June 22, 2023

atholic Spirit C

INTO THE Go World

On the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, June 10-11, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, New Brunswick, was among the many parishes in the Diocese offering public witness to their devotion to the Body and Blood of Christ. The Feast of Corpus Christi marked the opening of the Year of Parish Revival. For coverage and photos see pages 3, 26-27.

Bishop calls on all to use unique gifts to build a culture of life, love

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

It is hard to believe that this month marks the first anniversary of the historic Supreme Court decision in the case of Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization which overturned Roe vs. Wade and returned the abortion issue back to the states. This goal had been in the works for so long that it seemed at times like the day would never come, but here we are a year later.

I always remember our dear St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s words about abortion from when I was a seminarian: “Any country that accepts abortion, is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what it wants.”

At least this cannot be said about our country as a whole now! However, even though since the Dobbs decision many states have enacted strong pro-life protections, other states, including New Jersey, have expanded and protected abortion access while some even pursue legalizing abortion up until the moment of birth. While the anniversary of the reversal of Roe is reason to celebrate, much work is still needed to achieve national protection for babies in the womb and their mothers, promoting a culture of life and love.

As Catholics, we believe that God is the author of all life, and hence we are called to promote life in many ways. We believe that each human life is sacred and deserves respect and protection regardless of its stage or condition. In the wake of Dobbs, we are being presented with new opportunities and responsibilities to continue to build a culture of love that welcomes and celebrates new life.

Thankfully, many people in our diocese are accepting the challenge to

do more. For instance, in our four counties, we are blessed to have numerous pregnancy help centers staffed by volunteers who reach out with compassion to accompany pregnant moms in need and help them to choose life. I have been so impressed with their work! Many of our parishes take part in the U.S. Bishops’ Conference “Walking with Moms in Need” initiative (www.walkingwithmoms.com) by running baby bottle drives and hosting baby showers to help provide financial and material assistance to these centers.

Our local Knights of Columbus councils work hard to ensure that each of these centers is equipped with ultrasound machines so that expectant moms can see their babies growing in the womb. For women and men who suffer after an abortion experience, our Catholic Charities counselors offer confidential help and healing through Project Rachel ministries (https://hopeafterabortion.com).

In addition to reaching out to those in need, many of our parishioners practice faithful citizenship by sending emails, making phone calls and attending rallies to urge state and federal legislators to support public policies that promote life. Our diocesan Office of Human Life & Dignity sponsors conferences, workshops and school programs to help promote a culture of love in our society and educate our fellow Catholics about the life issues helping to share the Church’s beautiful teachings on the dignity of the human person (https://diometuchen.org/ humanlifeanddignity).

Of course, as in all things, prayer is the foundation of all our efforts in defense of life and promoting a culture of love. Our work, whether pastoral, legislative or educational will be less than fully fruitful without prayer, and prayer has guided us along the way to this first anniversary of the Dobbs decision. Many have participated in programs for communal and personal prayer offered throughout the year including our Life Chain, 40-Days for

Life, Novena for Life, Spiritual Adoption and Rosary for Life. Through prayer, fasting and the Sacraments we can call on God to change hearts and put an end to the violence of abortion.

Indeed, it is only through the prayers, hard work and generosity, especially on the part of those in our parishes across the diocese and the nation, that much has been accomplished and we can rejoice that abortion on demand is no longer the law of the land. As we commemorate this first anniversary of Dobbs, as we grow in our listening to and accompanying of those in need through the synodal process our Church is undergoing and during this period of our National Eucharistic Revival, let us draw close to Christ’s Sacred Heart and the Eucharist and ask Him to

show us anew how He is calling each of us to use our unique gifts for continuing to build a culture of life and love.

May St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s encouragement to be a country of love grow stronger! Know of my prayers, love, and gratitude for all of you. God bless you all and our nation.

God bless,

• (732) 529-7934 Peter Nguyen • (732) 529-7956

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Most Reverend James F. Checchio, JCD, MBA Bishop of Metuchen

Catholic Spirit, Communications Office garner three Catholic Press awards

The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and the diocesan Office of Communications and Public Relations were among the 2023 Catholic Press Awards winners at the 2023 Catholic Media Conference held in Baltimore, June 6-9.

The Catholic Press Awards are presented annually by the Catholic Media Association, an association of publishers and communication professionals in Catholic media that recognizes works that inform and promote the mission of the Church.

The awards include:

Second Place, Best News Writing on a Local or Regional Event – Non--Week-

ly, “Race raises more than $265,000 in memory of judge’s slain son” – Kyra Stevko, special contributor.

Honorable Metuchen, Best Postcast Series, “9 Days for Life Novena,” A Special “Am I Not Here” Mini-Series, Diocese of Metuchen Office of Communications and Public Relations, Gerard Wutowski, Jr., assistant director.

Honorable Mention, Best Sports Journalism, Sports Feature or Column – “Team turns tragedy to triumph by dedicating season to late coach” – Alex Lowe, correspondent.

To listen to the “Am I Not Here” podcast episodes, visit diometuchen.org/ aminothere

Bishop’s Appointments

Bishop James F. Checchio has announced the following appointment.

Rev. Leopoldo Salvania has been appointed pastor of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish, Hackettstown, effective May 9, 2023

Addendum –

In the May issue of “The Catholic Spirit” it should have been noted that among the deacons celebrating their 25th anniversary, three, pictured on page 12 are retired from active ministry. They include: Deacon Guido Brossoni, Deacon Ronald J. Caimi, and Deacon Thomas F. Dominiecki.

Correction

On page 28 of the May 18 edition of “The Catholic Spirit,” a photo caption about Saint Joseph’s volleyball team should have read: “Miguel Cabrita, center, a 1991 graduate of Saint Joseph High School, Metuchen, and head coach of the boys volleyball team since 2005, poses with the squad after it posted a victory over East Brunswick High.”

Also, the photo credit should have read: “photo courtesy of Saint Joseph High School”

“The Catholic Spirit” apologizes for these errors.

Corpus Christi Masses, processions mark eucharistic presence

By Christina Leslie Correspondent

With the Solemnity of Corpus Christi marking the start of the Year of Parish Revival, year two of the National Eucharistic Revival, Bishop James F. Checchio celebrated two Masses for Corpus Christi the weekend of June 10-11 –the 5:15 p.m. Vigil Mass in Our Lady of Peace Parish, Fords, and the 10:30 a.m. Mass in St. Helena Parish, Edison.

Bishop Checchio called the feast day “the lifeblood of the Church, the instrument by which Christ is present in the world.”

Reminding congregations that no complacency, no taking for granted should enter their lives when it comes to the Eucharist, the Bishop urged they show reverence when receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. With the advent of the Year of Parish Revival, he said, every parish in the Diocese and the world “will take steps to revive, to enliven our devotion to the Eucharist.”

Many parishes across the Diocese expressed that devotion through Eucharistic processions, following Mass.

Father Timothy Christy, rector of the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, served as principal celebrant and homilist of the noon Mass June 11 during which he reflected on the new initiative and asked the assembled, “Isn’t every Mass focused on the body and blood of Christ? The Church has kept a memorial of Christ with us.”

Citing a 2019 Pew study which showed just 31 percent of Catholics believe that the Eucharist is the true presence of Christ, Father Christy continued, “Bishops around the world are saying, ‘We need a revival now.’ People are still [attending Mass] on livestream, but what we do apart is not better than what we can do together. God did not see the world in virtual mode.

“We do not need to start a new program, but we need to start a fire,” he declared. “When we take Him in procession, it is the image of the Church in motion on our way to heaven.”

The National Eucharistic Revival is a three-year process of abundant grace and transformation which strives to bring Catholic faithful to a renewed personal

encounter with Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Initiated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the inaugural year began June 19, 2022, the Feast of Corpus Christi, with the goal to equip and prepare each diocese in the country to foster four pillars, or goals, including reinvigorating worship, personal encounters, robust formation and missionary sending.

Once again using the Feast of Corpus Christi as a focal point, the National Eucharistic Revival’s Year of Parish Revival began June 11, 2023. Parishes will use the Revival’s four pillars as they schedule events to promote deeper encounters with Christ. The third and final year, the Year of Mission, runs from June, 2024 to June, 2025 and culminate

in a National Eucharistic Congress to be held July 17-21, 2025, in Indianapolis.

At the conclusion of Mass, faithful of all ages sank to their knees in adoration as Father Christy placed a host in the golden monstrance. Then, accompanied by priests, deacons and servers carrying a processional canopy (or baldacchino), the rector began a procession around the interior of the Cathedral through a cloud of incense. Joined by the laity, the procession burst through the front doors of the mother church of the Diocese and walked along Main Street, concluding at a makeshift altar erected in the St. Francis Cathedral Cemetery on Cathedral grounds.

To see photos of Corpus Christi celebrations in parishes across the Diocese turn to pages 26-27.

Bishop James F. Checchio, top photo, celebrates the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ in St. Helena Parish, Edison, June 11. Bottom left, Father Timothy Christy, rector, Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen, holds the Monstrance and leads a Eucharistic procession following the June 11 Mass. Bottom right, Bishop Checchio greets a parishioner during his visit to Our Lady of Peace Parish, Fords, to celebrate Mass for the Feast of Corpus Christi and launch the beginning of the Year of Parish Revival.

Marlo Williamson, John Batkowski, Gerald Wutkowski photos, respectively.

Take refuge in the Sacred Heart of Jesus

me all you who are weary and find life burdensome and I will refresh you.” [Mt. 11:28]

In Mt. 11;28-30, the evangelist speaks to us about the “hesed” of God, that is, the “loving mercy” made incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ. We pine for this loving mercy which we honor specifically on the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In my own lifetime, my devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is, I am sure, pivotal in my decision to say “yes” to the Lord’s invitation to follow him into the priesthood. Because I was quick to learn that life on planet earth can be fickle, troublesome, sorrowful, fodder for anxiety, I took solace in this beautiful passage from the Second Gospel and how Jesus invites all of us who are finding life burdensome to find refuge from the pain in him. In the following, there are some instances which perhaps you, the reader, can identify with. Instances in which you are plagued by circumstances beyond your control which yield pain, sorrow, anxiety, depression, physical disease. In each of these, the Lord beckons to find comfort in him, in particular, in his heart, the locus of God’s

“hesed,” his loving mercy. On June 16, the Church pays homage to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is not a feast day but an actual solemnity, one of the feasts of the Lord. May all of us, each in our own way, find a way to honor the loving mercy of God made flesh in Jesus. He is our hope and, in the words of the “Te Deum,” “ we shall never hope in vain.”

“My life is spinning out of control— I can’t take this constant rushing, when I want to sleep, I can’t. When I don’t want to sleep, I find myself dozing off.” And Jesus says: “Come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you.” [Mt. 11:28]

“My husband and I haven’t been intimate in years. I feel like a parched desert yearning for even a drop of water. I feel empty—unloved and unlovable.” And Jesus says: “Come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome,

and I will refresh you.” [Mt. 11:28]

“My kids and I don’t see eye-toeye on just about any issue. They speak a language which is foreign to me. And they don’t want to spend any time with me. In fact, they never want to be seen in my company when they are with their friends. It seems like their friends come before their family.” And Jesus says: “Come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you.” [Mt. 11:28]

“Does anyone know how humiliating it is for me to be unemployed after dedicating the past twenty years of my life to a big banking firm? Now, I’m lucky if I can find a job as a branch manager. I live in a town that I love but for how much longer? Creditors are hounding me. Bills go unpaid. My kids have no clue what’s going on and, sometimes, I wish my wife didn’t either.” And Jesus says: “Come to

“Just when I think that I’m out of the woods with my battle with one cancer, I just learned that another cancer has reared its ugly head in my body. I’m scared. I’m young. I have kids—and I don’t want to leave them. I don’t want them to lose their faith if I die. I don’t want them to blame God for what genetics has done to me.” And Jesus says: “Come to me you who are weary and find life burdensome and I will refresh you.” [Mt. 11:28]

“Twenty years of marriage, four kids and my husband tells me that he no longer wants to be married. What did I do wrong? Why has the loved that united us dissolved? Will somebody pinch me and tell me that it’s just a bad dream?” And Jesus says: “Come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome and I will refresh you.” [Mt. 11:28]

These are just a few vignettes from the hearts of parishioners who are in pain; just a few insights into the hearts of people who populate our pews, sometimes on a daily basis. But the word is out—Jesus doesn’t want us to suffer alone. His Sacred Heart beckons: “come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome and I will refresh you.” [Mt. 11:28] The Heart calls—“what are we waiting for?” Let go, let Jesus!

Trusting in God leads to water he places in ‘Bitter Valleys’

“further up and further in” is an excellent description of the spiritual life. However, after a quick online search, I found that the phrase was already the name for an online group, and I figured that I might have copyright problems if I used it.

When I heard through the diocesan grapevine that “The Catholic Spirit” was looking for a regular column writer, I went to my superior and asked what she thought about my sending in my name. She said it was a great idea! So, encouraged by the blessing of obedience, I emailed the editors, giving the link to the articles that I have written, and applying for the position. They replied immediately and graciously welcomed me aboard.

When everything was arranged, I told my Sisters in the Community that I would be writing a regular column for the “Spirit.” They were used to my writing, and they took this new development in stride. One of their few questions was, “What will you call the column?” For, besides the title of the individual article, the column itself usually has a title.

I had thought about this, and my first choice for a title was “Further Up and Further In,” from “The Last Battle” in C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. I am a fervent Narnia fan, and I believe that

The next suggestion immediately came to my mind: “A Place of Springs.” This is part of a verse from Psalm 84, a hymn sung by pilgrims as they make their way to the house of God. They rejoice as they look forward to entering God’s presence and in verse 6, they reflect on the difficulties that they have encountered.

There are several translations of verse 6: “As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs.” Another translation says, “As they pass through the Valley of the Balsam they make there a water hole.”

These are both valid translations, but the one I am familiar with is from the Grail Psalms that are used in the Liturgy of the Hours, which all priests and religious recite. This translation says, “As they go through the Bitter Valley they make it a place of springs.” I don’t know where the Valley of Baca is; I assume it’s in the Holy Land somewhere, but I know very well where the different Bitter Valleys are through which I have struggled at various times in my life.

We all have our Bitter Valley and many of us have several of them: valleys

of depression and despair, of financial hardship, of broken relationships, of difficulties and problems of every kind. We have only to look back over our life and we can remember them and the anguish and turmoil that we experienced as we trudged slowly and with difficulty, one small, painful step at a time.

What I love about this verse is that I don’t need to do anything to change the Bitter Valley except to keep going and not to give up. My very endurance transforms it “into a place of springs.” I may not realize it at the time, but looking back it may become clear that my persistence made a difference. Or others may notice how the passage through that Bitter Valley changed me. It may have taught me compassion, trust in God, the power of grace. After struggling through it I may

see more clearly the beauty and wonder of the people I love, the truth of our faith, and, most important, how much God loves me.

I probably won’t see these things while I am in the Valley, but if I continue to make just one more step along its path, and then another and another, I will find the water that is there because of my trust in God.

My articles are my own pilgrimage songs, flowing from my struggles in different Bitter Valleys. I pray that those who read them may find them to be also “a place of springs.”

Sister Gabriela of the Incarnation is a member of the Discalced Carmelites order in Flemington www.flemingtoncarmel.org.

How to report abuse

If you were sexually abused by a member of the clergy or anyone representing the Catholic Church, or you know of someone who was, you are encouraged to report that abuse to local law enforcement, the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency at 1-877-NJ ABUSE (652-2873) or 1-800-835-5510 (TTY/TDD for the deaf), and also the Diocesan Response Officer at (908) 930-4558 (24 hours/7 days a week).

“Come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you.”

[Mt. 11:28]

REAL PRESENCE

With year two of the National Eucharistic Revival serving as the Year of Parish Revival, June 2023 to June 2024, Bishop James F. Checchio has invited recently ordained priests of the Diocese of Metuchen to share their insights, perspectives and suggestions for increasing understanding of and devotion to the Eucharist in parishes. The following column by Father Joseph S. I. Illés is the first to appear as part of this monthly series.

‘My Sacrifice and Yours:’ Gift of Presence in the Mass

By Father Joseph S. I. Illés, Special Contributor

There are many ways we can describe the Mass. It can be a banquet, a celebration, a gathering – “church” in Greek means not a physical building but an assembly of believers. Traditionally, we refer to the Mass as a Sacrifice.

This term references the action of Good Friday in which we are drawn as a congregation into the Sacrifice of the Altar, a reminder to us every Mass of the love, goodness, mercy and suffering of the Lord which brought about our salvation.

More broadly, however, the use of the word “Sacrifice” to describe the Mass points not just to the work of the Lord and the ordained priest, but to that of the congregation of the baptized gathered in prayer and worship.

In Baptism, we are all given a share in the three roles, the munera (duties), of Jesus Christ as priest, prophet and king. We of course exercise these differently

than Jesus did, and we exercise them to different degrees, but all of us – priest and laity alike – share in each. Each of the three roles has their part in our lives, but, of particular note here, is the role of priest.

By their scriptural and functional nature, priests offer sacrifice, and so our common priesthood in Baptism has a part in the Sacrifice of the Mass. The role of the ordained priest is clear in the Mass, but the laity, too, have a priestly role. In their priestly configuration, the laity are called to “fully conscious, and active participation” in the Mass (Sacrosanctum concilium, 14). This means participation in the responses, prayer, and music and offering a sacrifice in the collection.

More importantly, it means a gift of self. As Christians, we are all called to follow Jesus and to imitate him. In the lay participation in the priesthood of Jesus Christ, this means offering ourselves in service to God. “Fully conscious, and active participation,” then, means more than merely attending Mass.

It means giving ourselves to the Lord, to be taken up in the sacrificial mystery, to become a sacrifice of love and service to the Lord whom we follow. It means being drawn into greater communion with God, and with each other, as we grow to resemble the union of Jesus and his Church. It means being transformed by the Eucharistic Lord.

This is why belief in the Real Presence of the Eucharist is critical to our faith. When we understand whom it is we receive, why it is we receive him, and what it means (spiritually and evangelically) to receive him, we recognize the singular dignity given us as Christians.

When we believe that the Eucharist is the Real Presence of the Lord for whom we are made and to whom we are directed, we cannot help but be moved by the sacramental graces to embrace more fully and more readily the call to evangelization and service, not just within the church building, but to the world.

We might describe the Mass as many things, but when we recognize the

importance of the Mass as a Sacrifice, we understand, too, that the Mass is so much more than something to be attended, observed or endured. The Mass is a call to service, to sacrifice, to union with the Eucharistic Lord whom we receive, and whom we are called to follow.

The Mass is where we are called to give of ourselves in a “fully conscious and active” way, offering ourselves as the sacrifice to be sent out into the world to preach the life, death and Resurrection of him into whom we are transformed.

As we attend the Sacrifice of the Mass in this Year of the Eucharist, let us then resolve to give ourselves in service to the Lord, and so be transformed as instruments of the Lord’s evangelical mission in our Diocese of Metuchen, and especially to the world outside our church doors.

Father Joseph S. I. Illés serves as parochial vicar in Immaculate Conception Parish and director of Catholic Identity, Immaculata High School, both in Somerville.

Flemington parish welcomes new shepherd at liturgy

By Chris Donahue Retired Editor-in-Chief

St. Magdalen de Pazzi Parish, Flemington, which celebrated the 175th anniversary of its founding in 2022, began a new chapter in its history when Father James E. De Fillipps was formally installed as pastor by Bishop James F. Checchio.

The rite of installation was held during Mass in St. Magdalen de Pazzi Church, May 7, for Father De Fillips, who was appointed administrator of St. Magdalen’s while remaining as bishop’s delegate for the diocesan Office of Evangelization June 14, 2022.

Prior to that, Father De Fillipps served as parochial vicar at St. Bartholomew Parish, East Brunswick.

Father De Fillipps succeeds Father Kenneth D. Brighenti, who was installed as pastor Sept. 23, 2017. Father Brighenti is now vice rector at the Pontifical College Josephinum, Columbus, Ohio.

Father De Fillipps was ordained to the priesthood for the diocese by thenBishop, now Bishop Emeritus Paul G. Bootkoski at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen, May 26, 2012.

His vesting priest was Msgr. Joseph M. Curry, who was among the concelebrants at the May 7 liturgy.

Father De Fillipps’ first priestly assignment was parochial vicar at St. Ann Parish, Raritan Borough.

He was born in Livingston and after

graduating from Parsippany High School in 1999, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education and social studies at Caldwell College, now University.

In a story in The Catholic Spirit published in conjunction with his 2012 ordination, Father De Fillipps said his in-

terest in becoming a priest was “sparked” by Father Jude S. Salus, then pastor of the home parish of Father De Fillipps’ family – Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish, Cedar Knolls.

Father De Fillipps, then a teacher at St. Therese School, Succasuna, said he was approached by Father Salus, a member of the Benedictine Order founded by St. Benedict of Nursia, at a teacher’s day of reflection and told him, in so many words, he was going to be a priest.

And, although he loved teaching, at Mass during Advent in 2004, he recalled feeling a strong desire to do “something more.”

Father De Fillipps recalled that his relationship with the Benedictine monks at St, Mary’s Abbey and at Delbarton School, both in Morristown, fueled his journey to the priesthood.

Founded in 1847 by Bishop Francis Kenrick, shepherd of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, St. Magdalen de Pazzi Parish now serves some 3,344 registered families and 397 children in its religious education program, according to a story about the anniversary celebration in the Sept. 22, 2022 edition of The Catholic Spirit.

Father James E. De Fillipps prays at Mass after being formally installed as pastor of St. Magdalen de Pazzi Parish, Flemington. Bishop James F. Checchio who installed Father De Fillipps stands behind the new pastor. Assisting at the installation, May 7, was Deacon David Urcinas standing to the right of Father De Fillipps. Deacon Urcinas ministers at St. Magadalen De Pazzi. Monika Szmul photo

Australian nursing student who became Catholic at Easter

Vigil preparing for first World Youth Day

Australian Catholic University student Bryce Kathage, pictured in an undated photo, will make his first pilgrimage to World Youth Day in Lisbon four months after becoming Catholic. The third-year nursing student based at ACU Banyo was received into the Catholic Church at Easter in the same chapel where he experienced his first Mass. OSV News photo/ courtesy Australian Catholic University

Catholic aid workers see huge needs for flooded Kherson, people ‘die on own rooftops’

BANYO, Australia (OSV News) – In less than two months an expected 1.5 million young Catholics will descend on the capital city of Portugal for World Youth Day. Bryce Kathage will likely be the “youngest” in the crowd. The third-year nursing student at Australian Catholic University (ACU), who also has served in the Australian military’s infantry corps, became a Catholic at Easter, inside

the chapel where he experienced his first Mass. The World Youth Day in Lisbon will be his first international Catholic encounter. “At the start of the year I didn’t even know what World Youth Day was,” Kathage said. “Admittedly, I still have a lot to learn about the Catholic faith, I’ve really only learnt the basics, but hopefully I can come back from World Youth Day with a lot more knowledge to share with the community here at ACU.” World Youth Day in Lisbon Aug. 1-6 will be the Catholic Church’s first global event since the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.

