October 21, 2021 by The Catholic Spirit

Bishop installs two priests as pastors of parishes in diocese, 24-25

Spirit atholic C THE

THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF METUCHEN

OCTOBER 21, 2021 • VOL. 26 NO. 9 • $2.00

Bishop James F. Checchio, assisted by Father Edward A. Luciano III, sprinkles holy water to bless members of law enforcement who attended the 19th annual Blue Mass at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen, Sept. 29. Bishop Checchio pesided at the Mass and gave the homily. The Mass honors law enforcement personnel who live and work in the counties served by the — Mike Ehrmann photo diocese — Somerset, Middlesex, Hunterdon and Warren. See story on page 12.

INSIDE 4

Perspectives Our Faith

32-33

Kid’s Corner

Diocesan Events

World Mission Sunday

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2 UP FRONT

Bishop will concelebrate Synod Opening Mass with Pope My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Bishop James Checchio

OCTOBER 21, 2021 THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

I write to you from Rome on this wonderful feast of St. Francis of Assisi, October 4. I spent almost 20 years of my adult life in Rome as a seminarian, student priest and on the faculty at America’s Seminary in the Vatican. Now, as you might know, I serve as chairman of the Clergy, Consecrated Life, Vocations Committee for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. I was originally coming to Rome to meet with officials at the Congregation for Clergy on matters related to the United States and our priestly formation program. I am still doing that, but in addition, was invited to be one of two bishop representatives from the United States for the Opening of the Synod. Pope Francis has announced that the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which will take place in October 2023, will have the theme, “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission.” This week the Holy Father will meet with a group of bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful to discuss the upcoming Synod. A two-year process, the Synod will have three major phases: diocesan, continental and universal. On Sunday, Oct. 10, there was a Solemn Opening of the Synod with the Pope celebrating Mass at Saint Peter’s Basilica, which I was invited to concelebrate The Holy Father has said that “synodality is an expression of the Church’s nature, her form, style and mission. The word ‘synod’ says it all: it means ‘journeying together,’ our re-

discovery that we are a people meant to walk together, with one another and with all humanity.” We strive to do this in our diocese and that is why I so enjoy visiting our parishes and institutions as often as I am able. While the pandemic has caused many hardships for us, Pope Francis also pointed out that “In this time of pandemic, the Lord is guiding the Church’s mission as a sacrament of care. Our world has cried out and shown its vulnerability: our world needs care.” It is the Holy Father’s wish that the synod will help us to join together more authentically as we listen to one another in the Holy Spirit. While we were just recently sent the concrete details of the hopes, expectations and pathway forward for the Church Universal and the part we as a diocese will play in the synod, we are working on more concrete plans for our diocese and have scheduled some important events already to begin the process. I am grateful to Father Timothy Christy, our Vicar General, who is working with members of our diocesan Evangelization and Pastoral Offices to ensure that we implement the synod process as authentically as possible, keeping in mind the various circumstances of all the many people expected to be included. It was suggested by the Holy See that we can use our regular consultative organizations in the process, such as the Diocesan Pastoral Council and Presbyteral Council, which is a help, as they already exist and are a great resource for our diocese. The Holy Father asked every diocesan bishop throughout the world to have a Solemn Opening Mass the weekend of Oct. 16. Our diocese celebrated our Opening Mass on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 5 p.m. at St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral in Metuchen. Your suggestions and prayers for the synod are appreciated and needed.

Catholic Spirit THE

THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF METUCHEN

Serving the Catholic community in Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties

The Catholic Spirit P.O. Box 191 • Metuchen, NJ 08840 PHONE: (732) 562-2424 • FAX: (732) 562-0969 PUBLISHER Bishop James F. Checchio EDITOR Father Timothy A. Christy, V.G. MANAGING EDITOR Father Glenn J. Comandini, STD (732) 562-2461

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Please feel free to contact us at synod2023@diometuchen.org. Know that you are in my prayers as we begin this synod experience. God has been good to us, and I have no doubt, will continue to be. Thank you for your fidelity to Him and His Church. The process will be guided by our reliance on our friendship with Jesus and the constant teachings of our Church. While I felt good to be back in Rome after not having been here for two years, I have to admit, my heart is still in Metuchen! It is an exciting time in our diocese as this November we will begin to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of our founding by St. John Paul II. We are told that the number 40 is used almost 150 times in the Bible. Generally, it is used to represent a period of testing. Moses spent 40 years in the desert before leading his people out of slavery. He was also on Mount Sinai for 40 days when God gave him the Ten Commandments to guide our lives. Jonah preached repentance in Nineveh for 40 days. Of course, the most well-known 40 days were the ones Jesus spent in the desert fasting while being tempted by the devil before He began His public ministry. Likewise, Jesus appeared to his disciples and many others during the 40 days after His resurrection before ascending to the Father. While our 40 years has had many, many blessings, we have also had our own periods of testing. Gratefully, thanks to your faithfulness, I would say that we have passed the test and have much to celebrate. It is beautiful to see how the Kingdom of God is being built up in our diocese through our worship in our 90 parishes, as well as through your making God known by your acts of love, especially to those in need. You will read about just a few of the many beautiful, inspiring movements of the Holy Spirit amongst us in

this edition of “The Catholic Spirit.” As I have told you before, but want to state again, I am so grateful that God brought me to Metuchen to be a part of this great movement of faith! We will begin our celebratory year with a Diocesan Mass on Friday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. at St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral. All are invited to attend. To mark the milestone in our diocesan life we are planning events throughout the coming year and will be publishing a calendar of events soon. Under the patronage of our Lady, we turn to her with confidence knowing that she is always near to us, offering us her protection and love. This anniversary year is a providential opportunity to recommit ourselves to the ongoing work of conversion in our own lives and the renewal of every aspect of our personal, parochial and communal lives. If we want true renewal of our lives and our Church---then we must set out more intentionally developing a greater love, devotion and faithful reception and adoration of the Holy Eucharist. This is the “Bread come down from Heaven,” that gives life to the world and to our hungry soul. May our synod experience and anniversary celebrations be another opportunity for us to do something beautiful for God as we build up His Kingdom in our beautiful four counties! God bless and know of my love and prayers for you. With renewed best wishes, I remain Yours in Christ,

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

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By Christina Leslie Correspondent NEW BRUNSWICK — The life-size shrine of a 17th-century Italian saint, renowned for her catechism and education of women and girls, has once again assumed its rightful place in the Parish of the Visitation’s St. Mary of Mount Virgin Church. Standing in the church’s gleaming narthex, Bishop James F. Checchio blessed the National Shrine of St. Lucy Filippini Sept. 8, praying, “May all who visit this place with devotion be reminded to strive for lives filled with love and humility.” The blessing on the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lady, and a Mass during which the bishop bestowed the sacrament of confirmation on 42 can-

didates, began a year-long celebration of 100 years since the arrival of the Religious Teachers Filippini at St. Mary of Mount Virgin School. Bishop Checchio recognized the dozen Religious Teachers Filippini sitting in the pews, including the order’s provincial superior from Morristown, Sister Patricia Pompa, and representatives of the Filippini Sisters who teach at St. Augustine of Canterbury School, Kendall Park. In his homily, he reminded the youth and congregation that God works in the world through people of faith who say “yes” to the dream with which they are inspired. Just like St. Joseph, St. Francis of Assisi and Mother Teresa of Kolkata, he said, St. Lucy Filippini was on fire with the Holy Spirit.

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OCTOBER 21, 2021

“By her competence, gentleness and zeal, St. Lucy opened 52 schools during her lifetime, and her community of sisters took up this ministry in fervor,” Bishop Checchio said. “Gratefully for us, in 1910 the community sent five sisters to work with Italian immigrants in the Diocese of Trenton, and in 1922 the sisters arrive here at the parish.” St. Lucy Filippini was born Jan. 13, 1672, in Corneto, Italy, to a devout family. Orphaned at age six, she went to live with an aunt and uncle who assured she would receive whatever education and catechesis were available. Her fervor prompted the new bishop of Mostefisacone and Corneto, Cardinal Marcantonio Barbarigo, to embark on a spiritual renewal of the diocese and find women who might aid in this venture. St. Lucy, influenced by the methods of the Jesuits and the Piarists, founded a school for girls in Rome. This was just one of 52 schools she founded. While suffering from breast cancer, she insisted on doing her part in the catechesis of women. She died at the age of 60 on March 25, 1732, the Feast of the Annunciation. She was canonized by Pope Pius XI June 22, 1930. After Mass, Father Michael Fragoso, pastor, Parish of the

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

The life-size statue of St. Lucy Filippini and the shrine were stored in the basement of St. Mary of Mount Virgin Church in the late 1990s. They were revitalized and restored to the narthex. — Mike Ehrmann photos

Bishop James F. Checchio blesses the National Shrine of St. Lucy Filippini with holy water at a Mass at the Parish of the Visitation, St. Mary of Mount Virgin Church, New Brunswick. She was canonized by Pope Pius XI June 22, 1930.

OUR DIOCESE

Where in the diocese can it be found?

Image Week

4 PERSPECTIVES

Getting married? Please don’t Google ‘officiant’ Body & Soul By Father Glenn J. Comandini, STD Lately, I have noticed that there is a tendency for many Catholic engaged couples to plan their weddings outside of the Church, which makes no sense. I am not talking about a couple where one party is Catholic and the other is a baptized Christian. In this case, canonical permission can be obtained so that the wedding can be held in the Protestant Church or the Catholic Church with vows taken by the ordained Catholic priest or the ordained minister. I am not talking about an interfaith marriage wherein one party is Catholic and the other is Jewish, Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist. In this instance, if the non-Christian family is offended by a Catholic church setting, canonical permission can be acquired to hold the wedding in a non-religious setting such as a restaurant. No, I am talking about two baptized Catholics who just do not have any religious convictions and decide that they wish to marry on the beach, at the lake, in a park under a gazebo. Since canon law teaches that the validity of marriage is contingent on the exchange of consent occurring in a

Catholic church before an ordained Catholic priest/deacon and two witnesses, the outdoor venues are out of the question. Canonical permission cannot be granted to have a wedding by the sea, at the lakeside family cabin or in the Botanical Gardens. But the Catholic couples, many times, do not care what the Church teaches and resolve this conundrum by going to Google and search for “wedding officiants.” The search engine cranks up all types of individuals from “ex-priests” to people who call themselves “officiant” because they acquired a civil license to officiate through payment to a company or municipality on the internet. As a Roman Catholic priest, I find it disheartening to attend a wedding between two baptized Catholics, who have never been married, and who opt to Google the non-religious officiant just to fulfill their desire, albeit seems selfish, to have an outdoor venue for their wedding, even where there is similarity to the Catholic Rite of Marriage (ex-priests know it by heart) for the questions to ascertain the freedom to marry, the exchange of vows, rings and seal it with a nuptial kiss. I realize that we are dealing with adults and parents of the bride and groom can only have so much influence on their adult children’s decisions (even though the parents may still be paying for the wedding expenses). I also know that some engaged couples are inflexible

even should the family’s priest explain the teaching of the Church both from the perspective of theology and canon law. Granted, the officiant whose credentials were purchased from the world wide web does not require anything of the couple except a check that does not bounce. However, did it ever occur that the preparation required by the Catholic Church is for the benefit of a) explaining the obligations of marriage, b) to know the couple better through the pre-nuptial inquiry and FOCUS inventory and c) to prevent [as much as this is possible] divorce. It is also noteworthy that Catholic officiants must be ordained priests or deacons in good standing with the Church. A priest whose faculties have been removed is not in good standing. A priest who left the ministry to get married is not in good standing. Finally, it is imperative to remember that a validly ordained Catholic priest and/or deacon has to go to school (for priests, a post-college seminary; for deacons, four years of schooling at a sanctioned institution of the diaconate). In both settings, the seminarians and deacon aspirants study Scripture, theology, canon law, pastoral theology, counseling and liturgy. Their qualification to witness a marriage is delegated by the bishop of the diocese, not by some company on the Internet.

Finally, let us not forget the role of custom and tradition. A wedding between two baptized Catholics, who are free to marry, should never be divorced from family life. The context of the wedding is a parish celebration. Two individuals, a man and a woman, who wish to marry, which is a lifetime commitment, are flanked by the duly delegated officiant, the two witnesses but also the families of the groom and bride, the friends of the groom and bride and the parish of either the groom or the bride. The marriage is a reflection of Jesus the Groom’s love for his bride, the Church. In living out their marriage, the spouses are a sign to each of us who are the Church that Jesus loves us and is with us, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, in wealth and in poverty, until death do us part. Getting married is not just an affair between the couple, nor just between the couple and God, but an all-encompassing relationship between the couple, the Church and Christ. We take this vocation of marriage very seriously and pray that our young people, with proper catechesis, will do the same. So if you are recently engaged. congratulations! But please, don’t Google “officiant” in planning your wedding! Father Comandiini is managing editor of “The Catholic Spirit.”

pro-abortion organizations. It promises to protect women and guarantee their “reproductive freedom and safety” by making abortion and contraception free to any woman in the state while, at the same time, guaranteeing Planned Parenthood taxpayer funding and allowing nurse practitioners, physicians’ assistants and nurse midwives to perform surgery on women for their reproductive health care needs. With a vote of the New Jersey legislature and the stroke of Gov. Murphy’s pen, not only will taxpayers be paying for all women’s contraception needs and abortions in New Jersey, but three groups of healthcare providers that have never performed surgery in any area of medicine are going to be given full authority to perform surgical abortions for duration of a pregnancy (right up to birth) without any supervision or oversight by gynecologic surgeons. And, they are going to be doing this in the most high-risk surgical settings — the outpatient ofﬁce. No hospital will

ever extend to any of these three groups of health care providers surgical privileges to perform surgical abortions at any time during pregnancy within their facilities. As a physician, a Board-Certified Gynecologic surgeon and a Roman Catholic, I feel that I have a moral obligation to make the citizens of our state aware of what is about to happen. Board Eligible or Board-Certified gynecologists have been fully trained and tested to assure that they are able to provide these services with the highest degree of safety. This assurance is achieved through four years of medical school followed by four years of supervised training as a resident physician in obstetrics and gynecology, during which time, they have done this surgery under the supervision of a skilled gynecologic surgeon hundreds of times. The current model for surgical abortion training of nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants and nurse midwives is spending six days in a Planned Parenthood facility where they perform 40 first-trimester (before 14 weeks of pregnancy) abortions. Their future patients will not realize that their “surgeon” is a minimally trained nurse or physician’s assistant with no medical backup. Sponsors of the legislation are promoting it because all the groups who support it will experience great personal gain at the

expense of the people they avow to protect. Pro-abortion legislators are looking to gain more power by enlisting the allegiance of segments of the healthcare community and pander to a voter base whose passions on the abortion issue are clouding their ability to recognize the far-reaching, personal dangers of this legislation. Planned Parenthood will see lower costs from these providers of abortion services and be guaranteed a steady, uninterrupted stream of our tax dollars to fund their operation. And the most vocal healthcare providers vigorously supporting this legislation are those who will beneﬁt the most. These are the nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physician’s assistants, who, through minimal effort, will instantly be granted entrance into the highly specialized world of a surgeon. They will become “surgeons to women” without meeting any the rigorous requirements of the surgeon. We, as brothers and sisters in Christ, have a moral obligation to try to stop this before it begins. We must educate our friends, relatives, and fellow parishioners as to what is happening, so as to allow them to make more informed decisions on Election Day, Nov 2. Burke is chair of the South Jersey Catholic Medical Association and a Fellow at the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Reproductive Freedom Act would put patients in danger By Dr. Gerald V. Burke

OCTOBER 21, 2021

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

[Editor’s note: because of space limitations, this column had to be edited. However, the entire column can be found on the website of “The Catholic Spirit” – catholicspirit.com] As a parent, my worst nightmare is having my teenage daughter leave our home in the morning for school and then getting a phone call from an emergency room physician later that day that she had been brought in by ambulance in shock, that they had done all they could do for her, and that she had died. Unfortunately, this is an experience that many families in New Jersey may endure if the Reproductive Freedom Act (Senate bill S3030, Assembly bill 4848) is passed. The legislation is supported by Gov. Phil Murphy; his wife, Tammy, and also by Planned Parenthood, the New Jersey State Board of Nursing and other

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).

Compiled from the Catholic News Service

Prelate seeks prayers for ‘island in agony’ at Mass Sept. 11 terrorist attacks remembered 20 years later

WASHINGTON — Bishop Felipe J. Estevez, of the Diocese of St. Augustine, Fla., called on Cubans, on and off the island, to choose forgiveness to help the island nation, during a Sept. 8 homily marking the feast of Cuba’s patron saint, Our Lady of Charity del Cobre. As a mother, “La Cachita,” the familiar name Cubans have given to the Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Charity, knows what her children need and she knows “there is something that worries us and that steals our peace, something that saddens us, that distresses us,” said Bishop Estevez during an outdoor Mass in Spanish at the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity in Miami. Bishop Estevez was one of several U.S. prelates to mark the day, that is special to the Cuban Catholic community and even to Cubans who aren’t Catholic. The Madonna is beloved even among Cuban nonbelievers. Pope Francis, who visited the island nation in 2015, extended a message to Cubans Sept. 8, saying he placed prayers at the feet of Our Lady of Charity for “the life, dreams, hopes, and sorrows of the Cuban people.” Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel thanked him on Twitter for his wishes.

