sam Sirianni, rector of St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold, speaking about the Co-Cathedral’s Reconciliation Tent;
62 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE May 2021
Father Stephen Sansevere reflecting on his being a newly ordained priest; the choir from St. Anselm Parish, Tinton Falls, singing “If You Love Me”; Holy Eucharist Parish, Tabernacle’s “Christmas in July” program to benefit the New Lisbon Development Center; Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, Asbury Park, on Virtual Learning; Monmouth University’s Virtual Catholic Campus Ministry; Father Jorge Bedoya, parochial vicar in St. Joan of Arc Parish, Marlton, in “Save lives, wear your mask”; the Pangilinan family; the Mountain Biking Priests; “Returning to Mass,” and “Celebrating Life at Notre Dame High School.” Of the “COVID-19: Stories of Hope” series, Hartman said, “It was great to see what people throughout the Diocese were doing, especially when we were on total lockdown.” She added how amazed she was at their creativity in sharing faith and interacting safely with community. “Things as simple as a song to lift our spirits, to donations for those in need . . . these stories were a unique way of uniting us in a time where we were all so separated,” Hartman said. The entire series is available for viewing on the Diocese of Trenton Youtube. The Diocese welcomes video submissions from others who want to share their “COVID-19: Stories of Hope.” To submit, go to: https://dioceseoftrenton. org/stories-of-hope.
RESTORATION, NOT CAPITAL PUNISHMENT Continued from 49
prisoner, because “I was scared.” But eventually she did talk to families and spent time praying the Rosary with them. She came to know both Sonnier and the families of the victims, as well as the men assigned to executions in the prison, learning all sides of the story. That story and others were featured in Sister Helen’s first book, “Dead Man Walking,” in 1993, on which the 1995 movie by the same title was based. Sonnier was the first of six death row inmates she has accompanied thus far. “He is suffering terribly,” Sister Helen said of one inmate she is currently advising, Manuel Ortiz from El Salvador. “He is going on 30 years on death row, and [I believe] he is innocent. To see the raw power, how abused it is, and the large number of mistakes – we need to end it. Hopefully Catholics wake up and get involved.”
AUDIENCE RESPONSE The FaithJustice event is one way that Sister Helen strives to raise awareness. It gives her an opportunity to speak to groups made up of people of all ages and walks of life. In the CFJ presentation, one 13-year-old attendee asked Sister Helen how one can know if he or she has the courage to do the sorts of things she has done. “You don’t know – you just do it,” Sister Helen returned. “Courage is grace under pressure. We care about something bigger than ourselves, and it can help us overcome our fear … I was scared – but you step into the grace of it, and God’s grace comes up to us.” Another participant wanted to know if the restorative justice movement, or rehabilitation, would have a
role in ending the death penalty. “We have been down this track of ‘punish people and make them suffer,’” Sister Helen replied. “Restorative justice is the way. The least amount of education in the prison system makes a huge difference. As for ending the death penalty – help us in our states, especially in the deep south,” she suggested, asking people to make themselves heard. When asked what retirement looks like for Sister Helen, now 80, she said, “First you get tired, then you get retired, then you get tireder … I don’t know. I know I can write, I can talk as long as God gives me that, and I’m going to raise my voice where I can.”
Vinroy D. Brown, Jr.
Vinroy D. Brown, Jr.