BRIEF: KHERSON, Ukraine (OSV News) -- Delivering aid in Ukraine’s flooded Kherson area has become a lifethreatening task. Aid workers of Caritas and other organizations told OSV News they cannot go on rescue boats without bulletproof vests and military helmets, as Russian troops have continued to fire on civilian victims and rescuers. In some towns that are still under Russian occupation, sources say the situation is so dire that people die on their own rooftops. On June 6, damage to the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant in Kherson released some 4.3 cubic miles of water (a single cubic mile of water equals 1.1 trillion gallons)

from the Kakhovka Reservoir, one of the world’s largest capacity reservoirs. Dozens of towns and villages along the Dnipro River have been flooded so far, with tens of thousands at flood risk, according to Ukrainian government officials. The Institute for the Study of War, based in Washington, has assessed that “the balance of evidence, reasoning, and rhetoric suggests that the Russians deliberately damaged the dam.” Father Piotr Rosochacki, director of Caritas-Spes Ukraine since 2015, told OSV News the flooded terrain is now being “regularly shelled” by Russian troops, lamenting the attacks as “never-ending.” He appealed to Catholics around the globe not to forget about Ukraine and not to become indifferent. “The water will go away and in a month, two, others will live their own lives and forget about the dam. But people here will remain without basics like drinking water,” he said, adding that long-term help is needed “so that those people can live again.”

Flood victims receive hot meals at a humanitarian aid center in Kherson, Ukraine, June 12, after the Nova Kakhovka dam breached. —OSV News photo/ Ivan Antypenko, Reuters

Catholics concerned as U.S. child labor violations increase and lawmakers seek to weaken laws

While Canada is fighting wildfires from western Alberta province to eastern Nova Scotia, Father Gerald Mendoza (third from left) is on the frontlines of the battle in firefighter uniform. Father Mendoza is among the more than 3,000 men and women combatting the flames. He has served the Archdiocese of Grouard-McLennan for over a decade, first became immersed in the 2023 wildfire battle at the beginning of May. OSV News photo/courtesy Fr. Mendoza

CHATEH, Alberta -- While Canada is fighting wildfires from western Alberta province to eastern Nova Scotia, at least one priest is on the frontlines of the battle in firefighter uniform. Father Gerald Mendoza, pastor at Our Lady of Assumption Parish in Chateh and St. Peter and St. Paul Church in Rainbow Lake, both located in Alberta province, is also a volunteer firefighter. He assisted in the putting out of blazes in both of his communities – and he helps out around the fire hall. Though mindful of not appearing to be “showy,” Father Mendoza said he tries to bring a “priestly presence” to the fire hall by praying the rosary in his firefighting gear. Around 16,400 people had to evacuate their homes near Halifax, Nova Scotia’s

largest city, on May 29. Drier than normal weather conditions have already caused nearly 550 wildfires in the province – over 100 more wildfires than in 2022. The blaze led officials to declare a local state of emergency in Halifax late May 28, according to the BBC. Justin Trudeau, Canadian prime minister tweeted May 29 that “the wildfire situation in Nova Scotia is incredibly serious,” adding that he is “keeping everyone affected in our thoughts, and we’re thanking those who are working hard to keep people safe.” Meanwhile, heavy rainfall throughout the province of Alberta over the Canadian long weekend May 20-22 potentially signaled a hopeful turning point in the effort to quell the 2023 wildfire state of emergency.

WASHINGTON (OSV News) -- According to recently published reports and investigations, children are toiling in some of the most dangerous conditions in American industry, such as construction, slaughterhouses and assembly lines, drawing concern from Catholics and labor leaders. In one of the largest child labor cases in its history, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division discovered 102 children from ages 13 to 17 were employed by Kieler, Wisconsin-based Packers Sanitation Services, Inc., at their client facilities in eight states. According to the department, the children worked overnight shifts, and at least three suffered injuries while cleaning back saws, brisket saw and head splitters. The company was fined $1.5 million in civil penalties. The case is hardly isolated, as the Labor De-

partment says illegal child labor has risen 69% since 2018, and it has 600 ongoing child labor investigations. Employers frequently cite an ongoing worker shortage among their challenges, which has motivated some state legislators, such as in Minnesota and Iowa, to introduce bills that would weaken child labor law age regulations and safety protections.

“When I hear an employer say that there’s a worker shortage, what they’re actually saying is there are no workers available to work at the price I’m willing to pay,” Clayton Sinyai, executive director of the Catholic Labor Network told OSV News.

“They don’t like the current labor market, and would like to pay people less. And children will work for less.”

June 12 was World Day Against Child Labor.

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

New pastor enjoys tending to needs of flock, guiding parochial school

By Karen Corpora Correspondent

ANNANDALE -- Hundreds of faithful gathered for Mass in which Bishop James F. Checchio installed Father Keith M. Cervine as the 10th pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish.

Bishop Checchio, who presided at the Mass on May 7 and offered the homily, said, “The first act of a priest is to be a believer. No one is left alone to recognize Jesus Christ as the savior of the world. God has chosen someone for you to believe with and today we are installing him as your new pastor.”

During the rite of installation, Bishop Checchio presented the parish staff, council members, finance committee and trustees to Father Cervine, who pledged his support and thanks for their guidance and help.

Then, Father Cervine was presented to the congregation who responded with thunderous applause.

The bishop, referring to the Gospel, said, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. When Jesus is saying this, what he is really saying is that he is opening us up to have a relationship with the Father like he has.

“I believe that Father Cervine will be the one who will lead this parish to this life-giving kind of relationship with the Father. I believe this community of Christ will be a beautiful dwelling place for the Father.”

Father Cervine was born to Michael and Dorothy Cervine in 1976 and raised in Clifton. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Rutgers University College of Engineering, New Brunswick, as well as Master of Divinity and Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology degrees from St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Baltimore.

Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski ordained Father Cervine to the priesthood May 23, 2009, in the Cathedral of St. Francis Assisi, Metuchen.

Father Cervine’s past assignments include parochial vicar at Immaculate Conception, Annandale; associate director of Vocations and director of the House of Discernment, initially in Hopelawn and then in Highland Park; chaplain at the Catholic Center at Rutgers University, New Brunswick; and parochial vicar, St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish, Bridgewater.

He also served as the director of Catholic Identity in St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Edison, from 2016-2022. During this time, he was in residence at St. Helena Parish, Edison, and Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish, South Plainfield.

In 2021 he was awarded Education Specialist in Catholic School Leadership from Seton Hall University, South Orange.

In August 2022, he was appointed administrator in Immaculate Conception Parish.

Former pastors include Msgr. Randy Vashon, now pastor of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Bridgewater, standing behind and right of Father Cervine, and Father Jonathan Toborowsky, now vicar general of the diocese, standing behind and left of Bishop Checchio. At right, the Bishop elicits applause from parishioners as a sign of affirmation that Father Cervine is both deserving and welcomed as their new pastor. Ed

Father Cervine also serves as interim president for St. Thomas Aquinas High School.

“That was one of my previous assignments, so I am comfortable there,” he said. “I just have a bit more responsibility now.”

Reflecting on the transition from administrator to pastor, he said, “The responsibilities are the same. I am just relieved for the parish and for myself that this is more of a permanent thing. Knowing I am going to be here for a while is a relief.”

Immaculate Conception is an active and vibrant parish with a school that serves more than 400 children.

“Catholic school is very important to me. I enjoy being able to greet the students most days. I love seeing the joy

they have for life,” stated Father Cervine.

Joining in the celebration of his installation were people from many of the former parishes and assignments where he served. Among them was Brother Joe Donavan, a member of the Brotherhood of Hope community, from Saint Paul’s Outreach at Rutgers University.

“This parish is going to be blessed to have him here and I wanted to be here to support him. He is going to do great things,” Brother Joe said.

Father Cervine thanked Bishop Checchio for giving him the privilege of shepherding a vibrant Christ-centered parish. He also expressed his heartfelt gratitude to those in the parish who will be working closely with him to move the parish forward.

“This parish was my first assign-

ment after ordination. I made friendships with people who are still here. I am looking forward to picking up where we left off,” he said.

There are a few challenges in his new role. “Personally, I need to find some time to take care of my health by exercising and, as a pastor, my concern is for the people who have not come back to church. We need to find a way to reach out to them and bring them back home.

“I am looking forward to walking with individuals and developing longterm relationships,” he continued. “I want to watch them grow spiritually and celebrate the sacraments with them.

“I ask the parishioners to pray for me. I need all the help I can get. It is good to be back in pastoral ministry.”

Above, Bishop James F. Checchio and brother priests gather following the installation of Father Keith M. Cervine as 10th pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish, Annandale.

Koskey Jr. photos

Pastor looks forward to sharing Church’s mission with flock

Bishop James F. Checchio presided at a Mass at Good Shepherd Parish, Most Holy Rosary worship site, concelebrated by Father Krystian Burdzy, to celebrate the Polish-born priest’s installation as pastor and the 20th anniversary of his ordination.

Father Burdzy was named administrator of the parish Feb. 4, received a letter of installation and was installed just before Mass on May 21.

Father Burdzy’s friend – Father Krzysztof Maslowski, also a native of Poland and pastor, Holy Spirit Parish, Union – gave the homily. Father Maslowski, also serves as an adjunct professor of pastoral theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology, Seton Hall University, South Orange.

As pastor of Good Shepherd, Father Burdzy provides for the spiritual and

pastoral needs of 830 registered families. There are 75 registered in its religious education program.

“During my time here at Good Shepherd Parish, I have come to know many of my parishioners and found that we share common goals,” Father Burdzy said. “With the many cultural differences and English being my second language, we share the importance of our faith and success and the vitality of our Church. I am grateful to my deacons, staff, ministries, organizations and members of my parish who have been there and will continue to remain with me in our continued mission.

“Thank you, Good Shepherd Parish.”

Father Burdzy was born in Nisko, Poland, the eldest of three siblings. His younger brother, Arthur, also a priest, serves in the Diocese of Sandomierz, Poland. After graduating from high school,

Father Burdzy studied at the seminary in Sandomierz, where he earned a master’s degree in theology from KUL University in Lublin. He was ordained to the priesthood May 24, 2003. After three years of teaching religious education in a public school and working with youth and young adults – with his local bishop’s permission – Father Burdzy came to the United States.

He served as a parochial vicar at several parishes in the diocese, including St. Bartholomew Parish, East Brunswick, and then to St. Joseph Parish, North Plainfield, where he worked with the Latino community. Father Burdzy also served at St. Joseph Parish, Washington; and The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish, Hackettstown. He most recently served as parochial vicar at St. James Parish, Basking Ridge.

Father Burdzy, who speaks English, Polish, and Spanish, also took English as a Second Language courses at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.

Chris Donahue

Retired Editor-In-Chief

In photo at left, Bishop James F. Checchio (center) prays during the consecration at Mass celebrating the installation of Father Krystian Burdzy (third from left), as pastor of Good Shepherd Parish, Hopelawn, and his 20th anniversary as a priest, at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary worship site. Also shown, from left, Father Krzysztof Maslowski, Deacon Sam Costantino (in background), Deacon Albert Coppola, Msgr. Sylvester J. Cronin, and Father Piotr Grzeskiewicz. Right, Father Burdzy addresses the congregation.

Marlo Williamson photos

Pope plans to write document dedicated to St. Thérèse of Lisieux

By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Individuals become Christian because they have been touched by Christ’s love, not because they have been convinced or coerced by someone else, Pope Francis said.

The Catholic Church needs missionary disciples who have hearts like St. Thérèse of Lisieux and who “draw people to love and bring people closer to God,” he told people at his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square June 7.

“Let us ask this saint for the grace to overcome our selfishness and for the passion to intercede that Jesus might be known and loved,” he said.

The pope continued his series of talks about “zeal” for evangelization by focusing on St. Thérèse, the 19thcentury French Carmelite nun who is patron saint of missions and a doctor of the church.

During his catechesis he announced he was planning to dedicate an apostolic letter to her to mark the 150th anniversary of her birth this year.

Pope Francis has said he has a special devotion to the saint, once telling an interviewer that he used to keep a photo of this 19th-century French Carmelite nun on his library shelf when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires. He told journalist Sergio Rubin in 2010, “When I have a problem I ask the saint, not to solve it, but to take it in her hands and help me accept it, and, as a sign, I almost always receive a white rose.”

St. Thérèse displayed patience, trust in God and a “spirit of humility, tenderness and goodness,” that God “wants from all of us,” Pope Francis has said.

During his Wednesday general audience talk, the pope asked Christians to find inspiration in the life of St. Thérèse, who lived “according to the way of little-

ness and weakness,” defining herself as “a small grain of sand.”

She lived in poor health and died at the age of 24, but “her heart was vibrant, missionary,” the pope said.

Pope Francis carries a white rose as he approaches a reliquary containing the relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux before the start of his general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican June 7, 2023. CNS photo/Lola Gomez

Our Lady of Lourdes celebrates 100 years as faith community

By Deacon Patrick Cline Correspondent

On Trinity Sunday, June 4, the parish community of Our Lady of Lourdes, Whitehouse Station, celebrated its 100th Anniversary. The celebration was the culmination of 18 months of preparation and began with Mass and included a parish picnic.

Bishop James F. Checchio was the principal celebrant and homilist for the Mass. Father Leonard F. A. Rusay, pastor; Father Maurice T. Carlton, in residence, and Father Daniel Sloan, a retired priest of the diocese, were concelebrants.

In his homily, the Bishop stated, “Each of us have a very fundamental decision to make. Are we as Catholic Christians going to live our lives in faith and loving trust in our Heavenly Father?”

Noting that the day was the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, the Bishop said it was one of the mysteries of our faith that is not easy to explain and requires us to trust. But, “we believe it because Jesus has revealed it to us. Our commitment to follow Him requires an act of faith,” Bishop Checchio said.

“Sometimes we are hesitant to take an action or take on a responsibility unless we understand how and what will be asked of us. But in regard to faith that attitude can cause us to miss many opportunities, because often we don’t know what will be asked of us. Jesus asks us to trust in Him,” he stressed.

During the homily the Bishop paid tribute to the generations of parishioners who have contributed over the years to make Our Lady of Lourdes what it is today, a faith community of 1700 families. The parish was erected by the Diocese of Trenton on June 19, 1923. It was intended to meet the spiritual and sacramental needs of the immigrant families that had moved into the area at the beginning of the 20th Century.

An initial census of the parish showed 150 families, half were Polish, along with a mix of Italian, Irish and German parishioners. The first two pastors appointed by the diocese to the parish were Polish and Mass was offered in both

Polish and English for 26 years.

By 1950 the diocese felt that the second generation of Polish parishioners at that time would be English speaking and a non-Polish speaking pastor was appointed. However provisions were made to provide for the spiritual and sacramental needs of the members of the community who were more comfortable in Polish.

In 1954 a grotto for Our Lady of Lourdes was constructed on the northwest boundary of the parish. It depicts the apparitions of the parish’s patron saint as she appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous in 1858 at Lourdes, France.

The initial church was described as the, “the epitome of a simple country church.” That building and a parish hall had served the need of the parish for years. By the 1970’s it became evident that the original facility could not meet the needs of a growing parish population.

So in 1980, on the day before the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, ground was broken for a new church to accommodate 700 worshippers. This Church was dedicated on April 15, 1981.

In preparation for the parish’s diamond jubilee in 1997 some restoration and renovation of the interior of the church building was necessary and a pipe organ was installed.

At the end of the anniversary Mass, Father Rusay thanked Bishop Checchio for his presence and taking part in the anniversary celebration. He also thanked all of the parishioners who worked so hard over the months of preparation for that day, “the joyful Gala, the prayerful Mass, and the spectacular picnic would never have happened without them,” he said.

He thanked the concelebrants, the deacons, severs, choir and everyone who planned and participated in the liturgy, and made special mention of Ann dePaolo, the longest living parishioner.

In reflecting on her 95 years at the parish, DePaolo stated that Our Lady of Lourdes has been, a blessing for her and her family. She remembers when the Mass was celebrated in Polish. She was baptized, made her first Communion, received Confirmation and was married there. She feels that, “the parish has been

her home all those years.”

After Mass the congregation gathered outside under tents set up on the parish grounds and after grace was said, a bell that was blessed in 1947 for the original church tower rang out to announce the start of the parish picnic. The picnic was a true feast, with all the requisite fare: hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, soft drinks and dessert along with wonderful conversations and community.

At the end of the day the consensus of the community was summed up by long time parishioners, Diana and Don Renne, when they said, “That was some celebration!”

Above left, Bishop James F. Checchio incenses Our Lady of Lourdes altar at the beginning of the Mass celebrating the parish’s 100th Anniversary June 4. The Bishop was the principal celebrant and homilist at the Mass. Above right, Father Leonard F. A. Rusay, Our Lady of Lourdes pastor, prays the Eucharistic Prayer. To his left is Deacon Sylvan Webb and behind him is Deacon John Scansaroli.

John Batkowski photos

Statewide youth rally combines faith with fun

With her enthusiastic welcome, Megan Callahan, director, Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry in the Diocese of Metuchen, greeted nearly 700 teens and youth ministers gathered in Showcase Arena at Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, the morning of May 21, Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, for the New Jersey Catholic Youth Rally.

Each year hundreds of teens converge in the Ocean County theme park from the Dioceses of Trenton, Metuchen, Camden, Paterson and Archdiocese of Newark for a day of fun, fellowship and faith sharing. This year, the Diocese of Metuchen sent 260 young people, chaperones and family members, including youth ministry groups from 18 parishes, who joined the more than 1500 people who enjoyed the day.

The opening ceremony, hosted this year by the Diocese of Metuchen, included music, games and prayer led by Break Ministry, an organization that offers youth and young adult ministry consulting, a nightly online prayer group, and support to Catholic parishes around the state.

Ramil Caragay and Jasmine Alfaro from Break Ministry, served as the morning’s emcees and connected the excitement of the day at Six Flags with the excitement of living a life of faith.

Alfaro shared a quote from St. Au-

gustine of Hippo, “To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.”

She encouraged the youth to “gain a new perspective today, make new friends and fall more in love with God.”

After the opening ceremony it was time to hit the rides and the teens wasted no time heading into the park.

Father Michael Tabernero, director of Catholic identity, St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Edison, shared his thoughts on the day’s opening activities and what he hoped his students would experience at the Rally.

“I thought it was great– there was a lot of energy. It was so nice to see so many kids there. There was a lot of excitement and it was great to listen to Break Ministry and hear their stories of faith. I hope the kids have a lot of fun. … We’re looking forward to sharing Mass at the end of the day together.”

After a full day of thrill rides, games of chance and funnel cakes, almost a thousand members of the young Church gathered in the Batman Stunt Arena for Mass celebrated by Bishop Michael A. Saporito, D.D., from the Archdiocese of Newark.

“It’s a beautiful day to praise our Lord, Jesus Christ!” he said and received a thunderous response from the crowd.

He was joined by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney from the Diocese of Paterson

2.

3. Youth raised their voices to the music of the Break Ministry band members Jeffrey Burgos (base guitar), Quinn Furnald (keys), Annerys Burgos (singing), Oscar Gomez (drums), and Christian Quinlon (guitar).

and priests from around the state.

In his homily, Bishop Saporito reflected on the Ascension and how the followers of Jesus, overjoyed at the Resurrection, had to come to the realization that Jesus was going to be leaving them again.

“He had chosen them for a great mission- to go and make disciples of all the nations. He was about to hand his mission over to these imperfect people who knew him and loved him greatly and he was relying on that love and the gifts of the Holy Spirit to set their hearts on fire so they could bring the message of Jesus throughout the whole world.

“We can’t look up at the sky and say, ‘Hey Lord when is your next miracle?’ I’m looking at his next miracle it’s all of us altogether. Take the opportunity to shine your light– your brightness within and be a messenger for Christ every day in your lives.”

In addition to riding the rollercoast-

ers (with the world’s tallest rollercoaster Kingda Ka being a favorite among those polled) the opportunity to gather together in prayer was the highlight of the day for many of the youth.

This was the first time Ella Froslear, 12, from St. Pius X, Forked River, attended the New Jersey Catholic Rally and hopes to attend again in the future.

“I liked all the music and the songs. If you really want to have fun and praise God, today is the day for you.”

Jimmy Higgins, a current high school sophomore and part of youth ministry in St. Joseph’s Parish, Millstone, shared, “My favorite part of the Catholic Rally at Great Adventure was going to mass with the other youth groups. The music was amazing, the bishop’s homily was motivating, and the overall experience was enjoyable.”

— Rose O’Connor, Diocese of Trenton Digital and Social Media Manager

“It’s good that you are here!”

1. Most Holy Name of Jesus Parish, Perth Amboy, youth ministry members were among the 260 Diocese of Metuchen attendees at the May 21 Youth Rally.

Auxiliary Bishop Michael A. Saporito, Archdiocese of Newark, celebrated Mass for the youth in the Batman Stunt Arena, with concelebrant Bishop Kevin Sweeney, Diocese of Paterson, and priests from across the state.

4. Youth ministry teens from St. Edward the Confessor Parish, Milford, prove that you are never too old to ride the carousel.

Courtesy photos

Hispanic Pilgrimage a ‘blessed day’ of devotion to Mary

By Deacon Patrick Cline Correspondent

After days of hazardous health warnings regarding air quality due to smoke resulting from wildfires, June 11 dawned a beautiful morning for the annual Diocesan Peregrinacion Hispana, or Hispanic Pilgrimage, at the National Shrine of the Blue Army in Asbury.

The Shrine is operated by the World Apostolate of Fatima USA and is dedicated to spreading the message of prayer, peace and penance Our Lady proclaimed to the three children at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917. In addition to the Shrine Church, the area consists of 150 acres offering a peaceful setting for prayer and meditation. It was built in 1978 as a means of spreading the message through out America.

More than 400 members of various Hispanic communities in parishes throughout the diocese gathered at the Shrine to celebrate the day as an expression of their devotion to the Mother of Jesus Christ. Lillian Torres, a member of the Legion of Mary in St Joseph Parish, Carteret, who attended the day with her husband, Deacon Ramon Torres, said they came to make the pilgrimage in order to honor the Blessed Mother.

The day began at 9:30 a.m. with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the Shrine Church to allow for individual prayer and reflection and concluded with Benediction. During this time and throughout the morning priests from the diocese were available at locations around the Shrine Chapel for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

In a Rosary procession around the grounds of the Shrine, pilgrims of all ages prayerfully followed a statue of Our Lady of Fatima, waving little white flags in honor of the Blessed Mother. The recitation of the Rosary was accompanied by hymns, meditations and Scripture readings between the decades. The procession ended at noon at the Grotto of Mary, Mother of the Life Within, with praying the Angelus. Participants had an opportunity to eat and explore the grounds surrounding Shrine Church which is comprised of meditative gardens, including a Ro-

sary Garden, the Stations of the Cross, as well as a number of chapels and smaller shrines that provide opportunities for personal prayer and reflection.

Mass was celebrated in the main church by Father Fredy Triana Beltran, of the Oratorian Community of Raritan with Father Ronal P. Vega Patrana, parochial vicar in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Basking Ridge, concelebrating.

In his homily, Deacon Reynaldo Lopez, who serves in Immaculate Conception Parish, Somerville, reflected on the Scripture story of the widow Jesus observed contributing two cents in the collection box. Pointing to her, Jesus taught that her gift was greater than others because it came from her need, not her surplus.