Masked worshippers attend Mass at the church of Cuba’s patroness — Our Lady of Charity — in Havana Sept. 8 amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. The feast day of Our Lady of Charity was Sept. 8. —CNS photo/Alexandre Meneghini, Reuters

On Sept. 9, Diaz-Canel met Boston Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley in Havana, The Associated Press reported, but the high-ranking prelate offered no comment on what was discussed or the purpose of his trip.

PHILADELPHIA — After the twin towers fell on Sept. 11, 2001, Jose Zeron remembered smelling “some sort of brick dust. I don’t know exactly what it was, but it was weird, and it was everywhere,” said Zeron, who at the time was an 11-year-old attending St. George’s Ukrainian Catholic School in Manhattan, just two and a half miles away from the deadliest terrorist attack on United States soil. Now a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Philadelphia, Zeron and his sisters were in class when teachers began “saying something about a plane and the World Trade Center,” he said, adding that he had no clue what they were talking about. Zeron and his siblings waited for their parents nearby, at the house of his younger sister’s friend. With the subways shut down, his father and mother walked from Queens, and in the meantime, the friend’s family took the children up to the roof of their apartment building. “The mom said, ‘That’s where the towers used to be,’” Zeron recalled. Before returning home, he and his family went to church, which was packed. Father Mark Tobin at the time was a sophomore in high school when a teacher entered his second

WORLD & NATION

Father Mark Tobin is seen in this undated photo. The former Navy Special Warfare Combatant Crewman said amid the 9/11 attacks and all forms of human suffering, “God doesn’t want to be far from us.” —CNS photo/St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, courtesy CatholicPhilly.com

period class to advise the instructor of the attacks. “It’s hard to fathom or to put into perspective, but I’d say in some ways it popped our bubble,” said Father Tobin, now a parochial vicar at Mary, Mother of the Redeemer Parish in North Wales, Pennsylvania. “We lived in a pretty comfortable society, and now we had an attack on our own turf, one that affected people in New York and D.C., not too far from us.”

Remember to Vote… Be a Faithful Citizen

Visit www.faithfulcitizenship.org to explore how you can love your neighbors by advocating as a faithful citizen on behalf of those who are poor and vulnerable. As you prepare to vote, read the U.S. bishops' statement on Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, watch videos and access other great resources on faithful citizenship. THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Prayer Before an Election

OCTOBER 21, 21, 2021

Lord God, as the election approaches, we seek to better understand the issues and concerns that confront our city/state/country, and how the Gospel compels us to respond as faithful citizens in our community. We ask for eyes that are free from blindness so that we might see each other as brothers and sisters, one and equal in dignity, especially those who are victims of abuse and violence, deceit and poverty. We ask for ears that will hear the cries of children unborn and those abandoned, Men and women oppressed because of race or creed, religion or gender. We ask for minds and hearts that are open to hearing the voice of leaders who will bring us closer to your Kingdom. We pray for discernment so that we may choose leaders who hear your Word, live your love, and keep in the ways of your truth as they follow in the steps of Jesus and his Apostles and guide us to your Kingdom of justice and peace. We ask this in the name of your Son Jesus Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

6 OUR DIOCESE

Knights show appreciation, support for clergy at annual dinner Warden of the fraternal organization. “[Priests] do so much for the parishioners, councils and community. Our SOMERSET — Two groups of men priests, especially during these unintegral to the life of the Church of the certain times, need to know they are diocese — its priests and members of appreciated and supported… we are proud of them and their the Knights of Columbus work.” — expressed their mutu“The name of the al admiration and respect dinner, ‘Pride in Our Sept. 9 at the annual Priests,’ says it all,” said “Priests are “Pride in Our Priests” Mark Mazur of Our Lady dinner at The Imperia. the spiritual of Peace Parish, Fords. The crowd of more “We value their Catholic than 400 included Bishleaders of lives and spiritual outop James F. Checchio, the diocese. reach to the community.” active and retired clergy James Fidacaro, of from throughout the dioWe have this St. Ann Parish, Raritan cese, Knights and their dinner to show Borough, agreed, noting, guests. “Priests are the spiritual During the cocktail thanks for all leaders of the diocese. hour and dinner, priests We have this dinner to and Knights renewed the work they show thanks for all the old friendships, forged do for God’s work they do for God’s new ones and hailed people.” the importance of each people.” “It is very important other’s charitable actions —James Fidacaro to keep this [dinner] goin their parishes and the ing to show the priests community at large. and clergy and Church “I feel it is parawe support them,” added mount that we as Knights of Columbus show our support for our Gerard D’Ambrosio, a Knight at St. spiritual leaders,” explained Scott C. Ambrose Parish, Old Bridge. Clergy blessed with strong and acWilliams, a member of St. Cecilia Parish, Monmouth Junction and State tive Knights councils in their parishes By Christina Leslie Correspondent

Bishop Emeritus Paul G. Bootkoski, left, State Chaplain, New Jersey Knights of Columbus, speaks to an attendee at the Pride in Priests Dinner. He spoke highly of the Knights at St. Catherine of Siena, Parish ,Pittstown, where he lives. — John Batkowski photo described their many philanthropic deeds. Father Michael Krull, pastor, Our Lady of Peace Parish, North Brunswick, expressed his gratitude for the works of the Knights at his parish’s council, noting their invaluable help to the community after the town’s food pantry flooded due to Hurricane Ida.

“The Knights are a mainstay in the parish,” Father Krull said. “They are my right arm.” “Family life is key,” said Msgr. John Gordon, pastor. St. Joseph Parish, Carteret. “The Knights of Columbus are dedicated to family life in the parish.”

OCTOBER 21, 2021

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

November 13, 2021 9:00 am – 3:30 pm Grow personally and spiritually through this one-day preached retreat that is part of a research study to evaluate whether preaching meaning in Jesus Christ, the Logos, can help address the dramatic increase in anxiety in our world. Participation is open to Roman Catholic adults living in the Diocese of Metuchen who suffer from anxiety. Space is limited, so please register soon at https://deaconmikemeyer.com/Retreats/Nov132021 For more information, please contact Deacon Mike Meyer at

deaconmikemeyer@hotmail.com

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Columbus worldwide donated 1,400 ultrasound machines to pregnancy centers and clinics; made more than $150 million in monetary donations and performed more than 47 million hours of service. Officials from the Knights of Columbus New Jersey State Council presented Bishop Checchio with a check for use in his charitable works. The bishop expressed his gratitude for all the Knights did for the diocese and the people of the Church of Metuchen, especially in the grip of the ongoing pandemic. “I see you everywhere I go,” Bishop Checchio said, “and I am so grateful for you. You were so helpful to your priests over this last year and a half, they told me. You are known for your support of life, of priests. Thank you.”

OUR DIOCESE

in the parish.” Bishop Emeritus Paul G. Bootkoski serves as the Knights’ State Chaplain and extolled the value of the Knights at St. Catherine of Siena, Pittstown, where he is in residence. “They are very supportive at the parish, do lots of manual labor and run different events,” he said. “The Knights of Columbus are an organization of Catholic men committed to the mission of the Church, and, on the local level, the backbone behind the scenes,” said Msgr. Joseph G. Celano, pastor, Immaculate Conception Parish, Somerville. “They assist all the other ministries and the infrastructure of the Church. They make things happen.” According to statistics from their 2020 annual report, Knights of

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Fun Run

Members of the cross country team at St. James School, Basking Ridge, celebrate after winning the 22nd Annual Fall Festival at the Flood’s Hill course, South Orange, Oct. 2. St. James was one of 13 teams at the invitational event, which was hosted by the cross country team at Our Lady of Sorrows School, South Orange. — photo courtesy of St. James School

Above from left, Father Tholitho of St. BernardofClairvauxParish,Bridgewater; Father Edgar Madarang, Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Metuchen; and Father Abraham Lotha, Transfiguration of the Lord Parish, Edison/ Highland Park, pose at the Pride in Priests Dinner. Right, Scott Williams, Knights State Warden, presents Bishop Checchio with a check for his charitable works assisted by Frank Rees, Chapter 4 president. Below, the Knights post the colors. — John Batkowski photos

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Shrine, statue of saint restored

OUR DIOCESE

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Visitation, described how the shrine and life-size statue, stored in the church’s basement in the late 1990s, was revitalized and restored to its place of glory in the narthex thanks to the skill of the Filippini nuns and the pastor’s painstaking scrubbing with peroxide and a toothbrush. “The statue has real hair,

eyebrows and eyelashes,” Father Fragoso said. “The [Filippini] sisters restored her habit, the one with the bonnet and shawl and cowl called a coffin. The wooden shrine was cleaned and painted, [and] the bed [large cushion] on which she lies is being remade by a parishioner. The people love St. Lucy and their teachers, the sisters.”

OCTOBER 21, 2021

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

please pray for vocations

Top of page, Religious Teachers Filippini Sisters, who are devoted to teaching and serve at schools and parishes in the diocese, worshiped at a Mass at the Parish of the Visitation, St. Mary of Mount Virgin Church, New Brunswick. During the liturgy, a restored shrine and statue of St. Lucy Filippini, who founded the Religious Teachers Filippini, were blessed by Bishop James F. Checchio. Above right, Bishop Checchio anoints the forehead of one of the 42 candidates he confirmed with oil of chrism at the Mass. Above left, a statue of St. Patrick also graces the church. — Mike Ehrmann photos

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9 OUR DIOCESE

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT OCTOBER 21, 21, 2021

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10 OUR DIOCESE

Parishioners worship at Mass, give thanks for support during pandemic Members of St. Elizabeth-St. Brigid Parish, Far Hills-Peapack, gathered at St. Brigid Church for the celebration of the Vigil Mass of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Aug. 14; commemorating the contribution of the parish staff and parishioners — “the saints next door” — who helped alleviate the suffering experienced during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. At a time when people and parishes were challenged in ways they never expected, the doors of churches were locked yet God’s presence could be discerned at St. Elizabeth-St. Brigid Parish in a myriad of ways. St. Brigid Church was open every day for personal reﬂection and private worship; Mass was livestreamed; and creative ways were discovered so parish- who met the physical needs of the sick and suffering, but also the ﬁrst respondioners could receive holy Communion. ers to the parishioners’ Clergy also prospiritual needs, espevided an opportunity Clergy also provided an cially Msgr. Edward for parishioners to participate in drive- opportunity for parishioners C. Puleo, pastor, other priests and volunteers by benediction at St. to participate in drive-by who provided support. Elizabeth Church, Far Hills, on the Feast of benediction at St. Elizabeth The “celebration of gratitude” continued Divine Mercy. A speChurch, Far Hills... after Mass on the plaza cial blessing was also at St. Brigid, including given to the drivers a DJ, face-painting, and passengers with a relic of St. Faustina. On the eve of the solemnity of Our Photo Booth and food and dessert compliLady’s Assumption, parishioners cel- ments of a parishioner with his antique ebrated with gratitude not only those ice-cream truck.

Left, Father John G. Hillier, back row, in residence at St. Elizabeth-St. Brigid Parish, Far Hills-Peapack, joins parishioners after a Mass on the plaza at St. Brigid Church for “a celebration of gratitude” for staff and members of the parish for their service and support during the height of the COVID-19 or coronavirus pandemic. Below, Msgr. Edward C. Puleo, pastor, (left) poses with some of the parishioners who organized the event. — photos courtesy of St. ElizabethSt. Brigid Parish

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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Laughter and joy filled the rooms of Inspire Family Life Center, Warren, as Bishop James F. Checchio joined the founders, board members and contributors at a blessing and ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 8. In his blessing, Bishop Checchio said: “God, the word of life, brings every human creature into being and holds and sustains the life of each of us. Today we gather to bless this place established to protect the unborn and inspire mothers and families with hope. “The blessing and the birth of this center will help many people in our area who are in need of assistance and guidance. It is a blessing beyond measure. God knows what we are doing and God will bless each of us. This is a great day of celebration and a great day of blessing. Now it’s time to get on our working boots.” The motto of the center on Mount Bethel Road is: “We help mothers love life. We help families live life!” The center was founded by Rosanda Grau, executive director, Carol Spina and Bunny Brinck-Lund, board chair, to meet the urgent needs of the thousands of vulnerable women and families living in New Jersey.

OUR DIOCESE

By Karen Corpora Correspondent

Family, life skills, spirituality focus of new crisis pregnancy facility

Above, Bishop James F. Checchio blesses the Inspire Family Life Center. Above left, Scott C. Williams (left), State Warden, New Jersey State Council of Knights of Columbus, poses with (from left) Rosanda Grau, executive director; Carol Spina, chair of the board, and Bunny Brinck-Lind, co-chair. The founders’ goal is to share the unconditional love of Jesus Christ with those who are faced with challenging and unexpected pregnancies: inspiring them to be open to new life and to courageously embrace the beautiful vision of God’s will for them. The founders formerly worked at Life Choices Research Center, Metuchen, where Grau was the executive director for 12 years. “God was calling us to do something new, but we didn’t know the direction,” Grau said. “We wanted to focus on the family and life skills. I took a huge leap of faith and left Life Choices so we could start working on this project. We started in a donated Left, Gina Cordino takes a photo of the baby room at the Inspire Family Life Center. Below, Bishop Checchio (back center) watches Spina cut a ribbon to officially open the doors to the Inspire Family Life Center Sept. 8. — Ed Koskey Jr. photos

“It’s a joy to welcome you all here on this momentous occasion to open wide the doors to inspire Family Life Center,” Carol Spina said. “We stand here today because of your support, encouragement and prayers. We are incredibly grateful and thank you so much for that.” Deacon Frank Sinatra, who exercises his ministry at St. James Parish, Basking Ridge, is also a pediatrician in Bernardsville. He will serve as the center’s medical director and oversee the services and tests performed there. “I am happy to be able to help,” he said. “Life is so important. People are in need of a lot of support. This is a great bunch of people and I just want to help in a nonjudgmental way.” The jewel of the center will be an ultrasound machine that will help show the viability of the baby and that it is in the right position. The machine, which is being donated by the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization, was scheduled to be delivered to the center by early October. The machine is being donated in honor of Vincent Tavormina of Monroe Township, State Deputy of New Jersey Knights of Columbus who died Jan. 26. He was a pro-life champion and instrumental in helping other centers get ultrasound machines. During the ceremony, Scott Williams, Knights’ State Warden, presented two checks to the center: one from Chapter 4 and the other from the State Chapter. Each check covered a quarter of the cost of the machine. The Supreme Council has approved and is sending a check for the remainder of the cost. Through its ultrasound program, the Knights have donated more than 150,000 worldwide. For more information on classes and services offered at the center, (732) 595-2392 or visit its website at www. InspireFamilyLifeCenter.com

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT OCTOBER 21, 21, 2021

office space and began to build from there. “People who don’t feel loved are pushed around and mistreated,” she continued. “We want to give them practical tools, but also spiritual tools. We want to walk with them after the baby. This will be empowering for them. We want to build relationships of trust.” The center is a place for healing not for judgment and the councilors are available to help those suffering from the effects of a past abortion. “Our center is rooted in Christ. Because we love him and he loves us we are able to love others. That is the heart of the mission. This is done at no cost to them. This is a gift,” Grau added. The group built a website and started fundraising last September. On May 1, they signed the lease and began fixing the current space so it would meet their needs. Through a group effort, everything in the space was donated. “The paint was barely dry. We just completed the final touches on Monday,” said Dan Spina, leader of the build out team. “It was quite incredible how this came together. Common folks would call it coincidence, but I think it is providence. Every time we needed something a phone call came into us offering a donation.” The entire building project was made possible by people donating furniture, building supplies and construction companies lending a hand with free labor. “Not one penny of the donor’s money for the center went into the building project,” Spina said. After the bishop blessed the new center, Brinck-Lund presented him with a spiritual bouquet. “We have anticipated this day with excitement and joy and we thank you, bishop, for your blessing on our endeavor. Be assured that we will continue to pray for you and we will hold you in our hearts,” she said.