Ellen J. Dondero
The Choral Voice of The Choral Voice of
Spenser R. Gallo
Principal SpenserAccompanist R. Gallo Principal Accompanist
Spenser R. Gallo
Principal Accompanist
Zackary D. Ross Accompanist Zackary D. Ross Accompanist
Zackary D. Ross Accompanist
the Capital Region the Capital Region
connect...inspire...perform
Continued from 49
Continued on 65
Associate Conductor Ellen J. Dondero Associate Conductor
Associate Conductor
Artistic Director & Conductor
SISTER HELEN PREJEAN [toward the victims] … we feel this outrage about how wrong this is, and what are we going to do with that? For the victims’ families – they have said, ‘I can never be satisfied that they [criminals] are alive, and my family member is not.’ Each of us, when we come up against what has been done to innocent people, we have to grapple with that. How can we respond as a society? Will we now judge their crime to be so terrible that the only thing we can do justly is to kill them, with God’s blessing? … The only way out is through – that is what I have been doing: going to churches and cities to help them make that journey, a journey of conversion. First just facing the outrage; we should be outraged over the death of innocent people. But who are we going to put in charge [of deciding criminals’ fate]? What is the worst of the worst crimes? Local prosecutors, to whom ultimate discretion is given, are going for capital punishment less and less, and
Ellen J. Dondero
Artistic Director & Conductor Vinroy D. Brown, Jr. Artistic Director & Conductor
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May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 63
GREATER LIFE MASTER HEARD TO GO
Fun & Games
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Following is a word search based on the Gospel reading for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Cycle B: The charge to bear much fruit. The words can be found in all directions in the puzzle.
B
Gospel for May 9, 2021 John 15:9-19
SCRIPTURE SEARCH
LAY DOWN LONGER EVERYTHING APPOINTED MY NAME
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TEST YOUR CATHOLIC KNOWLEDGE ACROSS 2 Papal vestment 6 Biblical city 8 River Moses turned to blood 9 Papal crown 10 Brother of Peter 11 Short text chanted before and after a psalm 13 A street in Damascus 15 “Bring Flowers of the ___” 17 The Nicene Creed and the Hail Mary 19 “Kyrie ___” 22 Type of cross 24 What Jesus did on a certain Thursday 27 Savior 29 Old Testament prophet 31 Catholic sports figure Lombardi 32 State in which the Diocese of Salt Lake City is found
33 “…___ and female he created them.” (Gen 1:27) 34 Second pope DOWN 1 French-Canadian Catholic singing phenomenon 2 St. Valentine’s Day month 3 Catholic composer Beethoven 4 Georgia diocese 5 Describes certain letters from the bishops 6 One of the Magi 7 Fiddle-playing, Christian-hating ruler 10 Samson used the jawbone of this animal in battle 12 Peter cast one out 14 9 AM prayer 16 Vestment made of a narrow strip of cloth 18 A diocese in Virginia
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32 34 www.wordgamesforcatholics.com
25 Another name for the area of the Promised Land 26 Tribe of Israel 28 Catholic columnist Bombeck 30 “___ in a manger…”
We would like to thank WILLIS TOWERS WATSON, Property/Casualty broker for the Diocese of Trenton, for their sponsorship of this page. 64 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE May 2021
www.wordgamesforcatholics.com
Answers on back page.
1
SISTER PREJEAN Continued from 63
juries voting for it less and less. … Consciousness is changing, through education of the people, and is waking them up to their own good hearts.” TM: Support for capital punishment appears to be waning – what do you predict for its future? SH: “Not ‘appears,’ but ‘actually’ – it is going down. Juries don’t want to be responsible for the life of another human being. A Gallop poll toward the end of 2019 showed that if people were given a choice [to sentence someone to] life in prison without parole or the death penalty for a terrible crime, only 36 percent chose death.” TM: How has being so close to death helped you to live a fuller life? And how has it affected your relationships with family and friends? SH: “Being so close [to inmates] and seeing the difference it makes … doesn’t allow you to be passive. It makes every relationship count. I accompany people one by one; I have a privileged place in my heart [for inmates on death row]. In my most recent book, “River of Fire,” I say we have to develop friendships like a garden. We can’t make it without friends and community.”