Deacon Reynaldo asked, “What are we giving to God, our left overs? What is our intention when we give? By depositing her two coins the poor widow was depositing herself and trusting that God will provide.”

Deacon Renaldo closed by saying, “Our Blessed Mother always helps us to purify and sanctify our attitudes so we can give ourselves entirely to God and to others and thus become more like her Son.”

Following the homily, 25 adult women and men and seven young people were called forward to make their Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary, a devotion following the example of St. Louis de Montfort, a 17th century saint who had a strong devotion to the Blessed Mother. He wrote a number of works detailing the virtues of giving yourself totally to the Mother of Jesus.

Throughout the day, and especially during the Mass, the reverent and prayerful atmosphere of the pilgrimage was enhanced by the sacred music provided by the Diocesan Charismatic Choir.

Deacon Edgar Chavez, director, Office of Hispanic Ministry and Evangelization for the Diocese, said that it was a blessed day, “due to the support from all the Hispanic communities of all the parishes of the Diocese.”

Deacon Cline exercises his ministry at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish, Bridgewater

More than 400 Hispanic pilgrims from various parishes throughout the diocese gathered at the National Shrine of the Blue Army Shrine, Asbury, to express their devotion to Mary, Mother of God, in a day that began

Stress in your Marriage?

AUGUST 18-20, 2023

Is your marriage going down the right road . . . or is it a little off track?

Life can be difficult, and so can the challenges you face in marriage. Does the distance between you seem wide? Are you already separated?

Looking for a better way? Retrouvaille can help and offers hope for a better relationship. Retrouvaille is a peer ministry of volunteer couples that can help you learn the tools of healthy communication, build intimacy and heal, just as they have done in their own marriages. Retrouvaille is Christianbased, and Catholic in origin, but welcomes couples of all faiths as well as non-religious couples. Retrouvaille can help get your relationship back on track.

with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. —John Batkowski photo

Prayer in home, groups, church, monasteries cultivates faith

Article 175 - Catechism of the Catholic Church Series

Paragraphs 2683-2691

Just as the heavenly witnesses provide a prayerful service in God’s plan, the servants of prayer here on earth include the Christian family, which is “the first place of education in prayer” (ccc 2683). Based on the holy Sacrament of Matrimony, “the family is the ‘domestic church’ where God’s children learn to pray ‘as the Church’ and to persevere in prayer” (ccc 2685).

memorization of basic prayers offers an essential support to the life of prayer, but it is [also] important to help learners savor their meaning” (ccc 2688).

Blessed Sacrament” (ccc 2691).

Have you ever wondered who was ultimately responsible for setting you on the path of your Catholic faith? I don’t mean just your parents or even your grandparents. I am referring to that mysterious family member who first acquired the faith and passed it on. How many generations would you have to go back in order to find that first special person? How many people (with your DNA) lived sacrificial, holy lives so that you would be the person you are today with the beautiful faith in Jesus Christ that you have?

It is that person, or those people, who (we pray) have gone to their heavenly award and stand guard as “witnesses who have preceded us into the kingdom” (ccc 2683). As members of God’s heavenly household, “they contemplate God, praise him and constantly care for those whom they have left on earth…Their intercession is their most exalted service to God’s plan. We can and should ask them to intercede for us and for the whole world” (ccc 2683).

Priests and deacons “are also responsible for the formation in prayer of their brothers and sisters in Christ” (ccc 2686). Their function as ordained ministers is “to lead the People of God to the living waters of prayer: the Word of God, the liturgy, the theological life [the life of faith, hope, and charity], and the Today of God in concrete situations” (ccc 2686). Consecrated Religious (men and women) likewise assist in this great ministry of prayer. They “have devoted their time to praising God and interceding for his people” (ccc 2687). “Hermits, monks, and nuns” offer prayerful support to the People of God as “one of the living sources of contemplation and [in] the spiritual life of the Church” (ccc 2687). So, you see, whether you realize it or not, there is always someone praying for YOU!

Regarding our intellectual and spiritual formation, the Catechism explains: religious instruction or “the catechesis of children, young people, and adults aims at teaching them to meditate on The Word of God in personal prayer, practicing it in liturgical prayer, and internalizing it at all times in order to bear fruit in a new life” (ccc 2688). This is why “the

In addition, “prayer groups, indeed ‘schools of prayer,’ are today one of the signs and one of the driving forces of renewal of prayer in the Church” (ccc 2689). These come into existence through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who “gives to certain of the faithful the gifts of wisdom, faith and discernment for the sake of this common good which is prayer [spiritual direction]. Men and women so endowed are true servants of the living tradition of prayer” (ccc 2690). Quoted in the Catechism from St. John of the Cross in “The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross,” “the person wishing to advance toward perfection should ‘take care into whose hands he entrusts himself, for as the master is, so will the disciple be, and as the father is so will be the son’” (ccc 2690). And further: “In addition to being learned and discreet a director should be experienced. …If the spiritual director has no experience of the spiritual life, he will be incapable of leading into it the souls whom God is calling to it, and he will not even understand them” (ccc 2690).

Besides the option of seeking a good Spiritual Director, the Catechism also provides us with guidance on places favorable for prayer. This always includes “the church, the house of God” which “is the proper place for the liturgical prayer of the parish community. It is also the privileged place for adoration of the real presence of Christ in the

A “‘prayer corner’ [in one’s home], with the Sacred Scriptures and icons, [is another desirable location]. In a Christian family, this kind of little oratory fosters prayer in common” (ccc 2691).

Monasteries are also wonderful places “to further the participation of the faithful in the Liturgy of the Hours and to provide necessary solitude for more intense personal prayer” (ccc 2691).

Finally, “pilgrimages evoke our earthly journey toward Heaven and are traditionally very special occasions for renewal in prayer. For pilgrims seeking living water, shrines are special places for living the forms of Christian prayer ‘in Church’” (ccc 2691).

Who was responsible for setting you on the path to your precious Catholic faith? Certainly, those who share your DNA, but there is another cloud of witnesses, as well. This would include (but is not limited to) priests, catechists, monks, nuns, consecrated religious and a multitude of others who have taught and influenced those who came before you. Whether it was your great-grandmother who converted to the Catholic faith or another faithful relative reaching back several generations who lived a holy life, consider for a moment the beautiful gift of your Catholic faith that was nurtured through a multitude of Christian witnesses, living as we do or living with God among the saints and angels in Heaven.

Father Hillier is director, diocesan Office of Pontifical Mission Societies, the Office for Persons with Disabilities and Censor Luborum

Processions’ public witness expresses National Eucharistic Revival’s vision, as movement begins parish year

WASHINGTON (OSV News) -- With the feast of Corpus Christi, the National Eucharistic Revival enters its second year and shifts its focus to parish renewal -- a year organizers expect will inspire more parishes to increase the Eucharist’s visibility in their communities through Eucharistic processions. In many U.S. dioceses, Corpus Christi is June 11. “Processions have been a very public witness and display of faith,” said Joel Stepanek, the National Eucharistic Revival’s chief mission officer. “Just the stories and the images of the various processions that have been undertaken ... have been some of the most striking examples of how, on a diocesan level, there has been a response to this call for revival.” Launched as an initiative of the U.S. Catholic bishops in June 2022, the National Eucharistic Revival is a three-year movement that includes a National Eucharistic Congress next year in Indianapolis. The revival’s first year was titled “The Year of Diocesan Revival,” and efforts focused on formation for diocesan leadership and diocesan-wide events. The revival’s second year, “The Year of Parish Revival,” aims to reach Catholics in their parishes through renewed attention to the “art” of the Mass, Eucharistic devotions, and small-group faith sharing and formation.

A clergyman carries a monstrance in a Eucharistic procession through the Manhattan borough of New York City to St. Patrick’s Cathedral for a Pentecost vigil May 27, 2023. The Charismatic Renewal event in Spanish attracted close to 2,700 people. OSV News photo/Jeffrey Bruno

Students inspired to love God

By Edward Modzelewski

“The Church of God is not a restful garden, but a working vineyard.” This quote by St. Lucy Filippini, also applies Catholic schools; organizations that St. Lucy worked so hard to build. Perhaps more important now than ever, Catholic schools need not just teach children to love God but inspire them to love God as well. On May 12, that inspiration came during a pilgrimage to the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Newark. The students in grades 5-8 from St. Augustine of Canterbury School, Kendall Park, came together for a twofold joy: the Feast Day of St. Lucy Filippini and the 39th Anniversary of the ordination of St. Augustine’s pastor, Father Robert G. Lynam.

As the students arrived and entered the basilica, it was obvious that they were overcome with the wonder and awe of the beauty of the English Irish Gothic design of the Cathedral.

At Mass Newark Auxiliary Bishop Manuel Cruz, the main celebrant, spoke eloquently to the heart of our students, reminding them that it is through love that we fulfill God’s will on earth. He spoke about the beautiful example that St. Lucy was to others, especially children, during her lifetime and that it was all because of her love for God. Auxiliary Bishop Cruz honored Father Lynam by sharing inspirational stories from their pasts that highlighted the tremendous amount of respect they have for one another and the selflessness that has shaped their friendship over the last 40 years.

At the conclusion of Mass, all of the students processed to the Chapel of St. Lucy Filippini where Religious Teachers Filippini Sister Mary Louise Shulas was accompanied by an 8th grader to the altar. As the two laid flowers, all present sang an ode to St. Lucy in Italian, “Astra di Luce.” It was a beautiful sight to see the students united to celebrate St. Augustine’s as a Filippini school and at the same time, give glory to God. The students then toured the basilica.

The experiences of the day gave the students a view of the grandeur of the basilica and a greater appreciation for all the work it took to build such a marvelous structure. The words of Auxiliary Bishop Cruz were received as an educative lesson on the importance of God’s love in the world and our Christian duty to help spread God’s love. However, even more important than that lesson was the heartfelt inspiration that Auxiliary Bishop Cruz imparted to the students. He taught that it is essential for our students to be taught to love God, but they must be inspired to love God above all else.

Edward Modzelewski is principal of St. Augustine of Canterbury School

Once-in-a-lifetime-experience for former Catholic school superintendent

Prior to a May 24 Papal Audience, former diocesan superintendent of Catholic schools, Ellen Ayoub, and her daughter, Elizabeth Matto, attended a private Mass at the Altar/Tomb of St. John Paul II in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome. The pair also received special, “Baccio lo mano” tickets (“Kiss the hand of the Pope”) from the Vatican. The privilege for the Mass and greeting the Holy Father was arranged by Reverend Canon Robert G. Lynam, KCHS, pastor, St. Augustine of Canterbury Parish, Kendall Park.

2023

Jubilarians

75 YEARS

Sr. Mary Angelis Midura

70 YEARS

Sr. Mary DeLourdes Zdunowski

60 YEARS

Sr. Mary Bridget Becker

Sr. Cynthia Marie Babyak

Sr. Mary Rebecca Piatek

Sisters Marie Patrice Feeney, left, and Mary Agnes Walsh celebrate their 70th jubilee as Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia during a weekend 2023 Jubilee Celebration, June 3-4. Sister Marie Patrice served as pastoral associate for St. Matthias Parish, Somerset, and currently serves as a volunteer at Assisi House, the congregation’s retirement residence in Aston, Pa. Sister Mary Agnes, served as director of religious education in Our Lady of Victories Parish, Sayreville and in parish ministry in St. Augustine of Canterbury, Kendall Park. She currently serves in the Franciscan Spiritual Center, Aston, Pa.

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Class of 2023 Graduation

A Special Section of The Catholic Spirit

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!

On behalf of the Office of Schools, I extend congratulations to our 2023 Graduates!

Students from both eighth grade and high school are ready to move forward to embrace the next new chapter in their lives, and after many years of spiritual and academic formation, we send them forth with God’s blessings to an exciting future ahead.

Our graduates have worked very hard and accomplished much, as can be seen in the many awards and scholar-

ships that they have received. In addition, our students have had many opportunities to participate in service to others; to see beyond themselves to the great needs of brothers and sisters throughout the world. They have responded well as Disciples of Christ, reaching out to be the hands of Christ to help those in need. We encourage our graduates to continue to spread love to all corners of the earth as they encounter new people and situations in their lives.

Graduation marks a time of great joy and pride. Students leaving the Diocese of Metuchen Catholic Schools are intellectually well prepared and have learned to overcome adversity, particularly with the challenges of the past few years. We can say with confidence that our graduates are ready to make a difference in the world! Our students

have been formed in the Catholic faith and learned that LOVE is at the root of Jesus Christ’s message. Therefore, they are well-prepared to continue their journey as leaders and to make decisions based upon the moral compass of their Catholic faith. As St. John Paul II stated at World Youth Day: “The future is in your hands. God is entrusting to you the task of working with Him in the building of the civilization of love.”

We are indebted to parents and guardians for entrusting their children to us for their education and care. It is a privilege to work together in this partnership and we thank you for the many sacrifices you have made through the years to provide a Catholic education for your children. It has been a blessing to collaborate with families to educate children in the Catholic faith and to help

strengthen them in their identity as sons and daughters of God.

We must continue to pray for our graduates as they move forward to meet new challenges ahead. We pray that they will stay close to Jesus and to remember that they are never alone; they will always have the support of their parents/ guardians, their teachers and pastors. Bishop Checchio states: “As our graduates are faced with new relationships and situations, Jesus will always remain close to them and lead them in the right direction.”

We bless our graduates as they continue to grow and evolve as people of integrity. May they learn from leaders and mentors who will help shape them to use their talents to the fullest. May God bless them and keep them and may they be a gift to the world!

A message from Barbara Stevens Superintendent of Catholic Schools

Immaculata graduates 128, $32.5 million awarded in scholarships

By Paul J. Peyton Correspondent

SOMERVILLE – One hundred twentyeight graduates of the Immaculata High School Class of 2023 received their diplomas during the school’s 57th commencement at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Somerville, on Friday, June 2. The commencement marked the 10,000 graduate to go through the doors of Immaculata, whose first senior class graduated in 1966.

“Immaculata for over 60 years now has been educating young men and women and it’s done a great job. But you (the graduates) certainly have gotten much more than anyone’s gotten in these 60 years because of what you have been through these past few years,” Bishop James F. Checchio said in his opening remarks. “… Life’s full of challenges … and hopefully you’ve learned from dealing with this pandemic a couple of important lessons.

“One, your strength, your inner strength that you pulled up and pushed through what was thrown at you, all certainly unknown, and also your reliance on God, that God is always with us even through our challenges … It’s a great lesson that you’ve learned that no one else

Clockwise, beginning at right, Immaculata senior, Sarah Nichols, holds the American Flag June 2 at the start of graduation ceremonies for the 128 members of the Class of 2023 at Immaculata High School • After processing into the church graduates stand on the altar before filing into the pews • Graduates listen to their valedictorian’s speech • Bishop James F. Checchio shakes the hand of James Burke after giving him his diploma at graduation • The commencement marked the 10,000th graduate of Immaculata whose first class graduated in 1966.

Ed Koskey Jr. photos

has learned throughout the time that Immaculata has been in existence,” Bishop Checchio said.

In her salutatorian speech, Tara Khosla of Hillsborough, who will major in chemical biology at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, said: “Immaculata has given us so many unique opportunities, life skills, and experiences to be grateful for … We have been given the tools to make a positive impact on our community and grow as people. However, the most significant impact of these opportunities is the timeless relationships they have helped us form.”

“After high school, many of you will strive to achieve success: a vague ideal that can be interpreted in countless ways. Although I do not know what this future success will look like, I can tell you that it is not found by chasing the expectations that society has for you. Instead, focus on doing what you love regardless of other people’s opinions,” she said.

Matthew Kolakowski of Bridgewater, who will be majoring in aerospace engineering at the University of Tennessee, gave the valedictorian speech to his fellow graduates.

“In our small Immaculata community, every single one of us has a place.

But, as we move out into the world, we may wonder what our purpose is and how to discover what we’re being called to do with our lives…Immaculata has taught us that life is about so much more than what we achieve or strive to accomplish as students and in our professional careers,” he said.

Referencing Mother Teresa, he said: “At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, or how many great things we have done. We will be judged by ‘I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.’ I think that this aspect of our human experience is something that we as Spartans are exceedingly good at: helping each other out.”

Keira McCabe followed a family tradition as a 2023 Immaculata graduate. Her mother, Katherine McCabe, Class of 1992, and older sisters, Bridget (2019) and Megan (2020), are IHS alumni with the youngest of the family entering IHS in the fall.

“I was so excited to come here because … my sisters had good experiences there and I went to ICS (Immaculate Conception School) so it kind of felt like I was still in the same school community

and knew that I would love it,” Keira told The Catholic Spirit.

While at IHS she was a member of the volleyball team, serving as captain in her senior year, spring track team, was a Marian Scholar and took part in the Classical Studies program. She will be attending James Madison University and hopes to play club volleyball.

Legacy mother Linda Tully, who is also the school’s director of school counseling, was there to support her son, Jack Tully, who will be attending George Washington University. His sister, Lauren, was a member of the IHS Class of 2020.

“I think Immaculata provides a unique experience for students with their small environment and their ability to make close friendships with each other and the faculty as well,” Linda Tully told The Catholic Spirit.

School Principal Edward Webber, who completed his first year as principal following a year as acting principal, announced the recipients of scholarship awards for the senior class totaling $32.5 million, which was up from $21.5 million from last year’s senior class.

Eighty percent of the class received scholarships or awards, according to Tara Smith, director of marketing and communications.

Immaculata High School Awards

ACADEMIC AWARDS

Highest General Average (Valedictorian)

Gift of the Spartan Parent Club: Matthew Lawrence Kolakowski

Highest General Average (Salutatorian)

Gift of the Spartan Parent Club: Tara Khosla

Excellence in Theology Gift of the Fraternal Order of Eagles 2137 and Our Lady of the Hills Martinsville Knights of Columbus Council 5959: Keira Ann McCabe

Excellence in Biology Gift of the IHS Administration: Theresa Ann Musto

Excellence in Business Education Gift of the Vossen Family: Sean Paul Givens

Excellence in Chemistry Gift of the IHS Administration: Matthew Lawrence Kolakowski

Excellence in Computer Science Gift of the Vossen Family: Gavin Vincent Fitzgerald

Excellence in Digital Arts Gift of the Art Club: Brian Michael Glennon

Excellence in Dramatics Gift of the Drama Department: Katherine Julia Tami, Ainsley Rose Zohn

Excellence in English Gift of the Fraternal Order of Eagles 2137: Molly Kathleen Arkoulakis

Excellence in French Gift of the Kline Family: Sophia Frances Henry

Excellence in Journalism Gift of the Journalism Program: Hannah Mackenzie Moccio

Excellence in Mathematics Gift of the IHS Administration: Matthew Lawrence Kolakowski

Excellence in Performing Arts Gift of the Performing Arts Department: Marissa Jiali Mellyn

Excellence in Physics Gift of the IHS Administration: John Lawrence Hanlon III

Excellence in Social Studies Gift of the Fraternal Order of Eagles 2137 and Somerville Knights of Columbus Council 1432: Gabriella Faith Glaz

Excellence in Spanish Gift of the IHS Administration: Gianna Marie Guzman

Excellence in the Visual Arts Gift of the Visual Arts Department: Rebecca Joyce Lachac

Spartan Academic Award Gift of the IHS Administration: Gabriella Faith Glaz

PERFORMING AND VISUAL ARTS AWARDS

The Sister Dolores Margaret Scholarship for Excellence Gift of the Sister Dolores Margaret Scholarship Fund: Sarah Elizabeth Nichols

Connie Tarentino Memorial Award Gift of the Tarentino Family: Katelyn Marie Sham

The Marie E. Laggini Memorial Award for Vocal Excellence Gift of the Friends of the late Marie Laggini: Sarah Elizabeth Nichols, Timothy Andrew Reeves

Excellence in Music; Service to School, Church, and Community Gift of the Performing Arts Department: Owen Harold Zohn, Joy Drecolias

“Semper Fidelis” Award Gift of the Performing Arts Department: Finn Brendan Tully

The Edward “Ted” Gaughan Memorial Award Gift of the Gaughan Family: Giavanna Angelina Pechilio

The Louis Armstrong Jazz Award Gift of the Performing Arts Department: Gavin Vincent Fitzgerald

The John Philip Sousa Award Gift of the Performing Arts Department: Sarah Elizabeth Nichols

SERVICE AWARDS

President of Student Council Gift of Monsignor Joseph G. Celano: Davis Henry Adams

President of Senior Class Gift of the Student Council: Asha Sarina Toczek

National Honor Society Executive Board Gift of the National Honor Society: Gabriella Faith Glaz, Caitlin Rose Mustillo, Giavanna Angelina Pechilio, Ainsley Rose Zohn

President of French Honor Society Gift of the French Honor Society: Abigail Rose Stowe

President of Spanish Honor Society Gift of the Spanish Honor Society: Gabriella Faith Glaz

President of Tri-M Music Honor Society Gift of the Sister Dolores Margaret Scholarship Fund: Sarah Elizabeth Nichols

Presidential Volunteer Service Award

The Presidential Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) is a national honor offered in recognition of sustained volunteer service. The Presidential Volunteer Service Award recognizes hours served over a 12-month period.

(Gold) Daniel John Smith, Shannon G. Fitzgerald, Charlotte Angela Rose Lezny, (Silver) Gavin Vincent Fitzgerald, Anthony Charles Sviderskis-Carroll, Hannah Mackenzie Moccio, (Bronze) Ainsley Rose Zohn, John Michael Artuso, John Joseph Cummins, Asha Sarina Toczek, Finn Brendan Tully, Riley Mairead Loffredo, Rose Maria Ariyan, Joy Drecolias, Daniel Patrick Stevens

Christian Spirit Award Gift of the Spartan Parent Club: Sarah Elizabeth Nichols, Joshua Williams

Campus Ministry Award Gift of the Campus Ministry Department: Shannon G. Fitzgerald, Anthony Charles Sviderskis-Carroll

Service to Magnificat Yearbook Gift of the Journalism Program: Nadine Olivia Greybek

RECOGNITION AWARDS

The Robert Briski Citizenship Award Gift of Mrs. Carol Briski: Charlotte Angela Rose Lezny

The John Collins ‘76 Memorial Award Gift of the Somerville Knights of Columbus Council 1432 and AOH Somerset County, Saint Patrick Division 1: Shannon G. Fitzgerald

The Robert Colucci ’08 Award for Leadership Gift of the friends of Rob Colucci ’08: Davis Henry Adams

The Kristin A. Culley ’96 Memorial Award Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Culley: Sarah Ashley Smith

The Christine Fox Frauenheim ’83 Memorial Scholarship Gift of the friends and family of Christine Fox Frauenheim ’83: Alyssa Lynn Belen

The Goitz Family Award Gift of the Goitz Family: Theresa Ann Musto

The Kenneth G. Herrmann ‘81 Memorial Award Gift of the Class of 1981: Jack Robert Tully

The Thomas M. Jubak Jr. ‘80 Memorial Award

Gift of Karen A. Jubak ICS ’71, IHS ’75: Ben Hagen Kessler

The Susan Kelly ‘80 Memorial Award Gift of the Unitas Caritas Foundation and the Susan Kelly ’80 Golf Outing Benefactors: Kevin Vincent Stowe, Jr.