12 OUR DIOCESE

2021

BLUE MASS ‘Faithful servants of God’ honored at annual liturgy

OCTOBER 21, 2021

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

By Christina Leslie Correspondent METUCHEN — With a unique blend of military-like precision and faith-filled solidarity, men and women who had sworn to “protect and serve” filled the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi Sept. 29 for the diocese’s 19th annual Blue Mass. Bishop James F. Checchio, who presided at the liturgy, proclaimed his gratitude to all for “the commitment and sacrifice you make each day in your public service.” The Mass, celebrated on the Feast of Ss. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, archangels, traditionally honors active, retired and deceased law enforcement personnel serving in the counties served by the diocese — Somerset, Middlesex, Hunterdon and Warren. Local and state dignitaries, grateful citizens and students filled the pews; representatives of the Edison Police Department, this year’s host agency, served as honor guard members, readers and gift bearers. The small borough of Metuchen resembled a major law enforcement hub that sunny autumn morning: a long row of police motorcycles lined Main Street in front of the Cathedral, while dozens of police cars, their red and blue roof lights flashing, also stood as mute sentinels near the diocese’s Mother Church. From a fire truck hung a mammoth American flag that fluttered in the breeze above scores of officers clad in their uniformed best. A pair of mounted patrolmen, a few armed tactical officers, even two sharpshooters perched on the adjacent school’s roof alerted passersby that no ordinary liturgy would be celebrated that day. An honor guard bearing flags marched into the Cathedral, each of their steps in rhythm with their leader’s staccato count, followed closely by the tartan-clad members of the Middlesex County Police and Fire Pipes and Drums. Bishop Checchio was accompanied by priests from the diocese who serve as chaplains of police departments. In his homily, Father Charles T. O’Connor, pastor, St. Cecilia Parish, Monmouth Junction, elicited chuckles and knowing nods from the police officers seated before him as he shared anecdotes from his father’s 25 years on the mounted squad of the Newark Police force atop his horse. “There was always some chance to confront a situation most of us do not have the courage to face, places some angels fear

Above, police officers process into the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi at the diocese’s 19th Annual Blue Mass. Above right, Bishop Checchio blesses statues of St. Michael that were given to the families of officers who died in the line of duty in 2020, including: Officer Christopher Cronin, Old Bridge Police; Sgt. Al Terek Patterson, Bedminster Police; Sgt. Ahmed Mackey, Somerset County Sheriff’s Office and Corrections Officer Nelson Perdomo. Right, the bishop distributes holy Communion. — Mike Ehrmann photos

to tread,” Father O’Connor said. Recalling the details of the Sept. 11 attacks 20 years prior, and the sacrifices many officers made as they tried to save the innocent, he continued, “You are in a very real sense the Archangel Michaels of today. Your calling, especially in the defense of human life, is a sacred calling… We are faithful servants of God whenever we do well the duties that correspond to our state in life.” Asserting that “this is no time to retreat from our support of our police officers,” Father O’Connor concluded, “We are all called to live an authentic Christian life, and faith must accompany us in every decision we make. Not all angels have wings: sometimes if you observe very carefully, you may find them dressed in blue.” At the conclusion of the Mass, the bagpipers and drum corps strode down the center and side aisles of the cathedral, then stood at attention as a representative from the Edison Police Department read the Police Officers’ Prayer, which be-

seeches St. Michael for “protection from all mental, physical and spiritual harm.” The names of those officers who had died in the line of duty since the inception of the diocesan Blue Mass were read aloud, a bell tolling after each name. Bishop Checchio greeted family members of the four most recently deceased and presented them with a statue of St. Michael the Archangel vanquishing the devil. A single bagpiper squeezed out the strains of “Amazing Grace” in the hushed church, the remaining members of the Middlesex County Police and Fire Pipe and Drum Corps joining him on the second verse in a window-rattling profession of faith. SWAT team members fired a 21-gun salute outside on the patio, and a bugler played the mournful “Taps” in honor of the fallen. As Bishop Checchio reviewed the officers on Main Street, a State Police

helicopter buzzed the crowd as police and others reflected upon their presence. Standing beneath the 16’ x 32’ American flag suspended from Ladder Truck No. 2, Edison Firefighter/EMT Howard Tarlow expressed his gratitude for the Mass. “Volunteering in the community is part of my life,” Tarlow, who practices Judaism, noted. “I see religion daily in this job. In dangerous situations, God comes to mind.” “Every year, it’s good to honor the fallen,” said Sgt. William Merkler of the South Brunswick Police Force. “It is special to the families.” State Police Lt. Ted Schafer encouraged the Cathedral schoolchildren to pet his horse, Justice, and the giggling students obliged. The officer opined the Mass “gives law enforcement and the community the opportunity to get together peacefully and reflect on those we lost over the years.”

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT OCTOBER 21, 21, 2021

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Entrance Test

November 6 and November 14, 2021 The Mount offers its own entrance exam which is used to determine merit-based scholarships, as well as to evaluate a student’s ability to satisfy academic criteria. We will be offering a Q&A for parents and a light continental breakfast during the first two hours of the November 6 test date only.

Academy senior receives honor WATCHUNG — Diana Neste, a senior at Mount Saint Mary Academy in Watchung, recently earned the President’s Gold Volunteer Service Award (PVSA). “Earning the President’s Gold Volunteer Service Award was an amazing recognition of my dedication and commitment throughout the past months,” said Neste, a resident of Whitehouse Station. “I volunteered at Whitehouse Preparatory School for over 135 hours from May to August, which enabled me to gain valuable knowledge and experience while improving the lives of others. “It was very meaningful to be able to volunteer in the same place where I attended kindergarten,” she continued. “I went there for three hours most weekdays, helping with all aspects of the camp program. I prepared lesson materials, made bulletin board displays, and played with the children. I also created and implemented several computer science themed activities to introduce general coding concepts at a young age. It was great to see them enjoying the activities as if they were games, while simultaneously having to think and decipher the proper solutions.” In a letter from President Joseph Biden, which Diana’s award, it stated, “By sharing your time and passion, you are helping discover and deliver solutions to the challenges we face — solutions that we need now more than ever. We are living in a moment that calls for hope and light and love. Hope for our futures, light to see our way forward, and love for one another. Through your service, you are providing all three.”

Diana Neste

— photo courtesy of Diana Neste

According to the website, https:// www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/, the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation founded the PVSA in 2003 “to recognize the important role of volunteers in America’s strength and national identity. This award honors individuals whose service positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them to take action, too.” The PVSA has continued under each presidential administration, “honoring the volunteers who are using their time and talents to solve some of the toughest challenges facing our nation.” The program is led by the AmeriCorps and managed in partnership with Points of Light.

OCTOBER 21, 2021

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

More Opportunities to Meet the Mount... Mount Saint Mary Academy is offering ZOOM sessions and Touring Tuesday appointments as additional opportunities to meet the Mount. Eighth graders are invited to join us for a Mercy Girl experience.

Register the Entrance Test at www.mountsaintmary.org under Admissions. To schedule a ZOOM session, Touring Tuesday, or Mercy Girl visit, please email enrollment@mountsaintmary.org or call the Office of Enrollment Management at (908) 757-0108, ext. 4506

Mount Saint Mary Academy 1645 US-22 W, Watchung, NJ www.mountsaintmary.org

Faith in Action

From Left, Emily Benewiat, Caitlin Cotter, Natalie Leonardis and Arianna Salerno, seniors at Mount Saint Mary Academy, Watchung, participated in a Summer Scholars Program volunteer program at JusticeworX in Dunlow, W.Va. The program was organized by the Office of Campus Ministry and the School & College Counseling Department to develop a student’s sense of purpose in the work that she does in the community, college study or unpaid internship. At JusticeworX, high school students spend a week exploring the Gospel call to build a more just world and volunteering in activities for the needy such as building, cleaning, painting, gardening, and sorting and distributing food. — photos courtesy of Mount Saint Mary Academy

All Are Welcome

Please call to schedule a personal tour of our campus 908-725-6516 or visit our website www.icsschool.org

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT OCTOBER 21, 21, 2021

open house

16 EDUCATION THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT OCTOBER 21, 2021

High school’s traditional learning center undergoes sweeping changes The library at St. Thomas Aquinas High School (STA), Edison, will be soon entering a new era as a six-month ﬂoor-toceiling renovation draws to a close. In its more than 50 years as the academic hub of STA, the library has taken many forms that have reﬂected the latest in student needs and instructional developments. The current renovation is the most sweeping that the library has undergone, with the aim of transforming the space into a warm, inviting 21st century learning center that is less transactional and more relational. The needs of students and teachers both during and beyond the school day have evolved dramatically since the library’s latest renovation just 10 years ago, which focused on creating a blended space with easy access to both physical and digital resources for students to use in either an individual or a group setting. The number of book loans has decreased dramatically over the years while the use of the library space has steadily increased. Today, students frequenting the library are more focused on learning activities and are interested in learning interaction with the possibility to share their knowledge and collaborate on assignments. At the same time, St. Thomas Aquinas has undergone dramatic changes as it continues to evolve with the changing educational landscape.

“It has been invigorating to witness open spaces, and comfortable seating so many positive changes to the academ- will encourage energized and engagic foundations of STA,” said Principal ing interactions between students and Harry Ziegler. “Teachers have worked teachers. Chairs, couches, and tables untiringly to incorporate the latest in- will be moveable to allow for students structional methods and and teachers to maximize technologies as we continue “It’s truly exciting the potential of the library to provide an exceptional based on their instructional to see the library need. High-tech displays, education for all students.” For example, the 1-forand traditional transition from projectors, All Chromebook program in whiteboards will encourage which all students receive a quiet place for the sharing of ideas. And a Chromebook at no addifor those times when stutional fee; the Project-Based students to study dents need to work on their Learning initiative that puts individually to a own, a quiet study area in collaborative and studentthe back of the library will vibrant hub for provide an area to work on centered learning at the heart of the curriculum; and the access digital collaborative and assignments, STEM [science, technolresources, and print mateogy, engineering and math] digital learning.” rials wirelessly. Adding to program that challenges the warmth and color of the —Sharon Taub student to join forces, come space will be a permanent up with new ideas, and solve student-designed mural as problems in original ways. well as additional, dedicated wall space The library renovation is meant to for displaying student-produced artwork. reﬂect and promote these fundamental “It’s truly exciting to see the library changes to the educational environment transition from a quiet place for students at STA and how the library is being used to study individually to a vibrant hub for in practice. collaborative and digital learning,” said Beyond a traditional central loca- librarian Sharon Taub, who has been intion for physical and digital resources, strumental in the many changes that the lithe library will be the hub for increased brary has undergone over the past decade. student achievement, collaboration, With the sweeping changes to the and engagement. An infusion of color, library’s atmosphere, amenities, and

Sharon Taub, librarian at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Edison, and Harry Ziegler, principal, survey the progress of renovations to the library. — Mike Kowalczyk photo

layout, STA hopes to create another academic hub like the STEM Learning Lab where students enjoy going, either during school as part of a class or after school with friends to engage and collaborate on assignments. — Mike Kowalczyk

Above, Bishop James F. Checchio poses with (from left) John Nolan, president, Saint Joseph High School; sophomore Giovanni Oliveti; Anne Rivera, principal; Sacred Heart Brother Gary Humes and Sacred Heart Brother Richard Leven. Bishop Checchio presided at a Mass to help mark the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, which founded the all-boys, college preparatory institution. Above right, Bishop Checchio meets some of the students. Right, Bishop Checchio listens as Brother Gary addresses the congregation. — Marlo Williamson photos

OCTOBER 21, 21, 2021

great deal to the atmosphere of the school.” For many of the new students, Brother Gary and Brother Richard are among the first contacts they have with the school. Brother Gary teaches freshman theology and Brother Rich serves as a freshman advisor. Brother Rich has been at Saint Joseph for 50 years and has filled many roles over that period, from coaching track to teaching and serving as an advisor to students. Although both Brothers have specific responsibilities at Saint Joseph, Nolan said that they seem to be present throughout the campus. Jos Parayil, a 2021 graduate of the school, remembers seeing Brother Rich on his golf cart. “Brother Rich seemed to be everywhere on campus,” Parayil said. He added that the presence of the Brothers has a major impact on the spiritual nature of the school and one that sets it apart. Bishop Checchio recounted a meeting he had with Pope Francis in which he was asked the about the youth of Metuchen. The Holy Father asked the Bishop to tell the young people, “Do not be afraid to give yourselves to Jesus.” A message that is fully in keeping with the spirituality discernable at Saint Joseph, thanks to the example of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart and their mission. Deacon Cline exercises his ministry at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish, Bridgewater

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

METUCHEN — When anyone calls Saint Joseph High School, the initial greeting includes the message that it was “Founded by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart.” That message helps to deﬁne the fabric of the institution, which is one of 12 high schools in the United States guided by the spiritualty and charism of that community of consecrated religious brothers. On campus, the number of faculty and staff who wear name tags showing the year of their own graduation from Saint Joseph is another indication of the spirit that pervades the school, a spirit that is directly connected to the Brothers’ educational philosophy which shapes all of their institutions. That unity of spiritual and educational focus is not an accident according to Anne Rivera, the principal of Saint Joseph. The Order has established the Coindre Leadership Program directed towards, “Forming Mentors in the Educational Charism of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart.” “This is an intensive four-year program for anyone who is preparing for a leadership position at any of the Brothers’ educational institutions,” Rivera said. The program consists of classes, seminars, independent reading as well as two pilgrimages, one to Lyon where the Order was founded and to the Vatican. During the process, each participant is also assigned a mentor, who remains in that role even once the program is completed. This world-wide religious community of approximately 1,100 members was founded in France by Father Andre Coindre with the goal of helping to care for and evangelize young people. This year, the Brothers are celebrating the bicentennial of their founding. To recognize the occasion locally, Bishop James F. Checchio presided at a Mass at the high school for the entire student body as well as faculty and staff Sept. 30. In his homily, Bishop Checchio paid tribute to all of the brothers who have fulﬁlled their founder’s vision with the ministry they have accepted. He drew a comparison between the Gospel in which Jesus prays that the master of the harvest will send laborers for the harvest and the thousands of, “Brothers of the Sacred Heart who learned the correct response to that prayer of Jesus.” The Bishop also mentioned that although Saint Joseph High School was opened in 1961, the location had served as a House of Formation for the Order from 1902 until 1961. John Nolan, president of Saint Joe’s, believes that while only two members of the order serve there — Brother Gary Humes and Brother Richard Levens — “their presence in the community adds a

EDUCATION

By Deacon Patrick Cline

Bicentennial of founding of lay religious congregation honored at Mass

18 EDUCATION

Encouraging Students to Strive for Spiritual Growth, Academic Excellence and Moral Integrity

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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19 MISSION SUNDAY

As bearers of the light . . . share the fruits of your labor cal Mission Societies) has provided misLooking into the eyes of missionaries the opportunity this past sum- sionaries, whether Priests or Sisters or mer to visit all 90 parishes members of the Laity, I in our diocese and to make constantly reminded Why give? Why help? am a Mission Appeal through of the holy desire I had our summer Missionary Why bother? Because as a teenager to become a Cooperative Plan. In adas members of the priest so I could, among dition, we have provided others things, help those Body of Christ, “we in desperate need. Isn’t it funding to help desperate people in many places like true that God answers our cannot but speak Haiti, India, West Africa, prayers in His own way (and act) about the Philippines, Vietnam and at His own time! what we have and Central/South AmerMore than this, I am ica. I am always humbled grateful to YOU who make seen and heard” by the letters of gratitude I these blessings possible for —(Acts 4:20) receive, sometimes with a the missionaries and those simple gift like a handmade they serve in missionrosary or a photo with small children ary lands. Many of you send monthly dancing in the street wearing new shoes donations to help the missions. Others or clothing that they were given through have provided their names so we can the generosity of our people in the Dio- solicit funds throughout the year. Still, cese of Metuchen. others wait to donate on World Mission

Sunday. Whatever your desire, I appeal to you for ﬁnancial assistance on behalf of those who have little or nothing. Your kind gifts, coupled with your prayers, can change the lives of children or women or men who depend on our benevolence. Why give? Why help? Why bother? Because as members of the Body of Christ, “we cannot but speak (and act) about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). In other words, we are compelled, as bearers of the light of Christ, to speak and to act in His name. In Christ,

Reverend John G. Hillier Director, Pontiﬁcal Mission Societies Diocese of Metuchen

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT OCTOBER 21, 2021

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, The Scriptural theme for World Mission Sunday 2021 is: “We cannot but speak about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). Pope Francis explains this as “a summons to each of us to ‘own’ and to bring to others what we bear in our hearts.” As followers of Christ, we always bear in our hearts: “Christ, the light of the world!” (cf. John 8:12). As bearers of that light we have been working hard to share the fruit of our blessings with people worldwide. This past year has been particularly difficult for missionaries and for those to whom they minister. The ongoing reality of the present covid-endemic has changed the lives of many, but to a greater extent, it has burdened those already in desperate need. To this end, our Diocesan Office for the Propagation of the Faith (Pontifi-

20 MISSION SUNDAY

Annual Report — Your Gifts to the Pontifical Missio Summary of Gifts from Donors

Society for the Propagation of the Faith Missionary Childhood Association The Society of St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Near East Welfare Association

Diocesan Mission Commitments

Mass Stipends Foreign Missions (Visiting Missionaries) Diocesan Sharing (Local Missionaries Working Abroad) Missionary Cooperation Plan (MCP) Liturgical Items (Sacred Vessels and Vestry)

Propagation of the Faith

Parishes

OCTOBER 21, 2021 THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Town Alpha Annandale Avenel Baptistown Basking Ridge Belvidere Belvidere Bernardsville Blairstown Bloomsbury Bound Brook Bound Brook Bridgewater Bridgewater Califon Carteret Carteret Colonia Dunellen East Brunswick Edison Edison Flemington Fords Great Meadows Hackettstown Hampton Helmetta High Bridge Highland Pk/Edison Hillsborough Hillsborough Hopelawn Iselin Jamesburg Kendall Park Lambertville Laurence Harbor Manville Martinsville Matawan Metuchen Middlesex Milford Milltown Monmouth Jct. Monroe Twp. New Brunswick New Brunswick New Brunswick

Parish St. Mary Immaculate Conception St. Andrew Our Lady of Victories St. James St. Patrick St. Rose of Lima, Oxford Our Lady of Perpetual Help St. Jude Annunciation St. Joseph St. Mary of Czestochowa Holy Trinity St. Bernard of Clairvaux St. John Neumann Divine Mercy St. Joseph St. John Vianney St. John the Evangelist St. Bartholomew St. Helena St. Matthew the Apostle St. Magdalen de Pazzi Our Lady of Peace Ss. Peter & Paul Assumption of Mary St. Ann Holy Trinity St. Joseph Transfiguration of the Lord Mary, Mother of God St. Joseph Good Shepherd St. Cecelia St. James the Less St. Augustine of Canterbury St. John the Evangelist St. Lawrence Christ the Redeemer Blessed Sacrament Most Holy Redeemer Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi Our Lady of Mount Virgin St. Edward the Confessor Our Lady of Lourdes St. Cecilia Nativity of Our Lord Holy Family Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish of the Visitation

Mission Sunday $ 1,140 1,766 1,314 710 3,750 716 299 2,257 797 375 1,560 841 747 3,110 1,143 551 2,001 1,390 869 1,795 895 1,308 2.475 1,164 794 839 657 367 1,012 1,417 1,503 1,277 1,313 2,018 1,274 5,632 860 525 945 2,367 1,523 7,164 2,181 363 645 892 979 518 1,880 1,236

Donations

Your prayers and sacrificial gifts Sunday will support Priests, Con Brothers and Lay Pastoral Leade the Gospel, serve the poor and s Christians throughout t

$ 172,793 52,306 10,921 12,774 14,325 33,646 15,000 261,447 0 Missionary Childhood Assn.