SCOUTS AWARDS Continued from 50
their faith. That process included interviewing a deacon, speaking with a married couple, helping an elderly relative or neighbor, and working with an assisted living facility. “The boys learned more about their faith, more about the Sacraments and what they could do to live the Sacraments,” said Wilbur, a parent who works with Troop 18. The Pope Pius XII emblem is the final religious award Scouts can earn,
and involves helping youth move into adulthood with faith through discussions about various social situations, as well as current events. “A lot of them will be going off to college, [and] they are learning how to walk in their faith individually, and how they will use their faith in the workplace, in their family [life] and in their college experience,” said Wilbur. Wilbur’s son, Robert, will graduate from Howell High School before attending Florida State University in the fall. He earned the Pope Pius XII medal and believes the process “has enriched my faith and my character.” “Earning the Pope Pius XII emblem is most certainly fulfilling because it is the last emblem in the Catholic series, and it concludes the journey ... within Troop 18,” he said. Lucia Street, 10, a member of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Whiting, was the only Girl Scout to earn a religious emblem this year – the I Live My Faith medal. As part of earning the medal, she participated in a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia, Philadelphia, with her parents. “Part of the Girl Scout promise says ‘to serve God and my country’; serving God is important to me. I love Girl Scouts and my faith, so working on the medal came naturally,” she said.
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May 2021 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 65
COVID SITUATION IN INDIA CRITICAL
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as thousands seek medical care. Several states and cities have resorted to lockdowns and night curfews and other restrictions on socio-religious gatherings to break the chain of the pandemic’s spread. “The world is concerned about the situation in India and I am getting several calls,” said Cardinal Gracias, endorsing widespread criticism in India against the federal government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for its laxity and failure to prepare for the second surge. COVID-19 infections had peaked at 93,000 cases in mid-September in India. The infections declined steadily to 11,000 cases by February with daily death toll below 100. However, the fresh infections soon started rising with daily counts reaching 52,000 on April 1. Following the deadly second surge, India media has been witnessing an unprecedented avalanche of criticism for the severe shortage of medicines, vaccines and even oxygen that the government had been exporting to other countries. The newspaper India Today reported the government failed to act on a February parliamentary committee report that had urged it to augment its oxygen production and supply system in preparation for a second surge. The oxygen shortage has become the scourge of the nation, with hundreds of breathless COVID-19 victims dying even in hospitals struggling to get adequate oxygen supply. Responding to reports of states blocking and even hijacking trucks carrying liquid oxygen to various hospitals, Cardinal Gracias said, “When traffic signal fails and there are no policemen at crossroads, there will be chaos.” On April 25, Cardinal George Alencherry, major archbishop of the
Syro-Malabar Church, urged federal and state governments “to treat the availability of medical oxygen as a basic human right.”
TCA ROBOTICS TEAM Continued from 54
completed [an] official business plan, which included the development of our mission and vision statements.” Last year, the team’s participation in the FIRST Robotics Competition was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic, and they did not have the opportunity to compete with the robot they spent weeks building. The FIRST event – For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology – is an international high school robotics competition. This year, the competition was virtual, and though the team was able to use their completed robot, they were tasked to make it perform challenges on its own. Sudziarski explained, saying, “We are now competing in five skill challenges where three are autonomous. In [those] challenges, students used their coding knowledge to program the robot to drive specific courses autonomously.” While the pandemic has presented a different set of challenges for the team, Knowles acknowledged, “In a way, this year has provided an opportunity for students to be more focused.” One of the team captains, senior Francini Cruz, is proud of how the robotics program at TCA has grown. “Engineering and robotics is generally a male-dominated field, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t learn and try new things,” she said. “One of my goals as captain was to expand the team. I wanted to build a team that does outreach and inspires young girls and accepts everyone in any capacity, whether it be in engineering or marketing,” she said.
beginning of the pandemic, growing to nearly 3,500. Spanish-language versions of these videos are available as well. “Spanish-language communications have grown during the pandemic, as has the Hispanic digital community,” shared Matthew Greeley, coordinator for Spanish-language communications. “Facebook Live videos on Familia Vive Su Fe have been a boon for creating more online traffic with hundreds more followers and visits to PecesdeTrenton.org and Nuestra Diócesis Hoy, two of our main hubs for Spanish-language content for the Diocese. We are also producing more videos from Bishop’s Masses and messages in Spanish on our YouTube channel, CristoParaTodosDOT.” Matthew Becker, diocesan coordinator of social media, also noted a boost in online visitors. “We have gained over 2,000 followers across all platforms since the pandemic started,” Becker said. “Most of the traffic is on Facebook, which has grown by more than 1,200 subscribers since last March.” Also supported by the CCC collection are the USCCB website, video productions and content development for USCCB committees. In developing areas of the world where the Church is growing but resources are lacking, the CCC supports communications projects. It supports the Cardinal Foley Scholarship program, “which provides funds for training Catholic communicators from those areas of the world so that they have the tools necessary to spread the Gospel message in the 21st century,” according to the USCCB website. “The Catholic Communication Campaign helps connect people at home and abroad with Christ.” To learn more visit https://www.usccb.org/ committees/catholic-communication-campaign.