The J. Brandon (Mackie) Maxwell Award for Merit Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Ribbans: Ella Rose Cosman

Alice McIntyre, RN Memorial Award Gift of David Boyda: Olivia Renėe Renda

The Angelo Mystrena Memorial Award Gift of the Kowalski Family - Aaron ICS ’85, IHS ’89; Michele; Emma ICS ’11, IHS ’15; Liam ICS ’14, IHS ’18; and Anthony ICS ’20, IHS ’24: Ashley Alessi

The Richard D. Tyler Memorial Award Gift of Mrs. Mary Jane Tyler: John Joseph Cummins

The Michael Vecchio Memorial Award Gift of Irene Vecchio: Kenneth John McGoldrick, Jr., Nana Akwesi Prempeh

The Sheila M. White Memorial Award Gift of the Office of School Counseling: Mia Jane Pacchiano, James Martin Corrigan

Italian American Club at Canal Walk

Scholarship Gift of Italian American Club at Canal Walk: Erin Lindsay Belmont, Mia Jane Pacchiano, Giavanna Angelina Pechilio

Law Enforcement Gift of the Somerville Police Benevolent Association, Local 147: Abigail Rose Stowe

The Rotary Club of Branchburg Scholarship

Gift of the Rotary Club of Branchburg: Sydney Taylor Jackus, Sarah Elizabeth Nichols

The Rotary Club of Somerville and Bridgewater Scholarship Gift of the Rotary Club of Somerville and Bridgewater: Shannon G. Fitzgerald

The Somerville Elks Lodge 1068 Scholarship

Gift of Somerville Elks Lodge 1068: Antoniae Cataya Simpson, Kevin Vincent Stowe, Jr.

Spartan Alumni Award Gift of the Spartan Alumni Association: Rose Maria Ariyan, Maeve English

The Advancement Office Spartan Ambassador

Award Gift of the Rau Family - Rich and Tara ’89, Gavin ’20: Erin Lindsay Belmont

Spartan Athletic Award Gift of the Athletics Department: Sean Paul Givens

U.S. Army Green Beret Staff Sergeant Andrew T. Lobosco ‘98 Scholarship Award Gift of James Boyda ’12: Ethan Kassai

Bishop James F. Checchio Award Gift of the Diocese of Metuchen: Matthew Lawrence Kolakowski

The Monsignor Eugene B. Kelly Award

For the student who best exemplifies the Spirit and ideals of Immaculata High School. Gift of the IHS Administration: Keira Ann McCabe

Valedictorian: Matthew Lawrence Kolakowski Salutatorian: Tara Khosla

Eucharist is the secret of my day. It gives me strength and meaning to all my activities of service to the Church and to the whole world.”

POPE ST. JOHN PAUL II

Mount Saint Mary Academy graduates 62 women of Mercy

The community of Mount Saint Mary Academy, along with family and friends of 62 graduating seniors gathered June 3 in Immaculate Conception Chapel for Commencement Exercises, where diplomas were conferred by Bishop James F. Checchio.

The Bishop recalled the many challenges the girls have overcome since being confronted by the pandemic at the end of their freshman year, and reminded them of the superior education they have received through the Mercy core values.

In her speech, salutatorian Mary Claire Schleck recalled some of those challenges, “I don’t have enough fingers to count the amount of times that something ‘unprecedented’ has happened to our class. Yet, those trying moments of isolation allowed us to become more appreciative of the joyous times in community. When things got tough, that’s when we dug the anchors deep – finding every ounce of effort to hold on.”

Valedictorian Charlotte Gray shared a philosophy that has sustained her through the past four years, expressed in one phrase: No doubt. “What I have observed among all of us, especially young women, is the tendency to doubt ourselves. In doing so we become our own worst enemies. Too often, I have seen my peers doubt their intelligence, their appearance, their self-worth, and I am heartbroken when they, or others, cannot see what I see in them. So, ‘no doubt’ became a language of encouragement. Two words to remind someone that, even when you are in your worst or most stressful moment, I have never doubted you, and you should not doubt yourself. ”

On the eve of their graduation, members of the senior class and their families gathered in Immaculate Conception Chapel for a Baccalaureate Mass celebrated by Father Anthony Sirianni, pastor, St. Helena Parish, Edison.

Father Sirianni applauded the resilience of the students, pointing out, “You

bond that you, as young women, had. When the school reopened you were leaders.” He stressed that “Our Lady of Mercy truly guided you through these years and into the future, always aware of those in need.”

During the Mass, Mercy Sister Marjorie Tapia, a member of the Mount Saint Mary Academy Board of Trustees, offered a reflection, encouraging seniors to consider what it means to be “compelled by mercy,” one of the school’s five core values. The others include: a voice for dignity and respect; principled leadership; inspired by faith, and educational courage.

She reminded graduates that they have experienced sparks of mercy cultivated as a class, while learning from their teachers, competing as athletes, all while embraced by the Mount community.

Sister Marjorie shared that mercy moves each person “outward and beyond ourselves,” and requires that mercy be pushed out into the world as Sisters of Mercy foundress Catherine McAuley envisioned.

At the conclusion of graduation, as graduates processed out of the Immaculate Conception Chapel with diplomas in hand, faculty, staff, administration and members of the Board of Trustees clapped them out on to the next stage of their journey,

This full-circle tradition began when graduates were freshmen and they entered the main doors of the Mount where the entire school community, lined up and down the stairs and hallways, clapped them in as a welcome to the Mount Pack.

The tradition reflects the experience of Gray, who said, “The Mount is a place where sisterhood flourishes, where family is formed. We came to the Mount as strangers, nervous and excited for these four formative years. Today, we leave the hill as sisters who have surpassed so many expectations and demonstrated exactly what it means to be a woman of Mercy.”

Those newly graduated women of Mercy were proud to receive $23 million in scholarships. 100 percent were offered admission to and have been enrolled in four-year colleges and universities.

Mary Morrell, Editor-in-Chief

1. Graduates and the extended Mount Saint Mary Academy family shared in the Commencement Ceremony that saw 62 women of Mercy take the next step on their educational journey

3. Sister Lisa D. Gambacorto, RSM, Ed.S., Directress of Mount Saint Mary Academy, is flanked by members of the Board of Trustees as they celebrated the graduation of the Class of 2023 on June 3.

John Batkowski photos

2. Bishop James F. Checchio addresses graduates during the Commencement Ceremony held in Immaculate Conception Chapel.

MSMA Senior Awards

National Merit Commended Scholars: Charlotte Gray and Giuliana Pelcher

2023 Cum Laude Society/ Mount Saint Mary Academy Chapter:

Madeleine Ahlbeck

Phoebe Costalos

Olivia Encarnacion

Kailey Fahy

Julia Falcone

Charlotte Gray

Meghan Herrighty

Kaileigh Lewis

Giuliana Pelcher

Mary Claire Schleck

Emerson Sheehan

Brenna Watkins

National Honor Society/ Mount Saint Mary Academy Chapter:

Madeleine Ahlbeck

Emma Brown

Madeline CarnesiSilberstein

Isabella Lazzari

Kaileigh Lewis

Mia Majewski

Ankita Mallik

Valedictorian: Charlotte Gray Salutatorian: Mary Claire Schleck

General Excellence – Four Years – Valedictorian

(Gift of the Mercy Guild): Charlotte Gray

General Excellence – Four Years – Salutatorian

(Gift of the Fathers Club): Mary Claire Schleck

High Honors – Four Years – (Gift of the Mount Saint Mary Academy Administration):

Phoebe Costalos, Charlotte Gray and Mary Claire Schleck

Bishop James F. Checchio Religion Medal 2023

(Gift of the Diocese of Metuchen): Julia

Falcone and Giuliana Pelcher

School Leadership Award (Gift of the Alumnae):

Stefini Drivas, Charlotte Gray, Dena Mistichelli, Mary Claire Schleck, and Renee Vozza

School Spirit Award (Gift of the Fathers Club):

Kayla Robertson, Renee Vozza, and Joy Zamora

Christian Leadership Award (Gift of Campus Ministry): Dena Mistichelli and Kayley Moran

Catherine McAuley Award (Gift of the Sisters of Mercy): Jordyn Collie, Meghan Herrighty and Kaileigh Lewis

Sister Mary Eloise Claire Kays, RSM Memorial Award: Emma Brown, Kayley Moran and Giuliana Pelcher

Sister Mary Kerwin ’45, RSM Memorial Award: Kylie Byers, Meghan Crowley and Mary Claire Schleck

Sister Diana Szubrowski, RSM Humanitarian Service Memorial Award: Phoebe Costalos and Renee Vozza

Mercy Core Values Award (Gift of the Directress): Charlotte Gray

Carolin Checo

Jordyn Collie

Phoebe Costalos

Meghan Crowley

Stefini Drivas

Olivia Encarnacion

Kailey Fahy

Julia Falcone

Grace Glynn

Charlotte Gray

Margaret Haran

Tara Higgins

Payton Kochanski

Isabella Latini

Sophia Latini

Dena Mistichelli

Kayley Moran

Taryn Murphy

Kelsie Neidenback

Mimi Nicholls

Giuliana Pelcher

Rebecca Ryan

Madelyn Samson

Brittany Santamaria

Claire Schleck

Emerson Sheehan

Renee Vozza

Grace Waibel

Sophie Waibel

Brenna Watkins

Saint Joseph High School Class of 2018 graduate Daniel Anderl, bottom, tragi cally lost his life in 2020. His parents, the Honorable Esther Salas and Mr. Mark Anderl, launched the Daniel Anderl ‘18 Memorial Scholarship in their son’s honor using proceeds from the inaugural Love is Light 5K in 2021. The scholarship was awarded to Zachary Penley ‘25, who demonstrates a commitment to self-improvement, by exhibiting high academic achievement, participation in school activities, service to others, and leadership through good character and example.

Class of 2023

Class of 2023 Statistics

Average Claimed Scholarship Per Student: $93,637 Scholarship Dollars: $36 Million

75%

Received Scholarships Totaling in Excess of Their 4-Year Saint Joe’s Tuition

Scan this code to learn more about the Saint Joseph Experience: www.stjoes.org

St. Joseph High School graduates new flock of Falcons

By Christina Leslie Correspondent

SOUTH PLAINFIELD – A half-centuryold sports catchphrase became a modernday rallying cry for the St. Joseph High School Class of 2023 seated in Sacred Heart Church May 18: “Ya Gotta Believe!”

The Metuchen Catholic high school, whose young men are educated by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, celebrated the accomplishments of 143 students during a baccalaureate Mass and commencement ceremony four years in the making. Bishop James F. Checchio joined with school officials to present diplomas and sage advice to the graduating seniors.

Father Michael G. Krull, pastor of Our Lady of Peace Parish, North Brunswick, and member of the St. Joseph Class of 1976, served as celebrant and homilist of the Mass. Quoting the online series “The Chosen,” the priest reminded the young men that with each new class, each new year and each new challenge, they should heed Christ’s advice to St. Peter: “Get used to different.”

“As you graduate, ‘getting used to different’ is something you are faced with again,” Father Krull told his fel-

Co-valedictorians Matthew Imhoff and Alejandro Ruiz shared the honor of addressing their classmates for the last time. Imhoff, who will continue his studies at Rutgers University this fall, advised his fellow graduates to “adapt and thrive in whatever environment you find yourself in … the parts of ourselves that will never change are the friends we have met along the way. Ruiz, who plans to attend Brown University, urged the young men to “challenge yourself … seize every opportunity to meet new people and cultivate new skills.”

Anne Rivera, principal in the Catholic high school, credited the Brothers of the Sacred Heart with instilling not only academic knowledge, but character building blocks as well. She told the young men they were “well-rounded, faith-filled, self-disciplined, compassionate… You have the tools and the talent to live a good life.”

Jessamyn Bergin, dean of studies, read aloud the names of the students who had earned their diplomas. All maintained a quiet, reverent demeanor at first,

President John G. Nolan, Jr. congratulated the class and advised them to follow the advice of a 50-year-old sports catchphrase – the 1973 rallying cry of the New York Mets which inspired them to go from worst in their division to World Series victors: “Ya Gotta Believe.”

“Take that phrase to heart,” he advised the young men. “Challenge yourself. We gave you the tools and the confidence to make a difference. ‘Ya Gotta Believe’ in God and keep him and St. Joseph’s in your hearts. [At college,] stop into the chapel, attend Mass, have a meaningful conversation with God. Be true to yourself; we believe in you.”

In his closing remarks, Bishop Checchio acknowledged the students had begun their high school careers “under difficult circumstances – the pandemic. It taught us many things such as perseverance, inner strength and reliance on God. God still is in control, God knows what you need. Stay close to Him.”

The 143 members of the Class of 2023 had been awarded $36 million in

At top, following their faculty, the 143 graduates of Saint Joseph High School, process into the Church of the Sacred Heart, South Plainfield for their baccalaureate Mass and commencement ceremony, May 18. Above at far left, Father Michael G. Krull, a member of the Saint Joseph Class of 1976, delivers the homily at the Mass which he celebrated. Above in the center, Bishop James F. Checchio, poses with, from left, Brother Ronald Hingle, S.C., Provincial for the Province of the United States, Brothers of the Sacred Heart, Alejandro Ruiz, co-valedictorian for the Class of 2023, Matthew Imhoff, co-valedictorian for the Class of 2023, John Langdon ‘80, chairman of the Board of Directors and John G. Nolan, president of Saint Joseph High School. Above right, Anne Rivera, principal of Saint Joseph High School, addresses the graduates. Marlo Williamson photos

scholarship monies and boasted a 100 percent college acceptance rate. Following the ceremony, the graduates removed their green gowns, gripped their diplomas and rejoined their jubilant families and friends sporting new white ballcaps emblazoned with the green Falcon insignia and the word “Alumni” on the back.

Getting

Doesn’t

Saint Joseph HS Awards

Summer

SACRÉ COEUR AWARD AND FALCON AWARDS

Art National Honor Society

Sacré Coeur Award: Aarav Zutshi

College Bowl

Sacré Coeur Award: Luke Furnell

Falcon Award: Matthew Imhoff

Computer Club

Sacré Coeur Award: Alexander Fernandez

German National Honor Society

Sacré Coeur Award: Philip Zuska

Falcon Award: Christian Foster

Investment Club

Sacré Coeur Award: Saketh Koduri

Literary and Art Magazine: Vignette

Sacré Coeur Award: Justin Lee

Math League

Sacré Coeur Award: Pranav Tikkawar

Falcon Award: Aarav Zutshi

Model United Nations

Sacré Coeur Award: Joshua Oliveira

Falcom Award: Pranav Tikkawar

National Honor Society

Sacré Coeur Award: Joshua Oliveira

Falcon Award: Charles Algier

Robotics Team

Sacré Coeur Award: Joshus Oliveira

Falcon Award: Paul Bergquist

Science National Honor Society

Sacré Coeur Award: Pranav Tikkawar

Falcon Award: Aarav Zutshi

S.J. Broadcasting

Sacré Coeur Award: Benjamin Chadwick

Falcon Award: Saketh Koduri

Spanish National Honor Society

Sacré Coeur Award: Michael Alvarez

Falcon Award: Caden Miller

Theatre Company: Actors

Sacré Coeur Award: Timothy Horan

Falcon Award: Rocco Lippi

Theatre Company: Tech

Sacré Coeur Award: Cesar Cepeda

Falcon Award: Anthony Capriglione

Tri M Music National Honor Society

Sacré Coeur Award: Connor Spinelli

Falcon Award: Liam Kelly

Yearbook: Evergreen

Sacré Coeur Award: James Ryan DeVera

Falcon Award: Anthony Capriglione

SERVICE CLUB AWARDS

Campus Ministry

Sacré Coeur Award: Robert Ilcyn

Falcon Award: Alexander Grantham

Falcons and Friends

Sacré Coeur Award: Daniel Bachenski

Falcons for Safety

Sacré Coeur Award: Kyle Talerico

Falcon Award: Tanner Tighelaar

Justiceworx Club

Sacré Coeur Award: Alexander Canada

Falcon Award: Matthias Topping

Respect Life Club

Sacré Coeur Award: Timothy Haklar

Falcon Award: Jordan Gopex

Student Council

Sacré Coeur Award: Christian Cuccia

Falcon Award: Jayden Hunter

ACADEMIC AWARDS

Cum Laude

Four-year (seven semester) cumulative GPA > 3.8

Anthony Capriglione

Benjamin Chadwick

Jakub Cielak

Michael DaSilva

Bernardo Fonseca IV

Vincent Genna

Alexander Grantham

Magna Cum Laude

Nicholas Linzey

Rocco Lippi

William Ramsay

Paul Roache

Nicholas Simeone

Matthias Topping

Jim Yu

Four-year (seven semester) cumulative GPA > 4.0

Christian Alston

Andrew Altobelli

Jack Barnett

Matthew Brattole

Alexander Canada

Robert Carvelli

Christian Cuccia

James Ryan DeVera

Aidan Dul

Keagan Edmondson

Jeremiah Fairman

Christopher Feliks

Alexander Fernandez

Mark Gialluisi

Timothy Horan

Liam Kelly

Mateo Lazaro

Kai-Lin Martinez

Louis Matos

James Mulvaney

Matthew O’Hare

Mateusz Orlowski

Nicholas Papavero

Nathaniel Perez

Dean Ponik

Jake Stellatella

Timothy Sullivan

William Sullivan

Atiya Thounaojam

Dalton Vassanella

Nathaniel Yee

Saint Joe’s class of 2023 co-valedictorians. Matthew Imhoff (L) and Alejandro Ruiz.

Summa Cum Laude

Four-year (seven semester) cumulative GPA > 4.40

Charles Algier

Michael Alvarez

Alexander Bonifacio

Mason Cinca

Julian Dutemple

Christian Foster

Jordan Gopez

Timothy Haklar

Robert Heuer

Robert Ilcyn

Matthew Imhoff

Nicholas Justiniani

Saketh Koduri

Justin Lee

Jeremy Mellyn

Caden Miller

Timothy Neville II

Joshua Oliveira

Jack Pallotta

Joshua Peter

Alejandro Ruiz

Scott Schmitt

Armon Singh

Vincent Smythe

Connor Spinelli

Kyle Talerico

Tanner Tighelaar

Pranav Tikkawar

Jake Zargo

Philip Zuska

Aarav Zutshi

SPECIAL AWARDS

Alumni Award: Owen Blake, Robert Ilcyn

Anthony S. Spezio Memorial Award: Liam Kelly

Bishop Checchio Medal: Timothy Haklar

Capt. Walter C. Callari “Lead By Example”

Scholarship: Charles Algier, Michael Alvarez

Dino Galiano ’79 Memorial Scholarship:

Christopher Kapoian

Gavin Macdonald ’81 Memorial Scholarship for

Excellence in English: Timothy Horan

Curtis Nurnberger ’79 Memorial Award for

Excellence in Music: Timothy Horan

William Perdue ’77 Memorial Award for

Excellence in Mathematics: Jeremy Mellyn

Cpl. Kevin Reinhard ’05 Memorial Scholarship:

Kai-Lin Martinez

George F. Smith Memorial Award: Vincent Smythe

Ryan Terracciano ’09 Memorial Scholarship:

Vincent Smythe

DEPARTMENT AWARDS

Computer Science and Applied Technology

For Excellence: Scott Schmitt

Department Award: Jeremy Mellyn

English

For Excellence: Scott Schmitt

Department Award: Alexander Canada

Fine and Performing Arts

For Excellence: Timothy Horan

Department Award: Rocco Lippi

Health and Physical Education

For Excellence: Caden Miller

Department Award: Evan Mendez

Mathematics

For Excellence: Pranav Tikkawar

Department Award: Aarav Zutshi

Science

For Excellence: Tanner Tighelaar

Department Award: Jeremy Mellyn

Social Studies

For Excellence: Joshua Oliveira

Department Award: Pranav Tikkawar

Theology

For Excellence: Timothy Haklar

Department Award: Jack Pallotta

World Languages

German

For Excellence: Christian Foster

Department Award: Jack Pallotta

Latin

For Excellence: Timothy Haklar

Department Award: Jordan Gopez

Spanish

Department Award: Michael Alvarez

of 2023

HONORS DIPLOMA

Mason Cinca

Jordan Gopez

Timothy Haklar

Matthew Imhoff

Justin Lee

Jeremy Mellyn

Joshua Oliveira

Alejandro Ruiz

Scott Schmitt

Vincent Smythe

Tanner Tighelaar

Pranav Tikkawar

Scholar-Athlete Award: Michael Alvarez

Valedictorian Award: Matthew Imhoff, Alejandro Ruiz

HONORS PREVIOUSLY AWARDED

Saint Joseph High School 48th Annual

Robert Frost Literary Contest 2023

Senior Division (first, second, and third place)

Fiction:

Matthew O’Hare – “Breakout,”

Justin Lee – “Ingrained In My Bones,”

Rocco Lippi – “Welcome to My Apocalypse”

Nonfiction:

William Sullivan – “The Brisket Tradition,” Christian Foster – “The National Shrine,” Matthias Topping – “The Mix of the Wind”

Poetry:

Timothy Haklar – “This is a Poem,” Pranav

Tikkawar – “Never Ending,”

Matthew Imhoff – “The Carcass”

Edison Rotary Seniors of the Month

Charles Algier, Michael Alvarez, Tyler Andersen

Daniel Bachenski

Owen Blake

Alexander Canada

Christian Cuccia

Aidan Dul

Jeremiah Fairman

Christopher Feliks

Christian Foster

Timothy Haklar

Jayden Hunter

Robert Ilcyn

Liam Kelly

Jeremy Mellyn

Caden Miller

Joshua Oliveira

Jack Pallotta

William Sullivan

Senior of the Year as Chosen by the Edison Rotary: Christopher Feliks

National German Exam:

Level IV – Achievement: Christian Foster

National Latin Exam: Latin IV – Advanced Prose: Summa Cum Laude: Timothy Haklar, Maxima Cum Laude: Paul Bergquist

Athletics: NJSIAA Scholar Athlete Award: Caden Miller, GMC Scholar Athlete Award: Scott Schmitt, GMS sportsmanship Award: Charles Algier

NATIONAL MERIT

Commended Students

Julian Dutemple

Jordan Gopez

Timothy Haklar

Matthew Imhoff

Liam Kelly

Justin Lee

Jeremy Mellyn

Joshua Oliveira

Alejandro Ruiz

Scott Schmitt

Armon Singh

Vincent Smythe

Pranav Tikkawar

Jim Yu

National Hispanic Recognition Program

Scholars: Cesar Cepeda, Mason Cinca

National African American Recognition

Program Scholars: Joshua Ingram

The St. Bartholomew School Faculty and Staff congratulate the Class

May the Faith, that has brought you to this wonderful day, bring you to the fullness of all that you can be in the years ahead. May God bless you.

-IRISH BLESSING

The Solemnity of celebrated in the Parishes of the Diocese

“Every year the feast of Corpus Christi invites us to renew the wonder and joy for this wonderful gift of the Lord, which is the Eucharist.”