M.C.P.*

Masses

2021

School

St. Peter the Apostle

Religious Education

2021

Town

(2020-2021 school year) $

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 150 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 330 0 290 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1, 797 5,232 2,250 2,477 9.090 1,761 585 3,535 3,571 851 2,675 2,561 1,790 2,607 4,239 561 1,349 1,046 2,082 1,245 834 3,336 5,576 500 2,002 4,426 1,411 1,129 996 2,891 3,380 3,346 2,215 2,870 2,114 13,398 3,440 1,180 1,615 5,268 3,543 10,354 1,055 2,016 2,659 0 3,560 1,830 5,720 1,763

0 0 0 0 1,912 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 300 2,174 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2,500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 800 0 103 0 0 0 0 0 0 450 0 91 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 450 0 0 0 0 0 0 2,101 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Propagation of the Faith

Parishes

Parish

New Brunswick North Brunswick North Plainfield North Plainfield Old Bridge Old Bridge Parlin Peapack / Far Hills Perth Amboy Perth Amboy Perth Amboy Phillipsburg Piscataway Piscataway Pittstown Plainsboro Port Murray Port Reading Raritan Raritan Sayreville Sayreville Skillman So. Bound Brook Somerset Somerville South Amboy South Amboy South Plainfield South Plainfield South River South River South River Spotswood Three Bridges Warren Washington Watchung Whitehouse Station Woodbridge

St. Peter the Apostle Our Lady of Peace St. Joseph The Church of St. Luke St. Ambrose St. Thomas the Apostle St. Bernadette St. Elizabeth - St. Brigid Most Holy Name of Jesus Our Lady of Fatima St. John Paul II St. Philip & St. James Our Lady of Fatima St. Frances Cabrini St. Catherine of Siena Queenship of Mary St. Theodore St. Anthony of Padua St. Ann St. Joseph Our Lady of Victories St. Stanislaus Kostka St. Charles Borromeo Our Lady of Mercy St. Matthias Immaculate Conception Sacred Heart St. Mary Church of the Sacred Heart Our Lady of Czestochowa Corpus Christi St. Mary of Ostrabrama St. Stephen Protomartyr Immaculate Conception St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Our Lady of the Mount St. Joseph St. Mary-Stony Hill Our Lady of Lourdes St. James

Perth Amboy Edison Metuchen Somerville Watchung Flemington Somerset

Perth Amboy Catholic School St. Thomas Aquinas High School Saint Joseph High School Immaculata High School Mount Saint Mary Academy Carmelite Monastery Maria Regina Residence Other Donations

Mission Sunday 1,116 1,110 1, 310 979 2,010 1,216 1,024 4,124 1,842 1,430 2,052 1,246 6,402 684 1,014 1,554 55 1,004 907 264 1,185 699 1,432 490 2,098 2,968 2,156 1,160 1,437 1,165 1,360 1,105 205 1,083 3,684 4,965 339 2,269 2,795 2,436

Donations $

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Masses $

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2,080 0 0 0 60 0 0 0 255 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

SCHOOLS / INSTITUTES / OTH 0 0 0 0 0 500 0 1,910

0 500 0 340 0 0 0 3,295

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5,280

s on World Mission nsecrated Sisters & ers who proclaim support persecuted the world.

Missionary Childhood Assn.

M.C.P.*

2021 $

Religious Education

School

Lay missionary Joanne Garcia from the Diocese of Metuchen invites young college students to her missionary cottage in Camiguin Island, Philippines. In addition to offering catechetical instruction to the youth, Joanne facilitates financial assistance for young men and women through the generosity of people from our diocese. Young people come to the cottage for meals, fellowship, bible study, prayer, and counsel.

2021

(2020-2021 school year) $

0 0 0 0 0 2,340 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,865 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 600

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,386 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 331 0 0 0 64 0 200 0 0 0 0 211 0 1,690 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

— Photo courtesy of Joanne Garcia

Maasai girls at the Emusoi Center for Secondary Education in Arusha, Tanzania. Founded by the Maryknoll Sisters, Sister Mary Vertucci and others help these girls receive an education as a way to fight desperate poverty. These girls gain skills to become independent and self-reliant instead of being married off or sold at the age of 13. Here, the students are saying “Asante Sana” (thank you) to those who made a difference in their lives. -Photo courtesy of Sr. Mary Vertucci

This year the theme for World Mission Sunday 2021 is: “We cannot

but speak about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20) “No podemos dejar de hablar de lo que hemos visto y oído” (Hechos 4:20) – reminding us that, as Christians, we cannot keep the Lord to ourselves, as we recall with gratitude all those men and women who by their testimony of life help us to renew our baptismal commitment to be generous and joyful apostles of the Gospel. He invites us to speak of our faith – through prayer, participation in the Eucharist, and giving generously to the collection for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith on that special day.

HER 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 150 0 0

This World Mission Sunday supplemental page was donated in memory of Maria Angela Vales . . .

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT OCTOBER 21, 2021

2,471 3,923 3,136 1,332 8,163 4,202 1,872 6,338 5,112 4,621 0 4,871 6,793 3,332 2,788 3,360 1,491 833 3,926 2,562 1,500 0 840 681 1,568 18,003 5,324 2,064 2,559 2,342 2,290 961 950 1,226 8,369 2,454 2,493 7,128 7,666 5,222

St. Peter the Apostle

MISSION SUNDAY

— Photo courtesy of Bishop P. Thomas Paulsamy, Diocese of Dindigul

on Societies

Father Abel from the Diocese of Dindigul - India, with 1 of 5 motorbikes donated by our Office of Missions for newly ordained priests to access remote areas of the diocese to provide the Sacraments to the faithful.

22 MISSION SUNDAY

METUCHEN’S OWN MISSIONARIES DOING WORK ABROAD

OUR WORLD ON MISSION

Deacon Enock Berluche Source de Vie, Beraud, Haiti

Mr. William Mosca Franciscans In Action, Beraud, Haiti

Mrs. Joanie Lynn

St. Peters Missionary Health Project Diocese of Santa Rosa, Guatemala

Sister Mary Vertucci, MM Maryknoll Sisters, Anrusha, Tanzania

Ms. Joanne Garcia

Family Missions Company, Camiguin Island, Philippines

Father Daniel Healy and Ms. R. Carol Vaccariello (+ Ms. Barbara Brennan +) Anawim Community, Metro Manila, Philippines

MISSION OFFICE FAMILY

St. Peter’s University Hospital provides medical missions to the Diocese of Santa Rosa in Guatemala. Medical teams consisting of 4 or 5 members, including physicians and nurses who specialize in pediatrics and OB/GYN, volunteer their services each year. St. Peter’s also has a roving healthcare team of doctors and nurses stationed yearround in Chiquimulila, Guatemala.

Reverend John G. Hillier, Ph.D Director Mila Dionisio Associate Director Debbie Pecora Part Time Administrative Assistant Volunteers Patricia Murphy, Shannon White, Ram & Clair Bautista, Sue Ellen Bibby, Barbara Peterson For more information about Catholic Missionaries, or to help the Mission Church, phone or write: Pontifical Mission Societies, P.O. Box 191, Metuchen, N.J. 08840 (732) 243-4580 • pontifical.mission.societies@diometuchen.org

OCTOBER 21, 2021 THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

ATTENTION ALL YOUTH All youth from the Diocese of Metuchen [Religious Education Programs and Catholic Schools] are invited to our Mission Sunday Family Celebration.

Please come and represent your parish or school. The Award Ceremony will take place following the Noon Mission Sunday Mass.

The Anawim Community from our diocese lost one of its founding members last July— a devout lay missionary, Miss Barbara Brennan. Barbara is shown here with Father Daniel Healy, some of the local children, and Mila, who visited the Anawim Community in Metro Manila, Philippines in 2018.

—Photo courtesy of St. Peter’s Missionary Health Project Team

SAVE THE DATE: OCTOBER 24 - WORLD MISSION SUNDAY Our annual World Mission Sunday Family Celebration will be held on October 24, 2021 at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen. We begin at 11 a.m. with a presentation by Sister Monique Eloizard (Sisters of Christian Charity) in the CYO Hall. Our youth will then lead a procession while reciting the Holy Rosary to the front of the Cathedral. They will be greeted by Bishop Checchio. Our Mission Sunday Mass

will begin at Noon with Bishop Checchio as our Main Celebrant, our Mission Director Father Hillier, serving as Homilist, and other priest celebrants. Awards will be presented by Bishop Checchio to our Catholic School and Religious Education Program representatives at the conclusion of the Mass. For more information or questions please call (732) 243-4580 or email: pontiﬁcal.mission. societies@diometuchen.org.

— The Catholic Spirit file photo

became the director of a home for underprivileged children in Lyndhurst, Johannesburg, and local superior of the community from 1964 to 1972. Sister M. Febronia was appointed mother provincial of the Holy Trinity Province in the USA with the Provincial House, then at St. Joseph’s Convent in Woodbridge, from 1972 to 1984. She then returned to serve in South Africa, and was reappointed superior provincial in the USA, serving in that role from 1987 to 1996. She also served as bursar provincial in the new Provincial House in Cherry Hill until 1999. Sister rejoiced at the opportunity to attend the beatification of Edmund Bojanowski, founder of the congregation, by then-Pope, now St. John Paul II in Warsaw in 1999. She served as community bursar and home nurse until retiring in prayer ministry in 2002, and returned to Woodbridge in January 2021. During her terms of office as Mother M. Febronia, the congregation planned, raised funds and realized the construction of St. Joseph’s Senior Residence (dedicated in 1981) — now Assisted Living — followed by the construction of the adjacent St. Joseph’s Nursing Home (dedicated in 1992); later the construction of the Blessed Edmund Early Childhood Education

OUR DIOCESE

WOODBRIDGE — Sister M. Febronia Jarosz, a member of the Little Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Conception congregation, celebrated her 100th birthday Sept. 26 at a Mass at the St. Joseph’s Senior Home chapel. Salesians of St. John Bosco Father Pawel Dziatkiewicz, chaplain, presided and gave the homily. Salesians of St. John Bosco Father Jan Bernas concelebrated. Mother M. Dorota Baranowska, superior provincial, the Little Servant Sisters and members of her family were among the worshipers at the Mass. At a dinner, a congratulatory letter of Bishop James F. Checchio and the Proclamation of Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac, previously presented, were read. A native of Poland, Sister M. Febronia entered the Congregation of the Little Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Conception in Stara Wies in 1937. Her first vows were made in 1940 and her final vows in 1945. After studying nursing during World War II, she served as director of Surgical Nursing at Gorlice County Hospital in Poland during the communist regime from 1945 to 1963. Obedience directed Sister M. Febronia to South Africa, where she

Little Servant Sister celebrates major milestone at senior living facility

Sister M. Febronia Jarosz, left, a member of the Little Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, enjoys a gift of three balloons from Bishop James F. Checchio at her 100th birthday celebration assisted by Sister Superior M. Teresa Gradowska at the St. Joseph Senior Home, Woodbridge. Among the diocesan schools to which the Little Servant Sisters were sent by the Congregation during Mother M. Febronia’s office was Our Lady of Lourdes, Milltown, in 1973, which flourished for 40 years. — photo courtesy of Little Servant Sisters of the Immaculatae Conception

Center, Cherry Hill (dedicated in 1996). The congregation further contributed to Catholic education in five diocesan schools in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, and other

works of mercy. Faithful to the consecrated life in the Church with love of God and his people, Sister M. Febronia cheerfully continues in prayer ministry.

Newly-hired physician bolsters hospital’s OB-GYN department laparoscopic surgery, including laparoscopic hysterectomies (removal of the uterus) and the laparoscopic treatment of endometriosis. Traditional open gynecologic surgery has for many years been the standard approach to many gynecologic procedures even though it can result in pain, trauma and a long recovery process. For women facing gynecologic surgery, the experience of post-operative pain, discomfort and extended time away from normal daily activities that usually follows traditional surgery can understandably cause concern. Moore, along with other gynecologic surgeons at Saint Peter’s, specializes in minimally invasive surgery where smaller incisions are made in the patient, resulting in a faster recovery. “We are so fortunate to have Dr. Moore join Saint Peter’s and to provide specialized gynecologic care to our patients,” said Dr. Carlos Benito, chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Saint Peter’s. “Saint Peter’s has long been recognized for its care of women and our patients will greatly benefit from her minimally invasive surgical expertise.” Moore earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience at Lafayette College, Easton, Pa., and her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine at UMDNJ School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford. She completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Saint Barnabas Medical

Center, Livingston, followed by a fellowship in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery at Saint Elizabeth Medical Center, Utica, N.Y. Prior to joining Saint Peter’s, Moore was employed by Envision and served as a hospitalist at Saint Peter’s and had previously served as an attending physician at the Bristol-Meyers Squibb Community Health Center at Penn Medicine Princeton Health. During her residency, she traveled to lloilo, Philippines in 2017 as part of the Marian Rose World Surgical Mission, performing 40 major gynecologic surgeries in four days with a team of five attending and two resident gynecologists. Moore is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and a member of the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists and the Society for Gynecologic Surgery. She is board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Saint Peter’s University Hospital, a member of Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, is a 478-bed acute-care teaching hospital sponsored by the Diocese of Metuchen. Saint Peter’s, which received its sixth consecutive designation as a Magnet® hospital for nursing excellence by the American Nurses Credentialing Center in 2020, is a state-designated children’s hospital and a regional perinatal center, and is a regional specialist in diabetes, gastro-

Dr. Kira Moore

— photo courtesy of Saint Peter’s University Hospital

enterology, head and neck surgery, oncology, orthopedics, and women’s services. The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s University Hospital provides families with access to a full range of pediatric specialties, including a nationally recognized Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, pediatric surgery and orthopedic surgery featuring innovative anterior scoliosis correction. The hospital offers a midwifery service and the brand-new state-of-the-art Mary V. O’Shea Birth Center.