CATECHESIS TRAINING Continued from 27
and a retreat experience. Classes will be taught using a hybrid process to accommodate current restrictions and guidelines. Some classes will be in-person if restrictions allow and some will be virtual. Each participant will be assigned a mentor for the entire course, with several meetings taking place over the twoyear period.
D I R E C T O R Y
Continued from 27
Interested parties must complete an application and receive an endorsement from their parish pastor. Applicants will interview with a diocesan staff member from the Department of Catechesis. Cost for the two-year program is $300, which includes 12 sessions for year one plus materials, as well as two online courses for year two and retreat. For more information or for application materials, contact Debbie D’Agostaro: 609-4037175, ddagos@dioceseoftrenton.org or visit the department website at http://dioceseoftrenton. org/parish-catechetical-leadership-program
BUSINESS
COMMUNICATIONS WORK INTEGRAL IN DIOCESE
RETREATS A SAFE HAVEN Continued from 58
22 monthly programs including one-on-one conversations with a spiritual director, and opportunities to learn and practice contemplative prayer. There are facilities for six overnight retreatants or up to 25 guests for daytime programs. At Morningstar House of Prayer, “We’re doing a lot by Zoom,” said Filippini Sister Josephine Aparo, the director. “We have a good schedule for face time.” At the retreat facility, which is tucked away behind the Villa Victoria Academy campus on the banks of the Delaware River, days of recollection can be scheduled. Hours for Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament are available by appointment, and spiritual direction is online or in person, she said. “When the weather gets really nice, we’re outside,” she said, explaining that the staff can put up a tent for larger groups. Scheduling is flexible, she continued. “We do more by word of mouth and by appointment.” The Fatima Retreat Center and Blue Army Shrine, meanwhile, sponsors two major retreats a year – one in Advent and one in Lent, said Dorothy Carollo, manager of the Shrine and the World Apostolate of Fatima. Her husband, David, is the executive director of the World Apostolate of Fatima USA. Throughout the year, northwestern New Jersey’s 150-acre landmark – with an outdoor pavilion, shrines and chapels constructed to mirror beloved holy sites – welcomes retreat groups and individuals for prayer and contemplation, daily Mass and Adoration. All Masses are livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person, she said. “We are blessed to have an outdoor setting,” Carollo said, noting that seating in the 1,500 capacity pavilion is currently limited to 750.
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D N I O A N S S T E P R C C E H R E R M M A
F A L D A L E U T I B D L D R E W A N U I N R A I G H T R A A Y E R S E I G L T I C A S W H B D E E M E R L O I V I N C E D L I L E
P C A N A R A E S S R T I P H O O A R A R E S A T L E I S O G L C E N D E A A N A T H A A I W A U T A N U S Y
H D A N N N E T A
Announcing…. The Monitor Magazine’s
GRADUATION KEEPSAKE ISSUE Celebrating the Class of 2021 Coming to you in mid-June
Be part of the celebration! Place a personal message congratulating your graduate (8th grade …. High school …. College …. trade school) by visiting: dioceseoftrenton.org/congratulations-graduates Be sure to get your copy by subscribing now to The Monitor Magazine at: dioceseoftrenton.org/monitor-subscriptions or make your request at Monitor-Subscriptions@DioceseofTrenton.org Parishes and schools … place an ad congratulating your young people on this milestone achievement. Just email us at Monitor-Advertising@DioceseofTrenton.org or call (609) 403-7153. DEADLINE FOR AD AND SUBSCRIPTION ORDERS ….. JUNE 10TH 68 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE May 2021