First Last Name photo

First Last Name photo

First Last Name photo

St Joseph, High Bridge

St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Bridgewater St. Mary, Alpha

Immaculate Conception, Spotswood

St Ambrose, Old Bridge

Corpus Christi, South River

St. Mary of Ostrabrama, South River

- POPE FRANCIS

photo

Most Holy Name of Jesus, Perth Amboy

Our Lady of Fatima, Piscataway

St. Cecelia, Iselin, and St. James, Woodbridge

Ss. Peter and Paul, Great Meadows

Saint James, Basking Ridge

St. Jude, Blairstown

St. Peter the Apostle, New Brunswick

St. Thomas the Apostle, Old Bridge

Photos are courtesy of the parishes. Additional parish photos will be posted on the Diocese of Metuchen Facebook page.

Saint Thomas Aquinas graduates face future with hope, optimism

The St. Thomas Aquinas High School community celebrated the graduation of its 50th senior class on Thursday, June 1, with diplomas being conferred during a Baccalaureate Mass and Commencement Ceremony held in Sacred Heart Church, South Plainfield.

Four years ago, the members of this senior class entered as freshmen unaware of the extraordinary circumstances that would forever impact their high school experience.

“This school has produced so many graduates in over 50 years, but you got so much more because of the challenges that you faced; that God is still with us, that God is always for us no matter the challenges that we face,” said Bishop James F. Checchio.

This was the class that lived through the experience of COVID 19. The fastspreading, global pandemic ultimately led to the unprecedented shutdown of in-person classes midway through their freshman year. This was the class that saw their sophomore year continue as a mix of in-person and remote learning.

“You rebounded from a global pandemic to create an unforgettable school year filled with momentous achievements,” said Principal Harry Ziegler. “You had the courage to face a challenging world and pursue your goals without hesitation. You said yes to life. And in doing so, you encourage all of us to do the same.”

This senior class did indeed say “yes” and overcame the unique obstacles placed before them that no other incoming class had experienced. Among the members of the class, 98% will go directly to one of 59 different universities in 12 different states. Others will serve in the military or enter trade schools. Along the way, they found the time to experience high school life and build memories that will last for the rest of their lives.

“Who remembers the friends, coaches, directors, and teachers we met over these four years, who came to be like family, and who will forever be part of each one of our life stories?” asked class president Isabella Danner and vice president Morgan Ryan. “Thank you to everyone who has made the Class of 2023’s high school experience unforgettable. We’re so thankful for the moments, and for everything in between.”

The experience of being the first incoming class to face a hybrid education during a global pandemic is not lost on the members of this special class of graduates. Rather than looking back on what was lost or what might have been, the members of this class wear the experience much like a badge of honor.

“You were most likely not the person you were four years ago. Both the trying times and the joyous experiences have shaped us in many ways, some rather unexpected. We have persevered through many hardships and made it out on the other side,” reflected Sara Murillo, salutatorian.

While the ceremony was filled with the kind of bittersweet emotions that so many come to feel at milestone moments in their lives, the graduates in this class exit with a message of hope and optimism for their future.

“Let us think of today as the beginning of a new chapter in our lives which is filled with infinite possibilities and endless opportunities,” said valedictorian Rajoshi Basu.

“As we spread our wings across the whole country, let us show who we are as St. Thomas alumni by proudly representing the values and lessons we have learned,” he added.

At top, before attending their Baccalaureate Mass and Commencement Ceremony, June 1, St. Thomas Aquinas graduates gathered with friends for photos. At left, Father Michael Tabernero, director of Catholic Identity at the high school, delivers the homily at Mass. At right, Bishop James F. Checchio poses with (left to right): Vice Principal Robert Turco, Interim President Father Keith Cervine, and Principal Harry Ziegler. Bottom, St. Thomas Aquinas graduates, their family and friends fill Sacred Heart Church, South Plainfield where Mass and commencement took place.

Marlo Williamson photos

St. Thomas Aquinas Awards

VALEDICTORIAN/SALUTATORIAN TROPHIES

Kathleen Duffy Memorial Award: Benjamin Bussiere

Therese E. Ghegan Memorial Award: Jessica Markert

National Merit Scholarship Program – Letter of Commendation: Akash Shiva Swamy, Rajoshi Basu, Gabriella Hamm

Spirit of Blessed Angela Award: Kylie Lucas

St. Vincent De Paul Award: Sara Murillo

Bowl 4 Life Skip Steighner Scholarships: Alexandra Sardis

STA/BGA Alumni Scholarship: John Norcia

SUBJECT AWARDS (MEDALS)

Art Award: Alexander Cocuzza

English Award: Gabriella Hamm

Health & Physical Education Award: Najee Lovejoy, Alyssa Miel

Math Award: Rajoshi Basu

Physical Science Award: Sara Murillo

Biological Science Award: Annika Zavalla

Social Studies Award: Christian Perez

TOP 10%

Rajoshi Basu, Jackson Benjamin Boomer, Neal Choksi, Gabriella Jeraldine Cruz, Isabella R. Danner, Grace Anne Farrell, Gabriella Marie Hamm, Sophie Joycelyne Hardy, Solim Shibly Khan, Jessica Maria Kubiak, Matthew Lowe, Alyssa Marie Miel, Lisa Regiena Mohabeer, Sara Murillo, Rajasvi C. Patel, Christian Perez, Morgan Dailey Ryan, Sierra Marie Smith, Annika Lauren Costa Zavalla

SATOMA NEWS MAGAZINE 2022 -2023

Editors-in-Chief: Abigail Bera, Morgan Ryan

Insight Editor: Lauren Mullen

Social Media Representative: Melody Cadet, Kaela Zabala

Broadcast Journalism On Camera Excellence: Alyssa Miel, Kylie Ferber, Jalen Hinnant, Jalen Pichardo

Broadcast Journalism Outstanding Contribution Behind the Scenes: Jordan Molyneux, Keira Guevara, Najee Lovejoy, Ryan Williams

DRAMA DEPARTMENT AWARDS 2022-2023

Director’s Award for Participatory Excellence in the STA Drama Department: Abigail Bera, Jackson Boomer, Melody Cadet, Gianna Condito, Mackenzie Cruz, Allison Devitt, Brianna Gafanhao, Landen Gonzalez, Gabriella Hamm, Jalen “JJ” Hinnant, Jared Jardiolin, Victoria McLean, Esperanza Mojica, Adrien Ortega, Morgan Ryan, Jayden Young, Kaela Zabala

Director’s Award for Outstanding Dedication to the STA Drama Department over four years: Abigail Bera, Jackson Boomer, Mackenzie Cruz, Morgan Ryan

Director’s Award for Excellence in Dance: Mackenzie Cruz

Director’s Award for Most Improved Performer Over Four Years: Jackson Boomer, Morgan Ryan

Director’s Award for Outstanding Stage Performance Over Four Years: Abigail Bera

BAND AND MUSIC AWARDS

4 Year Award (Stayed active on a Music Roster for 8 full seasons):

Abigail Bera, Jackson Boomer, Mackenzie Cruz, Allison Devitt, Mason Farrell, Gabriella Hamm, Victoria McLean, Morgan Ryan, Sierra Smith, Jane Zhao

Director’s Award for Bank: Jackson Boomer

Leonard Bernstein Musicianship: Victoria McLean

National School Choral Award: Abigail Bera, Morgan Ryan

Frederick Chopin Piano Award: Jane Zhao

Most Improved Over 4 Years:

Band: Nika Kudirka

Chorus: Morgan Ryan

Semper Fi Marine Corps Marching Award: Mason Farrell

National School Color Guard Award: Kylie Barrett, Morgan Ryan, Gabriella Hamm

Woody Herman Jazz Award: Jared Jardiolin

Perfect Attendance: Kylie Barrett

Middlesex County Scholar Athlete Award – Boy: Landon Kearns

Middlesex County Scholar Athlete Award – Girl: Mary Kate Murray

NJSIAA Scholar Athlete: Sierra Smith

Robin Cone Memorial Award: Maria Arias

Middlesex County Principal’s & Supervisor’s Outstanding Student: Sarah Murillo

Scott Stringer Award: Brandon Fuentes

Zolnier’s Student Leadership & Service Award: Annika Zavalla

Brian Crelin Memorial Scholarship: Landon Kearns

Spanish Award: Gabrielle Cruz

Bishop Checchio Religion Award: Gabrielle Cruz

EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Excellence in S.T.E.M.: Sierra Smith

Excellence in Technology: Sara Murillo

Excellence in Writing: Morgan Ryan

2023 Graduating classes earn $108 million in scholarships and awards

Among the outstanding achievements of the graduating class of 2023, the 429 graduates of the four Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Metuchen together received more than $108 million in scholarships and awards from its high schools, all while emphasizing the profound impact of Catholic identity on their educational journey.

Among the four Catholic high schools within the Church of Metuchen, which include Immaculata, St. Thomas Aquinas, Mount Saint Mary Academy, and Saint Joseph, the graduates averaged $250,192 in scholarships and awards per student, totaling approximately 54,377 hours of service over the course of their four years, and have achieved a 100 percent college acceptance rate, with an average of 82 percent of graduates receiving scholarships and awards.

Graduating seniors who received the 2023 Bishop James F. Checchio Award for Religion include Matthew Kolakowski of Immaculata High School; Gabrielle Cruz of St. Thomas Aquinas High School; Julie Falcone and Giulianna Pelcher of Mount Saint Mary Academy, and Timothy Haklar of Saint Joseph High School.

Navigating an ever-changing world, the Diocese of Metuchen has remained steadfast in its commitment to instilling a strong Catholic identity within its educational institutions. The graduating Class of 2023 in the Diocese of Metuchen have actively engaged in the development of their faith, participating in religious studies, sacramental preparation, and various spiritual activities.

They have embraced the Church’s mission to foster a deep connection with God and to live out the Gospel values in their daily lives. By expressing their Catholic identity, they have consistently demonstrated a commitment to service, engaging in numerous community outreach programs and demonstrating compassion towards those in need. Their acts of kindness and generosity reflect the values instilled within them and are a testament to the transformative power of Catholic education and their relationship with Jesus Christ.

Valedictorian: Rajoshi Basu Salutatorian: Sara Murillo

Diocesan alums earn valedictorian awards

Blessing of Graduates

Let us unite our hearts in prayer and entrust to the hands of the Lord those who have graduated.

May God who began this good work in you carry it through to completion, enabling you to use your talents to the fullest.

May God give you the grace to make wise choices and to be faithful to your commitments, always confident in the support of those who love you. May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that you will live deep within your heart.

Congratulations go to St. Francis Cathedral School, Metuchen, Class of 2019 alumna, Jane Lederman, left, who was named valedictorian for Mother Seton Regional High School, Clark. She will be moving on to the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Congratulations were also earned by St. John Vianney School, Colonia, alumna, Gabriella Mouris, who was named valedictorian for Union Catholic High School, Clark. She will be headed to Boston College.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you will work for justice, equality, and peace. May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you will reach out your hand to comfort them and change their pain into joy. May God bless you with the foolishness to think that you can make a difference in the world, so that you will do the things which others tell you cannot be done. May your integrity be a gift to the world and may the Spirit of God be with you always.

Valedictorian: Jane Lederman

Valedictorian: Gabriella Mouris

Jesuit Father Michael Graham, Xavier University

Faith, Learning and Growth: Closing a year with gratitude and hope

As we conclude another fruitful academic year in our Diocese of Metuchen Catholic Schools, we would like to reflect on the numerous highlights and accomplishments that have defined our collective journey of faith, knowledg and service. We are incredibly proud of our students and staff and their many accomplishments during the 2022-23 school year. It is with great joy and pride that we share these memorable moments with our entire Diocesan community.

Our students have embraced the pursuit of knowledge and have displayed remarkable academic excellence throughout the year. The diligence, hard work and the guidance of our dedicated teachers have resulted in outstanding achievements. We commend all our students for their progress and extend

our congratulations to those who have received special recognition for their academic accomplishments.

We would like to offer our heartfelt gratitude to Bishop James Checchio, the pastors of our parish schools, and the parishioners for their positive support of our mission at the Office of Schools. It takes a team of caring individuals who know that the success of our students depends on us and the opportunities and success for each and every one of them.

We extend our deepest appreciation to our exceptional teachers, staff and administrators for their unwavering commitment to the mission of Catholic education. Their dedication, expertise and compassionate guidance have nurtured the academic, spiritual and personal growth of our students. We are truly

grateful for their tireless efforts.

We would like to thank our parents for their continued support and active partnership in the education and faith formation of their children. Your involvement, encouragement and collaboration have been vital to the success of our schools. Together, we have created a nurturing environment where students can thrive academically, spiritually and personally.

As we conclude this academic year, we eagerly anticipate the future with hope and excitement. We remain committed to providing a transformative education rooted in faith, academic excellence and service. With the grace of God, we will continue to inspire our students to grow in wisdom, faith and character.

rejuvenation, relaxation and spiritual renewal for all of our families. We pray that God’s blessings be with you and your families during this well-deserved rest. We look forward to welcoming our students, staff and families back to the Diocese of Metuchen Catholic Schools for another remarkable year of faith, learning, and community in the pursuit of excellence.

In Christ,

Barbara Stevens -Superintendent of Schools

Joseph Diskin -Assistant Superintendent of Schools

Sister Mary Louise Shulas

l Our diocesan-wide STREAM fair, held in April, was designed to highlight representation from all of our schools and foster project based interdisciplinary learning, encourage creativity, and promote a well-rounded experience that integrates various subjects. We were very impressed and enjoyed our student presentations as they showcased their amazing work and applied their knowledge and skills in practical and meaningful ways.

l The Diocese is committed to nurturing the faith of our students. Our religious education program has provided them with a strong foundation in Catholic teachings, fostering spiritual growth and a deepened relationship with God. We are proud of our students’ commitment to living

out their faith through acts of service, prayer, and reflection.

l Our schools celebrate the Eucharistic Revival which fosters a renewed emphasis on the celebration, understanding, and reverence of the Holy Eucharist within our school community. The aim of the Eucharistic Revival is to cultivate a deep love and reverence for the Eucharist in the hearts of our students, fostering a lifelong relationship with Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.

l Each of our schools participates in Spirituality Days which are dedicated to nurturing the spiritual development and faith formation of students. These days are designed to provide students with opportunities for reflection, prayer, and engagement with our

Catholic faith. These days play an essential role in fostering a holistic education that nurtures the spiritual, intellectual, and moral growth of students within our Catholic values and virtues.

l We have completed the second year in the process of implementing the Theology of the Body curriculum which is a comprehensive teaching on human sexuality, love, and the meaning of the body within the Catholic Church. Developed by Pope Saint John Paul II, it presents a profound understanding of the human person and the purpose and dignity of the body.

l Beyond the classroom, our students have excelled in a wide range of extracurricular activities. Whether in sports, music, art, or academic clubs, they have

showcased their talents and passions. Their dedication, teamwork, and perseverance have been an inspiration to all. We celebrate their accomplishments and the joy they have brought to our school community through their involvement.

l Service to others lies at the core of our Catholic identity and our staff and students have had many opportunities to make a positive impact in their school and community. This year, our students have actively engaged in numerous service projects, both locally and globally. They have selflessly reached out to those in need, making a tangible impact on the lives of others. We are grateful for their compassionate hearts and their commitment to living as Disciples of Christ.

At left, a presentation on crystallization by Kaitlyn Wang of St. Bartholomew School, East Brunswick, was one of many projects on display at the Immaculata High School STEM Fair, Somerville. At right, Perth Amboy Catholic School students undertake a liturgical dance version of the Stations of the Cross. With them are principal Ana Diaz, far right; fourth grade teacher Michelle Diaz, left; Claretian Father Gilles Njobam, pastor, and Deacon Sergio Diaz, both of Our Lady of Fatima Parish. —Courtesy photos

Brothers and sisters, this “shutting ourselves in” happens when, in the most difficult situations, we allow fear to take the upper hand and let its loud voice dominate within us. The cause, therefore, is fear: fear of not being able to cope, of having to face everyday battles alone, of risking and then being disappointed, of making the wrong decisions. Brothers, sisters, fear blocks, fear paralyses. And it also isolates: think of the fear of others, of those who are foreign, who are different, who think in another

way. And there can even be the fear of God: that he will punish me, that he will be angry with me… If we give space to these false fears, the doors close: the doors of the heart, the doors of society, and even the doors of the Church! Where there is fear, there is closure. And this will not do.

However, the Gospel offers us the remedy of the Risen One: the Holy Spirit. He frees us from the prisons of fear. When they receive the Spirit, the apostles – we celebrate this today – come out

of the upper room and go out into the world to forgive sins and to proclaim the good news. Thanks to him, fears are overcome and doors open. Because this is what the Spirit does: he makes us feel God’s proximity, and so thus his love casts out fear, illuminates the way, consoles, sustains in adversity. Faced with fears and closure, then, let us invoke the Holy Spirit for us, for the Church and for the whole world: let a new Pentecost cast out the fears that assail us and revive the flame of God’s love.

Come out of the world: a fictional sermon that hits home

By Dr. R. Jared Staudt

“If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

“Here he goes again,” Frank thought, as Father Joseph quoted the day’s Gospel. Frank knew it was good for his wife and kids to be here at Mass. He was there for them, but he began to realize it might be another one of those days when Father went on the warpath against the lukewarm – against guys like him.

“Does the world love you?” Father Joseph asked rhetorically. “Well, then you are probably doing something wrong!” It was confirmed. Today was one of those days. Maybe he should start reading the bulletin, Frank thought to himself.

“The world’s love or hatred is a litmus test for each one of us to know

whether we are following in the footsteps of the Lord,” the priest continued.

“‘If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.’ But, if the world loves you, then it must mean the opposite, that we are following the world over our Lord.”

“This is exactly why people hate the Church,” Frank thought. “Where is the mercy here? Doesn’t Jesus love us and want what is good for us? I’m sick of priests telling us that we need to believe whatever they tell us and follow all their rules. I’m doing my part after all and write a check when he asks for it. That’s more than most people do.”

He felt indignation, but also some sweat.

It was almost as if Father was reading Frank’s thoughts. “You might say to yourself, ‘I’m doing well for myself in the world and so I can give part of my success back to God.’ That is all fine and

good, but God doesn’t want a part of you. He wants all of you. The world puts self first. My success. My desires. My own beliefs. I can think and live the way I want. People want mercy, but they want it without conversion.”

Frank began to fidget in his seat…

Father continued, “Jesus came to save the world, but not to affirm it in its sin. The same is true for us. We can be worldly even in the Church. If we choose to stay in our sin and claim to be a Christian, we are lying to ourselves. We have broken our communion with Christ and need to come back to him in Confession. Mercy doesn’t ignore sin. Mercy is justice …”

Confession again. Yes, that is what his wife had been nagging Frank about for weeks. That was one of Father Joseph’s favorite topics. “I am not a sinner,” Frank repeated to himself. “I try to be a good person. I don’t hurt others,

at least not directly. Maybe my business practices could be a bit more transparent. Maybe I could be more faithful to my wife. The world isn’t as bad as this priest makes it out. The world has done more for me than the Church.”

As if in response, Father Joseph affirmed: “Come out of the world. You can’t have it both ways. Choose Christ or the world.”

Frank wondered how long he could keep up appearances, bringing his family here, fidgeting in his seat and remaining worldly. This priest wanted him to make a choice. He looked over at his wife again, and then at his kids. Maybe he did need to make some kind of choice.

Dr. Staudt’s column is syndicated by the Denver Catholic, the official publication of the Archdiocese of Denver.

Strengthen bonds with elderly to cut epidemic of loneliness

risk of heart disease, dementia and stroke.

To combat this epidemic of loneliness, Dr. Murphy proposes a three-pronged national framework aimed at rebuilding social connection and community.

communication or memory issues?

The summer months can be a dangerous time for seniors, especially those below the poverty line and those who live alone.

those both near and far, especially those on the peripheries of society.

The COVID-19 public health emergency has officially ended and summer promises happier times in the months ahead.

And yet our surgeon general, Dr. Vivek H. Murphy, has just issued an advisory signaling a new public health threat in our country–loneliness.

It’s actually not a new problem at all, but an invisible epidemic that has been spreading through our society unchecked for many years.

In an essay in the “New York Times” in April, Dr. Murphy asserts, “We need to acknowledge the loneliness and isolation that millions are experiencing and the grave consequences for our mental health, physical health and collective well-being.”

Dr. Murphy warns that loneliness is “more than just a bad feeling.” It often leads to anxiety and depression – but that is not all.

It is also associated with increased

The first point in Dr. Murphy’s plan is to strengthen our social infrastructure through programs, structures and policies that support healthy relationships.

The second point is to renegotiate our relationship with technology – we need to learn to put down our devices in order to be more present to each other.

Third, each of us needs to reach out and rebuild relationships in our personal lives.

Although all three elements are important, I would like to focus on the third point in this framework – our personal relationships – and I suggest that we begin by reaching out to the elders in our families and neighborhoods, many of whom suffer from a lack of meaningful relationships, though they have many gifts to share with others.

Summertime brings with it many opportunities for family-centered events – graduations, weddings, reunions, picnics and vacations – but do we always make the effort we should to include our elders, especially if they have mobility,

Heat waves quickly become deadly for seniors who lack air conditioning as well as those who have chronic conditions that make it difficult for their bodies to acclimate to temperature fluctuations.

Twenty years ago, hundreds of seniors died in Paris and other French cities during a summer heat wave, seemingly forgotten by family members who were away on vacation.

French society was criticized for this obvious neglect of the elderly, but similar incidents have recently occurred in our country with seniors dying in their own homes due to a lack of air conditioning during periods of extreme heat.

Many U.S. cities have now set up public cooling centers and regulations for air conditioning in public housing. But the first line of defense for vulnerable seniors should be the attentiveness of family members and kind neighbors.

For many years, Pope Francis has been challenging us to live in a greater spirit of solidarity by reaching out to

He often directs our attention to the needs of seniors, condemning neglect of the elderly and calling on us to strengthen bonds between the generations.

The first time he spoke publicly about the elderly was at World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro in 2013.

This summer Pope Francis will join young people for World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal. He has intentionally linked this celebration, whose theme is focused on the Virgin Mary in the Visitation, to the third World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, which falls just a few weeks prior to the events in Lisbon.

As we prepare for these two celebrations this summer, let’s stay close to the seniors in our lives, strengthening our emotional and practical bonds with them and remaining attentive to their wellbeing.

We will be blessed as we reach out to them, just as Mary was blessed in her encounter with her elderly cousin Elizabeth.

Sister Constance Veit is the communications director for the Little Sisters of the Poor in the United States and an occupational therapist.

As disciples, we are called to a radical way of life

12th Sunday of the Year (A)

By Msgr. John N. Fell

In the first reading this Sunday, the prophet Jeremiah displays an attitude of confident trust in God; Jeremiah proclaims, “the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion . . . praise the Lord, for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!” (Jer. 20:1113). It is this kind of profound trust, the trust that led Jeremiah continue his service as God’s messenger despite terrible opposition, that Jesus is trying to inspire in his disciples in this Sunday’s excerpt from the Gospel of St. Matthew.

The tenth chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel is known as his Mission or Discipleship Discourse, a section in which Jesus speaks of the need for co-workers, chooses the twelve apostles, and then proceeds to expound upon the requirements, trials, and triumphs of faithful discipleship. Perhaps more than the other Synoptics or John, Matthew emphasizes the perfection required for those who would be Jesus’ disciples; their righteousness must always far exceed that of those around them. In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, Jesus seems to be making three important points about being such faithful disciples.