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT OCTOBER 21, 21, 2021

NEW BRUNSWICK — Saint Peter’s University Hospital, a member of Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, recently announced that Dr. Kira Moore, a gynecologist specializing in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, has joined Saint Peter’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB-GYN). As a part of Saint Peter’s OB-GYN Department, Moore will see patients who need minimally invasive gynecologic surgery and provide services on the Labor and Delivery Unit. She is also a part of Saint Peter’s Physician Associates (SPPA), a network of primary and specialty care physicians, and will see patients in her office in Somerset. “I am so happy to be joining the Saint Peter’s family,” Moore said. “Many women come to me seeking additional information about their reproductive health. I am passionate about comprehensive education and empowerment so that patients can make informed decisions about their own care. It is a true honor for me to care for women throughout their life, be it at an annual exam or in the operating room.” Moore provides routine well-woman care, along with the medical and surgical treatment of abnormal uterine bleeding, irregular and painful periods, uterine fibroids (noncancerous growths in the uterus), endometriosis (uterine tissue growing outside the uterus) and ovarian cysts. She also performs hysteroscopic surgery and

24 OUR DIOCESE THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT OCTOBER 21, 2021

Filipino-born priest continues faith journey as head of Plainsboro parish bishop continued. “It is easy for us to trust and see the Lord working in our lives when things are going well, but it is more PLAINSBORO — Among the many difficult to believe when we face sacrichallenges and disruptions caused by the fices, conflict or rejection. Mary faced all COVID-19 or coronavirus pandemic have of those things in her life. She faced them been the celebration of Masses of instal- with faith. One of her titles is Lady of lation for new pastors to lead parishes in Sorrows. An enduring quality of Mary’s discipleship is that she trusted in the Lord, the diocese. The elevation of Father Gerardo even when it meant accepting the difficul“Gerry” Paderon to pastor of Queenship ties that came her way. “My brothers and sisters in Christ, of Mary Parish at a Mass was not immune to scheduling delays. He was appointed your new pastor chose this date to have administrator of the parish by Bishop his Mass of Installation — Queenship of James F. Checchio Aug. 1, 2019, several Mary, the parish feast day —gratefully months before the pandemic hit New Jer- tonight and not tomorrow morning, not sey, and appointed the fourth pastor of the just for coincidence, but rather by choice. It is not just something parish Oct. 14, 2020. nice. Father is a believer “I was just starting who trusts in our mother’s to memorize the names of parishioners,” Father Pad- “He [Father Gerardo protection and guidance for him and for all of us. eron joked in his closing ‘Gerry’ Paderon] is He strives to emulate her comments at his Mass of Installation at Queenship passionate about his example of faith and I know that you all do, too. of Mary Church. Worship“And, so, we pray ers who packed the pews faith, a true believer today for Father Gerry, included members of the in the Eucharist and that he may always lead Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Metuchen, in the love that Christ this beautiful community of Queenship of Mary to and St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Old Bridge, has shown us and he have faith, just like hers. where he served as paro- shows that so much Trust that God is always at work even when we don’t chial vicar before his present assignment, as well as to everybody in the realize it or it doesn’t seem like it. He never forgets members of the diocesan community...” us. Help us to remake our Filipino Apostolate, which —Deacon Rick Fortune world over in the image of he coordinates. the God.” One silver lining to At a reception, Deathe delay for Father Paderon was that it allowed him to request that con Rick Fortune, who served with Father his Mass of installation be celebrated on Paderon at the Cathedral, said: “He is pasSunday Aug. 22, the feast of the Queen- sionate about his faith, a true believer in ship of Mary. The parish is the only one the Eucharist and in the love that Christ in the diocese dedicated to Queenship of has shown us and he shows that so much to everybody in the community — indiMary, patroness of the diocese. “Three months ago,” Father Paderon vidually and as a group. He is somebody said, “I called him [the bishop] and asked to be emulated.” Father Paderon was born one of him to celebrate the Mass on feast day of Queenship of Mary. He had a prior en- seven children in Lucban Quezon, Philippines. He attended Our Lady of Mount gagement. “I asked him, ‘How about the 21st?’ Carmel Seminary, Sariama Quezon, Philippines, then earned a bachelor’s degree in “He said, ‘OK.’ “I would not let him off the hook. philosophy at St. Francis de Sales SemiThat’s the story,” Father Paderon added, nary and a master’s degree in theology at which elicited laughter from the congre- St. Alphonsus School of Theology. He was ordained to the priesthood gation. Father Paderon also expressed thanks Sept. 13, 1994 at St. Ferdinand Cathedral for the gift of his priesthood and the minis- in the Diocese of Lucena, Quezon, Philiptry and the gift of “being allowed to serve pines. In addition to serving at Queenship this beautiful community of Queenship of Mary and, of course, Mary, our mother of Mary, St. Thomas the Apostle and the and our queen for always guiding me in Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi parishes, Father Paderon also served as a parochial life.” In his homily, Bishop Checchio, said: vicar at St. Mary Parish, Alpha. Prior to his assignments in the dio“In the Gospel [Luke 412-42] today, Mary was declared blessed by Elizabeth. Be- cese, he served as parochial vicar at St. cause of her steadfast faith, she chose to Louis Bishop Parish and St. Mary Parish always believe that God was with her and in Illinois. He also served as pastor of parworking out his plan in her. She trusted ishes in the Philippines, as well as chapthat the Lord’s words to her would be lain of Enverga University, moderator of St. Roch Church and spiritual director of fulfilled. “Mary is the model believer,” the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Seminary. By Chris Donahue Associate Editor

Above, Father Gerardo “Gerry” Paderon poses with family and friends after a Mass of installation as pastor of Queenship of Mary Parish at Queenship of Mary Church. Bishop James F. Checchio, who presided at the liturgy and the rite of installation, poses with Father Paderon, who was born one of seven children in Lucban Quezon, Philippines. Father Paderon was ordained to the priesthood Sept. 13, 1994, at St. Ferdinand Cathedral in the Diocese of Lucena, Quezon. Father Paderon also serves as coordinator of the diocesan Filipino Apostolate. — Mike Ehrmann photos

Above, Bishop Checchio leads the applause for Father Paderon after the rite of installation. Father Paderon was appointed the fourth pastor of Queenship of Mary Parish Oct. 14, 2020, but the COVID-19 or coronavirus pandemic delayed his official installation until Aug. 22. Prior to being named administrator of Queenship of Mary Aug. 1, 2019, he served the diocese as a parochial vicar at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Old Bridge; Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen, and St. Mary Parish, Alpha.

Above, Bishop James F. Checchio (right) presides at the Rite of Installation of Msgr. Joseph G. Celano (left) as pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish during Mass at Immaculate Conception Church Sept. 26. Right, Bishop Checchio, who also presided at the Mass and gave the homily, prays during the consecration with Msgr. Celano, a concelebrant. Msgr. Celano, a native of Newark, attended St. Matthias School, Somerset, and the now-closed St. Pius X High School, Piscataway. He also serves as episcopal vicar, diocesan Vicariate for Administration. — Ed Koskey Jr. photos

Above, students from Immaculate Conception School, Somerville, sing at the Mass of installation. Left, Msgr. Celano leads the congregation in praying the “Nicene Creed” at the close of the Rite of Installation. He is the eighth pastor of the 138-year-old parish, which serves about 3,500 registered families. In 2016, during the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis sent out Msgr. Celano among priests worldwide as “Missionaries of Mercy,” who were given special grace to forgive sins only the Apostolic See can lift.

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT OCTOBER 21, 21, 2021

SOMERVILLE — Msgr. Joseph G. Celano arrived more than a year ago at Immaculate Conception Parish to become its pastor. “When I first got here,” Msgr. Celano said to his congregation, “you gave me such a welcome that was warm and accepting, and I will be forever grateful.” Reflecting on that time, he added, that those heartfelt greetings happened during the midst of the COVID-19 or coronavirus pandemic, which curtailed face-to-face exchanges. “With ministries shut down, my interactions were quite limited,” Msgr. Celano said during an interview with “The Catholic Spirit,” noting he only knew his new parishioners “from the bridge of their noses up.” However, on Sept. 26, at a Mass of installation of Msgr. Celano as pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish, that had been postponed because of COVID-19, he scanned the pews of the faithful who came to worship at Immaculate Conception Church and declared, “It’s good to see your faces and to get to know you.” Msgr. Celano is the eighth pastor in the parish’s 138-year history. Bishop James F. Checchio presided at the liturgy and the Rite of Installation and gave the homily. “We pledge our pastor our support and our constant prayer for him and his ministry,” parishioner Judy Hancock said during the Introductory Rite, “and we make the same pledge to you, Bishop Checchio, on this happy occasion.” In his homily, Bishop Checchio asserted Msgr. Celano “is the right person for this parish,” which serves about 3,500 registered families. “There’s no handbook on how to run a parish during the pandemic,” the bishop said, adding he was grateful for Immaculate Conception’s staff, congregation and in particular its pastor for their “extraordinary effort.” “You’ve gotten to know the reasons he’s here,” Bishop Checchio said, citing the new pastor’s prayerfulness, energy, enthusiasm and dedication. “I certainly thank him for taking on the pastoral responsibilities of this parish and schools [Immaculate Conception and Immaculata High].” The Rite of Installation included the presentation of the parish parochial vicars, deacons and staff, its finance committee and pastoral council, and the trustees. Bishop Checchio also addressed Msgr. Celano, saying, “always be a loving father, a gentle shepherd, and a wise teacher of your people, so that you may lead them to Christ who will strengthen all that you do.” After all prayed the “Nicene Creed,” Msgr. Celano faced the bishop and recited an oath of fidelity, part of which says: “With firm faith I also believe everything contained in God’s word, written or handed down in tradition …” After applause from the congregation, Msgr. Celano received well-wishes from

the bishop and other clergy from the altar, including parochial vicars Father Joseph M. Curry and Father Joseph Illes, and Father Timothy A. Christy, diocesan vicar general and moderator of the curia. Hancock and John Tegeler, both longtime parishioners who are the parish’s civil trustees, agreed Msgr. Celano is the right man to shepherd Immaculate Conception. Despite a transition after nearly 20 years under Msgr. Seamus Brennan, both said the new pastor brings new life. And, noting the parish schools need updating, Tegeler said Msgr. Celano’s administrative experiences will be valuable. Before the Mass concluded, Msgr. Celano acknowledged Msgr. Brennan, who has retired and is in residence at St. Matthias Parish, Somerset. “This parish owes him a great deal of gratitude,” Msgr. Celano said, “and so I commend to you that we’ll never forget him, and that you will constantly hold him in your prayers.” Msgr. Celano, 61, also serves the diocese as episcopal vicar, Vicariate for Administration, a role that covers everything from overseeing its cemeteries to stewardship and development. In 2016, during the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis sent out Msgr. Celano among priests worldwide as “Missionaries of Mercy,” who were given special grace to forgive sins only the Apostolic See can lift. And, callers to the diocese’s main telephone number will hear the rich, recorded voice of Msgr. Celano’s gracing the line. He also once hosted a diocesan religious radio program, “Proclaim the Good News.” “Some people say I’m the voice of God. I get a lot of kidding about that,” the affable priest said. But for all his other roles, Msgr. Celano said he has always felt at home as a diocesan priest in a parish community. “I see the parish where the rubber of the Gospel meets the road,” he said during the earlier interview. “And you are with people in the happiest and most difficult and tragic moments of their lives. “There’s something about accompanying people with the Gospel and helping them to live authentic Christian discipleship that really is at the heart of any priest’s mission,” he said. “And to do that in a stable community is just something that’s always been in me.” Msgr. Celano was born in Newark to the late Mary L. Kennedy and Marino J. Celano. He attended St. Matthias School, Somerset, and the now-closed St. Pius X High School, Piscataway. He earned an associate’s degree in social-behavioral science at Somerset County College, Somerset; a Bachelor of Arts degree in human resources at the University of Scranton (Pa.); and a Master of Divinity degree and a Master of Arts in Biblical studies at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg, Md. He was ordained to the priesthood May 30, 1987, at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen.

OUR DIOCESE

By Anthony Salamone Correspondent

Pastor enjoys helping faithful ‘live authentic Christian discipleship’

26 OUR DIOCESE

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OCTOBER 21, 2021

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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40 T H

Anniversary Est. 1981

Diocese of Metuchen

Forty Years of Building the Kingdom in Central New Jersey More information on our celebration can be found at: www.diometuchen.org/40

OUR DIOCESE

By Deacon Patrick Cline Correspondent

Above are some of the more than 30 couples who attended the diocese’s first Mass for Engaged Couples at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen, Sept. 26. The Mass was the culmination of their PreCana preparation program last year, which, because of the COVID-19 or coronavirus pandemic, was held virtually. Right, an engaged couple leads the recessional after the Mass. Following the liturgy, a reception was held for the couples during which they received their certificates of Completion of the Pre-Cana program.

Above, Father Timothy A. Christy, rector of the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi and diocesan Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia, who presided at the Mass of Engaged Couples, distributes holy Communion to an attendee. Left, at the beginning of the Mass, Father Christy told the congregation, “the only true destination for a Catholic wedding is in church.” — Mike Ehrmann photos

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT OCTOBER 21, 21, 2021

program currently is a combination of Pre-Cana and “God’s Plan for a Joy filed Marriage” in a four-hour virtual METUCHEN — The statistics on mar- presentation. Before their session the riage nationwide are still on a down- couples view selected videos from ward trend based on the latest numbers the “Beloved” series by the Augustine available. Unfortunately, this is even Institute. She said that this combined true for Catholic marriages. Although format covered communication in marthe impact of the COVID-19 restric- riage as well the financial, psychologitions are probably at least partially cal and sexuality aspects of a Catholic responsible for any decrease the past marriage. In his homily, Father Christy year or so, some secular pundits have looked at the numbers and declared that thanked the couples attending the Mass marriage is an outdated institution, for saying, “You are showing us what it means to prepare to live a vocation, a many reasons. More than 30 engaged couples, vocation to the married life. You not only said yes to each however, gathered at other but to the Church the Cathedral of St and the world.” He Francis of Assisi Sept. “You are called them an exam12 to demonstrate ple to everyone. their belief that the showing us One of the cousacrament of matriwhat it means ples, Isabelle LaRoche mony is still valued from Immaculate and sought after. The to prepare to Conception Parish, couples were taking live a vocation, Somerville, and Kevin part in the culminaLauducci, from the tion of their Pre-Cana a vocation to the Catholic Center at preparation program offered by the diocese. married life. You not Rutgers University, New Brunswick, comPreviously, this program was presented only said ‘yes’ to each pleted their program a few months ago, in person, but with the other but to the but were anxious to limitations in effect Church and worship at the Mass last year caused by the with the other couples COVID-19 or coronathe world.” that had participated virus pandemic, it was throughout the year. modified to a virtual —Father Timothy A. Christy LaRoche and Lauducprogram for 2021. ci come from devout Many of the couCatholic families and ples at the Mass had just completed their marriage prepara- believe being married in the Church tion program the day before. They were is the only way to begin a faith-based joined by others from previous sessions marriage. They would have preferred if the to celebrate in the most appropriate way by participating in the Holy Sacri- program had been offered in person, but recognized the limitations that fice of the Mass. Father Timothy A. Christy, rector were necessary. Both gained a great of the cathedral and diocesan Vicar deal from the program and felt that the General and Moderator of the Curia, diocese, “did a good job by limiting the welcomed the participants to the cele- size of the classes which still allowed bration and congratulated them on their us to have a good relationship with the other couple in our session.” One major upcoming marriages. In comments at the beginning of benefit of the virtual format for them Mass, Father Christy mentioned that was the flexibility it offered so that it one of the main reasons suggested for could be scheduled around their busy the decline in church weddings was the lives. A reception for the participants current focus on so-called destination weddings. “Well,” he told the congre- followed in the breezeway next to the gation, “the only true destination for a Cathedral. It gave them an opportunity to meet with other couples and receive Catholic wedding is in church.” Cristina D’Averso-Collins, direc- their certificates of Completion of the tor, diocesan Office of Family Life, Pre-Cana program. One more Virtual Marriage Prepanoted that this was the first time the diocese had hosted a Mass to mark the ration session is scheduled for Nov. 13. The next Mass for Engaged Couend of the Pre-Cana sessions. She said that she was very pleased by the turn- ples is scheduled to be celebrated at the out at the Mass and the enthusiasm evi- Cathedral on Feb. 13, 2022. Deacon Cline exercises his minisdenced by the couples that participated. D’Averso-Collins explained that try at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish, the diocesan marriage preparation Bridgewater

Engaged couples in diocese end Pre-Cana program at Mass

28 OUR DIOCESE

Members of Ss. Peter and Paul Parish, Great Meadows; St. Magdalen de Pazzi Parish, Flemington; Immaculate Conception Parish, Somerville; and students from Immaculata High Schol, Somerville, are shown peacefully protesting abortion in their respective towns Oct. 3. The first Life Chain, born through prayer, was built in 1987 by Please Let Me Live, a small pro-life ministry based in Yuba City, Calif., according to the Life Chain website. Since then, Life Chains have formed across the United States and the world on the first Sunday of October to make a public, prayerful, peaceful witness against legalized abortion. Life Chains are built upon the promise that God gave to His people in 2 Chronicles 7, according to the website. God said to Solomon in verses 14-15, “[if ] my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. My eyes will now be open and my ears attentive to prayer from this place.”

OCTOBER 21, 2021

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

— Frank Wojciechowski, Gail Mcmahon, James Vargas and Immaculata High School photos

In what ways did the pandemic affect the day-to-day operations of the Office of Cemeteries?

The ofﬁce of Catholic Cemeteries personnel was the backend of the frontline workers. They were the unsung heroes who consoled family members who lost a loved one to COVID-19. The cemeteries never closed, we had to continue our operations and ministry under the worst of circumstances. Funerals took place where no family members were allowed to attend due to the potential spread of the COVID-19 virus. The gates were closed to the cemetery to keep employees safe and socially distanced while doing their job of scheduling and

In addition, we had employees that did get ill from Covid and were out sick for some time. Thankfully, all recovered. The demand to use our crematory came from far and wide, Pennsylvania and New York City. We did the best we could to accommodate the new demands. It was a time that will never be forgotten, so much loss and pain for our Catholic community. We are a staff that works together and goes the extra mile to accommodate and aide our families during their time of grief.

BEREAVEMENT

When the COVID-19 or coronavirus pandemic began to severely affect the Diocese of Metuchen in 2020, the Office of Cemeteries was faced with a unique challenge, including having some of its own employees become ill from it. Mary Ellen Gerrity, director of the office, recently answered some questions ranging from how the office managed to stay open and what type of services it offers to families who have lost a loved one. The office operates Resurrection Burial Park & Mausoleum, Piscataway; and Holy Cross Burial Park & Mausoleum, Jamesburg (seen in photo at right).

Cemeteries’ staff persevered to provide burial, crematory services

How much have day-to-day operations returned to pre-pandemic levels? The Crematory a Holy Cross Burial Park, Jamesburg.

