Helping the Church where it is young, suffering and threatened
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As we gather in communion this World Mission Sunday, I extend to you a heartfelt invitation from Pope Francis, inspired by the Gospel: “Go and invite everyone to the banquet (cf. Mt 22:9).” This call to mission resonates deeply with our faith’s core, urging us to share God’s love with the world.
Over a century ago, our own Catholic community in the United States was nurtured through the generosity of the worldwide Church that contributed to what is today this second collection. Now, we are called to extend that same generosity to our brothers and sisters in over 1,150 mission territories across Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Pacific Islands, and the Middle East.
The collection on World Mission Sunday directly supports seminaries, future religious sisters, catechists, Catholic schools, and healthcare centers that provide essential care, embodying the love of Christ.
As members of the Catholic Church, which is universal by its very nature, we are invited to participate actively in this mission. Our contributions and prayers on World Mission Sunday
support the Church’s vital work of evangelization, inviting all to experience the joy and hope found in Christ.
I urge you, dear friends, to respond generously to this call. Let us unite in prayer for the success of the Church’s missionary activities and for the missionaries who dedicate their lives to spreading the Gospel. Your generosity is a powerful witness to the love and compassion at the heart of our faith.
May this World Mission Sunday deepen our commitment to the Church’s universal mission. Together, let us rejoice in the opportunity to share God’s love with the world, inviting everyone to the banquet of the Lord.
With every blessing, Sincerely in the Lord,
The Most Reverend David M. O’Connell, CM, JCD Bishop of Trenton
A Message from BISHOP DAVID M. O’CONNELL, C.M.
Dear Friends in our Mission Family,
Peace to you and your loved ones!
World Mission Sunday will be celebrated this year on the weekend of October 19 and 20. Our diocesan celebration will take place in St. Benedict Church, Holmdel, on Oct. 20 at the 11 a.m. Mass.
Frankie Picciolo, a student from the Religious Education Program of St. Benedict’s, is one of 24 young people from throughout the country to have his artwork selected as a winner in the National Christmas Card Art Contest of the Missionary Childhood Association. It will be an honor for me to present the award to Frankie during the Mass.
As Bishop O’Connell has shared in his message to us, the “call to mission resonates deeply with our faith’s core, urging us to share God’s love with the world.”
We all participate in this momentous event on World Mission Sunday particularly our collection for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Through our thoughts, prayers, and financial support to the missionary work of the Church, we have contributed and are continually helping this so worthy and noble cause.
Please share and give as your means allow to the second collection on World Mission Sunday. The funds we generate are entirely devoted to evangelization efforts, including the support of seminaries, future religious sisters, catechists, Catholic schools, and healthcare centers that offer life-changing education and care to those most in need.
We have always been generous in the past years with our offerings. On behalf of our missionaries serving here and abroad, I humbly and sincerely thank you.
United with you in prayer and faith,
Peter James Alindogan Diocesan Director of Missions
onefamilyinmission.org photo
Rev.
Fr. Peter James Alindogan
PARISH
Manalapan • St. Thomas More
Manasquan • St. Denis
2024 AWARDS
C$4,001 $5,003
$3,079 $9,244
Maple Shade • Our Lady of Perpetual Help $726 $3,275
Marlboro • St. Gabriel $911 $5,195
Marlton • St. Isaac Jogues $2, 294 $3,453
Marlton • St. Joan of Arc
Matawan • St. Clement
$4,983 $15,000 $1,620
$1,264 $16,324 $347
Medford • St. Mary of the Lakes $4,917 $9,801 $1,760 $999
Middletown • St. Catherine of Laboure
$1,702 $4,464
Middletown • St. Mary $1,892 $965 $783 $1,089
Millstone Township • St. Joseph NC NC
Monmouth Beach • Precious Blood $650 $600 $210
Moorestown • Our Lady of Good Counsel $1,249 $5,083
Mount Holly • Sacred Heart
Mount Laurel • St. John Neumann
Neptune • Holy Innocents
$1,123 $10,221 $648
$1,402 $7,218
$1,806 $6, 270 $348
New Egypt • St. Isidore the Farmer $2,707 $4,854
Pennington • St. James
$3, 271 $3, 322 $302
Point Pleasant Beach • St. Peter $2,167 $3,840 $583
Point Pleasant • St. Martha $4,581 $12,497
Princeton Junction • St. David the King
Princeton • St. Paul
Red Bank • St. Anthony
Red Bank • St. James
Riverton • Sacred Heart
Rumson • Holy Cross
Sea Girt
• St. Mark
Seaside Park • St. Junipero Serra
$2,000 $16,903
$2,465 $2, 224 $597 $5,017
$1,542 $8,441
$1,621 $3,442 $1,095
$1,001 $4,760 $939
$1,290 $6,595 $275 $795
$4, 203 $5,983
$2,131 $3, 361
Spring Lake • St. Catharine-St. Margaret $9,792 $5,201
Tabernacle • Holy Eucharist
Titusville • St. George
Toms River • St. Joseph
Toms River • St. Justin
Toms River • St. Luke
Toms River • St. Maximilian Kolbe
Trenton • Korean Martyrs
Trenton
• Our Lady of the Angels
Trenton • Sacred Heart
Trenton • St. Hedwig
Trenton • St. Joseph
Trenton • St. Mary of the Assumption
Cathedral
Wayside • St. Anselm
West End • St. Michael
West Long Branch • Our Lady of HopeSt. Jerome
West Trenton • Our Lady of Good Counsel
Whiting • St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Willingboro • Corpus Christi
Yardville • St. Vincent de Paul
ongratulations to the following parishes and schools who have the highest contributions to the missions this year. This is based on the amount they gave as reflected on the number of enrolled students. Thank you for your help and support.