First, Jesus encourages the apostles to witness to him and his Heavenly Father without fear. He reminds them of the inevitability of the coming fullness of the Kingdom of God. In doing so, Jesus distinguishes between his own mission, which is to proclaim the Kingdom to them, and their mission, which is to proclaim the Kingdom to all the ends of the world. What Jesus tells them now in the dark, that is, in this secluded corner of the Ancient Near East, they are to announce in the light throughout the entire world. What Jesus speaks privately to this tight, little band, they must publicly proclaim from the rooftops. It will be through their courage and fidelity that Jesus’ message will reach the whole world.

Second, Jesus comforts them with the assurance that he and his Father will take care of them at every moment of their endeavors. True disciples are called to a radical way of life, a way of life that the world will not readily accept. Jesus knows well the opposition that these witnesses of his will face on his account, and he promises them that he will always look out for them. He tells them not to fear the reaction of the crowd when they preach, they should fear rather the reaction of God if they do not preach: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna” (Matthew 10:28). In true rabbinic style, Jesus reasons with them

that if the Father sustains and nurtures every individual sparrow (the cheapest of animals), then how much more care will he provide for those who faithfully carry forth his mission. They and their efforts will forever be before the Father’s gaze.

Third, Jesus reminds his disciples that both his mission as well as their salvation are at stake. Here Jesus emphasizes the very personal nature of what they are called to do. Being a disciple in not a matter of promoting a certain cause or idea, being a disciple is matter of remaining tied to and focused upon Jesus – the person of Jesus is the heart and center of their message. If they disown Jesus, that is, if they fail to be his witnesses in the world, their weakness will have dire consequences on the spread of his gospel. Jesus will then disown them before his Heavenly Father, leaving them unrecognized and unwelcome in the Kingdom. If, however, they remain faithful and true to the task of proclaiming his Gospel to all the nations, Jesus will acknowledge them before his Heavenly Father and bring them to the full glory of the Kingdom. The costs of faithful discipleship, although significant, will always pale in comparison to the rich rewards that it merits.

Msgr. Fell is a Scripture scholar and director, diocesan Office for Priest Personnel

Prayer for newly ordained priests

O Jesus, our great High Priest, hear our humble prayers on behalf of your priests. Give them a deep faith, a bright and firm hope, and a burning love which will ever increase in the course of their priestly lives. In their loneliness, comfort them; in their sorrows, strengthen them; in their frustrations, point out to them that it is through suffering that the soul is purified. Show them that they are needed by the Church, they are needed by souls, they are needed for the work of redemption.

O loving Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Priests, take to your heart your sons who are close to you because of their priestly ordinations, and because of the power which they have received to carry on the work of Christ in a world which needs them so much. Be their comfort, be their joy, be their strength, and especially help them to live and to defend the ideals of consecrated celibacy. Amen.

Crosiers

Apostles Peter & Paul

c. first century

June 29

These apostles share a feast as founders of the church in Rome. Peter, a Galilean fisherman chosen by Christ as one of the Twelve Apostles, became the undisputed leader of the fledgling church after Pentecost. Paul, a Pharisee and Roman citizen who had persecuted Christians, became after his dramatic conversion the church’s greatest missionary, its “apostle of the gentiles.” By tradition both were martyred in Rome. Their adventures are recounted in the Acts of the Apostles, and letters from them are included in the New Testament.

Saints

SCRIPTURE SEARCH®

Gospel for June 25, 2023

Matthew 10: 26-33

Following is a word search based on the Gospel reading for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A: A promise that all things are seen. The words can be found in all directions in the puzzle.

SECRET WHAT I SAY DARK THE LIGHT WHISPERED BODY SOUL DESTROY BOTH SPARROWS SOLD NOT ONE THE HAIRS YOUR HEAD COUNTED AFRAID EVERYONE BEFORE ACKNOWLEDGE FATHER DENY

SPARROWS

PACT Olympics combines togetherness with a touch of competition

By Tiffany Workman

May 19th was a warm and sunny day in East Brunswick and the PACT Program Team Leaders and staff members were getting ready for the PACT Olympics. Held at Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen’s Family Center in East Brunswick, the annual Olympic event was set to be an exciting one with some friendly competition and socialization with PACT participants.

Catholic Charities Diocese of Metuchen’s Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) is an evidence-based practice that offers person-centered, recovery-based care in community-based settings to individuals diagnosed with serious mental illness.

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen, operates three PACT Teams that cover all of Middlesex County.

This yearly event gets PACT participants together and gives them an opportunity to socialize and meet others within the PACT program. Recreational and social support is one of the many services the PACT program provides, and the annual Olympic event is a part of that.

Rose Bohar, PACT Team Leader in East Brunswick, loves the Olympics, as

“the games provide a day of fun for consumers.” The PACT program members from Perth Amboy were dressed in blue, members from the East Brunswick program were in purple and New Brunswick consumers sported red t-shirts.

As consumers arrived, t-shirts were handed out and consumers of the program were given the opportunity to decorate them, an opportunity Ana Isa Figueiredo, PACT Team Leader for Perth Amboy, enjoys because she loves watching people have fun and forget about their problems for the day.

PACT consumer Johnny has been with the program for about 30 years. He lives in Perth Amboy, but belongs to the New Brunswick PACT team. He spoke about how much the PACT program has helped him in so many ways. “I got involved when I was in the hospital,” Johnny says. “They’ve helped me with my resume, they helped me get a job, and even with housing. They were there when I needed them.”

Johnny even went on to say he loves all of the activities the PACT program has for socialization like the movies, the Olympics, of course, and he even had a big smile on his face when he talked about the Christmas party.

While music played in the back-

ground, consumers cheered for their teammates as they participated in events such as a water balloon toss, corn hole, soccer and bocce ball. AnnMarie Costantini, PACT Director, appreciates the events because her favorite part of the PACT Olympics is “watching the participants have fun competing for their teams.”

PACT consumers continued to have some friendly competition and then took a break for lunch. Each team’s scores were recorded and at the end of all the events a winner was chosen based on points. Team East Brunswick took first place and were very excited about it. Team New Brunswick came in second place and team Perth Amboy came in third place. For those participants who did not want to partake in the physical sports, a game of bingo took place under a tent and prizes were given out to those who won.

“I love working in PACT,” said Costantini, who has served as PACT Director for 10 years. “Seeing the impact we make on the lives of our consumers is very rewarding. The teamwork required in PACT is also wonderful. At times the work can be demanding, but because we follow a team model, there is always someone to step in and help.”

Costantini and the rest of the PACT staff all agree that the success of the PACT program comes from support, particularly “support of the agency and specifically the executive team. Everyone understands what an important program PACT is and they allow us to do whatever it takes to make our consumers’ lives better.”

Bohar added, “a cohesive team approach,” and Figueiredo said “the commitment of the staff, management, and agency” help make the program successful.

Case Managers

PACT program participants must be 18 years of age or older. They must have serious mental illness/psychiatric diagnosis for at least 12 months, psychiatric/mental health diagnosis such as schizophrenia, major depression, or bipolar disorder. They need to have had at least two psychiatric hospitalizations in the 18 months prior to admission and demonstrated lack of benefit from or refusal to participate in a less intensive treatment modality.

The PACT program for Middlesex County is an initiative funded through the State of New Jersey that serves persons in the community with serious and persistent mental illness. PACT services include crisis assessment and intervention, psychiatric assessment/evaluation, substance abuse counseling, individual and group counseling, medication administration and management.

The PACT program also assists clients with transportation when needed, employment, housing assistance and referrals, health and nutrition education and money management. The PACT teams are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week and can help clients with family and social network support, as well as legal assistance and referrals.

For more information about Catholic Charities Diocese of Metuchen, the PACT program, and employment opportunities with the PACT program, please visit ccdom.org

Visit Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @ccdom1 to stay updated on upcoming events and ways we help clients get services and help they need.

Workman is the Communications Specialist in the Office of Communications and Public Relations

Crisis Intervention / Mental Health Specialists

Child Care Workers / Clinical Supervisors

Receptionists

Clinicians

Psychiatrists

Peer Counselors

Substance Abuse Counselors

Administrative Assistants

PACT New Brunswick poses for a team picture. —Tiffany Workman photo

Sacred Heart Brother Robert Ziobro

Sacred Heart Brother Robert Ziobro, 77, died June 7 in St. Antoine’s Nursing Home, North Smithfield, R.I.

Brother Robert wass known for his dedication to the education, support and formation of young people, having lived his 51 years of ministry embracing a rule of life for the Sacred Heart Brothers to “believe in God’s love, to live it, and to spread it. It is to contribute as religious educators to the evangelization of the world particularly through the education of the youth.”

Brother Robert served Msgr. McClancy Memorial High School, East Elmurst, N.Y.; St. Joseph High School, Metuchen, and Phillipsburg Catholic High School, Phillipsburg. Beyond the classroom, Brother Robert minis-

National Convention of the Latin Liturgy Association

July 14-16, 2023

Fairfield, New Jersey

tered as guidance counselor, freshman dean, department chair, campus minister, club moderator, and coach.

He also served as a member of several parish staffs, including as director of religious education and youth group moderator in the parish of the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen; Regina Pacis Parish, Brooklyn; St. Augustine of Canterbury School, Kendall Park, and St. David the King Parish, Princeton Junction.

Two of Brother Robert’s major contributions to the mission of the New York Province and the Brothers of the Sacred Heart was his service as volunteer program director and his 22-year tenure as vocation director. He also served as associate director of vocations for the Diocese of Metuchen for two years.

Brother Robert, a native of Elizabeth, was the son of the late Chester Ziobro and Stephanie Sobota. He joined the Brothers of the Sacred Heart juniorate in Metuchen, Sept. 13, 1959, and became a novice at Belvidere in August 1963. He professed his first vows on August 15, 1964, in the Brothers’ chapel at Belvidere, and later made his perpetual profession at Msgr. McClancy Memorial High School on Aug. 15, 1970.

Brother Robert was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his brother, Ronald Ziobro; sister-inlaw, Karen; his niece and godchild, Denise Ziobro, and several cousins.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at the Brothers’ residence chapel in Pascoag, R.I., on June 15. A second was held in St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral June 17. Interment took place at the Brothers’ cemetery on the grounds of Saint Joseph High School.

Donations in honor of Brother Robert’s memory can be made to the Brothers of the Sacred Heart Foundation (4600 Elysian Fields Ave., New Orleans, LA 70122).

1 Cole Court, #307 Chester, NJ 07930

ww w.ourladyof tenderness com

Your prayer requests are welcomed and encouraged They shall be placed before the Blessed Sacrament and lifted daily in prayer

The ministr y of this Hermitage is God’s gift, a life of prayer, freely given to our diocese for you. Please accept this free gift. It is a privilege to be united with you in prayer.

Be still and know that I am God - Psalm 46:10

Prayer Request:

Sung Latin Mass (Ordinary Form) at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Paterson, NJ with Rev. Fr. Anthony Mastroeni, S.Th.D., J.D.

Saturday, July 15, 2023, 9:00 a.m.

Sung Latin Mass (Extraordinary Form) at World Apostolate of Fatima Blue Army Shrine Asbury, NJ with Rev. Fr. Peter Stravinskas Ph.D., S.T.D.

Sunday, July 16, 2023, 9:00 a.m.

NON-MEMBERS WELCOME!

Convention Keynote Speaker: Sir Raymond de Souza, KM +

For more information, go to www.latinliturgy.com or email: LatinLiturgy@yahoo.com

A 12-day Catholic Pilgrimage Tour to France

Including Lourdes, Carcassonne, Avignon, Lyon, Ars, Paray le Monial, Nevers, Chartres, Lisieux, Mont St. Michel, Normandy & Paris!

Under the spiritual direction of Fr. James Hagerman –St. Bernadette Church (Parlin)

September 18 - 29, 2023 $4,195 all-inclusive from Newark

Price includes round-trip direct flights from Newark, first-class hotels, breakfast and dinner daily, expert tour guide with deluxe motor coach, all sightseeing with admission/entrance fees. Also included are all taxes, fuel surcharges and gratuities for personnel utilized during the tour.

Mass Celebrated Daily

For more information and tour brochure, call Pilgrimage Tours at 1-800-278-1351

Full itinerary can be viewed at www.catholic-pilgrimage-tours.com

Students learn about court system from special judge

On May 1, the students from St. Augustine of Canterbury middle school, Kendall Park, took a field trip to the Federal Courthouse in Newark to visit the Courtroom of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas.

Judge Salas graciously planned a jam-packed two-hour program to educate the students on the policies of witnesses and members of the Judicial Branch. The Marshals took some of their gear, including a protective vest, ballistics helmet and shield and dressed some of the students to give them an idea what it is like to “go to work” as a U.S. Marshal.

The Marshals also put on a canine bomb-sniffing demonstration with Canine Grover, a three-year-old black Labrador. While Grover was able to steal the hearts of the students and adults alike, he was also able to amaze his audience by tactfully identifying bomb-related substances without error.

After the demonstration, Grover went around the courtroom to greet as many humans as he could.

The students were then given a presentation by members of the Assistant U.S. Attorneys Office and the Federal Public Defender. Both parties were informative about their roles in prosecuting and defending federal defendants.

While their relationship in the courtroom is designed to be adversarial, the

Assistant U.S. Attorneys and the Public Defender, both highlighted the immense respect they have for each other and the high-level of collegiality that exists outside the courtroom.

One of the missing pieces that many people do not get to see in the judicial process is the pretrial work that goes on before a case makes it to the courtroom. Federal Pretrial Services are tasked with investigating and supervising defendants.

The officers are tasked with helping the court decide if defendants should be released or detained while awaiting trial and mitigating any risk that they might pose to the public.

Most importantly, they see that there is an equitable administration of justice. The students also heard from a Federal Probation Chief, who helps supervise offenders after they have been released from federal custody.

The entire morning was put together under the supervision of Judge Salas. At the end of the program, Her Honor gave beautiful closing remarks and thanked the St. A’s students for being so informed about court proceedings and for their exhibited maturity.

Her poise, grace and leadership shined through as she so eloquently exclaimed why she is so invested in representing the Federal District Court. She believes in the core values of justice that

are executed through the United States Constitution and federal statutes.

While she cannot proclaim her faith from the bench, it is beyond evident that everything Judge Salas does comes from a heart of love and a lens of her own faith journey.

Even more important than her title as Judge, she will always first be mother to her son, Daniel Mark Anderl, who

was tragically killed in July 2020 while defending his mother and father. Daniel’s memory will always live on through the works of his mother and the legislation that she and Daniel’s father, Mr. Mark Anderl, fought so hard to get passed; the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act.

By Edward

Top photo, Judge Salas addresses St. Augustine of Canterbury middle school students in her chambers. Bottom, eighth graders join Judge Salas and St. Augustine principal, Edward Modzelewski, on the judge’s bench.

Photos courtesy of St. Augustine of Canterbury School

Modzelewski, principal, St. Augustine of Canterbury School.

Preparing to encounter God on pilgrimage

By Megan Callahan Special Contributor

In eager anticipation, teens, young adults, seminarians, chaperones, and parents gathered on June 14 in the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway, in preparation for their upcoming pilgrimage: World Youth Day (WYD) 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal, later this summer, where they will join with more than one million Catholic youth from around the world, July 28-Aug. 7.

The preparatory meeting was a chance for participants to prepare hearts and minds, and to enter into a “pilgrim” mindset, rather than that of “tourist.” Megan Callahan, diocesan director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, welcomed those present who were then led in prayer by Father Tom Lanza, a teacher at Immaculata High School, Somerset; chaplain at Rutgers University, and serving in the Office of Vocations.

Father Luke Mary Fletcher, a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal who serves the National Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Asbury, is a WYD veteran. He explained “what it means to go on a pilgrimage,” sharing stories from his own experiences, as well as the significance of Mary’s apparition at Fatima and insights into the WYD 2023 theme of the Visitation.

After the group prayed Lectio

Franciscan

Divina with Luke’s Gospel account of the Visitation, Jonathan Camiolo, pastoral associate in the Church of Christ the King, New Vernon, and WYD coordinator for Fiat Ventures, shared some practical tips with the group.

Among these tips included packing list items, flight information, and reminders about what the group is entering into. “World Youth Day is not a vacation. It’s a pilgrimage. God stretches us to grow in relationship with him. We must get in the mindset for that,” said Camiolo, also a WYD veteran, who is going to Lisbon.

This trip to WYD is co-sponsored

by the Metuchen and Paterson Dioceses with Fiat Ventures. Bishop James F. Checchio, with 40 youth and adults, including priests and seminarians, will join Bishop Kevin Sweeney of Paterson and youth of the Paterson Diocese.

The WYD pilgrims will board a bus for the airport on July 28 after a send-off Mass at 11 am in the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center Chapel, Piscataway. All are invited to join in praying for our pilgrims throughout the duration of their trip. Megan Callahan is the Diocesan Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries.

Our Lady of the Visitation, you who left in haste towards the mountain to meet Elizabeth, lead us also to meet all those who await us to deliver them the living Gospel: Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord!

We will go in a hurry, with no distraction or delay, but with readiness and joy. We will go peacefully, because those who take Christ take peace, and welldoing is the best wellbeing.

Our Lady of the Visitation, with your inspiration, this World Youth Day will be the mutual celebration of the Christ we take, as You once did.

Make it a time of testimony and sharing, fraternization, and giving thanks, each of us looking for the others who always wait. With you, we will continue on this path of gathering, so that our world will gather as well, in fraternity, justice and peace.

Help us, Our Lady of the Visitation, to bring Christ to everyone, obeying the Father, in the love of the Spirit!

Friar of the Renewal Father Luke Mary Fletcher, who serves the National Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Asbury, speaks to a group of some 40 pilgrims on the topic of “Fatima and Preparing our Hearts for Pilgrimage.”

Special Recognition

Students at Mount Saint Mary Academy, Watchung, pose with their Book Awards, which are given by colleges, universities and other groups each year to exceptional high school students – usually juniors. Recipients are nominated by their teachers. At Mount Saint Mary Academy, the honorees were recognized by Jacqueline Muratore, assistant directress, Faculty, Curriculum, and Planning, and Elizabeth Roper, director, College Counseling, in a ceremony May 16. From left, Amelia Benjamin, Stonehill College; Zoe Schack, Clarkson Leadership Award; Lillian Del Rossi, Clarkson Achievement Award; Nina Heim, St. Anselm College; Katherine Ferris and Isabelle Fretz, St. Michael’s College for Scholarship or Service; Victoria Fekete, Chatham University–Rachel Carson Healthy Planet, and Akshaya Karanam, Rensselaer Medal for Outstanding Student in Math & Science. Not pictured: Julia Falcone, Knights of Columbus Award for Outstanding Christian Values, and Sofiya Piede, WPI Admission Stem Leadership.

D i n .

D i n .

Empowering men to parish, at work and

Empowering men to parish, at work and

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D i s c o v e r

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B e c o m e a K n i g h t .

B e c o m e a K n i g h t .

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

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

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

Raising children today is harder than it’s ever been before. With so much available at the click of a button to confuse and challenge the values and ideals you’re trying to raise them with it can be easy for them to get lost. We are an organization of Catholic men, fathers and sons, united in our faith and dedicated to our families. We make great fathers out of good fathers. Come, join us. HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

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photo courtesy of Mount Saint Mary Academy

Bishop Checchio applauds work of Catholic Daughters at convention

By Sue Getz Correspondent

PISCATAWAY – Catholic Daughters of the Americas strives to embrace the principle of faith working through love in the promotion of justice, equality, and the advancement of human rights and human dignity for all.

On May 20, the day before Ascension Sunday, the 58th Biennial New Jersey State Convention of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas was held in Embassy Suites, Piscataway, marking the first time in four years that the state convention has gathered following the COVID-19 pandemic. Delegates and alternates are chosen from each of the local courts throughout the state to attend the convention.

During his homily, Bishop James F. Checchio, who celebrated the opening Mass, reminded those present that, unlike today’s Christians who consider the Ascension “as a celebration of Jesus returning to the Father,” the early Christians considered it “a tragedy, not joyful because Jesus was leaving them. … They were sad and confused, fearful that people would come after them to try and squash out Jesus and his message from the face of the earth.

“They were in that Upper Room, in what we call the original Novena, from Ascension Thursday to Pentecost. They

were in the Upper Room in fear, but in prayer, too. And of course, the Holy Spirit comes to them and changes everything. When the Holy Spirit comes, they leave the Upper Room, they are no longer afraid or fearful, but they are fearless and bold. They are now articulate speakers and travel throughout the world spreading Jesus’ message through the Holy Spirit.”

The Bishop reminded members that “these days between Ascension and Pentecost are days meant for us to imitate the original Apostles with the Blessed Mother in the Upper Room. Imitate them in that original Novena of prayers, praying for the Holy Spirit.”

Bishop Checchio shared that while

he was rector at the American Seminary in Rome, he saw the benefits of CDA donations, and recalled that CDA members visited and supported the American Seminary. During his time as rector, 490 priests were ordained and serve all over the United States. He thanked the CDA members for their support, saying, “I know that it is only a small slice of all the work that you do.

“You do such good work focusing on unity and charity and so many are affected by the good works that you do. You brighten so many people’s days by your work, so keep at it.”

Also present at the convention was Brenda West, National Director of Cath-

After attending Mass celebrated by Bishop James F. Checchio, the Catholic Daughters of Americas (CDA) posed for a photo. Afterwards the group held its 58th Biennial New Jersey State Convention. Because of the Covid 19 pandemic it was the first time in four years that the CDA met. — Marlo Williamson photo

olic Daughters of the Americas. During the convention, a new set of state board officers was chosen, including Theresa R. Dieterich as State Regent, Loretta Zimmer as First Vice State Regent, Philomena Milano as Second Vice State Regent, Betty Ryan as State Secretary, and Diane Aumenta as State Treasurer.

CONGRATULATIONS

May

TO THE CLASS OF 2023!

God be with you every step of the way as you continue your life’s journey.

Pope prays for Indian train crash victims during Angelus; crash may have been caused by signaling failure

BALASORE, India (OSV News) -- Government authorities June 4 were working to get rail services back in operation in the district of Balasore after the deadliest train crash in India in decades killed 275 people and injured at least 1,000 June 2. Investigators said the crash involving three trains may have been caused by signaling failure. At the Vatican, Pope Francis during his Sunday Angelus remembered the victims of a crash that involved three trains. “May our heavenly Father receive the souls of the deceased into his kingdom,” he said, echoing a papal telegram sent to the apostolic nuncio of India. The pope June 4 also assured the injured he is close to them and their

families. CNN and other news outlets reported June 4 that the death toll was lowered to at least 275, after officials found that some victims had been counted twice during the chaos that followed the crash. The number of injured was reported variously as about 900, more than 900 and at least 1,000. Two days after the crash, news outlets were consistently reporting at least 1,000 injured. By June 4 rescue efforts had ended and the derailed cars had been removed from the tracks. The crash occurred in Odisha state in eastern India about 137 miles southwest of Kolkata, the home of St. Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity. Kolkata is in the neighboring state of West Bengal.

A drone view shows derailed coaches after three passenger trains collided in Balasore district in the eastern state of Odisha, India, June 3, 2023. More than 280 people died when three trains crashed. More than 1,000 others were wounded.