— photo courtesy of Office of Cemeteries

conducting burials six days a week. Our sales counselors worked tirelessly and often had to meet with their families in person to select their burial property. There was no down time. In my 20 plus years, I had never witnessed so many burials and cremations taking place. Prior to March 16, 2020, we had no concept of PPE (personal protection equipment such as masks and gloves). In the beginning, we struggled with acquiring PPE. Often, I had to drive to state pick up stations to supply our staff. At the diocesan cemeteries, we have

a philosophy of “family ﬁrst.” Never did we think we would be telling families that they were not permitted nor allowed to enter, but the circumstances at the time warranted a lockdown environment that we struggled with on a daily basis. Our crematory at Holy Cross had to open for double shifts extending our operating hours until 11 p.m. at night. We did all of this with the same amount of staff that we operated with prior to pandemic. Often, our workers would be exposed to the virus and need to quarantine, which limited our working staff further.

Today, we are back to a typical funeral and cremation schedule but still see loss due to COVID-19. It is difﬁcult to acquire new hires and often our vendors are short supplied with increased cost of goods.

How sensitive is the staff of the Office of Cemeteries to the needs and emotional states of their clients, whether it is a sales representative or someone who prepares a grave or niche or works at the crematorium?

Our personnel includes the Cemetery main ofﬁce administration, the memorial counselors, the maintenance/ﬁeld staff, Continued on next page

Why Choose a Catholic Cemetery? A Catholic cemetery is a holy and sacred place. It is a place of prayer and hope that is both a consolation to the bereaved and an inspiration to the living … a place where those who have worshipped and prayed together in life now await the resurrection. A gift of Love

Protect your family from making difficult and emotional decisions without you. Proclaim your acceptance of God’s love and your compassion for your family by making your decisions today and together.

Practice Responsible Stewardship —Manage Your Finances

Protect your family from an unexpected financial burden by pre-planning and selecting a payment plan with terms that fit your budget. A Catholic Cemetery Memorial Counselor will explain and guide you through the pre-planning process. They are someone you can trust and who will explain the options that are available for you. You will not be pressured into making any unnecessary purchases. RESURRECTION CEMETERY FEATURING MAUSOLEUM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT Hoes Lane and Park Ave Piscataway, Piscatawa NJ 08854 • Premier glass niches available for cremated remains • pre construction pricing available

MARY SORROWFUL MOTHER MAUSOLEUM AT HOLY CROSS • Magnificent Main Chapel • Private Chapel Areas Available • Crypt & Niche spaces available • Featured Glass Niches CREMATORY AT HOLY CROSS 840 Cranbury South River Rd Jamesburg, NJ08831

For information about the purchase of crypts, niches and plots at the

METUCHEN DIOCESAN-OWNED AND OPERATED CEMETERIES call 1.800.943.8400 or visit www.diometuchen.org/ cemeteries

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT OCTOBER 21, 21, 2021

How do I Pre-Plan?

Diocesan office offers ‘empathetic, sympathetic knowledgeable’ service

BEREAVEMENT

Continued from previous page

the crematory administration and the crematory maintenance staff. Everyone is highly trained in caring for our cemetery families from the initial phone contact to the day of their service. A family will encounter all of our staff if they are planning a funeral. They are empathetic, sympathetic and knowledgeable of the Church’s teachings on the order of Christian funerals. They all represent and enforce our Catholic cemetery guidelines and regulations. We maintain positive relationships with many of our visitors.

If someone is interested in buying a grave or a niche at one of the dioceses two cemeteries, can they now speak to a sales representative in person? Yes. Our Memorial Counselors are available to meet in person for a family to pre-plan as well as purchase cemetery property for a loss.

Photos from the diocesan Office of Cemeteries show the Mausoleum of the Holy Spirit at Resurrection Burial Park, Piscataway; and Mary, Sorrowful Mother Mausoleum at Holy Cross Burial Park, Jamesburg.

When someone buys a grave or a niche, what does that include? Can it be paid for over a period of time? Assistance with how to buy a gravestone or have a crypt etched? How to have a service at one of the chapels?

ily’s choice; Mausoleum crypt, niche, in ground burial plot. We offer payment terms as well as financing. A family can choose a monument company of their choice for a headstone on their grave. We offer the service of memorialization on your mausoleum space which includes the purchase of lettering, veteran’s emblems, vase, and photo ceramic.

The purchase includes your right of interment in the burial space of your fam-

— photos courtesy of Office of Cemeteries

Does the Office of Cemeteries offer cremation and what does the Church teach about it?

Yes. We offer cremation services in our crematory and glass and granite niches in our mausoleums for the burial and memorialization of your loved ones cremated remains. At one time the Church prohibited cremation and some are unaware that these decisions changed more than 50 years ago. In 1963, the Catholic Church permitted cremation. Cremated remains

represent the sacred body. The Catholic Church teaches that the cremated remains must be treated with the same dignity and respect as a full body. The burial of cremated remains in sacred ground where the deceased can be remembered and memorialized is what is recommended. For questions about how to buy a niche, plot or memorial or about the crematory, call the Office of Cemeteries at (800-943-8400 or visit its website at diometuchen.org/cemeteries

BEREAVEMENT

OCTOBER 21, 2021

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Grief Recovery

The Mount Saint Mary House of Prayer, Watchung, will host a grief recovery program Nov. 7, 1 to 5:30 p.m. Participants will learn a gentle four-step experiential process for resolving grief caused by loss. The fee is $50 to $60 as you are able. The facilitator is Mercy Sister Mary Jo Kearns. Registration can be completed on the website: www.msmhope.org.

Ministry for the Dying

Every Thursday from 3 to 4 p.m. a Holy Hour for the Dying is held at Our Lady

of Fatima Parish, Piscataway. Established six years ago by Father Arlindo Paul Da Silva, pastor, devotees of the ministry pray for the dying, especially those who die suddenly and are unprepared to face God. Commenting on the devotional used during the Holy Hour, Fernanda Moreira who started the Apostolate for the Dying in Ohio, states, “May this little booklet of beautiful prayers be a powerful tool in obtaining the eternal salvation of many souls for the greater glory of God.” Parishioner Rosemarie O’Brien leads the ministry at Our Lady of Fatima. For more information visit https://www.apostolateforthedying.com/

PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH FOR THE DYING Saint Joseph, Silent Saint, we have no recorded words from you, yet by your faithful love and devotion, in obedience to God’s will, you have spoken more than words. You fulfilled the unique mission of being the foster father of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and the chaste guardian of the Virgin Mary, his Immaculate Mother. We ask you to have compassion on the dying, who in their illness and agony may have lost the ability to pray. Speak for them before the throne of God, and obtain for them pardon, mercy, and the gift of eternal life. Saint Joseph, Patron of the Dying, we entrust to you those who will die this day, from now until the end of time. — From the Apostolate for the Dying

of giving wisely

Planned Gifts are creative methods used to ensure that our needs and the needs of our loved ones are met while helping our Church and ministries remain vibrant and filled with hope for future generations. With thoughtful planning, you can address your family, financial and charitable goals, for today and for the future, and also benefit a special ministry or charitable entity within the Diocese of Metuchen that you value, including: Seminary Endowment – The Diocese of Metuchen is blessed that there has been a steady increase of seminarians studying for the priesthood. Educating and providing an opportunity for our seminarians to learn and minister to the needs of those within the diocese is of the utmost importance. Priest Retirement - Our priests have devoted their lives to the service of God and the Diocese of Metuchen. Our parish communities have been the recipients of their sacramental and pastoral care. Because good and faithful priests bring joy to the Church, it is important we assist our retired priests by providing them housing, healthcare, a pension, as well as other retirement needs. Bishop’s Annual Appeal – Each year brings new challenges in our faith, families and communities. There are more people who have yet to hear the Good News of the Gospel, more families struggling against the forces of our secular society, and too many communities that regularly need economic and social service support. The Diocese of Metuchen responds to these challenges through more than 25 pastoral, educational and charitable ministries whose primary funding source is the Bishop’s Annual Appeal. The annual campaign impacts thousands of people each day throughout Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren counties. The Catholic Center at Rutgers - For the Catholic students at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, the Catholic Center provides a home away from home. Through a variety of liturgical and social activities, students are able to grow in the knowledge and practice of the faith, experience a sense of service to the community, and come to a deeper understanding of their call to discipleship and their responsibilities as Catholic Christians. Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen – Through more than 100 programs, our Catholic Charities provides quality services to the poor, vulnerable and all people in need. With a particular focus on the value of family and the right of every client to be treated with dignity and respect, Catholic Charities serves over 50,000 men, women and children each year. Foundation for Catholic Education - Many families make great sacrifices to send their children to a Catholic school. For some, especially those with more than one child in school, the financial stretch is difficult. For these deserving families, help is available through the Foundation for Catholic Education, an endowment fund which provides tuition assistance grants to aid low and moderate income families in our diocese. Your Parish or Parish School - You may also designate your gift for the benefit of a particular parish or parish school.

Planned Giving options include and are not limited to:

We invite you to join our Legacy Society by considering a planned gift. In doing so, you help advance the mission of the Church. We celebrate together and honor you as a member at our annual prayer service and gathering. To learn how, please email the Office of Development at: development@diometuchen.org or call 732-562-2432. I’m interested in learning more about Wills and Planned Giving: Name: ____________________________________________ Day Phone ________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________ City ________________________________ State_______ Zip _______________ I opt in to allow the Department of Stewardship & Development, Diocese of Metuchen, to communicate with me electronically. Email: ____________________________________________ Please mail this form to: Diocese of Metuchen, Ofﬁce of Stewardship and Development, P.O. Box 191, Metuchen, NJ 08840

• Gifts of Life Insurance • Charitable Gift Annuities • Deferred Gift annuities

To learn more and to discover our Gift Planning Tool, visit http://diometuchen.plannedgiving.org

For more information on Planned Giving, contact The Office of Stewardship & Development at 732-562-2432 or email development@diometuchen.org

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT OCTOBER 21, 21, 2021

• Wills and Living Trusts • Gifts of Retirement Plans and appreciated Stock/Securities • Gifts of Real Estate

YOUR GENEROSITY MAKES A DIFFERENCE! Consider joining Our Legacy Society

BEREAVEMENT

Discover the Benefits

OUR FAITH

Sacriﬁce of Jesus/Disrupter at Mass Q Pope Francis

Question Corner

AUDIENCE

September 12, 2021 In renewing my gratitude to the civil and religious authorities who welcomed me, I want to say köszönöm [thank you]: thank you to you, the people of Hungary. The ofﬁcial song of the Congress has reminded you: “For a thousand years the cross was the column of your salvation. Now may the sign of Christ be for you also the promise of a better future”. This is what I wish for you: that the cross be your bridge between the past and the future. Religious sentiment has been the lifeblood of this nation, so attached to its roots. Yet the cross, planted in the ground, not only invites us to be wellrooted, it also raises and extends its arms towards everyone. The cross urges us to keep our roots ﬁrm, but without defensiveness; to draw from the wellsprings, opening ourselves to the thirst of the men and women of our time. My wish is that you be like that: grounded and open, rooted and considerate. Isten éltessen! [God bless you!] The “Mission Cross” is the symbol of this Congress: may it lead you to proclaim with your lives the liberating Gospel of God’s boundless love for each person. Amid the present-day famine of love, men and women long for this nourishment…

OCTOBER 21, 2021 THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Prayer to St. Therese, The Little Flower St. Therese, the Little Flower, please pick For me a rose from the heavenly garden Of our Divine Savior, and send it to me As a message of love. Since you promised to spend your heaven Doing good on earth, please look favorably Upon my petitions. Speedily recommend Them to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, And beg Him to grant my requests, (Here mention your needs) If this favor is granted to me, I will seek To imitate you more and more, and To be ever more loving and charitable, Especially towards God’s little and least ones. St. Therese, pray for me and for all my loved ones. Amen.

I wonder about Jesus being a “sacriﬁce” for the expiation of sins. Why did God the Father “require” that Christ be a “sacriﬁce”

By Father Kenneth Doyle for the forgiveness of the sins of mankind? (Louisville, Ky.) I don’t believe that God the Father “required” that Jesus die such a gruesome death to redeem us from our sins. But your question reﬂects a theological debate that has gone on for centuries. On one side is St. Anselm, who championed what was known as “satisfaction” theology. He believed that Christ's sacriﬁcial death was necessary to free mankind from sin and that the blood of Jesus was “payment” for that sin. But isn’t God all-powerful and couldn’t he have done anything he

wanted to? He could certainly have acted, as the father of the prodigal son did in the Gospel, by simply forgiving humanity outright and restoring us to his good graces. In contrast to Anselm, I prefer to side with St. Thomas Aquinas, who said that while any manner God chose would have sufﬁced for our salvation, the passion of Christ was the perfect means because “man knows thereby how much God loves him and is thereby stirred to love him in return” (Summa III, 46, art. 3). So,`we are in no way compelled to believe that God deliberately willed the suffering of his son.

is no longer welcome, so she now waits until he has begun Mass before appearing and taking her place..(Richmond, Va.)

For more than 10 years, a member of my parish has been disrupting Mass on a regular basis. She will sit in the pew rocking back and forth, throwing her arms toward heaven and calling out in a loud voice — sometimes “Papa” and sometimes just a guttural scream. At Communion time, she will sometimes come up to the altar before anyone else has been directed to leave the pews. She has a faraway look in her eyes and physically resists if anyone tries to have her move on. Our current pastor has told her that she

The first step, of course, would be for your pastor to take the woman aside and have a quiet conversation with her. This conversation would highlight the fact that, in fairness to other parishioners, a church needs to be a quiet place where people can pray peacefully. I am going to assume that your pastor has already tried this approach without success. It’s important to know that churches are private property and church officials are entitled to extend or withdraw the invitation to enter their premises as they see fit. Simply because a church’s services are open to the public does not mean that a parish is legally bound to admit someone who disrupts those services. Involving the police seems the wisest and safest approach, especially since in many jurisdictions law enforcement is allowed not only to remove such individuals but to bring them to a hospital for evaluation. Questions may be sent to Father Kenneth Doyle at askfatherdoyle@gmail.com and 30 Columbia Circle Dr., Albany, NY 12203.

ter Mary,” Lange became the community’s first superior and led the new order in founding schools for girls, homes for widows and orphans, and vocational training centers for women. Risking their lives and the future of their community during a cholera epidemic in 1832, four of the sisters, including Mother Lange, nursed plague victims. Mother Mary Lange later served her community as a longtime novice mistress and, we may assume, role model, before her death in 1882. Over a century later, in response to the longstanding local veneration of this remarkable woman, the Archdiocese of Baltimore initiated a formal study of Mother Mary Lange’s heroic virtues, and the cause for her beatification was opened in Rome in 2004. It’s successful completion, and indeed Mother Lange’s subsequent canonization, would be entirely welcome. Meanwhile, her example is being embodied in the first Catholic school opened in Baltimore city in 60 years, as the Mother Mary Lange Catholic School welcomed its first 400 students in late August. The archdiocese raised more than $25 million to launch this state-of-the-art facility for some of the city’s most underprivileged youngsters. Partnerships with local universities, businesses, non-profit organizations, and social service agencies will enhance the school’s academic excellence with extended-care, summer, and enrichment programs. Unlike too many modern inner-city schools, which look more like bunkers or prisons, the Mother Mary Lange School was designed to be open to the hard-pressed neighborhoods of West Baltimore, better known as the locale for many of the urban depredations depicted in “The Wire.” As Alisha Jordan, the new school’s principal, put it, “When

you come into this building, there are so many rooms and windows where you can see out into the community. I think that’s what [Mother Lange] would have wanted.” True enough, I think, as Mother Lange would also have applauded the fact that 80 to 90 percent of the school’s students, who come from 70 zip codes and are 80 percent non-Catholic, will receive generous tuition assistance — and religious education. When the bishops of the United States mandated a nationwide Catholic school system at the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1884, they probably didn’t realize that they were underwriting the most successful anti-poverty program in U.S. Catholic history — and arguably in American history. Today, inner-urban Catholic schools are a lifeline for children whose futures are being put at even greater risk by failing government schools and hidebound teachers’ unions that resist educational reform while engaging in various forms of ideological indoctrination. That lifeline is being threatened by the financial pressures on many dioceses, and while vigorous efforts are underway throughout the country to save inner city Catholic schools, the pandemic has made a difficult situation even harder. It takes vision, courage, and faith to launch a multi-million-dollar adventure in top-flight inner-urban Catholic education under these circumstances: the kind of vision, courage, and faith that led a poor black immigrant to start a new religious order for African-American women in the antebellum South; the kind of vision, courage, and faith that has now led to the opening of the wellnamed Mother Mary Lange Catholic School in Baltimore, my beloved, if hard-pressed, hometown.

Investment in education for needy pays off

It’s a safe bet that “Mother Mary Lange” is not a household name in most U.S. Catholic circles. That unhappy state of affairs may change, though, thanks to a courageous initiative now underway in Baltimore, one of America’s most troubled cities.

Who was the Servant of God Mother Mary Lange, O.S.P.? A few years after her birth in Hispaniola, the child christened Elizabeth Clarisse Lange was taken by her parents to Santiago de Cuba, as the family fled the chaos of the 1791 Haitian Revolution. Emigrating to the fledgling United States, Elizabeth seems to have lived in Charleston and Norfolk before settling in Baltimore, which had a considerable free African-American population whose numbers were being increased by refugees from Francophone Haiti. After opening a school for black children in her Fells Point home near Baltimore harbor, Elizabeth, guided by a French Sulpician priest, Father James Joubert, discerned a vocation to the consecrated life: she would help found a religious community for women of African descent, dedicated to the education of African-Americans. Archbishop James Whitfield approved, and on July 2, 1829, Elizabeth Clarisse Lange took her first vows and, with three other “free women of color” (as they were known in those days), created the Oblate Sisters of Providence. Taking the religious name “Sis-

Christ, our High Priest Our readings this Sunday offer words of hope and encouragement to people of faith. Jesus’ restoration of vision to the spiritually clear-sighted yet physically blind Bartimaeus, the assurances of Jeremiah that God will never abandon his faithful people, and the Letter to the Hebrews’ reminder that our High Priest, Christ the Lord, is both patient and merciful, all serve to powerfully reassure us that, while a life of faith is not always easy, it is always overwhelmingly rewarded. Our task is to embrace and live this faith.