Per Capita Contributions
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS:
First place: St. Jerome School, Our Lady of Hope Parish, West Long Branch
Second Place: St. Benedict School, Holmdel
Honorable Mention: St. Joan of Arc School, Marlton
Total Contributions
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PROGRAMS
First Place: St. Paul Parish Religious Education Program, Princeton
Second Place: Nativity Parish Religious Education Program, Fair Haven
Honorable Mention: St. Rose Parish Religious Education Program, Belmar
DIOCESAN WORLD MISSION SUNDAY MASS
October 20 at the 11 a.m. Mass St. Benedict Church, Holmdel
Principal Celebrant: Father Peter James Alindogan, diocesan missions director
2024 ANNUAL REPORT Year ending 12/31/23 CASH RECEIPTS
The following amounts were collected from parishioners, parishes and the administration in the Diocese of Trenton.
$2,545 $5,520
$1,200 $2, 304
$7,476 $11,580
$1,579 $5,157 $686
$5,518 $4, 385
$3,835 $8,150
$220 $0
$510 $900
$2, 245 $2,947 $260
$628 $690
$1,936 $2,880
$2,000 $4,500
$1,531 $4,614 $183
$3,066 $9,151
$2, 230 $2,650 $3,511 $597
$891 $2, 206
$1,737 $6,678
$2,100 $3,000
$869 $11,000
The donations from the Diocese of Trenton were disbursed to the following national and international programs: The Society of the Propagation of the Faith $461,636
Childhood Association $42,385
Cooperation Plan $449,047 Mass Stipends $10,600
Near East Welfare Association $4,009 $967,677
*Includes WMS collections from Oct. 2022
To learn more, scan the QR code or visit: dioceseoftrenton.org/missions
MESSAGE FROM HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS FOR WORLD MISSION DAY 2024: “Go and invite everyone to the banquet” (cf. Matt. 22:9)
BY INES SAN MARTIN
The Pontifical Mission Societies
The Vatican released Pope Francis’s message for World Mission Sunday 2024. In the text, the Pope reflects on the Gospel parable of the Wedding Banquet, where the king tells his servants “Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find”. “Go and invite!” Mission as a tireless outreach to invite others to the Lord’s banquet
Pope Francis tells us Mission is a tireless outreach to invite others to the Lord’s banquet:
His Holiness reminds us that mission implies a continuous outreach to all people, not only by going out, but also by inviting each one in a personal way to meet the Lord.
We must go to the ends of the earth,
IN NOVEMBER…
with perseverance and without forgetting that we must incarnate a tireless commitment to the mission of evangelization.
“Everyone” The universal mission of Christ’s disciples in the fully synodal and missionary Church
The universal mission of Christ’s disciples in the fully synodal and missionary Church:
In a divided world, the Gospel remains a unifying force, calling people to meet and rejoice in harmony in the midst of diversity. Mission includes a special concern for the marginalized, echoing the parable’s invitation to “all, good and bad.”
It is crucial to remember that we are in a period calling for a renewal of
strength and to be a fully synodal and missionary Church, affirming that synodality and mission are interconnected.
“To the wedding feast.” The eschatological and Eucharistic dimension of the mission of Christ and the Church
In the parable, the banquet represents a symbol of the definitive salvation in the Kingdom of God:
The invitation to the banquet is linked to the Eucharistic table, where believers share the Body and Blood of Christ, anticipating the final banquet.
The symbolism of the Eucharist, an essential Sacrament, paired with the urgency of the evangelization for all peoples in this parable is a strong reminder of the importance of our mission.
Towards the end of his message, the Pope recommends to all dioceses worldwide the service of the Pontifical Mission Societies as the primary means “by which Catholics are instilled with a truly universal and missionary outlook from childhood, and [as] a means of effectively collecting funds for all missions, each according to its needs.”
As in all his messages, the Holy Father concludes by invoking the intercession of Mary, who played a fundamental role at the wedding feast in Cana. Mary serves as a guiding force in the Church’s evangelizing mission, and her maternal intercession is sought out by Christ’s disciples in the present.
Join us in renewing our mission daily, in anticipation of World Mission Day.
For Pope Francis’ full message for World Mission Day 2024, visit TrentonMonitor.com> From Pope Francis
The Monitor Magazine will include coverage on the diocesan World Mission Sunday Mass to be celebrated in St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel. The coverage will also include a feature story on Frankie Picciolo, a winner in the 2024 Missionary Childhood Association’s National Christmas Artwork Contest, as well as an interview with Father Peter James Alindogan on his mission visit to Bangladesh earlier this year.
Frankie Picciolo