OSV News photo/Reuters

Catholics in China welcome, follow papal teachings, cardinal says

to them from the church of Rome and its bishop,” the Pope, said the cardinal, who is pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization’s section for “the first evangelization and new particular churches,” that is, the church’s mission territories.

The cardinal, whose maternal grandfather migrated to the Philippines from China, spoke May 13 at the Rome headquarters of the Jesuit journal La Civiltà Cattolica for the presentation of a book in Chinese by Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro, the journal’s director.

The book, titled “The Magisterium of Pope Francis: A Guide to Reading His Encyclicals and Apostolic Exhortations,” is a collection of reflections on Pope Francis’ three encyclicals and five apostolic exhortations. It can be downloaded for free from the website of the Chinese edition of La Civiltà Cattolica at gjwm.org.

This is the cover of the Chinese-language book, “The Magisterium of Pope Francis: A Guide to Reading His Encyclicals and Apostolic Exhortations,” which is a collection of reflections on Pope Francis’ three encyclicals and five apostolic exhortations. The book, released in mid-May 2023, is by Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro, director of the Jesuit journal La Civiltà Cattolica.

CNS photo/courtesy La Civiltà Cattolica

By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service

ROME (CNS) -- Catholics in China know how to treasure papal teachings, said Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.

With “love, affection and immediacy,” Chinese Catholics “follow the suggestions and pastoral indications that come

In his talk, the cardinal said he believed the book “will be received with such gratitude in China” because of “the love, affection and immediacy with which the Chinese Catholic communities follow the suggestions and pastoral indications that come to them from the church of Rome and its bishop.”

“The many reports on the church in China published by Fides,” the news agency of the Pontifical Mission Societies, “show how, for at least 20 years, Chinese Catholic parishes have been carrying out their daily journey, always following the suggestions and guidelines of the ordinary magisterium of the successor of Peter.”

“For them it is a gift and a sign of communion with the universal church. And they often take advantage of this gift in a creative and contextualized way,” he said.

“In China, there is a whole living network of prayers, liturgies, catechesis and

pastoral initiatives directly inspired by the Pope’s ordinary magisterium,” he said. “It is a lively and intense reality of faith, which lives and expresses a daily communion of faith with the successor of Peter and the whole universal church, even if it is generally ignored by the media when they speak of the Chinese Catholicism.”

Cardinal Tagle gave numerous examples of initiatives carried out in Catholic parishes in China during the pontificates of St. John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Pope Francis in order “to document how references to the papal magisterium are the daily bread of the pastoral life of Catholic parishes and dioceses in China.”

The new book “is a gift that will also be able to confirm and strengthen the special affection that binds Pope Francis to Chinese Catholics and to all the Chinese people,” he said, citing the

Pope’s message to Chinese Catholics in 2018. In the message, the Pope gave thanks for their faith, which is “marked by the experience of martyrdom” and is a “treasure of the church in China and of all the pilgrim people of God on earth.”

Cardinal Tagle said the book also should be “worthy of particular interest” to Chinese citizens who are not Christian.

Pope Francis’ teachings offer pastoral and spiritual suggestions and “words of wisdom, even in the face of the problems, trials and sufferings that affect the whole human family,” he said. “All of this finds great resonance in the current condition of Chinese Catholics,” and many of the issues the Pope addresses “also affect the concrete lives of their compatriots, who share with them the expectations and concerns of Chinese society.”

Catholic ministries aim to encourage, empower Catholic dads in an increasingly secularized world

Catholic men will go to their local parish, for “That Man Is You!”

TMIY is an interactive, multi-week men’s program combining research, science, Catholic teaching, and the wisdom of the saints “to develop the vision of authentic men capable of transforming themselves, their families and greater society.”

At the Knights of Columbus’ June 8-11 annual meeting of state deputies and a coinciding June 7-9 assembly of chaplains in New Haven, the fraternal order unveiled an initiative Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly declared is “uniquely suited to strengthen the faith of men and families.”

That’s something the laity can do; that’s not something that depends on the priest. Just encouraging Catholic men today – because that will strengthen Catholic fatherhood down the road,” Bartlett said, noting, “There’s just so many different avenues where the family is under attack.

“And as fathers, we’re called to stand guard at the front lines of those attacks a – protect our children. That, I think, is a huge challenge in fatherhood.”

Perhaps echoing some Catholic mothers, Bartlett also observed that “it’s really hard for Catholic fathers to ask for help. I think it’s just hard for men to ask

for help. And there’s a lot of struggles –whether it be habitual sin, or struggles with developing a prayer life, or even the general lack of spiritual directors out there.”

“I think most men don’t necessarily understand their vocation as husband and father,” said Hartfiel. “They understand Father John at the parish has a vocation; he’s given his life for the church. And for some reason or another, they haven’t picked up on the call to marriage vocation as a laying down of your life for your bride and for your children,” he shared, offering the reminder that, “The two greatest saints in the Catholic Church are a mom and a dad –Mary and Joseph.”

All these efforts to support the vocation of Catholic fatherhood recognize support is needed both in the home and in the pews.

HOUSTON (OSV News) – Equipping Catholic fathers for their distinctive vocation has become a special mission for several dad-centered ministries offering a wealth of resources, encouragement, and fellowship. One effort is “The Catholic Dad Show” channel on YouTube, which adds new content every other week.

A sampling of episodes includes topics such as “What To Do When You’re In Over Your Head as a Dad” and “How Do You Get Your Kids to Pay Attention at Mass?” Mark Hartfiel, vice president of Houston-based Paradisus Dei, hopes

Dubbed “Cor,” the program will offer the Knights’ more than two million worldwide members “regular faith-centered gatherings outside the traditional Knights of Columbus council business meeting” with an emphasis on prayer, formation and fraternity.

“The word ‘cor’ is Latin for heart, and the purpose of the Cor meeting is to get to the heart of the matter, and to form men to have the heart of a father. That is something every Catholic man needs,” said Kelly.

“The success of Catholic fatherhood starts even before the wedding bells ring,” said Chris Bartlett, vice president of Ablaze Ministries, who with Matt Rice, president and founder of Ablaze, co-hosts “The Catholic Dad Show” on YouTube.

“And I think that’s an important piece – how do we really encourage and affirm faithful men in our pews today?

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LOYOLA JESUIT CENTER

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Retreats for lay men, women, priests, religious; days/evenings of prayer. Groups planning their own programs are welcome.

MOUNT ST. MARY

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e-mail: msmhope@msmhope.org

Retreats, Spiritual Direction, Programs

SAN ALFONSO RETREAT HOUSE

755 Ocean Avenue, Long Branch NJ 07740

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www.sanalfonsoretreats.org

A Redemptorist Spiritual Center overlooking the Atlantic Ocean offering preached retreats, days of prayer and use of the facility for outside groups.

THE SHRINE OF ST. JOSEPH

1050 Long Hill Road, Stirling, NJ 07980 908-647-0208 • www.stshrine.org Day & Overnight Retreats Gift & Book Shop - open daily

ST. FRANCIS CENTER FOR RENEWAL, INC.

395 Bridle Path Road, Bethlehem PA 18017 610.867.8890 • sfcr-info@stfrancisctr.org • stfrancisctr.org

55 acres of natural beauty await you! Programs for personal and spiritual enrichment, directed and solitude retreats. Air conditioned facilities for retreats, spiritual programs, meetings and staff days for church related and not-for-profit groups.

ST. FRANCIS RETREAT HOUSE

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Franciscan retreat and confrence center. Retreats for men, women, youth, religious, preached, private, directed

ST. JOSEPH BY THE SEA

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Preached/Directed/Guided & Private Retreats, Spiritual Direction, day & weekend programs

This month’s featured retreat house:

A Retreat House Sponsored by the Religious Teachers Filippini overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and Barnegat Bay. Offering days of prayer, retreat weekends, spiritual programs, meetings and staff days.

ACROSS

3 Gregory I sent missionaries to convert these barbarians

9 How many times each day the soldiers of Joshua marched around Jericho

10 Grandson of Leah

11 New Testament city

12 Where the altar is located

14 Hosea, in the Douay

16 Catholics Pavarotti, Carreras, or Domingo

17 King David sent him into battle to be killed

18 Pairs’ debarking point

20 “___, I am the handmaid of the Lord…” (Lk 1:38)

22 One of the Twelve

24 Brother of Peter

26 Archdiocese in northern Italy

27 Catholic tennis star Federer

30 Grandson of Adam

32 “…for a person will reap only what he ___ ” (Gal 6:7)

34 Archdiocese in New Mexico

35 Gift bearers

36 “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the ___” (Lk 4:12)

37 Number of New Testament letters that bear the name of a person

DOWN

1 Nickname for a Catholic university

2 Bible book about the early Christians

4 Ahab desired his vineyard

5 Language of the Tridentine Mass

6 Companion of Daniel

7 Ignatius of ___

8 “Lord ___ us! We are perishing!” (Mt 8:25)

13 St. ___ Stein

15 “Take and ___; this is my body.” (Mt 26:26)”

17 Pope (II) who called for the Crusades

19 ___ and Omega

21 A Doctor of the Church from Brindisi

23 First century pope

24 First patriarch, to his friends?

25 St. Therese of Lisieux is a patron of this country

26 Catholic author of The Power and the Glory

28 It may be actual or sanctifying

29 Last Supper question

31 Catholic actress, winner of Academy Award for her role in “Hud”

Memorial Day Remembrance

Memorial Day, which originated following the Civil War and which honors those who died while serving the U.S. military, is observed with a variety of traditions, including visiting cemeteries and memorials.

In the Diocese of Metuchen, Masses were celebrated in both diocesan cemeteries. Father Juan Carlos Gaviria, administrator, St. James the Less Parish, Jamesburg, presided at Mass at Holy Cross Cemetery, Jamesburg.

1. An honor guard from the United States Air Force begins the Memorial Day ceremony at Holy Cross Cemetery.

2. Father Gaviria receives the gifts of bread and wine from parishioners during the Memorial Day Mass at Holy Cross May 29.

3. Army veteran Alex Monaco (left) and Air Force veteran Frank McCarthy participate in a wreath displaying ceremony at Holy Cross.

4. At Resurrection Cemetery, a soldier salutes to pay his respects to those who have died in Father Sean Winters elevates the Host during Mass in Resurrection Cemetery. Chris Donahue and Jerry Wutkowski photos

Jenna Marie Cooper, who holds a licentiate in canon law, is a consecrated virgin and a canonist whose column appears weekly at OSV News. Send your questions to CatholicQA@osv.com.

AWe say that a saint is “incorrupt” when, years after their death, their mortal body is found to have remained in an unexplained state of preservation. That is, their body has not followed the expected natural process of decomposition. Some wellknown incorrupt saints include St. Cecilia and St. Bernadette of Lourdes.

For a saint to be considered incorrupt, their body must not have been subjected to any deliberate artificial embalming process. Natural explanations for the lack of physical decay – such as, for example, sustained cold temperatures due to climate or the specific chemical composition of the local soil potentially having preservative properties – must also be ruled out.

While we can’t come to any firm conclusions while the initial investigations are still ongoing, based on what we know so far it seems that Sr. Wilhelmina’s case meets these criteria: she was buried without embalming, and in moist Missouri ground that should have hastened the decomposition of a body. It’s reported that since she had been buried for four years, her Benedictine community fully expected to find only her bones. It’s particularly striking that while the cloth lining of her casket had disintegrated, Sr. Wilhelmina’s religious habit remained in near-perfect condition.

Yet the question of whether a person

QDoes the incorrupt body of the Benedictine nun, Sr. Wilhelmina, mean that she is a saint? What does the Church think of it? (Farmingville, New York)

is incorrupt has no bearing on whether they will be eventually declared a saint. It’s true that part of the canonization process involves exhuming the body of the proposed saint (essentially as a way of verifying their identity), but in the canonization process, the state of the person’s mortal remains is of minimal relevance. What the church looks at first and foremost is the way the proposed saint lived their life. i.e., did they live a life of holiness and heroic Christian virtue? There are far, far more canonized saints who are not incorrupt and whose earthly bodies “returned to dust” in the normal way.

Still, when a deceased member of the faithful is found to be incorrupt, this can serve as a strong reminder to us of our belief in the “resurrection of the body” which we profess when we pray the Apostles’ Creed. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us: “In death, the separation of the soul from the body, the human body decays and the soul goes to meet God, while awaiting its reunion with its glorified body. God, in his almighty power, will definitively grant incorruptible life to our bodies by reuniting them with our souls, through the power

QWhat is the rule on food and drink before or during Mass? I thought water was ok during Mass, but someone recently told me no water, and certainly no food, may be consumed within an hour of mass. And are kids covered by this rule too?

(Brandenburg, Kentucky)

AIn the Code of Canon Law, canon 919.1 states: “Whoever is to receive the Blessed Eucharist is to abstain for at least one hour before Holy Communion from all food and drink, with the sole exception of water and medicine,” (although Can. 919.2 exempts priests celebrating multiple Masses on the same day from this rule and Can. 919.3 goes on to likewise exempt the elderly and infirm).

So, strictly speaking it would be permissible to drink water right before Mass, or even during Mass if this is necessary. And since the rule refers to fasting before the reception of Holy Communion – rather than before the start of Mass –it’s also acceptable to, for example, have a snack before the start of what you know will be an exceptionally long Mass. Since the rule applies to those who will actually receive Communion, children old enough to receive Communion are required to fast, while younger children are not.

Young kindness ambassadors donate lending library to their school

On Thursday, June 8, St. Matthew School, Edison, was visited by Mayor Sam Joshi as “For Goodness Sake” presented a free community library to the school. “For Goodness Sake,” an afterschool kindness club for grades 1-4, is the vision of SMS teacher, Andrea Powers.

“I am a teacher who believes that

we were all placed on this planet to do good for others and help each other along our journey,” said Powers, who explained that the motto, “Feel GoodDo Good,” is practiced at each meeting by first participating in personal selfesteem/mindfulness activities and then working on projects designed to bring

joy to others within the school, church and community.

Long-time parishioner and beloved school staff member, John Kulesa, along with his son Tom Kulesa, crafted and donated the book box to the club. The members decided it looked like a birdhouse and drew bird images which now

adorn the outside of the structure. John assisted with the painting of the box, as each member contributed to its creation.

The free library box will be located outside St. Matthew School beginning this summer. Visitors are invited to stop by to “take a look and share a book.”

“Our hope is to spread our mission of philanthropy so neighbors can exchange their gifts of books and kindness with each other,” said Powers.

Young members of “For Goodness Sake,” an after-school kindness club for grades 1-4, join Edison Mayor Sam Joshi during their presentation of a free community mini-lending library to the school. The hand-crafted book box was designed and created by John Kulsea, not pictured, and son, Tom, not pictured, and decorated by members. Courtesy photos

The exhumed body of Sister Mary Wilhelmina Lancaster, OSB, foundress of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, lies in repose at the Abbey of Our Lady of Ephesus in Gower, Mo., May 21, 2023 —OSV News photo/Megan Marley

Experts hail U.S. surgeon general’s warning for youth mental health

By Kimberley Heatherington OSV News

(OSV News) – For parents still wondering if social media can be harmful to their children’s mental health, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy had a warning May 23: “We are in the middle of a national youth mental health crisis, and I am concerned that social media is an important driver of that crisis – one that we must urgently address.”

The “Surgeon General’s Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health” is 21 pages of details and statistics succinctly summarized in the accompanying U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) press release: “While social media may offer some benefits, there are ample indicators that social media can also pose a risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.”

Since HHS reports that almost 95% of young people ages 13-17 use social media – with more than one out of three saying they are on social media “almost constantly” – the scope of Murthy’s concern is nearly universal.

“The most common question parents ask me is, ‘is social media safe for my kids’. The answer is that we don’t have enough evidence to say it’s safe, and in fact, there is growing evidence that social media use is associated with harm to young people’s mental health,” Murthy noted in the same press release. “Children are exposed to harmful content on social media, ranging from violent and sexual content, to bullying and harassment. And for too many children, social media use is compromising their sleep and valuable in-person time with family and friends.”

Experts told OSV News they welcomed the surgeon general’s announcement.

Taking Action

“Not only does the surgeon general’s report call for something to be done – it calls for something to be done fast,” said Amanda Raffoul, an instructor in the pediatrics department at Harvard Medical School, and a fellow in the division of adolescent and young adult medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital.

“I think that the surgeon general’s report can help to amplify some of the concerns that the research community – as well as in policy and child mental health more broadly – has had for the past couple of years,” Raffoul told OSV News. “It doesn’t call for a complete ban or a complete restriction on social media for minors, but it indicates some paths forward for policy makers – and especially the social media platforms – to help ensure that kids can be online, and have it be safe, and not harmful, for them.”

The HHS notes that “among the benefits, adolescents report that social media

their friends’ lives (80%).”

Nonetheless, excessive use of social media poses serious consequences, with the HHS observing “recent research shows that adolescents who spend more than three hours per day on social media face double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes, such as symptoms of depression and anxiety; yet one 2021 survey of teenagers found that, on average, they spend 3.5 hours a day on social media. Social media may also perpetuate body dissatisfaction, disordered eating behaviors, social comparison, and low self-esteem, especially among adolescent girls.”

Almost half (46%) of teens ages 13-17 said social media made them feel worse about their body image. Hate-based social media content also is “often” or “sometimes” encountered by 64% of adolescents.

“As a parent, social media access for our kids feels like Pandora’s box,” said Kristin Bird, a mother of three who has written on the topic of social media use for the Catholic youth ministry Life Teen, and also directs the Wisconsinbased parish and diocesan consulting firm Burning Hearts Disciples.

“It seems like it would be much easier to avoid social media altogether than to either roll back access once it’s been allowed or to try to undo psychological, social and spiritual harm caused by social media after it’s happened,” Bird told OSV News. “The key is striking a balance that helps protect our kids and gradually allowing age-appropriate technologies as our children demonstrate they can handle them with maturity.”

“On the one hand, it’s coming too

late for the kids and young adults already experiencing the adverse effects,” Bird observed. “On the other hand: better late than never!”

Bird is emphatic about the role parents must play.

Shared Responsibility

“Legislation around social media will undoubtedly help parents, but we can’t rely on the government to do our job for us,” she said. “We need to own the responsibility to keep our kids safe and have conversations with them about the dangers of social media, just like we need to talk with them about the dangers of alcohol, drugs, and other risky behaviors.”

Jessica Heldman, a child rights professor at the University of San Diego and a member of its Children’s Advocacy Institute, said Big Tech companies must nonetheless be held responsible for the harm done to youth.

“They are learning to starve themselves, harm themselves, and loathe themselves as they replace sleep and healthy activity with hours on social media,” Heldman said of teen social media users. “Yet, social media platforms continue to profit off of algorithms and design features that push harmful content to children and make it nearly impossible to disengage from their platforms.”

“This advisory emphasizes what is truly at stake,” Heldman told OSV News, “and it dispels any notion that social media platforms are somehow so different from other products that they should be allowed to operate with impunity.”

Christopher

curity expert, founder of Protect Young Eyes and a keynote speaker at the 2022 National Catholic Educational Association conference, noted that “in culture today, we tend to treat children as if they are mini adults. And that is simply untrue. Childhood is unique. The brains of children are unique. They are in a unique developmental phase.”

“Technology doesn’t treat us differently, though,” McKenna told OSV News. “So, we have put children, with children’s brains ... inside of these extremely intelligent technologies. The most brilliant software engineers on earth are crafting these technologies. And then we get upset when these children make decisions like children, inside of technologies that were never crafted for them in the first place.”

McKenna praised the HHS’ policy suggestions, which include policymakers strengthening safety and privacy standards; greater transparency by tech companies; parental instruction to kids about responsible online behavior; limiting of online time by children; and prioritization by researchers to establish social media standards and evaluation.

“We are experimenting on children,” said McKenna. “We can’t wait for science to catch up with the experience that parents and educators are observing firsthand.”

Kimberley Heatherington writes for OSV News from Virginia.

Read the “Surgeon General’s Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health” here: https://www.hhs.gov/sites/ default/files/sg-youth-mental-healthsocial-media-advisory.pdf.

McKenna, a digital se-

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy delivers remarks during a news conference at the White House in Washington July 15, 2021. Murthy released a 21-page advisory May 23, 2023, that called for “emergency action at all levels over youth social media usage for the sake of their mental health.” OSV News photo/Tom Brenner, Reuters

Good luck getting through an entire day without experiencing the impact of Catholicism. Woken up by an alarm or checked the time? The mechanical clock was invented in the tenth century by a monk who became pope. A bowl of cereal for breakfast? Your milk is safe thanks to Louis Pasteur, a devout Catholic whose research was driven by a love of God and humanity. Knock on wood? It’s actually an ancient Catholic practice invoking the power of the Cross when facing trouble or danger.

Each entry in 150 People, Places, and Things You Never Knew Were Catholic is rich with detail and nuance. Here are Catholic stories full of drama, decisions, and inspiration.

The fruits of our Catholic Faith are all around us, and the ways in which the Church has shaped history and the secular world can be found in science, art, pop culture, sports, and more. Our most enduring (and endearing) customs, pastimes, practices, and institutions often can be traced back to an inventive, resourceful Catholic. You’ll discover things you never knew – and come away with inspiration for how you, too, can impact the world.

FURTHER READING

America’s got faith! You’ll find it in every state - in grand cathedrals and tiny chapels, in miracle shrines and underwater statues, and even in blessed dirt. Finding these sacred places hasn’t been easy - until now!

Monuments, Marvels, and Miracles: A Traveler’s Guide to Catholic America takes you to more than 500 of the country’s most intriguing holy sites, each with a riveting story to tell.

Organized by state and region, Monuments, Marvels, and Miracles can help you easily plan your vacation or pilgrimage, and find sites close to you that you’ve never heard of. Chapters also include Catholic trivia and color photos. Websites, phone numbers, addresses, and other pertinent information are included.

Reading aloud to another is gift of presence

By Elizabeth Scalia, OSV News

In Harper Lee’s classic novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” there is a point where Atticus Finch, seeking to teach his son about making reparation for damaging another’s property … orders his young son Jem to visit the bedside of sickly old Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose and read aloud to her.

Jem, naturally, doesn’t want to do it. He tells Atticus that inside the house is creepy in precisely the manner the mostly-empty house of a sick and elderly person can seem creepy to children. And Mrs. Dubose is “nasty” both of tongue and tremor. Nevertheless, Jem must continue to read to her for as long as Mrs. Dubose wishes.

We learn later that Jem’s reluctant service helped the mortally ill woman get through the misery of withdrawal from morphine, a patient addiction she wished to be free of, to depart from this life as much on her own terms as possible.

It can be a great service to a sick person – whether seriously ill or postoperative or simply down with the flu – to take the time to read aloud to them. Sickness often makes reading difficult. It can also make it taxing to keep up a flow of conversation with well-meaning visitors. Offering to read aloud to a patient can occupy their mind and help distract from their discomfort, and it can banish awkward silences. Moreover, reading to someone is a different way of saying to them, “I am present and here for you.”

Shia LaBeouf: ‘I fell in love with Christ’ in preparation to portray Padre Pio on screen

Padre Pio

By OSV News

Less a profile of the titular saint (Shia LaBeouf) than a portrait of San Giovanni Rotondo, the Apulian town of his Capuchin monastery, in the period immediately after World War I. As the priest grapples with tormenting Satanic visions, Italian social tensions are personified in the wealthy, corrupt local landowner (Brando Pacitto) on the one side and a group of virtuous socialists, including a would-be revolutionary (Vincenzo Crea), on the other.