SCRIPTURE STUDY By Msgr. John N. Fell

WEEK IN SCRIPTURE

Jer 31:7-9 / Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6 / Heb 5:1-6 / Mk 10:46-52 Rom 8:12-17 / Ps 68:2 and 4, 6-7ab, 20-21 / Lk 13:10-17 Rom 8:18-25 / Ps 126:1b-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6 / Lk 13:18-21 Rom 8:26-30 / Ps 13:4-5, 6 / Lk 13:22-30 Eph 2:19-22 / Ps 19:2-3, 4-5 / Lk 6:12-16 Rom 9:1-5 / Ps 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20 / Lk 14:1-6 Rom 11:1-2a, 11-12, 25-29 / Ps 94:12-13a, 14-15, 17-18 / Lk 14:1, 7-11 Dt 6:2-6 / Ps 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51 / Heb 7:23-28 / Mk 12:28b-34 Rv 7:2-4, 9-14 / Ps 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6 / 1 Jn 3:1-3 / Mt 5:1-12a Wis 3:1-9 / Ps 27:1, 4, 7 and 8b and 9a, 13-14 / Rom 5:5-11 or Rom 6:3-9 / Jn 6:37-40 Rom 13:8-10 / Ps 112:1b-2, 4-5, 9 / Lk 14:25-33 Rom 14:7-12 / Ps 27:1bcde, 4, 13-14 / Lk 15:1-10 Rom 15:14-21 / Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4 /Lk 16:1-8 Rom 16:3-9, 16, 22-7 / Ps 145:2-3, 4-5, 10-11 / Lk 16:9-15 (450) 1 Kgs 17:10-16 / Ps 146:7, 8-9, 9-10 / Heb 9:24-28 / Mk 12:38-44 or 12:41-44

1859-1902 October 27

CNS

From his father, a teacher in Milan, Italy, Contardo inherited a love of learning. He studied law at Pavia’s Borromeo College and won a scholarship to the University of Berlin. A daily communicant from age 14, he joined the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and in 1881 made a private vow of celibacy. He mastered ancient and modern languages, and became the world’s leading expert on Roman law, teaching it in Pavia. His spiritual life in the Third Order of St. Francis focused on eucharistic devotion, prayer and meditation. He died of typhoid fever.

Saints

SCRIPTURE SEARCH® Gospel for October 24, 2021 Hebrews 5:1-6 / Mark 10:46-52

Following is a word search based on the Second and Gospel readings for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B: About our eternal High Priest. The words can be found in all directions in the puzzle. HIGH PRIEST WEAKNESS AARON FOREVER CRY OUT DO FOR YOU SIGHT

SACRIFICES PEOPLE CHRIST BLIND DAVID MASTER FOLLOWED

SINS HONOR BEGOTTEN NAZARETH CALL FAITH ON THE WAY

SIGHT D K W L B E G O T T E N S A C R S

C E S A O

V J O C A L L Z D R

E Y N

L Y H

A P D A

N A K S D J D R T N M A K W E L P O E P

H A S

A E A N A T F L T S S

E H N U H O B O C C T G W T F O R E V E R H E H I

N N C R Y O U T Y R T

F O L L O W E D T K O J R H

G H P R

E S T U

OCTOBER 21, 2021

Sun 24 Mon 25 Tues 26 Wed 27 Thurs 28 Fri 29 Sat 30 Sun 31 Mon 1 Tues 2 Wed 3 Thurs 4 Fri 5 Sat 6 Sun 7

SUNDAY OCTOBER 24 - SUNDAY NOVEMBER 7

Blessed Contardo Ferrini

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Jesus’ restoration of sight to the blind Bartimaeus is the last healing miracle recorded by St. Mark prior to Palm Sunday. Jesus was leaving Jericho for the 15mile journey to Jerusalem. As he was leaving town with his disciples and a large crowd, a roadside beggar began calling out to him, “Son of David, have pity on me!” (Mk 10:47b, 48b). This simple cry had deep significance. First, publicly acknowledging his faith in Jesus during those anxious days just prior to the original Holy Week was very risky. Signaling that he was a believer in Jesus could certainly have subjected him to religious and civil penalties. Second, the fact that only this “blind” man was pleading for Jesus’ help highlights the sad truth that only he really “saw” Jesus for who he was; the disciples, amidst their arguing about positions of honor and their failure to ever understand Jesus’ true mission, were the spiritually ‘blind” ones. Interestingly enough, the blind man is only the second human being in St. Mark’s Gospel to recognize who Jesus really was (St. Peter was first in Mark 8:29). The title “Son of David” itself is rich with meaning. This title calls to mind the Messianic hopes of the Hebrew people. God’s promise to King David that “I will raise up your son after you . . . I will not remove my favor from him . . . your house and your throne shall endure forever before me” (2 Sm 8: 12-16), was taken as an assurance that the Messiah would be an heir of David. By recognizing Jesus as the “Son of David,” Bartimaeus was seeing in him the agent of God’s promised restoration of his people, the promise heralded in this Sunday’s first reading from the Prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah exults, “Shout with joy for Jacob . . . the Lord has delivered his people . . . I will gather them from the ends of the world with the blind and the lame in their midst . . . they departed in tears, but I will console them and guide them . . .” (Jer 31:7-9). God’s people may suffer for a time, but God promises that

he will always raise them up again. Bartimaeus “saw” in Jesus the power to fulfill God’s promise in his own life. It is also interesting to note that the crowd seeks to silence the blind man. How often “the crowd,” both then and now, proves to be an obstacle to faith! Jesus’ role, already glimpsed by Bartimaeus, is well explained in our second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews. The Letter to the Hebrews, written by an unknown author sometime between the years 70-90, is really not a letter at all but rather a lengthy sermon. The main theme of this sermon is that Jesus Christ is the new, eternal, perfect, and divine High Priest. All that was incomplete and lowly before Christ is now complete and exalted with his presence. In this Sunday’s passage, we read of certain key characteristics of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. First, we learn that “every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God” (Heb 5:1). Jesus Christ, as our great High Priest, represents and intercedes for humanity before the throne of his Eternal Father. He takes the imperfect sacrifice and obedience of humanity and completes it with his own perfect sacrifice (the cross) and obedience. We further learn that Christ, even though he is perfect, “is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weakness” (Heb 5:2). Jesus Christ, being not only fully divine but also fully human, had a profound understanding of the temptations and trials faced by his people. He is, therefore, an advocate sympathetic to our weakness and failures, remaining patient with us and constantly encouraging us to turn back to his Heavenly Father. The Letter to the Hebrews also teaches us that “it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest,” (Heb 5:5), but rather that “no one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God” (Heb 5:4). Christ is our High Priest because he was commissioned by the Father, for he is not only humanity’s Representative before the Father, but the Father’s Representative and fullest Revelation before us. In the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, we truly have the fullest witness of the love and mercy of Almighty God. That love and mercy was poured out upon the blind man in today’s Gospel. It is also offered constantly to all of humanity, calling us to turn away from sin, and to imitate the example of Bartimaeus. We are thus moved to be stalwarts of faith, placing our lives under divine guidance and crying out as humble sinners, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on [us]!” Msgr. Fell is a Scripture scholar and director, diocesan Office for Priest Personnel

OUR FAITH

30th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B)

34 STEPPING UP IN CHARITY

Our Lady of Tenderness 2400 B Cooper Street Piscataway, NJ 08854 www.ourladyoftenderness.com

Your prayer requests are welcomed and encouraged. They shall be placed before the Blessed Sacrament and lifted daily in prayer. The ministry 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: _______________________________

_________________________

Agency shows appreciation for mental health On Aug. 5, the Catholic Charities, diocese of Metuchen’s East Brunswick PACT Team held a women’s group meeting for its consumers. Participants created colorful tiedyed T-shirts and socks using different techniques to achieve unique and creative designs. After completion of the projects, lunch was provided by the PACT Team. The camaraderie and support enjoyed by participants is one way the Catholic Charities’ PACT Teams support persons in the community with serious and persistent mental illness. PACT is an evidenced-based practice that offers treatment, rehabilitation, and support services, using a personcentered, recovery-based approach, to individuals that have been diagnosed with serious mental illness. The mission of PACT is to ensure that people with serious and persistent mental illness receive services that provide the greatest degree of personal freedom and dignity. PACT services are provided predominantly in community settings by a mobile, multi-disciplinary team. Catholic Charities PACT includes teams in East Brunswick, New Brunswick and Perth Amboy which provided more than 23,000 hours of service to consumers last year.

Above are a batch of colorful socks created by Catholic Charities East Brunswick PACT team for persons with serious and persistent mental illness. Using different techniques, the PACT team also made tie-dyed T-shirts to distribute with the socks. — photos courtesy of Catholic Charities,

For more information, visit www. ccdom.org.

OCTOBER 21, 2021 THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Immigration Services Adriana Molina Guillen, immigration counselor, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen (CCDOM), gives a presentation at Holy Trinity Church, Perth Amboy Sept. 18. The diocese’s office of Hispanic Evangelization along with CCDOM’s Immigration Services Program conducted the presentation in conjunction with this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month. The presentation focused on the Immigration Services Program and offered spiritual reflections related to the month. Regarding her work as an immigration counselor, Guillen said, “It is not only a passion, but a vocation.” — photo courtesy of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen

Journey of Faith By Father John Gerard Hillier The Fifth Commandment encompasses the terrifying topics of abortion and euthanasia. Both themes have generated a multitude of articles and books written by proponents and opponents of these anti-life procedures. Most troubling, in fact what boggles the mind, is this: How can the destruction of the life of an innocent, defenseless unborn child ever be acceptable? Worse is when a Christian judges such an act as acceptable, whereby the soul of a child is plunged into eternity without the benefit of the Sacrament of Baptism! The widespread practice of abortion is one of the most serious problems facing our country and our world. In the words of the Catechism: “From the first moment of his [or her] existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person — among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life” (ccc 2270). Sacred Scripture teaches: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you” (Jer 1:5). This teaching of the Church on abortion has been consistent from the beginning and “this teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable” (ccc 2271). The words of an ancient, first century document quoted in the Catechism attests to this: “You shall not kill

the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish” (Didache 2, 2:S Ch 248,148). Then-Pope, now St. John Paul II’s 1987 “Instruction on the Respect for Human Life in Its Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation” further explains: “The inalienable rights of the person must be recognized and respected by civil society and the political authority. These human rights depend neither on single individuals nor on parents; nor do they represent a concession made by society and the state; they belong to human nature and are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act from which the person took his [or her] origin. Among such fundamental rights one should mention in this regard every human being’s right to life and physical integrity from the moment of conception until death.” Thus, the Catechism afﬁrms: “The embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being” (ccc 2274). Curiously, the Catechism anticipated events that are only becoming common practice in our present day, including experimentation with human embryos. The Catechism teaches: “It is immoral to produce human embryos intended for exploitation as disposable biological material” (ccc 2275). Equally pressing: “Certain attempts to inﬂuence chromosomic or genetic inheritance are not therapeutic but are aimed at producing human beings selected according to sex or other predetermined qualities. Such manipulations are contrary to the personal dignity of the human being and his [or her] integrity and identity which are unique and unrepeatable (ccc 2275). Regarding euthanasia, while it is ac-

ceptable for household pets in distress (since unlike humans, they have no need for redemption), it is always unacceptable for human beings. Why? Because “[people] whose lives are diminished or weakened deserve special respect. Sick or handicapped persons should be helped to lead lives as normal as possible” (ccc 2276). In fact, the Catechism continues: “direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to the lives of handicapped, sick, or dying persons. It is morally unacceptable” (ccc 2277). Unfortunately, in places like Canada, euthanasia (called medical assistance in dying), became legal along with assisted suicide as of June 2016 in order to end the suffering of terminally ill adults. In at least nine states, plus the District of Columbia, euthanasia is likewise legal. Made in God’s image, for us humans, nothing is wasted, not even our suffering. No matter how horrible it may seem, our suffering ceases to be so when we embrace the values that Christ espoused. Through His redemptive suffering on the cross, our suffering, too, can have redemptive value. As such, “an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering,” says the Catechism, “constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator… [It] must always be forbidden” (ccc 2277). With respect to physician-assisted suicide, informed Catholics know that the Church condemns an action that a doctor purposefully takes which brings about the death of the patient. Many, however, sometimes confuse physician-assisted suicide with the Church’s teaching on the use of extraordinary means to prolong a person’s life.

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT OCTOBER 21, 2021

Short keepsake biographies composed by a fellow parishioner within the diocese.

The Catechism states: “Discontinuing medical procedures that are burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be legitimate” (2278). “The decisions should be made by the patient if he or she is competent and able or, if not, by those legally entitled to act for the patient, whose reasonable will and legitimate interests must always be respected” (ccc 2278). Providing food and water, even through a tube, is not seen as extraordinary or disproportionate means. So often, people find themselves in awkward circumstances when loved ones, especially the elderly, are facing their final days on earth. At such times, some are hyper-conscious about wanting to make the right moral decisions. The Catechism helps explain that under such conditions “the use of painkillers to alleviate the sufferings of the dying, even at the risk of shortening their days, can be morally in conformity with human dignity if death is not willed as either an end or a means, but only foreseen and tolerated as inevitable” (ccc 2279). In other words, as long as death is not the goal when providing pain medication, but rather alleviating the suffering of the person is the goal (though death might be hastened), such a scenario is morally acceptable. In these complicated times, when our culture teaches what is wrong to be right and what is right to be wrong, our consolation remains in knowing that God‘s gift of the Catechism helps us affirm the Gospel truth that all human life is sacred. Father Hillier serves as Director of the Diocesan Office of the Pontifical Missions, the Office for Persons with disabilities, and Censor Librorum

FAITH ALIVE

Article 155 - Catechism of the Catholic Church Series Paragraphs 2270-2279

Made in God’s image, for us, even suffering is not wasted

OUR DIOCESE

Crossword Puzzle 1

ACROSS 7 In Luke, Simon’s mother-in-law was cured of this 8 Archdiocese in Victoria 10 Our Lady of Grace, for example 12 Patron saint of archeologists 13 She appeared in “Where the Boys Are” before becoming a nun 16 Moses floated in one 18 Floor length vestment 20 Sunday now called Divine Mercy Sunday 21 Mother of Augustine 22 A Catholic who has ceased practicing the faith 25 Abbr. for two NT epistles 26 Galilee, and others 27 Catholic actress who won an Academy Award for her role in “The Farmer’s Daughter” 28 He was an original 29 Title for Jesus 31 Archdiocese and capital of Canada 34 “In the ___…” (Gen 1:1) 35 A fallen angel

7 9 10

20 21

24 26

Answers can be found on page 37

www.wordgamesforcatholics.com

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One day, as Jesus was ready to set out on a journey, a man ran up to him and knelt down. “Good teacher,” he said, “what

Crossword Puzzle Answers: N M F E V E R W A S T A T U A H A R T L O W M O N I C N N S E A S C R R A I A B E G I N L E

F E B R U A R Y B I N D

B A J M E L B O U E E A H E L E N I I V E R C E E A L A P L I P O U N G A C I B I O T T A N R I N G D E I E

L R N E G A T O P E I S E D E T D A M I A W A O M O N D

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must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone,” Jesus replied. He looked at the man. “You know the commandments,” Jesus continued. “‘You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother.’” “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth,” the man said. Jesus looked at the man with love. “You are lacking in one thing,” Jesus told him. “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” The man’s face fell when he heard Jesus’ reply. He walked away sadly because he had many possessions. Jesus watched the man walk away.