2, 2023. OSV News photo/Gravitas Ventures

By Gina Christian, OSV News

(OSV News) – A film making its U.S. debut recounts the life of a beloved 20thcentury saint – and the movie’s star told OSV News he “fell in love with Christ” to prepare for the part.

Actor Shia LaBeouf portrays St. Pio of Pietrelcina in the new drama “Padre Pio,” which premiered at last year’s Venice Film Festival and was released in U.S. theaters and on demand June 2.

Directed by Abel Ferrara, the movie traces a pivotal period in the life of St. (Padre) Pio, when the 33-year-old Capuchin Franciscan priest – bearing the stigmata, the visible wounds of Christ – begins what would become his lifelong ministry in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, just after World War I. (The Capuchin himself had served as a private in the Italian army’s medical corps during the conflict.)

LaBeouf said he “wasn’t even trying to make movies” when Ferrara approached him about the role.

The acclaimed 36-year-old actor –whose Emmy-winning career as a kid on the Disney Channel blossomed into bigscreen success – found himself “totally lost” after his inner demons led to partying, work conflicts and run-ins with the law.

“I was wandering around, living in my truck,” he said. “I wasn’t interested in acting anymore.”

As LaBeouf began confronting his personal issues, Ferrara tapped him for “Padre Pio,” a saint to whom the Bronxborn director – best known for his gritty cinematic takes on the underworld – felt himself “drawn.”

Based in Rome for the past two decades, Ferrara had begun exploring the life of Padre Pio by first making a documentary, then crafting a feature film to depict a saint “struggling (as) an individual who, like all of us, is confronted with a lot of questions.”

“I wanted to make a film about a man,” Ferrara told OSV News. “I didn’t want to make a film about a saint.”

The project “seemed like a neon sign” beckoning LaBeouf, who said he “was looking for salvation (and) … a relationship with God.”

While researching the film, LaBeouf met Brother Alexander Rodriguez, a Capuchin Franciscan who is assistant vocation director at the order’s Old Mission Santa Inés in Solvang, California.

Soon LaBeouf was asking about more than one of the congregation’s most beloved saints.

“Shia was looking to know about Padre Pio, and then delved into the faith,” Brother Rodriguez told OSV News. “He got into RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults). The friars and I were helping to catechize him.”

LaBeouf said “(learning) how to pray the Rosary” brought a “tangible relief” that he had previously sought through drugs, alcohol and life in the fast lane.

The lessons continued as Brother Rodriguez accompanied LaBeouf to Italy for filming, with the Capuchin providing technical assistance for the project while appearing in the movie as Padre Pio’s fellow Capuchin and spiritual adviser.

Drawing on the saint’s writings at the time, the movie presents a “pretty

Director and cowriter Abel Ferrara’s historical drama suggests points of coherence between Marxism and Christianity. But if that sounds like an uneasy mix, the attempted blending of the events unfolding inside the walls of the Franciscan refuge and those transpiring beyond it is equally unstable.

Ferrara’s script, penned with Maurizio Braucci, includes graphic material that precludes endorsement for a wide range of age groups and suffers from ham-handedness and a tendency to caricature as when the local parish priest (Piergiuseppe Francione), a dedicated ally of the oppressors, blesses their guns before a showdown with the good guys.

Brief but intense gory violence, demonic behavior, rear nudity, references to incest, several rough terms, a couple of crass expressions. The OSV News classification is A-III – adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is R – restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

accurate” image of “a very human Padre Pio, one (who) did not become a saint in an easy way,” said Brother Rodriguez.

The film links the saint’s reception of the stigmata – and its attendant suffering – with postwar Italy’s tumultuous “two red years” (biennio rosso) of economic and social upheaval, which saw riots, strikes and peasant land seizures across the country. San Giovanni Rotondo itself was the scene of a little-known October 1920 massacre in which 14 peasants were killed by police after socialists attempted to install their mayor.

Ferrara said he sees the tragedy –which he called “the first battle of World War II” – as a window into “Padre Pio’s position of compassion and sacrifice beyond petty politics,” amid the reality of evil and human suffering.

Brother Rodriguez said Padre Pio’s stigmata, which over the years drew thousands of pilgrims to San Giovanni Rotondo, had been divinely given “as a ministry for the people who were suffering” in such troubled times – which con-

tinue today, said Ferrara, who recently returned from Ukraine, where more than 88,000 Russian war crimes have so far been documented since the start of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

“The fight has never stopped,” said Ferrara, adding, “what’s happening in Ukraine (and) what happened in World War I (both) show that evil is there, that it exists.”

“I have Polaroid pictures of evil in my life,” said LaBeouf, stressing that evil typically manifests itself in mundane forms such as “selfishness, self-centeredness … dishonesty (and) a complete lack of empathy for others.”

In the face of evil, LaBeouf said he now draws on his faith for strength, wisdom and courage, with Padre Pio as a role model.

“He suffered in patience, silence and solitude. He didn’t complain about it,” said LaBeouf. “The deeper I got into Pio, the more I realized the right way to suffer. His life was instructive.”

Actor Shia LaBeouf, who portrays St. Pio of Pietrelcina, and Brother Alexander Rodriguez, who is a Capuchin Franciscan, appear in the new drama “Padre Pio,” which premiered at last year’s Venice Film Festival and was released in U.S. theaters and on demand June

Ihappened to catch a news segment recently of a woman enthusiastically describing the events of her wedding… after marrying herself Her vows consisted of the following: Do you promise to value yourself? Do you promise to give yourself grace? Do you commit to praying and finding the answers within yourself? After responding yes to all she then asked everyone present to marry themselves too. A bag with a ring in it had been placed on the chairs of all of her guests.

Although the host took the opportunity to crack some predictable jokes, such as, “Did you consummate the marriage?” and “What if you want to divorce yourself?” I failed to see the humor. Rather, I felt compassion for the woman, who went on to explain that she overcame a lot of trauma in her life. After years of feeling unlovable, she finally loved herself. Sadly, instead of turning toward her Eternal Bridegroom whose love is undying, she took him out of the equation altogether.

The next morning I listened to an elderly woman lament over her daughter’s impending divorce. Although her daughter and son-in-law have four children and have been married thirty years, the situation seems hopeless. “They hate each other,” she explained somberly, to which I replied, “They still love each other. They’ve just forgotten their love.”

The only way we stand a chance at changing the trajectory of this ongoing marriage crisis is by changing how we love. And the only way we can change how we love is if we personally commit to striving to love as God loves. Once, in Confession, the priest told me to pray for God to give me some of His Divine

Love as I love

by Anna Githens

Twelve Promises of the Sacred Heart:

1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.

2. I will establish peace in their homes.

3. I will comfort them in their afflictions.

4. I will be their secure refuge during their life, and above all, in death.

5. I will bestow abundant blessings on their undertakings.

6. Sinners will find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.

7. Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.

8. Fervent souls will quickly mount to high perfection.

9. I will bless every place in which an image of my Heart is exposed and honored.

Love. I never knew I could ask such a thing of God. In a sense, the priest was telling me to ask God to change my heart.

“Pride Month” is a clarion call to Catholics and Christians to increase devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, whose feast day this year is on June 16th. To St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Jesus said, “I promise you that My Heart shall expand Itself to shed in abundance the influence of Its Divine Love upon those who shall thus honor It and cause It to be honored.”

Our failure to love as God loves brought us to where we are today: unequipped to honor and uphold the beauty and sanctity of marriage in society and in the Church. This failure, which led to a gradual unraveling of marriage and the family over decades, has left humanity fractured, disoriented and immeasurably hurt in a multitude of ways.

For many of us, our beliefs remain in our head yet they fail to convict the heart, which was the case for myself for a time. If we do not own our beliefs we will be less inclined to live in accord with them. Divorce between the mind and the heart must be remedied before we will be able to remedy marital divorce.

While the Ten Commandments gives us the starting point, Jesus gave us the ending point in his Sermon on the Mount, which he encapsulates in this directive: “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34).

As I write this on Trinity Sunday I am reminded that real love – the most real you can get – is Trinitarian. In order for our love to be true God must be in the equation. After all, God is love. The Father’s love of the Son and the Son’s love of the Father actually creates an-

other person. For “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom 5:5). Jesus, “Love Incarnate”, sent forth His Spirit to help us love as God loves.

Each of us must start with ourselves but not end with ourselves. Love is never turned in on itself. Love is giving, it is self-emptying, it is willing to die so others may live. “Man, who is the only creature on earth which God willed for itself, cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of self” (St. John Paul II).

Let us accept Christ’s deeper invitation to “love as I love” and devote ourselves to his most Sacred Heart. Our flawed human love got us here. Only Divine Love can save us.

Anna Githens is a freelance writer with a career background in finance, teaching and journalism. She holds an MA in Theology, a BA in Economics and a Certification in Theology of the Body.

10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.

11. Those who promote this devotion shall have their names written in my Heart.

12. I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart that my all powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in my disgrace, nor without receiving the sacraments. My divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

FROM THE WRITINGS OF ST. MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE:

“On Friday at Holy Communion

He said these words to His unworthy slave: ‘I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart, that Its all powerful love will grant to all those who receive Communion on the first Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving the last Sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.’”

An image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, enshrined in wood and nailed to a tree, located on Pinus Cembra in the Stubai Alps, between Salfains and Grieskogel, painted 1996. —OSV News photo/Hermann Hammer, Wikimedia Commons

DIOCESAN EVENTS

Mass & Rally for Life in Trenton. To mark the first anniversary of the Dobbs decision which overturned Roe v. Wade, there will be a Mass & Rally for Life in Trenton. There will be a bus going from the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway to the event. Mass will be at 9:30 a.m. in St. Mary the Assumption in Trenton. The Rally will begin at 11 a.m. at the Statehouse. For more information call Angela at 732-562-1543 or email jruggiero@diometuchen.org or amarshall@diometuchen.org.

Seminar: The Experience of the Exile, 9 a.m. to 12 noon, St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway. Father Gustavo Rodriguez, coordinator of Hispanic Lay Formation of the Diocese of Metuchen and Father Gustavo Amell ST. of St. Joseph Shrine, Stirling, will lead a presentation on a deeper reflection on exile in the Scriptures. Cost is $20 per person with a special discount for those attending the Hispanic Bible School. To register click on https://diometuchen.org/hispanicevangelization. For more information, contact: Lescobar@diometuchen.org.

The National Black Catholic Congress XIII (NBCC) will be held at the National Harbor, Maryland. The Theme is “Write the Vision: A Prophetic Call to Thrive.”

Celebrating Life! A Day for Grandparents & Seniors (55+) on the Feast Day of Saints Joachim & Anne, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway. The day will include breakfast, fellowship, a guest speaker on “His mercy is from age to age…” and Mass. The event is free but registration is required. Call 732-562-1543 or visit: https://www.diometuchen.org/ humanlifeanddignity.

A follow up of the experience of the July National Black Catholic Congress XIII to be held July 20-23 at the Gaylord National Harbor, Maryland, will be held in the diocesan Pastoral Center to share the experience of prayer and worship, along with issues and visions from the Congress. Details to follow. For more information contact Sister Mariam Perez, coordinator, diocesan Office of Multicultural Ministries at sperez@diometuchen.org or call 732-529-7933.

Retrouvaille Weekend, sponsored by the Office of Family Life, Diocese of Metuchen. Retrouvaille is a lifeline to help couples heal and renew their marriages. Six follow-up sessions are held after the weekend experience (no group discussions). All inquiries are confidential. For further information, contact Rich Colasuonno 732-236-0671 or Annette Colasuonno 732-672-0748 or email 3024@ helpourmarriage.org.

Children’s Choir Summer Camp hosted by the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi’s Office of Sacred Music, in conjunction with the Diocesan Office of Liturgical Music, on the Cathedral’s campus Metuchen. All rising 3rd through 8th graders from any parish in the diocese are invited to participate. Participating Choristers will learn the basics of Music Theory, Gregorian Chant, do fun composerbased projects, and will sing for daily 12:10 Mass at the Cathedral. The week will end with a festive Ice Cream Party.

DIOCESAN PROGRAMS

Eucharistic Adorers Wanted

Now that the pandemic is over, Bishop Checchio would like to offer Eucharistic adoration at the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Monday through Friday, from 9:00-11:45 a.m. As St. Pope John Paul II noted. “The Church and the world have a great need of Eucharistic adoration.” Anyone who is interested in signing up should contact Angela Marshall at amarshall@ diometuchen.org

Catechism in a Year for Women This virtual Women’s Group will meet each week on Sundays at 2:30 p.m. on Zoom for discussion of Fr. Mike Schmitz’s “Catechism in a Year” podcast which began on January 8. For details, contact Cristina at cdaverso@ diometuchen.org

“The Chosen” Study Series

All young adult engaged and married couples are invited to join in a virtual study series based on the hit series, “The Chosen.” A different episode will be discussed each meeting and virtual watch parties will be planned sporadically. Meetings take place every

other Monday evening at 7 p.m. on Zoom. For details or to join, please contact Cristina D’Averso-Collins at cdaverso@diometuchen.org.

Blue Rosary Guild

The Office of Family Life is pleased to announce the creation of the Blue Rosary Guild. The purpose of the Guild is for community members of all ages to make pocket Rosaries for law enforcement officers, providing them with support and spiritual strength and promoting devotion to the Rosary among all the faithful. All materials and instructions will be provided and a Zoom virtual tutorial will also be scheduled. Anyone interested should contact Cristina D’Averso-Collins, Director of the Office of Family Life at cdaverso@ diometuchen.org.

Abortion Healing for Men This Base camp is an open-forum, weekly discussion group for men who have been impacted by abortion. It meets Tuesdays at 12 noon EST. The group is led by Greg Mayo, Men’s Abortion Healing Strategist for Support After Abortion. No registration is needed.

SELLING YOUR HOME?

Willing to buy your home or townhouse in as-is condition. Quick 30 day cash closing. I’m a Licensed realtor in the State of NJ.

Eugene “George” Pantozzi 908-392-2677 (call or text) georgepantozzi@hotmail.com

WINDOW & DOOR SCREEN REPAIRS

Installation of Fiberglass screens for your doors and windows. Pick-up and drop off services available.

George & Sons: (908) 392-2677

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY - BUSINESS MANAGER

The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, seeks a Business Manager to develop, implement, and oversee business strategies for the award-winning paper. The ideal candidate will be expected to establish production and quality control standards, develop budget and cost controls, and obtain data regarding the circulation, production and delivery specifications of the paper. Interested candidates should forward their resume to hr@diometuchen.org.

ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVE

The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, seeks an Advertising Sales Representative to assist with the sale of advertising space. The ideal candidate will be responsible for initiating, developing, and closing sales of print media advertising in The Catholic Spirit by creating and building effective client relationships with area businesses and organizations. Interested candidates should forward their resume to hr@diometuchen.org.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY - GRAPHIC DESIGNER

The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, seeks a Graphic Designer to assist with the layout and design of its publication. The ideal candidate will have Adobe InDesign and Photoshop experience in a PC environment, be familiar with all aspects of electronic publishing, be well-organized and reliable, and have a proven track record of meeting deadlines. Interested candidates should forward their resume to hr@diometuchen.org.

GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE

One of our Diocesan parishioners is in urgent need of a kidney transplant. If you, (or anyone you know) have “O” blood type you may be able to save a life! The procedure would be performed at St. Barnabas in Livingston with no cost to the donor. All general questions can be answered by the “Living Donor Institute” at rwjbh.org/ldi. If you think you can be an angel on earth, please email KidneydonorNL@gmail.com God bless you!

AROUND THE DIOCESE

July 13, 14, 15, 7:30 p.m. -- The Carmelite nuns invite the faithful to participate in honoring Our Lady of Mount Carmel at a solemn Triduum and Benediction conducted by Father Timothy Eck II will preside at the Mass. The liturgies will be held at the Carmelite Monastery, Flemington.

Latin Convention

July 14-16 -- The Latin Liturgy Association (LLA) will hold its 12th National Convention at the Best Western Fairfield Executive Inn, Fairfield. The association is the only one in North America dedicated to promoting the use of Latin in all liturgical celebrations of all approved rites in the Church. Liturgies will include the rosary and vespers and Compline in Latin; and sung Latin Mass presided by Father Peter Stravinskas at the World Apostolate of Fatima Shrine of the Blue Army in Asbury. Keynote speaker is Sir Raymond de Souza of the Sacred Heart Institute. The fee is $100 for LLA members and $150 for non-members and includes all presentations, liturgies, and buffet hot lunches. There is a $25 fee for attendees who want to take a bus to the two sites where the Masses will be celebrated.

For more information visit www.latinliturgy.com or contact Dr. Joseph Daly at (973) 464-2954 or e-mail jrdaly74@hotmail.com or Regina Morris at (314) 6470475 or e-mail morrisrp@swbell.net.

July 16, 8 a.m. – Mass at Carmelite Monastery, Flemington, on feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. (No evening services June 16).

Crossword Puzzle Answers:

Falcons fall in pitching duel between aces at state tournament

By Chris Donahue Retired Editor-in-Chief

RED BANK – Pitching and defense –major elements to the success of Saint Joseph High School’s baseball team this season – were used against the Falcons in key moments by Red Bank Catholic to earn a 4-1 victory in the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association South Jersey Non-Public A final June 3.

On May 22, the Falcons won the seven-team Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Red Division championship by beating North Brunswick 2-0. The GMC title was the eighth in school history, tying it with Edison High for the most in the conference’s history.

As the No. 2 seed in the NJSIAA Non-Public A South Jersey group and No. 12-ranked team in the state, Saint Joe’s earned a bye into the quarterfinal round, where it defeated Paul VI 8-4 and Notre Dame 11-3 in the semifinals.

The Falcons finished with a 21-10 overall record after starting 0-2. They outscored opponents 199-100, an average of 6.4 runs scored per game and 3.2 allowed.

Head coach Mike Murray Jr. said he was disappointed in the loss to Red Bank Catholic, the No. 1-ranked team in the state, because the Falcons were playing at their best and tournaments such as NonPublic A playoffs are difficult to reach.

“We were playing a great team at home and we knew it was going to take

pretty much a perfect game to beat them,” said Murray, who has guided the Falcons to four GMC titles and two berths in the state tournament in seven seasons at Saint Joe’s.

“The game shifted when they tied it, then their center fielder makes an incredible play. We could have started that inning building a little bit.

“But we were 4-6 [after 10 games],” he continued. “We were not playing great. We had some pitchers coming off injuries, but we won 15 of our last 17 games. I am proud of how our guys competed and won the county title. I would have loved to have had a different outcome today, but it was a good job by them [RBC].”

Against Red Bank Catholic, Saint Joseph had a promising start against starter Alex Stanyek. In the first inning, senior centerfielder Robbie Carvelli doubled and scored on a two-out single by junior leftfielder Matthew Kosuda to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead.

However, although Stanyek threw more than 50 pitches in the first two innings, he allowed only two singles and two walks before being relieved with one out in the seventh. He finished with nine strikeouts.

In the sixth inning, with the score 1-1, Red Bank Catholic centerfielder Matt Brunner made two plays that had a significant impact. In the top of the inning, he made a running catch on a hard-hit ball hit by the Falcons’ first batter, Josiah Brown. In the bottom of the inning, Brunner’s sacrifice fly gave Red Bank a 3-1 lead.

Saint Joseph’s starting pitcher, senior Jimmy Mulvaney, who led the team’s pitching staff with a 1.52 earned run average, was nearly as stingy as Stanyek. In 6-2/3 innings, he also allowed three hits, struck out four and walked one. None of Red Bank’s runs were earned.

“He [Mulvaney] threw incredibly well in big games and against big teams this season,” Murray said.

Saint Joseph High School head baseball coach Mike Murray Jr., fourth from left and flanked by his assistant coaches, speaks to his players after they lost to host Red Bank Catholic 4-1 in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association South Jersey (NJSIAA) Non-Public A final June 3. —Chris Donahue photo

Senior catcher Mark Gialluisi, who had 54 hits in 111 at-bats this season (.486 batting average), finished as St. Joe’s all-time hit leader with 126, Murray said. Carvelli (107) is second all-time in hits. The previous record was 104 by Jon Sot (2019).

Mulvaney, who plans to study at Fairfield University (Conn.) in the fall and play for its baseball team, said he was not surprised at the Falcons’ success this season.

“The only thing we lost [to graduation] was two pitchers and I believed in myself and others [teammates] did and that is what got us this far. I think we proved some people wrong,” he said.

St. Thomas Aquinas softball team’s season another for record books

By Chris Donahue Retired Editor-in-Chief

Although the season for the softball team at St. Thomas Aquinas School, Edi son, did not end with the most valuable prize – a state championship ring -- it was filled with record-setting performances and achievements.

And, because the team fielded only two seniors, the season could be considered an astounding success by any measure.

Before losing to No. 2-ranked St. John Vianney High 3-0 in the NJSIAA South, Non-Public A sectional final, June 2, the No. 7-ranked Trojans’ season was highlighted by, according to coach Missy Collazzo:

• A 23-4 overall record, 12-0 in the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC), Red Division

• 60 consecutive GMC wins in last 60 games vs. conference opponents

• Fifth consecutive GMC title (10 total, most in softball by any school)

• Third consecutive state sectional finals appearance

• 10 consecutive shutout victories

• Senior infielder Mary-Kate Murray posted team highs in batting average (.464) and runs batted in (36). She finished her career with a school record 115 RBI; set a school record for most home

runs (14 this season) and career (35 in three seasons)

• Junior pitcher Hayley Wieczerzak finished with a 21-3 record in 144 innings of work; a 0.97 earned run average; a school record 307 strikeouts in a season (62 walks), and holds the school record for career strikeouts with 609.

The Trojans reached the sectional finals by defeating Red Bank Catholic 3-0 in the quarterfinals and No. 1-ranked Donovan Catholic 8-2 in the semifinals. Against St. John Vianney, the Trojans had the bases loaded twice. “We did not get the big hit when we needed it,” Collazzo said.

A 1-0 defeat to Morris Catholic early in the season was the only other game in which the Trojans were blanked. Two of

its four losses were by one run.

Collazzo, a physical education teacher at St. Thoms Aquinas, has guided the softball team for 15 seasons. Her teams have won 281 games and lost 79 in that time. In her first season, the Trojans won the NJSIAA South, Non-Public A title, the third overall for the school.

Each year, the players have high expectations, even one as young as this season because most got a lot of playing time last season.

“They played with a lot of heart and emotion and intensity,” she said. “They were self-motivated -- playing all summer, hitting lessons, ravel teams…They are always trying to make themselves better.”

And, despite the numerous cham-

Shown in a game during Saint Thomas Aquinas High School softball team’s season, from left: sophomore rightfielder Melody Webb, who finished with 36 hits, 23 runs batted in and a .429 batting average; and junior pitcher Hayley Wieczerzak, who posted a 21-3 record and a 0.97 earned run average.

Mike Kowalczyk photos

pionships and achievements her teams have recorded, Collazzo said coaching never becomes routine.

“I really like to watch the girls play the game they love so much, grow together as a team, skill wise, individually, and over the course of the four years [careers], grow up. Many come back to visit.”