“How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” he exclaimed as he turned toward the apostles. The apostles were amazed by his words. “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!” Jesus repeated. “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” “Then who can be saved?” the apostles said to each other in surprise. Jesus looked at them. “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God,” he told his friends. Then Peter spoke. “We have given up everything and followed you,” he told Jesus. Jesus turned toward Peter. “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for

OUR DIOCESE

By Jennifer Ficcaglia Catholic News Service

Kids Corner: Jesus tells man, followers how to inherit eternal life

— Artwork, courtesy of CNS

the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come,” Jesus said. “But,” he continued, “many that are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT OCTOBER 21, 21, 2021

2021 Bishop’s Annual Appeal

OUR DIOCESE

TRANSFORMED by

Christ’s Body and Blood

OCTOBER 21, 2021

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

2021 Bishop's Annual Appeal - Parish Results as of 10/4/2021 Parish Name

Parish City

Pastor Name

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church Most Holy Name of Jesus Our Lady of Victories Church Sacred Heart Church Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church Our Lady of Fatima Church Saint Joseph Church Saint Luke Church Saint Joseph Church Holy Family Parish Saint Mary's-Stony Hill Church Saint Peter the Apostle Parish Saint Ambrose Church Our Lady of Fatima Church Saint Ann Church Saints Peter & Paul Church Saint John the Evangelist Church Saint Charles Borromeo Church Saint Matthew the Apostle Church Saint Thomas the Apostle Church Saint Joseph Church Saint Bernard of Clairvaux Church Our Lady of Czestochowa Church Saint Stanislaus Kostka Church Saint Frances Cabrini Church Saint Rose of Lima Church (Oxford) Saint Cecilia Church Saint Jude Church Saint Mary Church Saint Mary of Ostrabrama Church Saint Mary of Czestochowa Church Mary, Mother of God Church Our Lady of Mercy Church Saint Joseph Church Blessed Sacrament Church Our Lady of the Mount Church Our Lady of Mt. Virgin Church Parish of the Visitation Saint Magdalen de Pazzi Church Saint Cecelia Church Church of the Annunciation Saint Bartholomew Church Saint Anthony of Padua Church Good Shepherd Saint Catherine of Siena Church Sacred Heart Church Cathedral of Saint Francis of Assisi Saint Mary Church Immaculate Conception Church Saint John Vianney Church Saint Augustine of Canterbury Church Saint James Church Saint Elizabeth-Saint Brigid Church Saint James Church Saint Ann Church Saint John the Evangelist Church Our Lady of Peace Church Saint Matthias Church Our Lady of Victories Church Our Lady of Lourdes Church Immaculate Conception Church Saint Bernadette Church Saint John Paul II Parish Saint Theodore Church Saint Joseph Church Saint Philip & Saint James Church Saint Andrew Church Saint Edward the Confessor Church Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church Saint Patrick Church Saint Lawrence Church Divine Mercy Parish Our Lady of Peace Church Saint Joseph Church Corpus Christi Church Immaculate Conception Church Most Holy Redeemer Church Saint John Neumann Church Church of the Holy Trinity Our Lady of Lourdes Church Nativity of Our Lord Church Saint Helena Church Assumption of Mary Church Queenship of Mary Church Saint Stephen Protomartyr Church Christ the Redeemer Parish Saint Joseph Church Transfiguration of the Lord Saint James the Less Church Holy Trinity Church Totals:

Three Bridges Perth Amboy Baptistown South Plainfield New Brunswick Perth Amboy Washington North Plainfield Bound Brook New Brunswick Watchung New Brunswick Old Bridge Piscataway Raritan Great Meadows Lambertville Skillman Edison Old Bridge Hillsborough Bridgewater South Plainfield Sayreville Piscataway Belvidere Monmouth Junction Blairstown South Amboy South River Bound Brook Hillsborough South Bound Brook Carteret Martinsville Warren Middlesex New Brunswick Flemington Iselin Bloomsbury East Brunswick Port Reading Perth Amboy Pittstown South Amboy Metuchen Alpha Somerville Colonia Kendall Park Basking Ridge Peapack Woodbridge Hampton Dunellen North Brunswick Somerset Sayreville Whitehouse Station Spotswood Parlin Perth Amboy Port Murray North Plainfield Phillipsburg Avenel Milford Bernardsville Belvidere Laurence Harbor Carteret Fords High Bridge South River Annandale Matawan Califon Bridgewater Milltown Monroe Township Edison Hackettstown Plainsboro South River Manville Raritan Highland Park Jamesburg Helmetta

Father Serafin Father Machado Father Kaczynski Father Alvarado Father Nacarino Father Njobam Father Selvester Monsignor Corona Monsignor Kerrigan Father Ryan Monsignor Benwell Father Pavich Father Grimes Father Da Silva Father Odorizzi Father Podsiadlo Father Kolakowski Monsignor Malovetz Father Targonski Father Johnson Father Hilton Monsignor Vashon Father Tran Father Murphy Father Considine Father Sabella Father O'Connor Father Jandernoa Father Weezorak Father Gromadzki Father Stec Father Rozembajgier Father Lee Monsignor Gordon Father Nolan Father Kenney Father Skoblow Father Fragoso Father Brighenti Father Nwagwu Father Coruna Father Walsh Father Smith Father Burdzy Father Zalubski Father Gromadzki Father Christy Father Wejnerowski Monsignor Celano Father Gloss Father Lynam Monsignor Cronin Monsignor Puleo Father Naduviledathu Father Saharic Father Kariuki Father Krull Father Orapankal Father Pinnisi Father Rusay Father O'Kane Father Hagerman Father Romanowski Father Tomiczek Father Kusek Father Barbella Father Kosmoski Father Kaczynski Father Siceloff Father Sabella Father Kehoe Father Shallow Father Paratore Rev. Kyrpczak Father Breen Father Toborowsky Father Carina Father Rusk Father Calia Father Czarcinski Monsignor Medley Father Sirianni Father Arockiadoss Father Paderon Father Szczepanik Father Slaby Father Kelly Father Lotha Father Gaviria Father Wieliczko

NOTE: Totals include non-parish affiliated gifts

Goal Amount

Total Pledged

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

132,000 19,000 37,000 97,000 37,000 14,000 28,000 34,000 33,000 14,000 312,000 55,000 80,000 80,000 75,000 15,000 130,000 131,000 59,000 87,000 135,000 135,000 34,000 48,000 36,000 11,000 72,000 42,000 49,000 42,000 33,000 166,000 35,000 32,000 150,000 383,000 74,000 46,000 158,000 64,000 13,000 173,000 24,000 24,000 38,000 55,000 338,000 54,000 179,000 120,000 146,000 344,000 255,000 63,000 33,000 32,000 124,000 172,000 91,000 110,000 85,000 58,000 23,000 7,000 33,000 78,000 41,000 27,000 188,000 29,000 30,000 25,000 64,000 37,000 33,000 167,000 65,000 38,000 65,000 59,000 88,000 150,000 45,000 163,000 19,000 52,000 25,000 48,000 80,000 15,000 7,200,000

205,991 24,907 47,315 123,770 47,195 17,121 34,115 41,323 39,881 16,835 373,432 65,758 94,804 93,087 86,924 17,053 147,792 148,372 66,339 97,660 149,789 148,726 37,062 51,448 38,465 11,716 76,676 44,213 51,328 43,952 34,515 172,619 36,268 33,069 154,018 392,033 75,621 46,906 159,565 64,205 13,000 173,000 24,000 24,000 37,524 54,209 332,898 52,928 175,296 117,233 142,323 335,233 246,973 59,683 31,120 29,995 115,945 160,591 84,743 102,433 76,013 51,143 20,234 6,120 28,738 67,646 35,036 22,855 158,761 24,308 25,001 20,746 52,371 30,141 26,635 133,155 51,179 29,612 49,851 45,213 66,973 112,570 33,698 118,681 13,645 36,257 16,365 30,664 48,404 8,004 7,586,290

Estimated % Pledged Parish to Goal Rebate 156.05 131.09 127.88 127.60 127.55 122.29 121.84 121.54 120.85 120.25 119.69 119.56 118.50 116.36 115.90 113.69 113.69 113.26 112.44 112.25 110.96 110.17 109.01 107.18 106.85 106.51 106.49 105.27 104.75 104.65 104.59 103.99 103.62 103.34 102.68 102.36 102.19 101.97 100.99 100.32 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 98.75 98.56 98.49 98.01 97.93 97.69 97.48 97.45 96.85 94.73 94.30 93.73 93.50 93.37 93.12 93.12 89.43 88.18 87.97 87.43 87.08 86.73 85.45 84.65 84.45 83.82 83.34 82.98 81.83 81.46 80.71 79.73 78.74 77.93 76.69 76.63 76.11 75.05 74.88 72.81 71.82 69.73 65.46 63.88 60.50 53.36 105.36

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

36,996 2,953 5,158 13,385 5,097 1,561 3,058 3,662 3,440 1,418 30,716 5,379 7,402 6,544 5,962 1,027 8,896 8,686 3,669 5,330 7,395 6,863 1,531 1,724 1,233 358 2,338 1,107 1,164 976 758 3,310 634 534 2,009 4,517 811 453 783 103

198,934

Total Donors 402 209 105 391 288 74 144 80 186 121 164 119 393 337 212 83 205 288 333 445 423 382 149 191 165 35 228 117 237 143 105 484 141 181 367 282 298 161 424 292 53 14 119 79 118 241 639 261 340 420 429 477 207 296 167 144 204 354 331 325 322 220 146 45 117 300 219 104 165 127 125 117 247 96 169 332 236 91 183 212 375 288 134 194 33 260 67 153 198 68 20,004

2021

39 39

10/1

Healing Families was posted. Speakers include: Lindsay Schelgel, Healing After Miscarriage; Father Chris Alar, MIC, Family Healing After Suicide, and Dr. Daniel & Bethany Meola, Accompanying and Healing the Wounds of Adult Children of Divorce or Separation

11/1

Family Obstacles and Joys will be posted. Speakers include: Jennifer Ruggiero, Caring for Loved Ones at End Stage of Life; Eniola Honsberger, Being Fruitful and Multiplying Without Kids; Sister Ann Immaculee, S.V., Unleashing Love: Path to Joy; Anne Masters, Raising a Son or Daughter With a Disability: Believing in Possibilities and Some Considerations From Other Parents and Our Faith. For more information visit: www.lightingheartsonfire@diometuchen.org

10/23

Diocesan Youth Day, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at St. Joseph Parish, Hillsborough. The event will include food, community, prayer, speakers, and a visit from Bishop Checchio. Cost is $20. For questions contact, mvanslot@diometuchen.org For more information and registration: https://lightingheartsonfire.org/behold

10/28

2021 Champions for Catholic Charities Virtual Gala, 7 p.m., will honor the community of individual and corporate benefactors who support the vital services for our neighbors in need provided by Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen. To watch the gala live or to become a Champion for those in need by giving, visit: diometuchen.org/champions

Choices Matter All Presentations of the diocese’s Choices Matter Virtual Conference Series are available for viewing by visiting: https://www.diometuchen.org/choicesmatter. Presentations delivered at the diocese’s Choices Matter Conference included: Integrity, God’s Plan for sexuality, defending life in the black community, and fighting the legalization of assisted suicide. Each session will challenge you to reflect on why, in each of these areas, our choices matter if we want to build a culture of life and love. DIOCESAN PROGRAMS Magnify 90 A 90 day spiritual journey for women. To be held on Zoom on Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Program to begin on September 26. For more information contact: cdaverso@diometuchen.org. Young Couples Bible Study, An opportunity to explore the Biblical basis of Catholic beliefs. This virtual group meets Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on zoom. For more information contact cdaverso@diometuchen.org. Celebrating Our Neophytes The diocese has started to post the 2021 Neophyte Celebration. Since pandemic restrictions prevented the celebration of a Neophyte Mass, the Neophytes in the diocese are being honored in a different way. They have been invited by the diocese to submit a witness statement about their RCIA journey of faith, along with a photo. This invitation explained that the RCIA office was going to create a “Celebration of Our Neophytes” virtual presentation for its website. Neophytes can send their witness statement and photo to: ssharlow@diometuchen.org Celebrating the Church as a “Family of Families”

WEEKLY PODCAST – Am I Not Here? Produced by the staff of the Office of Communications, “Am I Not Here?” – a weekly podcast – highlights the good news within our local Church and those working to minister to the people of the Diocese of Metuchen. New

AROUND THE DIOCESE The Vocations Ministry of St. Matthias Parish, 168 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Somerset, will hold a morning of reﬂection on Nov. 13, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Titled “Called to Holiness: Discovering who I am meant to be,” the morning

of reﬂection, will feature a variety of speakers who will share their experiences of responding to God’s call. All are welcome to attend. For more information and to register, visit: stmatthias. net/vocations.

LECTIO DIVINA Mondays at 11 a.m. join faithful from around the diocese in a prayerful, virtual gathering of Lectio Divina, a method for praying with the Scriptures. As one reads and invites the Word to become a transforming lens that brings the events of daily living into focus, one can come to live more deeply and find the presence of God more readily in the events of each day. Start your week with prayer, community, and hope. To get the most out of these sessions, please remember to have your bible readily available. For the Zoom meeting information, please email: ssharlow@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.

CLASSIFIED

For information call: (732 )529-7934 • Fax: (732) 562-0969 REAL ESTATE

FOR RENT

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

FOR RENT

APARTMENT RENTAL 1 bedroom basement apartment with full laundry facilities; Full kitchen, lr, dining area, private entrance. $1500 / month - utilities provided. Located in the arbor section of Piscataway. For information call Fr. Bill:

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FOR SALE

H O LYA R T - R e l i g i o u s items and Church goods, made in Italy. w w w. h o l ya r t. co m ; +39 0522 1729582 SCREEN REPAIR

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

WINDOW & DOOR SCREEN REPAIRS - Installation of Fiberglass screens for your doors and windows. Pi c k- u p a n d d ro p o f f services available. George & Sons: (908) 392-2677

ECO FLOORING

All aspects of hardwood floors. Call Tony: (732) 670-7437 TheEcoFlooring@gmail.com

“Come, Follow me.”

(Mark 10:21)

Is God calling you to serve as a priest, religious sister or brother? If you think maybe . . . contact the Office of Vocations:

(732) 562-2453 or e-mail: vocations@diometuchen.org

PER LINE CHARGES: $ 3.75 per line - 1 insertion $ 3.50 per line - 2 insertions $ 3.25 per line - 3 insertions $ 3.00 per line - 4 or more insertions

• 24 characters/line (approx) • 5 line minimum • All ads must be pre-paid • Credit cards accepted • Display classified quote upon request

THE THECATHOLIC CATHOLICSPIRIT SPIRIT OCTOBER OCTOBER21, 21 21,,2021 21, 2021

As we celebrate the Year “Amoris Laetitia Family,” the Office of Communications and Public Relations is compiling a digital family photo album. We invite you to share a photo of your family – a photo of your domestic church by which our local Church of Metuchen is constantly enriched. Please consider sharing your family’s photo with us by sending your photo to communications@diometuchen.org, so we can together bear witness to the love of God through our “family of families.”

episodes are released each Monday and once aired they are archived. To listen to any episode, or to learn more, please click the links on the diocesan Facebook page or lighting hearts on fire website

RATES

OCTOBER - NOVEMBER Joy of Love & Family Conference Series celebrating the Year of the Family. This event is being sponsored by the five Roman Catholic Dioceses of New Jersey. Talks will premiere over six months with topics for every stage of family life. New talks will air the first of each month on:

OUR OUR DIOCESE DIOCESE

DIOCESAN EVENTS

2021 Bishop’s Annual Appeal

OUR DIOCESE

TRANSFORMED by

Christ’s Body and Blood

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, As the 2021 Bishop’s Annual Appeal comes to a close, please accept my heartfelt thanks for your overwhelming support. I am pleased to announce that we not only reached, but have in fact exceeded, our $7.2 million goal! Achieving the appeal goal in any year is a great accomplishment, but especially this year with the many challenges we are facing, your response has been exceptional and so encouraging. During these unprecedented times in which we live, and as we return to the regular practice of our faith by going to Sunday Mass, to make the goal is a great success. I am indebted to you for your generosity and for your love of Christ which you show in this way. I think and pray for all the people who are being helped in so many different ways because of your generosity. There are those with physical needs for food and a decent place to live, and others suffering emotional pain and loss, or struggling with addictions. Because of your goodness, we are able to come together in many ways to build up our local Church and prepare it for the future. We are forming and educating our seminarians, the future leaders of our parishes; and, working on evangelizing, especially our young who are developing their moral values in these challenging and confusing times. Our appeal theme this year was “Transformed by the Body & Blood of Christ to Light a Fire in the Heart of Our Church” and you are certainly doing that and I can’t thank God enough for your faithfulness. I am so grateful to be part of this journey with you, and I look forward to seeing you, hopefully soon, in one of your parishes. Know of my love, prayers and gratitude! With renewed best wishes, I remain Yours in Christ,

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

For Parish Results please see page 38.

2021 Bishops Annual Appeal Special Parish Recognition TOP 5 PARISHES - PERCENT TOTAL • St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Three Bridges: 156.05% • Most Holy Name of Jesus, Perth Amboy: 131.09% • Our Lady of Victories, Baptistown: 127.88% • Sacred Heart, South Plainfield: 127.60% • Our Lady of Mount Carmel, New Brunswick: 127.55%

OCTOBER 21, 2021

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

TOP 5 PARISHES - DOLLARS RAISED • Our Lady of the Mount, Warren: $392,033 • St. Mary, Stony Hill, Watchung: $373,432 • St. James, Basking Ridge: $335,233 • Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen: $332,898 • St. Elizabeth-St. Brigid, Peapack: $246,973

TOP 5 PARISHES - NUMBER OF DONORS • Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen: 639 • Mary, Mother of God, Hillsborough: 484 • St. James, Basking Ridge: 477 • St. Thomas the Apostle, Old Bridge: 445 • St. Augustine of Canterbury, Kendall Park: 429

SENT ON MISSION TO

MOST IMPROVED OVER PRIOR YEAR • Holy Family Parish, New Brunswick • 84.62% increase in pledges • 95.16% increase in donors

HIGHEST TOTAL REBATE EARNED OVER 5 YEARS (BAA 2017-2021) •St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Three Bridges: $102,518.94 •St. Mary-Stony Hill, Watchung: $77,820.34

Thank you to all parishes for your extraordinary eﬀort

Light a Fire in the Heart of the Church